Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 549 Wu Xingyun's Three Great Disciples: Shui Shengling Su's Successor!
Martial arts manuals are not static.

Both are called "Tianshan Plum Blossom Hand," but in Xiaoyaozi's hands, they are all-encompassing grappling techniques, while in Chizunxin's hands, they are skills that can wield all kinds of weapons.

Wu Xingyun lived in seclusion in the Tianshan Mountains for sixty years, during which time he gained new insights into martial arts from the icy landscape, the biting wind, the proud red plum blossoms, and the misty clouds.

The moves became more graceful and elegant, adding a touch of fierce and deadly aura to the ethereal changes.

In the eyes of the disciples of Lingjiu Palace and the demons of the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands, Wu Xingyun is a demon who kills without needing a second move, relying on the Tianshan Plum Blossom Hand.

Wu Xingyun had the secret manual engraved in his secluded meditation room.

Li Zhaoting made an appointment with Cheng Huaixiu and Li Shengnan to meet at Lingjiu Palace on Piaomiao Peak after they had resolved the matter of Jingzhai Northern Sect, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

In other words, Li Zhaoting was waiting for the two women to arrive at Lingjiu Palace. With nothing else to do, he went to visit Wu Xingyun's secluded retreat room and browsed the medical books in Lingjiu Palace.

Wu Xingyun became a disciple of Xiaoyaozi at a young age, began to learn martial arts at the age of four, and formally began to practice the Longevity and Immortality Technique at the age of six. He began to understand the basics at the age of seven or eight.

From then on, his body stopped developing.

Wu Xingyun had exceptional talent in martial arts. At the age of twenty-six, she mastered the Changchun Gong to a minor level, which allowed her to break through the limitations and gradually develop her body into that of a normal young girl.

Just as she was about to complete her cultivation, Li Qiushui shouted that Wu Xingyun had suffered a qi deviation, damaging the Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian of her hand, and would forever remain in the state of a young girl.

Li Qiushui didn't get away with it either. Wu Xingyun seized the opportunity and slashed four scars on her face, forming a grid pattern, making her mouth and eyes crooked.

When Wu Xingyun was young, he wanted to treat his physical injuries. He sought out many renowned doctors and collected many medical books, but unfortunately, his body had already reached its fixed state, and even Medicine King Valley could not help him.

When he reached his fifties or sixties, Wu Xingyun was completely disheartened. However, he preserved his hobby of collecting rare and precious materials and medical books.

The demons and monsters of the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands, in their quest for the antidote to the Life-and-Death Talisman, spared no effort in collecting rare medical texts to curry favor with Wu Xingyun, filling more than a dozen bookshelves with them.

Deep in the snowy valleys, there are no temptations of bright lights and extravagant lifestyles, and plenty of leisure time.

When Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju were bored, they created a detailed catalog of the books in Lingjiu Palace by numbering them according to their era, subject, and region, which had a library-like style.

It must be said that the "quadruplets" do have an indescribable appeal, especially for someone like Li Zhaoting, who was spoiled by Mei Zhu and used to being waited on.

Li Zhaoting is reading a book.

Plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums served by her side.

Lingjiu Palace is full of women. Most of the demons and monsters from the thirty-six caves and seventy-two islands who come to pay tribute are strangely shaped. Have they ever seen a handsome young man?
The four women were lively and lazy, and always secretly glanced at Li Zhaoting. They had heard that the new master's greatest hobby was beautiful women, so why didn't he let them serve him in bed?
Wu Xingyun privately instructed them that if Li Zhaoting asked them to serve him in bed, they should not refuse, and that they should follow Li Zhaoting to the Central Plains and serve him personally.

reject?

What is there to refuse?
They were eager for Li Zhaoting to have them serve him in bed, so they could experience the pleasures of love that they had never known before.

"My lord, what's so interesting about that book? It's all just scribbles and symbols. Don't you find it boring?"

Mei Jian mustered up her courage to complain.

If it were the Heavenly Child Granny reading a book, they wouldn't dare make a sound even if they had ten times the courage.

Li Zhaoting was infamous, but Mei Lanzhu Ju had never left the snow-capped mountains and knew nothing of this.

They only saw Li Zhaoting's handsome face and gentle temperament, and subconsciously felt a sense of closeness, revealing the girlish innocence of young girls.

Li Zhaoting laughed and said, "Reading is indeed boring. It's much more interesting to teach those disobedient maids a lesson. You dared to lie to me. You deserve to be taught a good lesson."

Li Zhaoting's words were meant as a joke. If Mei Zhu and Jiang Yuyan had heard them, they would have come over. But Mei Lanzhu Ju had no idea about such things and were so frightened that they knelt down.

"Your Majesty, spare us! We dare not lie!"

"Uh... don't be afraid! Um... I don't like killing at all, and I especially don't like torturing others. I'm just curious, who organizes the bookshelves?"

"Of course it's this servant girl..."

"Still lying! You four clever devils, you want to sleep as soon as you see a book? Organizing the bookshelf? Whose medical classic is on the top shelf of the left-hand bookshelf?"

“This…we…Your Majesty, this servant does not want to lie, but this matter is somewhat…this servant does not know how to explain it…Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

Bamboo sword stammered incoherently.

Li Zhaoting laughed and said, "I understand! It was my junior sister who organized the bookshelves, am I right? If there are no unforeseen circumstances, Lingjiu Palace will pass it on to my junior sister!"

The plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums were now even more frightened.

On the one hand, he feared that his thoughts had been seen through, and that with each new emperor came a new court, and that he would be ruthlessly eliminated by Li Zhaoting.

On the one hand, when Wu Xingyun wanted to kill someone, he would often appear kind and gentle. The more he smiled, the more ruthless he would be when he struck. Mei Lan Zhu Ju had seen this countless times.

Li Zhaoting had no mischievous intention to frighten the maids. Instead, he released warm, pure yang energy, like a gentle spring breeze, which lightly caressed the four women, alleviating their fear.

Li Zhaoting reached out and pulled Mei Jian up: "I don't like seeing people kneeling to speak, get up, both of you! Mei Jian, who is my junior sister? She loves reading?"

As the leader of the four sisters, Mei Jian, seeing Li Zhaoting's persistent (purely curious) questioning, mustered her courage and answered, "The old master has two disciples."

"I've met one at the Tianshan Sect."

"One of the disciples was taken in by the old master more than ten years ago when he traveled to Jiangnan. She seems to be a relative of the old master, as the two look exactly alike."

Does my senior martial uncle have any relatives?

"Your Excellency, you should know that the old Your Excellency's lifelong regret was that his body would always remain in the form of a young girl."

Seeing a child who looked exactly like himself, he took the child in as his disciple and taught him diligently for more than ten years. Seeing his disciple grow up to be a graceful and beautiful young woman...

—You'll know what you'll look like when you grow up!

That young master remained in Jiangnan.

This servant is not qualified to see her.

A few days ago, the young master who went to the Tianshan Sect to attend the ceremony was a disciple accepted by the old master five years ago. She had little interest in martial arts, but was exceptionally talented in medicine.

From the age of fifteen, the young master often provided free medical treatment to the surrounding herders. Because she liked to wear white clothes and had a dignified and holy appearance, the herders thought she was a bodhisattva.

At least half of the herders within a hundred miles of Piaomiao Peak worship her portrait, saying that she is the incarnation of Guanyin Bodhisattva, or something like the Guanyin who bestows medicine.

The young master has a very gentle temperament and should not try to take the master's position, so the master need not worry.

This servant is utterly loyal to my lord.

As Wu Xingyun's personal maid, Mei Jian knew everything she should and shouldn't know. She had never experienced intrigue and deceit, only from books.

However, Mei Jian dislikes reading and can only memorize things by rote. If he encounters a narrow-minded person in a major sect in the Central Plains, the consequences will certainly be dire.

Li Zhaoting rubbed his chin. With Li Shengnan and Cheng Huaixiu not around, when he was thinking about problems, he could only rub his chin or play with his jade pendant, which reduced his inspiration by at least 50%.

The eldest disciple, who has lived in Jiangnan for a long time and looks exactly like Wu Xingyun, is kind-hearted and skilled in medicine, much like the second disciple of the White-Robed Guanyin and the Medicine-Giving Guanyin...

wrong!

None of them can inherit Lingjiu Palace!

The two disciples I saw at the Tianshan Sect that day were completely different from the two disciples Mei Jian had described.

Wu Xingyun also had a disciple.

This person is the true heir of Lingjiu Palace.

However, when he left the Tianshan Sect, he was held up by certain matters and arrived a step too late. Li Zhaoting took the lead and became the new Palace Master of Lingjiu Palace.

Wu Xingyun was worried that Li Zhaoting would learn the disciple's true identity and then ruthlessly eliminate him in order to seize control of Lingjiu Palace, so he ordered his subordinates to conceal the information.

Li Zhaoting wasn't overthinking it.

There must be something hidden about plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums.

The evidence is Granny Yu.

Granny Yu is the chief steward of Lingjiu Palace.

The fact that the third disciple was able to lead the steward on a training expedition shows that she has a very high reputation in Lingjiu Palace... Even in the snow-covered mountains, there is so much intrigue and backstabbing.

Thinking of this, Li Zhaoting lay on the soft cushion, spreading his arms and legs wide: "Plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, come and give me a massage. This venerable one wants to enjoy it properly!"

After many years of marriage, Li Zhaoting had long been raised by Mei Zhu to be a good-for-nothing who was lazy and ignorant of farming.

This trip to Tianshan was quite uncomfortable without Meizhu and Jiang Yuyan by my side, but now that I have four maids with me, I can finally feel more comfortable.

As for Lingjiu Palace, once the third disciple who was away on training returns, they will simply shift the blame to her.

Misty Peak is thousands of miles away from the Central Plains. Even if Li Zhaoting had the ability to fly through the clouds or ride a golden eagle to travel thousands of miles a day, he would not have time to manage Lingjiu Palace.

In fact, Li Zhaoting had misunderstood.

Wu Xingyun gave Lingjiu Palace to Li Zhaoting for two reasons: first, out of spite of Li Qiushui, he blurted it out; second, he wanted to find a reliable backer for the disciples of Lingjiu Palace.

No matter how confident Wu Xingyun was in himself, he was still an old man nearing 100 years old. He could remain young and youthful, but he could not live forever.

How many more years can Wu Xingyun live?

Once Wu Xingyun passes away, how will the delicate beauties of Lingjiu Palace withstand the covetous eyes of outsiders? The Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands will surely rise in rebellion. Li Zhaoting's character is impossible to ascertain in the short term, but one thing is clear: he is exceptionally skilled in combat, capable of slaying thousands of soldiers with a single sword strike.

Furthermore, Li Zhaoting's roots are in the Song Dynasty, so he will definitely return to the Central Plains. How could he possibly stay at Lingjiu Palace for long? At most, he will just be a hands-off manager.

At that time, the third disciple will still be the palace master.

Even if Li Zhaoting is ruthless and narrow-minded, at worst we can marry our third disciple to him, and twenty years later, let their son inherit the sect.

The third disciple came from a tribe in the Tianshan Mountains. He was tied up with family affairs and was not seeking refuge elsewhere.

Mei Jian applied the book's contents mechanically, while Li Zhaoting, having nothing to play with, experienced insufficient blood flow to his brain and subconsciously associated it with conspiracy theories.

Both of them misunderstood.

Two negatives make a positive.

In reality, there's no difference!
Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju had been maids since childhood, and their skills in serving others were quite remarkable. They were also ignorant of the proper boundaries between men and women, and their massages were exceptionally comfortable, making Li Zhaoting drowsy.

Wu Xingyun, who was watching from a distance, was so angry that he wanted to grab a table and smash Li Zhaoting's head.

Although Li Zhaoting had undergone a period of rigorous training since childhood and possessed the best physique for martial arts practice for over ten years, no matter how outstanding his innate talent was, becoming a top master in just ten years required countless hardships.

I thought Li Zhaoting would immerse himself in studying medical classics or martial arts manuals, but to my surprise, after reading the books for a short while, he began to enjoy a massage from the maid.

There's not a trace of diligence or hard work on them.
Did your martial arts skills just fall from the sky?

Li Zhaoting also had something to say about this.

I fought hard for a year, from the Northeast to the Western Regions, and from the Western Regions to Dali, traveling tens of thousands of miles across the country. Can't I enjoy myself?
—Let the music continue, let the dancing continue!
For the next two days, Li Zhaoting spent his time reading medical books and sightseeing, exploring every nook and cranny of Lingjiu Palace before finally remembering that he should visit the secluded meditation chamber. He then had Mei Jian lead the way.

Lingjiu Palace was not built by Wu Xingyun.

Judging from the architectural traces, Lingjiu Palace was built more than four hundred years ago. Before the builder passed away, he did not leave any successors. About sixty years ago, Wu Xingyun found this heavenly palace on the cloud and founded Lingjiu Palace.

The tunnels and grottoes of Lingjiu Palace are quite magnificent. Building such a palace on the top of a snow-capped mountain could not have been completed in thirty or forty years. It was probably built by a tribal chief or an emperor who wanted to live forever and spent a lot of money to build a palace on the mountaintop, hoping to see the gods and obtain the elixir of immortality. In the end, it was all in vain.

The grotto where the secret manual was stored was quite hidden. Mei Jian opened the mechanism, revealing a dark tunnel. The five of them walked forward for two or three hundred feet and saw a stone chamber.

Mei Jian whispered, "Master, that's the old master's training room inside. This servant dares not go in."

Zhu Jian added, "The old master said that if we sisters serve faithfully, do not commit any offenses, and practice diligently, we will be allowed to come to this stone chamber to study for one day every year when we turn forty. We are only nineteen years old this year, so we still need to wait for twenty-one years."

Ju Jian smiled bitterly: "The old master often said that we have a lively personality and cannot sit quietly to meditate and cultivate our qi. We will not achieve much in martial arts and can only become second-rate at best."

Lan Jian blinked: "Master, your martial arts are unparalleled. Tell me, what do you think of our talents? Can we sisters become top-notch masters?"

After spending two days together, the four women found that Li Zhaoting had a very gentle personality and was very easy to talk to. When the four of them were occasionally mischievous, Li Zhaoting would always respond with a smile.

Li Zhaoting gave each of you a good whack on the head; “Your senior uncle’s evaluation of you is too polite. You four are qualified to practice the Tianshan Plum Blossom Hand before you turn fifty. You are all very fortunate. I should throw you into the deep mountains and snow valleys to temper your temperament, so that you won’t cause trouble.”

Mei Jian joked, "Lord, if you throw us sisters into the Snow Valley, who will serve you?"

Li Zhaoting sneered: "Not convinced? I'm in a good mood today, so I'll allow you to enter the stone chamber."

The four women were overjoyed and followed behind.

The stone chamber was quite large, exceeding ten zhang in length, with a huge bright yellow crystal embedded at the top, emitting a golden light, much like the special light source in the Wuliang Valley of Dali, the place where Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui lived in seclusion.

The walls were covered with graphics and text.

Directly opposite is the essence of the original Tianshan Plum Blossom Hand and Tianshan Six Yang Palm, written in regular script.

On the left wall are Wu Xingyun's insights into the Tianshan Plum Blossom Hand technique during his practice. They are rather hastily written and appear unsystematic, with many scattered claw marks.

The right wall contains Wu Xingyun's insights into the Longevity and Immortality Technique during his seclusion, which are recorded in relatively detail, along with methods for refining elixirs and taking medicine.

On the left and right sides of the gate, the moves, formulas, and insights of the Tianshan Six Yang Palm are carved on the left, while on the right are Wu Xingyun's insights on practicing the skill, as well as some travelogues about mountains and rivers.

All the reliefs recording martial arts manuals are engraved with numbers, such as A1, B2, C3, to prevent later generations from misreading the order and causing them to go astray.

In the four corners, daily necessities, miraculous medicines, divine weapons, and the Four Treasures of the Study were placed respectively.

Wu Xingyun dislikes using weapons, but if he encounters a divine weapon while traveling, he will take it with him.

Why not take advantage of a freebie?

Most of the divine weapons are exquisitely designed, and even as decorative items, they are pleasing to the eye.

Li Zhaoting pointed to the character markings: "Start from A and work your way up. Be careful not to practice in the wrong order."

The four women looked at the relief sculpture with giggles.

Li Zhaoting waited quietly to see the joke.

Less than half an incense stick's time later, the plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums let out painful cries, their faces turning blue and purple.

Their internal strength foundation is too weak, far from meeting the requirements for practicing Tianshan Plum Blossom Hand and Tianshan Six Yang Palm. Forcing them to practice will cause their true energy to reverse and lead to qi deviation. If they cannot stop, their meridians may eventually be severed.

Li Zhaoting raised his index finger and tapped the four women a few times with his "One-Finger Divine Skill." He used his Longevity True Qi to guide the four women through their acupoints and regulate their Qi. With a single touch, the true Qi was guided onto the right track, and the four women quickly regained consciousness.

Seeing Li Zhaoting's ambiguous smile, the four women hurriedly knelt down: "Thank you for saving our lives, Your Majesty. The martial arts in the manual are too profound. We were overestimating ourselves and our internal energy went wrong. Our dantian feels like it's about to explode."

Li Zhaoting laughed and said, "Now you know why we told you to come to the stone chamber after you turned forty, right? Without a rock-solid foundation, you can't practice the martial arts of the Free and Unfettered Sect."

The four of you are lively and active, not suited for the slow and steady pace of cultivation, but rather for practicing four-person formations!
As quadruplets, you have an innate tacit understanding and cooperation. You don't need to go into seclusion to meditate. From birth, you are in sync. I know a formation that requires two people to use knives and two people to use swords, but as women, we are not suitable for large cleavers. We can use Tang-style horizontal swords instead.

You can discuss it yourselves.

Who uses the knife, and who uses the sword?

Give me an answer this afternoon.

Go outside and keep watch.

The seclusion chamber is too dangerous for you.

Li Zhaoting opened the stone chamber door.

Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju left in shock.

The four women had only average talent in martial arts, lacked compatibility with weapons, and made no difference between practicing with a saber and a sword.

This is something we can't help but do.

The quadruplets were born into a poor family. They suffered from malnutrition during pregnancy, which resulted in them being born somewhat weak.

Their average appearance is the result of hard work, thanks to Wu Xingyun's lavish diet of meat and fish.

If they lived in an ordinary family, they would most likely be born with deficiencies, be weak and sickly, and might die young.

These divine skills and secret techniques are basically impossible to master.

They need to use clever tricks to make up for their shortcomings.

Just like the "battle of sword energy" among the Huashan Sect.

The power of Qi cultivation is long-lasting, but the speed is too slow.

Sword training is extremely effective, allowing one to quickly build up combat power and seize resources at lightning speed.

Of course, the genius disciples of prestigious sects all cultivate both skills; those who cannot are not considered geniuses.

Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju are quadruplets with an innate ability to communicate telepathically. The martial art most suitable for them is the four-person formation. In Li Zhaoting's memory, there is only one strongest four-person formation in the world:
—The Yin-Yang Sword Formation.

The sword technique is the Kunlun Zheng Liangyi Swordplay.

The knife is the Huashan Reverse Yin-Yang Knife Technique.

If swords and blades were combined, the two elements would transform into the four symbols, the four symbols would generate the eight trigrams, yin and yang would harmonize, and water and fire would complement each other, making it even more powerful than the Ming Cult's Great Shift of Heaven and Earth.

The Yin-Yang Sword Technique and the Yin-Yang Saber Technique are not considered extraordinary skills, at most they are at the level of a first-class goalkeeper, but when the two are combined, they instantly become a top-notch sword technique.

In the original story, the two elders of Mount Hua and the Kunlun Sect's He Taichong and Ban Shuxian joined forces to attack Zhang Wuji. It was their first time cooperating, and they had no tacit understanding. They could only exert 20-30% of their power at most, yet they were able to fight Zhang Wuji, who had mastered the Nine Yang Divine Skill and the Great Shift of the Universe, for more than 300 moves. Zhang Wuji tried every means, but he could not break through the blockade of swords and sabers.

Li Zhaoting remembered this vividly. After marrying Wang Yuyan, he had a sudden inspiration and asked her to write down the two secret manuals from memory to form a sword formation.

In other words, the sword and saber formation that Li Zhaoting mastered was an enhanced version meticulously perfected by Wang Yuyan.

It was many times stronger than the formation hastily assembled by the two elders of Mount Hua, He Taichong, and Ban Shuxian.

Finally, to save face for Zhang Wuji, it's not that he couldn't defeat the sword and saber formation, but rather that he couldn't break the formation without killing anyone.

Many of Zhang Wuji's seemingly unsuccessful battles were due to the constraint of "not killing". If Zhang Wuji were to risk taking a knife and exchange wounds with the enemy, delivering a powerful Seven Injury Fist, who could withstand it?

Or he could simply yell and shout at the top of his lungs, using the Nine Yang Divine Skill to unleash the Lion's Roar Skill—who could stop him?

Why did Zhang Wuji often suffer setbacks?
Because Zhang Wuji is kind-hearted and compassionate.

If it were Li Zhaoting, he would have already let the enemy taste the combined attack of Nine Yang Divine Skill, Lion's Roar Skill, and Seven Injury Fist!

Let the enemy know what cruelty is!
(End of this chapter)