Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 467 Zhao Min: Hero Li, this is my master's challenge!
Two weeks ago, the Frost Sword was a secret.

After half a month of dissemination, all the forces qualified to compete for the Frost Sword knew this secret.

"Poison Hand" Qian Luo plans to return to the Central Plains and has planted a pawn in the Angry Dragon Gang. In addition, he is skilled in spear and claw techniques and has little interest in swords.

Unless an auction is held in the Western Regions and the Ling Shuang Sword is sold for a good price, Qian Luo will refuse even if it costs him a single penny.

With the Sky-Piercing Sword Sect siding with the Kingdom of Kucha, Song Lingxiao and Yuan Xiaotian only wanted to live peacefully. Even if a mountain of gold fell from the sky, they wouldn't even glance at it.

You could say they're not very bright, but their character is absolutely top-notch.

Ouyang Feiying, the city lord of Sifang City, and Bantianyue, the leader of Shenyue Sect, were busy vying for the "Imperial Seal" and were locked in a fierce battle with Shangguan Yan, suffering heavy losses. Ouyang Feiying was eager to seize the Ling Shuang Sword, but he lacked the manpower to do so.

The talent pool of Sifang City is even worse than that of the Supreme Alliance. No matter how depleted the talent pool of the Supreme Alliance is, at least they can put together a father-son team. Sifang City has none of that.

Ouyang Feiying originally had a gifted and handsome biological son who was born with a disability in both legs. Ouyang Feiying felt ashamed and ordered his subordinates to throw him away.

The Divine Moon Sect has three or four reliable talents, but Bantianyue, with his indestructible Golden Buddha body, is most afraid of divine weapons that can destroy his protective aura. He doesn't want to seize the Frost Sword; he only wants to destroy it.

The divine sword, forged over sixty years, is clearly a top-tier weapon, judging from its blank alone.

Bantianyue did not wish for the Ling Shuang Sword to be born.

Any divine weapon that could potentially harm him, or break the indestructible body of the Golden Buddha, is an enemy of Bantianyue and must be destroyed without mercy.

Bantian Yueming sent his subordinates to observe the ceremony, but in reality, he sent several spies to sabotage Ling Shuang Sword.

The one most determined to vie for the Ling Shuang Sword was Helian Ba.

Helian Ba ​​did not use a sword, and while he was not completely ignorant of swordsmanship, he was at a beginner level. It was as if he relied on his unparalleled martial arts skills to use a "weapon".

Helian Ba ​​can do without the Ling Shuang Sword, and he can give the Ling Shuang Sword to Zhao Min, but he must get a share of the Demon Sword Clan's treasure, a fortune that rivals that of a nation.

The warlords and overlords of the Western Regions either have powerful backgrounds or are backed by the imperial court. Only Helian Ba ​​rose from a nobody to become an overlord. He has a gambling mentality and madness that Ouyang Feiying, Bantianyue and others do not have. As long as there is a 20% or 30% chance of gaining benefits, Helian Ba ​​is willing to risk his life!

Even if the bow is discarded after the birds are all killed, and the hunting dogs are cooked after the rabbits are all killed, at least the precious bow can be maintained and the hunting dogs can get meat and bones before the rabbits and birds are all killed.

Helian Ba ​​was betting on "meat bones".

I'm betting this bone is bigger than the Sea Shark Palace.

Zhao Min, in order to lower Helian Ba's guard, threw out the "meat bone" in exchange for a thousand gold pieces.

He bet that he could grab the bone and run away as fast as he could when Zhao Min threw it out at the Demon Master's Palace.

I bet Pang Ban won't chase after me for a bone.

Helian Ba ​​doesn't need to win all his bets; he only needs to win a quarter to profit.

Compared to other powerful figures, Helian Ba ​​had a unique advantage—lightness skill and agility.

Even if he is being hunted down by the Demon Master's Palace, even if all the experts under the command of the Prince of Ruyang rush in, as long as Pang Ban and Li Chimei do not personally take action, Helian Ba ​​can escape.

In this situation, it would be completely against Helian Ba's character not to risk his life. Every stage of Helian Ba's life was a gamble with his life.

Helian Ba ​​is better than Guan Yutian in one aspect.

Guan Yutian has only one reliable subordinate, while Helian Ba ​​has two: his adopted daughter Bai Yu'er and his disciple Lian Chixue, both of whom are quite good-looking.

Helian Ba's greatest wish upon arriving in Sword Casting City was to pack up Bai Yu'er and Lian Chixue and send them to Li Zhaoting's bed in exchange for Li Zhaoting's support.

Finally, we arrived at the Four Directions Gate.

Since its founding, the Four Directions Sect has been in a state of decline, with only one of its four elders remaining.

The sect leader, Dongfang Qingmu, was imprisoned, leaving behind a son, Dongfang Yu, who did not know the Dongfeng Xuan Gong.

Elder, Ximen Ruoshui, jumped off a cliff to escape, resulting in the crippling of both legs. He is unable to leave the cliff valley and has no successors. The Xilei Xuan Gong is almost lost.

Elder Nangong Lie was killed by Yi Shuihan. He had a son and a daughter, Nangong Longgang and Nangong Longxiu. The two lived in seclusion in the Valley of Mortals and did not know the Southern Fire Mystic Art.

Elder Beitang Mo is a master of the Northern Electricity Mystic Arts. He is the only surviving elder and has a daughter named Beitang Xin'er, who is stunningly beautiful. Although his daughter is always by his side, Beitang Mo is suspicious, fickle, treacherous, and only teaches ordinary martial arts. He never teaches her any of the family's secret techniques.

When Dongfang Qingmu was captured, Dongfang Yu was a child with insufficient foundation and unable to practice martial arts.

Nangong Lie's children live in seclusion in Mortal Valley. Fighting is forbidden in Mortal Valley, and there is no need to learn martial arts. As long as they do not leave on their own initiative, they can live safely for the rest of their lives.

Ximen Ruoshui was very young when she launched the internal strife; she was unmarried and had no heirs, so there's no need to elaborate.

Only Beitang Mo has only one daughter. She grew up by his side since childhood. He doesn't want to pass on the family's martial arts skills to Beitang Xin'er. Does he want to take them to his grave?
Li Zhaoting couldn't understand this kind of thing.

Helian Ba ​​and Beitang Mo arrived one after the other. Sword Master went out to greet them and arranged for them to stay in guest rooms in the west courtyard, while Guan Yutian stayed in the east courtyard to avoid a fight between the two sides.

With Li Zhaoting as his backer, the Sword Master was very confident when welcoming and seeing off guests, and his words were quite cold and aloof.

"Gentlemen, I know your purpose. Sword Forging City never participates in the conflicts of the Western Regions. I only want to tell you one thing: fighting is strictly prohibited within Sword Forging City. The century-old reputation of Sword Forging City cannot be ruined in my hands!"

"Sword Master, what are you saying? If someone tries to assassinate us, are we not allowed to fight back? Sword Forging City is full of swordsmen, but do you think they all abide by the rules of Sword Forging City? Are you kidding me?"

Beitang Mo looked at the Sword Master provocatively.

Sword Master sneered, "The reputation and rules of Sword Forging City are ironclad. My martial arts are too weak to do anything against Brother Beitang, so I can only ask my son-in-law to maintain order!"

"Sword Master, Sword Master, the sword should be revered. You keep talking about your son-in-law, you should revere your son-in-law!"

Beitang Mo slammed his fist on the table and stood up, glaring angrily at the Sword Master.

Sword Master sneered: "In the martial world, the strong are respected. I am a swordsmith, and my son-in-law is a swordsman. It is a blessing for a swordsmith to forge swords for a swordsman. This is a case of a fine horse and a discerning eye, not a power struggle. If you are always thinking about speculation and research, do you have time to practice martial arts?"

Beitang Mo said sternly, "Sword Master! Whether I have time to practice martial arts or not, you can try it yourself!"

Sword Master rubbed his shoulders: "I'm old! I've reached the age where I can enjoy my grandchildren and live a peaceful old age. After completing the business with the Demon Sword Clan, Sword Forging City will be passed on to my daughter. If you want to cause trouble, you can go find my daughter and son-in-law."

Helian Ba ​​laughed and said, "Sword Forging City is about to complete the transaction from sixty years ago and forge an unparalleled divine weapon. This is a good thing! Why make things so tense?"

Sword Master stroked his beard: "Brother Helian! I really don't want to cause trouble, much less fight for power and profit. Heroes who have come to Sword Forging City to witness the ceremony, please give me some face!"

Of course, if you don't give me face, I am old and frail and can't use a sword. My son-in-law is quite skilled in swordsmanship, so you can go and talk to him!

He is erudite and skilled at reasoning.

Ladies and gentlemen!

Eat and drink well, and may you prosper!

The Sword Master bowed respectfully and left the guest room.

Beitang Mo and Helian Ba ​​exchanged a glance, knowing that this time the outcome was likely to be disastrous. Helian Ba ​​was invited by Zhao Min, and Beitang Mo was invited by Fang Yeyu. Naturally, the two became allies and agreed to test the Sword Master together. Unexpectedly, the Sword Master did not take the challenge at all. No matter what he said, it was just a trick to borrow the tiger's power and push the matter to Li Zhaoting!

If you want to cause trouble, fight, or kill someone, you can go to Li Zhaoting, and he will satisfy your desires.

Guan Yutian watched from afar, eating melon and fiddling with chess pieces, and sneered: "Qianxing, you see? Sword Master is not the enemy, Helian Ba ​​is the real nemesis."

Ren Qianxing asked curiously, "I don't understand, why did Sword Master suddenly change his mind when he wanted to renege on his debt?"

Guan Yutian rubbed his temples: "Sword Master did want to renege on his debt before, not because he coveted the Frost Sword, but because he was worried that we would kill him to cover it up. It was a precautionary measure."

"now what?"

"Qianxing, how long has it been since you used your brain? Use it more often, or it will rust! With Li Zhaoting as your backer, who would dare to silence the Sword Master? In this situation, the worst thing you can do is create unnecessary complications."

"Li Zhaoting can't stay in the Western Regions forever. Once he leaves, we'll make our move immediately!"

"Qianxing, do you have a grudge against the Sword Master?"

"No gratitude, no resentment, no enmity, no hatred!"

"Then why do you always want to kill him? This is the murderous aura of a sword that separates worlds, right? Qianxing, don't let the sword moves control your mind, but rather control the sword moves in turn."

"I worry that the blueprints will be leaked, and that more Frost Swords will appear in sixty years. At that time, the Demon Sword Clan will have no advantage whatsoever. Aren't you worried, Father?"

"The Frost Sword cannot be mass-produced. Sword Forging City can forge sword blanks, but it lacks sword spirit and sword essence."

"Sword Soul and Sword Spirit?"

"To forge the Frost Sword, we need the bloodline of the Demon Sword Clan and the divine medicine Nine Dragon Stone as its soul. The Sword Master might have a way to obtain the Demon Sword Clan's bloodline, but only one Nine Dragon Stone is born every five hundred years. Unless the Sword Forging City can continue its lineage for another five hundred years, all our efforts will be in vain."

At this point, Guan Yutian sneered: "I wish the Sword Master would leak the blueprints. The materials used to forge the Frost Sword are all rare and precious irons, worth a fortune. Every piece of material wasted is like cutting off a piece of flesh!"

Ren Qianxing looked down at the chessboard: "Father! I have learned all the moves of the Chess Saint, and my chess skills have improved dramatically. In a life-or-death game, I will have an absolute advantage."

Guan Yutian encouraged him, "Qianxing, the Demon Sword Clan is at a critical juncture of life and death. You are the young master of the Demon Sword Clan, born out of necessity. You can try to seize any opportunity related to chess and swordsmanship."

Ren Qianxing nodded confidently. Guan Yutian waved his hand, disturbing the chessboard.

Ever since Ren Qianxing learned chess from the "Chess Saint," Guan Yutian has been unable to defeat him. The gap between them has widened dramatically. With such a significant improvement in such a short time, Guan Yutian has grown increasingly trusting of Ren Qianxing, and Ren Qianxing emerged as a result.

The only downside is that he doesn't understand his father's feelings.

I wonder how many moves my dad can make!
Where did you learn these "tricks"?
The so-called "chess trickery" refers to deliberately offering a huge advantage to lure the opponent into a trap. Some experts dare to sacrifice a rook to launch a counterattack. The rook is the most powerful piece. Once the opponent cannot resist the temptation of the rook, they will inevitably fall into a disadvantageous position. They will capture the rook and then checkmate the opponent!

A certain chess master, who has reached the pinnacle of skill, can win in just over ten moves using this method. It's not that he has the upper hand in the game and his opponent resigns; it's that he captures the king. He defeats not chess enthusiasts, but professional players. He is good at using this to win prizes, and local chess players are no match for him!

"Deception" is a common tactic on the street, where people deliberately adopt a disadvantageous posture to attract customers to play chess, exchanging a small amount for steamed buns and flatbreads, or a large amount for sea cucumbers, abalone, and shark fin.

Which street chess vendor doesn't have a few tricks up their sleeve? Unfortunately, the Demon Sword Clan is a large family with a 500-year-old heritage. They all learn chess internally and have been wealthy and noble since childhood. They have no street chess experience whatsoever.
Ren Qianxing, however, was abandoned at a young age and experienced many hardships on the streets, making him quite familiar with the ways of the city.

The old man that Ren Qianxing picked up from the street was indeed a "chess saint" to the remnants of the Demon Sword Clan.

This leads to the question: who is the "Chess Saint and Sword Ancestor" who played a life-or-death game with Ying Shuntian?

Sword Ancestor's swordsmanship is indeed very powerful, on par with Ying Shuntian, but when it comes to chess, he is a Go master, yet he insists on playing Chinese chess against him!
If you refuse to play chess with me, I'll kill your whole family!
The Chess Saint and Sword Ancestor said, "Go to hell! Before you force people to duel, can you at least do some research? I play Go, and I'm terrible at Chinese chess!"

Ying Shuntian: What a coincidence! I'm terrible at chess too, we're evenly matched!

Guan Yutian looked at Ren Qianxing with a face full of regret. "I'm your father, can you give me a few moves?"

Ren Qianxing gave an awkward smile and stepped aside.

……

A thousand peaks are drunk!
This is a newly opened restaurant in Sword Casting City. The owner's name is Li Yi, which is obviously an alias. He is in his forties and has a vertical scar on his left eyebrow.

Jianxiong investigated Li Yi's background, but found nothing except that he was skilled in swordsmanship. This was normal; of course, Jianxiong couldn't find any background information about "Li Yi".

The gap between the two sides is too large; it would be suspicious if something were found out.

Li Yi's real name is "Yan Beifei". He is the strongest swordsman of the Western Regions Demonic Sect, without exception. After getting married, he has been living in seclusion. Some time ago, Yu Luosha suddenly announced that she was going into seclusion, and the Demonic Sect was in chaos.

Yan Beifei didn't want to cause trouble, so he opened a restaurant in Zhujian City under the alias Li Yi. He originally wanted to become a constable, but later found that there were no constables in Zhujian City. The background checks for the city's patrolling swordsmen were too strict, and most of them were trained by Zhujian City itself.

In his youth, Yan Beifei was a proud and ambitious swordsman with an indomitable spirit. He ventured into the Central Plains alone with his sword, challenging the sword sects of the Central Plains. None of the seven major sword sects could defeat him.

Just when these prestigious sects were abandoning martial ethics and trying to find their elders to deal with Yan Beifei, Yan Beifei fell in love with Chu Xinru, the daughter of Huashan Elder Chu Mang. He abandoned his sword and went into seclusion, enjoying a peaceful life with his wife and children. Apart from a duel with Liu Sheng Yijian, he did not make a move for twenty years.

Yan Beifei is different from Yuan Xiaotian and Song Lingxiao.

Yuan Xiaotian is a true man who only wants to live a peaceful life. Yan Beifei is a swordsman with feelings, bound by love. He seems to have been living in seclusion for twenty years, but in reality, he has been cultivating his sword skills for twenty years. Like a jar of fine wine, the longer it is aged, the more fragrant and mellow it becomes, until it returns to its original simplicity and becomes no different from an ordinary person.

Yan Beifei was in this stage.

Twenty years have passed, and the gap between Yagyu Ittsuken and Yan Beifei has not only not narrowed, but has widened, because Yagyu Ittsuken has made no progress in the past twenty years.

Li Zhaoting shook his head. It was Yagyu Ittsuki who was led astray in swordsmanship, what does that have to do with me? He gently tapped the table, preparing to order a few signature dishes.

Before they could even order, the waiter came over with a tray and placed down several side dishes, all of which were Li Zhaoting's favorites. The waiter smiled and said, "Someone has already ordered for you!"

"who?"

"A little girl."

"Please have that young lady come to see me. Don't worry, I'm obligated to help her, and I won't be rough with a child."

"My lord, I'm going right now!"

"you know me?"

"Who here doesn't know that the most handsome young man is the Prince Consort of Sword Forging City? Besides you, who else can deserve this title? I'll venture a guess."

"It's your reward!"

Li Zhaoting served a plate of food to the waiter.

The waiter was covered in sweat and hurriedly ran away.

It's common for VIPs to tip the waiters for their attentive service, but what's with tipping them for food?

Despite his doubts, the waiter dared not utter a single question about Li Zhaoting's reputation. He swallowed hard, took the dish, and went to find someone. After searching three or four times, he finally found the young girl who had taken his order at the tea stall outside.

It was none other than Zhao Min.

"Young lady, the prince consort invites you to come up."

"Imperial son-in-law? What imperial son-in-law? When did Li Zhaoting become an imperial son-in-law? He should be the Prince of Kucha! Or the Queen of Kucha! Imperial son-in-law, how interesting!"

“Young lady, you…”

"Waiter! You're carrying a plate of food and rushing around everywhere in a panic. Is Li Zhaoting out of his mind?"

"This dish is quite oily. The little guy does a lot of physical labor. Eating this dish will keep him going until at least midnight, saving him a day's food expenses."

"I see. Here, this pot of tea is for you. You can eat your food here! I'll go upstairs to find Li Zhaoting!"

Zhao Min patted the teapot twice, tiptoed upstairs quickly, and spotted Li Zhaoting at a glance.

Li Zhaoting looked out the window and heard footsteps behind him. He laughed and said, "Little girl, how about we play a game? You guess something."

"what's up?"

Guess what I'm looking at?

"Is there any need to guess?"

Zhao Min quickly walked to the window, stood on tiptoe, lowered her head, and looked at all sorts of people: hardworking laborers, young servants feeding horses, young girls strolling around, peddlers haggling over every penny, children clamoring for candy, old men drinking tea...

Zhao Min subconsciously activated the Secret Book of Intelligence, transforming her spiritual power into a fishing net that encompassed everything and penetrated every crevice. This method could develop the Yang Spirit and enhance spiritual power, but it required an extremely high level of spirituality. Zhao Min was exceptionally talented and had already achieved a minor level of mastery at such a young age, causing people to subconsciously look at her.

The laborers, busy with their work, glanced at her, forgot the heavy burden on their backs, and straightened their backs and held their heads high.

The young servant who was feeding the master's horses felt incredibly powerful and had become a young master riding a horse.

The meticulous vendor, who secretly deducted from the weight, only glanced up and forgot to give change;
When girls on the street saw Zhao Min, they were reminded of the beautiful version of themselves they had imagined in their dreams.

Everyone was captivated by Zhao Min; Li Zhaoting couldn't see anything but a little girl.

Zhao Min didn't need to guess what Li Zhaoting was looking at.

All eyes turned to Zhao Min.

This question is invalid.

Li Zhaoting said calmly, "I was watching the waiter who just came downstairs. Can you guess why?"

Zhao Min cautiously said, "I've heard that Master Li's martial arts are superb and his swordsmanship is unparalleled. My master once commented that you are qualified to sit down and discuss the Dao with him. I couldn't help but test you..."

"Ten-Fragrance Softening Powder is colorless and tasteless, but when added to dishes, it will have a slightly bitter taste and feel gritty in the mouth. If it is a meat dish, the batter will feel thick and taste like a cotton ball."

"Junior...Junior..."

"Looks like you're quite clever, putting the antidote in the tea in time. If the waiter had been drugged by the Ten Fragrance Softening Powder, I would have thrown you out."

"Master Li has a truly discerning eye."

"My father taught me in Dali."

"Master Li asked me a question, and I'll ask you one too. Master Li, why don't you guess what I'm here for? If you guess correctly, I'll give you a reward."

"Send a declaration of war."

"You top experts usually act like brutes, but you're actually smarter than anyone else! You use such brilliant minds to bully children!"

"You're better than a hundred adults!"

"Thank you for the compliment, Master Li!"

Zhao Min took out a brocade box from her bundle.

Why didn't you bring any guards?

"I'm afraid they'll be killed by Master Li!"

"so smart!"

(End of this chapter)