Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 387 I've endured for three years, just waiting for this opportunity!

Qi Shaoshang saw through the mystery of this move!

Li Zhaoting used... "The sparrow doesn't fly!"

"The sparrow does not fly" is a realm of internal martial arts, in which the martial artist opens his palm and holds a sparrow in his hand.

The sparrow flaps its wings, trying to fly away, but the martial artist dissipates the sparrow's leaping force by vibrating his muscles, so no matter how much it flaps its wings, it can't fly.

Lao Xue had only heard of the sparrow's inability to fly, but he never expected that someone could use this move on a martial artist. Every muscle in his body was suppressed, and he was unable to exert any strength.

"clang!"

Qi Shaoshang struck the gong.

Twenty-nine.

Li Zhaoting lifted Lao Xueguang's hair ornament.

Without blushing or panting, it was as if he were taking a post-dinner stroll, but even more relaxed than a walk.

Lao Xueguang knew that Li Zhaoting was deliberately holding back to save face for him, so he said loudly, "Master Li's lightness skill is superb. I am far inferior to Master Li."

He then asked in a low voice, "Master Li, if you go all out, how long would it take?"

Li Zhaoting asked, "You really want to know?"

"I want to know the strength of the world's most outstanding warriors!"

"It will probably take about four numbers."

Li Zhaoting held up four fingers.

Lao Xue just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Is this the strength of the leader of the Heavenly Gang?
Are all Grandmasters of the Heavenly Gang monsters?

As the saying goes, after countless battles, those who make it onto the Earthly Fiends list all have a special skill, those who make it onto the Heavenly Gang list have no obvious weaknesses, and those ranked at the top of the Heavenly Gang are all monsters. The leader of the Heavenly Gang is a well-rounded warrior; if he has even one weakness, he will be relentlessly targeted.

Li Zhaoting's only weakness that his enemies can exploit and that he can never overcome is... his lust for women!
Li Zhaoting welcomed this.

Let the storm come more violently!
With only one match remaining out of the three-game series, the final game was left.

Qi Shaoshang took action personally.

Qi Shaoshang picked up a precious sword.

"Master Li is a peerless swordsman of our time, his swordsmanship is divine. To challenge Master Li in a sword fight is to overestimate one's own abilities. But if one doesn't even have the courage to draw his sword, what's the point of practicing martial arts!"

"I have long heard that Chief Qi is well-versed in the techniques of many schools. When he fights with others, he can see the flaws in their martial arts in just three or two moves and create countermeasures on the spot. His most proficient technique is called 'One-Word Sword Technique'."

"It's just a startup, nothing to mention."

"Let's set a limit of ten moves. Chief Qi will use the One-Word Sword Technique, and I will counter with the Number Sword Technique."

What is digital swordsmanship?

“Every move must be accompanied by a number, and must be a move that is well-known in the martial arts world. It cannot be a move created on the spot. The first move must be accompanied by the number one, and the second move must be accompanied by the number two.”

If even one of the numbers is wrong, or if it's not a move that's been passed down in martial arts circles, then I've lost!
Chief Qi also faces limitations.

You can only use the One-Word Sword Technique.

If you use any other sword technique, you've already lost!

How about this suggestion?

If anyone else had tied their own hands and feet to fight Qi Shaoshang in swordsmanship, Qi Shaoshang would have certainly shown them why the flowers were so red. However, Li Zhaoting tied his own hands and feet to fight Qi Shaoshang and even imposed restrictions on him. Li Zhaoting was truly honored and readily agreed.

The other eight village chiefs also praised it.

They didn't expect Qi Shaoshang to win; they just wanted him to lose gracefully. Li Zhaoting's initiative in imposing restrictions on Qi Shaoshang undoubtedly showed that he valued and feared him. Even if Qi Shaoshang was defeated, it was something to be proud of that Li Zhaoting showed such fear.

Furthermore, what kind of restriction is this? The One-Word Sword Technique is Qi Shaoshang's most proficient martial art. This is equivalent to restricting Xiao Feng to only using the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and restricting Ouyang Feng to only using the Toad Stance. Even without the agreed restrictions, would Qi Shaoshang create his own sword technique to fight on the spot?

What is the "One-Word Sword Technique"?
To put it simply, every move and every stance contains the number one. There are ten times, a hundred times, more sword moves for every idiom in the world containing the number "one". The moves of the One-Word Sword Technique are endless and can be derived into infinite sword moves.

One life two, two beget three, three beget all things.

This is the core essence of the One-Word Sword Technique.

To outsiders, Qi Shaoshang seemed to have a huge advantage, but that was not the case at all. Qi Shaoshang liked change and unrestrained imagination. The One-Word Sword Technique was Qi Shaoshang's strongest martial art, but it was limited to only the One-Word Sword Technique, which greatly weakened Qi Shaoshang's adaptability. Before the two had even officially clashed, cold sweat had already seeped from Qi Shaoshang's forehead.

Li Zhaoting is terrifying!

Not only could they see through Qi Shaoshang's personality and weaknesses at a glance, but they could also use this to devise a scheme.

Qi Shaoshang knew it was a trap, but he had no choice but to jump in. He drew his sword and quickly regained his composure, his eyes deep and fierce.

The sword fell like a dragon, flashing across the sky, aiming for Li Zhaoting's brow; it was a move called "A Sword's Cold Light".

Li Zhaoting followed up with a move called "Stubborn to the end," a style of Tianshan swordsmanship. It was as fast as lightning, with a cold and resolute sword intent. Qi Shaoshang dared not fight it head-on, and gently dodged the sharp sword light. He then countered with a move called "Unwavering Heart."

This is the disadvantage of restricting sword techniques.

If it were a normal day when defending against an enemy, Qi Shaoshang's counterattack would have been Su Qin carrying his sword, followed by the Earth Dragon's somersault, then the White Clouds Emerging from the Mountain, and finally a torrent of water flowing down a thousand miles.

At this moment, limited to using the One-Word Sword Technique, Qi Shaoshang's movements were not as fluid as usual. Li Zhaoting waved his hand and used the Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl move, splitting the sword light into two streams.

Qi Shaoshang truly lives up to his reputation as the Nine-Appearance Divine Dragon. His reaction speed is incredibly fast, and his sword strikes are like a storm. Most of his sword moves with the number one in their names are straightforward and suitable for fast sword exchanges. Li Zhaoting can only use ten moves, which must have the corresponding numbers. Let's see how you deal with fast swords!
Before Qi Shaoshang could change his move, Li Zhaoting waved his hand and delivered a Phoenix Three Nods, followed by Wealth from All Directions, then Plum Blossoms in Five Petals and Snowflakes in Six Strokes. The four sword techniques were repeated in a cycle, with Li Zhaoting taking the initiative to attack. Qi Shaoshang subconsciously switched from offense to defense, trying to delay the attack for four moves.

With only four moves left, and unable to use powerful moves like Hundred Steps Flying Sword or Tathagata's Divine Light, they are forced to rely on common, widely circulated moves from the martial arts world. How can they break through this impenetrable defense?

But then Li Zhaoting used the move "Seven Stars Shining Brightly," followed by "Eight Directions of Majesty," and then "Nine Returns to One," all of which were quite auspicious moves. Apart from apprentices who were just learning swordsmanship and practicing diligently, it was probably only actors who would use them to perform sword dances for birthday celebrations during theatrical performances.

Qi Shaoshang held his sword horizontally across his chest, only defending and not attacking, enduring Li Zhaoting's sword moves. When he was about to strike back with his last move, he suddenly found himself trapped in a sword aura, with no way to escape.

The first nine moves were all cover, making Qi Shaoshang feel that he had the advantage. Whether it was offense or defense, he was controlled by Li Zhaoting. His sword moves seemed elegant and gorgeous, but in reality, he was like a puppet on a string, falling into an ambush.

Not to mention Qi Shaoshang, even Lao Xueguang and Ruan Mingzheng could see that Li Zhaoting's last move was bound to be a trap, a ten-sided ambush. Just as Qi Shaoshang was desperately swinging his sword to counterattack, he discovered that Li Zhaoting's last move was actually perfect, drawing ten sword circles with his sword.

Qi Shaoshang slashed left and right, lifting, hooking and sweeping, breaking through nine sword circles, but then saw the precious sword coming down on his head. He subconsciously swung his sword to block, using the move "Sweeping Through a Thousand Armies". Unexpectedly, Li Zhaoting's sure-kill sword was a feint. The perfect ten became nine, and the sword tip fell lightly down.

"Snapped!"

The tip of the sword struck Qi Shaoshang's Shenmen acupoint.

"Clang!"

Qi Shaoshang's precious sword fell to the ground.

"Master Li, your swordsmanship is superb! I admire it!"

"I came here to make friends, not to make enemies of you heroes. How can I use such a deadly tactic as an ambush? That's a psychological trap."

"I see, thank you for clearing up my confusion!"

Qi Shaoshang was quite nonchalant and directly admitted defeat.

After three defeats, according to the rules of the martial arts world, no one would dare to stop Li Zhaoting from becoming the leader of Lianyun Village. However, Li Zhaoting had no interest in managing the sect, which would be a burden for him and prevent him from doing as he pleased.

Furthermore, the main reason for coming to Lianyun Village this time was because of Li Nanxing's request to take care of the old brothers from more than 20 years ago; otherwise, Li Zhaoting would have left long ago.

When you come to Cangzhou, you absolutely must go to Shiweitian!

The iron lion head is still cuter!

The incident at Lianyun Village was just a minor episode. Li Zhaoting was busy investigating the case of the thirteen criminals, and he took his leave the next day.

Qi Shaoshang and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

What exactly is Li Zhaoting here for?

Recruitment?

Is there such a dry and straightforward way to recruit someone into the government?

Subjugate?

He turned and left without a second thought. A fight?

They won all three matches without even breaking a chair.

No matter which rule of the underworld you use to analyze it, Li Zhaoting seems like a lunatic. In the end, Ruan Mingzheng realized the answer: "Military Advisor Li wants to compensate us!"

Lao Xueguang sighed, "Damn it! The defeat back then wasn't the fault of Commander Chu or Military Advisor Li; it was entirely due to the machinations of villains. What a pity for so many brothers!"

Mu Jiuping said, "Let's not talk about that! Let's talk about going to Yanyun. I think it's feasible! The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun have just been recovered. The famous sects haven't gone there yet, and there are no experts in the dangerous mountains and blessed lands. We can quickly occupy the strategic passes and subdue the surrounding bandits."

Ruan Mingzheng sighed, “Chief, Li Zhaoting is right about something. You are the Nine-Manifestation Divine Dragon, born to become the leader of the underworld. Lianyun Village is too small to fully utilize your abilities. Shallow waters cannot nurture dragons. You have been lying low for so long and accumulated so much power. Now the opportunity is right in front of you. You should spread your wings and soar!”

Lao Xueguang said, "Let's go take a look first. If we can find some steep mountains, we'll just take over and become kings of the mountains. If we can't find a suitable opportunity, we'll come back."

Lianyun Village used to fight against the Liao army, gaining supplies and reputation in the martial arts world through repeated battles. Now that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun have been recovered, Lianyun Village has changed from a border area to an inland area, making it difficult to continue to expand outwards.

Qi Shaoshang was quite tempted by this.

After three years of not flying, it will soar into the sky in a single flight.

It remains silent for three years, then astonishes everyone with its sudden burst of brilliance.

Having lain dormant in Lianyun Village for so long, it was all for the time being to rise from the ashes, ride the six dragons, and soar into the sky.

With such a chance to rise to prominence right in front of him, if he didn't dare to fight to the death, he wouldn't be Qi Shaoshang!
Qi Shaoshang forcefully waved his fist: "The Third Chief and I will go to Yanyun to check the situation. Second Chief, you two guard Lianyun Village well. Its fame will soon be known throughout the martial arts world."

Qi Shaoshang does not rule out cooperating with the government.

In the original storyline, Tie Shou became suspicious of the relationship between the imperial court and the martial arts world, and gave up his position as a divine constable, entrusting Qi Shaoshang to take his place. However, Tie Shou's personality was not suited to the martial arts world, and Qi Shaoshang's personality was not suitable to be a divine constable, so the two eventually switched identities.

Iron Hand continues to be one of the Four Great Constables.

Qi Shaoshang continued to be the "leader" of the underworld.

After discussing for two or three days, the leaders of Lianyun Village headed north to Yanyun. The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun were full of opportunities, and countless martial arts masters came to Yanyun to try their luck. The Golden Money Gang and other major underworld factions even established branches in Yanyun to serve as distribution centers for goods.

When the Liao Kingdom returned the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, it took away all the Liao merchants, farmers, and herdsmen, leaving only the Han Chinese people who were unwilling to leave and the scattered soldiers who had been defeated during the Liao civil war, who became bandits in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

Zhuge Zhengwo is so busy he's about to explode.

The Four Great Constables were extremely busy.

In between investigating the thirteen thugs, Li Zhaoting wiped out three gangs of bandits and handled seven or eight murder cases. He invited Qi Shaoshang to Yanyun, hoping that Qi Shaoshang would unify the underworld of Yanyun and establish a new underworld order.

Qi Shaoshang is capable and ambitious. Once he comes to Yanyun, he will never leave!

There are countless powerful and ruthless figures in the martial arts world.

Qi Shaoshang has countless competitors.

Whether he can defeat these underworld tycoons and become the overlord of the underworld, the leader of all the dragons, is uncertain. Qi Shaoshang has a good chance, but success is not guaranteed!

Qi Shaoshang wanted an opportunity!
After waiting for three years, the opportunity has finally arrived!

Even if I die, I will die on the path of hegemony and ambition.

……

Changshan.

When ordinary people mention Changshan, their first impression is Zhao Zilong of Changshan. When people in the martial arts world mention Changshan, the first thing that comes to mind is the Nine Nether God Lord who lives in seclusion in Changshan.

Sixteen years ago, Zhuge Zhengwo and Jiuyou Divine Lord engaged in a fierce battle. Jiuyou Divine Lord was defeated and fled, establishing a sect in Changshan and taking in a total of nine disciples.

Perhaps because of his crushing defeat, the Nine Nether God Lord always shrouded himself in a black robe. His bedroom and secluded cultivation room were pitch black, without a trace of light. Even his personal disciples had never seen the Nine Nether God Lord's face.

The two disciples who had followed the Nine Nether God Lord the longest knelt outside the secluded training room, kowtowing and begging repeatedly.

One of them was named Dugu Wei, who was skilled with a long spear and could draw it extremely quickly. He was ruthless and had the nickname "The man is a thousand miles away, but the spear is right in front of him." He was one of the thirteen villains.

One of them was named Sun Bugong. He was short in stature and wore a set of armor similar to that of a pangolin. He could quickly dig his way through the soil, much like the earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of magic in Chinese mythology). He was nicknamed Tu Xingsun (土行孙) and became a flower thief by using his earth-遁术.

Sun Bugong was also one of the thirteen villains.

Xue Hubei recognized Sun Bugong at a glance. This guy's physique and appearance were too easy to identify. There were many short people in the martial arts world, but among the short people who were good at earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of martial arts that can be used to escape from the ground), only Sun Bugong remained.

If they were only facing the Four Great Constables, the Thirteen Thugs believed they had a 60% chance of winning. However, Li Zhaoting's inexplicable involvement in the case terrified the Thirteen Thugs, and the Left Martial King was extremely cautious, so he spent a lot of money to invite helpers from all walks of life.

In fact, the thirteen villains were extremely powerful.

In the original storyline, the thirteen villains fought amongst themselves, schemed against each other, and even betrayed one another. Under these circumstances, the four constables only managed a Pyrrhic victory, with the thirteen villains dying and the four constables seriously injured and unconscious.

The thirteen thugs included both useless individuals who were just there to make up the numbers and skilled fighters who were there to keep order. Given that they committed so many major crimes, it's impossible that they were all useless people who only started to be found now.

However, these people are all selfish, narrow-minded, and despicable. They only want to protect themselves when things happen. Why should they take risks themselves if they can get others to do it?

He would kill his own brother for the secret manual.

For personal gain, one might scheme against one's own master.

The Left Martial King promised 100,000 taels of gold. If Dugu Wei and Sun Bugong could persuade the Nine Netherworld God, each of them would be rewarded with 50,000 taels of gold, enough for them to live on for a lifetime!

"Enough! Enough! Stop kowtowing! How much has your master given you that makes you so willing to risk your lives for him? Who is Li Zhaoting?"

The voice of the Nine Nether God was unusually cold.

Anyone who secludes themselves in a dark and gloomy place for sixteen years will not have a good temper. The only difference between the Nine Nether God and demons is that his body looks like a human, but his heart is already like a monster.

The downside of seclusion is that one is not well-informed about the affairs of the martial world. The Nine Nether God has a high opinion of himself and is quite ruthless towards his disciples, who dare not approach him. The Nine Nether God is completely unaware of the ups and downs of the martial world.

Sun Bugong quickly explained: "Master! The Left Martial King promised ten thousand taels of gold, three volumes of Shaolin martial arts, five volumes of Emei martial arts, and a divine weapon as a reward. Li Zhaoting is the son of the Vice Minister of War. His father and the Empress Dowager have some unclear relationship, so he was promoted to Vice Minister of War without regard to precedent!"

Dugu Wei added, "Master, the imperial court has recently recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and Zhuge Zhengwo has been sent to handle Yan and Yun affairs, without any help from him."

Sun Bugong said, "The Left Martial King promised that he would handle the Four Great Constables. Master only needs to kill Zhuge Zhengwo and Li Zhaoting. This deal is worthwhile!"

The Nine Netherworld God Lord sneered: "If Li Zhaoting is just an ordinary playboy, you can kill him yourselves! What makes him worthy of being ranked alongside Zhuge Zhengwo! If you dare to lie again, my divine might will descend and turn you both into blood!"

Sun Bugong said, "Reporting to Master, Li Zhaoting is a Grandmaster of the Heavenly Gang. He is twenty-three years old this year. At this age, he has become a Grandmaster. This disciple cannot defeat him!"

Dugu Wei said, "Li Zhaoting's wife also possesses Grandmaster-level combat power and is skilled in playing the Demon-Subduing Zither."

The Nine Netherworld God-King coldly said, "Traitorous disciples! How much of the benefits that the Left Martial King gave me, did you embezzle?"

The two hurriedly kowtowed, blood streaming down their foreheads.

The Nine Netherworld God Lord sneered disdainfully: "Ten thousand taels of gold to kill two Grandmasters? Do you think I'm a fool? You probably pocketed the benefits that King Zuo Wu gave me!"

Dugu Wei pleaded, "Master, spare my life! I was indeed a little greedy, just a tiny bit."

The Nine Netherworld God said, "Tell the Left Martial King that I only want to kill Zhuge Zhengwo. As long as he creates an opportunity for me to kill Zhuge Zhengwo, I will agree to anything."

The Nine Netherworld God Lord has no need for gold or silver.

He spends all his time shrouded in a black robe, practicing martial arts in a dark, secluded room. He neither indulges in debauchery nor cares for antiques, calligraphy, paintings, gold, or jewels. What use are they to him?

Most importantly, the Nine Netherworld God-King naturally dislikes anything that sparkles and has a strong aversion to jewelry and jade.

Mentioning the payment was just a way to give his apprentices a warning and tell them to behave themselves; he didn't actually want the money.

Sun Bugong and Dugu Wei exchanged a glance, realizing that their master had been deceived. They were telling the truth, but with some omissions. For example, Li Zhaoting was indeed a Heavenly Gang Ranking-level fighter, but only the leader of the Heavenly Gang!

Even if the Nine Nether Gods had a lie detector, they wouldn't be able to detect a single lie, except for the discounted reward.

King Zuo Wu promised 100,000 taels of gold.

The two apprentices lightly erased a zero.

Anyway, their master doesn't need the money. Once their master is killed by Li Zhaoting, this money, as the sect's inheritance, will belong to them anyway. They are just asking for it in advance.

The analysis is spot on!

That's totally reasonable.

Even the Nine Netherworld God could not find fault with it.

(End of this chapter)