Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 272 Li Nanxing: I have connections~~
If someone truly wants to settle down, even the collapse of the heavens and the earth cannot shake their resolve.

Li Zhaoting is so obsessed with teaching his disciples that he cannot extricate himself.

Chu Liuxiang invited Li Zhaoting to Zhubei Villa to eat Master Zuo's Songjiang perch, but Li Zhaoting did not go.

Lu Xiaofeng invited Li Zhaoting to the "old house" for stewed goose in an iron pot, pickled cabbage and pork belly, and stewed pork with vermicelli, and also to go ice fishing at night, but Li Zhaoting didn't go.

Tang Zhuquan invited Li Zhaoting to Chang'an to enjoy the fine wines and delicacies of Baiyulou and to indulge in the most extravagant pleasure quarters in Chang'an, but Li Zhaoting refused to go.

After the Heroes' Gathering, Li Zhaoting taught his disciples at his ancestral home in Jinling until the dead of winter, when he finally took his whole family to the capital to spend the New Year with his two fathers.

"Where to spend the Chinese New Year" is a really troublesome question.

Li Zhaoting had this kind of trouble last year, but he just drifted through life in the capital. This year, he has no trouble.

Li Zhaoting's father, Li Nanxing, returned to the capital from Dali and served as the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. Two years later, he was promoted to the Ministry of Rites. Most of the merits that Li Zhaoting made were attributed to him.

My father-in-law, Feng Shaoqing, served as the prefect of Hangzhou for three years and made considerable achievements. He was not an idiot like Ling Tuisi, who was eagerly hoping for a promotion. At the end of the year, he was promoted to the Ministry of Revenue.

I thought he would be appointed to the Ministry of Rites or the Ministry of Personnel, but he ended up as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. That's fine, as Feng Shaoqing's weight of around 200 jin is very suitable for this position.

What did the Ministry of Revenue do?

Simply put, it's... finance!
An extremely lucrative position.

If you're lucky, you can make a fortune.

Unfortunately, just as he had almost amassed his fortune, the emperor issued an edict ordering him to be sent to the Ministry of Justice for severe investigation and punishment.

Back then, Feng Suzhen, disguised as Feng Shaomin, competed with Yelü Yancai in a battle of wits and made great contributions. As a reward, the emperor bestowed upon her a mansion to live in.

Li Nanxing lived in the Li residence.

There are a dozen or so informants scattered around.

Everyone in the martial arts world knows that the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, who clocks in and out every day, drinks tea and reads newspapers, is Li Zhaoting's biological father. Clearly, he is not someone to be trifled with, as he could raise such a ruthless and cunning swordsman as Li Zhaoting.

There are also rumors that most of Li Zhaoting's eighteen martial arts skills were taught to him by Li Nanxing.

This is top-secret intelligence from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

In order to obtain this intelligence, the secret agents of Tianji Pavilion invited Li Zhaoting's relatives and friends to dinner to test Li Zhaoting's verbal tic and analyze the source of Li Zhaoting's skills.

The cost of the meal alone amounted to several thousand taels of silver.

The two drunkards, Lu Xiaofeng and Tang Zhuquan, had spent tens of thousands of taels on alcohol. Therefore, this intelligence was extremely valuable, priced at 15,000 taels!

What price range is this?
Zhongyuan Yidianhong, the most elite, sharpest, coldest, and most ruthless assassin, has a standard price of 15,000 taels of silver, with overtime pay calculated separately.

Do hitmen work overtime too?
of course.

When assassinating a target, eliminating people incidentally to complete the mission, or killing someone to cover up a crime, all of these are considered overtime and must be paid 50% overtime pay.

Otherwise, when an assassin demands unpaid wages, he won't cry and beg; he'll simply draw his sword decisively.

Furthermore, killing is a killer's daily job. If no one pays them, they kill indiscriminately, which is equivalent to working overtime for free. Any person with a normal mind would not like working overtime, especially free and voluntary overtime.

Most of the assassins in the martial arts world who kill at the drop of a hat and are unpredictable in their temper are mentally unstable and will be killed within two or three years at most. They rarely live to be thirty.

Top assassins like Yidianhong, Liu Fenyu, Meng Xinghun, and Sima Xue are all the type who won't act until they see a benefit; they won't even glance at someone who isn't paid.

Even a twisted psychopath like Shangguan Yundun would only kill for money, and would never lay a hand on someone else without it.

Since Li Nanxing returned to the capital, property prices around the Li residence have skyrocketed, increasing twenty to thirty times.

Most of these houses were bought by forces such as Tianji Pavilion and Liufenbantang, who opened some shops selling writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and daily necessities. There were also two breakfast stalls. Every word Li Nanxing said when he went to eat, which shop's writing brushes and ink he liked to use, what dishes he liked to eat, and how long it took him to use a ream of Xuan paper were all recorded.

When Li Zhaoting heard the news, he thought to himself, no wonder Lu Xiaofeng and Tang Zhuquan didn't go home for the New Year. One ran to the Northeast and the other to the Northwest. It turned out they were making up stories to get free food and drink, and were worried about being hunted down by the Tianji Pavilion.

Those two bastards deserved to be hunted down!

Is my intelligence really that valuable?
Should I proactively generate some income?

Li Zhaoting rubbed his chin and looked at Mei Zhu.

The seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister's door.

As Feng Suzhen's dowry maid and Li Zhaoting's personal concubine, Meizhu appears unassuming, but she secretly receives gifts worth at least 20,000 to 30,000 taels of silver.

Just as Jiang Yuyan said, a maid who was not taken into the household and was only responsible for serving tea and water was given two large gold bracelets by Liufenbantang. How much money would Liufenbantang give to Meizhu, who was a close confidante?
If Mei Zhu were to sell top-secret information...

It should fetch a good price, right?
Li Zhaoting then looked at Miss Wang in his arms.

At home, his beloved wife, Feng Suzhen, is both literate and skilled in martial arts, while Lan Fenghuang pretends to be oblivious to the truth. Only Miss Wang is all brawn and no brains. If any intelligence agency wants to investigate Li Zhaoting, she is the most convenient target.

Has Miss Wang leaked anything? Li Zhaoting decides to conduct a thorough investigation into Miss Wang!
"Husband, oh dear! I was planning to show you after the New Year, but you can't wait any longer?"

What surprise is in store?

"My yoga practice wasn't for nothing!"

Jiang Yuyan happened to come over to deliver water when she heard Li Zhaoting and Miss Wang flirting. She felt dizzy and thought, "I'm tired. Let's destroy this place. Everyone in this house is crazy!"

Jiang Yuyan's yoga practice, which she had diligently cultivated for several months to enhance her martial arts foundation a hundredfold, was actually seen by Li Zhaoting and Miss Wang as nothing more than a marital pastime.
These poses are indeed a bit...

Jiang Yuyan stamped her foot and turned to leave.

She heard Mei Zhu's voice!
This must be Mei Zhu's mischievous idea!

Jiang Yuyan misunderstood.

Miss Wang practices aerobics to improve her flexibility, while Jiang Yuyan practices the profound and mysterious Divine Foot Scripture. The two are not comparable.

The Sutra on the Accomplishment of Supernatural Powers through the Cessation of Practice in the Desire for Samadhi

Some people are curious: how should such a long name be punctuated? What is the meaning behind this name?

Lust: desire;

Samadhi: a state of being neither born nor dying, neither increasing nor decreasing, neither chaotic nor scattered, which makes one's mind focused;
The attainment of Samadhi through cessation of practice: the process, behavior, methods, and approaches by which practitioners achieve the state of Samadhi;
God: Through the practice of Samadhi, all thoughts, desires, and ideas will be fulfilled;
Feet: capable of invoking the divine, hence called feet;
Sutra: scriptures, esoteric practices;
The translation is: A wonderful method that allows one to enter a meditative state through desire, achieving enlightenment, single-mindedness, a state of non-birth and non-death, and the ability to do as one pleases.

Since there is desire, there is also wisdom, mind, and spirit!

In other words, there is not just one version of the Shenzu Jing.

There are also three sets of mental techniques:

Wisdom, mind, and diligence are all abundant!
The "Divine Foot Sutra" that Jiang Yuyan obtained was exactly "desire for divine feet," which suited her own temperament. Coupled with the miraculous effects of the Blood Saber Sutra, she was able to travel a thousand miles a day.

If one were to switch to the Mind and Spirit, or the Wisdom and Spirit, even with Jiang Yuyan's extraordinary talent, it would be extremely difficult for her to even begin to grasp the Divine Foot Scripture.

The Blood Saber Scripture, a wicked and sinister cultivation method that takes an unorthodox approach, is inherently incompatible with orthodox practices. However, it is exceptionally compatible with the concept of "desire for spiritual fulfillment." Originally, it was meant to draw demons into the body to refine the Buddha through demonic means. Now, by using the Blood Saber Scripture as an external demon, not only can the cultivation speed be extremely fast, but there is also no risk of going astray or falling into demonic possession.

In the original storyline, did You Tanzhi have desires?

Of course!
His desire for Azi, his yearning to survive, and his hatred for Xiao Feng were all You Tanzhi's desires!

In order to torment You Tanzhi, Azi kept making him test poisons, which were called "external demons".

In order to practice the "Divine Foot Sutra", Jiang Yuyan read some Buddhist scriptures and found some conceptual basis. She was originally worried about going astray in her practice, but she no longer had any worries.

With no worries on your mind, the progress will naturally accelerate.

Li Zhaoting's education was effective.

At least, when the Li family encounters difficulties, they know to consult books and dictionaries instead of making up random interpretations!
Jiang Yuyan's original martial arts skill was one. Even if her martial arts foundation was enhanced a hundred times, it would only be two or three hundred. Compared with a Grandmaster like Li Zhaoting, she was far inferior. On the contrary, because she was sharp-eyed and keen-witted, she was able to perceive Li Zhaoting's terror. Occasionally, she would feel Li Zhaoting's teasing gaze, which was half-smiling, half-teasing, which would frighten her.

Unlike Ke Baisui, who was all bark and no bite, Jiang Yuyan possessed a confident and self-assured demeanor, feeling like a mouse in a cat's mouth, completely at Li Zhaoting's mercy.

I'm too weak!

Become stronger!

I must become stronger!

……

As the year draws to a close, everyone quiets down.

For Chinese people, the Lunar New Year is the most important event in the world, bar none. No matter how ambitious or ruthless a leader may be, they would not want to cause trouble at the end of the year.

Li Zhaoting was no exception.

Stay in the capital to spend the New Year with your two elders, or go to the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice to watch the excitement and see Bao Zheng put one criminal after another on the guillotine.

After a year of training, Bao Zheng has shed his youthful naiveté. Apart from not being as well-built as he used to be and not having a loud enough voice, he is seven or eight parts similar to the Bao Qingtian in Li Zhaoting's memory, especially when he shouts "Execute!"

Cheng Shifei and Yunluo became a couple.

From then on, the trio of Yunluo, Qingqing, and Tianxiang, who were known as the "Ghost-Scaring Trio," had their own bodyguards.

In fact, all three of them had top-notch masters backing them.

Behind Yunluo is Cheng Shifei. Behind Qingqing are Pan Youdi and Lu Xiaofeng.

Behind Tianxiang are Feng Suzhen and Li Zhaoting.

Regardless of their background or powerful connections, they were capable of roaming freely in the capital. Even clever people like Su Mengzhen, Yang Wuxie, and Di Feijing couldn't do anything about them. Fortunately, the three princesses were just a bit mischievous and liked to hear others flatter them.

As long as you loudly praise them as heroines and use their demands to set them up, you can resolve at least 80-90% of the trouble; the rest is just asking for trouble.

……

royal palace.

Liu E and Li Nanxing sat facing each other.

"You have finally returned to the capital."

"You're the one who made me come back."

"That's a good reason, Li Nanxing. You're always so arrogant, it always makes me want to punch you."

"I was born prematurely and was born with disabilities. I was weak and sickly from a young age, and even the slightest touch would make me seriously ill."

How could you endure being exiled to Lingnan?

"Practicing the Five Animal Frolics every day cured my illness."

"I'm not here to reminisce with you."

"What do you want to know?"

"What were you scheming back then? What exactly were you and Chu Xiangyu plotting when you were defeated?"

"You really want to know?"

"I have no interest in joking with you."

"I need an official position."

"What official position?"

"Vice Minister of War".

"When?"

"I will give you an explanation next autumn."

"Li Nanxing, don't take my tolerance for you as a bargaining chip for recklessness. Next autumn, you'll either give me an explanation or go to the execution ground yourself."

"I probably won't go to Caishikou."

"Ok?"

"I will run to Dali..."

"What did you say!"

Liu E was furious. She waved her hand, and the Heavenly Demon Force Field enveloped the entire palace. Not to mention a weak scholar like Li Nanxing, even a bronze giant cast in bronze and iron would be twisted into a pretzel. Within the imperial palace, Liu E was not only the leader of the Heavenly Gang, but had already transcended the Heavenly Gang Ranking!
Li Nanxing ignored this completely: "I'm terrified of death. If I'm in danger, I'll definitely run away! Do you think I'm stupid enough to stay and let you kill me?"

"I plan to make arrangements against the Western Xia and want to send someone to the Western Regions. Who do you think is suitable?"

"Li Xunhuan!"

"Referring officials to their families without regard to kinship? Tell me about it!"

"Highly educated, handsome, and of good character."

"Please recommend a few more guards, Lord Li."

"Uh……"

"You must recommend people from within the family without avoiding relatives."

"Do I even have a choice?"

Li Nanxing thought to herself, "Just tell me your name!"
Empress Liu smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will arrange opportunities for Li Zhaoting so that he can advance further."

"Your Majesty, I thank you."

"Lord Li is selfless and impartial. He recommended my son as a bodyguard. I am deeply grateful for Lord Li's noble character."

Liu E looked at Li Nanxing with a smile.

Li Nanxing felt a chill run down his spine.

Noble!

I'll never forgive your righteousness!
You lost to me in a philosophical debate back then, and you've held a grudge for over twenty years. Your heart is smaller than a pinhead! Others are magnanimous and can tolerate anything, but you're petty and calculating!

"I have a request."

"Lord Li, please speak freely."

"Activate the Imperial City Guard and help me find someone."

"Who?"

“Meng Shentong, tell me where he is. Don’t disturb him. We only need Meng Shentong’s location.”

"What do you want with Meng Shentong?"

"Help my son pick up girls!"

Li Nanxing raised an eyebrow.

Liu E's forehead formed a "well" shape.

"Aren't you afraid of working Li Zhaoting to death?"

"You can teach me a few Yin Gui secret techniques!"

"Get out! No! I wouldn't!"

"I remember the Yin Gui Sect has a related lineage!"

"It's lost!"

When was it lost?

"Forty years ago! Master Li passed away peacefully!"

The Yin Gui lineage is not entirely composed of female martial arts techniques; some of them are compatible with men's mental techniques. In fact, apart from Liu E, the most prominent Yin Gui lineage successors in the martial arts world in recent decades have all been male disciples.

One was "Bloody Hand" Li Gong, who fought against all the masters in the world with the Seventy-Two Styles of Heavenly Demon Hand. Later, he was influenced by the Supreme Master Ling Donglai and pursued the Supreme Heavenly Dao. He went into seclusion in the Ten Absolutes to comprehend the Dao. He may have passed away or he may have attained the Shattered Vajra. After that, he disappeared from the martial world.

One is "Thief King" Chi Zunxin, who has learned part of the Dao Heart Demon Seed Great Technique, can nurture demon seeds, is proficient in the principles of all weapons, and is skilled in weapon counterplay.

When Chi Zunxin went out, he was always accompanied by ten strong men who were proficient in the Thirteen Protectors' Iron Bell Cover technique. Each of them carried ten weapons for him. When they encountered a strong enemy, they would choose their weapons according to the enemy's martial arts and win by using the advantage of their weapons.

For example: If you encounter a skilled waterman who is adept at using a two-zhang iron chain, use your arm guards to engage in close combat with him.

In the original storyline, Chi Zunxin invaded the Nu Jiao Gang. As soon as he mentioned which weapon he would use, Ling Zhantian, nicknamed "Ghost Rope," admitted that he was no match for him and lost a lot of his morale.

Of course, the strengths and weaknesses of weapons are not absolute.

What weapon is most commonly used in the martial arts world, such as swords, spears, and staffs, especially long spears and staffs, to counter them?
Or, use the Heaven-Slaying Sword to clash with him and cut Chi Zunxin's weapon in two. What's the point of talking about restraint then?
Finally, one sword can break all techniques. No matter what weapon Chi Zun uses, he can defeat all tricks with a single sword strike.

That's exactly what Lang Fanyun did.

Note that you must never poison the strong men who carry the weapons for Chi Zunxin. If you do, these weapons will fall to the ground and form an "armory".

The "Arsenal" is Akatsuki Shin's domain.

The "Arsenal at Dawn" allows Chi Zunxin to unleash several times his usual power, making him a force to be reckoned with even by Pang Ban and Lang Fanyun. Therefore, what seems to be the most convenient tactic to deal with Chi Zunxin is actually a deadly trap.

Li Nanxing left the palace carrying a bag of books and paintings.

I just grabbed it from the Empress Dowager's study.

Take it and show it off to Feng Shaoqing!

Although your official rank is higher than mine,
—I have connections!

Ordinary days always pass quickly.

Winter ended and spring came; March arrived quickly.

Spring has arrived, all things are reviving, animals have begun their courtship rituals, and the world is quickly thrown into chaos!
　The *Shenzu Jing* (Scripture of Divine Foot) does indeed have four volumes, originating from the *Damen Faji Jing* (Collection of Great Dharmas of the Great Gate): "Furthermore, the four divine feet are what the Buddha spoke of: the Samadhi of Desire, the divine foot of complete cessation of practice, the Samadhi of Diligence, the divine foot of complete cessation of practice, the Samadhi of Mind, and the divine foot of complete cessation of practice. The Samadhi of Wisdom, the divine foot of complete cessation of practice."

　　
　
(End of this chapter)