Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 352 Chu Liuxiang: Am I being made to take the blame again?
"Master Li, what happened? Has the Azure Dragon Society launched an assassination attempt? Are you injured?"

Upon hearing that Li Zhaoting was in trouble, Zuo Qinghou hurriedly led his men to his aid. He found Wang Shenglan carrying the Overlord Spear in one hand and Li Zhaoting in the other, walking on the water, with a piece of broken iron sticking out of the tip of her spear.

Upon closer inspection, it was a blue dragon mask.

The logo of the Green Dragon Society.

Only the twelve Azure Dragons are qualified to wear it.

Wang Shenglan proudly raised her chin: "Have you forgotten what my profession is? With me here, what are a few little snakes? This grandma will kill them with three shots!"

Li Zhaoting glanced sideways at Wang Shenglan.

Wang Shenglan chuckled twice, released her hand, and gently put Li Zhaoting down. Li Zhaoting explained, "The Azure Dragon Society's December branch launched an assassination attempt, and the entire force was wiped out. The leader was killed by my wife, and his body was reduced to a bloody mist."

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback at first, then turned to look at the Overlord Spear, which was brimming with murderous intent. They thought to themselves that if they were to be shot by this thing with all its might, they would probably be turned into dumpling filling.

It truly lives up to its reputation as the divine weapon of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu.

With such strength, mountains could be uprooted, armies would scatter, and no direction could be undone.

"Madam Li possesses unparalleled divine strength; she is a heroine among women!"

"The current successor of the Overlord Spear is indeed formidable!"

"There are no empty warriors under such a great reputation!"

"She's truly a female tyrant!"

The extras praised loudly and applauded in celebration.

Wandering the martial world isn't just about fighting and killing; it also involves interpersonal relationships, especially the issue of how to address someone.

Being a background actor alongside a master swordsman is no easy task.

Not just anyone can be a legendary figure among passersby!

Addressing Li Zhaoting is quite simple: "Young Master Li," "Young Hero Li," or "Great Hero Li" are all common terms used in the martial arts world.

It's difficult to refer to Li Zhaoting's confidante.

If Li Zhaoting has several women around him, and you call someone "Madam Li," who are you referring to?

Is the default address Feng Suzhen?

Aren't you afraid that Blue Phoenix will poison you in the middle of the night?

Aren't you afraid the Free and Unfettered Sect will secretly cause you trouble?
Some of the more astute "old-timers" figured out the most appropriate way to address them. If Li Zhaoting had many women around him, they would address them by their surnames or professions, making sure to treat them all equally.

For example: Madam Feng, Madam Lan, Madam Wang, or Chief Escort Wang, Miss Mei, Miss Jiang!

If Li Zhaoting only had one person by his side, they would all address her as Madam Li, even Meizhu was no exception.

Li Zhaoting would never admit that he himself sought out the Nie family, one of the "lower five sects," to promote this method.

As Li Zhaoting's fame grew, it gradually became a trend, and for thousands of years thereafter, chivalrous figures in the martial arts world would abide by this rule.

What were the rules like before?

Arranged in order of entry by number.

For example, the eccentric street urchin Wei Xiaobao had seven wives. Since all seven wives entered the household at the same time, they were arranged in order of age and all were called "Rufu" (concubines).

People from the martial arts world don't particularly care about this.

The martial arts world has never lacked romantic heroes, but most of them are wanderers who only chase women and don't get married. Since they haven't married into the family, why bother about the form of address?
Even wealthy and powerful families who had married several wives and concubines arranged their wives according to the rules of scholarly families.

The world of martial arts may seem carefree, but at times it is more ruthless than the imperial palace and more pedantic than an old scholar.

……

jungle.

Yidianhong and Chu Liuxiang are still in a standoff.

A cold sweat seeped from his red forehead.

Chu Liuxiang's expression grew increasingly calm.

“Brother Hong, you have lost. The Azure Dragon Society has lost. The leader of the December Dragon Society is dead. You can retire from the business and leave the Azure Dragon Society. You owe the Azure Dragon Society nothing.”

How do you know I lost?

"Because Li Zhaoting will be going to Songjiang this afternoon to catch four-gilled perch, this is the best opportunity to assassinate him. Li Zhaoting is the bait, the bait to catch the dragon. The one holding the fishing rod is Chief Escort Wang, she is the strongest line of defense."

"The Overlord Spear is good at offense but not defense. My master and fellow disciples are all masters of fast swords. My master's sword is far more powerful than mine. If they launch an assassination together, a mere Overlord Spear cannot defend from all sides."

“From the moment you blocked my way, about fifteen minutes have passed. For an assassin, that's enough time to complete the assassination. However, I didn't sense the full power of the Northern Darkness Divine Art, which means Chief Escort Wang has other trump cards. This assassination attempt has already failed!”

"What trump card can stop my master?"

"I don't know. I'm not a god, and I have no interest in finding out other people's trump cards. All I know is that once Li Zhaoting formulates a kill plan, the enemy will definitely die!"

"An ambush from all sides, a sure-kill situation, is most disadvantageous to the Overlord Spear. Brother Chu, don't talk nonsense."

“Li Zhaoting never uses the strategy of ambushing from all sides, nor does he drive the enemy into a dead end. The enemy’s dead end is his own dead end, and it is easy for both sides to suffer heavy losses.”

"Makes sense."

"Therefore, Li Zhaoting's traps were always set up from all sides, leaving the enemy with a last chance to survive. However, when the enemy broke through all the traps, Li Zhaoting would guard the exit."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, when the December Dragon Head used every means to escape the ambush, what came in front of him was the Overlord Spear with the power to uproot mountains, which blasted him into pieces."

"I don't believe you! You're lying! You're deceiving me!"

"I may lie to others, but I don't lie to my friends. Brother Hong can verify this for himself. I'm not going to keep you company!"

Chu Liuxiang turned and left the jungle.

Yidianhong was ordered to hold off Chu Liuxiang, but wasn't Chu Liuxiang also trying to delay Yidianhong? Yidianhong's martial arts skills were inferior to Xue Xiaoren's, but in terms of assassination techniques, Xue Xiaoren was far inferior to Yidianhong. Assassins are not swordsmen. Swordsmen fight to the death, while assassins only want to kill their enemies.

Who doesn't doze off sometimes?
Even the most skilled martial artist will occasionally show signs of fatigue. If a red-clad figure were to relentlessly pursue a target day and night to carry out assassinations, even experts like Xue Yiren and Sun Yubo would face perilous situations.

Chu Liuxiang didn't know what trump cards Li Zhaoting was holding, but he knew that if Yidianhong were involved in the assassination, the Overlord Spear would definitely not be able to hold on.

It's a good thing to leave a little bit of red.

At least it can prevent a little bit of red from deliberately dying.

……

Seven swordsmen in black blocked Chu Liuxiang's path.

They were Xue Yiren's disciples.

"Master Chu, my master wishes to see you."

"what's up?"

"There's a case I need Chu Xiangshuai to resolve!"

"A public case?"

Chu Liuxiang was so frightened that he took three steps back. Due to Li Zhaoting's influence, in the past two years, whenever the word "case" was mentioned in the martial arts world, people would subconsciously think of being disgraced and dying without a complete corpse, which was the nightmare of countless big shots.

Which high-ranking sect leader, elder, or family head hasn't done something wrong? Chu Liuxiang is righteous and awe-inspiring, but if we're talking about wrongdoings, he has a few too.

The most obvious one is... emotional debt!
Chu Liuxiang and Lu Xiaofeng are treated the same way, both being the very standard "one girlfriend per series," with lovers from all over the world in addition to the female lead in the series.

Who were Chu Liuxiang's lovers?
Panpan from Suzhou, Ajiao from Hangzhou, Jinniang from Datong, Chuqing from Luoyang, Xiaoyu from the Qinhuai River, Daqiao from Mochou Lake, Qingqing from Fuzhou… Thinking of the emotional debts I carry, thinking of the ragged beauty begging Xue Yiren for justice, thinking of my own trembling kidneys…

Chu Liuxiang had an urge to run away.

Running away is impossible!
Although he could easily dodge the sword pointing at seven vital points with a single movement, Chu Liuxiang was bold enough to venture into even the most dangerous places.

Xuejiazhuang is not a den of dragons and tigers.

Whether dragons exist in the world is uncertain, but even the fiercest and most powerful tiger in the world is no match for Xue Yiren, especially when Xue Yiren is enraged!
The autumn wind swept up the yellow leaves that covered the ground. Xue Yiren stood solemnly amidst the swirling yellow leaves like a javelin, his sword intent chilling. He wore a snow-white robe that was dazzlingly white.

Xue Yiren's nickname was "Blood-Clad Man," not because he liked wearing red robes, nor because he liked killing, but because he would change into a white robe before each killing and make blood-stained clothes from the blood of his enemies.

The man in the blue cloth robe, Xue, is the owner of the manor.

The man dressed in white robes, Xue, is a swordsman.

A swordsman preparing to kill.

Xue Yiren carried a black-sheathed longsword on his back in a peculiar way, slightly higher than his shoulders by half an inch. This half-inch distance allowed Xue Yiren to easily flick the sword out with a slight bend of his back. At the same time, he took a step and twisted his waist, concentrating all his strength into a single burst of lightning-fast, deadly swordplay in a very short time.

The sword was not drawn, but its aura was already unleashed.

There was a terrifying sword aura in his eyes. His sword was himself; man and sword were one. Even without a sword on his back, he could still cut through the clouds with his sword.

"Chu Liuxiang, make your move!"

Xue Yiren's voice was unusually cold and stern.

"Can I ask why?"

Chu Liuxiang touched his nose with some confusion.

"You stole my sword."

Why would I steal your sword?

"Because I am going to duel with Zuo Qinghou. The Xue family and the Zuo family have been fighting for a hundred years, and countless people have died. Zuo Qinghou is tired of it, and so am I. We have decided to settle our grudges on New Year's Eve this year. You are his friend, so you cannot help him, nor do you want him to lose. That's why you stole my sword. Only you could do that!"

"I don't know where your sword is."

“Li Zhaoting knows. He came yesterday. You can ask Li Zhaoting. You can conspire with him. I, Xue, never take advantage of others in distress. Li Zhaoting is seriously injured, so I won’t hold it against him. I can only challenge Xiang Shuai to a duel.”

"..."

Chu Liuxiang rubbed his nose speechlessly, wishing he could rub it to pieces. He cursed inwardly that his reputation was too great, and that when people in the martial arts world lost something, they would all blame it on him.

This is unavoidable.

The "Master Thief" washed his hands in a golden basin with white jade soup.

Fan Liangji, the "lone thief," had a strong smell of tobacco.

Sikong Zhaixing, known as the "King of Thieves," enjoys stealing strange and unusual items, such as toilets in the imperial palace and the imperial mirror of a princess. He steals for money and is honest and fair to everyone, young and old.

Besides, these three are not in Songjiang.

In Songjiang, only the "Thief King" had the motive and ability to steal the sword from Xuejiazhuang.

This reasoning is reasonable.

This is the most basic way of solving cases in the martial arts world.

Even Chu Liuxiang himself felt that he had nothing better to do last night than to steal the sword from the Xue family manor.

Xue Yiren made a gesture of drawing his sword.

Chu Liuxiang laughed and said, "Wait a minute! With so many helpers around you, even if you win, it would be an unfair victory!"

Xue Yiren sneered: "When I duel with someone, I never take advantage of them, so they will never make a move."

Chu Liuxiang waved his hand: "They don't need to draw their swords to help. As long as they stand here and become an obstacle when I dodge your sword energy, I will lose!"
I've been busy investigating the case these past few days, putting in a lot of effort.

I just had a standoff with Yidianhong, and my morale is severely damaged.

This is Xuejiazhuang, where you have an absolute geographical advantage.

I am all alone, while you have dozens of disciples!

I don't have the right timing, the right place, or the right people!

There's no need for me to lift a finger; I'm already doomed!

Xue Yiren said, "Step back! No one is allowed to approach the woods for one hour, and no one is permitted to enter!"

Chu Liuxiang said, "Thank you!"

Xue Yiren asked, "What weapon are you using?"

Chu Liuxiang raised his hands: "With my hands!"

You want to catch my sword with your bare hands?

"I am not Lu Xiaofeng, I do not know the Spirit Finger, and I cannot withstand the unstoppable sword of my senior. Using any weapon is useless. It will not only not increase the assistance, but will also increase the weight and become a burden to dodge the sword's edge."

"That's interesting!"

"When fighting against a senior, one cannot be greedy for merit and act rashly. One can only dodge with agile movements. To be honest, if it weren't for the need to cover my shame, I wouldn't even want to wear clothes."

"Doesn't this put us in a losing position?"

"It's not about not being able to win, but about not being defeated. I will first put myself in an invincible position, using my movement skills to maneuver around you. When your sword energy weakens, I will seize the opportunity to turn the tide and win. If I can't even maintain my invincibility, I will surely lose this battle!"

"In that case, you should dodge!"

Martial arts combat is not about comparing numerical values. Otherwise, why not invent a combat power measuring instrument to directly compare numerical values, instead of resorting to bloodshed?
In a battle between masters, timing, location, and people can all be decisive factors. Every word and every subtle hint is part of the strategy for victory.

Those orthodox martial artists from the Xuanmen and Buddhist sects, as well as elderly Taoist priests and monks in their seventies and eighties, whose skills are honed through years of hard work, are more consistent with numerical comparisons.

They are numerical monsters who have been honed by age.

In the martial arts world, renowned martial artists, whether from the older or younger generation, can unleash combat power several times or even dozens of times greater under certain circumstances. Fighting monsters above their level is basic skill, a standard feature of genius martial artists.

Chu Liuxiang is like that.

Xue Yiren was the same.

Of course, this doesn't mean we can't rely on numerical data. Monks and Taoist priests who have cultivated their inner strength with composure and patience for sixty years are equally worthy of respect.

These people's special talent is... perseverance!
However, the martial arts world is a stage for young people.

If you can't achieve fame at a young age, it means you're not talented enough, not blessed enough, or you simply don't have the ambition to become famous overnight, and only want to find a secluded paradise to cultivate yourself and become a carefree hermit.

The two people currently engaged in a duel are definitely not like that.

Xue Yiren's right foot landed heavily on the ground, kicking up a large number of yellow leaves. He leaned forward slightly, his shoulders shrugged backward, and his whole body stretched into a lunge position.

The sword was drawn, accompanied by lightning and thunder.

This is not swordsmanship, but archery. Drawing a sword with bow and arrow techniques is unique in the entire martial arts world.

This posture may not be the fastest, but it is certainly the most fierce and decisive. Xue Yiren's sword strikes are not only fast, but also continuous. He raises his hand and strikes six times, aiming at six vital points of Chu Liuxiang, followed by another six strikes.

The sword light was dense and continuous, like a curtain of light, turning an area of ​​several dozen feet into a sea of ​​sword energy. Chu Liuxiang was as nimble as a fish, swimming freely in the sea of ​​sword light.

The sword's edge always grazed past Chu Liuxiang, always just a hair's breadth away, yet it felt like an insurmountable chasm.

　Thank you to reader Iron Fist for the generous donation.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)