Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 450 Ten Strategies to Conquer "Li" - Quickly Go and Ask the Merciful King of Hell...

The ancient city of Hanyang was turned away by the Tang family.

In response, Li Zhaoting said, "Serves him right."

The Tang family's actions were perfectly reasonable.

The Tang and Gu families arranged a marriage between their children, stipulating that when Tang Ruoxuan turned twenty, Gu Hanyang would formally propose marriage. The Tang family held a banquet and invited relatives and friends.

All the preliminary preparations were done by the Tang family. Gu Hanyang only needed to do one thing: arrive at the Tang family on his birthday. Was that difficult?

If Gu Hanyang were to encounter a powerful enemy and suffer multiple fractures, requiring a period of recuperation, he could simply send someone to deliver a message to maintain the dignity of both families.

Why did we arrive at the ancient Hanyang too late?

He got carried away by sightseeing and even got involved with a woman named Huang Xiang. Chief镖头 Tang absolutely refused to accept such absurd and ridiculous nonsense.

Do you know what you're here for?
Do you even care about my daughter?

Even if there are unforeseen circumstances, just send someone to deliver a message to me, and I'll postpone the engagement date for a few days.

Even if you didn't like the arranged marriage and didn't like Tang Ruoxuan, you should have told me beforehand!

The invitations were sent out, the guests arrived, but the groom was late. Even the Blood Moon Cult was more punctual than you!

Chief镖头 Tang refused to see any outsiders and had the tokens exchanged between the two families twenty years ago when they arranged their marriage returned to Gu Hanyang, thus severing all ties between the Tang and Gu families.

Gu Hanyang didn't stubbornly stay, nor did he offer any further explanation. He left the Tang family with his junior brother.

On the one hand, Gu Hanyang was indeed wrong.

On the other hand, Gu Hanyang was not fond of arranged marriages. He advocated free love, and in his interactions with Huang Xiang, the two became a bickering couple.

Finally, Gu Hanyang was a novice with no experience in the martial arts world and little understanding of the intricacies of relationships among gangs. He was also naively innocent and somewhat foolish.

He's cute because he's very handsome.

It's stupid because it's truly stupid.

After bidding farewell to the Tang family, Gu Hanyang headed dejectedly to the snack street. Having finally left his sect, he wanted to travel around with his junior brother before returning to the sect.

"Brother, you don't seem very happy."

Li Zhaoting sat down at the shared table with the others, quite familiar with the situation.

Gu Hanyang looked up and almost vomited.

“Li…Li…you are Li…”

"you know me?"

"I am Gu Hanyang, a disciple of Qingcheng."

"Oh~ Tang Ruoxuan's fiancé?"

"Not anymore."

Can I say you deserved it?

"of course can."

How many years have you been cultivating Taoism in the Qingcheng Sect?

"Fifteen years!"

"After fifteen years of cultivation, you're still so unconventional. You haven't learned a single thing about the Qingcheng Sect's Qi cultivation method."

"Few people in the Qingcheng Sect can learn it. Even the most skilled martial artist, Master Nu, cannot learn how to cultivate his inner energy."

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

"What's the use of being afraid? If you want to kill me, no one can stop you! If you don't want to kill me, why should I cower? At worst, I'll just get beaten up."

"Your temperament is really..."

"What is it really?"

"It's really suitable for cultivating Taoism."

Li Zhaoting realized that Gu Hanyang's mind was similar to Li Pangui's; he wasn't a successful cultivator, but simply carefree and didn't care about anything.

"I want to exchange something with you."

"what?"

"About three years ago, a wine merchant who was skilled in drunken boxing gave you a token called the Heavenly Sword Five Dukes. I am currently collecting this item."

"This was a gift from a senior, Master Li. No matter what conditions you offer, I cannot agree."

"What if that senior agrees?"

"He...you..."

“I gave him three jars of century-old wine, a set of Drunken Immortal Moon Gazing Steps, and promised him sufficient compensation. He agreed to the exchange. The Heavenly Sword and Five Dukes are of great importance and have attracted much covetousness. Keeping them in our hands is not a good thing.”

"I see, hehe! Since Senior Zhang agrees to the exchange, I'll just give it to Master Li."

Gu Hanyang took out a small brocade pouch.

A small bronze ring was hidden inside the brocade pouch.

These are the handles on both sides of the bronze jue (a type of ancient Chinese wine vessel).

The so-called "Heavenly Sword and Five Jue" is actually just the cup body, handle, and three bases of a bronze jue.

The Wu family controls the body of the cup.

The Zhang family holds the reins.

The other three companies all had thin, pointed bases, which were three small cones that were easy to hide.

The Tang family member was hidden inside the necklace.

The Huang family hid it inside the hairpin.

The descendants of the Xiao family are highly skilled in martial arts, so there is no need for them to hide it.

Li Zhaoting collected the fragments and laughed, "I never take things from others for nothing. Little brother, I'll teach you a set of skills for eating, drinking, and having fun, so you can travel the world."

"Time for eating, drinking, and having fun?"

"Come with me."

Li Zhaoting grabbed Gu Hanyang by the shoulder, and in a few flashes, they were outside the city. He casually broke off two tree branches, rubbed them lightly, and turned them into two slender wooden swords.

"Watch carefully, I'll only demonstrate it once!"

Li Zhaoting demonstrated an extremely agile and elegant sword technique. Gu Hanyang was naturally lively and active, so it was absolutely impossible for him to sit still and practice his internal energy.

Even if you press Gu Hanyang's acupoints and forcibly position him in a five-heart-facing-the-sky posture, it still won't work. His body can't move, but his mind is still wandering freely.

Cultivating inner energy requires a calm mind.

If your mind is not calm, even if you adopt a posture of facing the sky with your five hearts to pretend to practice qi, it is nothing but "fake effort".

Like some students, they get up early to read in the morning, read in bed at night with a flashlight, carry a booklet for memorizing vocabulary with them, read while eating and going to the toilet, their notebooks are full of notes, their textbooks are full of annotations, and when they take the final exam, they scratch their heads and get the worst grades.

This kind of effort is for show, it's a pretense of hard work to impress oneself, and it's actually useless.

Gu Hanyang's personality is quite similar to Xiaoyuer's; he will never change unless he experiences the pain of separation and death that penetrates to the bone.

But why change?

Why should others have to endure suffering?

Li Zhaoting isn't that bored.

Cash on delivery, goods in return, done!

When Li Zhaoting created this sword technique, he incorporated the above thoughts into his sword intent, and Gu Hanyang felt a sense of kinship with him, subconsciously following along.

Unbeknownst to him, Gu Hanyang entered a state of sudden enlightenment.

When she regained consciousness, Li Zhaoting had already quietly left, with a wooden sword stuck beside her. The sword was inscribed with the Qi cultivation formula, which taught that one should cultivate Qi naturally while practicing swordsmanship, starting from the outside and working inwards. The more lively one's personality, the more agile one's swordsmanship would be.

The names of the sword techniques were written on the big tree next to them.

—This sword technique is something I learned from monkeys and apes, and it's called: Spirit Ape Sword Technique!
Gu Hanyang touched his handsome face.

Do I look like a monkey?

"As expected of the most eccentric master in the martial arts world, the thoughts of the leader of the Heavenly Gang are beyond the comprehension of normal people!"

"This sword technique is really good! It's full of the atmosphere of everyday life and the swordplay is full of vitality. Why not name it the Street Sword Technique and let me become a street hero?"

Before Gu Hanyang could finish speaking, Li Zhaoting's voice came from afar: "If you want to be a chivalrous hero in the streets, go and see the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun! On both sides of the boundary river (Haihe River), there is a special prefecture where chivalrous heroes in the streets are everywhere!"

"Master Li, I was just joking!"

"Brother Gu, I was just kidding!"

Are there really many extraordinary people in the Haihe River area?

"More than you can imagine."

There are too many extraordinary people in this place.

There are so many jobs that without some tough ones, it's impossible to survive.

Brush Li, the best painter, always wears all black when painting walls. He has an agreement with the homeowner that if there is even one white spot on his clothes, he will paint the wall for free.

Zhang the Clay Figure Maker is so famous that he needs no further introduction.

Zhang Dali was born with superhuman strength. There was a stone lock in the area that no one could lift. Someone offered a high reward, and Zhang Dali lifted the stone lock. He found that the lock head was engraved with "Only Zhang Dali is not counted". From then on, his superhuman strength became famous throughout the world.

There are also extraordinary people like the miracle doctor Su Qikuai, the wine lady, and the blue-eyed man, each with their own unique skills. The Tianqiao Theater is especially renowned for its performances. Local audiences enjoy drinking, and those who can withstand the scrutiny of the local audience are all famous performers.

Unfortunately, the prefecture is divided into several parts, and the name has not yet been decided, which makes Li Zhaoting extremely helpless. Perhaps he can persuade Zhao Zhen to make a trip by water and land at this dock, then the name can be determined.

Li Zhaoting weighed his purse.

Inside the purse were three Heavenly Swords and Five Dukes.

Reputation is a very useful tool. Li Zhaoting's basic reputation was that of a chivalrous hero, not a benevolent and righteous one, but a ruthless one.

A chivalrous knight-errant can gain the trust of many people.

Be ruthless, lest some people take advantage of your kindness.

With the help of his reputation, Li Zhaoting easily collected three Heavenly Swords of the Fifth Rank. Everyone except the Blood Moon Cult was very satisfied. Where are the last two pieces?
The last two pieces are in the Blood Moon Cult.

One piece was in the hands of King Abhira.

One of them was in the hands of Huang Xiang, the divine physician of the Blood Moon Cult.

Huang Xiang is a descendant of the Huang family.

However, she knew nothing about it.

Huang Xiang was an abandoned baby, abandoned at a young age, and had no keepsakes except for the gold hairpin in her swaddling clothes.

The Heavenly Sword and Five Dukes were hidden inside the Golden Hairpin.

Li Zhaoting secretly followed Gu Hanyang, found Huang Xiang in the general store, and stole her gold hairpin. He quickly found Tianjian Wujue and returned the hairpin.

There are some things it's best not to know.

It's only natural for abandoned children to want to find their parents, but what if the mother is a "Ye Erniang" (a character from a popular TV series)? Abandoned children have never enjoyed any benefits from their biological parents, so they shouldn't bear any guilt. Some things can simply be ignored.

Xiao Ting never dreamed that Li Zhaoting could collect four Heavenly Swords and Five Nobles in just two or three days. Li Zhaoting also never expected that he, who originally wanted to become Piccolo and wait for King Abira to come to him, would accidentally become Master Roshi. He was indeed more suited to being a good person.

Piccolo Daimaō is destined to be defeated.

……

Ke Baisui died.

When King Abhiro arrived at the silk shop, he was greeted by the same young shop assistant who had previously served as Ke Baisui's assistant and had succeeded him.

King Abiro didn't care how Ke Baisui died; he only wanted to know how much power he could gather in three days. In order to obtain the Heavenly Sword, King Abiro was willing to fight to the death.

If Li Zhaoting were to challenge him, King Abiro would run as far away as possible, as he wouldn't stand a chance of winning. It would be better for the Blood Moon Cult to disband than to be torn to pieces.

After reviewing Wang Shenglan's detailed information, King Abiro believed he had a 60% chance of winning.

The only difficulty is holding off Li Zhaoting.

After obtaining the Heavenly Sword and the Fifth Duke, he immediately ran away, not giving Li Zhaoting a chance to make a move. King Abiro was willing to abandon the entire Blood Moon Cult, just for a day.

King Abiro prepared his steed and fled along the Blood Moon Cult's branch. He changed horses but not riders, hoping to delay them for just one day and reach a thousand miles away.

By then, who will be able to find his trail?

Once the mask is removed, he instantly transforms into a righteous swordsman.

The question is, who will be responsible for stalling Li Zhaoting?
The price of holding Li Zhaoting back was his life.

Even a father wouldn't risk the life of a grandmaster like him, right?
King Abira had no choice but to ask the Azure Dragon Society for help. He was the leader of the Azure Dragon Society and the head of the Execution Hall, responsible for purging rebels, and his power was extremely high.

"Give me information on any experts within a 300-mile radius who can arrive in a day and a half!"

The duel is scheduled for three days, and with one round trip, there's only one and a half days left, so not a single minute can be wasted.

The young man pulled out a stack of documents.

"The dragon head, the small one... the small one..."

"Just say what you want to say, stop beating around the bush!"

"I have a suggestion. No one is willing to risk their life to deal with Li Zhaoting. Even if they are deceived by lies, the moment they see Li Zhaoting, the lies will be exposed. Given these people's personalities, they will either sell out the leader directly or turn against him. Inviting them will only cause trouble."

"What do you suggest?"

"Madman! Frenzied man! Old martial artist!"
The madman doesn't know who Li Zhaoting is. As long as you can fool him, he will be your sharp sword.

The madman was incredibly arrogant and fearless, thinking that Li Zhaoting was a junior whose reputation was just hype.

The old martial artist was old and frail, and his life was nearing its end. He wanted to unleash his final martial arts brilliance before he died. Dying by Li Zhaoting's sword was better than dying in bed. As long as it wasn't a notorious old devil, Li Zhaoting was more than willing to grant their wish and give them a taste of their own medicine.

At the Guandong Martial Arts Tournament, the Abbot of Kuzhu Temple had only nine moves left to fight. Li Zhaoting withstood all nine moves of swordsmanship, comprehended the Yue Goddess Sword Technique, and let the Abbot of Kuzhu Temple die with a smile.

If the goal is simply to buy time, these elderly and frail martial artists are more valuable. Li Zhaoting can learn their swordsmanship, refine it further, and allow them to witness the ultimate realm of their swordsmanship before they die.

A gentleman can be deceived.

Li Zhaoting may appear to be a villain, but he is actually a gentleman.

This is the only chance to defeat Li Zhaoting.

"This subordinate has offered a hasty suggestion; please provide guidance, sir."

The young shop assistant looked at King Abhiro with smug satisfaction.

He spoke modestly, but his eyes were gleaming with shrewdness.

King Abhira was blind and could not see the young man's expression, but he could hear the arrogance in his tone. Such people, who become arrogant when they gain power, often meet a bad end.

"Are you finished?"

"I'm...I'm done talking!"

"I'm leaving this matter to you. If you can bring the madman, the madman, and the old martial artist here, I'll recommend you to be the new butler and completely replace Ke Baisui."

"Your subordinate is very grateful for the leader's appreciation."

"Get to work! Talking won't do you any good! Show me results before I'll speak up for you."

"Your subordinate will certainly do his best."

The young man went to work with great enthusiasm.

When Ke Baisui was alive, he made many preparations for these matters, analyzing Li Zhaoting day and night and thinking of ten countermeasures. These were seen by the young apprentice, who then presented them to King Abiro to claim credit, and then set off to carry out the work.

There are indeed people nearby who meet the criteria.

Ke Baisui came to Tongguan to recruit the most important person, but he never expected that before he could even take action, he would be driven half to death by Jiang Yuyan.

The young man took out a stack of files.

At the very top is a painting of a kind-looking old man.

The old man has white hair and beard, and is always smiling. He looks like an old man who drinks tea, plays cards, and plays chess. There are such old men in every neighborhood, and children love them.

These elderly people, who always have a kind smile, usually like children and carry candy with them.

The old man's name was listed below the file.

—The Compassionate Yama, Gongsun Wulong!
Compassion describes a person with a kind appearance, who constantly says "good, good," and always has a smile on their face.

Yama, the King of Hell, is a man who is capricious and prone to killing, with his hands stained with countless lives.

No one knew Gongsun Wulong's moods, nor did anyone know what to say to offend him. All that was known was that Gongsun Wulong's greatest hobby was to pin someone down with a single finger in the midst of a lively and pleasant conversation, and then torture them with hundreds of different forms of cruelty until they were reduced to a writhing mass of flesh and blood, completely unrecognizable as human.

Contact with Gongsun Wulong is very dangerous.

Gongsun Wulong's temper is too eccentric. No one knows his likes and dislikes. If you praise him, he thinks you are insulting him. If you insult him, he is still insulting him. As long as he is unhappy, he will immediately launch a sneak attack.

The Sunflower Acupuncture Technique was mastered to its peak and transcended all limitations by Gongsun Wulong. Even the Sunflower Ancestor might not have reached such a level of skill.

Compared to Gongsun Wulong, Bai Yutang's Sunflower Acupuncture Technique was as immature as a child's. To reach that level, one would need at least twenty years of cultivation.

In order to investigate Gongsun Wulong, the Qinglong Society dispatched more than thirty spies. These spies were all highly trained elites, including tea masters, barbers, cooks, and street chess masters. Without exception, they were all exposed by Gongsun Wulong.

Gongsun Wulong was exceptionally perceptive. As soon as he sensed the slightest movement or a prying, probing, or scrutinizing gaze, he would immediately launch a sneak attack.

After committing the murder, he immediately fled hundreds of miles away.

It wasn't until the Azure Dragon Society spent a large sum of money to bribe Gongsun Wulong's apprentice that they obtained the basic information.

Gongsun Wulong's apprentice, Ji Wubing, was well-read but wicked, nicknamed "Heartless and Madman". He was one of the branch leaders of the Azure Dragon Society and the reason why the young man was able to deceive Gongsun Wulong. Thinking of a life of great success, the young man calmed himself down and went to find Gongsun Wulong.

Three days passed quickly.

The date of the decisive battle is fast approaching.

Three days may not seem like a long time, but it's enough for the news to travel four or five hundred miles away. Those who hear the news will rush over on horseback and be able to witness the duel.

King Abhiro generously built the arena.

Such a duel must be held in public. Only with the "momentum" of thousands of spectators can Li Zhaoting watch the battle from the audience. If it were a private duel, and Li Zhaoting killed Abiro King with a single sword strike, who would know?

This is the most counterintuitive truth in the martial arts world: the more insidious and treacherous a person is, the more they crave a fair duel!
Among the hundreds or even thousands of spectators present, at least half were invited by King Abiro. At three quarters past Shen time, King Abiro arrived gracefully: "Sect Leader Wang, I've arrived!"

"Come just come!"

Wang Shenglan, with half a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) in her mouth, ate it in a few bites, wiped her hands, and jumped onto the arena with her Overlord Spear on her shoulder, with Jiang Yuyan and Yuanbao beside her.

Li Zhaoting did not come to watch the match.

King Abhira was overjoyed upon seeing this.

"Sect Leader Wang, as the saying goes, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. If you are so relaxed and casual, you will probably suffer a great loss later. I am not made of clay."

You are destined to lose this battle!

"Why?"

"Because you lack confidence in this battle. A person who lacks confidence will definitely back down when faced with the aura of the Overlord Spear. Unfortunately, you deliberately built a arena to prevent my husband from taking action."

In a ring duel, where can you retreat to?

You dare not meet my Overlord Spear, so you can only watch as I gather my strength. When you have nowhere left to retreat, I will use the Overlord Spear, which has been prepared for a hundred moves, to blast you into pieces.

If the battle takes place in the mountains, you can traverse mountains and valleys to dodge gunfire. But this is a fighting arena, and from the moment you choose to build it, you are destined to lose.

King Abhira, I'm giving you a chance to admit defeat.

"You should jump off the ring!"

With a gun in hand, Wang Shenglan exuded an aura of overwhelming power.

(End of this chapter)