Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 391 The Azure Dragon Society's Surname is Chai? (Seeking monthly votes at the end of the month)

Li Zhaoting drew the character "一" with his sword.

This is not Qi Shaoshang's "One-Word Sword Technique".

This is Li Zhaoting's understanding of the true energy of longevity.

"One" is the most special number, the boundary between life and death; you can understand this by writing it out.

"One" signifies the end of "life".

"One" is the beginning of "death".

Many vengeful spirits in myths and legends suffered injustice, torture, and torment before their deaths, and subconsciously scratched themselves with their fingernails; the scratch marks left by these fingernails are a form of torture.

"Is this your philosophy on life and death? What breathtaking swordsmanship! Li Zhaoting, use your strongest swordsmanship to annihilate me! Don't hold back!"

Sima Huangfen was as fierce as a mad tiger. His fists created rolling waves, turning the surrounding area into ruins. Young Master Ximen had no time to worry about the manor. He waved his Yin-Yang Fan and aimed at Li Zhaoting's vitals, shooting out a swarm of flying needles from the folding fan.

"Qiang!"

Ziwei was drawn from its sheath, a purple dragon flashed by, deflecting both the force of the punch and the flying needles. The soft sword Ziwei drew an arc and stabbed towards Young Master Ximen's Tanzhong acupoint.

Swift as lightning, unstoppable.

The sword's power is even more ferocious and domineering than the fist's force.

The sword energy surged like a tide, the sword light like ocean waves, forming a raging torrent. The heavy pillar, as thick as two people could hug, resembled a mast in a vast ocean, swaying and tilting with the waves, threatening to collapse at any moment.

Young Master Ximen hurriedly ran towards the door, while Sima Huangfen charged at Li Zhaoting like a madman, his fists striking in rapid succession, his left hand a small gesture of peace, his right hand a great gesture of liberation, one hand fierce and domineering like a tsunami, the other calm and serene like a lake.

One hard, one soft; one dynamic, one static; one life, one death—the two fist techniques are perfectly combined. Sima Huangfen is a madman, a living madman with extremely high intelligence!
Li Zhaoting made a fist seal with his left hand, and a chilling Buddhist light flashed around him, turning the Purple Star Soft Sword golden.

The Buddha's divine light is boundless, and the Buddha's teachings are limitless!

The moment the two fists came crashing down, the Buddha's divine light burst forth. The sword light and fists collided violently, and the area within a radius of ten feet was enveloped by the energy of life and death. The air rippled outwards, and the houses could no longer withstand it, collapsing into ruins.

With a series of "crackling" sounds, Sima Huangfen's arms were destroyed by the sword light. Instead of feeling any pain, loss, or despair, Sima Huangfen was filled with excitement and fervor, and he rammed his head into Li Zhaoting.

"Li Zhaoting, this is my final blow!"

Triple Strike: The Ultimate Joy!
This "punch" doesn't evoke the feeling of death strewn across the land, but rather of letting go, liberation, enlightenment, and great freedom, ease, and unrestrained joy, like that of a sacred immortal!
Sima Huangfen was not seeking fame or fortune; this was his understanding of death. He was not afraid of death, but he was afraid of living an ordinary life and dying silently. He wanted to die under the sword of a martial arts master or amidst the curses of countless people. He would rather die than live an ordinary life.

"Hu~~"

A glazed Buddhist fire ignited in front of Li Zhaoting.

Tathagata's Divine Light - Golden-Topped Buddha Lamp!

The deathly aura emanating from Sima Huangfen was like lamp oil, and his body was like the wick. If even a trace of flame touched it, it would immediately spread throughout his entire body, and every cell would scream in agony.

"Hahaha! I love it! I love it! This is the death I've been waiting for! I have no regrets even if I die!"

Amidst the maniacal laughter, Sima's desolate grave turned to ashes.

On the other side, Mo Sange was forced to retreat step by step by Iron Hand's iron fist, which was as solid as a rock and as powerful as thunder. He dared not approach the battle circle of Li Zhaoting and Sima Huangfen. He was punched away with his curved knife and had five ribs broken.

"boom!"

Mo San collapsed to the ground in despair.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that Young Master Ximen had already fled.

The manor's underground is a dense network of tunnels. Even if the Ximen Manor were completely destroyed, it would be difficult to find any trace of Young Master Ximen, unless one kept a good dog.

Li Zhaoting went to Ximen Gongzi's room and took some of his clothes so that Yuanbao could track him.

Zuo Wu Wang may not take the initiative to step forward.

However, having suffered this calamity and squandered all his wealth, how could Young Master Ximen endure a life of poverty after decades of indulging in pleasure and debauchery? He would definitely seek money from King Zuo Wu. I'm not afraid of him going to find someone; I'm afraid he'll quietly hide away.

The principle of "casting a long line to catch a big fish" applies here.

Tie Shou asked in surprise, "Zhao Ting, did you see Zhui Ming who was there to meet you? How did you get there so fast?"

Li Zhaoting said, "Zhuiming and I captured Zhang Xu'ao and Guan Haiming and obtained clues from their interrogation. The thirteen villains launched an assassination attempt on the Four Great Constables at the same time. Suzhen and Zhuiming went to assist Wuqing Lengxue. I will help you. Meizhu will be responsible for escorting the four people and waiting for Zuo Wuwang to come and silence them."

Who is the Left Martial King?

"The mastermind behind the thirteen villains."

Does the imperial court have such a prince?

"Perhaps it's some kind of independent regime!"

"If there's a Left Martial King, is there a Right Martial King?"

"Zhang Xu'ao and Guan Haiming have never met him. They only know Zuo Wu Wang and don't recognize anyone else!"

As he spoke, Li Zhaoting looked at Mo Sangege and held up four fingers: "Mo Sangege, you have four companions who have become prisoners of war. You know what I'm trying to say!"

Mo Sange sneered disdainfully: "Li Zhaoting, your martial arts are very high, but there is more to this world than just martial arts. The prince will avenge us, and you will definitely die a horrible death!"

Li Zhaoting pointed to the distant mountains: "At this time of year, the wolves in the mountains should be very hungry. Mo Sange, I don't have much patience left. If you dare to resist again, I'll tear you to pieces and throw you into the ravines to feed the wolves."

Mo Sange looked at Tie Shou: "Tie Shou! I am a wanted criminal by the imperial court. You must protect my safety!"

Iron Hand nodded: "Logically speaking, I should send you to the Six Doors for trial, but the leader of the Heavenly Gang is too skilled in martial arts. I was ambushed by you and couldn't withstand the attack. You'd better pray for your own good fortune!"

Mo Sange wished he could beat himself to death!
Why did I even take on this stupid mission in the first place?!
Time was of the essence, and there was no time for idle chatter. Tie Shou led Mo San to Youzhou, while Li Zhaoting returned to meet Mei Zhu. To everyone's disappointment, no one came to silence a mere maid escorting a criminal.

That's a bit too timid.

Li Zhaoting is simply talking without understanding the situation.

The thirteen villains are most skilled at killing to silence witnesses. They are either captured, blown to pieces, or busy assassinating the four great constables. Are they going to let Zuo Wuwang silence them?

Mei Zhu was also somewhat disappointed. She had planned to capture a few prisoners to gain some merit and ask Li Zhaoting for a reward, but she didn't expect that Zuo Wu Wang was so cowardly that he didn't dare to come!
The Wu brothers, Zhang Xu'ao, and Guan Haiming sighed deeply, thinking to themselves that they would only live until autumn!

There are rules for execution.

The autumn air is crisp and clear; executions will be carried out after autumn.

When he was first captured, he couldn't help but curse Li Zhaoting, lamenting the injustice of fate. He then fell into depression, and eventually became indifferent.

Every extra day is a day better than nothing.

People like that, do they have any backbone?
Even Guan Haiming, who seemed to be the most upright, had already fallen into the demonic path since he joined Zuo Wu Wang's forces and began indiscriminately killing innocent people. He was no longer the Great Seal Vajra. Back then, he was willing to join Zuo Wu Wang for the sake of his reputation, but now he was willing to honestly reveal clues in order to protect his reputation.

The operations of the other two routes went quite smoothly.

Feng Suzhen's trip was in vain; Yan'er was captured alive without mercy.

Zhui Ming rescued Leng Xue, who was seriously injured.

Leng Xue is a berserker who grows stronger with each injury. He was besieged by Du Lian and Ouyang Jue, his body covered in wounds, and he was on the verge of collapse, but he refused to fall. With a broken sword as fast as lightning, he fought to the death and stabbed Du Lian.

If Zhui Ming hadn't arrived in time, Leng Xue would probably have perished along with Ouyang Jue and Du Lian. The two were more powerful than Leng Xue, but the difference in their fighting spirit was too great.

When Li Zhaoting arrived at the Divine Marquis's Mansion, Wuqing had already prepared a meeting room to discuss the case. The prisoners were imprisoned and would be executed in a few days.

What kind of "execution after the autumn harvest" is this?
They are not wanted criminals by the imperial court!

They were just captured bandits and horse thieves!

Ruthless covered the blackboard with notes.

The slips of paper had names written on them.

"According to the prisoners' confessions, thirty years ago, a master who called himself the Left Martial King recruited thirteen masters skilled in esoteric arts to form the Thirteen Villains."

The members of the thirteen criminals are not fixed.

Thirty years ago was very different from now.

This is a list of people I've compiled.

Sima Huangfen, the leader of the thugs;
Wu Shengdong, the ruthless scholar;

'Poisonous Hand Champion' Wu Shengxi;

'Mahamudra Vajra' Guan Haiming;

Zhang Xu'ao, the "Iron Umbrella Scholar";

"A single strike can cover a thousand miles" - Mo Sangege;
Ouyang Jue, the master of the Ghost Talisman Sect;

"The man is a thousand miles away, but the gun is right in front of him" - Dugu Wei;

Master Ximen, the "Fan of Ghosts and Gods";
'Blood Phoenix' Du Lian;
'Tu Xingsun' Sun Bugong; 'Demon' Xue Gubei;

Leng Liuping, the "Copper-Faced Guest";

Among them, Sima Huangfen, Sun Bugong, and Xue Gubei were eliminated, while Wu Shengdong, Wu Shengxi, Guan Haiming, Zhang Xu'ao, and Mo Sange were captured. Leng Liuping died of illness two years ago, passing on the bronze mask to Yan'er.

Ouyang Jue, Dugu Wei, Ximen Gongzi, and Du Lian escaped. Dugu Wei and Sun Bugong are disciples of Changshan Jiuyou Shenjun, and it is very likely that they will ask Jiuyou to come out of the mountain.

The Nine Netherworld Old Monster is proficient in Qimen formations and poisons, and has nine disciples, making him extremely difficult to deal with!

Do any of you have any other clues?
What are some speculations about the identity of the Left Martial King?

Wuqing coughed lightly twice.

Yan'er's story is quite clichéd.

Leng Liuping was tempted by money and beauty and worked for Zuo Wuwang. Due to excessive killing, he had a change of heart and left the Thirteen Fiends. He used his hidden weapon skills to perform magic tricks and traveled the streets to make a living. He took in Yan'er, who had been abandoned by her parents. In order to remove Yan'er's ugly birthmark, Leng Liuping asked Zuo Wuwang for help and rejoined Zuo Wuwang's command.

It was from that time that Yan'er learned that her adoptive father knew martial arts and began to learn hidden weapons from him.

Two years ago, Leng Liuping passed away, and Yan'er inherited the title of Copper-Faced Man. Zuo Wu Wang said that Leng Liuping and Yan'er owed him a favor and they had to help him kill people. Once a certain number of people were killed, Zuo Wu Wang would let Yan'er leave.

Yan'er said that my martial arts skills were not good enough.

King Zuo Wu valued Yan'er's talent highly and gave her a Small Rejuvenation Pill to enhance her skills.

In order to preserve the ultimate weapon against the Four Constables, Yan'er was only allowed to make a move now. Unexpectedly, the carefully cultivated secret weapon was captured as soon as it was used.

Was Leng Liuping involved in the massacre of Wuqing's entire family?

The answer is: no!

When Wuqing's entire family was wiped out, Leng Liuping was performing on the street and carefully raising Yan'er. The thirteen villains were replaced by someone else, but no one knew who it was!

Given Zuo Wu Wang's personality, most of the thirteen thugs who were replaced were silenced. If Leng Liuping hadn't been highly skilled in martial arts and adept at dealing with ambushes, he probably wouldn't have escaped death either.

Ruthless organized the files of the thirteen villains.

Although these people are selfish and think about killing each other all day long, they are indeed all experts.

To put it simply, if they had no selfish motives and faced off against the Four Constables head-on, the Four Constables' chances of winning would be extremely low; even if they did win, it would be a Pyrrhic victory.

Unfortunately, they couldn't possibly be without selfish motives!

They came for their own selfish reasons!

Some are after money, some after beauty, some are after death, and some are after martial arts secrets. They all have their own desires. This is the paradox of the underworld: you can't expect a group of selfish people to be loyal and united!
If any of the thirteen villains were upright, how could they have committed so many horrific massacres? If they were treacherous and vicious, how could they have been united and friendly?

To put it bluntly, if the thirteen villains were to unite and become a cohesive force, the first to suffer would not be the Four Great Constables, but the Left Martial King behind the scenes.

This principle is not difficult to understand.

Those with a sense of justice cannot be recruited.

Don't expect loyalty from recruiting bad people.

One-track mind becomes a double-edged sword!
This is the paradox of the underworld.

After so many years of development in the martial arts world, the only way I can think of to resolve this paradox is... loyalty!
The crowd silently flipped through the files that the ruthless organizers had meticulously compiled.

Li Zhaoting tossed out a few pieces of clothing: "These are Young Master Ximen's clothes. They have his scent on them. Yuanbao can track the scent. Young Master Ximen will definitely seek compensation from King Zuowu. We can follow the trail!"

Zhui Ming frowned: "A cunning rabbit has three burrows. If one manor is gone, you can go to another. Young Master Ximen's family is large and powerful. You can lie low for three to five months."

"Third Brother, you don't know this, but Young Master Ximen only joined forces with King Zuo Wu for money. Ximen Manor may seem to be all show and no substance, but it's actually a rotten shrub inside. The wealth accumulated by the Ximen family over generations has long been squandered by Young Master Ximen. How could he possibly have the money to have multiple escape routes?"

Li Zhaoting produced a confession: "According to the servants of Young Master Ximen, the stone chamber where Second Brother was ambushed was used to plot against merchants. Young Master Ximen has stooped to using sleeping pills to rob merchants, no different from those who run black shops. How could he have any savings?"

Iron Hand nodded: "That's right. I went to the warehouse of Ximen Manor and found that Ximen Manor had very few supplies and less than five thousand in cash."

As the head wife of the family, Feng Suzhen knew the most about running the manor: "The manor houses need repair, the maids and servants need to be paid, and if we want to maintain the family's dignity, no one can find fault with our clothing, food, housing and transportation. My family only has about thirty servants, and we are already worried to death!"

Li Zhaoting added: "Young Master Ximen has lived a life of debauchery for decades and cannot endure poverty. Even if he were driven mad by poverty, he would not become a thief or a highway robber for the sake of his remaining dignity. The dignity of a wealthy family is something that is paid for with one's life!"

Wuqing asked, "Commoner, how far is Yuanbao's search area? How do we find Young Master Ximen?"

Zhui Ming said, "Let's stir up trouble! Ouyang Jue is the master of the Ghost Talisman Sect. He can run away, but he can't hide. Let's go and destroy the Ghost Talisman Sect. I don't believe they won't make a move!"

Tie Shou said, "The Ghost Talisman Sect has committed numerous evils, causing immense suffering to the surrounding people. By eliminating the Ghost Talisman Sect, we can gain the support of the people and also alert them."

Zhui Ming laughed loudly: "Hehe! Young Master Ximen and Ouyang Jue are both asking Zuo Wu Wang for money. I don't believe Zuo Wu Wang can sit still. I'll see what kind of person he is."

Li Zhaoting suddenly asked, "If the Left Martial King's surname is Guo or Chai, it will be inconvenient for you to take action. I am an unscrupulous江湖人 (jianghu person), so hand him over to me."

Leng Xue retorted weakly, "Your father is the Vice Minister of War, and you are the Marquis of Wuyi. If you are considered a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person from the martial arts world), how many civil and military officials are left in the entire court?"

Li Zhaoting said, "Give it to Qi Shaoshang! Qi Shaoshang is the chief of Lianyun Village, a hero of the Green Forest. It sounds much better to say that a Green Forest hero kills a powerful person. If they want to move to Yanyun, the court can burn down Lianyun Village. They'll save face and save face, and everyone will be satisfied."

Wuqing asked in surprise, "Commoner, why do you think that the Left Martial King is... cough cough, what's your basis for that?"

"Count the people who want to be emperor! Sort these people by age, starting with those over fifty. Zuo Wu Wang is rough in his work, and most of them are not in the court. If someone doesn't want to be emperor, use the process of elimination to check them one by one!"

"and then?"

"I think the Left Martial King might have the surname Chai!"

Li Zhaoting shrugged and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

He looked at Yan'er without any emotion.

Yan'er said softly, "My father...my father owes a favor to the Left Martial King, and I haven't repaid that favor yet."

Li Zhaoting sneered: "What a huge favor! Your father served the Left Martial King for thirty years, participated in five or six massacres, and killed hundreds of people for the Left Martial King. The Left Martial King's reward for your father is to treat your face!"

Feng Suzhen comforted her, "Little sister! That's not how you calculate favors. With the Copper-Faced Man's strength, he's been loyal to you for thirty years. Even if it's a life-saving debt, he should have repaid it by now. Zuo Wu Wang is taking advantage of your youth and talking to you about owing favors. You don't need to pay any attention to him!"

Zhui Ming shouted, "That's right! It's not that you owe Zuo Wu Wang, it's that Zuo Wu Wang owes you. You both risked your lives for thirty years, but look at how much others benefited! Copper Mask was at least in the top five of the Thirteen Fiends, yet he didn't even get a manor. What kind of favor is that!"

Iron Hand's expression was stern and quite intimidating: "The Left Martial King is cruel and ungrateful, why would you risk your life for him?"

Ruthless concluded: "Exactly!"

Yan'er was persuaded by Wuqing.

"I don't know what Zuo Wu Wang's surname is. He always calls himself Zuo Wu Wang. All I know is that an old man often contacts him. I think his name is Ke Baisui!"

"That's right! 'Ke' is the same as 'Chai'!"

Li Zhaoting was quite curious about Ke Baisui. This guy was not only the steward of the Azure Dragon Society, but also able to contact the Left Martial King, spend a lot of money to recruit Jiang Yuyan, and casually produce a secret skill that had been lost for decades or even hundreds of years. He was quite strange.

Now I think I can figure it out.

The Green Dragon Society is a former subordinate of the Chai family!

To conceal his identity, he changed Chai's name to "Ke".

This method of renaming is quite common in the Chai family.

In the Water Margin, Chai Jin disguised himself as an undercover agent under the alias "Ke Yin." Thinking about this, many inexplicable things seem to have an answer.

Why did Da Longtou help Yang Yizhen's descendants?
Because he felt that this was a case of "shared suffering".

……

The secret residence of the Left King Wu.

Young Master Ximen and his group gathered here, looking at the "Thirteen Fiends," who now numbered only four. The four cursed Li Zhaoting's ancestors for eight generations over three hundred and ninety times. "What does this have to do with you? Why are you so nosy?"

The four men came to ask for money.

Young Master Ximen and Du Lian were lovers.

The West Gate Manor is gone, and they need money to rebuild it and to indulge in extravagance.

With Ouyang Jue's identity exposed, the Ghost Talisman Sect is definitely doomed. If there isn't enough compensation for losing an entire sect, Ouyang Jue will surely defect immediately.

Dugu Wei thought to himself that according to the agreement, he would be rewarded with 100,000 taels of gold for asking his master, the Nine Nether God, to come out of the mountain. Now that Sun Bugong had been killed, he could keep all the gold for himself.

All four were top fighters among the Thirteen Fiends, especially Du Lian and Ouyang Jue, one with unparalleled swiftness and the other with the ability to take lives from mid-air, making them of great significance to Zuo Wu Wang.

Zuo Wu Wang could, of course, refuse to pay, or even kill everyone to silence them. However, if even one person escaped, they would immediately go to the Divine Marquis's Mansion to file a complaint.

Pay me, or I'll betray you!

(End of this chapter)