Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 222 The method to solve the nine-linked rings is to cut through the mess quickly and decisively.

"Someone's dead! Mr. Ying is dead!"

The maidservants of the Marquis's mansion let out a terrible scream.

Halfway through the banquet, Di Qinglin returned to the venue with a beaming smile, as if he had just completed a beneficial exercise and felt like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.

Just as everyone was singing and drinking merrily, a maid from the Marquis's mansion discovered a corpse. The body of Ying Wuwu, the captain of the Marquis's guards and swordsmanship instructor, was found dead next to the latrine.

It is well known that drinking alcohol can easily cause bloating and make you want to urinate. In some areas, there are rumors circulating that "you can get drunk by drinking cold water with beer," the truth of which is hard to verify.

It's like someone who's good at drinking beer having a drinking contest with someone else, chugging beer from bottle to bottle, beer versus cold water. In the end, the person drinking the cold water collapses, while the person drinking the beer does as usual.

Drinking seven or eight bottles of beer, taking a urination, and sweating after drinking can expel most of the alcohol.

Drinking seven or eight bottles of cold water—that's just cold water—makes my stomach feel worse and worse; it really can't outlast beer.

Tang Zhuquan is revered as the number one drinker, not because he can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, but because he has an enormous belly with a huge capacity, winning by sheer absolute numbers.

Without external assistance, the only one who can defeat Tang Zhuquan is the Great Joyful Female Bodhisattva. In a battle of numerical monsters, the one with the higher numerical value wins.

During the banquet, two people went to the restroom.

One is Ling Yufeng.

A man named Cheng Xiaoqing is the most important suspect in the "Purple Smoke Murder Case" in Jinan Prefecture. He is exceptionally talented in knife skills and possesses a pure and innate demonic aura.

Ling Yufeng really wanted to help investigate the case, but he was the prime suspect. Not only could he not participate in the investigation, he was also prohibited from leaving Jinan Prefecture.

Given Ling Yufeng's background, few people could give him such an order. However, Ling Yufeng was determined to become a constable. He wanted to become one of the Four Great Constables, or even the God of Constables. His resume had to be clean.

Bad people have their own principles.

Especially those with twisted mental illnesses.

They are often more stubborn and inflexible than upright gentlemen; they can do anything, except touch upon their deepest desires.

Ling Yufeng is that kind of person.

"Being a constable" was the biggest shackle in his heart.

Di Qinglin used this to launch a psychological attack. Even though Ling Yufeng knew that Di Qinglin had ill intentions and guessed that Ying Wuwu was assassinated by Di Qinglin, he could only obediently submit.

The responsibility for investigating the case lies with Li Zhaoting.

Li Zhaoting said calmly, "Three days. I'll stake my reputation in the underworld on finding the murderer within three days."

With a murder occurring at the Marquis's residence, the banquet could not continue. Li Zhaoting went to examine the body and discovered that Ying Wuwu's fatal wound was exactly the same as that of the Shenshui Palace disciple—both had been pierced through the heart by a weapon as thin as a cicada's wing.

Ying Wuwu's muscles were very soft, with traces of lactic acid dissolution, indicating that Ying Wuwu had engaged in strenuous exercise before his death. His face was full of smiles, as if he was fulfilling his most dreamlike wish before he died.

Only daydreaming and having dreams come true can bring such a smile to someone on the verge of death. The murderer first made Ying Wuwu engage in strenuous exercise, then ambushed and killed him, and finally fulfilled his wish. Is this guy out of his mind?

It's not an insult, it's just the literal meaning!
Something's wrong with your brain!

Among the experts in the Marquis's mansion who meet these conditions, there are only two who can make Ying Wuwu die willingly and with a smile on his face. That is only Di Qinglin.

Li Zhaoting quickly identified the murderer.

The next step is to find evidence.

There's no need to waste time and effort searching, because Di Qinglin will proactively reveal the evidence to lure Li Zhaoting to his door for a duel. He even practiced using a soft sword for this purpose.

When Li Zhaoting turned around, Di Qinglin happened to be looking at him. Their eyes met, and Di Qinglin's expression was provocative, while Li Zhaoting responded with an understanding look.

"I know you are the murderer."

"If you're so capable, find evidence to arrest me."

"I'm not a constable, I don't need evidence."

"I'm waiting for you to come and get me!"

The two communicated with their eyes, and although they didn't say a word, they understood each other's meaning.

After the banquet ended, everyone left.

Li Zhaoting and Li Shengnan found a stall to eat skewers.

There were only two customers at the stall.

There was also an ordinary-looking barbecue vendor.

"Is the murderer Di Qinglin?"

Li Shengnan casually started a conversation.

"How did you know?"

"Di Qinglin left his seat midway through the banquet to kill Ying Wuwu, right? I can't guess his reason for doing so, but he must have been provoked by you."

“I made Di Qinglin lose once.”

"When?"

"At the auction, we lost to Ling Yufeng."

"Is that his reason for killing?"

"There is still hatred."

"Ying Wuwu is Di Qinglin's master and treats Di Qinglin like his own son. How could the two be enemies?"

"You just mentioned the source of the hatred. Ying Wuwu has been too good to Di Qinglin. To be honest, 99% of fathers in the world are not this good to their own sons."

A father and son who spend every day together wouldn't act like that.

Only an old father who is separated from his child by accident, finds his son again years later, discovers that his son has become a young marquis, and dares not acknowledge his son, but can only silently stay by his son's side, would open his heart so completely.

Coincidentally, Di Qinglin's mother had a romantic relationship with Ying Wuwu before marrying into the Marquis's family.

What do you expect Di Qinglin to think?
Di Qinglin was proud of his birth, but suddenly learned that he might not be a 'young marquis', but a 'bastard' born out of wedlock with his mother.

This statement is somewhat serious and cannot be verified, but the condemnation of many and the accumulation of slander can destroy a person's reputation. Rumors from the streets kept reaching his ears, affecting his judgment.

The better Ying Wu treated Di Qinglin, the more it proved the rumors in the streets were true, and the more it trampled on Di Qinglin's fragile self-esteem. He had wanted to do this for a long time.

The reason I didn't make a move before was because Ying Wuwu's swordsmanship was extremely advanced and very valuable to Di Qinglin.

The reason for taking action now is that Di Qinglin's swordsmanship surpasses Ying Wuwu's in every aspect. The living Ying Wuwu has completely lost his value, and only his corpse has some value.

— Framed Ling Yufeng!

What I just said wasn't a guess.

Before I left the Marquis's residence, Di Qinglin and I exchanged glances. He told me that he had practiced soft sword techniques and wanted to defeat the Ziwei Soft Sword.

Di Qinglin also practiced swordsmanship, hoping to defeat Long Chengbi's Wind and Snow Blade. If he succeeds in defeating us, he will also practice finger techniques, lightness skills, music, and demonic arts.

Until all the heroes of the martial arts world are defeated.

Di Qinglin's next targets are Lu Xiaofeng, followed by Chu Liuxiang, Ye Gucheng, and Li Shengnan.

tsk tsk~
What can I say?

I'll go find him and fight him in a couple of days.

Let's see what Di Qinglin's skills are!

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

"I think you're making up a story."

"It's not entirely a made-up story. When I was five or six years old, I discovered that I couldn't practice martial arts. I vowed to outdo my peers in academics and become an all-rounder in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. It was something like that."

Why did you give up later?

“My father offended the Empress Dowager and was exiled to Lingnan. On the way, he met his master, who solved the problem of not being able to practice martial arts. He followed his master to practice martial arts diligently and didn’t have time to think about these things.”

"I have a question."

"what is the problem?"

"Why are you revealing so many secrets in front of an ordinary barbecue restaurant owner?"

"Because he is a disciple of the Nie family, one of the five lower sects, he voluntarily revealed his identity to me at the banquet earlier, explaining that according to the Nie family rules, he had a tragic injustice."

Li Zhaoting turned to look at Nie Xiaochong.

Nie Xiaochong pulled a scroll from his pocket. Half a year ago, the Bai family of Gusu was brutally murdered. Only Madam Li Nanhong and her maid Yuanyuan survived. In order to find the murderer, Li Nanhong took the initiative to reveal her identity and entered into prostitution to lure the murderer of the family.

Li Nanhong knew that the murderer who wiped out the Bai family was a proud and arrogant young master. Although he wore a mask, he could not hide his voice or physical characteristics. When he was humiliating Yuanyuan, Yuanyuan could clearly see a centipede scar on his abdomen.

It was a little over a foot long and as ugly as a centipede.

A lecherous, ruthless, arrogant young man learns that there is a survivor in the family massacre he orchestrated—a charming and beautiful widow who has already entered the world of prostitution.

He will definitely come to enjoy the beauty.

At that time, the murderer can be found.

Li Nanhong is gambling.

He was gambling with his entire life's reputation.

Recently, six people became Li Nanhong's lovers and were all murdered. Purple smoke rose around them when they died, which is known as the Purple Smoke Murder Case.

Ling Yufeng suspected that Cheng Xiaoqing was responsible.

Because Li Nanhong and Cheng Xiaoqing were childhood sweethearts before Li Nanhong got married, Cheng Xiaoqing wanted to marry Li Nanhong after she became a widow, but his mother strictly forbade it. The two were destined to be apart in this life. The only thing Cheng Xiaoqing could do was send all of Li Nanhong's guests to the underworld.

Li Nanhong was born into the Li family of Taiyuan and had some connection with the Demonic Sect. The Demonic Sect sent elders to protect her, and Li Shengnan helped investigate the case, but so far they have made no progress.

Following the ancestral teachings of the Nie family, Nie Xiaochong disguised himself as a servant to secretly investigate the case, compiled the details into a file, and handed it over to Li Zhaoting, hoping that Li Zhaoting would punish the wicked and eliminate evil.

Compared to the files compiled by Li Shengnan, the files compiled by Nie Xiaochong were more detailed and coherent, without any emotional analysis, only concise and clear text.

"How much do you know about the recent cases in Jinan Prefecture, such as the conflict between the Vermilion Gang and the Heavenly Star Gang? Which mountain stronghold are these Shaolin monks here to investigate?"

"That file is in Xiang Shuai's hands."

"Can you recognize Chu Xiangshuai?"

"In the whole world, when it comes to the art of disguise, even the likes of the Thousand-Faced Gentleman and Sikong Zhaixing are inferior to our Nie family. If the art of disguise is included in the ranking of the eight masters, I, Nie Xiaochong, will surely take the top spot."

"You're really not being polite, kid."

"The skills passed down from our ancestors are limited. If we can't inherit them, the Nie family will be reduced to begging."

Is your ancestor still alive?

"He may be alive, or he may be dead. Who knows where that old monster is? Master Li, I advise you not to look for him. Master Dajie's favorite food is loach mixed with earthworms, and he likes to force others to eat it."

"If the Great Master Jie is unwilling to show himself, even if all the experts in the world search together and exhaust all the methods used throughout history, they will not be able to find this old monster."

Li Shengnan added casually.

These words were spoken by Jade Rakshasa herself.

Besides their unremarkable appearance and superb disguise skills, the Nie family's methods for navigating the martial world also include their ability to sense danger. The Nie family's ancestor, Master Da Jie, created a method for sensing danger and avoiding disasters based on the habits of mosquitoes. This method is called the "Autumn Insect Avoidance of Disaster Scripture," which can sense all natural and man-made disasters and weaken one's presence.

It is said that the Great Master Da Jie used this method to deceive the omnipresent "Great Dao of Heaven and Earth," completely separating himself from this world, existing both within the mundane world and outside of it, unbound by any rules.

Li Zhaoting rubbed his chin: "Nie Xiaochong, five days from now, please have Li Nanhong host a banquet. I will expose the murderer at the banquet and avenge the Bai family of Gusu."

"Thank you for your help, Master Li."

"Can I ask a personal question?"

"Please enlighten me, Master Li."

Does the Nie family have any ancestral sword techniques?

"No, the Nie family never uses weapons!"

"Oh, what a pity!"

Li Zhaoting curled his lip in boredom.

Nie Xiaochong was completely dumbfounded.

When it comes to swordsmanship, mentioning the Bai, Song, or Long families is reasonable, but I've never heard of any swordsmanship masters in the Nie family. Could it be that there's a Nie family swordsman in martial arts history who could interest Li Zhaoting?
Nie Xiaochong decided to go home and investigate the clues.

Li Shengnan thought so too.

A swordsman who can interest Li Zhaoting must at least be a top-tier swordsman, and is worth the time to investigate.

……

Tonight is destined to be anything but peaceful.

First, an assassination attempt occurred at the Marquis's residence. Then, two assassins, Zhongyuan Yidianhong and Pinggu Yidianhong, launched an assassination attempt under the cover of night. Pinggu Yidianhong killed Xing Rui, the chief constable of Jinan Prefecture, with a single sword strike. Zhongyuan Yidianhong fought a fierce battle against Zhang Xiaolin, a ginseng gatherer from beyond the pass, unleashing 144 sword strikes without harming his opponent in the slightest, thus exposing Chu Liuxiang's true identity.

Immediately afterwards, "Master Ni's" stronghold outside the city went out to rob a security escort agency overnight. When they were carrying the silver back to the stronghold, they were blocked by an ordinary-looking constable. Three of Master Ni's top-ranking officers were knocked down by the constable. Master Ni fled back to the stronghold in a sorry state, crying and screaming, and tightly sealed the stronghold gate.

The constable brought the silver back to the county office, intending to register the case before returning it to the escort agency. However, when he counted the stolen goods at dawn, he discovered that the silver was all counterfeit.

In just a few hours, the young constable went from a great hero who defeated bandits to a thief who stole silver.

The amount of this shipment of silver was enormous.

It amounted to 1.8 million taels.

This is the entire year's profit from the three most lucrative dens of Qingyi Tower, and also the operating expenses of the six branches of the Qinglong Society in the north. Countless people are eyeing this huge sum of money. How can a lowly constable afford it?
Of course, the most crucial question is, where is the silver? So much silver, even if cast into enormous ingots, could fill an entire warehouse.

Who has such a big warehouse?
Of course, it's the Di family.

Of course, it's Di Qinglin's warehouse.

At daybreak, news of the robbery of 1.8 million taels of silver spread throughout Jinan Prefecture. Li Zhaoting swallowed the last steamed bun and headed straight for the Marquis's residence.

Li Zhaoting didn't have time to beat around the bush.

A series of cases are as tangled as a nine-linked ring; the fastest way to untangle them is to cleave them in two with a single sword stroke.

……

Hou House.

Looking at the leaders of the Azure Dragon Society in Jinan Prefecture, at the nine hundred bushels of rice they had brought, and the silver ingots hidden among the rice, Di Qinglin's eyes flashed with murderous intent. A cold light flashed and the two leaders' corpses fell to the ground.

How could Di Qinglin not see through such an obvious frame-up? The Qinglong Society was clearly trying to shift the blame, using the escort fee as an excuse to lure Li Zhaoting to their door.

When two tigers fight, there must be one injury.

Whether Di Qinglin is killed or Li Zhaoting is killed by Di Qinglin in retaliation, it is a good thing for the Azure Dragon Society. It would be best if they could perish together and eliminate two threats.

Di Qinglin and the Azure Dragon Society have a cooperative relationship.

Besides the hall masters and branch leaders, the Azure Dragon Society also has dozens of close martial arts figures, who are known as Holy Lords, totaling ninety-six people.

Ninety-six sage rulers, their names hang like floating clouds in the air!
Di Qinglin was one of the ninety-six holy rulers.

The basis of their cooperation is martial arts.

The Great Dragon Head taught Di Qinglin the sword technique.

Di Qinglin helped the Big Boss commit murder.

Years later, Di Qinglin had grown powerful and disregarded the orders of the Azure Dragon Society. His methods became increasingly erratic, and he even plotted to turn against the Azure Dragon Society.

This is something the Azure Dragon Society cannot tolerate.

Since we can't cooperate, let's destroy it completely.

Nobody wants to work with a madman.

Especially someone like Di Qinglin, who has a mental illness.

No one knows when he will have an attack, nor when he will kill. Plans made with Di Qinglin as the protagonist almost always fail.

The plan has too many flaws and too little room for error.

Getting rid of Di Qinglin is a very worthwhile deal.

In particular, a sword arrived in Jinan.

A sword perfectly suited for using someone else to do one's dirty work.

"My lord, Master Li has arrived!"

"Take him to the training room!"

(End of this chapter)