Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

There are two types of monks.

One type is those who practice in temples.

One type is those who travel the world and experience life's joys and sorrows.

Honest monks belong to the latter category. They have a very high seniority in Buddhism. Among living monks, no matter which temple they are from, they are at most of the same generation as him.

More than ten years ago, the honest monk, along with Master Yanhui of Daxiangguo Temple, Zen Master Lingmen of Shaolin Temple, and Zen Master Liaojin of Jingnian Temple, were known as the "Four Great Monks" of Buddhism.

Why "more than ten years ago"?
Since Yan Hui and Ling Men have already passed away, most of their successors are not worthy of their names. It would be somewhat inappropriate to choose from old monks such as San Du and Huai Bao Wu Lao.

The Three Crossings, the Five Elders Embracing Each Other, and the Three Nine Immortals are a group in themselves, so there is no need to separate them.

Over time, the saying "Four Great Monks" was gradually forgotten in the martial arts world. The honest monk didn't care. He didn't even have a temple, so what use was fame to him?
The three eminent monks, who were mentioned alongside the Honest Monk, were all abbots of prestigious and wealthy families. The Honest Monk was an ascetic monk who only needed to feed himself and not his family.

This raises a problem.

Since the honest monk is an ascetic, where did his generational name come from? Did he make it up himself?

Really not!

The honest monk came from the Tiantai sect, which was nearly wiped out due to infiltration by the Tianming sect.

What made the previous abbot even more desperate was that he recommended Zhong Zhongyou to Jingnian Temple, which almost destroyed the temple, and the abbot fell into extreme depression from then on.

The abbot traveled the world to study and save all sentient beings, vowing to accumulate 100,000 merits to atone for his sins. The honest monk was the abbot's "last disciple" in his later years.

Knowing mistakes can be corrected, and doing good things is great.

While it is wrong to misjudge people, it is not an unforgivable crime. Therefore, the Buddhist community did not expel the previous abbot of the Tiantai school and still recognizes his seniority.

The honest monk thus gained an exceptionally high seniority.

Because of his poor judgment in choosing his disciples, which led to the risk of the sect's annihilation, the old abbot, after much painful reflection, strictly forbade his disciples from lying.

Honest monks never lie.

Everyone knows that the honest monk speaks the truth, without a single lie. He is the most honest monk and a divine monk who travels the world studying.

Honest Monk and Lu Xiaofeng are good friends.

Lu Xiaofeng asked the honest monk for help, and the honest monk naturally refused. Just like that, Ximen Chuixue went to the capital alone with his sword and disappeared without a trace in an instant.

A day later, the honest monk led a simple-minded Mongol archer into the capital, announcing to the world that this was his latest lay disciple who still had worldly ties.

As everyone knows, the honest monk drank alcohol and ate meat. He killed people, was greedy for money, and even went to brothels a few times, but he never lied and never told a single lie.

The honest monk said that this young man was his newest disciple, so he must be his disciple. Since he is a monk's disciple, it means that he must not be involved in alcohol or women.

Given Lu Xiaofeng's personality, he would go crazy if he was deprived of wine and women for a day, and if he was deprived of them for ten days, even the Heavenly King himself couldn't stop him.

Therefore, this young man named "Duan Fei" could not possibly be Lu Xiaofeng, absolutely not!

How could Lu Xiaofeng possibly become a monk?
Compared to the chaotic situation in the capital, the honest monk taking on a disciple was a trivial matter, and everyone's attention was focused on Lu Xiaofeng.

Where is Lu Xiaofeng?
When did Lu Xiaofeng begin investigating the case?
Is Lu Xiaofeng going to abandon Li Zhaoting?
Li Zhaoting imprisoned himself in the Heavenly Prison for Lu Xiaofeng. If Lu Xiaofeng betrays Li Zhaoting and runs away, Ximen Chuixue will surely kill such an unjust person.

Ximen Chuixue and the honest monk are both good friends of Lu Xiaofeng, and they have obviously come to the capital to help. In the afternoon, Hua Manlou also came to the capital to help.

Because Hua Manlou is blind, it is very inconvenient for him to investigate cases, so he invited several of his junior brothers to help him.

Zixiao Palace did not want to get involved in the storm in the capital.

Yuxu Palace is currently closed to the public.

Zhenwu Temple and Taihe Temple also did not want to take action.

As a major sect in the world, Wudang attracts attention for its every move, especially from its grandmasters.

Hua Manlou only needed his junior brothers or nephews to help him see the road and find clues. He didn't need Wudang masters to help him fight; he only invited disciples from Baiyun Temple.

Of the nine major branches of the Wudang Sect, Baiyun Temple and Nanyan Palace are relatively weak, while Qiongtan Temple, Zhenwu Temple, Taihe Temple, and Yuxu Palace are relatively strong.

The person Hua Manlou invited to help guide the way was Zhuo Yihang, a direct disciple of Baiyun Temple. Zhuo Yihang's father, Zhuo Zhonglian, was an official in the capital, serving as the deputy commander of the palace guards.

This is no minor official position!

Zhuo Zhonglian's official rank was only two ranks lower than that of Bian Mouting, the Grand Commandant of the Palace Guard. In another twenty or thirty years, he would either be promoted to Grand Commandant or be posthumously awarded the title of Grand Commandant.

Hua Manlou's request for Zhuo Yihang's assistance was clearly an attempt to leverage official connections. His intentions were twofold: first, to review the case files, and second, to obtain information from those who had personally experienced the case through Zhuo Zhonglian.

Zhuo Zhonglian was the deputy commander of the palace guards, and the imperial guards who patrolled every night were all under his command.

As Ximen Chuixue, the Honest Monk, Hua Manlou and others entered the capital, more and more experts from various forces were sent to the capital. Famous sects either obediently closed their gates or sent experts to help them.

Although no fierce battle took place, the martial arts senses between masters and the omnipresent clash of their auras were terrifying. Zhao Zhen even moved his office to Huining Palace and asked Empress Dowager Liu E to protect him closely.

Neither the mastermind behind these events nor Li Zhaoting and Lu Xiaofeng, who actively participated, expected things to develop to this extent.

Now, this is no longer something that can be solved by one or two people. Even if Zhao Yuanyan is torn to pieces, what is destined to happen will still happen.

Where is the hope for breaking this deadlock?

Li Zhaoting, Feng Suzhen, Lu Xiaofeng?

Guo Bujing, Li Xunhuan, Yuan Shisanxian?
Just as everyone was pondering a way to break the deadlock, the person who truly broke the deadlock "quietly" arrived at the palace.

……

"Liu E, come out and see me!"

With raging fire in his left hand and icy cold in his right, Chu Xiangyu fought his way through three thousand imperial guards and stormed all the way to the palace.

Although Li Zhaoting took away his Heavenly Dragon Trident and Thunderflame Halberd, his Ice and Fire Spiral alone was enough to keep dozens of top-level experts from getting close.

As a top expert capable of capturing Iron Hand within thirty rounds, there are very few people in the Imperial Palace who can defeat Chu Xiangyu. Unfortunately, some of these people are guarding the Ministry of Justice's prison, while others are protecting the people of the capital. Even Yuan Shisanxian and Mi Cangqiong are not in the Imperial Palace.

Who in the world can stop Chu Xiangyu?

Chu Xiangyu laughed wildly and attacked recklessly. He punched Guan Da away, slapped Ma Feng away, and used the Ice and Fire Spiral move to severely injure Duan Tianya. With a loud shout, a wall of fire was formed by raging flames to block Shangguan Haitang's hidden weapon.

Gui Hai launched a fierce attack with his sword, attempting to overwhelm Chu Xiangyu with his powerful swordsmanship. However, he was repelled by Chu Xiangyu's punch. Of the four secret agents of the Dragon Guard Manor, three were defeated and fell to the ground.

"Roar!"

Cheng Shifei activated his Vajra Transformation, transforming into an indestructible, incredibly powerful golden Arhat, a hideous eunuch wielding a dagger, who charged towards Chu Xiangyu.

When Li Zhaoting first entered the prison, he saw several eunuchs who were about to be castrated. Most of them were dejected and lifeless. Only this man broke through the limitations of his fate. He went from being a spoiled brat who was addicted to all vices and a street thug who indulged in prostitution and gambling to soaring to the sky like a dragon flying in the sky.

This man was born with the fate of a eunuch. His early life was filled with hardship and displacement, he lost everything, and his wife and children were separated from him.

After entering the palace and becoming a eunuch, his fate was reversed. He turned bad luck into good, and every misfortune into good fortune. Opportunities appeared everywhere. He stepped over countless corpses and climbed step by step to the top.

His name is Wei Jinzhong!

He felt that becoming a eunuch in the palace was a disgrace to his ancestors, so he changed his name to Li Jinzhong. In the past two years, he has risen to prominence and changed his surname back. If nothing unexpected happens, he may become Wei Zhongxian in a few years!

The Heavenly Wrath Sword was delivered to the Manchu by Jade Rakshasa, but how could someone like Wei Jinzhong be content with mediocrity?
By chance, Wei Jinzhong found a tattered martial arts manual in the eunuchs' den where old eunuchs huddled together for warmth, and took it back to secretly practice it.

If becoming a eunuch in the palace is to change one's fate and gain enlightenment in terms of destiny, then this secret manual is to open Wei Jinzhong's Ren and Du meridians and gain enlightenment in terms of martial arts. He started practicing martial arts in his thirties, long past the best age, but after only two or three years of practice, he became a grandmaster.

This secret manual is called the Sunflower Manual!
Under heaven, there is no martial arts manual more suitable for eunuchs to practice than this: Fast movement speed! Fast cultivation speed! Fast attack speed! Fast! Fast! Fast! Ghostly fast, faster than the limits of the naked eye.

Cheng Shifei and Chu Xiangyu clashed head-on, while Wei Jinzhong used his super speed to restrain them from the side. He wielded a black iron dagger that could cut through iron like mud. He did not seek to kill Chu Xiangyu, but only to injure him. He did not have any systematic moves, only super speed and only slashing wounds one after another.

Chu Xiangyu's strongest technique is the super-powerful destructive force formed by the fusion of ice and fire internal energy. As Cheng Shifei blocks Chu Xiangyu's path, Chu Xiangyu's threat level decreases, and more and more experts surround him. Countless royal retainers who want to take the opportunity to make a name for themselves swarm in like flies.

"boom!"

The palm strike, imbued with the utmost Yang energy, hurtled towards Chu Xiangyu.

Cao Zhengchun sneered, "Chancellor Chu! You traitorous minister, you have attempted to assassinate His Majesty three times in the palace. His Majesty took pity on your past and spared your life, but you shamelessly push your luck. How do you want to die?"

Chu Xiangyu roared, "You castrated dog! How dare you speak to me! I'm going to drag you to hell with me!"

Cao Zhengchun scoffed dismissively: "You!"

Twenty years ago, Chu Xiangyu suffered a crushing defeat, his entire army was wiped out, and he has lived on with the blood feud of his entire army. How could his spirit be so resilient? How could he be defeated by a few words? As long as Chu Xiangyu is alive, his fighting spirit will not be extinguished!
The more enemies there are, the more dangerous the situation becomes. The more surrounded and vulnerable Chu Xiangyu is, the more excited he becomes. Every cell in his body is boiling, and the two streams of true energy are colliding wildly.

The left hand is engulfed in raging flames, like a scorching hell. The right hand is frozen solid for miles, even more frigid than a hell of ice.

Above, goose-feather snowflakes drifted down with the wind, while below, raging fires scorched the ground into lava. The two ultimate techniques of extreme cold and extreme heat merged like yin and yang, dragon and tiger intertwined, and condensed into an invisible force between Chu Xiangyu's palms.

The icy light of ice emanates fiercely!
Crimson Flame Blazing Inferno Technique!
Fire is destructive; it scorches everything.

Ice signifies rebirth, and a timely snowfall promises a bountiful harvest.

Fire is the source of life, and it turns into spring mud to further protect the flowers.

Ice signifies destruction; ice freezes thousands of miles, bringing a thousand days of cold.

Ice brings destruction, fire brings life.

Ice brings life, fire brings destruction.

The fusion of ice and fire, the transformation of life and death.

Even Chu Xiangyu himself was in a life-or-death situation. In this realm that was neither life nor death, who knew whether he was alive or dead?

When Chu Xiangyu attempted to assassinate the emperor, his Ice and Fire Domain was shattered by Zhuge Zhengwo's stunning spear thrust. He then managed to escape from the prison and attempted to make a comeback, but Li Zhaoting stole two divine weapons from him and killed all his assistants in the Azure Dragon Society, leaving him in a life-or-death situation. It was from this experience that he came to understand the possibility of survival in dire circumstances.

"Go to hell!"

Chu Xiangyu pushed his palms out, unleashing a pale, colorless sphere of true energy. Like a water droplet, the true energy grew rapidly in the wind, instantly transforming into a massive sphere of true energy, taller than a person and overwhelming. Wherever his palm force passed, the floor tiles were overturned, the ground was flattened, and countless grains of sand and gravel were scattered in all directions, no less than a barrage of arrows.

"boom!"

Cheng Shifei was blasted away by Chu Xiangyu, flying more than ten feet away. His Vajra Transformation was broken, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. Wei Jinzhong was grazed by the palm force and flew away like a kite with a broken string.

Cao Zhengchun unleashed his full power with the Mount Sumeru Palm, but Chu Xiangyu's move was a desperate, life-threatening technique, its power increasing several times over, far exceeding his own foundation.

The indestructible Heavenly Gang Child Skill's protective aura was shattered by the combined force of ice and fire and the cycle of life and death in the palm strike. Cao Zhengchun staggered back twenty or thirty steps, his face filled with disbelief.

But that's all!

The Vajra Transformation that shattered Cheng Shifei shattered Cao Zhengchun's protective aura and sent hundreds of imperial guards who had taken advantage of the situation flying. Chu Xiangyu's power was exhausted, his eyes dimmed, and he could vaguely see two figures.

One was Emperor Zhao Zhen.

One was Empress Dowager Liu E.

"Liu E! I can't beat you to begin with, and I have even less chance of winning now! Do you dare come over here, answer a few questions for me, and then chop off my head!"

Has the truth about what happened back then been uncovered?
Can the fallen soldiers rest in peace?

How much of everything do you still remember?

Liu E, answer me!
I trusted you back then and handed over all the case files to you completely. Did you ever investigate them?
What are the Imperial City Guard and the Six Doors doing?
Do you dare answer my question?!

Chu Xiangyu looked at Liu E without fear.

Empress Liu sighed, "I must apologize to you for this matter. I entrusted the wrong person to investigate, hiring a foolish boy who knows nothing but fighting. This guy traveled all over the country, but was ultimately misled by the mastermind behind the scenes. All the clues he found were false. As punishment, I will imprison him in the Heavenly Prison. You will see him soon!"

Chu Xiangyu said coldly, "I don't need your mercy! You can cut off my head! I only hope to avenge my brothers before I die!"

Empress Liu nodded: "Heaven does not tolerate evil. The God of Arrest recommended a loyal and virtuous official, who successfully uncovered the truth of the case in just a few days. Your Majesty is about to summon the relevant personnel for a three-way confrontation to clarify the truth and punish the treacherous officials!"

Zhao Zhen said, "Chief Eunuch Yuan and Chief Eunuch Mi, please invite the relevant personnel for the case. Commander Chu, I grant you permission to attend the trial. If you have any doubts, please point them out!"

Chu Xiangyu said, "As long as you can find out who was behind that incident back then, I'll agree to anything you ask! If you want my life, I'll stretch out my neck and let you cut it off!"

……

All personnel involved in the case were present.

Emperor Zhao Zhen and Empress Liu E personally presided over the trial of this case.

The Minister of Justice, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, the Minister of Revenue, the Minister of Rites, the Grand Commandant of the Imperial Guard Bian Mouting, and the Imperial Guard's Chief Constable Guo Bujing were all seated below the hall.

Chu Xiangyu, as the aggrieved party, awaited the verdict.

The person in charge of the investigation was none other than—Lü Qinghou!

No one would have imagined that the mediocre scholar recommended by Guo Bujing, who was neither good at literature nor martial arts, cowardly, and exuding a pedantic air, would not show the slightest stage fright when attending such a grand occasion.

Not only was he not intimidated, but he also held a scroll of the Song Dynasty law and looked directly at the high-ranking officials. Zhao Zhen said, "My dear minister, there's no need for formalities. Just explain the case directly."

Lu Qinghou said solemnly, "Your Majesty, before analyzing the case, I would like to ask the Imperial Guards and a few eunuchs to make a bet. One side is the elite Imperial Guards, and the other side is the eunuchs who do not know martial arts. The Imperial Guards are fully equipped with armor and weapons. The contest is to capture the battle flag."

Bian Mouting roared, "You scoundrel! The Imperial Guards are here to protect His Majesty, not to put on a show for you!"

Empress Liu looked at Bian Mouting with an air of authority and said in a tone that was neither too loud nor too soft, "Minister Bian, if there are any problems with the evidence in the case, you can raise questions. But we are not at the stage of raising questions now. Please listen to the case quietly."

Zhao Zhen loudly proclaimed, "Granted!"

Soon, the two groups of people lined up neatly.

Each side has fifty people.

On one side was the Imperial Guard, the most elite imperial guards, tall and imposing, clad in armor and wielding spears.

One side consisted of eunuchs, led by Guo Huai. Guo Huai knew some martial arts, but the others were all unarmored, holding a shield in their left hand and a knife in their right.

Zhao Zhen shouted, "Begin!"

Both groups launched an attack simultaneously.

This extremely unfair match, judged by normal human logic, means that if the Imperial Guards cannot capture all the eunuchs alive within five minutes, they lose; killing them does not count as winning, only capturing them alive constitutes victory.

Emperor Zhao Zhen and Empress Liu E thought the same thing.

Chu Xiangyu sneered.

He immediately noticed that the Imperial Guards' equipment was defective.

As expected, after the battle began, the shields and armor of the Imperial Guards were easily broken. The eunuchs charged forward with their swords, hacking and slashing wildly, killing the old master with their fists, and forcefully broke through the formation, seizing the battle flag of the Imperial Guards.

Zhao Zhen flew into a rage: "You bastards! Arrest the Imperial Guard instructors for me! The mighty Imperial Guards of the Great Song Dynasty! The most elite soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty! How could they not defeat a bunch of eunuchs! Have you embezzled all the money I gave you?"

Liu E said sternly, "Chief Steward Yuan, please take out the crossbow. From now on, whoever makes the slightest move, shoot them dead with the Heartbreak Arrow!"

Minister Lü, please continue. What's the story behind this equipment? Tell me the whole story.

No detail should be overlooked!

His Majesty will stand up for you!

Lu Qinghou said calmly, "Before I went to the capital to participate in the imperial examination, a major event happened in my hometown. There was an unfilial son in the town who froze his mother to death!"

That unfilial son was a deserter who had a standard military cotton-padded coat. According to his father, he had the coat but didn't give it to his mother, which led to her freezing to death.

The old man filed a lawsuit with the government.

The unfilial son argued that he had been wearing the cotton-padded coat on his mother all night, and that he only put it on after his mother died because he felt it was too cold.

The student was on his way to the government office when he overheard the case. Out of curiosity, he examined the cotton-padded coat and discovered that it was not filled with cotton, but with some dry grass.

These haystacks have been bleached and look very much like cotton cloth, but in reality they are no different from straw paper. Wearing them is not as good as wearing a coarse linen garment.

The students questioned the family members involved in the case carefully and learned that all the cotton-padded coats were like this. Knowing that the matter was serious, they brought the family members involved in the case to the capital, along with the cotton-padded coat, and pleaded with His Majesty to summon witnesses.

The truth or falsehood can be discerned at a glance.

Zhao Zhen said, "Bring in the witnesses!"

Empress Liu was suddenly startled: "Lord Lü Qing, is this how the army's equipment is? Guards! Immediately conduct a spot check of the Imperial Guards' equipment, especially... especially..."

Even someone as powerful as Empress Liu was terrified.

If the Imperial Guards' equipment was all fake, and they were dressed in draft paper, going to the freezing north to fight against the Manchu cavalry, even the Ten Sages of the Martial Temple would not be able to defeat them!
Zhao Zhen realized what was happening and exclaimed, "Send an urgent message to Minister Li to inspect the Imperial Guards' equipment!"

Chu Xiangyu added, "As expected of the talent recommended by Guo Bujing, he is amazing, truly amazing! The main reason for the army's crushing defeat was the lack of equipment. Unfortunately, the arsenal that supplied the equipment could not be found later."

Lu Xiucai said, "They transformed themselves and all joined the Ministry of Works. A few days ago, the flood in Chanzhou was caused by them cutting corners and using inferior materials when building the dam, thus profiting from the disaster and causing hundreds of thousands of people to suffer." (End of this chapter)