Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 439 Life is like a game of chess, a laughingstock among heroes!

Are you sure you're not mistaken?

Why are you targeting me?
Have you forgotten who the real enemy is?
I can leave anytime I want.

What's the point of keeping me here?
Are you a smart person or a fool?

Li Zhaoting looked at Yang Xiao with disdain: "I don't care about your relationship with Cao Xiong, nor do I know how many trump cards Cao Xiong is hiding. I just want to ask you, if I want to take people away from here, who among you can stop me?"

Yang Xiao was speechless.

Li Zhaoting's power was too great. They were so focused on analyzing Li Zhaoting's unparalleled martial arts skills and thinking about how to kill him that they overlooked many other things.

Why kill Li Zhaoting?
What benefits would you gain from killing Li Zhaoting?
Is Li Zhaoting the real enemy?

The Manchu Qing Dynasty was separated from the Song Dynasty by the Liao Dynasty, and no war would break out between the two sides before the Liao Dynasty was destroyed.

Li Zhaoting was not an assassin or a spy. He came to the Qing Dynasty only for exploration and tourism. He would not stay in the Qing Dynasty for a long time and would not cause any direct harm.

The greatest enemy of the Manchus was the Wanyan clan.

As long as the Wanyan clan exists, the Aisin Gioro clan will always have the problem of "legitimacy." Only by completely wiping out the Wanyan clan and annihilating their entire army can Qianlong rest easy. From the moment Li Zhaoting revealed his whereabouts, everything Cao Xiong did was superfluous.

Not only did they gain nothing, but they also damaged the original plan. If they had sent masters like Dajue Monk and Huogong Toutuo to deal with Tuomu San, they would have broken Tuomu San's Yinhen Demon Sutra long ago and killed Wanyan Honglie.

Anyone with a brain knows that Wanyan Honglie is the most important figure in the Wanyan clan, far more important than Jin Chenying, Wanyan Jue, Wanyan Changzhi, and others.

Apart from Jin Muxia, the legitimate crown prince of the Wanyan clan, none of them are as important as Wanyan Honglie. Cao Xiong should send experts to kill Wanyan Honglie instead of doing something unnecessary.

Yang Xiao was stunned by Li Zhaoting's words and didn't know how to retort. Just then, Li Zhaoting swung his sword and thrust it towards Yang Xiao's chest. Yang Xiao's eyes widened, and he gathered a mouthful of pure Yang energy, flicking his hand to release three or four sword energies.

One careless move and you lose everything.

Li Zhaoting deftly dodged Yang Xiao's sword strike, then thrust his Ziwei Soft Sword toward Yang Xiao's throat.

The Purple Rose Soft Sword moved like a dragon or a venomous snake, its purple sword light swirling and circling as it pierced Yang Xiao's vital chest and abdomen. Yang Xiao retreated repeatedly, already at a complete disadvantage.

He tried to create distance and gather his strength, but Li Zhaoting's sword strike was too fast, leaving him no time to breathe.

"Chuck! Chuck! Chuck!"

Yang Xiao was slashed three times on the chest. Although he managed to avoid fatal wounds, the wounds were a foot long and still contained residual sword energy, causing excruciating pain.

Yang Xiao's eyes widened, and he roared repeatedly, wanting to fight Li Zhaoting to the death. However, he lost the initiative and his energy collapsed completely when faced with Li Zhaoting's rapid sword strikes.

Just as Yang Xiao was about to die under Li Zhaoting's sword, a sinister finger pointed towards Li Zhaoting's back. Without even looking, it was clear that the one who made the move was Fan Yao.

This is the opportunity that Li Zhaoting has been waiting for.

The dragon turned around and slashed at Fan Yao's head with its backhand.

Caught off guard, Fan Yao staggered back several steps, not expecting Li Zhaoting to combine his two swords, each move a deadly strike.

This is a trap set for Fan Yao, betting that Fan Yao won't just stand by and watch Yang Xiao be killed. The success rate of this gamble is not very high, with a failure rate of over 60%.

Yang Xiao and Fan Yao are sworn brothers, but their relationship may not be that close. To put it bluntly, of all the high-ranking members of the Ming Cult, Fan Yao only cares about Dai Qisi.

In the original storyline, the siege of the Ming Cult by the six major sects was essentially a trap set by the Mongol Yuan dynasty. Fan Yao also went there, but he watched helplessly as his seriously injured Ming Cult brothers fought against the six major sects without offering any assistance.

Before Fan Yao revealed his true identity, the only help that benefited the Ming Cult was turning back the Buddha statue with the provocative inscription. It was like pouring water on a raging wildfire. Li Zhaoting dislikes conspiracy theories, but judging from Fan Yao's actions, if Zhang Wuji hadn't reversed the situation, Fan Yao would have remained a "suffering monk" forever.

There's also the most famous unsolved case in the Jin family.

—The Death of Han Qianye!

In the longest-circulating "Sanlian Edition," it is almost explicitly stated that Fan Yao was responsible. The book clearly states that Han Qianye was ambushed and poisoned by the mute monk from the Western Regions, and also clearly states that Fan Yao had some feelings for the Purple-Robed Dragon King.

Hu Qingniu refused to treat Han Qianye not because of a vow he had made, but because he was worried about Fan Yao's retaliation.

Han Qianye is Wei Xiaobao's grandson. Wei Xiaobao asks Li Zhaoting for help in finding the murderer. The prime suspect is right in front of him, so how could Li Zhaoting let him go?

"You killed Han Qianye!"

Li Zhaoting suddenly shouted.

To disguise his identity, Fan Yao disfigured himself and pretended to be a mute monk. Because his appearance was ruined, he had no expression on his face, but there was one thing that could not be changed.

--pupil!
Pupils cannot be controlled.

Seeing the rapidly widening pupils, Li Zhaoting confirmed that Fan Yao was the murderer and laughed loudly, "Fan Yao, you can no longer use your identity as the mute monk!"

What grudge do I hold against you?

"What grudge do I have against Yang Xiao? None of those who participated in the ambush and killing of me today have any hatred towards me!"
However, I killed you on someone's orders.

Han Qianye is the grandson of a certain senior figure.

That old master is living in seclusion on an overseas fairy island, vowing never to return to the Central Plains, so he can only ask me for help.

Fan Yao, are you ready to die?

The purple and green swords flashed with a chilling light.

"I won't die, you should die!"

Fan Yao looked at Li Zhaoting with a cold smile. However, as he retreated, he unknowingly led Li Zhaoting into an encirclement. Cao Xiong, Yang Xiao, and Fan Yao formed the Heaven, Earth, and Man Three Talents Formation, completely surrounding Li Zhaoting.

As Li Zhaoting fell into the ambush, the three of them simultaneously revealed their true abilities, their auras both divine and demonic. Yang Xiao and Fan Yao not only mastered the two unique skills of the Yang World Scripture and the Yin World Scripture to their peak, but also became proficient in the fourth level of the Qiankun Great Shift, their power increasing more than five times compared to when they first fought.

Cao Xiong's aura was even more exaggerated, easily breaking through the limits of the Great Prajna Zen Skill. His mental technique was still a demonized version of the Great Prajna Zen Skill, but his power was like that of a god or a demon.

Compared to Cao Xiong, the monk Dajue was like insignificant mud, easily crushed with a flick of the wrist.

Cao Xiong, unleashing his full power, is like the freak in the original story who swallowed the Guiyuan Manual and broke through the limits of martial arts. The reason for this change is—the Ginseng Gang!
Cao Xiong is the leader of the Ginseng Gang.

Since he and Yang Xiao are twins, they can switch identities to avoid detection.

With the help of the massive amount of rare and precious materials provided by the Ginseng Gang, and the ancient ginseng king found deep in Changbai Mountain, Cao Xiong's power surged, and Yang Xiao and Fan Yao broke through their limits.

In fact, the Yangshi Qijing is too masculine and clashes with the medicinal power of the Ten Thousand Year Ginseng King. It is easy to overdo it and even with Fan Yao's help, there is a possibility of going into qi deviation.

The three of them broke through their limits by using the Ming Cult's secret martial art, the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, to tap into their body's potential. The medicinal power of the Ten Thousand Year Ginseng King was absorbed by the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth and transformed into their body's potential, stimulating their internal energy.

The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth is extremely effective in this regard.

Not to mention the Ten Thousand Year Ginseng, a highly nourishing medicine, even the Iron-Blooded Marquis Zhu Wushi, whose true energy was mixed after absorbing the power of more than two hundred people, could use it to regulate his true energy.

The ginseng gang was Cao Xiong's trump card, the stepping stone to his rise to power, and it remained hidden deep within him.

Unfortunately, one wrong move turned the tide of the game.

The identity of the gang leader could no longer be concealed.

Having such a rare and precious material as the ginseng that has been preserved for ten thousand years, yet not presenting it to the emperor, would surely arouse Qianlong's displeasure. If he wanted to maintain his own power, he would have to make a great contribution.

This will create a powerful momentum!
The "momentum" that makes people afraid to take action!
For example: becoming the leader of the martial arts alliance in Guandong, becoming the Marquis of the Nine Provinces by imperial decree, becoming the Grand Commander of the Sticky Rod Office.

Anything is acceptable as long as it allows you to climb upwards.

For Cao Xiong, skill level was just a number; his mana bar was almost infinite, and he could easily unleash a martial art like the Sumeru Mountain Palm, which consumed a lot of energy.

"boom!"

Cao Xiong raised his hand and unleashed the "Sumeru Demon Palm".

Yang Xiao and Fan Yao launched a surprise attack from the left and right flanks.

The Five Ultimate Palms of the Mortal World: The Three Yangs Begin to Prosperity!
The Five Ultimate Swords of the Underworld: Tears Fall into the Yellow Springs!

Li Zhaoting exhaled and spoke, the wound on his shoulder was sealed by true qi, and his qi visibly increased. In the horrified gazes of the three, he crossed his two swords and slashed, the two sword qi overlapping each other, like two purple and blue divine dragons.

"Cao Xiong, is this all the trump card you have?"

"You...what do you mean?"

I mean, look behind you!

A long spear thrust towards Yang Xiao's back, seemingly a surprise attack from behind, but in reality, its power was as fierce as a dragon and as fierce as a tiger. Even the blind and deaf could feel it, and the spear technique was upright and honorable.

Overlord Spear Technique - A Thousand Armies Repel!

Yang Xiao tried to use the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth to deflect the force, but the power attached to the spear shaft was too strong, and the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth at the fourth level could not move it even a fraction of an inch.

Wang Shenglan roared, "You bastard, how dare you attack my husband! I'll smash you to pieces!"

On the other side, Cao Xiong, having received the hint, discovered a beautiful woman standing behind him, none other than Feng Suzhen.

Feng Suzhen did not carry the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant, but instead used her sword to play the zither music. With the pure and righteous Zhanlu sword, she plucked the strings of the zither between heaven and earth and played the demon-subduing zither music.

The Three Talents Formation collapsed with a bang. Li Zhaoting grinned as he looked at Fan Yao. Fan Yao wanted to escape, but how could he escape Li Zhaoting's "Hundred Steps Flying Sword"?
……

The most intense battle was not against Li Zhaoting, but against the siege of Wanyan Honglie. The experts of the Sticky Pole Division rushed towards Wanyan Honglie in a swarm, and the twenty-four Grand Lamas joined forces to unleash their palm strikes, the twenty-four people stacking together as one.

Even Zhang Wuji, who had mastered martial arts, would be extremely anxious and frustrated when faced with a formation of twenty-four people.

Even Cao Xiong, who had consumed the Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng King, was no match for the twenty-four martial monks in a contest of internal energy. He had to be flexible and unpredictable to deal with them.

Tuomu San is proficient in hundreds of martial arts techniques. If it were a battle in the jungle, he would be confident that he could outmaneuver and kill the Four Secret Venerables and the twenty-four martial monks. Unfortunately, Tuomu San needs to protect Wanyan Honglie behind him and cannot move.

The Four Secret Masters launched a series of powerful attacks, bombarding the area relentlessly.

Twenty-four martial monks formed a battle formation, clashing with Tuo Musan in a contest of true energy. Tuo Musan's protective aura trembled precariously, on the verge of collapse, and his palms were firmly held by his opponent, leaving him no way to escape and only passively depleting his true energy. In the distance, Ouyang Feng, exchanging blows with Ao Fei while seemingly just going through the motions, was always ready to flee.

Despite the extremely unfavorable situation, with Wanyan Honglie in danger of being killed at any moment, he showed no sign of anxiety.

Suddenly.

Two old men appeared behind Ao Fei. Taking advantage of Ao Fei's "fake fight" with Ouyang Feng, they grabbed Ao Fei's hands and feet and tore him outwards with force. With a crack, Ao Fei was torn in two.

Golden Swallow Divine Eagle!

"Golden Swallow" spreads its wings like frost.

Guo Jingfeng, nicknamed "Divine Eagle".

Jin Muxia's personal bodyguard.

Jin Chenying's martial arts teacher.

Rumors circulate that Jin Yan Shenying and Wanyan Honglie have a terrible relationship. Jin Muxia deeply hates Wanyan Honglie and is preparing to eliminate this thorn in her side. Why are these two appearing together?
Cao Yu instinctively sensed danger.

Unfortunately, Cao Yu realized this too late.

The last forces of the Wanyan clan attacked from all sides. They broke into smaller groups and hid in the surrounding houses. After the battle began, they slowly arrived and surrounded the enemy from the outside in.

"Pfft!"

Liang Ziweng, a traitor lurking beside Wanyan Honglie and a loyal servant of the leader of the Ginseng Gang, pretended to plot against Wanyan Honglie, but just as the dagger was about to fall, he suddenly shot at Senggelinqin and then removed his disguise.

This man was named "Zhen Baiya," one of Meng Qingqing's two bodyguards. When Meng Qingqing left the Wanyan clan, she only took a precious sword with her. Wanyan Honglie, with his silver tongue, used various means to recruit the two bodyguards into his ranks.

Zhen Baiya was skilled with a meteor hammer. Disguised as Liang Ziweng, he launched an assassination attempt on Senggelinqin, using a dagger as a meteor hammer. His hidden weapons were fast and ruthless.

The burly man who commanded the troops was a close friend of Zhen Baiya, named "Chijiaer," who was skilled in using a fine steel mace and was exactly sixty years old this year.

How could this be?
Why did Jin Yan Shenying help Wanyan Honglie?

Why are Meng Qingqing's guards here?
When did Wanyan Honglie see through Liang Ziweng's scheme?
The answers to these questions are very simple.

It can be perfectly summarized in four words.

--put all one's eggs in one basket!
What does it mean to go all in?
What is true mutual destruction?
What does it mean to be put in a desperate situation and then survive?
This is what Wanyan Honglie demonstrated.

Without Jin Muxia, there was no Jin Chenying. When Wanyan Honglie decided to fight to the death, the Wanyan clan had neither a crown prince nor a prince. Both of them were killed by Jin Yan Shenying. Even after his head was twisted off, Jin Chenying couldn't understand why his master would betray him.
It has both economic and emotional value.

Compared to Wanyan Honglie, who was respectful to scholars, generous, and loved to spend money, Jin Muxia was too stingy and Jin Chenying was too impulsive. Apart from their bloodline, they were good for nothing.

Wanyan Honglie could readily use secret manuals such as Haotian Gangqi and Tiandi Baquan to recruit experts. He used all his gold and silver treasures to make friends with talented people, even if it was just to build good relationships.

Why did Jin Yan Shen Ying betray them?

Because they had worked diligently for the Wanyan clan for decades, yet had not received enough respect and had only learned four moves of the Heaven and Earth Overlord Fist, Wanyan Honglie directly gave them the last five moves of the fist manual. After the mission was accomplished, he would give them the final move. The prince had long since died, and the undercover agent had seen a fake.

Jin Yan Shenying, Zhen Baiya, and Chi Jiaer have all practiced the Heaven and Earth Overlord Fist, mastering at least four moves.

With the addition of Tuomu San, Ouyang Feng, and the elite members of the Tianren Sect, Wanyan Honglie's outburst shocked not only Cao Xiong and Cao Yu, but also Li Zhaoting.

This is truly risking one's life!

As Wanyan Honglie revealed his true colors, the Manchu Qing dynasty gradually crumbled. Cao Yu remained calm, as the most important aspect of the plan was to allow for mistakes. In order to wipe out the Wanyan clan in one fell swoop, the court sent several experts, of whom only half had been revealed so far, and they were being personally directed by Wu Sidao.

The commander-in-chief was none other than—Fukang'an!

……

There is a small hill about ten miles from the battlefield.

An old man and a young boy are playing chess in a pavilion on the mountaintop.

The old man was Wu Sidao, whose hair was completely white.

The girl was his apprentice, Princess Yongning.

"Master, it's your turn to make a move."

Yongning looked at Wu Sidao with concern.

Wu Sidao laughed and said, "Yongning, your biggest weakness is that you are soft-hearted and can't learn to be ruthless."

Yongning sneered: "Master is joking! Schemes and tricks are just minor tricks. To achieve great things, one must be upright and honorable. The more sneaky and furtive you are, the easier it is for others to scheme against you."

“Well said! You have great insight, young lady. Just based on what you said, you and Cao Xiong are not of the same ilk.”

Chu Liuxiang quietly appeared at the top of the pavilion.

Wu Sidao, Princess Yongning, and the six guards around Yongning all failed to discover his whereabouts.

Wu Sidao chuckled, "What great luck! It was 'The Master Thief' Chu Liuxiang who scouted my way here!"

Chu Liuxiang laughed and said, "Li Zhaoting speaks highly of you, sir, saying that you are incredibly wise. If you hadn't been held back by your emotions, you would have already retired successfully when Yongzheng ascended the throne. I wonder how you would have dealt with me?"

"I'm getting old, and my body can't keep up! I never waste my energy on trivial matters. How to deal with Chu Xiangshuai? That's such an idiotic question that it's not worth my time. I would even ignore it when I'm in the toilet."

Wu Sidao gestured for Chu Liuxiang to sit down: "The three great troublemakers of the Central Plains martial arts world are Lu Xiaofeng with four eyebrows, Chu Liuxiang, the Thief King, and Long Chengbi, the Snow Saber Prodigal. If I had to choose, I would like to play a game of chess with Chu Liuxiang."

Chu Liuxiang rubbed his nose: "Mr. Wu, why isn't Li Zhaoting mentioned? Li Zhaoting's ability to cause trouble is stronger than all of ours combined, why should we ignore him?"

Wu Sidao smiled calmly: "You are the sticks that stir up trouble in the martial arts world, and Li Zhaoting is the firecracker!"

Chu Liuxiang: "To be honest, the term 'troublemaker' isn't very flattering, but it's still much better than something that goes through the cycle of life. Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Wu."

Yongning: "Master, you still haven't said why you want to see Chu Xiangshuai? Isn't Lu Xiaofeng good enough? I heard that Lu Xiaofeng is dashing and has four eyebrows."

Wu Sidao slowly cleared the chessboard, preparing to play chess with Chu Liuxiang: "Lu Xiaofeng can kill people, and he might kill me with a single finger. Long Chengbi is the same; he won't give me a chance to speak, but will simply and neatly cut off the head of the Grand Commander of the Sticky Rod Office, so as not to be deceived by me."

Chu Liuxiang became increasingly embarrassed and could only rub his nose to relieve the awkwardness, earning him a huge eye roll from Yongning.

Wu Sidao then explained, "Li Zhaoting isn't very good at investigating cases; he's better at drawing his sword and killing people. This martial arts tournament in Guandong is just too big a scene."

Li Nanxing was worried and asked Li Zhaoting to investigate the case.

Li Zhaoting asked Chu Xiangshuai and Lu Xiaofeng for help.

Li Zhaoting, accompanied by his confidante, went undercover and infiltrated the gang. With Li Zhaoting's martial arts skills, as long as he deliberately hid, no one could discover his whereabouts.

I really envy Li Zhaoting.

He married the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect, and all four princesses of the Demonic Sect became part of his dowry, thus gaining five powerful experts in one go.

Let's talk about Chu Xiangshuai and Lu Xiaofeng.

You two each investigate one group of people.

Chu Xiangshuai investigated the sticky rod area.

Lu Xiaofeng investigates the Wanyan clan.

Chu Xiangshuai discovered the old man's whereabouts.

Lu Xiaofeng discovers that gunpowder is hidden in the arena.

Gunpowder originated from two different factions.

First, there's Tianmen. Cao Xiong colluded with Yue Longxuan to purchase a huge amount of specially made gunpowder. This gunpowder explodes when it comes into contact with water droplets, making it extremely powerful and very expensive.

Secondly, there is the Thunderbolt Hall. Wanyan Honglie, with the intention of mutual destruction, wanted to kill all the participants, causing a violent upheaval in the martial arts world and stirring up trouble across the land.

Wanyan Honglie is truly capable.

He was able to persuade Jin Yan Shenying, and he could also detect that Liang Ziweng was an undercover agent. He even guessed that Cao Xiong and Yang Xiao were the leaders of the Ginseng Gang. His scheming was even deeper than Cao Xiong's.

Chu Xiangshuai was very lucky.

I am nearing the end of my life. In order to prevent Xiang Shuai from stealing Yongning, I have no choice but to answer all your questions.

Lu Xiaofeng's investigation of Wanyan Honglie revealed clues that were all deceptive and misleading.

You should do a post-mortem analysis when you get back.

Li Zhaoting reaped great rewards and his fame soared.

Chu Xiangshuai will receive a pardon.

Lu Xiaofeng, however, got nothing.

It can't be said that the mission was completely unsuccessful. Li Zhaoting was very considerate to his friends and would leave clues on the spot according to the situation, allowing Lu Xiaofeng to make use of his abilities.

Having a friend like this is truly a stroke of good luck.

Is there anything else you'd like to ask?

Wu Sidao truly lived up to his reputation as a master cunning old fox. With just a few words, he left Chu Liuxiang speechless, only able to awkwardly rub his nose repeatedly while keeping his eyes fixed on the chessboard.

After a long pause, Chu Liuxiang asked, "Mr. Wu, can the experts at the Sticky Pole Division stop Li Zhaoting?"

"Hold on firmly, there will be a way."

(End of this chapter)