Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 396 What does Lu Xiaofeng taking money have to do with me, Li Zhaoting!
Mr. Du is very efficient in his work.

Based on Li Zhaoting's preferences, she quickly found him an assistant skilled in boat handling, net casting, and fish grilling. This person was named "Zhang San".

Zhang San, nicknamed "Kuaiwang," is one of the extraordinary people of the Minjiang River region.

This person was traveling in a small wooden boat that looked dilapidated but could actually withstand stormy seas. He had grown up on boats and was an expert swimmer and fisherman.

If that's all, he wouldn't be considered an extraordinary person.

Many people here originally lived on boats, known as the Lianjia boat people or Tanka fishermen. Their only property was a boat. They relied on fishing and exchanging goods with the people on land, and their lives were extremely difficult.

Zhang San's "uniqueness" lies in his skill in grilling fish.

Zhang San's grilling skills surpassed those of the imperial chefs by a significant margin.

Because the grilled fish was so delicious, many people thought Zhang San was a killer and a descendant of Zhuan Zhu.

Peng Zu and Yi Ya are considered the patriarchs of chefs, but if we break down the various dishes, the most famous chef throughout history, especially in terms of fish and meat dishes, is none other than Zhuan Zhu.

Zhuan Zhu, the Fish Intestine Sword, is famous throughout the ages.

Heaven have mercy, Zhang San is a man of the martial arts world, but he is really not an assassin. The reason why his grilled fish is so delicious is because he has no money to buy a house or land, and he has always lived on a boat. His only food is fish and shrimp, and he studies grilled fish every day.

Q: Why is Zhang San's grilled fish so delicious?

Zhang San: There's nothing special about it, it's just a matter of practice!

It's both the truth and nonsense.

Many people live on boats, but Zhang San's grilled fish is unique because he has talent, patience, perseverance, and the ability to consistently study and master grilled fish.

Zhang San's posture while fishing and grilling fish was no different from Li Zhaoting's sword dance and poetry recitation. He was extremely focused, staring intently at the grilled fish, oblivious to everyone else, and single-minded.

Zhang San's boat was moored at the shore.

Li Zhaoting and others are enjoying Zhang San's grilled fish.

Watching Zhang San grill fish is like watching a master paint, a Peking Opera performer practice, or Li Zhaoting dance with a sword. Every move is perfectly natural, making one want to pick up a brush and write.

The fire wasn't strong. Zhang San used a small iron fork to skewer a fish and grill it over the fire. As he grilled, he used a small brush to apply seasonings to the fish. Even if the sky were to fall, he wouldn't care while he was grilling the fish. No matter what happened, he would wait until the fish was cooked before he would do anything else.

The aroma is getting stronger.

Sitting on the shore, Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but ask, "I think your fish is probably cooked by now, right?"

Zhang San handed the fish to Lu Xiaofeng: "Master Lu, you distracted me and made me lose focus, so the taste of this fish must be off. This fish is for you to eat!"

Li Zhaoting complained: "How can an impatient person enjoy good food? Lu Xiaofeng, Jia Leshan gave you eight beauties, eight chests of jewels, and eight chests of silk. Instead of indulging in debauchery, why are you coming to the shore to eat fish?"

Lu Xiaofeng smiled bitterly: "If I don't accept those eight beauties, Jia Leshan will kill them!"

Li Zhaoting said, "He really has no taste. Even if you want to emulate the ancients, you should choose someone with good character. Jia Leshan is imitating Shi Chong. It seems he won't live for more than a few days."

Lu Xiaofeng took a bite of the grilled fish. Zhang San said the fish was overcooked, but it was actually incredibly delicious. Lu Xiaofeng squinted his eyes comfortably and asked, "I've heard stories of Shi Chong's extravagant displays of wealth in the marketplace. When did Jia Leshan ever imitate Shi Chong? How did you figure that out?"

Shi Chong was a minister and extremely wealthy man in the Western Jin Dynasty. His most famous story is about competing with Wang Kai, the emperor's brother-in-law, in terms of wealth.

After Wang Kai finished his meal, he washed the pot with sugar water, while Shi Chong used candles as firewood. Wang Kai made a silk screen that stretched for forty li, while Shi Chong made a brocade screen that stretched for fifty li. Wang Kai used red ochre to coat the walls, while Shi Chong used pepper to coat the walls. The emperor rewarded Wang Kai with a coral tree that was more than two feet tall. Wang Kai took it to Shi Chong's mansion to show off, and Shi Chong smashed the coral.

Wang Kai was furious and demanded compensation from Shi Chong. Shi Chong opened the warehouse where the coral trees were stored, and found that the shortest of them was three feet tall, with four-foot coral trees everywhere.

Another anecdote is related to Jia Leshan.

To be precise, it is related to the threat posed by Jia Leshan.

Li Zhaoting said, "Shi Chong liked to urge guests to drink. Instead of saying auspicious words to persuade them to drink, he would have maids hold wine cups and hand them to the guests. If the guests drank, the maids would live. If the maids did not drink, Shi Chong would kill them in front of the guests."

One day, the scholar Wang Dao and Wang Dun went to Shi Chong's house for a banquet. Wang Dao was not good at drinking, but he was afraid that Shi Chong would kill him, so he reluctantly drank the wine when the maidservant urged him to.

Wang Dun was rather stubborn. Although he could drink, he refused to drink. Even after Shi Chong beheaded three beauties, he still wouldn't drink. When Wang Dao reprimanded Wang Dun, Wang Dun retorted, "You don't reprimand Shi Chong for indiscriminately killing innocent people, but instead blame me. What kind of logic is that? Who is really killing people?"
Lu Xiaofeng, Jia Leshan's threatening tactics are exactly the same as Shi Chong's, and there is some connection between them.

Jia Leshan was a pirate leader, and Shi Chong also made his fortune through robbery. Jia Leshan's imitation of Shi Chong shows that he wanted to whitewash his identity, which is quite interesting.

Did he not know the consequences for Shi Chong?
Arrogance and tyranny will bring disaster.

The entire family was executed, leaving no trace of their bodies.

Li Zhaoting told the story slowly and deliberately.

Lu Xiaofeng had intended to have a drink, but suddenly noticed the blood seeping into the wine. His face filled with disgust: "This kind of person should have his entire family executed, preferably by slow slicing!"

Li Zhaoting asked, "Where is your beauty?"

Lu Xiaofeng smiled bitterly: "If I parade around with eight courtesans, within seven days at most, my lovers from all over the country will swarm me and bite me to death."

For the sake of my kidneys, I have no choice but to hand them over to Mr. Du, whether it's to reform myself or to go back to my old ways!

I simply can't handle it all!

Lan Fenghuang asked, "Li Lang, if Jia Leshan threatens you with beauties, what will you do? Will you accept those beauties, or will you slink away?"

"I will kill Jia Leshan!"

Li Zhaoting gently stroked the sword at his waist.

Lu Xiaofeng rolled his eyes: "If I weren't worried about Jia Leshan's death and his pirates scattering and harassing the coastal people, I would have killed him with one finger!"

While they were talking, Zhang San grilled two fish.

One Lan Fenghuang, one Jiang Yuyan.

Li Zhaoting's fish is still being grilled.

This fish must be grilled carefully.

Even the slightest flaw is not allowed.

Because this fish was caught by Li Zhaoting.

Since setting up a trap in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, where he used Ximen Gongzi and Ouyang Jue to lure out Zuo Wu Wang, Li Zhaoting's fishing skills have improved dramatically. With the addition of two hundred earthworms personally dug by Lu Xiaofeng, Li Zhaoting caught a bucketful of fish.

The fish being grilled is the fattest one.

Zhang San slowly and methodically grilled the food.

Li Zhaoting ate slowly and carefully.

Proof using the controlled variable method:
The reason you can't catch fish is because of earthworms.

Just as everyone was eating and drinking, and the atmosphere was at its most lively, a wolf-tooth arrow flew over.

The arrow shot straight toward Zhang San's throat.

Lu Xiaofeng reached out and caught the arrow.

Looking back, the man who had shot Zhang San was a broad-shouldered, long-legged, wasp-waisted, and long-armed man in his thirties. He was holding a sturdy bow and staring intently at Zhang San.

Li Zhaoting asked, "Who is he?"

Zhang San said, "His surname is Li. He is skilled in archery, claims to be a descendant of Li Guang, and is one of the five managers under Yun Conglong, the leader of the Shenlong Gang. He was ordered to come and kill me."

What grudge do you hold against me?

“Yun Conglong wanted to eat my grilled fish, but I refused to make it for him. Yun Conglong announced to the public that if I made grilled fish for someone else, he would immediately send someone to kill me.”

What is the origin of "Yun Conglong"?

“Yun Conglong? I know that!” Lu Xiaofeng took a bite of the grilled fish. “The Divine Dragon Gang is originally a gang in the Yangtze River basin, and it has had conflicts with Eagle Eye Seven.”

"and then?"

"Eagle Eye Seven sent out his general, Wu Weiyang, the leader of the Phoenix Tail Gang, to compete with Yun Conglong. Yun Conglong had the advantage in martial arts and water skills, but his archery skills were lacking."

In naval warfare, long-range attack skills are paramount, and archery is of utmost importance. Yun Conglong was not skilled in archery and could not withstand Wu Weiyang's phoenix tail arrows. From then on, he dared not clash with Eagle Eye Lao Qi and moved away from the Yangtze River five years ago.

Yun Conglong made his fortune through water and could not do without it.

Unexpectedly, he came to the Minjiang River.

Zhang San, you're really stubborn!

Lu Xiaofeng gave a few regretful, bitter laughs. The most important thing in naval battles is not bows and arrows, but avoiding seasickness.

Seasickness is Lu Xiaofeng's biggest nemesis.

Low poison resistance can be compensated for with internal energy cultivation.

As people get older and their kidneys weaken, their desire for beauty gradually decreases.

My only symptom is seasickness, which I'll never be able to change in this lifetime.

Zhang San sneered, "Those who make a living on the water, even the Angry Dragon Gang, have to risk their lives. Yun Conglong's attempt to cut off other people's livelihoods is far too domineering."

Others may fear Yun Conglong, but I am not!
If I don't grill fish, what will I eat and drink?
Without food or water, am I supposed to starve to death?
Starving to death is too painful; it's better to be shot to death!
Heroes, I'm not trying to complain. Yun Conglong has tempered his temper a lot in the past two years and has exploited the fishermen around him much less. He's a normal gang now!
If he can change, I wouldn't mind giving him grilled fish.

"In the world of martial arts, it's hard to distinguish between good and evil..." Lu Xiaofeng brandished the arrow: "Yun Conglong sent someone to shoot you with an arrow, and you actually spoke well of him?"

Zhang San said, "One thing at a time. Which of these heroes who make a living on the water isn't both praised and criticized?"

Li Zhaoting called out loudly, "Brother, I'm eating grilled fish here. Could you please do me a favor?"

Upon hearing this, the archer hurriedly ran away.

Not long after, Yun Conglong sent someone to apologize.

Zhang San chuckled and said, "Rumor has it that Yun Conglong has fallen seriously ill and has come to believe in karma and retribution. He's become increasingly soft-hearted. I don't know if he's actually sick, but since he took the initiative to apologize, we should grill him a fish."

Zhang San quickly grilled a few fish, wrapped them in oil paper, and sent them back by messenger at top speed.

In the evening, Yun Conglong delivered the invitation.

Please invite Zhang San to "Sanhelou" for a reconciliation drink.

The two families made peace and had no further dealings with each other.

The leader of a powerful gang, with thousands of men under his command, a ruthless and cunning waterborne tycoon, was making peace with a nobody like Zhang San, and it was Yun Conglong who took the initiative to host a banquet.

No matter how you look at it, Zhang San should go for a drink.

Li Zhaoting went to Yujian Villa to find Mr. Du.

Lu Xiaofeng and Zhang San went to the banquet.

Inside the Sanhe Building, they saw another person.

Wu Weiyang, leader of the Phoenix Tail Gang.

These two old rivals are going to make peace today as well.

Although the reason is unknown, making peace is definitely a good thing, and Lu Xiaofeng is very willing to be a witness.

The drinking ceremony went very smoothly.

The guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely and returned home thoroughly drunk.

To thank Lu Xiaofeng for being a witness and to express his gratitude to Zhang San for helping him grill fish, Yun Conglong specially ordered two servings of chopped chili fish head and gave them the fish eyes.

Although he didn't know where this custom came from, the fish eyes tasted quite good. After the banquet, Lu Xiaofeng leisurely went to the inn to rest and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The following morning, Yun Conglong was murdered!
He was struck in the chest, leaving a clear palm print, seemingly from the Great Purple Sun Hand of the Demonic Sect.

Before his death, Yun Conglong left behind a will. It was not a forged will by later generations, but a will that he voluntarily displayed in front of all the high-ranking members of the Divine Dragon Gang. It recorded the issue of succession after Yun Conglong's death.

According to Yun Conglong's will, after his death, all the high-ranking members of the Divine Dragon Gang defected to... Wu Weiyang!

Two long-time rivals, who had fought fiercely for years, somehow became sworn brothers who would risk their lives for each other's wives and children. Their two gangs, which had been locked in a life-or-death struggle, inexplicably merged.

Anyone with a sound mind could accept this.
What's strange is that most of the top leaders of the Shenlong Gang agreed to the will and were willing to merge.

Only a small group of people disagreed, but they were too few in number and too weak in power. In desperation, they could only ask Lu Xiaofeng for help. They suspected that Wu Weiyang had secretly infiltrated the Divine Dragon Gang, and Lu Xiaofeng investigated the case in a flurry of activity.

Investigating cases is Lu Xiaofeng's favorite thing to do.

No matter how many times you say "mind your own business," you should still get involved when you encounter trivial or insignificant matters.

Li Zhaoting and Zhang San were completely unaware of this.

At this time, Li Zhaoting had already taken a boat to Shi Tianwang's island. Mr. Du prepared a boat of moderate size for everyone, with a dozen or so sailors. Zhang San was in charge of steering, and the journey was smooth and steady.

The navigator was very reliable, and the journey was uneventful. They arrived safely at the island controlled by Shi Tianwang. Zhang San docked the boat at the pier, and Li Zhaoting drew his sword and headed towards the island.

"Stop! Who are you?"

Two strong fishermen stopped Li Zhaoting.

"Take me to see the master of this place."

"The commander-in-chief is not someone that just anyone can meet."

Shi Tianwang has dominated the southeastern coast for over a decade. If he didn't even have this much caution, he would have died a hundred times over. Everyone on this island is a pirate, including the fishermen who cast their nets, the women who weave their nets, and the maids who wash vegetables and cook. Everyone is a pirate.

—A ruthless pirate who kills without blinking an eye!
Li Zhaoting asked, "Is there only one pier on this island, and all people have to go through here to get in and out?"

The fisherman sneered: "That's right! We welcome young heroes to the island, and we welcome you to uphold justice. Heroes often come from wealthy families and are quite rich!"

"Is there really no other outlet to the sea?"

"of course not!"

"Thank you! Rest in peace!"

The sword flashed and sliced ​​through their necks.

The two men clutched their necks and fell to the ground. They were both skilled in external martial arts and had fierce and violent personalities; otherwise, they would not have become guards at the dock. They never expected that Li Zhaoting could take their lives with a flick of his finger.

Li Zhaoting instructed Zhang San to stay behind and guide Mr. Du's men. He then led Lan Fenghuang and Jiang Yuyan in a fierce charge, their swords flashing and their sword energy raining down. With each step forward, several people fell to the ground and died.

"King Shi, get out here!"

"King Shi, get out here!"

"King Shi, get out here!"

With the Lion's Roar Kung Fu amplified, Li Zhaoting's voice echoed throughout the entire island. Shi Tianwang could no longer sit still. Pirates were not like bandits; their survival rules were far more bloody and cruel. Every raid involved a life-or-death struggle, and ferocity was etched into their very bones.

No matter what enemy they face, even if Zhang Sanfeng arrives by ship, they will fight bravely until the last man is killed. This is the ironclad rule of pirates.

Bandits in the greenwood have mountain strongholds as a way out.

At worst, I can run away to the deep mountains and forests and hide for several years.

Where can pirates hide?
Going out to rob and steal, if you don't get anything, it's a complete loss.

They encountered a formidable enemy, surrounded by a vast ocean.

You can hide in the deep mountains and forests, hunt or pick wild fruits and mushrooms, or at worst eat grass roots and tree bark to make do and survive. But how can you hide on the open sea?
Who can swim from here to land?
Aren't you afraid of being bitten to death by a shark?
Aren't you afraid of being torn to pieces by the waves?
King Shi valued his stronghold most, building countless fortifications capable of withstanding the charge of thousands of troops. Mr. Du attacked twice but failed both times. He could only use official titles and ranks as bait to provoke King Shi's ambition.

This is what Li Nanxing taught Mr. Du.

—Don't fight with a hungry wolf. Once the wolf has eaten its fill, become the wolf king, and has beautiful wives and concubines, it will either lose its fighting spirit or become arrogant and conceited.

Shi Tianwang belongs to the latter type.

Success after success, victory after victory, made Shi Tianwang increasingly arrogant. Two years ago, as long as ships approached the island, they would be attacked by cannons, arrows, javelins and other weapons. Now, however, he only defends against warships.

King Shi thought he was invincible, and that the martial arts heroes who came to kill him were just offering themselves up as hostages!
Shi Tianwang considered himself a "king," not just a pirate leader or a bandit king, but a true king. He wanted to marry a princess or a noblewoman, to clear his name, to obtain an official title from the imperial court, and to establish a kingdom overseas and become king.

In short, Shi Tianwang didn't want to be a king, nor did he want to continue being a pirate captain; he wanted to be a king.

"Marriage alliance" is Mr. Du's weapon.

Using the pretext of discussing a marriage alliance, Mr. Du sent people to Shi Tianwang's lair. By observing with the naked eye, they noted down the layout of the island and drew up a simple diagram of the mechanisms.

Ordinary martial artists would find it extremely difficult to break through these defenses.

In the original storyline, the assassins hired by Aunt Hua were all killed before they even saw King Shi. Chu Liuxiang went to the island in person, but ultimately returned empty-handed.

It's not that Chu Liuxiang's martial arts skills are not strong enough, but that Chu Liuxiang does not kill people. When dealing with pirates, any mercy is wrong; only blood can conquer them!
Li Zhaoting is not Chu Liuxiang.

With his purple and green swords drawn, he wielded them in both hands and charged from one end to the other, leaving a trail of blood. He resolutely raised and lowered his swords, not even blinking, leaving the area littered with the corpses of pirates.

"Li Zhaoting, you've broken your promise!"

Shi Tianwang's voice came from afar.

Did we have any agreement?

"You took my money, my beauty, and promised to leave, Li Zhaoting, you are shameless!"

"I've never seen you before!"

"It was Lu Xiaofeng who took the money!"

"Lu Xiaofeng accepted your money and your beauty, and promised not to cause you any trouble. He kept his promise. I didn't receive any benefits. What did I promise you?"

"Lu Xiaofeng agreed on your behalf!"

"What a joke! What a fucking joke! Is Lu Xiaofeng my father or my wife? What gives him the right to agree on my behalf? If he says so, then so be it! If he says I'm the Jade Emperor, then so be it!"

"you……"

"I don't even listen to my own father, so why do you think Lu Xiaofeng can persuade me? King Shi, after all these years, how come your brain is so outdated?"

Li Zhaoting has already reached the heart of the island.

This is the residence of King Shi.

Seven Heavenly Kings simultaneously took up weapons!
(End of this chapter)