Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

"Zhao Heng gave my son to the Chai family! He's using my son to repay a favor! What a damn clever scheme!"

Zhao Yuanyan glared at Liu E, while the fake emperor, who stood silently beside her, took out a mask from his pocket.

With its menacing blue dragon and its arrogant and terrifying demeanor, no one would have guessed that the disguised emperor was actually the head of the Azure Dragon Society.

Fortunately, Yuan Shisanxian was sent outside the Imperial Study by Tao Sanchun using invisible energy. If he had seen the fake emperor turn into a dragon head, he would probably have been so angry that he would have pounded his chest and stamped his feet.

According to Yuan Shisanxian, the fake emperor was Zhao Yuanyan who found several people with similar builds to Zhao Zhen, enrolled them in a training course for the Great Golden Roc King, and had them wear disguise masks.

Huo Xiu was able to train five Golden Roc Kings, and with Zhao Yuanyan's power and status, he could easily train more than a dozen fake emperors; if he killed one, there would be ten more.

Who would have thought that this thing would be a major industry leader?

The leader of the Azure Dragon Society had always been hidden in the palace.

Da Longtou Chai Yu is the son of Zhao Yuanyan.

No wonder the Azure Dragon Society got involved in this battle.

No wonder the Green Dragon Society, which loves to stir up trouble, not only didn't cause any trouble, but also helped Zhao Yuanran in every way, allowing him to be basically on par with the imperial court in terms of martial arts masters.

That's it!

The truth is... is it really true?

Zhao Zhen smiled calmly: "I should have thought of that! The Twelve Azure Dragons, with 365 branch strongholds, couldn't possibly have achieved this level with just the old subordinates of the Chai family!"

Liu E said, "Bian Mouting is a pawn you threw out to deceive everyone, using the truth of that disastrous defeat back then to cover up the identity of the big boss."

Zhao Zhen added: "When Bian Mouting revealed the truth about that incident, I subconsciously felt that what he said was the truth and there was no concealment whatsoever."

Liu E: "In the prison, Li Zhaoting used the Life and Death Talisman to interrogate Bian Mouting, and used a series of incoherent questions to force Bian Mouting to confirm every detail."

Everything Bian Mouting said was the truth.

To be precise, in Bian Mouting's mind, everything he said was true, without a trace of falsehood. These truths were logical and impeccable in every aspect.

The forces you have formed in private include several members of the Twelve Azure Dragons, who can influence the judgment of the Grand Dragon Leader.

The head of the family, surnamed Chai, aspires to be emperor.

Combining the two truths, a logical conclusion naturally emerges: you look down on the Azure Dragon Society and want to use them as cannon fodder!
The way the Azure Dragon Society operates, and the identity of its leader, perfectly corroborate this conclusion.

All the 'truths' are correct.

All the “processes” are logical.

You've just been hiding your parent-child relationship.

—The big boss is your son!

Chai Yu is a few years older than your son.

It's no big deal!
Creating a time gap with a few lies is not difficult, but Jade Rakshasa did it even better.

To this day, no one has been able to find Yu Luosha's son based on Yu Tianbao's age. Those pointless speculations, even if the final conclusion is true, are still false!

At present, everything seems to make sense.

These conclusions are quite shocking.

But are you sure this is the truth?

I have a few questions for you.

If I knew the truth, how could your schemes today possibly escape my notice?

If I don't know the truth, what's the point of you questioning me with such certainty?
And that scroll, "Star Evil Sword Manual," have you read its contents? Eighth Prince, how do you know that it records the truth behind the 'Prince Replaced by a Civet Cat'?

The "Star Evil Sword Manual" is sealed deep within the palace, and even His Majesty has never seen it. The question is, who told you these secrets? Was he telling the truth?

The "Star Evil Sword Manual" is definitely not a sword manual; it must record some kind of secret. After it was completed, it was sealed in a side hall of the imperial palace and never opened by anyone.

In other words, only the person who recorded the sword manual knows the truth, and this person must have been a witness to the event and killed someone to cover it up.

Everyone who knew about this has passed away.

Those who don't know this will never know.

How did you learn this secret?

Did you dream about it?

Is this just your delusional fantasies?

Is this your rambling and incoherent speculation?

The Star Evil Sword Manual is in your hands.

You can open the sword manual and read it once.

I will give you time to read the sword manual.

Your Majesty, I have a secret to tell you.

The "Star Evil Sword Manual" was left behind by the founding emperor, and the emperor was responsible for recording its secrets. Afterwards, the two of them silenced those who knew about it and erased all traces of them.

Your only source of intelligence is the warlords who fought against the founding emperor for control of the empire; they were either surnamed Long, Xiang, or Huangfu.

I sensed Senior Huangfu's aura.

The martial arts backer of the Azure Dragon Society, the supreme grandmaster who fought against the Duke of Zhenguo, was none other than Senior Huangfu.

Was my deduction correct?
"Eighth Prince, please read the sword manual!"

At this moment, Liu E no longer possessed any of the demonic nature of the Yin Gui Demoness. Even the traces of the Heavenly Demon Art had been erased. Only the composure of someone in control of everything, the dignity of the Empress Dowager, the confidence to stabilize the court, and the majesty to hold the four corners of the earth revealed Zen wisdom and spiritual light. Every gesture she made exuded an indescribable divinity.

Zhao Yuanyan, who had been so confident and assertive, and had been asking questions repeatedly, was rendered speechless. He felt surrounded by lies and could not distinguish between truth and falsehood.

What is truth?
What is fake?
What is real and what is fake?
What is false reality?
Who is my son?
Whose father am I?

In the end what happened?
Who is plotting against me behind my back?

Zhao Yuanyan scratched his scalp hard, then took out the "Star Evil Sword Manual" from his bosom. His hands and feet trembled, and he dared not open the sword manual he had longed for day and night.

Tao Sanchun grabbed the "Star Evil Sword Manual" and slapped Zhao Yuanyan across the face: "Damn it! Are you my nephew? Why are you so long-winded?"

Zhao Yuanyan: What the hell did I do to deserve this?!

Tao Sanchun explained, "Niece-in-law, you only know one side of the story. The martial arts master who once fought with Emperor Taizu for the throne, surnamed Long, was a descendant of the Li Tang dynasty."

He was sworn brothers with Emperor Taizu, Chai Rong, and my husband. Because of that incident, Emperor Taizu made me his sister-in-law, and they all became my brothers.

The one surnamed Long is the younger brother.

More than a hundred years ago, his father saw the chaos of the country falling into ruin and heroes rising up. He knew he neither knew how to lead troops into battle nor how to govern the country, and he knew there was no hope of restoring the country.

So he changed his name to Long Xiao and went into seclusion in Qingcheng.

Later, Long Xiao married Luo Sujing, a successor of the Qingcheng Immortal Sect, and they had him. You probably already know the rest of the story, so I won't go into details.

Do you know why the Song Dynasty revered Taoism?
It's not for immortality, but because Brother Long is the number one master in Buddhism, stronger than anyone could imagine.

Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong were extremely wary of Brother Long.

However, things are unpredictable, and this fear soon turned into a source of amusement between the brothers. Brother Long's son went astray, abandoning Buddhism for demonic practices, and went to the Western Regions.

Brother Long's grandson is even more unorthodox, abandoning Buddhism, demonism, Taoism, and martial arts, and devoting himself to Confucianism and military strategy. He doesn't know any martial arts at all, yet he dares to call me a scoundrel.

The most interesting one is his great-grandson, who is well-versed in Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and even demonic arts. He practices the martial arts of each school and marries the beauties of each. He seems to have enjoyed all the blessings in the court and among the common people. If it weren't for the fact that everything he has done over the years has been righteous, I suspect that he is the mastermind behind the schemes of the world. It's truly damn bizarre!

Li Nanxing: Please call out names directly next time!

Li Zhaoting: Let's just read out your ID number!

Zhao Yuanyan: I've learned something new!

Liu E: I've learned something new too!
Zhao Zhen: Is Madam referring to Minister Li?
Chai Yu: Am I surnamed Chai or Zhao? Never mind! No matter which surname I have! I'm going to fight for the dragon throne!
Tao Sanchun opened the "Star Evil Sword Manual," and the first few pages were Dugu Qiubai's "Cosmic Sword Technique."

During that period, he was not called Dugu Qiubai, but Dugu Wudi. People in the martial arts world spread the word and his name became Dugu Wudi. Then they found that the word "invincible" was not enough to describe his swordsmanship. Invincibility was a lifelong honor for others, but it was a derogatory term for him. After Wudi was over forty years old, his title became - Qiubai!
Unlike ordinary sword manuals, "Cosmic Sword Technique" has no incantations or mental techniques, only flashy sword moves, making it look somewhat like a comic book.

It is said that Dugu Qiubai came from a poor family and was a shoemaker when he was young. He could only eavesdrop on the teacher's lectures by peeking through the window of the private school, so his education level was severely lacking.

Being able to draw comic strips is already quite impressive!

At least they could manage to cobble together a sword manual.

The Nine Swords of Dugu is a later work. During that period, Dugu Qiubai lived in seclusion in the mountains. With nothing to do, he spent his leisure time reading, and his cultural level improved rapidly.

As Tao Sanchun flipped through the sword manual, he recounted anecdotes from the martial arts world a hundred years ago. After flipping through a dozen pages, he quickly reached the last part, a secret account dictated by Zhao Kuangyin and recorded by Zhao Guangyi. To put it more seriously, the contents of the sword manual could be considered Zhao Kuangyin's last will and testament.

It has absolutely nothing to do with the story of "The Prince Replaced by a Raccoon Cat".

The will records—the Primordial Heavenly Demon!
During Zhao Kuangyin's unification of the world, there was an extraordinary and fierce battle. Four supreme masters participated in this battle. In order to prevent the primordial energy torrent from damaging the earth veins of the Central Plains, they fought a desperate battle deep in the Black Desert of the Western Regions. The violently fluctuating primordial energy torrent broke the seal of the primordial demon.

That battlefield was "One Blade Gorge"!
The one who split the mountain with a single blow was none other than the Primordial Heavenly Demon!
Beneath that oasis lies a secret realm.

The true form of the Primordial Demon was sealed within the secret realm by four supreme grandmasters. They could only seal his physical form, not his demonic intent. Therefore, anyone who establishes a sect here will be subtly influenced by the Primordial Demon, driven mad, and either ruin their family or destroy their entire clan.

Ximen Ruoshui was unaffected because she was already rather eccentric and a bit of a madwoman. The Primal Heavenly Demon had been sealed away for many years, and its influence had gradually weakened.

When a tiger confronts a madman, two negatives ultimately make a positive.

Each of the four people left behind an insurance policy.

The Zhao dynasty unified the country, ending the chaotic era of rampant evil. Although there were still countless conflicts, the peace and stability were dozens of times greater than those of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

"Xiang" left behind the Overlord Spear and Thunder Magic.

"Dragon" entrusted the child with guarding the martial arts world of the Western Regions.

"Huangfu" instructed his child to establish the Four Directions City.

Zhao Kuangyin was quite wary of the other three, so he erased their deeds from the public consciousness. Apart from the old monster who was over a hundred years old, no one remembered them.

Even Zhao Heng, Zhao Zhen, and Liu E only had fragmentary impressions of these events, and Tao Sanchun's memory of the truth was also distorted.

It was not Zhao Kuangyin who deceived Tao Sanchun.

It's Jung Eun!
Zheng En was one of the witnesses.

Back then, it was Zheng En who was in charge of cleaning up the battlefield. It was also Zheng En who discovered the remnant soul and demonic energy of the primordial demon within Zhao Kuangyin's body and forcibly absorbed it into his own.

Zhao Kuangyin killed Zheng En not out of fear of a meritorious official, nor out of drunken rage, but to eliminate the demon and prevent his sworn brother from becoming a puppet of the primordial demon.

Therefore, Zhao Kuangyin had nothing to say when faced with Tao Sanchun's questioning. The founding emperor, who had conquered the country with his fists and sticks, took off his dragon robe and let Tao Sanchun vent his anger.

Afterwards, instead of settling scores, he made Tao Sanchun his sister-in-law and Zheng En's son a king, and even fabricated a story to pin the blame on himself.

Tao Sanchun knew nothing about these things.

Upon seeing the records in the "Star Evil Sword Manual" and recalling the true cause of Zheng En's death, Tao Sanchun burst into tears. The cycle of reincarnation, decades later, would inevitably repeat itself.

The backup plan they kept back then is about to be used again.

Zhao Yuanyan's eyes were bloodshot: "I understand! You did all of this! You deliberately let me go! Let me establish the Blood Robe Hall! Let me believe that the Star Evil Sword Manual contains secrets about my son! The Crimson Blood Robe Boy is your spy! You told me about the side hall because you were also curious about the secrets of the Star Evil Sword Manual."

As the Empress Dowager, the Imperial Guards, the Azure Sky Sword, the secret passages, and the Heavenly Treasure Box are all no obstacle for you. However, you need someone to help you retrieve the Star Evil Sword Manual from the Heavenly Treasure Box. Apart from Lu Xiaofeng, no one in the world can do this. Even Li Zhaoting cannot do it. After you have done all this, you need someone to take the blame!
Either the Green Dragon Society is taking the blame!
Either the Blood Robe Hall is being framed.

I am a traitor, I plotted a rebellion, I secretly established the Blood Robe Hall, I have ulterior motives, no matter what kind of blame you have, you can pin it on me!

Now that the Star Evil Sword Manual is in your hands, you know all the secrets, and I'll take the blame for everything! I did the bad things, but you'll still be high and mighty!
Haha ...

I am not satisfied!
The throne is mine!
The throne was rightfully mine!
Give me back my throne!

The dragon head immediately followed up, saying, "Zhao Zhen! The throne belongs to me! Give it back to me! Even if it stains the palace with blood today, I will reclaim my throne!"

Tao Sanchun shouted, "Zhao Yuanyan! You will come back to Qingcheng Mountain with me to cultivate, and you will never leave my side for the rest of your life. Considering the kindness we showed each other in the past, I can spare your life!"

If you continue to be so stubborn and turn this peaceful world into a chaotic realm of demons, then this old woman's knife, which can kill your father, surely can kill you too!"

Zhao Yuanran was also somewhat helpless.

His lineage is Zhao Yuanyan's greatest advantage.

It was Li Nanxing who organized the five-man raid to kill the evil dragon, so that Zhao Zhen wouldn't be too soft-hearted and hesitate to do it, thus leaving behind a potential threat. There's really no need to keep someone like Prince Yao around.

Zhao Yuanran knew about Li Nanxing's plan, but instead of stopping him, he went a step further and went to Qingcheng Mountain to invite Tao Sanchun, making the matter escalate completely.

Tao Sanchun has a fiery temper, a straightforward personality, and is stubborn in his actions; he might be a valuable asset to the family.

I never imagined it would escalate to this extent.

wrong!

The person who inadvertently revealed that "Emperor's Sister-in-Law" Tao Sanchun was still alive was Li Nanxing himself.

Tao Sanchun was invited by Li Nanxing!

Zhao Yuanran asked, "Aunt, was it me or Li Nanxing who invited you from Qingcheng Mountain to the palace? Li Nanxing already told you about all of this today!"

Tao Sanchun sighed, "Li Nanxing... he went to Sichuan to study back then and became my apprentice's son-in-law!"

"So, I have no chance of survival today?"

“My husband and your father are sworn brothers, and I am your father’s officially appointed sister-in-law. I am not an outsider. Since I am not an outsider, there are some things I can say.”

When Emperor Dechang passed away, his niece-in-law held up the Song Dynasty during the crisis. She did a great job. Afterwards, she gradually returned power to the emperor instead of acting like Empress Lü and Empress Wu. I admire her greatly. Do you agree with her?

His Majesty ascended the throne at the age of thirteen. He is benevolent and loves his people. He does things with leniency and kindness. In the first two years, with the help of many virtuous ministers, he recovered the old lands of Yan and Yun and expanded the territory.

Do you accept this or not?

Do you have capable ministers and officials under your command?
Can you recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun?

What level are your civil and military achievements?
Look at the monsters and freaks under your command!
What kind of garbage is this?!

Bian Mouting is your subordinate, isn't he?
Don't you know what he's done?

Tens of thousands of soldiers died on the Liao battlefield.

Hundreds of thousands of people suffered from floods and plagues.

Do you dare say you didn't know these things?
Do you want the court to descend into chaos, or do you want to discard it after it has served its purpose? I have three questions for you.

1. If you succeed in usurping the throne tonight, how will you treat the court officials? Who will be in charge of managing state affairs? Who will lead the troops into battle? How will you deal with the war in the north?

Second, Zhuge Zhengwo, Yuan Shisanxian, and Li Nanxing have many old grudges against you. With each new emperor comes a new set of officials. Do you have the talent to replace these capable ministers and officials?

Third, how would you deal with Li Zhaoting? Would you exhaust all resources to kill him, or appease him with official titles and ranks? If Li Zhaoting doesn't accept, what will you do next?
Literary pursuits, war, and the martial arts world.

What preparations have you made at each of the three levels?

Leaving aside distant examples, let's just talk about the flood in Chanzhou. How to provide relief to the victims? How to control the plague? How much money and grain should the imperial court allocate? How to prevent official corruption?

After the flood subsides, how should the dikes be repaired? Who is responsible for building the dikes? Who should be held accountable if something goes wrong?

"Your Majesty, may I borrow your memorial?"

Tao Sanchun picked up two memorials from his desk.

Both memorials addressed the floods.

A document from Kou Zhun.

A document from Grand Tutor Pang.

The two presented two different viewpoints.

Tao Sanchun handed the two memorials to Zhao Yuanyan and Chai Yu respectively, indicating that they should analyze the advantages and disadvantages.

Chai Yu shouted, "Tao Sanchun! Others may fear you, but I don't. The world belongs to the Chai family!"

Tao Sanchun sneered disdainfully: "Well said! I wonder which family your Chai family's empire came from? If you become emperor tonight and the descendants of the Guo family come to demand the throne, will you hand it over? The Li family says the empire belongs to the Tang Dynasty, and the Liu family says the empire belongs to the Han Dynasty. If you want the empire, have your ancestor change his name from Chai Rong back to Guo Rong!"

After a pause, Tao Sanchun continued her tirade: "Are you a descendant of Chai Rong or a descendant of Emperor Taizu? Chai Rong and Emperor Taizu would have to call me 'Imperial Sister-in-law' if they saw me. How dare you act so presumptuously in front of me with that nonsensical Green Dragon Society and those demons and monsters who cause trouble everywhere! You mud-covered eels who roll around in the mud dare to call yourselves dragons!"

Before he finished speaking, Tao Sanchun's aura dissipated.

Li Zhaoting floated down from mid-air.

Although I didn't hear the conversation just now, the brocade pouch left by Li Nanxing contains a detailed description of this extremely powerful old lady, ancestor, and senior!
According to seniority from his father's side, Li Zhaoting should call her Great-Grandma; according to seniority from his mother's side, Li Zhaoting should call her Maternal Grandmother. Thinking of this, Li Zhaoting subconsciously thought of the five wives that his grandfather had raised.

Everyone in my family is so eccentric!
My mother is a generation older than my father!
Suzhen and Huaixiu are disciples of the Qingcheng Immortal Sect, and Shengnan is my grandfather's apprentice. According to seniority, they are all a generation older than me. What a ridiculous tradition.

Li Zhaoting bowed deeply, winked, and couldn't help but send a secret telepathic message: "Senior, should I call you Great-Grandma or Grandma? Which generation do you prefer? When my father came to propose marriage, did you make things difficult for him because of the issue of generation?"

Tao Sanchun is most famous for two anecdotes.

One is to cut off the dragon robe.

One of them set rules on their wedding night, which even Zhao Kuangyin couldn't dissuade her from, so she could only run away in disgrace.

Tao Sanchun snorted coldly: "Whatever!"

Li Zhaoting stood up, looked at the Great Dragon Head, and said coldly, "Great Dragon Head, almost all of the Twelve Azure Dragons died because of me. Most of the Azure Dragon Society's branches were destroyed by my friends. We are sworn enemies!"
If you become emperor, I will never have a good life!

I am the most ordinary of ordinary people.

In order to have a better life in the future, I can only humbly request that the Great Dragon Head take a trip to the underworld. I am a close brother of Yama, and I will arrange a private room for you.

Big players, make your move!
You have the courage to usurp power, but don't you have the courage to draw your sword? At least make one move!

Li Zhaoting reached out and grabbed the precious sword hanging in the Imperial Study: "When we wiped out the Yuxian Gang, His Majesty bestowed upon me the Shangfang Sword, which is used to kill evil spirits and heretics. Today, I will use this sword to learn from the Great Dragon's martial arts!"

His Majesty bestowed upon me the Shangfang Sword, to slay demons and protect the people.

All twelve azure dragons are earth dogs; one sword can wipe out three hundred scales.

"A mere mudfish dares to claim supremacy!" (End of Chapter)