Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 311 The Tang Clan of Sichuan: Watching His Building Collapse
The Lin family's old butler is dead!
The body was hung from a large tree, with a rag covering its face. The cause of death was a stab wound to the chest, first pierced by a dagger and then covered by a long sword.

The manner of death, the method of disguise, and even the posture at the time of death were exactly the same as Lin Zhennan's.

This made Li Zhaoting, who had just finished his deduction and confidently asserted that the murderer was the old steward of the Lin family and that his motive was to betray someone he had been so grateful to, feel ashamed.

Cheng Huaixiu rushed over from the Salt Gang headquarters, looking at Li Zhaoting with a half-smile, her eyes full of affection. Even though Li Zhaoting's skin was as thick as a city wall, he couldn't quite bear it.

My skin couldn't take it anymore, but the autopsy couldn't stop.

Li Zhaoting carefully examined the surrounding traces and found that the old butler had been hanged from a tree after his death. There were signs of rope pulling on the tree branches. The murderer was not very strong, and the old butler was shaken seven or eight times when he was being pulled.

If the murderer intended to delay Lin Zhennan's death by absorbing his blood with a cotton quilt, then the murderer had no such intention in killing the old housekeeper. Instead, the old housekeeper was publicly hanged up, and the murderer was killed by bloodletting.

The old butler's real cause of death was excessive blood loss.

The murderer stabbed the old butler in the chest with a dagger, rendering him incapable of fighting, then used a sword to finish him off, making the wound even deeper, and finally hung him up to bleed him out.

If it weren't for the fact that Yu Canghai was dead, his dismembered body scattered on the ground, and at least thirty people had seen his corpse, which looked as if it had been devoured by wild animals, Li Zhaoting would have even thought that Yu Canghai was seeking revenge.

Li Zhaoting quickly made up seven or eight stories.

The most classic example is: After Yu Canghai was defeated, he was captured and enslaved by the Lin family. Every day, he served tea and water to Lin Zhennan, made his bed and folded his blankets, and suffered all kinds of humiliation from Lin Zhennan!

Lin Zhennan used to send gifts to Yu Canghai every year, trying to curry favor with him. Yu Canghai then murdered Lin Zhennan's entire family in the dead of night, causing Lin Zhennan to break down and develop a desire for revenge.

This is normal!

The son of a Zhongshan wolf will become arrogant when he succeeds!
If you're powerful, I'll fawn over you like a dog.

You're weak, now it's your turn to be a lapdog.

The world of martial arts is full of ups and downs, and similar stories are countless. The villains gain power, the master and servant turn against each other, and even the savior is sent to the executioner's block. They climb to a high position by stepping on corpses, and their hearts are twisted and venomous as snakes.

This reasoning makes perfect sense.

Just like the previous reasoning, the person who killed Lin Zhennan was the old butler of the Lin family, and the motive was that he had been deeply indebted to him.

Li Zhaoting rubbed his chin.

Something just doesn't feel right.

With the old butler's death, all clues have reached a dead end, and deduction is out of the question. The past grudges and grievances are far away in Fuzhou, thousands of miles away.

Li Zhaoting had no acquaintances in Fuzhou, nor did he have the ability to communicate remotely, making it impossible for him to conduct an investigation. The only remaining clues were the two crime scenes.

Lan Fenghuang and Miss Wang were completely dumbfounded.

Jiang Yuyan was shocked. She had always believed in Li Zhaoting's previous reasoning, and his later reasoning seemed to make some sense as well. However, Yu Canghai was dead and dismembered by the old butler, his body cut into more than a dozen pieces.

If Yu Canghai possessed the ability to shatter into a dozen pieces and then resurrect, he would be a divine being or Buddha. Why would he need to steal the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual? He could have directly achieved immortality through corpse liberation.

No matter how I think about it, it doesn't seem reasonable.

Jiang Yuyan analyzed the autopsy report and the known grudges and entanglements. No matter how she reasoned and analyzed, whenever she felt that the identity of the murderer was about to be revealed, there would always be an insurmountable chasm that completely blocked all investigations.

Cheng Huaixiu was the same; he was insightful and saw things from the heart. He could often analyze the process of events from the slightest clues, and no one in the Salt Gang's upper echelons could disagree with him.

turn out……

The two cheerleaders went to a restaurant for a big meal.

Three intelligent men frowned as they surrounded the corpse.

The three were only awakened when a crow flew by and made an unpleasant cawing sound in the air.

"Yu Yan, go and find the two ladies."

"Ah? This... this servant..."

"Neither of them brought any money."

"Oh~ I understand!"

Jiang Yuyan found a reason for "dereliction of duty".

Li Zhaoting and Cheng Huaixiu exchanged a glance and went to another restaurant without saying a word. Looking down from the second-floor window, they could see the crime scene.

This is an excellent place to dine.

Even when Bao Zheng came to question them, the two were completely innocent, and it was all just to discuss the case.

"What are your thoughts on the case, Brother Li?"

"What I say now is all hypothetical. I can use a simple story to shift the blame to the Green Dragon Society. The story is flawless, and Lin Pingzhi can't find any fault with it. He will even thank me for helping Fuwei Escort Agency find the real culprit."

"Brother Li would never do that."

"I don't really like to lie unless it's a matter of life and death. Lin Zhennan was very arrogant after mastering the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, but he didn't make any major mistakes."

Whether for my reputation, for the entrustment of the Qingcheng Sect, or for a sense of justice, whatever the reason, there is one thing that cannot be changed.

I must find the murderer!
What a murder!

The undeniable culprit!
Making wild guesses will only disturb people's peace of mind.

I need to temporarily forget about the case and distract myself with other things to clear my head. Only when my thoughts return to normal will I be able to deduce the case.

This is a method for solving cases left behind by Judge Dee.

Li Zhaoting subtly changed the subject.

"Judge Di?"

"Di Renjie!"

“I have heard the story of Di Renjie. It is said that he cleared up backlog cases at Dali Temple and dealt with 17,000 prisoners in just one year, and not a single one of them complained.”

"Judge Dee left behind many methods for solving cases. What I admire most is that no matter how many confusing clues there are, no matter how convoluted the murderer's schemes are, even if they can temporarily interfere with Judge Dee's judgment, as long as Judge Dee discovers clues that contradict his previous reasoning, he will not hesitate to overturn his previous reasoning and start analyzing from scratch."

"What terrifying mental fortitude!"

Cheng Huaixiu, a cultivator of divine powers, understands best how terrifying Di Renjie's state of absolute rationality is; the higher a person's position, the harder it is for them to admit their mistakes.

Especially the "truth" they see with their own eyes, hear with their own ears, and analyze personally—even if they later discover completely different clues, they will rack their brains to come up with a reasonable explanation and will never admit that their reasoning is wrong.

Many cunning schemers may not have perfectly interconnected or flawless plans, but they are always able to formulate plans based on the inner needs of their targets.

—Let the target see the truth he wants to see, and use his emotions to interfere with his rationality!
The most powerful conspiracy is psychological warfare, using the target's wisdom to defeat them!
—Go with the flow, follow the trend. All you need is a support point and a small stick. Yesterday, the mansion was filled with guests; today, the tree has fallen and the monkeys have scattered!

Even Cihang Jingzhai could not escape the psychological attack.

Cihang Jingzhai is not the Kaifeng government office, and the fairy of Jingzhai is not Bao Zheng. Even Qin Mengyao feels powerless when investigating cases.

The most obvious example is the wrongful case in the Han family caused by the struggle for the Eagle Knife in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".

Han Bai, one of the three main characters, was wrongly accused.

At this moment, no one spoke up for him.

Because he was just an ordinary servant, not worth mentioning.

Compared to the Eight Factions Alliance and the conflict between good and evil, Han Bai is an ant. Even if they know he is wronged, no one will care for the sake of the unity of the Eight Factions Alliance.

Until Han Bai had a miraculous encounter in prison that was a hundred times better than the Count of Monte Cristo's, and was empowered by Chi Zunxin, becoming one of the most promising martial artists of the new generation.

The Eight Factions Alliance re-investigated the Han family's wrongful conviction. With identical clues and identical testimonies, they reached drastically different conclusions, leaving the murderer nowhere to hide. Was the murderer truly well-hidden?
Hidden my ass!

Of the entire Eight Factions Alliance, at least 30% guessed the murderer's identity, and 30% had some suspicions about the murderer. The case was not complicated at all. If Bao Zheng were to investigate the case, he only needed to read through the case file once to find the murderer.

Even if the case file was altered using the Spring and Autumn Annals style, or even if it was a confession used to frame Han Bai, if these two things were given to Bao Zheng, Bao Zheng could find the murderer.

This is also why, in the plot of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," the Eight Factions Alliance became a disorganized mess and was easily crushed by Pang Ban; they were not righteous at all.

The organization is disorganized, with everyone having their own agendas. When faced with a wrongful conviction, they prioritize the individual's perceived worth, showing no concern for whether the innocent have been wronged. They can condescendingly claim to be acting in the name of justice and then sacrifice others.

What is the difference between this righteous path and the demonic path?

Its core essence is the demonic path, and it is naturally vulnerable to the powerful punches of the "Demonic Master" Pang Ban.

Li Zhaoting's mind was filled with thoughts. He casually told Cheng Huaixiu a few cases of solving crimes. The parts about wrongly accusing people were similar, but the methods of investigation were different.

Cheng Huaixiu sighed, "Brother Li, I thought you were a free-spirited and unrestrained knight-errant, but I never expected it! I underestimated you. I apologize to you here."

"Your feeling is correct! I was just showing off and got slapped in the face, so I'm just feeling a bit emotional. By the way, have you ever dealt with the Tang Clan? I've heard that the Tang Clan has dozens of secret, powerful hidden weapons, as well as mass-produced firearms that are no less powerful than thunderbolts."

"Which gang that makes a living in Sichuan can avoid the Tang Clan? The Tang Clan has been established for hundreds of years, and every generation has people who like to branch out. Today, the Tang Clan has seventy or eighty branches. If you include those that have set up their own sects and those that have been destroyed by experts, the number is probably more than two hundred!"

At this point, Cheng Huaixiu looked at Li Zhaoting mysteriously: "A while ago, Li Shengnan went to the Tang Clan headquarters, killed someone, and stole things!"

Could you elaborate?

"I had the Salt Gang brothers inquire about it. The Tang Clan and the Thunderbolt Hall's high-ranking members have formed a marriage alliance, secretly imprisoning each other and researching a hidden weapon that combines poison and gunpowder."

Li Shengnan killed the high-ranking official involved in the marriage alliance and stole several finished products, I think they were called something like "Thunderclap Thunder".

The main branch of the Tang Clan has undergone changes, with many of its most promising talents going out to gain experience. This is also the only time in the last fifty or sixty years that they have proactively formed a marriage alliance with someone from another clan. The marriage partner is Shangguan Ren, the second-in-command of the Great Wind Hall. Tsk tsk tsk…

Shangguan Ren's betrothal gift was the head of the Dafeng Hall master, who was also his sworn brother Zhao Jian. The Dafeng Hall and the Tang Clan became mortal enemies, and the two sides were irreconcilable from then on.

There's nothing worth mentioning about sect feuds.

All the sects in Sichuan have a grudge against the Tang Clan.

I just feel sorry for that girl.

Whether it's a self-inflicted injury or betraying a friend for personal gain, the two can never be truly sincere. They're sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams. Even if they have endless wealth, what joy is there in that?
No family in the world lasts forever.

I can sense that the Tang Clan is stagnant and severely divided internally. Not to mention the main branch and its branches, even the main branch members are scheming against each other, launching sneak attacks and assassinations.

I watched as he built his magnificent mansion.

He was hosting a banquet for his guests.

His building was about to collapse.

For the Tang Clan to achieve its rebirth, it must undergo a complete collapse from top to bottom, erasing all accumulated problems and allowing young people to rebuild the Tang Clan from the ruins.

Brother Li, what do you think?

"I'm waiting for a spendthrift to appear in the Tang Clan!"

"The Tang Clan has no shortage of spendthrift sons!"

Cheng Huaixiu sarcastically remarked, "Every branch of the Tang Clan has geniuses and top experts. These people are too ambitious, and none of them are willing to submit to anyone else. They are constantly fighting each other, and the vast majority of them will die from internal strife."

"Doesn't Grandma Tang care?"

"An old man of advanced age who can recognize all his children and grandchildren must have an amazing memory."

"This is really not easy."

The Tang Clan and the Jin Family are in different situations.

The Jin family became a powerful family in the martial arts world because Madam Jin was very fertile, giving birth to nineteen children. Although there were many family members, the family actually lasted for three or four generations.

The Tang Clan has been passed down to this day, with countless branches. During the Tang Clan's New Year celebrations, hundreds of grandsons and great-grandsons pay their respects to Old Madam Tang at the same time. The vast majority of these "grandsons" have never even met each other, let alone had any close relationship with her.

Given Old Madam Tang's ruthless nature, there are no more than three juniors in the Tang Clan that she would take seriously. Her most favored junior is Tang Fang. As long as Tang Fang is alright, she won't even glance at the others even if they are all dead.

The Tang Clan is full of masters. Only when the sects of Sichuan join forces can they be on par with the Tang Clan, except for the Salt Gang, whose disciples are too numerous and whose livelihoods depend on the millions of salt workers.

The two sides can only infiltrate each other.

The Salt Gang has a Tang Clan spy infiltrated.

The Tang Clan also had spies from the Salt Gang.

Cheng Huaixiu explained: "In the past three or four months, the most troublesome direct descendants of the Tang Clan are Tang Yu, Tang Que, and Tang Ao. Tang Yu is the most insidious, Tang Que appears honest but is actually treacherous and cunning, and Tang Ao is both literate and skilled in martial arts. His martial arts and intelligence far surpass those of Tang Yu and Tang Que. Brother Li, Tang Ao may challenge you to a duel. He is the number one swordsman of the Tang Clan."

Where is Tang Yu?

"do not know."

"The Salt Gang can't find Tang Yu?"

"Tang Yu has a feminine appearance and is skilled at disguise. When he dresses up as a woman, he is even more charming than the most beautiful courtesan. When he hides in brothels, who can find his whereabouts?"
Tang Yu could easily find a mid-range brothel, hire a few wealthy men to perform for her, and then use the opportunity to disguise herself and escape.

This guy is best at dressing up as a woman.

Brother Li, would you like to go to the brothel to conduct some investigation?

Cheng Huaixiu raised her eyebrows, extended her jade-like finger, made a scissor gesture, and clicked her tongue.

Li Zhaoting suddenly asked, "Huaixiu, I suddenly thought of some clues. Is it possible that Tang Yu is the murderer who killed Lin Zhennan and the old housekeeper?"

Did Tang Yu have a motive for murder?

"In order to obtain the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual."

"If the goal was to obtain the sword manual, Lin Zhennan should have been captured and tortured, not killed with a single blow and his face covered with a rag. Even if Tang Yu is a suspect, Lin Zhennan is a eunuch, how could he have come into contact with Tang Yu?"

"Who says eunuchs can't go to brothels? Who says you have to interrogate someone to get a secret manual? What I mean is, someone is using the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual as payment to hire someone to kill them!"

"What does this have to do with Tang Yu?"

"Tang Yu has a feminine appearance and is skilled at disguise. He often uses brothels to hide his identity. Some eunuchs like him very much and often spend a lot of money on him."

"Brother Li, where did you hear that from?"

Cheng Huaixiu looked at Li Zhaoting in horror.

Li Zhaoting was handsome, with exquisite features.

Even with her sword-wielding mind keeping her rational, Cheng Huaixiu couldn't help but think the wrong way, remembering that Li Zhaoting came from an official family and had been exiled by his family.

"This is what my father taught me in Dali!"

One is born, the second is cooked.

Li Zhaoting was already a master at shifting blame onto his father, even more adept at it than at shifting blame onto Lu Xiaofeng, speaking calmly yet forcefully.

No one could detect any flaws in his tone!

Even Li Nanxing himself couldn't do it!

　Tang Yu, Tang Que, and Tang Ao are characters from "The White Jade Tiger," Gu Long's best late-period work, bar none. It can be said to be completed, or it can be described as an abrupt and poorly written ending.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)