Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 413 Five Rats Make Trouble on Mount Mang; A Family That Accumulates Good Deeds Will Surely Have Abundant Blessings
Bat Island was destroyed by artillery fire.

When Li Zhaoting left Tongchi Island, he obtained a nautical chart of Bat Island and twenty powerful cannons from Wei Xiaobao, which he used to deal with Bat Island.

The artillery fire roared for most of the night, until all the shells were used up, Bat Island was reduced to ruins, and this hell on earth was completely destroyed. Only then did the group leave Bat Island with the poor people imprisoned in cages.

Whether it was the demons and monsters of Bat Island or the hypocrites who came to Bat Island for amusement, they were all reduced to ashes in the endless gunfire, leaving not a trace behind.

Of course, not all those who landed on the island were bad people.

There are two good people.

We don't make money from "genuine goods at fair prices".

"Honest and fair dealings, no money required."

The two were well-known bounty hunters in the underworld, making a living by capturing notorious bandits and exchanging bounties for rewards. They came to the island to buy information on a few notorious bandits and deliver it to the Six Doors in exchange for the bounty, but unfortunately, they did not have enough money.

The information about notorious thieves being sold on Bat Island either far exceeded the bounty amount or was beyond the two men's means, leaving them only able to stare anxiously.

It wasn't until Li Zhaoting and the others took action that they realized Yuan Suiyun was planning to make multiple profits from one opportunity. Yuan Suiyun didn't know who the murderer was; he was just stirring up trouble.

Apart from the Qian brothers, there wasn't a single good person among them.

Qian Laosan, who was known as "sprinkling money everywhere," was the same man with the big pockmarked face who was the murderer in the Lincheng massacre. He was beheaded by Jiang Yuyan with a single blow, his head smashed into a rotten watermelon.

Wei Xinglong, nicknamed "Purple-Faced Demon," is a notorious bandit who has committed numerous evils. After being taught a lesson by Gu Daoren of Bashan, he wants to buy back the manual of the Wind Dance Willow Sword to slap Bashan in the face.

Wang Tianshou, known as "Nine-Appearing Cloud Dragon," has a grudge against a powerful figure in the martial arts world. Unable to take revenge personally, he plans to use Tang Clan poison to harm others and make Tang Clan take the blame.

The most disgusting character was Zhao Gang, who was known as "Single Palm Splitter". He was originally a lackey of Suiyun, who aided and abetted evil and committed many evil deeds. He was blinded by Jin Shiyi with a poisoned needle and had his head chopped off. Even after his head fell to the ground, he was still surrounded by fear.

Several others did so to join the Azure Dragon Society.

In the original storyline, their affair was exposed, and fearing that the news would be leaked and their entire families would be wiped out by the Azure Dragon Society, they began to fight each other, ultimately resulting in mutual destruction.

It's simply outrageous to let these wicked people go unpunished.

Li Zhaoting was unable to provide for these prostitutes who had suffered severe physical and mental damage. Their bodies were worn out and their internal organs were nearly failing, leaving them with an extreme sense of insecurity.

Let alone the pointing fingers and gossip after they return to shore, they probably wouldn't even be able to withstand the rough seas.

Li Zhaoting had no choice but to send the person to Tongchi Island.

Wei Xiaobao had considerable experience in arranging affairs for prostitutes.

Wei Xiaobao was originally from a brothel. His mother, Wei Chunhua, worked as a prostitute for decades. After Wei Xiaobao brought her to Tongchi Island, she spent the rest of her life practicing Buddhism and built a Buddhist temple on the island to house elderly courtesans.

Having done all this, the sea voyage was completely successful.

Sweeping away pirates, finding treasure, befriending masters, and destroying Bat Island—Li Zhaoting lived an exceptionally fulfilling life in less than two months, feeling as if half a year had passed.

Upon learning that Li Zhaoting would be going to Mangshan soon, Jin Shiyi decided to go to the Central Plains to take a look. Lü Siniang had saved the life of the Poison Dragon Venerable, and the Poison Dragon Venerable adopted Jin Shiyi for this reason. Therefore, Jin Shiyi had great respect for Lü Siniang and a good impression of Mangshan.

Venerable Poison Dragon was originally a master of evil, but he was later converted by Lü Siniang and abandoned evil for good. He discovered that the venom of a certain venomous snake, which was a specialty of Snake Island, could cure leprosy. So he went around treating and saving people. He accidentally discovered Jin Shiyi, who was suspected of having leprosy, and took him back to Snake Island to raise him.

A family that accumulates good deeds will surely have abundant blessings.

Every sip and every bite is predestined by fate.

Back then, Lü Siniang's act of kindness guided the Poison Dragon Venerable to abandon evil and embrace good, which enabled the Mangshan Sect to have an unparalleled backer like Jin Shiyi, allowing it to pass on peacefully for a hundred years.

In Liang's martial arts novels, the martial arts fortune is measured in 1 dan (a unit of dry measure). The Tianshan Sect alone occupies eight dan, while the Mangshan Sect occupies half a dan, all thanks to Lü Siniang. She has superb swordsmanship, good character, and accumulates good deeds throughout the martial arts world, making countless friends and forming good relationships.

Otherwise, by the time it came to Cao Jin'er's generation, Mangshan's entire family would have been wiped out, and even their ancestral cemetery would have been lost.

This is not to belittle Cao Jin'er, but rather a real plot point. During Cao Jin'er's generation, Mangshan faced multiple crises of annihilation. Several of these crises were caused by Cao Jin'er, an idiot. They either relied on Gu Zhihua, a disciple whom Lü Siniang took in later in life, to overcome the difficulties, or on Jin Shiyi to draw his sword and help them. Otherwise, they would have been wiped out long ago!

The most frustrating part of the plot is that Meng Shentong hollowed out a mountain near the ancestral cemetery of the Mangshan Sect, while Ximen Muye planted poisonous flowers all around the Mangshan Sect. The two started a major project at the same time, and the Mangshan Sect was completely unaware of it.

What's the point of keeping such a sect around?

As I always say, people should do more good deeds.

The One-Armed Nun took Wei Xiaobao as her disciple, and the Mangshan Sect never lacked money, martial arts training resources, or divine weapons for decades. They never worried about material conditions.

Lu Siniang enlightened the Poison Dragon Venerable, saying that as long as Jin Shiyi did not pass away, no one would dare to make things difficult for the Mangshan Sect.

If we include Gu Zhihua's marriage to Jin Shiyi and the birth of their son Jin Zhuliu, who also became the number one in the world, the Mangshan Sect would have had a master backer for at least 150 years.

A sect that has developed peacefully and calmly for 150 years deserves to be wiped out if it cannot form a stable and inherited Mangshan system.

To be entrusted by others is to be loyal to others.

After returning to the Central Plains, Li Zhaoting went to Tianji Pavilion and bought a document about the Mangshan Sect. He gained a good understanding of the Mangshan Sect and decided to participate in the Mangshan Conference.

The Mangshan Grand Assembly is an ancestral worship ceremony.

It is held every three years.

On the one hand, it is to pay homage to ancestors and make friends with like-minded people.

On the one hand, the leader of Mangshan was asked to give an annual summary, recounting the gains and losses of the past three years. If the leader did not perform well enough, the martial arts community would surely have a public opinion.

During Lü Siniang's time, the Mangshan Conference was able to invite important figures such as the head of the Shaolin Bodhidharma Academy, the elder of the Wudang Yuxu Palace, and the leaders of the Buddhist and Taoist sects of Emei to attend the ceremony.

Lu Siniang has been dead for many years. Cao Jin'er is not good at managing the sect and has offended many martial arts practitioners. Even the Tianshan Sect, which is her best friend, only sent five juniors.

Li Zhaoting was asked to attend the ceremony.

His beautiful wife and concubines had absolutely no interest in this.

Blue Phoenix has just gone on a long sea voyage.

Jiang Yuyan was punished according to family rules for her incompetence.

Feng Suzhen snorted coldly, indicating that she did not want to go.

Wang Shenglan is training her newly recruited bodyguards.

Even Mei Zhu was too lazy to go out.

Li Shengnan quickly returned to the Western Regions Demonic Sect.

Given Li Zhaoting's status in the martial arts world, he shouldn't be traveling alone with just a horse and a dog. Considering his disciple's advanced age, he should go out and broaden his horizons.

Li Zhaoting brought six apprentices to attend the ceremony.

……

"Master, is Mangshan just ahead?"

Qu Feiyan held a bag of roasted chestnuts in her hand, chattering away, attracting countless stares.

When Qu Feiyan was adopted, she was a little girl of thirteen or fourteen. Four years later, Qu Feiyan has become a charming young woman. Among the Five Rats, she is one of the more precocious ones and often secretly watches her senior sister.

Qu Feiyan originally studied under Feng Suzhen, but she was too lively and active. Although Qu Yang inherited 80-90% of her artistic talent, he found it difficult to concentrate on learning musical instruments.

Therefore, Lan Fenghuang and Wang Shenglan were the main instructors for Qu Feiyan. Qu Feiyan's internal energy cultivation method was the Xiaoyao Sect's method, and she practiced the Xiaowuxiang Gong. It is not appropriate to go into details about her lineage, so she simply called Li Zhaoting her master.

In the martial arts world, the issue of apprenticeship is taken very seriously.

However, if the master is strong enough, he can use the excuse of husband and wife being one to avoid mentioning anything, whether it's good or bad.

Who dares to question the Li family's affairs?

Aren't you afraid that Li Zhaoting will visit your home for the New Year?
On their first outing after becoming apprentices, the Five Rats were dressed in luxurious robes, each with a goose-feather saber at their waist—a gift from Jian Xiong; the five sabers made up a complete set.

One man and one horse, both tall and magnificent.

The breed may not be the best, but every horse is tall and handsome, perfectly matching the aesthetic preferences of young people.

"Master, I've heard that Mangshan is the most auspicious place in terms of feng shui, and that kings, generals, and nobles all want to be buried there after they die. Is that true?"

The white-haired mouse subconsciously rubbed its hands together.

Li Zhaoting raised his hand and flicked him on the forehead.

"The feng shui of burial sites is not so mysterious. If you are buried in a feng shui treasure land, you will become an emperor or general. Why bother studying or practicing martial arts? Go study feng shui instead!"
Instead of trying to change your fate through burial, you should study hard and practice martial arts. Master the skills I teach you, and among your peers, there will be no more than one palm strike that can defeat you.

what did you say?
Want to be the best in the world?

Good disciples, there are five of you.

A powerful enemy that one person cannot defeat alone should be faced by five people together. Brothers should always help each other!
What's the point of going it alone?
When I go out to train, I need friends to fight back-to-back, and I need your master's wife to join forces. Going out alone, I am likely to be plotted against by villains!

Go back and copy the rules of the sect one hundred times!

Li Zhaoting rubbed Bai Yutang's little head.

This kid is even more lively than Qu Feiyan, with a reckless and impulsive personality. He likes to fight alone and is afraid of nothing except copying books. He must be strictly disciplined from time to time. Bai Yutang said dejectedly, "Master, I just want to find you a good burial site in Beiman after you pass away. I really didn't have any wild thoughts!"

Upon hearing this, Qu Feiyan chuckled, the four rats laughed heartily, and Li Zhaoting reached out and grabbed Bai Yutang by the collar, casually tossing him into the air.

Lu Fang laughed loudly: "Fifth brother, our master will definitely be the number one in the world in the future. He can shatter the void and what he leaves behind is not a corpse, but an immortal body. Or what use is it to leave behind two pieces of clothing and bury him in Beiman?"

Han Zhang followed up, saying, "Brother, a tomb with only clothes is called a cenotaph. Why don't we find a propitious place, establish a sect, and make our master the founding ancestor of the Five Rats Sect, so that we can enjoy the incense offerings for generations to come?"

Jiang Ping waved his hand: "No, no! The name Five Rats Sect doesn't sound good. I think Master should create a sect like Shu Mountain Sect, Immortal Sword Sect, or Qionghua Sect. Master has told stories, which means he has had this idea for a long time."

Xu Qing nodded: "That's right! Master often tells us stories of 'The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shu Mountain.' It is Master's wish to establish a sect. In a few years, we will establish a sect in Shu and let Master become the Long-Browed Immortal!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Four figures were flung into the air by Li Zhaoting.

Li Zhaoting looked down at Qu Feiyan.

Qu Feiyan chuckled: "Master! I'm a seventeen-year-old young lady, not one of those silly rascals. I need to maintain my ladylike demeanor!"

"Those who share the same path should face difficulties together!"

"I'll put the snacks away first."

Where did you get your roasted chestnuts?

"Master...this..."

"You little traitor!"

"She said she was also my teacher's wife..."

Qu Feiyan screamed and flew into the air.

The six men nimbly rolled twice in mid-air and landed perfectly on the saddle. Li Zhaoting taught his disciples martial arts, the most important of which was lightness skill.

—If you can't beat them, run! Go home and call your parents!

This is the most important rule for Li Zhaoting's disciples!
The closer you get to the Mangshan Sect, the more martial arts practitioners you'll find.

Qu Feiyan took out a stack of documents and looked through them.

This was purchased temporarily from Tianji Pavilion, and it has the names and backgrounds of the inner disciples of Mangshan drawn on it.

Along the way, Li Zhaoting saw Lu Minzhan's son Lu Yinghao, Bai Taiguan's son Bai Yingjie, Zhou Xun's disciple Cheng Hao, and Li Yuan's son Li Ying.

The disciples of the One-Armed Nun, including Aqi, Ake, and Wei Xiaobao, belong to the outer sect and are not included in the ranking.

There are eight inner disciples in total, namely:

Liao Yin, Zhou Xun, Lu Minzhan, Cao Renfu, Bai Taiguan, Li Yuan, Gan Fengchi, and Lü Siniang.

Among them, the eldest disciple, Liao Yin, was expelled from the sect and died by Lü Siniang's sword after defecting to the Manchus. The other seven were known as the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan. Lu Yinghao, Bai Yingjie, and others were descendants of the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan. They established their own sects outside the sect and rarely returned unless something major happened.

In fact, even Cao Jin'er, the head of Mangshan Sect, was not usually in the sect; she had married into the Zhao family of Zhuojun.

Cao Jin'er's husband was not a martial arts practitioner, but was related to the royal family. He received the support of the court because of his surname and was considered a prominent and wealthy family in the area. They had been married for decades and lived a comfortable life, and already had two grandchildren.

As I said before, the age range of the disciples under the One-Armed Nun is extremely wide. In terms of age, Cao Jin'er is not much younger than Lü Siniang, but nearly forty years older than her junior sister Gu Zhihua. She is old enough to be her grandmother!

Seeing so many martial arts practitioners, Qu Feiyan and the Five Rats were eager to try their skills. However, Li Zhaoting was very strict and did not allow them to cause trouble. They could only watch the martial arts practitioners, hoping to see a few notorious bandits and rush up to fight them to test their martial arts skills.

A skinny camel is bigger than a horse!

What bandits are there around the Mangshan Sect?
Even if they exist, they wouldn't be near the sect.

Mangshan is so big, you can easily find a dangerous spot and become a king of the mountain, why bother provoking the Mangshan Sect?

"Master, this is truly strange! You said that Senior Lü's martial arts were superb, and he was the number one among his peers. How come after Senior Lü passed away, we haven't even seen a Grandmaster?"

Qu Feiyan shook her head and looked disdainfully at the martial arts practitioners coming and going, using the technique of observing qi taught by Li Zhaoting to examine the internal strength foundation of these people.

Not to mention compared to masters like Li Zhaoting, Feng Suzhen, and Wang Shenglan, these famous heroes' internal strength foundations are even inferior to Mei Zhu's, and they don't even make it onto the Earthly Fiends List!
Bai Yutang chimed in, "Master! You said that Mangshan internal energy is the orthodox school of Xuanmen, progressing step by step. Even a pig could become a first-class master after practicing for fifty years. I have been watching for a long time, but I haven't seen any masters."

Lu Fang reprimanded, "Watch your words! True masters are elusive, appearing only briefly. Which of the leaders of prestigious sects isn't a top expert? They don't need your evaluation!"

Jiang Ping frowned: "Brother, it's not that I'm arrogant, but among all these experts here, not one can beat Senior Sister. They're just too weak."

Xu Qing nodded in agreement: "Everyone says that the Huashan Sect is declining. The Huashan Sect has two Grandmasters and several other Grandmasters. Mangshan is not even as good as Songshan!"

The crowd was speaking quite loudly when a carriage happened to pass by. Inside the carriage sat Cao Jin'er and her two grandsons. Cao Jin'er lifted the curtain and saw that they were a few newcomers to the martial arts world. She turned around disdainfully, and her two grandsons, arrogant and domineering, immediately started cursing.

"Damn it, what did you say?"

"How dare you look down on the Mangshan Sect!"

"Let me show you the power of the Mangshan skills!"

The two soared into the air, flicking their hands to launch several darts. Bai Yutang raised his palm to form a blade, met the darts with a light slash, and the blade flashed, sending the darts to the ground.

Qu Feiyan scoffed, "I've long heard of the exquisite swordsmanship of the Mysterious Maiden of Mangshan. Today, I haven't seen the swordsmanship, but I've only seen hidden arrows used to injure people. Could it be that the Mysterious Maiden's swordsmanship is a hidden weapon?"

Cao Jin'er was furious upon hearing this.

When scolding someone, don't reveal their weaknesses; when hitting someone, don't hit them in the face.

Qu Feiyan's words were unintentional, but they were a huge slap in the face. It turned out that Cao Jin'er's talent for martial arts was indeed somewhat lacking, while the Mangshan Sect's Xuan Nu Sword Technique was renowned throughout the world for its agility and required a very high level of spirituality from the martial artist.

In other words, Cao Jin'er cannot master it!

The Xuan Nu Sword Technique is not the Vajra Palm; it's not a laborious skill that yields results through arduous practice. Without the spirit of unrestrained imagination and adaptability, even a hundred years of hard work won't be as effective as Lü Siniang's casual slashes. It's better not to practice at all.

From the perspective of martial arts inheritance, Cao Jin'er's lack of knowledge of the Xuan Nu Sword Technique is a case of teaching according to aptitude, but the fact that the head of Mangshan Sect does not know the Xuan Nu Sword Technique is equivalent to the leader of the Beggar Clan not knowing the Dog-Beating Stick Technique and the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. How can he convince the masses?

What's the point of becoming a sect leader?

If word gets out, wouldn't we be laughed at to death by outsiders?

"Little brat, which sect do you belong to? Why are you provoking the Mangshan Sect? Do I have any grudge against you?"

Cao Jin'er, holding a dragon-headed cane, slowly stepped out of the carriage, exuding an air of elegance and nobility.

Qu Feiyan sneered: "Senior, our fellow disciples' chat has nothing to do with you. It was your grandson who insulted us and hit us with hidden weapons. How did it become our fault? How can the Mangshan Sect be so arrogant!"

Xu Qing followed up with another stab: "I've heard that when Senior Lü was the sect leader, he was always kind and generous to everyone, and all his friends in the martial arts world praised him. When has he ever taken the initiative to harm someone in the shadows?"

Cao Jin'er was extremely protective of her own, so she shielded her two grandsons behind her and laughed, "My children are ignorant. When they heard you insulting Mangshan, they naturally wanted to defend the sect. They did the right thing. Today is the Mangshan Assembly, and I don't want to bully the weak. If you take the initiative to kowtow and admit your mistakes, I will send you down the mountain. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to take action!"

Qu Feiyan drew her sword: "Young and ignorant? They seem to be older than me, don't they? If they are young and ignorant, we are even more young and ignorant. If you want us to admit our mistakes, you'll have to make them kowtow and admit their mistakes first!"

Cao Jin'er slammed her dragon-headed cane down hard: "You're incredibly audacious! Do you think the Mangshan Sect is easy to bully?"

Bai Yutang said sternly, "Enough with the idle talk. As long as you can defeat us with our weapons, we'll do whatever we want with you. If you fail, it will prove us right!"

Cao Jin'er said, "You all come at me together!"

Qu Feiyan sneered disdainfully: "Cao Jin'er, if I cannot defeat you within ten moves, it is because my skills are not good enough, and it has nothing to do with my sect. You must remember this."

The argument attracted many martial arts practitioners to watch.

Upon hearing that the leader of Mangshan was going to fight a girl of seventeen or eighteen, and that the girl said she would defeat him within ten moves, everyone craned their necks to watch the fight.

The descendants of the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan gathered around.

The Five Rats drew their swords to protect Qu Feiyan: "You want to gang up on us? I'll play with you!"

Li Zhaoting watched from a distance, completely concealing his aura to avoid being recognized. He had come to Mangshan to cause trouble, so he naturally wanted to take advantage of the large crowd to make a preemptive move and have an excuse to continue causing trouble.

When Li Zhaoting first assessed Cao Jin'er, he thought she was similar to Ning Zhongze. Now it seems that the two are worlds apart in character and temperament, although their internal strength is similar. However, if they were to fight, Ning Zhongze would have a 90% chance of winning.

First, there's the age difference: Ning Zhongze is forty, while Cao Jin'er is nearly sixty. Second, there's the difference in their personalities: Ning Zhongze, when pushed to the limit, is willing to fight to the death with "Ning Family Sword."

Between two people of similar skill and martial arts ability, the one who dares to fight to the death with the enemy is definitely stronger.

Lü Siniang's only flaw was passing the leadership of the sect to Cao Jin'er, and Wei Xiaobao's only mistake was respecting Lü Siniang too much and not stopping her from doing so.

"One last question, who is your master?"

"If my master is a renowned martial arts master, would this matter simply be dropped? In other words, if my master is an unknown person, would you still want to take action?"

"Whoever it is, we must get to the bottom of this!"

"Since that's the case, there's no need for further words!"

(End of this chapter)