Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 236 With Li Zhaoting's help, what is there to worry about in failing to restore the country!
"Li Lang, beauties have always loved heroes. I'm tired of hearing stories about beauties, so tell me a story about heroes! Among the martial arts practitioners of Suzhou, which senior is the most respected?"

Lan Fenghuang yawned, casually picked two red water chestnuts from the lake, gently peeled off the skin to reveal the sweet and crisp flesh, and fed them to Li Zhaoting.

Abi listened with great interest. Her grandfather had a good relationship with Murong Bo. When her family suffered a disaster, her grandfather asked her to seek refuge with Murong Bo and work as a maid in the Murong family.

Two situations need to be explained here.

Firstly, Abi's family background is not bad.

Secondly, Abi knows martial arts. Her master is Shi Qinglu, one of the Eight Friends of Hangu Pass. Theoretically speaking, Abi is a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect and a grand-disciple of Su Xinghe.

Abi listened intently. She preferred quiet to activity and rarely left Yanziwu. In Abi's mind, the strongest master in the world was none other than Murong Bo.

Li Zhaoting pointed his fingers into a sword shape and gestured twice.

"The most respected and skilled senior in Suzhou must be Li Guanyu of Yongcui Villa."

When Master Li was young, he was equivalent to Ximen Chuixue, Ye Gucheng, and Xie Xiaofeng in the martial arts world today. Back then, he became famous for his sword and tested the world with his sword. Few swordsmen of the same era could withstand three or two moves from him.

The world of martial arts is cruel.

No matter how brilliant one is in their youth, if they cannot break through their limits in their thirties or forties, unless they have extraordinary opportunities, they will only waste their time.

It's not that I underestimate Mr. Li, but time is just that cruel. Ximen Chuixue, Ye Gucheng, and myself are all the same in the face of time.

Either push your limits or stagnate.

Throughout history, countless brilliant martial artists have missed their prime training time due to various problems, and their brilliance has been worn away by time.

Old Master Li is skilled in sword formations.

If one can create a sword formation that reaches the pinnacle in one's lifetime, even if one cannot break through in swordsmanship, one can still leave a brilliant mark on the history of martial arts.

When I first came to Suzhou, the place I most wanted to visit was Tiger Hill, and I wanted to explore the Tiger Hill Sword Pool.

Li Zhaoting looked regretful.

Practicing martial arts is not about cultivating immortality. No matter how talented a martial artist is, they will still face the erosion of time. Since ancient times, beauties and famous generals have not been allowed to grow old in this world!
Li Guanyu, Xue Yiren, and Ziyi Hou, in their youth, were Xie Xiaofeng, Yan Shisan, and Ximen Chuixue of that era. They were once sword gods, sword saints, and sword immortals, pioneers of the path of swordsmanship.

Li Zhaoting has great respect for these senior figures.

Because each generation of swordsmen advances by standing on the shoulders of their predecessors, either reaching the pinnacle or remaining there, waiting for a new generation of genius swordsmen.

This has nothing to do with the swordsman's own will. As long as he fails to break through the limit and shatter the void, he will either remain at his own peak forever or retreat little by little.

Don't want to be a stepping stone?

Sorry, your fate is in the hands of heaven, not in your own!

Jiang Yuyan asked, "Young Master, what is Tiger Hill Sword Pool? Are there many precious swords there?"

Li Zhaoting nodded.

Historical records state that when King Helü of Wu died at Tiger Hill, the earth was dug to form a river, and soil was piled up to form a hill, with a three-tiered bronze coffin.

The gold and jade were transformed into wild geese. After three months of burial, the gold essence rose up and became a white tiger, which crouched on the mountaintop, hence the name Tiger Hill.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Wu and Yue were renowned throughout the world for their skill in forging divine weapons. It is said that among the burial objects of King Helü were two thousand precious swords, all of which were prototypes for divine weapons. These prototypes were honed against each other in the Tiger Hill Sword Pool. The prototypes that were not tough enough were worn down, and the rest became divine weapons.

After more than a thousand years of nurturing, only one in ten sword embryos in Tiger Hill Sword Pool survived; all of them grew into divine weapons.

Countless swordsmen have sought treasures at Tiger Hill Sword Pool, but divine weapons possess spirits, and without a wise master, they remain hidden.

In the last twenty years, only two swordsmen have successfully found the sword. They regarded it as the glory of their lives, and changed their names to Tiger Hill Sword Pool.

One is Xin Huqiu, who is the one who destroys gods and demons in the power gang. He obtained the Bianzhushen Sword, which is good at hiding, and he himself is also very good at hiding. He once worked as an undercover agent in the Huanhua Sword Sect.

The Huanhua Sword Sect was wiped out by the Power Gang, and Xin Huqiu was the biggest contributor. Ximen Chuixue was indignant about his actions and challenged him to a sword duel, piercing his throat with a single blow.

This directly triggered a fierce battle between Ximen Chuixue, Lu Xiaofeng, and the Power Gang, with both sides fighting fiercely.

Another swordsman was named Qu Jianchi, an upright and courageous old knight-errant and hero.

Three years ago, Qu Jianchi saw dozens of people besieging an old man. He mistakenly thought that the old man was a gang of thugs bullying the weak, so he drew his sword to help. He did not expect that the old man was a notorious bandit. Qu Jianchi made a big mistake.

To make up for his mistake, Qu Jianchi spent three years single-handedly hunting down a notorious bandit, paying a huge price to capture him. In the process, his right little finger was cut off, rendering him unable to wield the sword at full strength, and his martial arts skills were reduced by half.

In the world of gangsters, how many can honestly say they have a clear conscience? Who hasn't made mistakes?
Making mistakes is not terrible!
What's frightening is running away, retreating, and dodging.

It takes courage to admit mistakes.

Making amends is a responsibility.

With courage and responsibility, the Jade-Cleansing Divine Sword of Tiger Hill Sword Pool has found the right master. Even though the sword master can no longer wield the sword in this life, he is worthy of his noble sword heart.

The only pity is that both swordsmen who obtained the swords from the Tiger Hill Sword Pool met tragic ends.

Perhaps this is the curse of the Sword Pool!

Li Zhaoting's story was very interesting. Lan Fenghuang and Jiang Yuyan listened with great interest. Abi sighed inwardly, feeling that she had been cooped up at home for too long and was less familiar with what was happening around her than outsiders. She was truly destined to be a maid.

As the story ended, the small boat passed by the water chestnut pond.

Abi guided the small boat through a clump of reeds and water chestnuts. Looking out, the lake was full of lotus leaves, water chestnut leaves, reeds, and water chestnuts. A gentle breeze blew, and the lotus leaves changed into green waves. No one could remember the way they came.

Li Zhaoting lay flat in the cabin, with Lan Fenghuang feeding him water chestnuts on his left and Jiang Yuyan massaging his shoulders on his right. He was completely at ease, not caring about where he had come from or where he was going.

Even Abi was surprised, thinking that no matter how high Li Zhaoting's martial arts skills were, he might not be able to unleash even 30% of his power in the water. If he got lost in the lake, even with unparalleled swordsmanship, he would probably have a hard time finding his way out.

Isn't Li Zhaoting afraid of being lured into the formation?

Of course not.

The formation, arranged with lake water and flowers and trees, was likely set up at night, aided by fishing boats, lights, and bronze mirrors, creating a "mirage" formation, with rockets as weapons.

Water and fire are mutually exclusive, but the most powerful method of naval warfare is fire attack. By taking advantage of the terrain, the power of water and fire can be maximized. Not to mention a single person with a sword, even an army of hundreds of thousands would find it difficult to withstand the ruthlessness of water and fire.

Given the Murong family's level of education, it was beyond Murong Fu's capabilities to set up a Bagua formation, an iron chain formation, and a butterfly formation on the water, followed by a volley of arrows.

Sailors are a highly technical branch of the military, requiring extensive training and specialized personnel to command them.

Let alone the Murong clan of Gusu, even the imperial court has few generals who understand naval training. The technology is too advanced, and talents in this field are extremely scarce.

Suddenly, Abi asked, "Master Li, I've heard that martial arts masters can boil water with their inner energy. I didn't bring any charcoal with me today, so I'd like to trouble you to help me boil some water."

"Easy to say! Easy to say!"

Li Zhaoting took the kettle and heated it with his inner energy.

Abi didn't know much about martial arts, but she could still see how terrifying Li Zhaoting's technique was. He used his true energy to control the small boat below and to boil water above.

To do two things at once, to transform yin and yang.

Even Murong Bo didn't have that ability, let alone Murong Fu. Abi didn't think much of it and waited for Li Zhaoting to heat the water and brew a pot of tea for the three of them.

When you arrive in Suzhou, you must drink Biluochun tea.

Curious, Lan Fenghuang lifted the teapot lid and saw tiny, dark green tea leaves floating in the pale green tea, like small beads covered in fine down. Mistaking them for Gu worms or Gu magic, she instinctively reached for the Golden Silkworm Gu. Jiang Yuyan, having grown up in poverty, had only ever drunk the leftover tea leaves from Ke Baisui; she had never seen good tea before.

Li Zhaoting explained, "Don't be afraid. This is a specialty of Taihu Lake called 'Xia Sha Ren Xiang' (吓煞人香). It is a very precious tea, especially suitable for drinking in summer. It can clear heat, relieve cough and phlegm, and leave a pleasant fragrance in the mouth."

"Master Li is truly learned!"

"I have had a love for food since I was a child, and I have some knowledge of the delicious food from all over the world."

After a long time of playful banter, the group arrived at Qin Yun Xiao Zhu, the residence of A Bi. The four great retainers, A Zhu and A Bi, all had their own manors.

Deng Baichuan lives in Qingyun Manor;

Gongye Qian lived in Chixia Village;

Bao Butong lived in Jinfeng Manor;

Feng Bo'e resided at Xuan Shuang Manor;

Abi is skilled at playing the zither and lives in Qinyun Xiaozhu.

A Zhu loved to have fun and lived in the Tingxiang Pavilion.

Murong Fu lived in Canhezhuang and Huanshi Water Pavilion.

If Murong Fu really intended to raise an army, each manor could support fifty servants, totaling more than three hundred people.

It turns out.

Murong Fu had absolutely no idea how to rebel.

He was always a street hustler, wandering the streets and alleys.

Unlike land routes, waterways are prone to disasters when traveling by boat at night. So, the group stayed at Qinyun Xiaozhu that night and would continue their journey after breakfast the next day.

Abi is a typical Jiangnan woman. In Duan Yu's words, Abi is eight parts beautiful and twelve parts gentle. If we consider all aspects, she can also be rated ten.

Abi's side dishes and pastries are exquisite and beautiful, like works of art, making it hard to bear eating them.

After dinner, Abi played the piano, and Lan Fenghuang danced to the moon. They played until late at night before returning to their rooms to rest.

……

night.

Everyone was fast asleep.

Murong Fu sneaked into Qin Yun Xiaozhu and had Abi recount the events of the journey in detail. Hearing that Li Zhaoting first commented on the masters of Suzhou, then on famous swords and fragrant flowers, and spoke eloquently about martial arts allusions, classics, history, philosophy, and literature, and even the local stories, specialties, snacks, tea, and pastries of Suzhou, he couldn't help but feel admiration.

Murong Fu used to think this was heresy, but after suffering repeated setbacks recently, he has come to reflect on himself and realized that he had been too prejudiced and stubborn in his childhood. He hated Han culture and was forced to read and write. He wasted more than ten years of his life studying books in Yanziwu, which resulted in him being neither good at literature nor martial arts, and being a jack-of-all-trades but master of none.

He had neither profound martial arts skills nor a reputation in the martial arts world, nor could he recruit any scholars and literati. Of his four great retainers, only two remained. Talented people were scarce, and he was all alone.

Murong Bo "resurrected" a few months ago, saying that during his time faking his death, he cultivated many forces so that he could rise up in rebellion as soon as the world changed.

Unexpectedly, the Jiangling Water Fortress, the Green Forest Mountain Fortress, and the elite troops that Murong Bo had boasted about were all breached by Li Zhaoting within a month. All the grain and weapons were captured, and years of hard work were destroyed in an instant.

Murong Bo was almost driven to his death by Li Zhaoting.

Murong Fu wasn't particularly angry.

If Murong Bo hadn't "come back to life," Murong Fu would have had no idea about this fortune. It was money that fell from the sky, so what was there to care about?
Instead of thinking about revenge against Li Zhaoting, it would be better to find a way to win Li Zhaoting over to his side. If Li Zhaoting were to help him wholeheartedly, what would be the problem if he didn't succeed?
"Abi, what do you think of Li Zhaoting?"

“Young master, I think there might be some misunderstanding in the rumors. Everyone says that Young Master Li is a womanizer, but I have secretly observed that Jiang Yuyan is still a virgin.”

"A man who loves women, having such a beautiful woman by his side, yet he can't resist making a move. Li Zhaoting's self-control is beyond that of ordinary people."

Murong Fu should take a look in the mirror.

The most patient person was Murong Fu himself.

Surrounded by three stunning beauties, Wang Yuyan, Azhu, and Abi, he remains a pure yang virgin, single-mindedly devoted to the revival of the Yan Kingdom, and spends his time wandering the streets.

Li Zhaoting was able to endure it because Jiang Yuyan had the protection of her age and the protection of the Siling Temple.

Just give them a little hush money on a regular basis.

Some things require patience for another year or two.

Murong Fu was unaware of these things; he simply filled in the blanks in his mind, imagining Li Zhaoting to be even more powerful than Li Zhaoting himself, adding qualities such as cunning, forbearance, and slyness that were completely unrelated to Li Zhaoting.

Li Zhaoting was neither cunning nor treacherous, and he disliked patience. He preferred to act decisively and swiftly, and it was this tactic that destroyed Murong Bo's water fortress and mountain stronghold.

“Abi, tomorrow morning, take Li Zhaoting to Mantuo Villa. I will host a banquet for him.”

"Young master, could there be a problem?"

"There won't be any problems."

"The slaves obey."

"Don't let Li Zhaoting see through our plan."

"Young Master Li probably won't mind."

"why?"

“Young Master Li’s martial arts are superb, why would he make things difficult for a little girl? Even if he knows there’s a trick, he’ll pretend not to know and wait for me to reveal more flaws.”

"Most smart people enjoy fishing."

"Then, Young Master Li will discover that I am just a small fish fry, and there are no big fish behind me."

"Be careful, Li Zhaoting won't hold it against you. The Five Poisons Sect Leader by his side is not someone to be easily fooled."

"Miss Lan won't hold it against you. Instead of wasting time making things difficult for the little maid, you should think more about how to win her favor."

Abi covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

According to legend, the Five Poisons Cult Leader is an extremely dangerous and vicious figure, a demon who tears tigers and leopards apart and kills people at will, and who feeds on scorpions and spiders.

Only after getting to know her personally did I realize that Lan Fenghuang was very kind and straightforward in her dealings with people. She had the unique innocence and charm of a Miao girl, loved the novelties of the Central Plains, and her heart was always with Li Zhaoting.

Murong Fu gave an awkward laugh.

If Murong Fu hadn't learned from Murong Bo about Lan Fenghuang's great achievements in poisoning the three leaders of Qingyi Tower and destroying three branch headquarters of Qingyi Tower, he would have thought Lan Fenghuang was an innocent and naive Miao girl, insignificant, and easily poisoned by her.

Lan Fenghuang's love-struck mind is only directed at Li Zhaoting.

When facing others, she is the leader of the Five Poisons Sect, as beautiful as a peach blossom and as venomous as a snake, never showing mercy when she strikes.

　Thank you to Ulavala and I love making pancakes for the donations.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)