Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 234 A brilliant strategy, speed is the only way to break through; luring the enemy into the trap.
There are many martial artists in the world who use guns.

There aren't many people who have made a name for themselves with their marksmanship.

Shen Rong has been longing for the Overlord Soul-Chasing Spear, but because he is always influenced by the word "Overlord," he has not been able to find the Ghost Wolf or even any trace of him.

The memory of the Ghost Wolf in his mind was still the sparring match he had with the Dragon Knights twenty-five years ago.

It must be said that Shen Rong had a very good career, but his ability to investigate cases was really not that great!
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Shen Rong probed, "Judging from Master Wang's accent, you seem to be from Shanxi?"

Wang Zhaoxing had no doubts about this.

There are many martial artists in Shanxi!
What's special about the Shanxi accent?
"That's right, I'm from Shanxi!"

"Thirty years ago, in Jinzhong, Shanxi, there was a master of the Overlord Soul-Chasing Spear. Do you know him?"

"I've heard a little about it, please enlighten me, sir."

"It is said that when this person first started out, he was only twenty years old, but within a month, he single-handedly took down eight mountain strongholds in Guanzhong. I have dealt with this Soul-Chasing Spear, but unfortunately, I have never met him."

"Lord Shen is joking. Since you have dealt with the Soul-Chasing Spear before, how could you not have met it?"

"Because at that time, we were a group of nameless warriors, only martial arts skills and code names."

"What is Lord Shen's official taboo name?"

"That's not important. I admit defeat to him. I vaguely remember that the nickname of the Soul-Chasing Spear was Ghost Wolf!"

"Hmph! What is Lord Shen's nickname?"

Wang Zhaoxing and Shen Rong stood up at the same time.

Shen Rong was only testing the waters slightly, not expecting Wang Zhaoxing to admit his identity. Little did he know that Wang Zhaoxing had been searching for traitors for twenty-five years. No matter how experienced he was, he couldn't remain calm upon hearing the name of the Dragon Cavalry.

"If the lord can defend..."

"...All things transform themselves!"

The two exchanged a slogan and simultaneously pulled up their right sleeves, revealing a black dragon tattoo.

This is the insignia of the Dragon Cavalry.

"It really was you! I've been looking for you for so long!"

"You've been looking so hard? That's a joke! I'm the one looking for you! Where are we? Right here!"

The two men, their faces contorted with murderous intent, confronted each other fiercely.

They both felt that the other was a traitor.

When the army was defeated, they investigated in their own way and obtained a special clue: the traitor of the Dragon Cavalry was the one with the highest martial arts skills!

Shen Rong thought it was Youlang, and during the internal sparring and martial arts competition of the Dragon Cavalry Imperial Guard, the Overlord Soul-Chasing Spear ranked first.

Wang Zhaoxing believed it was Yaksha. If he died in the chaos of battle, Yaksha, who was ranked second, would become the strongest expert in the Dragon Cavalry Imperial Guard, and would inevitably be a traitor.

The main reason is that they can at least confirm one thing... that they are not traitors, and that the traitors must be other members; the living are the traitors.

Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two, Li Zhaoting coughed lightly and asked, "Were you talking about the Dragon Cavalry Imperial Guard? I seem to have a little bit of say in this matter. My father's name is Li Nanxing."

Shen Rong sighed, "Young Master Li, your father was the chief clerk in the army back then, and he had a close relationship with the Dragon Cavalry. Logically speaking, I shouldn't have kept this from you, but this matter involves the blood feud of forty-three brothers in the Dragon Cavalry. I have been searching for the traitor for a full twenty-five years!"

Wang Zhaoxing sneered: "Find a traitor? That sounds nice! Are you looking for a traitor or a survivor? Do you want revenge for your brothers, or to silence them?"

"Ghost Wolf, what do you mean?"

"I know, you're Yaksha!"

"so what?"

"Back then, I deliberately allowed myself to be captured. In the prisoner-of-war camp, I obtained a clue: the traitor of the Dragon Cavalry was the one with the highest martial arts skills. Now that Ghost Wolf is dead, the one with the highest martial arts skills is Yaksha. What excuse do you have?"

"What a coincidence, I've heard that saying before too. The number one expert in the Dragon Knights is Youlang. With Youlang alive, Yaksha can't be number one, and you're still alive and well!"

The two people's conversation has significant logical problems.

If they had calmed down and thought things through, they would have surely discovered the flaws in each other's words. Unfortunately, the hatred that had been building up for twenty-five years caused them to lose their composure.

Feng Suzhen asked, "That's not right! Judging from what you two seniors said, you are not traitors. You are searching for traitors. Yaksha thinks Youlang is a traitor, and Youlang thinks Yaksha is a traitor. The only clue comes from the enemy prisoner-of-war camp. The one with the highest martial arts skills is the traitor."

Shen Rong said, "Miss Feng, think about it. The court knows my identity. If I were a traitor who betrayed the country, how could I possibly hold a high position?"

Wang Zhaoxing sneered: "Who would have thought that the highly skilled Yaksha would become a weak scholar and enter officialdom through the imperial examination? The Dragon Cavalry's information is only kept in the Imperial City Guard. How would the Ministry of Rites know about it?"

Li Zhaoting interrupted their conversation: "Is it possible that neither of you are traitors?"

"If it wasn't him, then who could it be!"

The two retorted in unison.

"First of all, are there any survivors?"
That person might be a traitor.

Just a heads up, living alone would be too conspicuous. If I were a traitor, I would risk my life to save someone.

Save the person with the highest martial arts skills, the most outstanding talent, and the best ability to conceal their own existence, and push them out to act as a cover, using their brilliance to perfectly hide themselves.

Secondly, if everyone dies, it's possible the enemy killed them to cover their tracks, and the reward goes to the living. If the other party dies, there's no need to pay the remaining balance.

Don't say things like "spending a fortune to buy bones".

In the chaos of war, with arrows raining down, who could tell whether an opponent in the midst of the chaos was an enemy soldier or a spy? They could only judge by clothing. If they saw an enemy soldier's clothes, they would immediately draw their swords and kill them. There was no time to identify a spy.

The undercover agent might be surrounded and killed by the chaotic army.

Finally, you are both seasoned veterans, one with twenty years of experience in officialdom and the other with twenty years of experience in escorting goods. How did you become more reckless than a novice who just started out?

You are fifty years old, not twenty!

Can't you be a little more mature and composed like someone in their fifties?

Let's sit down and have a good talk. Tell me what clues you know, and I'll help you distinguish between truth and falsehood.

My father had a close relationship with the Dragon Cavalry, and I also share in their hatred. I have the right to know what happened back then. Now, please sit down.

Chief镖头 Wang, you speak first.

"Lord Shen, please prepare your speech."

Li Zhaoting forcibly separated the two.

The two men sat down angrily.

In fact, the two had very few clues and could only search for traitors in the Dragon Knights based on the illogical theory that "the living are traitors."

Normally, aside from suicide squads, the most important thing for an undercover agent is to survive. However, in the midst of the chaos of battle, who the hell knew who was who?
In addition, sparring and exchanging skills can help one conceal their shortcomings.

Perhaps someone is hiding their true abilities?
Shen Rong and Wang Zhaoxing were both seasoned veterans. They sat down and discussed the matter, confirming that the other party was not a traitor. The last person to survive was very likely the traitor.

That person was Feng Quan.

Feng Quan perfectly matches Li Zhaoting's description.

Patience, low profile, caution, and meticulousness.

He rescued Shen Rong amidst the chaos of battle and used Shen Rong's power to rise to prominence. From beginning to end, Feng Quan was like Shen Rong's shadow. Wherever Shen Rong was, no one paid attention to Feng Quan, and he hid himself away.

Shen Rong also discovered that Feng Quan was dishonest, secretly colluded with rebels, and was hiding his true abilities in martial arts. He was not skilled in battlefield martial arts, but only proficient in fist and foot techniques. In a martial arts battle, Feng Quan might be the strongest.

Many things can be discussed calmly and rationally, rather than being kept in cryptic language, and the truth can be revealed.

The best schemes are not elaborate plots, but those that drive people to madness. No matter how intelligent a person is, if they lose their rationality and are unable to make accurate judgments, they will inevitably go to extremes. The more intelligent a person is, the easier it is for them to go to extremes. The real scheme is to use the other person's wisdom to drive them into a corner.

In a very short time, use the target's most cherished thing as bait to make him lose focus and complacency, leave him no time to reflect, blind him with hatred and lies, and distract him with misinformation. Make him accelerate while he's going astray, and even if he realizes something is wrong, he won't be able to stop.

The more you plan, the lower your margin for error. The more you participate, the easier it is to be noticed.

The longer it is left, the easier it is to be damaged.

If you must plan for the long term, it's best not to get too involved. Leave a seed, then stay far away and let the seed take root and sprout on its own.

Just like the feud between Shen Rong and Wang Zhaoxing.

The trigger for everything was the statement, "The person with the highest martial arts skills is a traitor." Feng Quan did not actively plot against him; he didn't even know that Youlang was still alive. He fabricated a lie simply to provoke Shen Rong to climb the social ladder and to satisfy his vanity, and that lie has had an impact for twenty-five years.

"Is the traitor Feng Quan?"

Shen Rong frowned.

The feud had lasted for over twenty years. The younger generation, including Shen Feiyan and Wang Zhenwei, were not allowed to participate and were kicked out of the room by Shen Rong. Only Li Zhaoting, Feng Suzhen, Shen Rong, and Wang Zhaoxing were left to review the situation. After much deliberation, they finally came to Feng Quan.

Only three members of the Imperial Guard survived.

Neither of them are traitors.

What is the identity of the remaining one?
Shen Rong was conflicted. Feng Quan had saved his life and had been his underling for twenty years. It was a difficult choice between loyalty and duty for him.

A gentleman can be deceived by his principles!
This was Feng Quan's last line of defense.

—A bond of friendship weighs a thousand pounds!

Wearing the armor of "loyalty and righteousness," even if Shen Rong's throwing knives are indestructible and all-pervasive, Feng Quan can still find a way out and at least save his life.

Life is the most important thing.

Wang Zhaoxing was indifferent to this.

Feng Quan had done Shen Rong a favor, but not him. If Feng Quan were a traitor, Wang Zhaoxing would not hesitate to kill him to avenge his brothers in the Dragon Cavalry.

Feng Suzhen and Li Zhaoting exchanged a glance.

The couple worked together seamlessly to make a plan.

"Startle the snake by beating the grass, then lure it out of its hole."

"Concern leads to confusion. This matter is not only a source of inner demons for the two seniors, but also for the traitors."

“If the traitor knew about this, knew that the two of you had misunderstood each other and were about to have a duel, he would definitely kill you during the duel to silence you.”

"This matter must be handled quickly. We cannot give the traitors time to react. It would be best to do it this afternoon."

"Leave the news to Shen Feiyan, and let Shen Feiyan go to Feng Quan. Then, Lord Shen will put on an act of entrusting his orphan to Feng Quan and ask him to take care of his family."

"Don't go into too much detail."

"Let Feng Quan fill in the blanks of what happened."

"Just like how we dealt with Xue Zhi."

"You're just making things up in your head, scaring yourself."

“If Feng Quan is not a traitor, the three of you can trust him wholeheartedly. If he is a traitor, you can eliminate him when he comes forward.”

"Even if nothing happens, you can at least verify the truth of the matter from the other party's martial arts. People with ulterior motives will definitely have flaws in their martial arts."

The two quickly devised a plan to lure the snake out of its hole. Before long, Wang Zhaoxing left the Shen residence in a rage. Shen Rong summoned Feng Quan and said he wanted to duel someone. If he died, he asked Feng Quan to take care of Shen Feiyan so that Feiyan would not be left alone.

Feng Quan was completely dumbfounded.

What happened?
You, the dignified Prefect of Jinling, want to have a life-or-death duel with a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person from the martial arts world)? Have you lost your mind?
wrong!

For Shen Rong to be able to give up everything, even his own daughter, this opponent must be extraordinary.

Feng Quan feigned agreement and then went to Shen Feiyan to inquire about the situation. Shen Feiyan trusted Feng Quan completely and recounted how Wang Zhaoxing had come to the banquet and inexplicably argued with Shen Rong, asking Feng Quan to help mediate.

"Uncle Feng, my mind is all confused. My dad said Master Wang is a traitor, some kind of ghost wolf. Master Wang said my dad is a traitor, some kind of yaksha!"

“Niece, don’t rush. Describe the banquet in detail, and I’ll help you organize your thoughts.”

"This is what happened..."

"Ghost Wolf, Overlord Soul-Chasing Spear..."

Feng Quan understood perfectly well that if there was anything that would make Shen Rong risk his life to fight someone, it must be for the Dragon Cavalry and to avenge his brothers.

Feng Quan thought to himself, "I'm so lucky! Someone just delivered a pillow when I was dozing off. I was originally thinking about how to kill Shen Rong, but I didn't expect You Lang to still be alive. Isn't this the perfect scapegoat? Perfect for erasing all traces!"
May the Dragon Knights vanish completely!

Feng Quan clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.

……

dusk.

Outside Jinling City, at the foot of Niushou Mountain.

Wang Zhaoxing and Shen Rong, armed with weapons and wearing masks of the Imperial Guards, stared coldly at each other.

"The net of heaven is vast, Yaksha, today I will use your blood to pay tribute to the brothers of the Dragon Cavalry."

"Well said, Ghost Wolf. You betrayed forty-three brothers of the Dragon Rider Guard. How do you want to die?"

"Do you remember the Dragon Cavalry's salute?"

"Not a single day will I dare to forget!"

"Then... let's get started!"

Wang Zhaoxing held a long spear and assumed a fighting stance.

Shen Rong's weapon was a phoenix-beak knife.

The two were the commander and deputy commander of the Dragon Cavalry Imperial Guard. They used battlefield weapons and were skilled in battlefield charges. As the two focused their attention and gathered their strength, the surroundings were filled with a chilling killing intent.

Feng Quan watched from the shadows.

He saw that after twenty-five years, Ghost Wolf and Yaksha clashed again. This time it was not a friendly spar, but a life-or-death duel, with swords and spears clashing and sparks flying.

Shen Rong had throwing knives wrapped around his waist.

This is Shen Rong's most treasured skill.

"Whoosh!"

The throwing knife was aimed at Wang Zhaoxing.

Wang Zhaoxing did not parry, but instead swung his gun at Shen Rong's chest, intending to exchange his life for Shen Rong's.

Upon seeing this, Feng Quan waved his hand and launched a flying stone.

In this battle, it must be the wolf who kills the yaksha.

Only in this way can I extricate myself unscathed.

"clang!"

The throwing knife was knocked away by a stone.

"laugh!"

The spear grazed the clothes and pierced the ground.

Shen Rong raised his hand and shot out two throwing knives. Feng Quan was forced out by the knives and was about to run away when he found Wang Zhaoxing blocking his way. He lured Feng Quan out of his hole and caught him like a turtle in a jar.

(End of this chapter)