Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 449: 60% chance of winning versus 40% chance, the advantage lies with me.
"Master, I have been defeated!"

Hei Qiling looked bitterly at King Abiro, who had been implanted with three Life and Death Talismans and was tormented by pain and itching, a torment worse than death, for a full hour.

When attacked by Wang Shenglan, Hei Qiling mistook it for poison or a hidden weapon. After suffering the pain, she realized it was the Life and Death Talisman, the ultimate skill of Tianshan Tonglao.

As a protector of the Blood Moon Cult, Hei Qiling had access to a lot of secret information and knew that Tianshan Tonglao was the senior sister of the Xiaoyao Sect and that the Life and Death Talisman was the Xiaoyao Sect's ultimate skill.

In this world, apart from Tianshan Tonglao and her direct disciples, the only woman who can use the Life and Death Talisman is clearly the leader of the Xiaoyao Sect.

The carefree sect leader, Wang Shenglan.

Li Zhaoting's most beloved wives and concubines.

Wang Shenglan's previous statement meant that Li Zhaoting possessed two Heavenly Swords of the Fifth Rank. Unless King Abiro could defeat Li Zhaoting, even if he wiped out the Tang family a thousand times, it would be a waste of effort.

All five Heavenly Swords must be collected; otherwise, they are just broken parts, worthless when sent to a pawnshop.

Pawnshops would certainly accept bronze jue (wine vessels). Bronze jue from the Qin Dynasty were collectors' favorites, and if they came with certain legends or stories, their value could increase twenty or thirty times.

However, when collecting antiques, minor damage, cracks, copper rust, and iron rust are permissible, but the basic structure must be intact and cannot consist of broken parts.

Treasure hunting is more troublesome than collecting!

Li Zhaoting's meaning was very straightforward: either the Blood Moon Cult gives up collecting the Five Heavenly Swords, or come and fight me directly. I'll be waiting for you in the desolate mountains outside the city.

It's straightforward and to the point, yet leaves one helpless.

What could King Abhira do?
In front of hundreds of guests, Wang Shenglan challenged Abiro King to a duel with the stakes of the Five Heavenly Swords. If Abiro King dared not accept the challenge, what would the martial arts community think?
What do the disciples of the Blood Moon Cult think?
They don't know Wang Shenglan!

All they know is that the cult leader chickened out!

A woman killed Judge Lan Chou and severely injured Hei Qiling. She challenged King Abiro to a duel. Instead of retaliating, King Abiro fled with his tail between his legs.

What is the purpose of the Blood Moon Cult?

Let's just disband!
Go find a more reliable leader!

Even if King Abiro spreads the word that Wang Shenglan is just a mouthpiece and that Li Zhaoting is the one who truly wants to fight King Abiro, so what?
Evil and unorthodox methods can be ruthless, vicious, and unscrupulous, but they must never back down. If the leader backs down, the underlings will inevitably develop disloyal intentions.

Take the Eagle Cult as an example.

Back when the Dragon Slaying Saber Tournament was held at Wangpan Mountain, Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu went missing, and several major sects suffered heavy losses. They then went after the Sky Eagle Sect. Did the White-Browed Eagle King back down?
Not only did he not back down, but he also mustered the courage to fight back, engaging in fierce battles with sects such as Emei and Kunlun for more than ten years, and even annihilating several small sects in the process. He maintained the dignity of the Sky Eagle Sect by using his Eagle Claw Grappling Hand, which could break tendons and shatter bones.

When Yin Susu returned to the Central Plains and cleared up the misunderstanding from ten years ago, the reputation of the Sky Eagle Sect soared, and it ranked sixth among the major underworld gangs in the Central Plains.

The top five are: Angry Dragon Gang, Power Gang, Six and a Half Hall, Golden Wind and Drizzle Pavilion, and Money Gang!

Both the Blood Moon Cult and the Sky Eagle Cult are religious sects. King Abiro is young and strong, with potential far exceeding that of the over-seventy-year-old White-browed Eagle King, yet he is firmly suppressed by the Sky Eagle Cult.

the reason is simple.

The Blood Moon Cult lacks combat achievements.

Apart from talents cultivated by the previous leader, such as Hei Qiling and Lan Chou Judge, no other experts came to join them.

In terms of talent reserves, the Blood Moon Cult is far inferior to the Sky Eagle Cult, which has the River Twins and the Three Swords of Qinghai.

King Abiro was quite troubled by this and tried every means to enhance the prestige of the Blood Moon Cult. He sought refuge with the Azure Dragon Society, created a false identity, traveled the world as a righteous person, and searched for the Five Lords of the Heavenly Sword, all in order to expand his power.

Unfortunately, the martial arts foundation of the Central Plains is too abundant. After twenty years of recuperation, there is an explosion of masters. All major sects have geniuses training in the martial arts world. The Blood Moon Divine Sect, a heretical sect that is neither too soft nor too hard, is the best target.

In the past two years, the Blood Moon Cult has had five or six branch sects destroyed by young disciples from sects such as Emei, Bashan, Tianshan, and Wudang, and has moved underground.

King Abhira could neither unleash a massacre nor back down, leading to an escalation of conflicts.

The development of the Blood Moon Cult has stagnated.

If they can survive this disaster, they will surely rise to great heights. Not to mention replacing the five major underworld gangs, replacing the Green Robe Pavilion and the Mysterious Heaven Alliance would be no problem at all.

If they cannot survive this catastrophe, the Blood Moon Cult will either fall apart or perish.

The Heavenly Sword is the key to breaking the deadlock.

King Abhiro was a descendant of the Five Nobles of the Heavenly Sword.

The slogan "He who obtains the Heavenly Sword will rule the world" is something no one with a sound mind would believe. However, the Heavenly Sword is undoubtedly a divine weapon, no less powerful than the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.

King Abiro is a swordsman. With the help of the Heavenly Sword, his combat power can be increased by at least 50%. He can find an opportunity to fight against sects such as the Eagle Sect and the Invincible Sect, and destroy several medium-sized sects to establish his authority.

The problem is... the problem is...

What does Li Zhaoting want with Tianjian?
Doesn't he have the Purple and Green Twin Swords?
Does Li Zhaoting want to become the ruler of the world?
There was a lot of slander against Li Zhaoting. The most outrageous rumor was that Li Zhaoting was a "square brick" who was eight feet tall and eight feet in waist circumference and couldn't live without women. But absolutely no one spread rumors that Li Zhaoting "wanted to rebel".

Not to mention that Li Zhaoting has no soldiers or generals, and his reputation in the martial arts world is very unfavorable for recruiting subordinates, even if Li Zhaoting were to suddenly have a system fall from the sky and successfully rebel, so what?
The only benefit the emperor could give Li Zhaoting was the three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines. But here's the question: even if he weren't the emperor, wouldn't he still have a three palaces and six courtyards?

King Abiro rubbed his temples, his head aching. He looked down at Hei Qiling, who had been afflicted by the Life and Death Talisman. For the next eighty-one days, she would suffer excruciating pain, worse than death, each day more intense than the last. Then, the pain would gradually lessen over the next eighty-one days, repeating endlessly, leaving her unable to live or die.

The Blood Moon Cult has three high-ranking elders. Judge Lan Chou was killed by Wang Shenglan, and Blood Phoenix specializes in poison arts. If Hei Qiling is tortured to death by the Life and Death Talisman, King Abiro will become a commander without troops. How can he talk about expanding his power?
Thinking of this, King Abhira became even angrier.

As the dignified leader of the Heavenly Gang and a womanizer, instead of pondering the breaking of the void and accompanying his beautiful wives and concubines, he insists on looking for some Heavenly Sword. How can you be so idle?

If you're so bored, go pick up some manure!
King Abiro unleashed a palm strike, hoping to suppress the Life and Death Talisman with his true energy. However, the Life and Death Talisman was a yin-yang symbol with a unique code, and the Tianshan Six Yang Palm was the decoder.

Unless one is a grandmaster who is proficient in Yin-Yang martial arts and is exceptionally sensitive to fluctuations in true energy, no matter how profound or unfathomable one's skill may be, one will inevitably end up making a fool of oneself.

If you lose strength, it's useless.

He used too much force and died on the spot.

Hei Qiling advised, "Master, don't waste your energy on me. Apart from Tianshan Tonglao and Wang Shenglan, no one can save me. The Life and Death Talisman lives up to its name!"

Hei Qiling gritted her teeth, her face contorted in a ferocious grimace.

The Heavenly Mountain Child Granny subdued the masters of the thirty-six caves and seventy-two islands with her Life and Death Talisman. These demons and monsters were mostly evil and treacherous, vicious and fickle.

The fact that the Life and Death Talisman could make these demons and monsters obedient and enslaved demonstrates its terrifying power.

Hei Qiling initially thought that people in the martial arts world were exaggerating, attributing their fear of death to the torment of pain. If the Life and Death Talisman was really that powerful, why would Tianshan Tonglao be willing to stay on Tianshan Piaomiao Peak and not go to dominate the martial arts world?

I only learned today that the rumors were true, and not only were they not exaggerated at all, but they were actually less so.

It hurts and itches endlessly, as if tens of thousands of ants are crawling all over my body, gnawing at my flesh.

The pain was like being slowly sliced ​​to death, the numbness and itching went straight to the bone marrow, and I wished I could tear my flesh and blood apart, crush my bones, smash my skull, and rip out my brains.

If you are tied up with ropes, you will break free from the ropes in pain.

Using acupressure to stop movement will reverse the flow of vital energy under extreme torment, forcibly severing the meridians.

Even if you knock yourself unconscious and fall to the ground in a daze, your body will still feel pain, trembling uncontrollably, and you will dream of billions of demons and monsters.

King Abiro shouted, "Spread the word! I accept Lady Li's challenge, on the condition that you undo Hei Qiling's life-and-death talisman. Three days from now, we will have a life-or-death duel!"

"Master, this will...this will..."

"Three days is enough! Hei Qiling, I've had enough of this life! I don't want it to be like this! Either I get what I want, or I die a glorious death!"

"What if Li Zhaoting intervenes?"

“The one who challenged me was Wang Shenglan. If I accept the challenge openly, given Wang Shenglan’s personality, she definitely won’t let Li Zhaoting make a move. This is my chance. I have at least a 60-70% chance of defeating Wang Shenglan.”

"Li Zhaoting will instruct Wang Shenglan in martial arts."

“Wang Shenglan is naturally strong and skilled in marksmanship. Her attacks are straightforward and powerful. Li Zhaoting can only offer very limited guidance. If Wang Shenglan abandons the spear and practices swordsmanship, it will be my opportunity.”

"My subordinates will make arrangements now."

"Just go directly to Wang Shenglan."

"Wang Shenglan would remove the life-and-death talisman for his subordinate? I've long heard that Wang Shenglan is forthright and honest, but no matter how honest she is, she wouldn't be so careless."

"Wang Shenglan's willingness to remove the life-and-death talisman shows that she is not afraid of my escape, and that Li Zhaoting is in Tongguan. To put it bluntly, I would rather she didn't."

"That's what I think too."

Hei Qiling was the disciple of the previous leader and was of the same generation as Abiro King according to seniority. However, in fact, he watched Abiro King grow up and regarded him as his own son.

If she could exchange her life for a 30% chance of winning against King Abiro, Hei Qiling would slit her throat on the spot.

……

Wang Shenglan is not good at hiding her identity.

Finding Wang Shenglan was very easy.

"Greetings, Madam Li!"

Hei Qiling bowed and handed over the invitation.

You can't hit a smiling face with a fist.

Hei Qiling had read the information sold by Tianji Pavilion and knew that Li Zhaoting's beautiful wives and concubines liked to be called "Madam Li" when they went out alone.

"What is this?" "The leader has agreed to your challenge."

“This is the choice of a smart person. I don’t think King Abira is a fool. He is definitely smarter than me.”

Wang Shenglan opened the challenge letter, which read:

Before Wang Shenglan, the leader of the Xiaoyao Sect:

Having accepted your challenge, how could I refuse? However, the Black Spirit's Life and Death Talisman must be removed immediately to demonstrate fairness.

Three days later, in the desolate mountains outside the city, a decisive battle was fought.

I believe I have a 60% chance of winning. You are skilled with a spear and your attacks are straightforward. If you were to abandon your spear for a sword, it would be exactly what I want.

Victory or defeat is a matter of fate; let us accept it without regret or fear.

Respectfully presented by King Abhiro, leader of the Blood Moon Cult.

After reading the challenge, Wang Shenglan looked at Hei Qiling with a dark expression: "I take back what I just said. King Abiro is not smart at all, he's just lucky to be stupid!"

How can stupidity be associated with luck?

The two are certainly related.

It's a stroke of luck for a fool to survive.

Fools sometimes have good luck.

Hei Qiling retorted angrily, "Madam Li, I have always treated you with courtesy. Why must you speak so hurtfully?"

Wang Shenglan shrugged: "I originally thought that King Abiro accepted the challenge because he saw through my plan, but according to the analysis of the challenge, he didn't see through anything."

"Please advise, Madam Li."

"Have you seen the intelligence sold by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion? What does my husband usually carry with him when he goes out?"

"A fine horse and fine wine, a clever dog and gold ingots, at least one personal maid, and at least one beauty."

"So that's why! I deliberately let you go back so that you could lead the way and find King Abhira."

If King Abhira refuses to fight, even if he has a thousand disguises and can fool the world and his subordinates, he certainly cannot fool a dog's nose.

He accepted the challenge; I am his opponent.

He refused the challenge; his opponent was my husband.

I originally thought you would be able to figure it out, but I didn't expect you to be completely clueless. I called you idiots, is that offensive? Do you think I'm offending you?
I may not be a prominent figure in the martial arts world, but my husband certainly is, right? Are the intelligence reports from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion really that expensive? The Blood Moon Cult can't even afford the 'Martial Arts Monthly Report'?
My husband's habits and behaviors are clearly recorded in the Jianghu Monthly Report. He reads more books in his spare time.

I accepted the challenge.

Go back and tell King Abhiro that unless he has the ability to escape the dog's nose, he shouldn't try any tricks.

Consider this a return gift!

Wang Shenglan patted Hei Qiling a few times, removed his life-and-death talisman, and handed him a mask.

The Iron Mask of King Abhiro.

Hei Qiling's face darkened, and she remained silent.

Wang Shenglan's thought process isn't unusual, but before she mentioned it, no one could have imagined it.

Upon closer analysis, this is indeed the case.

Black Qiling wasn't a challenge, but a locator to track King Abiro. From the moment Black Qiling returned to the Blood Moon Cult's branch, King Abiro was exposed.

"Thank you so much for your guidance, Madam Li! Even if I die at your hands, I can die in peace."

"This is the last time I'm reminding you, please, please don't try to be clever. My husband has a bad temper."

"I've heard that Master Li is very gentle."

"Yu Yan can go shopping and buy roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), and I can go to the Tang family's banquet, but he can only pet dogs at the inn. How can he have a good temper? The dog's fur is almost all gone!"

"..."

Hei Qiling ran faster than a rabbit.

He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, Wang Shenglan would change his outlook on life and values, and turn him into a lunatic. Even if he was beaten to death in three days, he hoped that he would die as a normal person and be a normal ghost in the underworld, not a fool!

Wang Shenglan: I was speaking normally, without using a single swear word, so how did Hei Qiling run away?

Wang Shenglan stopped someone and asked for directions to the local snack street so she could try authentic Tongguan roujiamo (meat sandwich) and see if there was a temple dedicated to Ma Chao.

Tongguan was Ma Chao's greatest achievement, where he defeated Cao Cao to the point that Cao Cao had to cut off his beard and abandon his robe. This event has been widely commemorated by later generations.

In any game set in the Three Kingdoms period, the characterization of Ma Chao often uses the story of cutting off his beard and abandoning his robe to design his skills. Ma Chao's skills can counter Cao Cao to a certain extent, as seen in a certain card game.

Ma Chao was a master of spearmanship, and so was Wang Shenglan. Perhaps they could gain some inspiration and comprehend the highest realm of spearmanship when paying homage to the sages.

Guns are weapons used on the battlefield.

The best marksmanship comes from the battlefield.

……

Jiang Yuyan returned to the inn carrying the oil paper package.

Yuanbao excitedly ran towards Jiang Yuyan. Dogs are the most clingy pets, but even he couldn't resist petting the dog every day. His fluffy dog ​​head almost turned into a bald patch.

Jiang Yuyan tossed Yuanbao a few large bones, which Yuanbao hugged and licked vigorously, making a crunching sound as he chewed.

"Sir, this is authentic Tongguan Roujiamo. Both the white bun and the braised meat are the best in the world. I ate three in one go, and I want to eat three more tonight."

"Ugh! This is so boring, utterly boring. Can you replace the braised pork in the roujiamo with dragon meat?"

"This servant...this servant was a bit too heavy-handed!" Ke Baisui was so angry that he vomited blood and was barely breathing.

"You beat Ke Baisui to death?"

“This servant…this servant angered him to death! It’s really not this servant’s fault, it’s his own fault for being petty. I looked down on him for wanting to be a traitor, and that’s why he vomited blood.”

Jiang Yuyan explained the situation.

"Master, I am truly wronged! The Azure Dragon Society has committed many evil deeds; there is not a single good person among them. They are all experts at stabbing people in the back. Who doesn't know this?"
There are so many people criticizing the Green Dragon Society, the Green Dragon Society gets criticized tens of thousands of times every day, isn't Ke Baisui used to it yet?

I didn't even utter a curse; I just looked at him with disdain, and Ke Baisui vomited blood.

Master, please be the judge for me.

Whose responsibility is this?

Jiang Yuyan felt extremely wronged.

If it's Li Zhaoting's super-eloquent speech, like when he scolds the Fire-Worker Monk, driving people to madness and derangement, then it can be said that Li Zhaoting has excellent oratory skills.

Jiang Yuyan didn't utter a single swear word. On the contrary, she gave Ke Baisui a discount when collecting money. He didn't get any benefit from her, so why should he vomit blood?

Li Zhaoting hugged Jiang Yuyan and gently pinched the tip of her nose: "This is all my fault."

"That's not what I meant."

"But this is indeed my responsibility."

How could Li Zhaoting not know what Ke Baisui was thinking?
Normally, when Qinglong was scolded, Ke Baisui would think it was the incompetent barking of a loser, the self-serving sycophancy of a hypocrite, or the triumphant swagger of a victorious hero. He could tolerate all of that.

The Green Dragon Society can be cursed by wandering martial arts practitioners, made up into stories by storytellers in teahouses and taverns, and despised by figures like Lu Xiaofeng, Chu Liuxiang, and Li Zhaoting.

The only thing I can't tolerate is being scolded by Jiang Yuyan.

The key lies not in Jiang Yuyan's background, nor in her rise from an insignificant maid to a position of power over Ke Baisui, but in her transformation.

Originally, everyone was a ruthless and unscrupulous viper. Under Li Zhaoting's influence, Jiang Yuyan developed a conscience and transformed from a viper into a python, a boa constrictor, and a dragon, gradually shedding her fangs and snake skin, and evolving into a dragon.

This is something Ke Baisui absolutely cannot tolerate.

For example, what broke Yang Zhi's spirits the most in "Water Margin"? It wasn't Niu Er's tantrums, Wu Yong's clever robbery of the birthday gifts, or his setbacks in his official career.

What truly broke Yang Zhi's spirits was Gao Qiu's impartial and righteous dismissal of him.

What kind of scoundrel was Gao Qiu?

As a descendant of the prestigious Yang family generals, I was reprimanded and dismissed by that scoundrel Gao Qiu with impunity. Every word Gao Qiu said was correct and in accordance with the law.

We were both scoundrels back then, and now you can stand on your moral high ground and look down on me. You don't need to say anything; just a glance is enough to completely break down my defenses.

It's a testament to Ke Baisui's resilience that he didn't die of anger on the spot.

Li Zhaoting did not explain these things, but Jiang Yuyan could more or less sense the reason. She thought to herself that Ke Baisui's test was meaningless. Ke Baisui could not betray her. He was firmly bound to the Green Dragon Society. But what if the Big Boss found out about Ke Baisui's words?
The big boss is not a magnanimous person!
(End of this chapter)