Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 111 A Peerless Man Born with the Fate of a Eunuch
"Young Master Li, please come in!"

Li Zhaoting was thrown into a prison cell by the jailers.

Li Zhaoting was a suspect, not a criminal. He was quite famous in the underworld, so he couldn't be tortured to confess. He worked hard without complaint, and fearing he might be poisoned, he took the initiative to arrange a small private room for him.

Everyone in the martial arts world knows that Li Zhaoting's confidante is the leader of the Five Poisons Sect. If you anger this lady, you will live in fear for the rest of your life.

"Personal favors are personal favors, and business is business. We won't delay your business. Thank you both for your hard work!"

Li Zhaoting took out two gold ingots.

He accepted the gift with a beaming smile, saying, "I've long heard of Young Master Li's generosity, and meeting you today confirms it's true. Don't worry, everything will be arranged!"

"I want to ask you something."

"what's up?"

"Do you have a map of the imperial prison?"

"Young Master Li, this is a taboo subject!"

"Don't worry, I won't run away. If I wanted to run away, I wouldn't have come in at all. I'm just curious. Tell me about the criminals around here, and I can help you interrogate them."

"You...really..."

"Look here, the magnetic needles have sealed the acupoints, and even the One-Finger Divine Skill and the Sunflower Acupoint Unlocking Technique can't undo it. I'm just a weak scholar now, how could I possibly have the strength to escape?"

The magnetic needle sealing technique is the most powerful restraining method, specifically designed to deal with martial arts masters. Even a grandmaster on the Heavenly Gang Ranking with profound skill can be easily defeated by the magnetic needle.

The essence of acupressure is to block the flow of vital energy.

The essence of acupoint release is to restore unobstructed flow.

One option is to install barrier cables.

One option is to force your way through.

Using true qi to press acupoints can forcefully open them, but using magnetic needles to seal acupoints cannot break through them because magnetic needles can interfere with the flow of true qi in the body. The magnetic needles themselves are relatively brittle, and if true qi is used to forcefully break through them, the magnetic needles may be shattered.

The magnetic needle fragments flow through the meridians and blood vessels, which can damage acupoints at best, and even enter the heart through the blood vessels at worst. Unless one installs an arc reactor like Iron Man, one could die at any time. It is truly extremely dangerous.

Li Zhaoting was not a criminal. Zhu Wushi only inserted two magnetic needles into Li Zhaoting's body to ensure that Li Zhaoting could not leave the prison, and left everything else to his own devices.

The layout of the Heavenly Prison must not be revealed, but the details of the prisoners can be sold for money. Li Zhaoting wrote a note to Ren Lao, instructing them to get money from Lan Fenghuang and, once they received the money, to readily disclose the prisoners' files.

That's right!

These two guys just brought the case file over.

Any case file could be falsified, but a meticulously prepared case file is impossible to be falsified, because no prisoner would dare to lie to these two devils.

There's an old saying that money can make the devil turn the millstone, but now it's the other way around: money can make the millstone turn the devil!

Having received the money, he worked tirelessly, sharing roast chicken and fine wine with Li Zhaoting, and chatting about some secrets of the underworld.

Many notorious criminals who committed countless murders were imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, and their enemies would send money to Ren Laoyu in exchange for his help in taking revenge.

To avoid further torment, notorious thieves would either pay to save their lives or reveal secrets of the underworld until they were thoroughly drained and then sent to the execution ground.

After a few rounds of drinks, he left the prison without complaint.

Li Zhaoting shook his shoulders and casually pulled out the magnetic needle. The magnetic needle was indeed powerful for sealing acupoints, but if the acupoints were moved in advance, only physical pain would remain.

It still hurts a lot to get pricked.

The secret method of shifting acupoints that Li Zhaoting found in the Southern Tang treasure trove finally proved effective, allowing him to shift the main acupoints before Zhu Wushi could act.

After removing the magnetic needle, Li Zhaoting closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

Even if I am a suspect in the murder of the Yelü brothers, shouldn't I be imprisoned? Does Zhu Wushi want me to test Gu Santong? That shouldn't be the case!

The Heavenly Prison holds many masters.

According to Ren Lao Ren Yu, Li Zhaoting was imprisoned on the top floor of the Heavenly Prison, which has nine floors in total. With each floor below, the criminals' martial arts skills would increase by a few points.

Deep within the Heavenly Prison, several old demons with unparalleled martial arts skills were imprisoned. These old demons had all stirred up huge storms in the martial arts world and committed countless killings.

This demon has single-handedly challenged the seven major sword sects, and that demon has challenged Shaolin and Wudang. They have committed countless murders, yet they also possess many secrets and have a complex network of relationships behind them. They can only be temporarily imprisoned, and torture cannot be used for interrogation.

Another point is that the purification room is also located here.

Li Zhaoting saw several huge water vats, and in each vat was a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

They are about to become eunuchs.

Li Zhaoting had never witnessed this process before, and was somewhat curious. He looked up and, after seeing the faces of these people clearly, was so surprised that he kept counting on his fingers.

Li Zhaoting was an expert in physiognomy. He had seen people born with the destiny of an emperor, a top scholar, a prodigal son, and someone destined for great wealth and honor, but he had never seen such a bizarre case as being born a eunuch.

Fate is not absolute.

Even those born with the destiny of becoming top scholars still need to study hard and diligently. They may just have higher IQs. If they neglect their studies, they will only end up like Zhong Yong, a prodigy who failed to live up to his potential.

What does it mean to be born a eunuch?
Before becoming a eunuch, everything went wrong. He was unlucky in everything he did, easily picked up bad habits, and became a scoundrel and gambling addict. He was ridiculed wherever he went.

After becoming a eunuch, everything goes smoothly, and he is blessed with divine assistance in everything he does. He rises step by step and soars to great heights until he regrets his overreaching ambitions. He falls from the highest point and plummets to the bottom of the abyss.

Judging from his appearance, he was at least thirty years old. He was neither ugly nor handsome, and had very obvious bruises on his face, indicating that he had been beaten.

Most people would feel lost, terrified, and angry when they go from being a "man" to a "eunuch." This person's face showed a desolate expression, but also a hint of pleasure.

Hiding from debt collectors!
Li Zhaoting had a flash of inspiration and sketched out the experiences of this peculiar character who was born to be a eunuch.

The gambling addict who sold his children was over thirty years old and had accomplished nothing. He was also heavily in debt and was surrounded and beaten by his creditors. To escape his debts, he became a eunuch.

Or they might be sold by the casino to the palace to become eunuchs.

The latter is more likely.

Becoming a eunuch is not something you can just decide to do.

Why did he lose so badly?

Li Zhaoting thought of Feng Suzhen's betting scheme.

Feng Suzhen and Yelü Yancai competed in a contest of talent, with all the casinos in the capital offering betting options. There were twenty different ways to place bets, and Feng Suzhen won the biggest one.

The 5-0 scoreline left many gamblers bankrupt, and hundreds of corpses floated in the moat.

This guy, destined for a life of hardship, probably borrowed a huge sum from an underground bank, gambled it all away, and is now completely unable to pay it back. He'll never be able to pay it back, no matter what.

The only thing we can do is sell him to recoup some of our costs.

In Li Zhaoting's memory, the Wan family's casinos and underground banks operated this kind of business.

Born a eunuch...born a eunuch...

Li Zhaoting knew who this guy was!

Who is the greatest eunuch?
There is no definitive answer to this question.

Considering the issue of fame, if this were a fill-in-the-blank question, "Zheng He" would be the most common answer, with a small percentage of people possibly answering "Cai Lun".

Who is the most famous eunuch?
This question requires no thought; the vast majority of Chinese people would immediately answer... Wei Zhongxian!

The combined fame of eunuchs like Feng Bao, Liu Jin, Wang Zhen, Yu Huatian, Dongfang Bubai, Cao Shaoqin, and Cao Zhengchun is only a fraction of that of Wei Zhongxian.

Just like asking who is the strongest Taoist priest, no one can give a precise answer. But if you change the question to who is the most famous charlatan, the answer will definitely be Yuan Tiangang.

Who was the most famous founding hero of the Ming Dynasty?
The answer came out without hesitation... Liu Bowen!

Was Li Shanchang as famous as Liu Bowen?
The jokes about Li Shanchang circulating online are nothing more than the story of Sima Yi shooting a bullet at the Luo River, which grazed the scalp of Li Jing of the Tang Dynasty and killed Li Shanchang of the Ming Dynasty.

What level of fame did Liu Bowen have?

Zhuge Liang divided the country into three kingdoms, while Liu Bowen unified the country.

Half like the sun, half like the moon, it was once bitten in half by a golden dragon.

Regardless of ability or historical achievements, reputation is firmly secured.

Wei Zhongxian was indeed destined to be a eunuch.

Before becoming a eunuch, he had accomplished nothing and was despised by everyone.

After becoming a eunuch, he became "nine thousand nine hundred years old".

Countless stories have portrayed him as the BOSS.

Wei Zhongxian, the most powerful eunuch in the history of martial arts, who wielded the Heavenly Wrath Sword and slaughtered all sides, may not be able to say that he can firmly hold the title of the number one eunuch, but ranking in the top three is definitely not a problem.

Wei Zhongxian, still half-asleep, noticed Li Zhaoting's gaze and forced a simple, honest smile.

His current name is... Li Jinzhong.

His original name was Wei Jinzhong. He felt that being a eunuch was a disgrace to his ancestors, so he dared not use his original surname and randomly gave himself a name, hoping that his ancestors would not blame him.

The night is getting darker.

The prisoners were all asleep.

Li Zhaoting made a dummy out of dry grass, placed it on the straw mat in the cell, shrank slightly, used his contortionist technique to pass through the bars, put on a black mask, and followed the path guided by the hardworking man to the next level.

The imperial prison held many notorious bandits.

These notorious bandits are perfect for practicing swordsmanship.

……

Hulong Villa.

Zhu Wushi was working late into the night when Duan Tianya brought in tea. Zhu Wushi was a playboy in his youth, but now he is completely indifferent to women.

He didn't even have a maidservant by his side.

He needed his adopted son, Duan Tianya, to serve him tea.

"Godfather, about Li Zhaoting..."

"You want to plead for him?"

"Whether Li Zhaoting is the murderer or not, there is no accurate evidence yet. It is against the law to lock him up in the Ministry of Justice's prison. The Eighth Prince is furious! Students from the Imperial Academy have submitted petitions to plead for Li Zhaoting's life."

“Tianya, I have no grudge against Li Zhaoting, so why would I plot against him? This whole thing is suspicious from beginning to end. The order to imprison him was not given by your father, but by the Empress Dowager’s decree.”

Why is the Empress Dowager targeting Li Zhaoting?

"I don't know, Tianya. This matter is most likely a royal secret. You'd better not get involved."

"Father, there is one more thing. The Grand Preceptor of Izumo Province, Karasuma, is very strange. Should we investigate him? The three delegations have arrived at the same time. We should at least keep one of them here."

"I'm leaving this to you!"

"Your child will certainly live up to your expectations."

Duan Tianya left quietly.

Duan Tianya's martial arts skills were not taught by Zhu Wushi, but were learned in Japan. He learned the swordsmanship of the Yagyu family and the secret ninjutsu of Japan, and was skilled in infiltration and espionage.

……

Li House.

Tianxiang rested her chin on her hands and passionately complained, "Is that old man senile? Li Zhaoting has no grudge against the Yelü brothers, how could he possibly become an assassin?"

Feng Suzhen asked, "Tianxiang, who started this? Why do you suspect my husband?"

Tianxiang scratched her head: "I heard that the analysis was based on the wounds of the deceased. The Liao guards were interrogated. Li Zhaoting went to Duting Post Station three days ago. After he left, Yelü Yancai said something about how a common man's anger could cause bloodshed. They obviously had a breakdown in their negotiations. Yelü Yancai was worried about being assassinated!"

What did the emperor say?

"My brother trusts Li Zhaoting very much."

What did the Empress Dowager say?

"I'll take you to see the palace."

"May I enter the palace?"

"I am the Imperial Concubine Wuyou, and which government office in the capital dares to obstruct me?"

"Even the imperial palace can't stop them?"

"Of course!"

(End of this chapter)