Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 119 Fairies and Demonesses, A Battle is Inevitable

"Senior, I've come to see you."

Li Zhaoting brought wine and meat to visit Gu Santong.

Generally speaking, prisoners at the bottom of the prison cannot be visited at will, otherwise chaos would have already broken out. Li Zhaoting had to use his money to obtain permission.

Another reason is that since Karasuma and Toshihide were murdered to silence them, the prison guards were all living in fear, and Li Zhaoting, backed by the Eighth Prince, could plead for them.

Gu Santong laughed and said, "You little rascal, I've passed on everything I know to you, why are you still coming to see this old man? You're so young, yet you don't even understand the meaning of ingratitude. You'll be betrayed sooner or later in the martial world."

"Senior, you are mistaken. If I were truly a treacherous traitor, I could exchange a special secret for a mountain of gold from the Iron-Blooded Marquis!"

"What secret is worth a mountain of gold?"

Gu Santong spat out a chicken bone. He didn't care much about money, but he knew that wealth could move mountains and that the secret of a mountain of gold could turn the world upside down.

Li Zhaoting held up two fingers: "In the eyes of ordinary people, it is worthless, at most it is a topic of conversation to brag about with bad friends. But for Zhu Wushi, this secret is worth his life."

"What secret?"

"You should know that I can read faces."

"and then?"

“You did some unethical things when you were in the underworld, but not many, not to the point of causing your death and having no descendants. Based on the story you told, I have come to a conclusion.”

"What conclusion?"

"Su Xin gave birth to a son for you."

"Nonsense, don't lie to me!"

Gu Santong grabbed Li Zhaoting by the collar, his arm gleaming with golden light, having already activated his Vajra Transformation. In this state, Li Zhaoting was no match for Gu Santong.

Li Zhaoting quickly explained, "Do you have any treasure that I could fool you about? Why would I lie to you? Whether you believe it or not, this is true."

"Unless you bring my son to me."

"I will do my best to find him. You must do your best to live. Don't die before you see your son."

Why didn't you say so before?

“You told me your story just last night. I can only read faces, not know five hundred years into the past.”

"Is it your fault?"

"It's all Zhu's fault for ignoring it."

Li Zhaoting casually found a scapegoat.

"Su Xin really gave birth to a son for me? Are you accurate with your fortune telling? Which quack Taoist priest did you learn it from?"

"You and Suxin lived in seclusion in the countryside. During that time, did anything happen between you and Suxin? How could you not know?"

My nickname is "The Commoner Divine Physician".

What I calculated will most likely come true. When the delegation came to Beijing this time, I could see that their faces were dark, and a death omen was hanging over their foreheads. None of them would have a peaceful time.

Guess what?

The entire delegation from the three kingdoms was wiped out.

I was implicated in this matter, suspected of being the murderer, and imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison by Zhu Wushi.

I'll go to Sichuan in a while to see if I can learn the Eight Formations of Zhuge Liang, and then I'll do a divination for you.

"I'll definitely help the senior find his son."

"Really?"

"Realer than real gold."

"Zhu Wushi didn't know about this?"

"The Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill must be practiced by a virgin, and Zhu Wushi firmly believed this. Senior Gu, you are deceiving people and ghosts, and you have tricked Zhu Wushi into it."

The cycle of cause and effect, retribution is unhappy.

When searching for the secret manual, Gu Santong was grateful to Zhu Wushi for teaching him a finger technique, so he voluntarily gave Zhu Wushi the inheritance of the Strange Swordsman of Tianchi. However, Zhu Wushi was born to lie, found the manual in advance, and then made up a lie.

The manual for the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill states that "this method must be practiced by a virgin," while the manual for the Absorption Technique states that "it must not be practiced by a virgin." Old Zhu firmly believed this.

Originally, I only wanted to make a joke to Zhu Wushi, but I didn't expect that the joke would protect Su Xin and her son.

Of course, twenty years later, Zhu Wushi's love for Su Xin has turned into an obsession. Even if Zhu Wushi knew that she had been his white moonlight for twenty years, he would still maintain his composure.

Gu Santong did not believe in divination, but if he really had a son, he would die without regrets. The final result of his confrontation with Zhu Wushi was that both sides would be injured.

Gu Santong lost, but it also won.

Zhu ignored both the victory and the defeat.

Gu Santong drank and ate meat with a big smile.

The two discussed martial arts until dawn.

A few days later, the mission case came to a conclusion.

The Goguryeo delegation remained silent, waiting for the Goguryeo king to send a new princess to complete the marriage alliance.

When the case of the Izumo delegation was handed over to the Dragon Guard Manor, Duan Tianya volunteered. He had studied martial arts in Japan since childhood and knew more about Japanese samurai and ninjutsu than the Six Doors.

The Liao delegation needs to send someone back. This mission was extremely dangerous, and the envoy not only needs patience but also great courage, and preferably must be highly skilled in martial arts.

This heavy responsibility was entrusted to Lao Li, the third-ranked scholar.

Li Xunhuan's father.

The Li family was a scholarly family. Li Xunhuan's father and brother both entered the imperial examinations and became officials. With their godlike good looks, both father and son were ranked third in the imperial examinations.

Old Li, the third-ranked scholar, was very distressed about this and hoped that Li Xunhuan could become the top scholar in the imperial examination. Li Xunhuan studied hard for many years and was full of confidence in the spring examination, believing that he could pass with flying colors.

Passing the imperial examination and the palace examination are no problem, but whether one can become the top scholar is truly a difficult question.

Li Xunhuan was too handsome.

No matter how you look at it, he's the third-ranked scholar.

There's little chance of him becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination.

The story of the father and his three sons being top scholars is an even more perfect one.

Li Zhaoting rode his old wine jar to Sichuan.

……

"Alas, how perilous and lofty!"
The road to Shu is harder than ascending to heaven.
"Cancong and Yufu, how vague their founding of the state! Forty-eight thousand years have passed since then, and they have not had any contact with the Qin region..."

The journey was uneventful, and we arrived safely at Jiange. Looking at the towering mountains before us, the impregnable pass that could hold off ten thousand men, I couldn't help but recite "The Road to Shu is Hard".

Sichuan, a land of abundance, boasts countless scenic spots and historical sites.

There are so many fun tourist destinations.

You can explore the world based on the poems of ancient sages or the history of the Three Kingdoms; you can have a great time either way.

Not far from Jiange is Dingjun Mountain.

Huang Zhong killed Xiahou Yuan here.

At the foot of Dingjun Mountain lies the tomb of Zhuge Liang.

That's right, Zhuge Liang's tomb is not in the Wuhou Temple, but in Dingjun Mountain. The Wuhou Temple was originally Liu Bei's mausoleum, which implies that the emperor and his minister were buried together.

There are countless legends about Zhuge Liang, but the one most relevant to Li Zhaoting is the Eight Formations of Zhuge Liang. Fortune tellers, when compiling ancestral tales for their families, will certainly include Zhuge Liang.

There are five ancient people who were frequently targeted by staged accidents.

First came King Wen of Zhou's Pre-Heaven Bagua, then Dongfang Shuo's Feng Shui, followed by Zhuge Liang's Eight Formations and Seven Stars Borrowing Fate, and finally Yuan Tiangang in the Tang Dynasty.

After the Ming Dynasty, Liu Bowen should also be included.

Liu E's task can be postponed slightly.

Since we've arrived at Dingjun Mountain, we must visit the tomb of Zhuge Liang to pay homage to the sages and hope that Prime Minister Zhuge Liang will appear and impart some supernatural powers. Li Zhaoting doesn't ask for much; he just wants to be taught the Eight Trigrams Formation or the Seven Stars Life-Borrowing Technique.

If Zhuge Liang were very generous and willing to impart skills such as dedication, situational awareness, wisdom, insight, strategic thinking, and the Empty City Stratagem, Li Zhaoting would certainly accept them all.

If Zhuge Liang could manifest a dozen or so clones to teach different people, like in a card game set in the Three Kingdoms period, that would be wonderful.

After traveling for several days, Li Zhaoting rode south and soon arrived in Sichuan, where he did not encounter any masters.

There are many martial arts sects in Sichuan.

The most famous sects are Emei and Qingcheng.

The Tang Clan is the most prominent of the prestigious families.

There are also sect alliances such as the Da Feng Tang.

The most powerful is clearly the Tang Clan.

The Tang Clan has been passed down for hundreds of years, with at least eighty branches in total. They specialize in poisons and hidden weapons, and most of them are ruthless, vicious, vindictive, and kill without hesitation.

Better to offend Yama, the King of Hell, than Tang Men, the Master of the Tang Clan.

The reputation of the Tang Clan in Sichuan in the martial arts world can't be described as infamous, but it is certainly disliked by everyone, on par with sects such as the Five Poisons Sect and the Wen Family of Lingnan. The Tang Clan doesn't care about its reputation, nor does it want to expand outwards.

For hundreds of years, the Tang Clan has firmly controlled Sichuan.

Outsiders cannot get in; if they do, they will die.

Those from the Tang Clan cannot leave; those who do leave are all collateral branches that establish their own sects, severing ties with the main lineage and being removed from the family genealogy.

There are countless stories about Tang Clan's hidden weapons, but Li Zhaoting has hardly ever seen any since his debut.

The man surnamed Tang whom Li Zhaoting knew didn't know anything about hidden weapons.

Before he knew it, Li Zhaoting had arrived in Sichuan.

……

"Waiter, three catties of Zhang Fei beef, please."

"This young master is from out of town, isn't he?"

"Do I need to call you a son of a bitch?"

“Young master is joking. We do not sell beef.”

"Give me three catties of pork from a farmed pig."

Li Zhaoting slipped a string of copper coins to him.

The waiter, hearing the music, understood the refined meaning.

Not long after, three catties of beef were served.

While enjoying the Sichuan cuisine, Li Zhaoting listened to people gossiping. One of the thugs said, "I heard that fairies and witches are going to have a martial arts competition, but it's a pity we can't see it!"

"Where did these fairies and witches come from?"

"You don't even know this? You're really ignorant. The fairy is Cheng Huaixiu, the leader of the Salt Gang, and the witch is a beauty who recently came to Sichuan. She's wearing a red dress, is incomparably beautiful, and has a treacherous and vicious sword technique. Let's not talk about these things. We're not qualified to see the beauties. We can only go to the casino to place a bet."

"You bastard, you little rascal, I knew you were up to no good. You invited us over for dinner, so this is what you owe the casino? How much money do you owe?"

"Hehe! Brothers, this is a great opportunity for us to turn our lives around. If we bet right, we can make a fortune and won't have to do hard labor in this wretched place anymore."

"Do you have any inside information?"

"I heard that Yan helped with the leadership transition, and Cheng Huaixiu was so busy that she was bound to be exhausted. The odds at the casino were very low, and most people were optimistic about the witch."

"How much money can this make?"

"This is fake news released by the casino to fool idiots. I know a brother from the Khan Gang, and he told me personally that Cheng Huaixiu will definitely win this battle."

"Er Gouzi, is this really true?"

"Whether it's true or not is entirely up to you. I'm betting everything on Cheng Huaixiu. You two can decide for yourselves."

Before he could finish speaking, a wine pot landed on the table.

"Brother, where's the duel? Give me the address, and I'll treat you to drinks."

"Thank you, sir. We lowlifes would never know anything about the Salt Gang leader. There's a branch of the Salt Gang not far from here; they're disciples of the Khan Gang."

"Thank you very much, goodbye!"

Li Zhaoting left the restaurant.

The Salt Gang was one of the wealthiest gangs and also one of the most difficult to eradicate from the underworld. From some perspectives, the imperial court would secretly protect the Salt Gang and the Canal Gang.

Many countries surrounding the Song Dynasty relied on salt merchants to transport salt, and the exchanges between them were very close. Salt merchants in various places made a fortune and became super-rich.

The Money Gang, Power Gang, Golden Wind and Drizzle Pavilion, Six and a Half Hall and other underworld gangs were all involved. The Angry Dragon Gang even controlled both the Salt Gang and the Canal Gang, making a fortune with its invincible naval warships.

The banks of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers are mainly inhabited by canal merchants.

The salt trade was the main industry in Sichuan.

The Salt Gang is divided into five factions:

The Sweat Gang, the Stove Gang, the Well Gang, the Basket Gang, and the Money Gang.

The Khan Gang consists mostly of local people who work in the salt wells. They are the weakest in individual combat but the strongest in group combat, making them the most troublesome major force.

Li Zhaoting was very skilled at dealing with the Khans.

The solution can be summed up in two words... add more money!
(End of this chapter)