Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 256 My Lord, I see you are destined for a love tribulation!
The capital city is a place where hidden talents abound.

Many martial artists came to the capital to try their luck, but Xiao Shiyilang was the most eye-catching. He was young and arrogant, ambitious and talented, came from afar, and was penniless.

He was wearing a faded blue cloth outfit, with a blue cloth belt casually tied around his waist, and a short, two-foot-long knife casually stuck in the belt.

Xiao Shiyi Lang was not a pretty boy; his features were not particularly handsome, but his healthy bronze skin gave him a unique, wild attraction!
What's most striking is his dashing demeanor.

A gentle breeze and misty rain could not deter Xiao Shiyilang's ambition to roam the martial world.

He felt that the sound of the flute in the autumn rain and the waning moon at dawn was a distant beauty, not a desolate one.

He could indulge in debauchery in brothels, or lie on a hillside, humming a tune while wearing shoes with two big holes in them, and then go eat a bowl of stewed noodles, chatting with the seemingly unreliable noodle stall owner.

Peddlers, wealthy families, brothels, all sorts of people—in his eyes, there was no difference. Whether poor or rich, he lived one day at a time; whether laughing or crying, he lived one day at a time. Laughter was always more comfortable than tears.

A perpetually smiling江湖人 (jianghu person) with a carefree spirit, a free-spirited wanderer, a dashing thief, a wild swordsman, a heroic knight-errant—no matter where he is, he will never be still.

Xiao Shiyilang was never a quiet person.

When Li Zhaoting and Xiao Shiyilang first met, Li Zhaoting was drinking at Xinghualou and looked down from the window of a private room on the second floor, where he happened to see Xiao Shiyilang.

Even more coincidentally, Xiao Shiyi Lang happened to look up.

The white head is as new and the top is as old as before.

"Brother, would you mind coming upstairs for a drink?"

"One cup is not enough. When I drink, I can drink at least ten catties (5 kg). When I'm happy, I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."

"Hey! What a coincidence! I'm a natural conscientious person! When I hear someone claim to be able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, I'll definitely invite him to drink a thousand cups to see if he can actually get drunk."

"In that case, I won't be polite!"

Xiao Shiyilang climbed through the window into the private room.

Li Zhaoting snapped his fingers, and the waiter quickly went downstairs to get the wine. A short while later, two burly men carried an old-fashioned wine vat upstairs, followed by four or five waiters who laid out five rows of large bowls.

"Brother, please!"

"Looks like I'll be sleeping in a wine vat tonight!"

"This is the real 'ginseng wine'."

Li Zhaoting told a dry, lame joke.

Just by looking at his appearance, one could tell that Xiao Shiyilang was no less skilled at drinking. Li Zhaoting had initially thought Xiao Shiyilang was a cool-looking pretty boy, but he was surprised to find that his features resembled Xiao Feng's by six or seven points. If the two of them were to reveal their names at the same time, they might be mistaken for brothers.

The Xiao family were relatives of the Liao dynasty, a large and powerful family with many children. Not to mention "Eleventh Son," even twenty-two sons would be easily conceived. Some martial arts families in the Central Plains could even conceive of thirty or forty sons.

For example, in the Jin family, according to the Jin family's ranking, Jin Lingzhi's nickname is... Jin Thirty-Nine Sister.

Even if Jin Lingzhi were hung up and beaten for three days and three nights, she would never admit to such a name.

"Your Excellency is truly impressive! You can make the head manager bring out his treasured wines with just a word. Let me make this clear: I only drink, I never do anything!"

"The only thing you need to do now is to verify your claim of being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. I also have something to say beforehand: if you're bragging, I'll put you in a wine vat and throw you into the moat!"

"Interesting! So interesting!"

"I have two good friends who are both heavy drinkers who can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. You can't just drink without drinking. After you drink a bowl of wine, I'll tell you a story."

"what story?"

"A story about drinking!"

"That's great! That's great! I'll drink to that first!"

Xiao Shiyilang picked up the large bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

Whose story would you like to hear first?

"The one with the highest alcohol tolerance!"

"The person with the highest alcohol tolerance in the martial arts world happens to be my good friend, named Tang Zhuquan. He carries a 200-jin wine vat with him and can drink dozens of jin every day."

"There are many heroes in the world who are good at drinking, so why is Tang Zhuquan the best drinker in the world? I admire his character and chivalry, but I absolutely disagree with his drinking capacity."

"Because his belly is bigger! If you and he drink 20 jin of liquor at the same time, your belly will be full, but he can still keep drinking. Of course, he's better than you."

"That makes sense, I'll have another bowl."

Xiao Shiyilang drank another large bowl of wine: "Who's second? Is he also a big-bellied fellow?"

"Second on the list is my sworn brother. He has the strength to fight back after drinking a bit of wine, and he is the most generous and heroic."

"I wonder where you rank, brother?"

"Among the heroes of the martial arts world, I am second-rate. Compared to drinking fine wine, I prefer to study food."

"Brother, you are indeed honest."

"Since you know I'm an honest person, you know no one can owe me money. You just asked a question."

"so what?"

"Now there are two issues and two bowls of wine. We hit it off immediately, so I'll drink one for you, please!"

Li Zhaoting picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

Xiao Shiyilang had been traveling the world for many years and had never seen such an oddball as Li Zhaoting. Intrigued, he drank three large bowls of wine before wiping his mouth with satisfaction.

"Are you sure you have the money to pay the bill? Let me make it clear first, the copper coins in my pocket are only enough for two bowls of stewed noodles."

"Don't worry, in half an hour at most, a super-rich tycoon will come and pay for my food expenses for a year. Uh... it seems I don't know much about rich people. He just paid for my food expenses for the rest of my life. Rich people are fucking awesome!"

Li Zhaoting listened intently to the sounds coming from downstairs.

Wan Sanqian's steward placed a mark in front of the head manager of Xinghualou, indicating that no matter how much Li Zhaoting ate, it would all be charged to the Wan family's account.

Wanjia settles its accounts on the eighth day of each month.

The housekeeper can handle the payment.

Wan Sanqian slowly walked up to the private room on the second floor.

Wan Sanqian was the richest man in the world. Originally, Huo Xiu was his competitor. After Huo Xiu was killed by Li Zhaoting, he became the undisputed number one, with wealth that rivaled that of a country.

In the original storyline, Wan Sanqian could take out 100 million taels of silver to cooperate with Zhu Wushi, and provide 800,000 troops with three years' worth of food, weapons and armor!
One hundred million taels of silver is proof of wealth.

Food supplies, military equipment, and armor are proof of resources.

With money, resources, and connections, Wan Sanqian could do anything he wanted, and countless people would rush to help him. Countless heroes in the martial arts world owed him favors and were willing to risk their lives for him.

Wan Sanqian was born into wealth and couldn't endure hardship. Asking him to practice martial arts in the coldest and hottest winters was absolutely impossible; he didn't even understand meridians and acupoints.

Wan Sanqian was not skilled in martial arts, so he spent a huge sum of money to hire the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi, a famous martial arts master, as his bodyguards. He liked to disguise his identity and travel around the world.

Whenever they encounter a young person with extraordinary abilities or exceptional talent, they activate their money power.

Since Wan Sanqian took control of the family's power, fifteen years have passed. At least fifteen Grandmasters of the Heavenly Gang have received his favors. These people are willing to go all out for him at least once. If anyone betrays his trust, they will become the target of these Grandmasters within three days.

How could someone who has built the world's richest business and amassed countless fortunes be a kind person? Unless he is swayed by emotions and his rationality is clouded by love, he is definitely a super boss.

"Master Li, Master Xiao, I've long admired you!"

Wan Sanqian sat down, acting as if he knew everyone.

Li Zhaoting was always very polite to the wealthy people who treated him to meals, while Xiao Shiyilang drank in silence.

"Master Wan, I've long admired your name!" "Hero Li, have you heard of my reputation?"

"Do you want to hear the truth or lies?"

"The truth."

"I heard that you look somewhat like Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian. I wanted to see what the legendary dragon eyebrows and phoenix eyes looked like. But now it seems that you are not as handsome as I imagined. You have obviously gained weight, your muscles are rather loose, and you have thirty pounds of fat in your belly."

Li Zhaoting's words were quite impolite.

In fact, Li Zhaoting had already been very polite.

If Wan Sanqian hadn't paid for the meal, Li Zhaoting might have gotten into a fight with the Four Devils of Xiangxi the moment he sat down, because Li Zhaoting would grab anyone who disturbed his meal by the collar and throw them out.

When the bodyguards see their employer being beaten, they will definitely fight to the death to protect him. A fight breaks out between the two sides, but because the martial arts of the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi are very peculiar, it won't be very intense.

The Phantom Divine Skill of the Four Ghosts of Western Hunan is known as the number one bodyguard skill in the world, making them the most suitable people for being bodyguards.

It is incredibly fast, only defends and never attacks, is extremely resilient, can neutralize internal force, has a unique method of deflecting force, and can carry an ordinary person who knows no martial arts over mountains and valleys.

It is difficult for ordinary people to withstand high-speed movement. Continuously crossing mountains and valleys will make people feel like their internal organs are churning. The Four Ghosts of Xiangxi can carry people flying, which obviously shows that they have a unique aura.

In addition, Li Zhaoting was indeed somewhat disappointed with Wan Sanqian's appearance, as it did not quite match the rumors.

It is said that Wan Sanqian was as handsome as a god when he was young, but unfortunately, he gained weight in middle age and only had five or six points of his rich and noble air left.

You can't see even a trace of his former good looks!

"What lie did Master Li tell?"

Wan Sanqian, who was not skilled in martial arts, could not sense Li Zhaoting's thoughts. He could only see disappointment in Li Zhaoting's eyes, disappointment at his own middle-aged weight gain.

I don't know martial arts, and I eat meat and fish every day, so it's only natural that I've gained weight. What's there to be disappointed about?
Do you have any special preferences?
No way!
Rumors... rumors... hiss...

Wan Sanqian gasped.

It is said that when Li Zhaoting drew his sword, the ground was covered in fallen petals.

Perhaps there is another layer of meaning.

Li Zhaoting had no idea what Wan Sanqian was thinking, so he made up some nonsense and said, "I really want to kidnap you."

“When I was a child, I practiced martial arts, but there was a lack of medical care and medicine. Every night when I dreamed, I would dream that Master Wan would pass by my house and be caught by my master, who would then extort three carts of ginseng and two carts of tendon-strengthening and bone-strengthening powder from the Wan family!”

"As long as Master Li speaks up, what is a little bit of money? I may lack many things, but I have plenty of money. If I could befriend a master like Master Li with gold and silver, there would probably be a long line of people vying for it."

"You really don't need anything?"

"What does Master Li think I lack?"

"You lack a wife, you have no wife, and you have not left any offspring. It is not because you lack women, nor because you are in poor health, but because you have not met your destined love star."

"What guidance does Master Li have?"

Do you know my nickname?

"Jiazi... A commoner with divine physiognomy!"

"Ahem~~ I just read your face and found that your love star is shining brightly and the Grand Duke star is flashing. You will soon meet your destined love, but you will also encounter a love tribulation."

"Does Master Li think I would fall in love?"

"Master Wan, you think you've seen through the coldness of the world and have a heart as still as water, that you'll never fall in love, let alone sacrifice your life for a woman."

You're wrong, terribly wrong, utterly wrong!
Love arises without knowing its origin, and deepens with each passing moment.

The more indifferent a person is to emotions, the calmer their personality, and the more they prefer to think rationally, the more their emotions will erupt tenfold or a hundredfold once they are immersed in love.

The emotions grow stronger, the feelings become more intense, and when facing that person, one cannot think rationally, measure things in terms of money, or calculate what is given and what is received.

Believe it or not, when you meet your soulmate, when love comes, you would give your life for her, for her every smile and gesture.

If she smiles, you'll be happy all day, happier than if you'd earned five million taels of silver. If she cries, you'll do anything to comfort her, even if it means offending the whole world for her.

If one day I kill her, even if you have no Xiangxi Four Ghosts by your side, no billions of wealth, and are all alone, you will still raise your dagger against me, and even if you are shattered to pieces, you will still seek justice for her.

Of course, the last sentence is hypothetical.

You can change my name to something else.

Replace it with the expert you fear most.

Love will help you overcome fear.

Mr. Wan, how about we make a bet?
I bet you'll fall head over heels in love!

Li Zhaoting's mouth was dry from talking, so he drank a bowl of wine to moisten his throat. Wan Sanqian was dumbfounded and thought to himself, "Is this little charlatan really Li Zhaoting?"

If Li Zhaoting demands money, people, draws his sword, and starts a fight in the street, 13,000 is acceptable.

Li Zhaoting rambled on and on, appearing unfathomable and fearless, as if he was certain to win the bet, leaving Wan Sanqian in a state of utter confusion.

Wan Sanqian pondered in his heart, "Does a woman in this world truly exist for me to risk my life for?" Having lost the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi and his wealth, he charged against the Grandmaster of the Heavenly Gang with only his frail, middle-aged body that had become overweight!
This is impossible!

Li Zhaoting is disturbing my peace of mind!

With my thirteen thousand fingers, a casual tap on the abacus could amount to hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, enough to bankrupt a dozen shops and turn hundreds of people into beggars on the streets. My heart has long since turned to stone.

No one can shake my resolve!

If such a woman truly existed in the world, I would kill her without hesitation the moment I met her.

A love tribulation requires a beautiful woman.

The beauty is dead, what's the point of talking about love tribulations!
Wan Sanqian clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

Li Zhaoting cautioned, “Master Wan, killing cannot solve the problem. If you kill her, she will leave an eternal phantom in your heart. This wound will never heal. Perhaps in two or three years, the Church of Destiny will create a secret agent tailored to this phantom.”

"Am I not allowed to kill the Heavenly Destiny Demoness?"

"At that time, you couldn't bring yourself to do it. Even if she told you she was a witch, even if she was obviously after your money, you would still be willing to give it to her."

"I do not believe!"

"You've already believed it."

"Okay! I accept your bet."

"If I lose, I will fight for you with all my might before the void shatters. Even if it means storming the palace to assassinate the emperor, I will draw my sword and strike!"

"Master Li, you jest. I am a royal merchant; how could I dare to do such a treasonous thing? Master Li knows what I am thinking. May I ask what Master Li needs?"

"I need someone's detailed information!"

"who?"

"My mother!"

Why doesn't Master Li ask your father?

"If my father is willing to tell me, why should I waste my breath arguing with you? If my father doesn't want to tell me, what do you think I can do? Torture him to extract a confession?"

"I will certainly do my utmost."

Wan Sanqian smiled contentedly.

　Thank you to reader Arrietty for the donation.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)