Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 244 A Thousand-Mile Plan: Luring the Enemy into a Trap, The Most Difficult Dragon Head to Deal With!

Molten iron has a very strange nature.

If Duan Yu were obsequious and fawned over him, he wouldn't get a single drink. Duan Yu's upright and honest demeanor won Tie Shui's favor.

"Good lad, you have a good eye! Now you're qualified to drink three cups, no! Three big bowls!"

Tieshui, in a display of generosity, ordered the maid to pour him wine.

Being a drunkard is never a good thing.

But when a man of the martial arts world judges someone, one of the criteria is their drinking capacity; those who can't drink well are easily looked down upon.

Monks have an advantage in this regard.

No matter how the other party tries to probe, a simple Buddhist precept prohibiting alcohol consumption can cover it up.

Duan Yu was from the north. He appeared to be a refined and gentle scholar, but in reality, he was quite bold and had a very high alcohol tolerance, capable of drinking five or six jin (2.5-3 catties) of liquor in one sitting.

A young girl in light clothing and with her hair in a bun held a large jade bowl in her small, white hands, her face adorned with a sweet smile like spring flowers in March, and gracefully presented it to Duan Yu.

The spring sunshine is bright and the garden is full of flowers in full bloom.

In this situation, even someone with a heart of stone would drink the wine, but Duan Yu did not.

Not only did he not drink it, he also threw it on the ground.

"Snapped!"

The jade bowl shattered into more than a dozen pieces.

What was spilled on the ground was not wine, but blood.

Fresh blood with a pungent, fishy stench.

Wine turning into blood is an ominous sign.

This is the most meaningless nonsense!
Aside from the wedding night, seeing blood at any other time is a bad omen. Blood represents killing, loss of life, and someone's soul departing for the afterlife.

Just as everyone was filled with doubt and surprise, the big monk who had been driven off the pleasure boat by Duan Yu came over and said that he had found Hua Yelai's pleasure boat. When everyone rushed over, they found that there was no one on the pleasure boat, only a fresh corpse.

The time of death was no more than two hours.

The deceased was a young, handsome, wealthy man whose face was contorted in a grimace, his hands clenched into fists.

Cause of death: a knife through the chest.

Murder weapon: Jade knife.

The Duan family's ancestral jade knife.

Duan Yu hurriedly searched his bundle and discovered that the Jade Knife had been stolen at some point. Even more shockingly, the corpse was none other than Lu Jiuye's son, Lu Xiaoyun!
—Duan Yu's biggest competitor in the marriage proposal.

The event was sudden, with dramatic ups and downs and rapid changes.

In less than a day, Duan Yu came into contact with Hua Yelai, Hua Huafeng, Gu Daoren, Lu Jiuye, Tieshui and others, and inexplicably became a murderer.

Let alone a complete novice, even someone with the wisdom of Zhuge Liang would be shocked and flustered.

Each of the twelve Azure Dragons has its own strengths and weaknesses.

This time, the opponent is a master of swift and decisive action, who is adept at using continuous stimulation to drive his target to madness, and employing rapid changes in a short period of time to make it difficult for those involved to distinguish between truth and falsehood. Whether good or bad, man or woman, they will unknowingly become his pawns.

This person is particularly adept at "leveraging existing resources".

It's not about "borrowing strength," it's about "leveraging momentum."

The scheme against Duan Yu relied on the power of molten iron, the power of Master Lu, the power of the Duan family's honor, and the power of the code of honor in the martial arts world, driving Duan Yu into a deadly situation.

The scheme against Li Zhaoting was orchestrated by leveraging the power of Tie Jian, the influence of the Suzhou martial arts world, the righteous path of the Jianghu, and Li Zhaoting's own sense of justice. Li Zhaoting was forced to stay and investigate the case, firstly to avenge the innocent, secondly to clear Lan Fenghuang's name, and thirdly because Ximen Muye's appearance in Suzhou was clearly bait to lure Li Shengnan.

The other party had been planning this scheme for a long time.

First, he let the molten iron run rampant, attracting a Shaolin monk to come and advise him. Then, he assassinated three monks, attracting Tie Jian to investigate the case, thus planting a hidden plan.

First, Hua Ye was sent to lure Lu Xiaoyun, and then Duan Yu was lured into rescuing her as a hero. He deliberately revealed a flaw, causing Duan Yu to walk into the trap, creating a series of coincidences.

What appears to be a coincidence is actually a long-term strategic plan.

These plans were not necessarily designed to deal with Duan Yu, Li Shengnan, Li Zhaoting, or Lan Fenghuang; whoever happened to fall into the other's trap was the target.

If Lu Xiaofeng were to fall into a trap, the original framework would be maintained, but modifications would be made according to Lu Xiaofeng's temperament. The same would be true for Chu Liuxiang.

Without making a move, one can leave subtle clues and hidden plans, keeping the situation calm and peaceful.

When it moves, it's like a mountain roaring and a tsunami crashing down, soaring into the sky, with all the hidden pieces activating simultaneously, turning the tide of the game.

If we start from Tieshui, perhaps from the moment he joined Shaolin, he became the enemy's pawn, subtly influenced, and eventually betrayed Shaolin.

If we start counting from Hua Yelai, these covert moves took three or four years to complete, transforming Hua Yelai from a江湖飞贼 (jianghu feizhe, a kind of江湖飞贼, a kind of江湖飞贼, a kind of江湖飞贼, a kind of江湖发道蛇 ...

If we start counting from Lu Xiaoyun, this plan began to be implemented seven days ago, and it completely erupted last night. In just seven hours, the situation in Suzhou was in complete chaos.

This forbearance, this caution, this decisiveness—all the twelve Azure Dragons Li Zhaoting had encountered combined could not compare to this person. Chu Xiangyu was only superior in martial arts; in terms of strategic planning, psychological warfare, and unpredictable maneuvering, he was far inferior to this person. Li Zhaoting felt that his path was filled with interconnected traps, and he could not afford to attack head-on.

A forceful attack will only lead to more traps.

Li Zhaoting chose to investigate the case openly and honestly, bringing Tie Jian into the picture and making him a witness.

Duan Yu chose to retreat, avoiding provoking the enraged and livid Master Lu. He jumped into the water and ran away. With Hua Hua Feng's help, he left as quickly as possible and found a place to settle down and review his actions.

……

Reeds by the lake.

Duan Yu lay on his back on a clump of reeds, a faint smile on his face, with a reed stalk in his mouth.

Hua Huafeng seemed to be possessed by Bao Butong; despite the extremely dangerous situation, she kept talking nonstop.

"How can you still laugh? Do you know who you've offended? In three hours at most, Suzhou will be plastered with your bounty posters. You're no longer a young master from a prestigious family, but a wanted criminal."

"As long as a person is alive, they can laugh. And as long as they can laugh, they should laugh more."

"I'm just a little curious, you should be a landlubber, so why can you swim all of a sudden?"

"Miss Hua."

"what's up?"

“I think you’re cuter underwater, not only because your eyes are bigger, but also because you can’t open your mouth.”

"I think you should drown!"

"Well said, I agree!"

Duan Yu jumped into the water. He knew that Hua Huafeng would not let him off the hook. It would be safer to hide underwater, at least he would have some peace and quiet and avoid being bothered to death by Hua Huafeng.

Duan Yu recalled the story Li Zhaoting had told him at lunch yesterday to cheer him up.

Li Zhaoting met many extraordinary people in Dali, including a learned, talented, poetic, and literary master named Xiong. Master Xiong was not particularly handsome, but he loved drinking and understood women very well.

Master Xiong once said that men are happier than male fish in most situations, except when they are arguing.

The female fish opens her mouth simply to breathe.

Li Zhaoting summarized, saying that some women are fine when they don't open their mouths, but once they do, it makes people want to bang their heads against the wall.

When arguments break out, one woman is worth five hundred ducks. Apart from the eldest son of the Tang family, no one can out-argue a woman. In fact, even Tang Zhuquan can't.

Because Tang Zhuquan has an eighth aunt who can easily suppress him, making him tremble in his dreams.

Hua Huafeng was certainly not a shrew. Her voice was clear and melodious, and her appearance was captivating. She just loved to argue with people and could always find a twisted logic.

Duan Yu could only dive into the water to temporarily avoid the attack.

Unfortunately, Duan Yu forgot one thing.

Duan Yu is a human, not a fish.

As long as you're human, you'll definitely return to shore.

Hua Huafeng cut down a large patch of reeds and spread them out into a thick straw mat, waiting for Duan Yu to admit defeat and beg for mercy.

I waited for a long time, but still didn't see him.

Just as Hua Huafeng's patience was running out, Duan Yu emerged from the water, dragging a large wooden box.

This is the unique "water skill" of a martial arts master.

When submerged, the most important thing is... stability.

A calm mind leads to a steady pace.

Only stability can offer a glimmer of hope.

Martial arts masters possess profound inner energy and strong physiques, which would be a great burden to ordinary people. However, these "weights" are the diving tools of martial arts masters. They would carry heavy objects to the bottom of the water and step on the mud to gradually reach the shore.

The Iron-Shoe Thief uses this tactic.

Iron shoes are essentially "stabilizers".

The same was true of the large wooden box that Duan Yu was dragging.

If you find a treasure chest underwater, you should definitely open it.

No one could stop Duan Yu from opening the box. And no one could stop Hua Huafeng from opening the box.

Even if the box contains a "big black bear".

How did a big black bear end up inside the box?

This is a story from the book "Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang".

Two monks robbed a wealthy family who were visiting relatives, killing everyone except for the beautiful young lady. Since it was too conspicuous for the monks to travel with the beauty, they locked the young lady in a box and found a place to disguise themselves.

After the monk left, a young hunter happened to arrive, rescued the young lady, and stuffed a large black bear, which had been drugged, into the box. The monk changed into heavy clothes and returned, carrying the wooden box to the inn.

First, he ordered the waiter not to enter, then he sealed the doors and windows, and couldn't wait to take off his clothes, lecherously opened the box, ready to enjoy the great beauty.

Just then, the black bear's drug wore off, and he groggily woke up from the box, where he saw four monks.

What follows is a very tragic story.

Neither the young monk nor the senior monk survived. Even if they were reincarnated a hundred and eighty times, they would still remember this tragic experience and be mindful never to open the box.

The story itself has a major plot hole; the young lady's weight and the black bear's weight are obviously different. But the strange tale is just for laughs, so there's no need to overthink it.

Duan Feixiong told this story to Duan Yu so that Duan Yu would learn from it and not become a notorious bandit.

Kind people encounter beauties when they open a box.

A wicked person encountered a black bear while opening the box.

Duan Yu thought he was a good person.

When a good person opens a box, they'll encounter... a man!
Inside the box lay a man, a young and handsome man with delicate features, a pale face, and black blood seeping from his shoulder, clearly poisoned.

"Duan Yu, do you know how to cure the poison?"

"meeting!"

What tools do you need?

"I need to find someone."

"Who are you looking for?"

"Li Zhaoting!"

Oh my goodness!

Hua Hua Feng looked at Duan Yu with exaggerated gestures, her clear black and white eyes wide open, jumping up and down as if she were performing a shamanistic dance, every cell in her body trembling.

"My dear young master Duan, do you even understand your situation? You are a murderer! If Li Zhaoting enjoys indiscriminately killing innocent people, you will surely die. If Li Zhaoting only kills treacherous officials, you will still surely die!"

"We kill treacherous officials, not because we can't distinguish right from wrong!"

Can you prove your innocence?

"Not for now!"

"What makes you think you can convince Li Zhaoting?"

"Because I have never lied."

"Never told a lie?"

"I never said that!"

"This is unbelievable! How can there be such a fool as you in the martial world? My God! My father taught me 180 rules of the martial world, and you've violated more than half of them, yet you've still survived! Are you just incredibly lucky, or is my father's experience outdated? Duan Yu, didn't your father teach you any rules of the martial world when you left home?"

“My father gave me seven precepts.”

How many of these rules did you follow?

"Completely violated!"

"It seems your father is just like mine. If we both make it home alive, the two old folks can find a place to have a drink, reminisce about our lost youth, and commemorate the fatherly authority that no longer exists..."

“I have great respect for my father.”

"Then why don't you listen to him?"

"I...I couldn't help it..."

"Young and impetuous, lustful at first sight?"

"I……"

"You said you never lie!"

"That's definitely one reason!"

Duan Yu lowered his head, completely defeated by Hua Huafeng.

Hua Huafeng said smugly, "Duan Yu, since you admit defeat, I'll go with you. Let's make this clear first, I don't dare to fight Li Zhaoting to the death. I can't beat him. If he attacks you, I'll just collect your corpse at most."

"Thank you, Miss Feng."

"Miss Feng? That's an interesting title! Since you're so sensible, I'll buy you an expensive sandalwood coffin so you can have a grand burial!"

"Miss Feng, I'm not dead yet!"

"It's almost over! It's almost over! I don't have much time left!"

“Miss Feng, I think… if we keep arguing, you should give your sandalwood coffin to this gentleman. Let’s go find Li Zhaoting first!”

"Idiot! What an idiot!"

……

"Brother Duan, do you mean that after you rescued the beauty, you were tricked by her, and you thought you had seen through her trick, but you didn't expect that she would turn the tables on you?"

"Brother Li's summary is absolutely correct!"

"Now, most of Suzhou knows that you used your ancestral sword to kill your rival in love!"

"I didn't! I didn't kill him!"

"Fine! Suppose someone is framing you, the most important thing you should do now is to clarify the truth. Instead of arresting the thief Hua Yelai, you have the leisure to save people?"

"I happened to run into him when I was running away."

"Was he stuffed into a box and thrown into the water?"

"Correct!"

"You don't know him?"

"do not know!"

"Since you don't know him, of course you wouldn't know if he's good or bad, whether he's a gentleman or a womanizer, or why he was drowned!"

"I know nothing about it."

"Aren't you worried that this is also a honey trap? What Hua Yelai did, can't this guy do too?"

"I am indeed a little worried."

"But you still want to save people."

"I remember more than ten years ago, Senior Qu Jianchi obtained the Shuyu Sword from the Tiger Hill Sword Pool. Later, he accidentally saved the wrong person and regretted it deeply. He spent several years making up for his mistake. If I save the wrong person, I will chase after him for thousands of miles, even at the cost of my life!"

"Never regret it, even unto death?"

"A true man keeps his word!"

"Young man, don't always talk about life and death. Life is very precious, and you should cherish it."

Hehe! Hehe!

Duan Yu chuckled twice, looked at Lan Fenghuang who was detoxifying and saving people, and said with a smile, "Brother Li, everyone says you are fierce and evil, but you are actually the kind-hearted one."

“I cannot comprehend the realm of a Bodhisattva. If I choose to cultivate Buddhism, the most I can achieve is a golden-bodied Arhat.”

“A golden-bodied Arhat is also a Bodhisattva.”

"That is the Vajra Arhat. Buddha has anger, Vajra has wrathful eyes, subdues demons and monsters, kills to protect life, cuts karma but not people. The Buddhist sect also has a swordsmanship tradition."

"I've only ever heard of the Bodhidharma Sword Technique."

"Would you like to learn the authentic Bodhidharma sword technique?"

"I have practiced with the knife since childhood, but I am not good at swordsmanship."

"Perfect timing! I have a sword manual here, supposedly an antique from hundreds of years ago. I don't know anything about swordsmanship, but you can take it and practice for fun. Consider it a gift..."

"What will you give me?"

"A wedding gift!"

Li Zhaoting raised an eyebrow: "Brother Duan, I am known as the 'Divine Physician in Plain Clothes,' and I am always right in my predictions. Your luck in love has not only not dissipated, but your love star is shining brightly. You will be able to consummate your marriage in at most a month!"

Hearing this, Duan Yu blushed deeply, while Hua Hua Feng's eyebrows furrowed, clearly jealous of someone!
Women are unreasonable when they're jealous.

Some people are even jealous of themselves!
Blue Phoenix is ​​the best; she never gets jealous!
　Thank you to Water Emperor Tianhe and Book Friend 20250424111113391 for the donations.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)