Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 371 I have no money, so I can only pay hush money with my mouth.

"Our last meeting was too rushed. We parted ways after exchanging information. I hope we can catch up this time."

"What is there to talk about between us? Master Li is busy saving people today, busy killing people tomorrow, busy serving the country and the people the day after tomorrow, and busy having children the day after that!"
I am but a mere demoness from the Demonic Sect; how could I possibly take up Master Li's time? I am here to deliver intelligence!

Deliver it and leave!

Don't pull or tug at each other; it'll cause misunderstandings!

A hint of resentment flashed in Li Shengnan's eyes.

It wasn't that she resented Li Zhaoting for not coming to see her, but rather that she felt Li Zhaoting knew he was in trouble, yet he still expended his energy to heal others. What if he was assassinated?
Don't you realize how dangerous your situation is?

Li Zhaoting shamelessly approached and casually untied the wine gourd from Li Shengnan's waist. Inside was a cheap wine brewed by Yu Luosha, which had just been made this year.

It tastes a bit like sweet potato fritters.

It's not high-purity craft sweet potato liquor, but rather a local liquor brewed from sweet potato vines and leaves. It tastes sweet, sticky, and pungent. Ignoring the medicinal herbs used in brewing and those priceless natural treasures, judging solely from the taste of the liquor, it would sell for at most three coins on the street.

Jade Rakshasa's martial arts are unparalleled and possess unmatched destructive power, capable of destroying a city.

The brewing technique may not be as good as that of aged wine!

Li Zhaoting couldn't help but complain: "Shengnan, your master is at an age where his martial arts skills have basically reached their limit. He won't gain much from seclusion. If you have nothing to do, go and learn winemaking techniques. The medicinal wine made from rare and priceless herbs doesn't even taste as good as homemade liquor!"

Li Shengnan glanced at Li Zhaoting: "You can give him advice yourself. If you can hold up a set of the Great Compassion Mantra of Heaven and Earth's Interplay of Yin and Yang, and a set of the Ten Great Divine Skills of the Holy Sect, he might listen to your opinion."

"I was just complaining about the brewing technique..."

"My master is most proud of his brewing skills. If you say his martial arts skills are not strong enough, my master will probably just laugh it off and not bother to argue with you. But if you say his brewing skills are not good enough, he will fight you to the death."

"I understand! The remnants of the Demon Sword Clan!"

"What Demon Sword Remnant Clan?"

"The Demon Sword Clan loves playing chess. They're clearly terrible chess players with a 500-year-old tradition. Their skills are awful, yet they think they're treasures. They shut themselves off and study it in isolation, never interacting with the outside world. Your master's brewing skills are about the same as the Demon Sword Clan's chess skills—both are mediocre!"

“You can tell him to his face.”

"Don't dare!"

Are there things in this world that you dare not do?

"I'm afraid of death!"

"Afraid of death, you don't know how to be cautious? Afraid of death, you exhaust your energy healing others? Afraid of death, you wander around aimlessly? Afraid of death, you go north with the army? Afraid of death, you talk nonsense?"

Is there anyone in the world who cherishes life less than you?
You are a married person!

You have a whole family to take care of!

You must cherish your life!
I know you are a hero, a great man, and you wouldn't stand by and watch someone die, but could you please do what you can?

Do you think you're some kind of powerful deity?

You think the Azure Dragon is made of paper?!

With your arrogance, you're bound to get into trouble sooner or later!

I'd rather be killed by someone else than be killed by someone else!

First, to complete the master's mission; second, to sever his own emotional ties and cut off all feelings from then on.

Li Zhaoting, quickly stick your neck out!
I promise I will... Waaah!

Li Shengnan's words were sharp and piercing, full of complaint and lamentation.

Li Zhaoting never liked to complain, so he obediently stuck his head out and shut Li Shengnan up.

"You scoundrel, first you stole fine wine, then you were having affairs. If your father finds out, you'll get at least thirty lashes."

"Then don't let my father know."

"Hmph! I'm going to tell you anyway!"

“I can pay hush money.”

"Hush money?"

"I have no money, so I can only pay with my mouth."

At this point, Li Zhaoting sighed with emotion, recalling that he had once been a promising young swordsman in the martial arts world, with rich experience traveling and always carrying a bag of gold and silver.

Since Meizhu entered the house, she has been taking care of everything inside and out. His heart has become "degenerate" and he has no money on him except for two precious swords.

Without plums and bamboo, one can only mooch meals from others.

Or perhaps borrow money from a bandit stronghold on short notice.

Given Li Zhaoting's reputation in the martial arts world, most mountain strongholds would be generous in giving him money. Under normal circumstances, they would not extend credit. If credit was absolutely necessary, it would be recorded in Lu Xiaofeng's account.

The spiritual world is a thousand years in a second.

Many thoughts flashed through my mind.

Li Zhaoting held Li Shengnan while she paid hush money.

Li Nanxing ordered the army to set off and, before Yelü Nierugu and his army arrived, to reach the open field fifty li away and set up camp there.

Setting up camp should be done in a dangerous location.

However, having ventured deep into Liao territory and being unfamiliar with the terrain, the purpose of this mission was not only to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, but also to test whether the Song soldiers had neglected their training after twenty years of recuperation and to see how much combat power they could currently exert.

Since the signing of the Treaty of Chanyuan, the Liao and Song dynasties had lived in peace for more than 20 years. With the resumption of trade, military preparedness inevitably relaxed and the training of soldiers became lax.

Yelü Nierugu led a weary army. If we dare not confront Yelü Nierugu directly, or if we are no match for him, the recapture of Yanyun is just wishful thinking. Even if we manage to recapture it temporarily, it will be snatched back by someone else.

Li Nanxing did his best to weaken Yelü Nierugu and boost his own morale; this battle must be won.

Once you lose, there is no hope of redemption.

The imperial court will shift from a northern expedition to a conservative approach.

Ten years later, with military preparedness completely relaxed, how will the Mongol and Manchu armies defend against the foreign invaders when they march south?
This battle must be fought.

A fair and square, real battle in the field.

Everything went very smoothly.

They welcomed Yelü Hongji and set up camp, but even after the camp was completed, they did not see any Khitan soldiers.

Yelü Nierugu was no fool. No matter how much he looked down on Li Nanxing and the Song army, the objective conditions between the two sides were too different. The soldiers were exhausted from fighting for a long time and needed to rest for a day or two to travel slowly. He could let the soldiers rest while traveling, and then decide the outcome in one battle.

night.

Li Nanxing and Yang Yanzhao discussed tactics.

The same applies to Yelü Nierugu. Although Yelü Hongji's escape was bad news, as long as Yang Yanzhao was defeated in time, the advantage could be regained.

Wanyan Jue did not participate in the meeting.

I lost, I'm too ashamed to participate.

This is obviously wrong!
Is there any invincible general in the world?

Although Wanyan Jue was defeated, his soldiers did not suffer heavy losses. In addition, his domineering and invincible demeanor when he defeated Yelü Hongji earned him considerable prestige in the army.

At this moment, we should continue to build reputation so that Yelü Nierugu wouldn't dare to back out easily, but Wanyan Jue is acting like a child who has lost and is cheating, wasting a great opportunity.

Yelü Nierugu sneered disdainfully, thinking to himself that Wanyan Jue was only fit to be a henchman; he didn't know how to lead troops in battle.

Song army camp.

Tang Zhuquan led the guard team on a night patrol.

Li Nanxing was worried that the Eleven Wings, the Nine Guards, and other experts would launch a surprise attack and burn the grain, so he arranged for martial arts experts to patrol the night.

Tang Zhuquan and Wei Kongkong were in the first half of the night.

Fang Shiyu and Hong Xiguan in the middle of the night.

With experts like Li Zhaoting, Feng Suzhen, Cheng Huaixiu, and Wang Shenglan stationed in the central army, they felt the piercing atmosphere of the battlefield. Wang Shenglan couldn't help but rub her hands together, eager to try her hand at the Overlord Spear, a weapon she felt she had to experience on the battlefield.

A warrior who has never experienced the battlefield is forever a naive and inexperienced recruit, lacking in domineering and fierce qualities, and unable to reach his full potential.

Only by experiencing the baptism of the battlefield, feeling the atmosphere of thousands of troops and arrows firing simultaneously, and only by maneuvering and wielding a spear to kill enemies on the battlefield, can one achieve mastery of martial arts.

Spears and lances are weapons used on the battlefield.

Without going to the battlefield, there can never be a perfect ending.

"Yanlang, it's been many years, but you haven't changed at all. This battle is in your hands. You must fight with great momentum and achieve a great victory so that we can continue the Northern Expedition."

"Beidou, you haven't changed at all!"

Yang Yanzhao and Li Nanxing were good friends. When the Liao Kingdom invaded the south, they were comrades-in-arms who fought side by side. Afterwards, they were ambushed, which was an undeserved disaster.

Yang Yanzhao came from a prestigious family, and Li Nanxing was a scholar, so they naturally addressed each other by their courtesy names.

Li Nanxing's courtesy name was "Beidou".

Yang Yanzhao's courtesy name was "Yanlang".

When Li Zhaoting was training with his friends in the martial arts world, he would call them by their given names. However, if they were his friends like Li Xunhuan, Bao Zheng, or Gongsun Ce, he would prefer to call them "commoner".

It's not surprising that Yang Yanzhao's courtesy name was Yanlang, while Li Nanxing's courtesy name was Beidou, which has a certain interest in life and death.

"Have you found any clues about what happened back then?"

"We've found some evidence. It wasn't Grand Tutor Pang who did it, but the Azure Dragon Society. And it's the identity of their leader..."

At this point, Li Nanxing sighed: "I'll leave this matter to my son and daughter-in-law. They are people of the martial arts world and can gradually destroy the Azure Dragon Society through their methods."

Yang Yanzhao was somewhat annoyed upon hearing this: "What exactly does the Azure Dragon Society want to do? Do they want to become the Yellow Dragon?"

Li Nanxing scoffed, "If you don't want to be emperor, why would you choose such a title? The Murong clan is dreaming, the descendants of the Yang family of Dali are dreaming, the Wanyan clan is dreaming, and the leader of the Qinglong Society is also dreaming of the Spring and Autumn Period!"

What do you think of Yelü Nierugu?

"Luckily, we found the right person!"

Li Nanxing was already in dire straits, and was being schemed against from all sides. He was bound to be wiped out in this battle. Rather than being killed for nothing, it was better to use this opportunity to sow discord.

It was given to a general of the Liao Dynasty, but it was of little use.

The emperor killed too many famous generals, so it didn't cause much of a stir; at most, it would just elicit a few shouts.

The gift was given to the Liao royal family, specifically to the son of a noble uncle who once held a right of succession. With this immense achievement, he would have the means to rebel.

Yelü Nierugu did not disappoint.

Empress Dowager Xiao and Yelü Hongji never dreamed that the one who would cause the most harm to the Liao Dynasty was their own people.

Upon reflection, this is quite normal.

There is only one emperor's throne.

Lei was not planted by Li Nanxing.

The one who planted the seeds of this disaster was Yelü Hongji's grandfather, who was also Yelü Hongji's father. The grandfather failed to steadfastly support the crown prince, allowing his younger son to have the ability to contend with him. The father's insistence on succession by brother ultimately led to a complete mess.

Unless it's a special case like Dali, where Duan Zhengming has no sons and can only pass the throne to Duan Zhengchun, the Duan family's imperial throne will be passed down smoothly. Even if powerful ministers want to rebel, they will return the throne to the emperor. The emperor is not as comfortable as the powerful ministers.

Li Nanxing and Yang Yanzhao looked at each other in silence.

When old friends get together, they should drink some wine.

This is a military camp; drinking alcohol is strictly prohibited.

The two drank tea instead of wine, reminiscing about the past.

A dark figure leaped and bounded through the military camp, appearing and disappearing intermittently, using the Koga-ryu ninjutsu of Japan.

This is Tang Zhuquan's evaluation.

Tang Zhuquan had only heard of the "Koga School".

Who cares which sect it is?

"Snapped!"

Just as the ninja was about to jump again, a large, bear-paw-like hand pressed down on his shoulder: "Brother, I've been in a really bad mood lately, you're in big trouble!"

Tang Zhuquan has been very unhappy lately.

Alcohol is prohibited in the military.

For a drunkard like Tang Zhuquan, he would rather endure thirty lashes than not have a good drink.

However, he was a renowned swordsman. If the great swordsman led the way in drinking, what would the soldiers think?
Tang Zhuquan could only suppress his craving for alcohol, stuffing a piece of candy into his mouth. When he couldn't resist the craving any longer, he would run more than ten miles away and secretly drink a small gourd of liquor. This was a small gourd of liquor that the old liquor had given him, and he could drink a small gourd of it each time.

After enduring so much, he finally saw the assassin. This was the first time he had caught one, and Tang Zhuquan had really made a name for himself. When he got home, he could brag to his father all he wanted.

You have at least three "exemption from punishment" qualifications.

The ninja tried to escape using the "substitution technique," but found that Tang Zhuquan's five fingers were like hooks, pressing down on his shoulder blades. Unless his shoulder was cut off, there was no way he could escape.

The Tang family is renowned throughout the martial arts world for their spear skills.

Tang Zhuquan's fame in the martial arts world is primarily due to his finger techniques.

Finger strength is Tang Zhuquan's forte.

"Kid, which ninja clan are you from? Tell me your purpose, or I'll break your bones! I'm in a bad mood, don't force me to use my methods!"

"Kill me if you can!"

“Kill you? No need! Do you know about the Jiazi Tai Sui in the Central Plains martial arts world? He’s in the military camp. Are you going to confess to me honestly, or hand you over to him?”

"You...you...you are shameless!"

You have three breaths to give me an answer.

"I...I confess! I am Kokuryu Ryuzo, a Koga-ryu ninja from Japan, and I was ordered to investigate intelligence!"

"By whose orders?"

"Princess Yongning".

"Princess? That's interesting!"

Tang Zhuquan rubbed his chin, his eyes darting around.

With internal strife in Liaodong, the Manchus would not miss such a golden opportunity and would definitely make some moves. Unexpectedly, they acted so quickly. The Sticky Rod Office lived up to its reputation.

(End of this chapter)