Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 528 Killing Chu, the hatred will never end until the blood is spilled.
"Kill Chu!"

What does "killing Chu" mean?

"Is 'Kill Chu' a person's name, an object, a code, an action, or none of the above? Who does 'Chu' refer to?"

The preceding sentence is a killing signal.

The middle sentence is Li Shengnan's question.

The last sentence is Cheng Huaixiu's analysis.

Before the three had finished their tea, the heads of the Chi and You families, two of the four great martial arts families of Luoyang, arrived at the tea stall outside the city, and a brutal killing broke out.

"Kill Chu!"

"Kill Chu!"

"Kill Chu!"

Accompanied by slogans ten or a hundred times more mournful than the cuckoo's cry of blood or the wailing of wronged souls, the entire tea stall was transformed into a slaughterhouse, with flashing knives and flying limbs.

The boss, the waiter, the porters, the cart drivers, the donkey riders, the vegetable sellers, the bricklayers, the deliverymen—they all became killers! No! They weren't killers!
A hitman's job is to kill for money.

Those who don't take money cannot be called killers.

These people are—the Avengers!
The avengers who crawled out of mountains of corpses, seas of blood, the underworld, and the deepest hell are of average martial arts skills, their moves are not exquisite enough, and their power is not profound enough, but their killing intent soars to the heavens, and every move is purely offensive.

If a person is willing to risk their life and fight the enemy at all costs, even if it's like an ant trying to shake a tree or a mantis trying to stop a chariot, at least they will leave a scratch on the wheel when it runs over them.

When paths intersect, they become infinite.

A rope can saw through wood, and water can wear away stone.

As the saying goes, one man fighting for his life can defeat a hundred men.

Moreover, the Avengers had the advantage of surprise attack.

Before the Chi and You families could even get their bearings, they were blasted into heavy losses by the life-or-death sword and blade auras. The slaughter came as fast as lightning and disappeared without a trace.

The battle ended in less than twenty seconds.

The head of the You family, You Yuzhe, and the master of offerings, Gu Foying, were both seriously injured. Gu Foying was eager to protect his master and acted as a human shield for You Yuzhe, being stabbed twice and once in the chest.

The Chi family's guard commander, Hong Sanre, and steward, Liu Shizhi, were hacked to death with multiple blows. The family head, Chi Rimu, was struck in the chest with a palm print that was bluish-black, clearly indicating the presence of a deadly poison.

Fortunately, the Chi family's enshrined "Black Whirlwind" Xiaobai arrived in time to help Chi Rimu, blocking a claw that was about to rip out his heart. He was lucky to survive, but judging from Chi Rimu's condition of exhaling more than inhaling, he probably has little chance of survival.

The assassins were all wiped out, with no survivors, no markings on their bodies, and their martial arts skills were all mediocre.

There's nothing but a slogan.

You Yuzhe and Gu Foying exchanged bewildered glances, wondering what was going on. Were they plotting against the Ge family after returning home, or were they being framed? Judging from their methods, they were fighting to the death, clearly harboring immense resentment.

When did the You and Chi families have such an enemy?

Chang'an is a great city with a long history. Even though it is now in ruins, the necessary scenes cannot be abandoned. The heads of the four major martial arts families are collectively known as the Four Young Masters.

They are:
"Young Master" Chi Rimu;

"The Amorous Young Master" You Yuzhe;

The old man responded to Bai Ying;

"Young Lady" Ge Lingling;

This claim is pure nonsense.

This is even more absurd than the saying "Qiao Feng in the North, Murong in the South".

Chi Rimu and You Yuzhe are young and handsome, belonging to noble families. Ge Lingling has a bold and generous personality, so it's barely believable that she's dressed as a man.

What's with the "Old Man" responding to Bai Ying?

This group of men are in their fifties, ugly in appearance, bald and missing teeth, with bloodshot eyes and bleeding gums. They are insidious, vicious, arrogant, and tyrannical.

Does Hui Baiying even deserve to be called "Young Master"?
However, among the four great martial arts families, Miaoshoutang has the largest territory and the most masters. It can easily defeat the other three families, and the gap between them is even greater than that between Wei, Shu, and Wu.

The fact that they were willing to be mentioned alongside them was the biggest concession they had made upon returning home. Outsiders were gossiping, but the locals couldn't say much. Saying too much would inevitably lead to conflict, and if the four families fought each other, perhaps none of them would be left.

You Yuzhe subconsciously thought that the assassination attempt was carried out by that old wolf, Hui Baiying. But then she thought that Li Zhaoting was about to arrive in Chang'an, and even if Hui Baiying had the guts of a bear and the courage of a leopard, he wouldn't dare to make a move at this time.

If they angered Li Zhaoting, they could be mercifully executed by torturing his entire family ten times over for the filthy, despicable things they did at home, including bullying men and women.

If Li Zhaoting's goal hadn't been Zhongnan Mountain, Hui Baiying would probably have taken his whole family to Zhongnan Mountain to cultivate Taoism, giving up all his business and fasting until Li Zhaoting left.

Knowing that Li Zhaoting was about to arrive in Chang'an, they launched a bloody assassination at the exact moment. Given Li Zhaoting's personality, how could he remain unmoved by the scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood?
The other party wants Li Zhaoting involved!

These assassins are all suicide squads!
Someone wants to destroy the four great martial arts families of Chang'an!
You Yuzhe and Gu Foying quickly sorted out their thoughts. With five or six guards remaining by their side, they helped each other and barely made it back to the You family to ask the divine physician to treat their injuries.

The Chi family was the weakest and faced the most targeting. Chi Rimu was seriously injured and unable to speak. He had no one to take charge, and only Hei Xuanfeng was cursing in the street.

A young man dressed in white, as pure and simple as a clear spring in a secluded mountain valley, both handsome and melancholy, walked towards Black Whirlwind, reached out and touched Chi Rimu with two fingers. Chi Rimu spat out a mouthful of black blood.

Black Whirlwind looked up and saw that the man was wearing ordinary, worn-out robes and looked quite destitute. However, every gesture, every step, every raised eyebrow, and every glance he made exuded an indescribable arrogance, sorrow, and aloofness.

The man was carrying a blue bundle that had faded by about 80% from washing, which he carried on a long, narrow object. He looked both sinister and somewhat sincere.

Where in the world can you find someone who is both wicked and genuine?
The person in front of me is a perfect example.

His name is Fang Xiezhen. Fang means square and upright, Xie means evil and awe-inspiring, and Zhen means sincere and honest. He is a person who is both evil and genuine, and he seems out of place in the world.

Anyone who has seen Fang Xiezhen can see that he is no ordinary person and will one day rise to great heights.

Even Chi Rimu, who was seriously injured, poisoned, and in a daze, was in the same situation. Chi Rimu barely mustered up some strength and asked Fang Xiezhen to escort him home. He also sent someone to invite Mei Tuizhi to treat his poison wounds as soon as possible.

Li Zhaoting watched coldly from the sidelines and did not make a move.

Judging from the scene, this group of killers are ruthless villains, and the Chi and You families are the victims, but what is the truth of the matter? How many people can say for sure?

There's an interesting concept in Gu Long's martial arts novels: "a generation every ten years." Over the past twenty years, the sordid affairs of yesteryear have seen two generations of people rise and fall in the martial arts world of Chang'an.

Aside from those who experienced it firsthand, and from demons who have crawled back from hell, who knows the truth?
Li Zhaoting quietly left with the two women.

Cihang Jingzhai is located in Zhongnan Mountain, which is a neighbor of Chang'an City. It has some intelligence network in the city. Cheng Huaixiu went to inquire and soon received a large stack of files.

In fact, Cihang Jingzhai's intelligence capabilities have always been among the best. They can uncover many unknown secrets, especially during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Shi Feixuan casually revealed all of Li Shimin's trump cards, down to the color of his underwear.

This creates a strong sense of disconnect.

On the one hand, he claimed that he had no interest in power and status for the sake of the common people, while on the other hand, he could easily obtain detailed information about all the feudal lords during the Sui and Tang dynasties.

You say you have no ambition? Who would believe that?
There's a simple and easy-to-understand principle: how much money does such a powerful intelligence system cost every year?

Is this something a hermit in the mountains can afford to raise?

Li Zhaoting inquired about Huai Xiu's process.

Cheng Huaixiu stated that during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Cihang Jingzhai was chosen as a representative of Buddhism, and eight or nine out of ten Buddhist temples in the world provided Cihang Jingzhai with funds and intelligence.

The four holy monks were protectors, and there was also the Buddhist layman Ning Daoqi, who ranked among the three grand masters, protecting them. As Li Tang consolidated his power, everything vanished like smoke.

They were lucky not to be wiped out.

The dragon that soars too high will eventually regret it; the greatest prosperity inevitably leads to decline—this has been true since ancient times.

The intelligence capabilities that have been passed down to this day are only found in the vicinity of Chang'an. If they want to investigate other intelligence, they can only rely on personal connections. For example, when Yan Jing'an was training in the martial arts world, he established good relationships with most of the famous martial arts masters.

If Yan Jing'an were to come to him seeking help, most people would not refuse, including Li Nanxing.

Li Shengnan, not to be outdone, declared that the Demonic Sect had a branch in Chang'an, and she would go there to gather intelligence...

Li Zhaoting: I'm going to the Yan family to beg for money!
The Yan family was the richest family in Guanzhong and the largest jeweler in the country, with a very wide influence. Yan Tieshan was old and frail and had little interest in money.

A house was given away casually.

……

Qingniu Mountain Villa.

This place originally belonged to Yan Tieshan, intended as a summer retreat and a place for cultivating Taoism and refining elixirs. However, Yan Tieshan was too wealthy, owning countless mansions and estates.

Since buying Qingniu Manor, Yan Tieshan has never stayed there. There are more than twenty maids and servants in the manor to clean the back garden, alchemy room and bedroom.

"Housekeeper Liu" is responsible for recording all kinds of expenses.

Everything was harmonious before, and everyone tacitly agreed to slack off, be lazy, and line their own pockets. But today, this mansion has an owner, and from now on, they can no longer be lazy!
As a place for cultivating Taoism and refining elixirs, the manor is not luxuriously furnished, with the furniture mainly in a simple and elegant style.

The study had three bookshelves of Taoist classics, most of which were eaten by insects and rodents. The medicine boxes and cabinets in the alchemy room were empty, but there was plenty of charcoal for alchemy, since winter was approaching and everyone needed to keep warm.

Steward Liu followed Li Zhaoting cautiously, fearing that if Li Zhaoting frowned, an invisible sword aura would flash, and all the maids and servants of Qingniu Manor would be beheaded.

Li Zhaoting laughed and said, "Old Liu, have someone clean the bedroom, prepare hot water in the bathroom, order dinner from Taibai Tower, and find a few hooligans who have been hanging around the city since childhood, preferably those with silver tongues." "Master Li, is there anything else you need?"

“I’ll only stay for a few days. I’ll do things the same way as before. Yan Tieshan has too many mansions. This is just a mere mountain villa… You guys need to be more alert these days!”

"Ah! Please enlighten me, Master Li."

"Yan Tieshan used to neglect Qingniu Manor, but he certainly won't neglect it now that I've moved in. What if he suddenly decides to do something like that one day? You know what I mean, right?"

"Understood! Understood! I understand!"

Steward Liu was sweating profusely as he arranged the tasks.

Cheng Huaixiu chuckled, "Husband, why are you trying to scare Steward Liu? Yan Tieshan gave you the manor; how could he possibly take it back? Let alone come to check the accounts!"

Li Shengnan sneered: "What do you know! This is called a new broom sweeping clean. The maids and servants of Qingniu Manor are used to slacking off. If we don't give them a good beating, how can they work diligently? Who knows what trouble they might cause!"

Li Zhaoting: Heaven have mercy, I just thought the butler's face was quite distinctive, so I was just teasing him!

This Butler Liu is truly an exceptional person.

With a pointed snout and monkey-like cheeks, shifty eyebrows and rat-like eyes, short stature, and skinny frame, it looks like a large macaque.

Wearing a black trousers and jacket, holding a white paper fan, with a slovenly face and a small mustache like a rat's whiskers, if you were to rate his looks and then take the absolute value, he would be on par with Li Zhaoting.

Li Zhaoting's handsome face rivals that of contemporary beauties like Li Xunhuan, Hua Manlou, Lu Xiaofeng, Ouyang Mingri, and Li Ruohai. Looking back through history, he is comparable to handsome men like Pan An, Song Yu, Wei Jie, and Xu Gong of the North City.

Butler Liu's stunning appearance can only be described as unprecedented and unparalleled. Even across the entire Asia, there is no other beauty like him.

The person most similar to Butler Liu is
—Old wine!

Among men, there is Lao Liu; among horses, there is Lao Jiu.

Once you see it, you'll never forget it!

Being handsome is not necessarily a reliable proof of identity.

People and things that are ugly in a unique, special, or distinctive way are more likely to leave a lasting impression.

Most people who had never seen Li Zhaoting or his portrait identified him by the old wine and gold ingots, which were more conspicuous than the Purple and Green Twin Swords.

Based on that face alone, if this gang of thugs in Chang'an is ranked second, who is qualified to be ranked first?

Li Zhaoting's scare tactics were very effective.

Butler Liu unleashed his amazing potential, completing the task at lightning speed. After dinner, Li Zhaoting put his arm around Li Shengnan and Cheng Huaixiu's slender waists and headed to the bathroom.

With one on each side, Li Zhaoting gently caressed Li Shengnan's jade-like feet with his left hand and lightly stroked Cheng Huaixiu's ankle with his right. He closed his eyes comfortably, while Cheng Huaixiu smiled shyly, took out a file, and began analyzing the martial arts forces in Chang'an.

"Ignoring the Quanzhen Sect and Cihang Jingzhai, and only considering the martial arts forces within Chang'an City, there are two categories."

First, there are the escort agencies. The Grand Escort Agency is the largest escort agency in Guanzhong. Its chief escort, Sima Chaoqun, and second-in-command, Zhuo Donglai, are both outstanding figures. With the alliance of various escort agencies, the Grand Escort Agency can be said to be the only dominant force in Guanzhong.

Among the various factions in the martial arts world, escort agencies belong to the lowest level of martial arts forces. The old-fashioned people in Chang'an naturally do not want the large escort agencies to become the representative of the martial arts world in Chang'an.

They introduced four major martial arts families.

The Chi family of 'Lanting';
'Little Green Lake' visitors;
'Miaoshoutang' is back home;
The Ge family of 'Chiba Villa';
The four heads of the families were collectively known as the Four Young Masters.

In reality, this was entirely fabricated and cobbled together.

The Ge family has a history of about three hundred years, but in recent decades it has declined. After the death of the patriarch, the Ge family has no direct male descendants, so Ge ​​Lingling has to dress as a man to temporarily support the family, hoping to find a son-in-law.

The family has been practicing medicine for about 170 years. They are skilled in healing and saving lives. Their origin is the Kongtong Sect. Their martial arts are similar to the Seven Injury Fist. With their unique medical skills, they have befriended many martial arts practitioners and acquired many divine skills and secret techniques. They have a huge influence and are surrounded by experts.

The Chi and You families have the shortest history of succession. They are martial arts families that suddenly rose to prominence twenty years ago. Both family heads died in their prime, leaving behind a mess.

The You family is in a relatively good situation.

As if things weren't bad enough, the Chi family was struck by a series of misfortunes. The old patriarch of the Chi family had two sons. The eldest son, Chi Rili, was originally a heroic and dashing swordsman. Three years ago, he was ambushed by villains and not only lost all his martial arts skills, but he was also confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

The second son, Chi Rimu, has a gentle personality and dislikes the conflicts of the martial arts world. However, with his father gone and his elder brother disabled, he has to muster his strength to barely support the Chi family.

To put it bluntly, the martial arts world of Chang'an is a stagnant pool, its potential long since exhausted.

Such decay is truly poignant!

This is a summary of the records compiled by Cihang Jingzhai.

Perhaps due to a tradition passed down from their ancestors, the files compiled by Cihang Jingzhai resemble historical materials, recording in detail the year, month, and day, in both biographical and chronological formats.

Cheng Huaixiu sighed, "Chi Rimu and You Yuzhe, who were attacked during the day, have a fairly good reputation. They have never done anything to bully men or women or to bully the weak. Are those assassins who risked their lives for each other misunderstanding something?"

Li Shengnan sneered: "Misunderstanding my foot! It's one thing for the son to pay for the father's debts! Why all the fuss!"
Twenty years ago, there were no so-called Four Young Masters in the martial arts world of Chang'an, but rather three great martial arts families.

Ge family, Hui Hua, Lin family.

Lin Fenggong, the head of the Lin family, is known for his generosity, magnanimity, and philanthropy. He has an excellent reputation in the martial arts world and is nicknamed "The Phoenix Flute Can Be Heard All the Way to the Ends of the Earth, and the Martial Arts World Cannot Do Without This Gentleman!"

At the height of the Lin family's glory, Lin Fenggong founded the "No Worries Gate," signifying a life free from worries.

Unfortunately, he trusted the wrong two people.

One was named Chi Sanmu, and the other was named You Wonong.

One is the chief steward, and the other is the second-in-command.

The two conspired to betray Lin Fenggong and wiped out the entire Lin family. Madam Lin's name was Cen Zheng'er. The character "Chu" can be broken down into "Lin" and "Zheng". Killing Chu meant killing Lin Fenggong and Cen Zheng'er. This was their slogan.

Lin Fenggong's third son, Lin Yuanxiao, was away learning martial arts when the incident occurred and luckily escaped. Chi Sanmu and You Wonong launched a rebellion with the aim of seizing wealth, not killing, and left some of the disciples of the Buchou Sect behind.

Some of these disciples defected to the two men.

Some were more loyal and plotted revenge.

Most of the assassinations targeting the Chi and You families during the day were planned by Lin Yuanxiao. These people risked their lives to fight the two families, either to take revenge on their own or to attract the attention of their husbands and kill them with borrowed knives.

It is only natural that children should pay for their parents' debts!

The Chi and You families' assets were all seized from the Lin family. They want to take them back and avenge their innocent family members who died tragically. It couldn't be more justified.

How can a robber erase his identity in twenty years? Not to mention the distant past, Hui Baiying must know what happened back then, and may have been secretly supporting Lin Yuanxiao all along. The assassination of Chi Rili, the loss of her martial arts skills, and the crippling of her legs were most likely the work of Lin Yuanxiao.

It was right that you didn't make a move during the day.

Blood for blood, life for life, blood debt must be repaid in blood.

There's no such thing as forgiveness.
Why should the victim be expected to let go of their grudges?
Let them kill!
"Kill them all, let the blood flow like a river, and fight to the death!"

Li Shengnan admired Lin Yuanxiao's spirit.

The enmity between parents is irreconcilable!
I can't sleep or eat if I don't avenge my grudge!
Seize any opportunity, even the smallest one, and fight your enemies to the death. Blood debts must be settled with blood until one side is wiped out.

Li Zhaoting said calmly, “My ladies, Cihang Jingzhai focuses on organizational structure when gathering intelligence, while the Demonic Sect focuses on past grudges and bloodshed. There is a very distinctive local characteristic that you two families have overlooked: they like to cultivate followers!”

"Making scholars? No wonder he's the Fourth Prince! So he's imitating Mengchang and Xinling! Is this just affectation or utter disrespect? Can he even afford to support so many people?"

Cheng Huaixiu was the leader of the Salt Gang, which ran a business encompassing the entire industrial chain from building salt wells to selling salt. Most of the members of the Salt Gang were hardworking and diligent ordinary people who would work diligently as long as they were provided with food and clothing.

Managing the local, hardworking salt workers left Cheng Huaixiu exhausted, slowing down his martial arts progress, and he rarely had more than three days off a year.

What is “cultivating scholars”?
How much money would it take to support a group of charlatans who eat and drink for free, are lazy and greedy, flatterers and charlatans who pretend to be gods? How much trouble would these people cause?
Dead soldier?

Don't even think about it.

If these families have three or five talented individuals and a reliable steward or bodyguard, they're already incredibly lucky.

Li Zhaoting asked those hooligans, and they said that on average each family kept three hundred retainers, of whom about three or four could be considered talented. The success rate was higher than the historical norm.

After all, of Lord Mengchang's three thousand retainers, even including petty thieves, the success rate was less than one in three hundred.

Li Zhaoting sneered: "Do you know why the Hui family is the number one among the four great martial arts families? It's because only the Hui family is a normal martial arts family that uses all its martial arts resources to cultivate its own members, resulting in the largest number of masters in its own family."

Hui Baiying had a narrow-minded, cruel, tyrannical, and ruthless son named Huijue. Whenever a retainer gained Hui Baiying's approval, that person would either immediately submit to Huijue or be blasted into pieces by Huijue.

Martial arts families are not martial arts sects.

Martial arts sects need to recruit talents from all over the world.

Martial arts families must firmly uphold their own lineage!

He returned home and handed over all the resources to his own people. More than ten years ago, he had already decided that the younger generation would be the heir, so as to avoid the nine sons fighting for the throne and greatly reduce internal friction.

He rejects the treacherous and vicious nature of outsiders and is sincere to his own family. His younger brothers, sisters, cousins, and the like can focus on being dissolute playboys.

The Ge, Chi, and You families gave away their money to those charlatans, resulting in the depletion of their own talent pool.

Over time, the gap widens significantly!

(End of this chapter)