Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Wu Xingyun had three disciples.

The eldest disciple, who looked exactly like her and had resolved her lifelong regret, lived in Jiangnan. After officially completing her apprenticeship, she established her own power base in Jingxiang.

The second disciple, who was kind-hearted, had a pure and holy appearance, and was exceptionally talented in medicine, took on apprentices five years ago. He often provided free medical consultations and was highly respected among the people.

That third disciple, who possessed exceptional martial arts talent, was resourceful, and skilled in managing the sect, was also Wu Xingyun's last disciple and the sole heir of Lingjiu Palace.

Li Zhaoting roughly guessed the identities of the three people.

The eldest disciple was Shui Dai's daughter, Shui Sheng.

The second disciple is Cheng Lingsu. In the world of martial arts, there are many beautiful women with superb medical skills, but only Cheng Lingsu is qualified to be called the incarnation of Guanyin Bodhisattva.

The third disciple comes from a tribe near Tianshan Mountain and has excellent management skills. If Li Zhaoting is not mistaken, he is most likely Huo Qingtong, who is very suitable to take charge of Lingjiu Palace.

When Li Zhaoting thought of Huo Qingtong, he subconsciously thought of Huo Qingtong's younger sister, "Princess Xiangxiang," whose unparalleled beauty could make two armies retreat.

If the standard for Cihang Jingzhai to select its successor is the most beautiful woman in the world, then Princess Xiangxiang would be the most suitable person in the world to become Cihang Jingzhai's successor.

The other female protagonists who are as beautiful as angels use human-level adjectives to describe their beauty, but Princess Xiangxiang's beauty is on a non-human level.

In the history of Cihang Jingzhai, if one had to choose a successor whose beauty could rival that of Princess Xiangxiang, Li Zhaoting would definitely cast his vote for Shi Feixuan.

When the disciples of Jingzhai travel the world, they need to personally take action against people like Qin Mengyao and Yan Jing'an, sometimes even risking their lives. Only Shi Feixuan relies on her persuasive words.

The basic requirement for "talking nonsense" is appearance.

The Lingjiu Palace contains many rare books, but Li Zhaoting is not in a hurry to leave and spends his days studying martial arts.

Based on the concepts of the Four Symbols of Heavenly Will and the Four Directions Mysterious Skill, he discussed with Wu Xingyun the "Three-Part Return to Origin" of the Everlasting Spring Skill, the Northern Darkness Divine Skill, and the Lesser Formless Skill.

Just like Xiaoyaozi's enlightenment before his passing: "The three parts return to the origin, and the supreme energy is in the Northern Darkness, which unites with the eight wastelands."

Wu Xingyun's personality was too domineering, which did not fit Xiaoyaozi's vision of "carefree". Xiaoyaozi did not like Wu Xingyun and did not pay much attention to her.

He only grasped the spiritual opportunity after he passed away peacefully.

No one would have imagined that Xiaoyaozi, who spent his life pursuing a carefree life, would comprehend the "Domineering Way" before his death.

Knowing that he had no hope of achieving immortality in this life, Wu Xingyun had nothing to hide and laid out all his training experience over the years, studying the secret manuals with Li Zhaoting.

After several days, with the combined efforts of Li Zhaoting, Wu Xingyun, Cheng Huaixiu, and Li Shengnan, they successfully compiled a three-volume manual: the Introduction, the Foundation Building, and the Spirit Refining.

According to Li Zhaoting's deduction, this divine skill has a final volume, the "Great Vehicle Chapter," but these contents require personal experience and cannot be guessed by the mind.

The name of this divine skill is, of course:

The Supreme Skill of the Eight Desolations and Six Directions

Wu Xingyun was quite satisfied with this. Although she was over ninety years old and her future in martial arts was completely cut off, she had a gifted successor who could inherit this set of unique skills and techniques and develop them to a higher level in the future.

The only slight dissatisfaction was that Li Zhaoting was about to leave immediately after the discussion, showing no lingering affection for the beauties of the Nine Heavens and Nine Departments.

Wu Xingyun angrily retorted, "Li Zhaoting, what do you take my words for? You are the Venerable Master of Lingjiu Palace! Even if you want to leave, at least leave behind a few administrators!"

Li Zhaoting laughed and said, "Uncle-Master! When you gave me Lingjiu Palace, it was just a casual remark at an auction. How could you take such a thing seriously?"

Wu Xingyun sneered: "Words spoken are like water spilled; the words of the Heavenly Mountain Child Granny are always as firm as nails. I have spoken my mind, and you have accepted the position of the Venerable Lord, accepted the worship of the Nine Heavens and Nine Departments, and accepted the service of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums. Li Zhaoting, when you were immersed in the gentle embrace of love, why didn't you say these things?"

“Senior Uncle! Act with your conscience! I agreed to become the Lord in order to reduce casualties. Besides, you have already chosen a successor, so why are you holding me back?”
Your personal disciple was so frightened by me that he hid outside and dared not come back. Who can he complain to about this?

Please bring her back!

I really don't want to be the Lord!

I pass the throne to her!
Is her name 'Huo Qingtong'?
I can help you find her!

Li Zhaoting waved his hand haphazardly.

Wu Xingyun flew into a rage: "Bullshit! Qing Tong is tied up with family affairs, not afraid of you, you scoundrel! Do you need to eliminate him completely?"

Sooner or later you will return to the dazzling, decadent world of pleasure; Lingjiu Palace cannot keep you!

Being a hands-off manager is your true nature!
Even if you are narrow-minded and greedy for power and profit, I will directly betroth Qing Tong to you. Twenty years later, your son will become the Lord. Shouldn't that be acceptable?
Where did you think of it?
Do you think I'm a fool?

Wu Xingyun was rather short, and he was jumping up and down angrily cursing Li Zhaoting. His old-fashioned appearance had a certain endearing quality. Li Zhaoting really wanted to reach out and press down on Wu Xingyun's head, using his arm to form an insurmountable barrier.

Li Zhaoting asked curiously, "Master Uncle, didn't you instruct Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju to only mention two disciples and conceal the news of the third disciple? Was I overthinking it?"

Plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums knelt down in terror.

Mei Jian took the initiative to take responsibility: "Your Majesty, I read it in a book. It's called 'cutting the weeds and eliminating the roots.' After the new Your Majesty ascends the throne, you will ruthlessly eliminate all threats."

Li Zhaoting smiled and said, "You four! What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Don't mess around like this again!"

Wu Xingyun sneered: "Li Zhaoting, you can hand over Lingjiu Palace to Qingtong and be a hands-off manager. You can ask for nothing, but you must take Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju with you. I will not keep such a foolish servant who makes decisions on his own."

Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju were nearly scared out of their wits, looking at Wu Xingyun with tears streaming down their faces, and then at Li Zhaoting.

Cheng Huaixiu smoothed things over, saying, "Honey! Let's keep the four of them here! Four of the sisters in the family are about to give birth, and Meizhu and Yuyan can't take care of them all."

Li Shengnan said, "Consider yourselves lucky. From now on, you'll all live a life of luxury by following me!"

Cheng Huaixiu grabbed Li Shengnan: "Shengnan, you already have four maids as part of your dowry, but I have nothing. The four maids, Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju, can be considered my dowry!"

Li Zhaoting asked cautiously, "Could it be part of my dowry? I don't have any dowry!"

"roll!"

Cheng Huaixiu and Li Shengnan spoke in unison.

Cheng Huaixiu looked gently at Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju: "From today onwards, you will be my personal maids. My food, clothing, and shelter will be taken care of by the four of you."

The four women knew that Wu Xingyun meant what she said and would definitely not keep them. They first kowtowed to Wu Xingyun to thank her for raising them, and then paid their respects to Cheng Huaixiu.

Li Zhaoting and Wu Xingyun each took a step back.

Li Zhaoting is a hands-off manager.

Huo Qingtong will temporarily serve as the deputy master.

Wu Xingyun originally wanted to marry Cheng Lingsu and Huo Qingtong to Li Zhaoting, but the three of them had never met and had little contact. Moreover, two of them were extremely jealous and acted like fierce tigers protecting their food, so he had no choice but to give up.

Li Zhaoting has temporarily escaped disaster.

This trip to Tianshan had two purposes: first, to fulfill Qiao Beiming's last wish; and second, to seek answers from Wu Xingyun based on Yan Jing'an's guidance. Both tasks were successfully completed.

Li Zhaoting didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju are maids, within the tolerance range of Li Shengnan and Cheng Huaixiu. If they were to marry the Holy Maiden of Lingjiu Palace or the Princess of Xixia, the family would probably erupt like a volcano in an instant, their anger burning down to the heavens.

Leaving the home where they had lived for nineteen years, Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju were initially a little sad, but seeing the colorful world outside, they quickly forgot all their troubles.

And by the way, change the way you address me.

The Venerable Master of Lingjiu Palace is Huo Qingtong.

Li Zhaoting is a hands-off manager and a mere background figure.

Upon learning of this, the demons and monsters of the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands let out desperate wails. Wu Xingyun was over ninety years old, and they felt there was still some hope. As long as they could outlive Wu Xingyun, they would immediately unite and rebel. In their current situation, they were afraid they would be controlled for life.

Most importantly, Wu Xingyun only required them to pay tribute on time and had no requirements for their character. Lingjiu Palace never cared about their evil deeds.

Li Zhaoting hates evil and vanquishes demons; falling into his hands would likely be worse than death.

I might as well just die!
To avoid suffering the torment of being neither alive nor dead.

……

The scenery of Tianshan is beautiful. Since we're already here, we should definitely spend a few days exploring it, otherwise it would be a wasted trip.
When they traveled from the Central Plains to the Tianshan Mountains, there was no one to serve them with food and lodging. Li Zhaoting and his two companions rode at full speed. Now that they had four maids, they naturally wanted to wander around.

He had planned to go to Little Bright Realm to see how the old man was doing, but Li Shengnan stopped him.

The Jingzhai Northern Sect was completely infiltrated by the White Lotus Sect. All the disciples were corrupted by demons. Those who were stubborn and unyielding were eliminated by Li Shengnan and Cheng Huaixiu. The rest were sent to the Demonic Sect to amuse the old man. How did the old man feel?
If Li Zhaoting were to go to the Demonic Sect at this time, he would inevitably get a beating from Yu Luosha. It wasn't a question of whether he could defeat her, but rather that it was like a grandfather beating his grandson—how could the grandson dare to fight back? He would only be able to run away with his tail between his legs!
Although the grandfather did not personally participate in his grandson's upbringing, he made up for all the shortcomings by carefully cultivating five granddaughters-in-law for his grandson.

What could Li Zhaoting say?
Would Li Zhaoting dare to say another word?
Who are you holding in your arms?

Put down the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Cult first!

We'll have to wait until the end of the year to appease the old man.

When Feng Suzhen, Lan Fenghuang, Wang Yuyan, and Gongsun Lan gave birth to their children, Li Zhaoting would take his daughters and sons to ask for red envelopes. Even if the old man had a thousand grievances, they would all disappear without a trace, and he would obediently hand over the red envelopes.

Unable to visit the Demonic Sect's headquarters, a leisurely stroll along the Tianshan Mountains was quite enjoyable. It was winter, and the Tianshan Mountains were covered in ice and snow, with all the wild animals plump and healthy. After wandering through the jungle, we caught a few fat roe deer. We washed and cleaned them by the river, added seasonings we bought from the herdsmen, and roasted them over a campfire. The aroma slowly wafted through the air and could be clearly smelled for miles around.

Normally, without seasonings, barbecue won't taste very good, but this is the Tianshan Mountains!

It is rich in various spices for roasting meat. Herdsmen often collect spices to sell for money.

One deer was used to make cumin-roasted meat, and another to make honey-glazed meat. When the four women were bored, they would look through the recipes collected by Wu Xingyun, whose cooking skills were quite good.

They are skilled at cooking meat broth.

Their specialty is Xiangli Fruit and Vegetable Soup, made with a type of snow civet that lives near the Tianshan Mountains and various green vegetables. This snow civet has three tails and feeds on snow lotus. It is a rare delicacy, a treasure from top to bottom. Its meat is tender and nourishing, and its fur is soft and warm, making it a top-quality material for cloaks.

However, snow leopards are extremely difficult to find, and it is only possible to catch them by lighting snow lotus as bait.

Often, you might set fire to a whole bunch of snow lotuses, only to end up with nothing, losing everything, not even your underwear.

Only a super-rich family like Lingjiu Palace, who is so wealthy that they don't care about resources, can recklessly consume medicinal herbs just to satisfy their appetite.

Before Li Zhaoting left, Wu Xingyun selected the finest snow fox fur to make a cloak and gave it to Li Zhaoting as a token of gratitude for his help.

Li Shengnan, Cheng Huaixiu, and Mei Lanzhuju all presented generous gifts, but they paled in comparison to this cloak. Li Zhaoting wrapped himself in the cloak and felt that such a precious cloak was somewhat out of place without matching martial arts techniques. He closed his eyes and pondered the martial arts techniques.

What martial arts technique is best suited for a cloak?
Misty Peak... Misty...

Wu Xingyun... Clouds and Mist...

Li Zhaoting gestured wildly with his hands.

After an unknown amount of time, an enticing aroma interrupted Li Zhaoting's thoughts. His mouth was surrounded by roasted meat. To his left was cumin-flavored roasted meat handed to him by Cheng Huaixiu, and to his right was honey-glazed roasted meat handed to him by Li Shengnan. Some of the plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums were holding meat soup, while others were holding dumplings.
I bought barley flour from a herdsman's house yesterday.

Mei Jian made some dumplings.

Old Jiu was drinking his liquor nearby.

He was happily devouring a bunch of innards with a candied hawthorn stalk in his mouth.

As everyone was enjoying their meal, two figures appeared in the distant jungle, one tall and one short, one fat and one thin. The fat one wore a red robe with a red gourd tied around his waist, while the thin one wore a blue brocade robe with a blue wine gourd tied around his waist.

The two men looked to be in their forties; the fat man was all smiles, while the thin man appeared rather aloof.

Just by stepping out of the woods, the aura emanating from the trees stirred up a mountain wind, causing the campfire to spew out fierce flames that spun several times in mid-air.

The fat man chuckled and said, "Brother, you are truly blessed to have so many beauties by your side! It must be fate that we met in this desolate wilderness. I would like to ask for a few bites of food. I wonder if you could grant me that?"

The skinny man said, "I'm hungry!"

The skinny guy was aloof and sparing with his words, unwilling to say a single extra word. Normally, the fat guy would speak first, and then the skinny guy would finish the sentence.

It is somewhat similar to the traditional opera "Three and a Half Sentences".

Li Zhaoting recognized the two men at a glance based on their distinctive appearances and said with a smile, "As the saying goes, it is impolite not to reciprocate. I'm treating you to dinner, shouldn't you treat me to dinner too? When are you going to treat me back?"

The fat man laughed and said, "Brother, your cloak is a priceless treasure, and this fine horse is a rare breed. Surrounded by beauties, you are clearly a man of great wealth and honor. What is a meal compared to that?"

Skinny guy: "So stingy!"

Li Zhaoting laughed and said, "Not at all! I'm not being stingy, but rather I believe in fairness. I'm treating you to dinner today, and you'll treat me to dinner in the future!"

Mei Jian angrily said, "What are you two babbling about? Eat first, just sit down and eat! Why talk so much nonsense? My master is of such a noble status that even if someone wanted to invite him to dinner, they would have to go to the temple and kowtow for three years and still not get a chance to be invited!"

Lan Jian followed up with a sarcastic remark: "Fatty, the smile on your face is so fake. That skinny guy seems indifferent, but he speaks the truth. He's much more interesting than you."

Bamboo Sword: "Let's eat! What do you mean meeting someone in the middle of nowhere means it's fate? Have you even read a book? Most of the beauties you meet in the middle of nowhere are female ghosts!"

Chrysanthemum Sword: "What do you mean by fate? How could our beautiful young lady possibly be destined to be with a fat old man like you with orange peel skin? You have no shame!"

The four women had never left Misty Peak and knew nothing about human relationships. As a seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister, and as Wu Xingyun's personal maids, they were always the ones being fawned over. They had never fawned over anyone else.
He doesn't know a single polite word.

Aside from Wu Xingyun and Li Zhaoting, even if the Heavenly King himself appeared in front of them, they would still curse without hesitation.

It may seem rude, but it is actually very appropriate for one's status.

The maidservants of the Duke of Zhenguo should be a little arrogant.

To avoid being taken advantage of.

The fat and thin duo are none other than the infamous Rewards and Punishments Envoys, here to issue their decrees. The thin one is named Li Si, skilled in Yin-type martial arts techniques, while the fat one is named Zhang San, nicknamed the Outlaw Madman, who has committed almost every crime listed under the laws of the Song Dynasty…

Upon hearing the words about plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, Zhang San, who was always smiling, froze. Because he was always smiling and eloquent, he was relatively popular. He never expected that one day he would be overshadowed by Li Si!

Who are these guys?

Could it be a hitman hired at a high price?
impossible!
What assassin could afford to wear this cloak? Or ride a purebred Qilin steed?

Their dignified and noble demeanor, their long-held air of superiority, and the arrogant and domineering language and actions of the four maids could not have been acted out; they were no ordinary people.

With that in mind, the two of them sat down.

Mei Jian handed over two pieces of roasted meat.

One piece of cumin-roasted meat, one piece of honey-glazed roasted meat.

"What flavors do you two like? One sweet and one savory, you two can divide them up yourselves!"

"Thank you!"

Li Si coldly accepted the honey-glazed roasted meat.

Zhang San stared blankly at the dumplings in the iron pot, wondering, "Who are these people? Rich young masters, why don't they take a carriage when they go out? Martial arts practitioners, they consider it lucky to be able to eat roast meat, who has time to make dumplings?"
In fact, given Xia Ke Dao's intelligence capabilities, they should have recognized Li Zhaoting when they saw Lao Jiu. However, recently, Li Zhaoting has been frequently cleansing Lao Jiu's muscles and marrow, making Lao Jiu's fur increasingly glossy, and his physical characteristics are not very obvious in the dark night sky.

Furthermore, the two had inquired and learned that Li Zhaoting had taken two beauties with him when he went out. Now, this young master had six beauties by his side, two of whom were busy vying for his attention, and four of whom were chattering away, which was completely different from the records in the case file.

Finally, Li Zhaoting's attire has always been simple and practical, making it easy to draw his sword and slash people. When has he ever worn such a magnificent cloak? Even if Li Zhaoting wore a cloak when he went out in winter, where were his purple and green twin swords?

The Purple Rose Soft Sword was wrapped around his waist, but where was the Green Rope Sword hidden? That can't be hidden, can it?

Uh……

Li Zhaoting was just studying martial arts techniques for the cloak. The Qing Suo sword on his back was getting in the way, so he hung the Qing Suo next to the saddle, which happened to be on the other side of the old wine.

Looking from the direction of the campfire, all that could be seen was the horse's glossy black belly; the Green Chain Sword was nowhere to be seen.

Zhang San, wanting to test Li Zhaoting, uncorked the gourd and gulped down a large mouthful of wine. His eyes glanced at the six beauties, but he didn't see the red gourd.

Legend has it that Li Shengnan, the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect, is always accompanied by wine, carrying a gourd filled with fine wine brewed by the Demonic Sect's leader, Yu Luosha.

Uh……

Yu Luosha felt that since her granddaughters-in-law were getting pregnant in batches, it would be Li Shengnan's turn next. Worried that it would affect her great-grandson, she ordered Li Shengnan to give up drinking.

The gourd was forcibly taken back.

Li Shengnan felt that she and Cheng Huaixiu were best friends who loved and hated each other. Since she was quitting drinking, Cheng Huaixiu also had to quit drinking. So she took away Cheng Huaixiu's wine gourd, and the two of them could only drink soup and couldn't even eat drunken shrimp.

Mei Jian snorted, "Bah! You fatso, you really don't know any better! My master kindly invited you to dinner, but you ate all by yourself and refused to share the fine wine!"

Bamboo Sword: "Fatty! You called my master a stingy guy, but I think you're the stingy guy!"

Lan Jian: "Skinny, you have wine too! What's the point of drinking alone? Hurry up and get it out!"

Before Ju Jian could speak, Li Si slammed the wine gourd heavily onto the large rock: "This is poison!"

Chrysanthemum Sword: "Poison? What kind of poison could possibly harm my master? My master is invincible!"

As he spoke, he grabbed the wine gourd, took out a jade cup from his bosom, and poured it to the brim.

Li Zhaoting picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

The wine that Zhang San and Li Si drink is indeed "poison".

Zhang San's red gourd contains a potent medicinal wine that is extremely hot and dry. It is made by adding "Fiery Elixir" into the strong wine, making it extremely strong and potent, and highly nourishing.

Li Si's blue gourd contained a cooling medicinal wine with extremely cold properties, made by mixing "Nine-Nine Pills" into the cold wine. It was extremely yin and cold, and extremely damp and cold.

The Nine-Nine Pill contains eighty-one kinds of poisonous herbs. The Fiery Pill contains fewer poisonous substances, but it contains highly toxic substances such as arsenic and peacock gall. An ordinary person only needs to lick a few drops on the tip of their tongue to die. One pill can make six gourds of medicinal wine. One gourd of medicinal wine can be drunk for a month. After each time you drink the medicinal wine, you must use your internal energy to regulate your breathing. If you drink a few more sips, or mistakenly drink someone else's wine, you will surely die.

Li Zhaoting was born with a Yin-Yang dual body, and his internal energy had already reached the limit of the ultimate Yin and the ultimate Yang. Even if he ate Fiery Pills and Nine-Nine Pills as food, it would not have a big impact on him, at most it would affect his appetite.

Li Zhaoting laughed and said, "It tastes great! In the cold winter with snow falling, taking a sip of this ice-cold wine sends chills straight to your internal organs, making your mind clear!"

Mei Jian snatched Zhang San's wine gourd. Zhang San's martial arts were far superior to Mei Jian's, but how could he stoop to the level of a mere maid? Mei Jian took out a white jade cup, poured a large cup of wine, and fed it to Li Zhaoting's lips.

Zhang San stopped him, saying, "Brother! We brothers are drinking medicinal wine. If we share a sip, the two medicinal effects will clash, and even Hua Tuo himself couldn't save us!"

Bamboo Sword scoffed, "Nonsense! Hua Tuo has lived since the Han Dynasty, probably over a thousand years old. Even medicinal wine can't cure a thousand-year-old monster. Does that mean Hua Tuo's reputation is undeserved? You're really strange!"

Li Zhaoting laughed and said, "After drinking something cold, taking a sip of something hot is the perfect treat!"

Having said that, he picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. (End of Chapter)