Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 1 If you ask about the son-in-law today

West Lake in Hangzhou, April in the human world.

As the saying goes, "Above is heaven, below are Suzhou and Hangzhou." Much of Hangzhou's beauty lies in West Lake, with its misty willows, painted bridges, beaded curtains, emerald screens, melodious flutes playing in the clear weather, and water chestnut songs floating on the night.

It's the transition between spring and summer, the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, and the sun is shining brightly—perfect for a day of leisure. Yet, no one seems to appreciate the beauty that is lovely whether adorned or plain.

All eyes were on the arena by the lake.

Feng Suzhen, the daughter of Feng Shaoqing, the prefect of Hangzhou, had reached marriageable age and wanted to find a young and promising son-in-law with high martial arts skills. To put it bluntly, she was going to hold a martial arts contest to find a husband.

In today's world, martial arts are at their peak, and top masters can slaughter thousands of troops single-handedly. It is quite normal for a prefect's daughter to marry a martial arts master.

Legend has it that Feng Suzhen not only possesses unparalleled beauty, but also poetic talent, and is taught profound martial arts by a mysterious figure, making her a rare and exceptional beauty.

Upon hearing that Feng Suzhen was going to hold a martial arts contest to find a husband, even Liu Changying, the son of the current prime minister, and Dongfang Sheng, the son of the Marquis of Dongfang, were tempted and rushed to Hangzhou to propose marriage.

Because there were too many talented young men seeking his hand in marriage, Feng Shaoqing specially divided the competition into four arenas to select the most outstanding young men for a final contest.

The martial arts contest to find a husband was a grand affair.

Including those who came to watch the spectacle, those who took advantage of the chaos, those who sold information, and those who wanted to find a wealthy husband, the number of martial arts practitioners in Hangzhou had increased by at least two or three thousand.

Casinos, sensing the opportunity, set odds for many participants, with four being the most aggressive.

Liu Changying, son of the Prime Minister.

Dongfang Sheng, son of the Marquis.

A mysterious boy who claims to "smell bad smells".

The last person is fighting in the arena.

This man was named Li Zhaoting, courtesy name Buyi. He was eighteen or nineteen years old, from Lingnan. He had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and his features were gentle and clear, like a lotus flower in a turbid world.

Wearing a simple blue cloth gown, he couldn't hide his refined and elegant demeanor, serene and otherworldly, with a natural and unrestrained style in every gesture.

Li Zhaoting's weapon is a four-foot-long green bamboo. He is skilled in swordsmanship and has never been able to last three moves against the bamboo since the competition began. He usually loses after only one or two moves.

No matter what kind of opponent he faced, Li Zhaoting always used his light, ethereal, and resounding swordsmanship to knock them off the stage, as steady and unyielding as a pine tree or bamboo.

"Wan Gui of Jinling, please teach Brother Li your swordsmanship!"

Wan Gui is the only son of Wan Zhenshan, a famous master of the Jinling swordsmanship known as "Five Cloud Hands". Wan Zhenshan came from the Tang Poetry Sword School and inherited the Tang Poetry Sword Technique. He wielded a sword with both poetry and sword, making him elegant and graceful.

Upon hearing the name "Wan Gui," Li Zhaoting's heart stirred, and he returned the salute with his sword held horizontally across his chest.

Wan Gui stared intently at Li Zhaoting's wrist.

Before the duel, Wan Gui and his fellow disciples studied Li Zhaoting's swordsmanship and speculated that Li Zhaoting's moves were mainly gentle and slow, emphasizing wrist flexibility.

Wan Gui knew he couldn't win, so he only hoped to last five moves against Li Zhaoting, which would also bring him great fame.

The referee struck the gong.

Wan Gui drew his sword and stabbed Li Zhaoting.

All nations revere the Zhou dynasty, and officials in their robes bow before its imperial crown!
This is the starting stance of the Tang Poetry Swordplay, a highly respectful opening move that signifies making friends through martial arts.

Li Zhaoting's five fingers moved swiftly, lightly touching the green bamboo. His swordplay was light and elegant, like a gentle breeze stirring still water, or like willows by a lake, scattering thousands of willow branches.

Wan Gui was shocked and broke out in a cold sweat.

When I watched the match earlier, I felt that Li Zhaoting's swordsmanship was elegant and graceful, more like calligraphy and painting than swordsmanship. It was more like a sword dance than a mere display of skill.

Only after personally experiencing the attack did one realize how exquisite Li Zhaoting's swordsmanship was and how terrifying his sword aura was. A casual thrust was enough to send chills down one's spine.

Fast, ruthless, and accurate!

The swaying bamboo shadows flashed by, and Wan Gui suddenly felt a pain in his wrist, his five fingers went numb and he couldn't hold the sword. Then he felt a tightness in his chest and then his whole body went weak.

Wan Gui felt like a tattered kite in a tornado; no matter how the wind blew, his body moved. When he came to his senses, he was already off the stage.

The other disciples hurriedly gathered around.

"Third brother, why are you suddenly spacing out?"

"Third Senior Brother, how is this kid's swordsmanship?"

"Let's find an opportunity tonight and swarm him to take him down. I don't believe he can beat eight of us!"

Listening to his fellow disciples chattering away, Wan Gui felt annoyed and said sternly, "Don't even mention eight, even if there were eighty, they wouldn't be a match for him."

The eldest disciple, Lu Kun, was cautious and told his junior brothers not to say too much. He then took Wan Gui to the inn to rest.

Wan Gui looked up at the surrounding audience and sighed with a hint of regret. It wasn't that he had lost money betting, but rather that no one had come over to "catch the son-in-law from under the list."

"Catching a son-in-law under the list" refers to the practice of waiting on Zhuque Street during the imperial examinations to find scholars who passed but ranked low when the results were announced, and offering them a high dowry to find a son-in-law.

Later, it gradually spread to the martial arts world.

In the martial arts world, celebrations such as martial arts tournaments and hero gatherings often turn into matchmaking events, with a particular preference for young geniuses from humble backgrounds.

The same applies to this martial arts contest for marriage.

Nearly a hundred contestants participated, but only one ultimately married Feng Suzhen. Among them were many talented young men who wanted to find a husband through the competition and waited patiently by the arena early on.

The closer the ticket is to the arena, the more expensive it is. Feng Shaoqing earned at least five thousand taels of silver by selling tickets.

Li Zhaoting didn't care about any of that!
Li Zhaoting has only one goal in mind.

—Win the ring and marry your beautiful bride!

A peerless beauty with the talent to excel in both literature and martial arts.

Li Zhaoting is a time traveler. He opened his eyes and inexplicably found himself transported to another world.

In this world, there are Buddhas, Taoists, and demons.

This world has the Yuan, the Qing, and the Song dynasties.

In this world, there are terrestrial immortals who ride the wind and breathe air, eminent monks with boundless Buddhist teachings, enchanting demonic women who bewitch the world, and peerless fairies whose smiles can topple cities.

Just as Li Zhaoting was filled with excitement and dreaming of roaming the world freely and conquering cities with a single sword, fate dealt him a heavy blow, subjecting him to hardship and hunger.

Li Zhaoting wanted to practice martial arts, but a stagnant energy was blocking his meridians, preventing him from practicing.

Good fortune lies within the shadow of misfortune, and misfortune lies within the shadow of good fortune.

The vital energy circulating in Li Zhaoting's meridians subtly enhances his physical qualities, making him sharp-eared and sharp-eyed, with a photographic memory, and a strong body.

If you can't practice martial arts, then work hard to pass the imperial examinations!

Li Zhaoting has started the "senior year hell" mode, and his classmates at the academy are complaining. He is a child prodigy at such a young age and might even win the top three prizes in the imperial examinations.

Then, another blow.

Five years ago, a palace coup occurred, and Emperor Renzong of Song, Zhao Zhen, ascended the throne. Due to the emperor's young age, Empress Dowager Liu E ruled from behind the curtain, causing great turmoil in the court.

Li Zhaoting's father, Li Nanxing, was implicated, and the father and son were exiled to Lingnan. On the way, they bribed the yamen runners and escaped to Dali, where they settled down.

Li Zhaoting originally intended to go to Wuliang Mountain to find the Northern Darkness Divine Skill and the Lingbo Steps, but unexpectedly encountered a crazy old Taoist priest in his nineties on the way.

The old Taoist priest was highly skilled in martial arts but was mentally unstable. He kept insisting on taking Li Zhaoting as his disciple. Seeing the old Taoist priest's martial arts skills that could split rivers and seas, how could Li Zhaoting dare to refuse?

It was quite a coincidence that, having just become an apprentice, the Qi that had been stagnating in my meridians for over ten years automatically dissipated, and my body was transformed by the Qi into the most suitable physique for martial arts training.

All sorts of mysteries seemed to be divinely bestowed.

The old Taoist priest was extremely knowledgeable, not only proficient in martial arts such as swords, spears, halberds, fists, palms, fingers, and claws, but also in Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, the I Ching, the Eight Trigrams, astronomy, geography, medicine, divination, and astrology.

The only problem was that he wasn't quick-witted and preferred rote learning when imparting knowledge. Li Zhaoting went through the hellish senior year of high school again. Five years passed in the blink of an eye.

Last month, Li Zhaoting passed the old Taoist's test, indicating that he was ready to graduate and gain experience in the martial arts world.

Li Zhaoting wanted to return to his ancestral home in Jinling to visit his family. While passing through Hangzhou, he happened to hear that Feng Suzhen was holding a martial arts contest to find a husband, so he immediately went to the Tang family to register.

Why should we register at Tangfu?
Because there were too many martial arts practitioners participating, Feng Shaoqing was worried that it would cause disputes and harm the people, so he asked Tang Songting, a martial arts master, to be the chief judge of the martial arts contest to find a husband.

Tang Songting is upright and incorruptible, hates evil as if it were his enemy, and has a very high reputation in the martial arts world. He is respectfully called "Old Man Tang" in the martial arts world. If he is made the chief judge, there will be no underhanded dealings.

Because Tang Songting only has one son and one daughter, and his son Tang Zhuquan is thirty-two years old this year, and the martial arts contest for marriage requires participants to be under thirty years old, he is not eligible to participate.

In fact, Tang Zhuquan was also a judge.

Tang Songting is a renowned senior in the martial arts world. If a junior acts unscrupulously and it is inconvenient to take action, Tang Zhuquan is the most suitable person to do so. He is the most shameless of all shameless people.

It is said that three years ago, Tang Zhuquan was simultaneously engaged in a shouting match with thirty shrewish women in the streets, leaving them speechless and causing them to avoid him whenever they saw him.

In terms of being a scoundrel and a tough nut to crack, there are no more than three people in the world better than Tang Zhuquan.

There is zero person who can drink more than Tang Zhuquan!

The true number one drunken swordsman in the world!
……

"Mr. Tang, who do you think will win?"

Feng Shaoqing looked at Tang Songting with a hint of nervousness.

Tang Songting stroked his beard and analyzed, "Even if all the contestants rush in, the winner will still be Li Zhaoting from Lingnan. No one can withstand three or five moves from him."

Upon hearing this, Feng Shaoqing's face turned pale and then purple.

From the moment Liu Changying and Dongfang Sheng decided to participate, the winner could only be chosen from these two. Feng Shaoqing, a mere prefect of Hangzhou, could afford to offend either of them.

To put it bluntly, whoever you marry, you'll receive support and rise rapidly in your career.

Feng Shaoqing asked in a low voice, "Elder Tang, what level has Li Zhaoting's martial arts reached? The Earthly Fiends Ranking? It can't be the Heavenly Spirits Ranking, can it? He's only nineteen years old this year!"

"I cannot give an accurate judgment."

"why?"

"Because so far, no one has been able to force Li Zhaoting to use his full strength. To exaggerate a bit, only one martial artist present has been able to push Li Zhaoting to his limit."

"Who?"

"I!"

Tang Songting gave a straightforward answer.

Feng Shaoqing chuckled awkwardly, "Elder Tang, you jest. How could you, a Grandmaster of the Heavenly Star Ranking, possibly..."

"I never tell jokes!"

"A nineteen-year-old Grandmaster on the Heavenly Ranking..."

Feng Shaoqing covered his mouth in shock!

Li Zhaoting is so young, yet he already possesses the strength of a Grandmaster on the Heavenly Gang Ranking. He is also an unparalleled genius from an ordinary background, without any official rank or title. Isn't this a match made in heaven?

Is there a better son-in-law than Li Zhaoting?

Feng Shaoqing glanced at Tang Songting, thinking to himself, "What are you pretending for, old man? If your daughter hadn't already been betrothed to the Long family, you would have already found a chance to steal your son-in-law."

(End of this chapter)