Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 241 Not recognizing Duan Lang as Duan Lang

The summer sun shines brightly, yet the lotus pond remains lush and green.

A handsome 19-year-old boy rode a tall horse from the north to the south, and the dazzling world he saw along the way dazzled him.

He was looking at others, and others were looking at him.

The most desirable prey is a rich, young, and inexperienced teenager.

The boy looked very rich.

His horse was a jade-faced blue-and-white steed, only slightly inferior to Lao Jiu, and was highly sought after at the horse farm.

Beside the saddle hung a silver-rimmed knife with a black sharkskin scabbard and seven jade beads. The scabbard tapped lightly against the brass stirrups, producing a series of tinkling sounds.

His clothes were brightly colored, very light and thin, and well-tailored. The riding whip was a finely crafted black whip made of "pi xiao li" (a type of Chinese liquor), with a pearl on the handle that was two inches larger than a longan. He was clearly a wealthy young nobleman.

What's even more striking is their youthful innocence.

His eyes were pure, and he was sincere, showing no trace of the treacherous nature of the martial world. He was clearly a novice who had just left home to train on his own. Every cell in his body exuded the aura of a fat sheep. Countless green eyes were staring at him, greedy and bloodthirsty eyes fixed on his throat, ready to devour him completely.

The young man seemed oblivious to this.

Having just arrived in Suzhou, I immediately went to the Songhelou branch next to Taihu Lake and ordered a "Hero's Set Meal".

The story of Xiao Feng, Li Zhaoting, and Duan Yu becoming fast friends at Songhelou, drinking a thousand cups of wine, and swearing brotherhood has long been known throughout the martial arts world. It is a popular tale in teahouses and taverns. If a storyteller in Suzhou cannot tell the story of the drinking contest at Songhelou, he will definitely not be able to make a living.

Songhelou became famous and attracted a large number of guests. Countless wealthy young men who admired Li Zhaoting and Xiao Feng went to Songhelou to enjoy the "Hero's Set Meal". Due to the large number of tourists, Songhelou could not accommodate them all and opened a branch.

The branch is located in Taihu Lake.

Dining in a private room on the second floor offers the opportunity to admire the vast lotus ponds and thousands of lotus flowers of Taihu Lake. Enjoying the beautiful scenery while drinking, even if you are alone, you can still drink three hundred cups.

The young man thought so too.

He was fascinated by the "hero's meal".

He can ignore the tea, snacks, and Suzhou cuisine of Suzhou, but he absolutely must taste the "Hero's Set Meal" himself, because he is also a "duan yu" (a term of endearment for a man who is also a man of great talent).

The one who drank the most wine at Songhelou was Duan Yu from Dali.

The young man was Duan Yu from Duanjiazhuang in the north.

Duan Yu is nineteen years old this year. He is ordered by his father, Duan Feixiong, to use the family heirloom jade knife as a betrothal gift to marry the beloved daughter of Master Zhu the Second of Baozhu Manor.

The Duan family has a very strict and excellent family education. The Duan family has been passed down for hundreds of years and has never produced a spoiled brat. The family has a stable lineage and is a famous family of chivalry.

Duan Yu received strict training from a young age and has a solid foundation in martial arts, but he lacks experience in the martial arts world.

Before leaving home, his father gave Duan Yu seven rules that he absolutely could not violate.

First, do not cause trouble or meddle in other people's business.

Second, do not make friends with strangers casually.

Third, never gamble with strangers.

Fourth, one should not make enemies with monks, Taoists, or beggars.

Fifth, one should not flaunt one's wealth.

6. Do not blindly believe what others say.

Seventh, and most importantly, and most strictly, never associate with strange women.

Duan Yu was a filial and obedient child from a young age, and he dared not forget any of these things. Every morning when he woke up, he would recite them repeatedly in his heart.

However, as he sat in the private room on the second floor, looking at the lotus pond and leaves outside the window and smelling the aroma of fine wine, he felt his mind and spirits expand and he was full of vigor. He had long forgotten his father's earnest admonitions.

"Boom!"

Footsteps came from the stairwell.

Duan Yu looked closely and saw a waiter with a pleading expression: "Young master, we really don't have enough seats in our shop. A distinguished guest would like to share a table with you. This distinguished guest is a refined scholar with two beautiful ladies. He is definitely not a notorious bandit."

It's common for people to share tables in the lobby.

Who would dare to do business like this, sharing a table in a private room?

The reason for choosing a private room is for peace and quiet. If private rooms can be shared with other tables, why bother arranging one?

Let's just arrange the tables and chairs!
Any restaurant in the world, even the most luxurious Fanlou, would anger its customers and severely impact its business if Li Shishi requested to share a table.

Songhelou is the only exception.

Because when they had a drinking contest at Songhelou, there weren't enough tables and chairs, so Li Zhaoting and two others had to share a table.

Sharing tables is a traditional activity at Songhelou Restaurant.

Some wealthy young men who experience the "heroic" package feel unhappy if no one asks them to share a table or have a drinking contest, and they need the restaurant to arrange for actors to share a table with them.

There are requirements for sharing tables in private rooms.

It has to be pleasing to the eye.

They were mostly wealthy young men, refined scholars, or actors from Songhelou Restaurant.

Duan Yu and Duan Yu have very similar personalities; they rarely refuse others. He smiled and said, "In that case, please come up here for a while, brother. I'll pay for the drinks!"

Before long, a handsome and gentle young nobleman walked up the stairs, accompanied by two beautiful women, one innocent and charming, the other meek and obedient.

It was none other than Li Zhaoting.

Li Zhaoting went fishing in the middle of the lake. He fished until noon, but no fish took the bait. Frustrated, he looked around for a place to eat and was surprised to see Songhelou Restaurant.

After inquiring, I learned that this Songhelou restaurant is a newly opened branch, and its main selling point is the Songhelou drinking contest. There are storytellers on the first floor and folk art masters singing Pingtan. Dining is done in private rooms on the second floor.

This can be considered a "return to familiar territory"!

"Please, young master."

Li Zhaoting picked up the wine pot with practiced ease.

"Young master, are you here for sightseeing?"

"Who would go on vacation in the sweltering heat? I must have had the worst luck in the world. Someone invited me to dinner and even tried to arrange a marriage for me. Halfway through the meal, the bride beat up the matchmaker and flew away like a bird. What could I do? Staying would be awkward, but leaving would be even more awkward. I could only travel for a few days to avoid being laughed at by my family."

"Who is the young lady next to you...?"

"My beloved."

"Since you already have a family, why worry about this? Come, let me offer you a drink."

Duan Yu didn't believe Li Zhaoting's words at all, but Li Zhaoting's way of speaking was interesting, even more entertaining than storytelling, so he couldn't help but want to listen to a few more sentences. Besides, Li Zhaoting was handsome and refined, and he made a good impression on people at first glance.

"May I ask your esteemed name, sir?"

Li Zhaoting glanced at Duan Yu and saw the jade knife at Duan Yu's waist, thus guessing Duan Yu's identity.

This Duan Yu is not that Duan Yu.

This marriage is not the same as that marriage.

Don't you recognize "Duan Lang" as "Duan Lang"?
"My name is Duan Yu. May I ask your name, sir?"

"My name is Li Zhaoting."

"I'm not joking. My name is really Duan Yu, the 'Yu' in jade. Please don't misunderstand, young master."

"Sigh~ I wasn't joking. My real name is Li Zhaoting, and I despise lying more than anything else in my life."

"Now that Duan Yu and Li Zhaoting have met in such a fine place as Songhelou, shouldn't we have a drinking contest? Drinking a thousand cups might be too much, how about we start with five jin?"

"If someone invites me to dinner, even if they try to get me drunk, I will risk my life to stay with them."

"You flatter me, sir."

"I'm just telling a joke to lighten the mood. Brother Duan is paying for the meal, but making sure we have a good time and enjoy ourselves is naturally my job." "Brother Li is quite adept at entertaining at banquets?"

“I’m good at storytelling. My wife once said that if I were willing to set up a storytelling stall, I would smash the rice bowls of all the storytellers within a 300-mile radius.”

"What else is Brother Li good at?"

"Fortune telling."

"Brother Li, could you please perform a divination for me?"

"The secrets of divination cannot be revealed. I can only see that Brother Duan's eyes are filled with lust. Before long, you will no longer be Brother Duan, but 'Young Master Duan'!"

"Brother Li... Brother Li, please don't joke."

The two chatted idly, laughing and joking.

Unbeknownst to him, Duan Yu forgot his father's instructions and began to casually befriend strangers. He pretended not to believe Li Zhaoting, but in reality, he gradually lowered his guard.

It has to be said that Duanyu was very lucky.

Duan Yu encountered Li Zhaoting.

Duan Yu also encountered Li Zhaoting.

The musician downstairs played and sang in the soft Wu dialect:
"The village girl was barefoot."
Go into the water to cut rush pith.

The bundle of grass had just been tied up.

He fell asleep by the stream.

The willow shade covered her face.
Her feet were small and delicate.

Three knights rode in.
Their faces were all smiling…

The patrons downstairs were amused and burst into laughter. Duan Yu, caught up in the atmosphere, drank seven or eight bowls of wine in a row.

Before he knew it, Duan Yu was somewhat intoxicated. He subconsciously looked out the window, wanting to breathe some fresh air, but what came into view was not a lotus pond, but a painted boat.

Inside the painted boat was a graceful woman, one hand supporting her cheek, the other teasing a parrot. A faint melancholy seemed to linger between her brows, as if she were lamenting the fleeting nature of spring and the separation of lovers by death.

Duan Yu also saw a speedboat crashing into the pleasure boat at high speed. On the speedboat were four ugly, strong monks who looked like bandits.

The senior monk rushed onto the pleasure boat and began smashing and destroying things everywhere.

Seeing this, Duan Yu forgot his father's instructions not to offend the monks and Taoists and not to meddle in other people's business. Duan Yu flew towards the painted boat, followed by a graceful "Slender Chest Turns Cloud" and a "Wild Goose Descends on Sand" move, and landed lightly on the deck of the painted boat. He then threw a punch at the big monk.

Lan Fenghuang laughed and said, "Li Lang, this young master Duan's martial arts are quite good, and his foundation is more solid than mine."

Li Zhaoting snorted and patted Lan Fenghuang's breasts twice: "Your little wife is the most disobedient, always thinking about shirking her duties."

Lan Fenghuang said coquettishly, "Li Lang is bullying me. As your concubine, I have to be thrifty and manage the household, cook, practice Gu poison and medicine, dance to please you, and diligently practice martial arts to be your bodyguard. I do everything. Let me be your first wife!"

Li Zhaoting was speechless for a moment.

Jiang Yuyan familiarly took out her notebook.

On a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, Lan Fenghuang was dissatisfied with her status as a concubine and expressed her desire to become the first wife. The master neither supported nor opposed it, and let her have her way.

Blue Phoenix: Cross this out!
Li Zhaoting: You must have a PhD in journalism, right?

Jiang Yuyan whispered, "Master, you don't want the First Madam to see this record, do you?"

While the three were fooling around, Duan Yu decisively threw the four fat monks into the water.

The head monk was an excellent swimmer.

He waded through the water, revealing his upper body, and coldly stared at Duan Yu, then glanced at the private room: "Young master, you can save her once, but not ten or a hundred times. If you want to meddle in other people's business, you might as well go all the way and tell us your background and take over this grudge."

"My name is Duan Yu!"

"What's the name of the young man in the private room?"

"His name is Li Zhaoting!"

"Young master, you have the guts to meddle in other people's business, yet you act like a coward, it's truly despicable!"

"My real name is Duan Yu!"

"If you use the Six Meridian Divine Sword technique, I'll believe you're Duan Yu, or I'll bring out Xiao Feng."

“We share the same name. The Duan Yu you mentioned is from the royal family of Dali, while I come from the Duan family in the north.”

"Alright! Remember this! You're in trouble, you're in big trouble. This won't end here. Our boss will settle this score with you, young master!"

After saying that, the monk disappeared into the water.

What he just said was just polite talk, taking advantage of Duan Yu's inexperience and lack of martial arts experience. If it were Li Zhaoting here, the big monk would dare to meddle in other people's business, and Li Zhaoting would draw his sword and chop off his bald head on the spot.

When a person dies, all debts are settled!

Dead people don't hold grudges!
Duan Yu was a novice with little experience and was easily fooled. He had just rescued a damsel in distress and received a few compliments from the beautiful woman on the pleasure boat, which made him a little smug.

No matter how well-mannered or rational a young man is, even if he is drunk and flattered by a beautiful woman, he will be overwhelmed by her soft and fragrant body. Duan Yu was taken to the heart of Taihu Lake by the painted boat in a daze.

Lan Fenghuang said, "Li Lang, this Duan Yu is also a bit dim-witted. What if he gets sold off?"

"will not!"

"why?"

"Because he's smarter than you think. He wasn't drunk at all, nor was he fooled. Duan Yu is just half-drunk and trying to take the opportunity to avoid paying the bill."

"Does anyone dare to freeload off Li Lang?"

“Lu Xiaofeng and Tang Zhuquan have emptied our wine cellar seven or eight times. What can I do? I can only honestly go to the restaurant to buy wine and fill the cellar again.”

Li Zhaoting gestured.

Jiang Yuyan went downstairs to pay the bill.

It's impossible to default on a debt.

Although Songhelou should have paid Li Zhaoting for the advertising fee, Li Zhaoting was magnanimous and never fussed over such matters.

Why break a legend that has been passed down through generations?

Songhelou, a famous scenic spot, has been visited thousands or even tens of thousands of times by travelers from all over the world. It is quite unique that it has made a name for itself and attracted people to open branches.

……

The beautiful woman's name was Hua Yelai.

Duan Yu was led off the painted boat by Hua Yelai and into a room filled with the fragrance of flowers. He lay on a bed that smelled even better than the forest of flowers, unable to tell whether he was dreaming or awake.

There seems to be a beautiful snake nearby.

He seemed to hear someone calling him "Duan Lang".

Not far away, there seemed to be a figure who wrapped the silver notes, jewelry, and jade dagger from his purse into a large bundle and stuffed it into a large flowerpot.

The next morning, Hua Yelai woke up.

Duan Yu had already disappeared.

Duan Yu was carrying a large bundle containing his jade knife, silver notes, jewelry, an extra string of pearls, and a white jade plaque.

What is this?
Could it be Hua Yelai's treasured possession?
wrong!

I've been rigged!
Duan Yu suddenly woke up with a start.

Hua Yelai knew that he had remained clear-headed and had not fallen for the trap, so she turned the tables on him by deliberately revealing a flaw, allowing Duan Yu to steal the bundle.

Duan Yu, being young and innocent, only wanted to play a little joke on Hua Ye, but he didn't expect to fall into the beauty's trap.

(End of this chapter)