Romance of Dragons and Snakes

Chapter 56: The candidate for the leader of the Wulin

When Zhang Wei and Wang Chao had pressed hands, Wang Chao felt a stinging sensation within his wrist. Zhang Wei had sent out some Hidden Jin, revealing him to be a master martial artist.

But that Hidden Jin from Zhang Wei had not been as nimble as grandfather Li’s attack.

Grandfather Li’s Hidden Jin had risen and fallen like how a snake’s tongue moved about independently. Zhang Wei’s Hidden Jin had been an explosive burst without any finesse. This had meant that it was taxing for Zhang Wei to do, and that his mastery over it had not yet reached perfection.

When he had used the Hidden Jin, he had taken up a loss as well.

Wang Chao had flared his hair and attacked with his pores. Although he didn’t know how Zhang Wei had dealt with it, it should have been the same, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to leave.

But after this one probe, Wang Chao could instantly deduce that Zhang Wei was a formidable opponent.

Regarding Zhang Wei’s show of skill, Wang Chao wasn’t all too surprised about it.

Zhang Wei was nicknamed one of the three tigers of Guangdong and was famous in his own right. All of the Wulin in Guangdong had known him, so if he didn’t have some strength, then he would have been killed a long time ago.

“If I were to fight with such a person, then it would truly be a fight to the death.” With both sides being able to use Hidden Jin, all it would take was for a single strike for a bone to be broken and the inner organs to be damaged, there was no chance of holding back.

If Zhang Wei didn’t die, then it would be Wang Chao. At the very least, someone would come out a handicapped.

Unexpectedly, Wang Chao had came across such an expert straight after reaching the Hidden Jin stage–in a bet no less. He couldn’t afford to lose, and he had no other choice but to take the bet because of the threat that was Zhao Jun. If it weren’t for Zhao Jun, then there would have been a miniscule chance that one of the tigers of Guangdong would had sought out Wang Chao, he couldn’t give up such a chance either.

Taking in a deep breath, Wang Chao took a towel and began to dry off the sweat on him. “Provincial head Cao, I wish to know about Zhang Wei.”

Cao Yi had more or less figured out what Zhao Jun had said to Wang Chao, but he couldn’t help but let out a smile, “What’s going on, what did Zhao Jun say?”

“A hundred million RMB bet to settle the difference amongst us two. If I lose, then I lose my company as well as both my hands. That is the equivalent of my life almost.” Wang Chao explained.

“Zhao Jun has already admitted to hiring people to kill me, could it be that the head of the provincial department doesn’t care?”

Cao Yi waved both of his hands in embarrassment, “You should know this too, but we police officers need evidence. Come to think of it, why didn’t you report this to the authorities before? Right now it is already water on the bridge, so investigating this would be difficult. Why not come with us to the public safety bureau and open up a case so we can slowly bring him to justice?”

“Forget it then.” Wang Chao laughed hollowly.

“Zhao Jun has openly spoke that he wishes for you to die without any tricks involved, meaning you cannot decline.” Zhang Tong stated after listening. “I’ve heard of Zhao Jun’s Ike Corporation; it was established around two years ago in Guangdong. They cover many different industries such as real estate, transportation, entertainment, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and so on. It’s said they have a capital of a billion RMB about, most likely from under the table business deals. There is an undeniable connection to the criminal world in regards to casinos and drug manufacturing. However, the concrete details aren’t something I am privy to. Give me three days and I should be able to find something out for you.”

Wang Chao nodded his head with some happiness, “Thank you.”

Zhang Tong gave an elegant smile in return.

Cao Yi nodded towards Wang Chao, “Could we have a chance to talk in private later?”

Sensing the air of mystery around Cao Yi, Wang Chao thought, “The hidden secret has finally come out, I need to see this.”

In a quiet teahouse, Longjin Cha imported from Xihu was being poured in clay teacups. There was a fragrant smell throughout the room, spreading a tranquil air in the private room.

Cao Yi and Wang Chao sat facing against each other. Click! With a snap of his lighter, Cao Yi took in a drag of his cigarette before exhaling a puff of smoke.

Drinking another sip of his tea, he cleared his throat to speak.

“To be honest, we have long since documented the coastal gambling matches that determine everything. The three tigers of Guangdong are also another well documented piece of information by our organization. Every single domestic and foreign martial artist, we have information on. Even the annual meetings, the bets and their details, who are who and what martial art they know, we know as well.”

“Your organization?” Wang Chao had never heard of what Cao Yi had said before.

“That’s right, aside from being a part of the public safety bureau, I am also a part of another organization. You may have heard of it before.” Cao Yi let out another puff of smoke from between his lips.

“What organization are you a part of?” Wang Chao immediately felt that his question had been too personal.

“Youngster, this isn’t a question you should ask about.” Cao Yi laughed. “However, let me tell you something. It has almost been a hundred years since we threw off the last dynasty, but things have not always been peaceful. There are many special people that don’t like how the government runs things; this much has been proven since the Tang Dynasty. This organization has always been tasked with making sure we observe these people and subdue them when we can, and try to control them when we cannot.”

“Are these people practitioners of martial arts? The figures of the Wulin?” Wang Chao spoke, “Those who practice martial arts do not wish to remain ordinary and often kill or use force to act. However, cold weapons are no longer efficient, are you telling me that your hot weaponry are of no match still?”

“The situation isn’t as easy as you say it is.” Cao Yi shook his head. “An expert martial artist has many admirers that respect them and have many disciples as well. Furthermore, those that practice martial arts are generally rich and powerful, this combination slowly transforms into a power of its own and thus the problem becomes tricky. These members are of the many Wulin sects, and with time, they inevitably become a part of the underworld in today’s society.

Thinking about it, Wang Chao felt that Cao Yi’s words had some truth to them.

He had studied upon the history of Guoshu in the past. In the chaotic times where the military had been fragmented and the government had no power, the masters of martial arts had many disciples and formed a power by themselves.

99% of the time, those who practiced martial arts were ruthless.

As for the truly virtuous? Those did not exist in the martial art world. Although there were many disciplines that taught morality, the truly virtuous were almost non existent.

Even Sun Lu-tang had challenged many people in his youth.

If people like this didn’t gather together to form a faction after so many years, it would definitely be strange.

An example of this had been Ma Yongzhen who had became a member of the underworld in Shanghai.

Huo Yunjia had also been a porter and gang leader. When he came to fame, he had founded the Chin Woo Athletes Association, but when funds had gone low, the disciplines of the association had undertaken jobs as bodyguards and fought others.

Li Cunyi and Shang Yunxiang had been a part of the the Boxers.

TL Note: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_Rebellion

When the Republic of China had been formed along with the Central Guoshu Institute, one half of the reason was to be promote the slogan of a strong and unified China. The other half of the reason was to hurry and unite all the influential members of the Wulin so that they would not oppose the government and disturb the peace,

With the appearance of a master came the multitude of disciples. From here, the fishes and the dragons mixed together, making supervision difficult.

If Wang Chao were to take on some disciples, they would be the children of government officials or even small time traders. They would be eager to fight and eager to conform with their elder disciple brothers. Their status as a fellow disciple wasn’t something anyone could shirk, and so the children of the government officials wouldn’t stand to be belittled. If anything, they would have their elder disciples help fight, and with time, it would be strange for them to not toe the law after some time.

“Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and the other coastal areas have never been baptised by the new Chinese revolution. In the past, many master martial artists had followed the Nationalist Party out of China and scattered into the foreign lands. But now that the doors to China had been reopened, the corrupt practices of many foreign places had leaked in as well, take a look at Guangdong’s current law and order situation…”

“If the government wants to root out those powers, it should be easy.” Wang Chao spoke.

“It’s difficult!” Cao Yi pressed his cigarette onto the ashtray fiercely, “For the sake of financial and political stability for our country and to remain friends with the world, we cannot afford to look shaky to the rest of the world. If we were to act paranoid with everyone within our own country, what do you think the outside powers would say? Furthermore, these people are all supported by major companies unlike the Wulin of the past. Those with power and money makes the situation far more convoluted than before and any step we take could lead to the internal collapse of our infrastructure.”

“Then what does that matter with me? Am I being monitored as well?” Wang Chao carelessly smiled.

“You are definitely being monitored!” Cao Yi rapped a fingernail on the glass table. “However, you have a clean background with no criminal dealings, making it acceptable for us to invite you. To be honest, Zhao Jun shouldn’t even bother to think he can control whatever he pleases with a single wave of his hand. The coastal development is something that we are monitoring as well! It is only because he has connections with the Central Committee that we have not moved against him!”

“Accept me?” Wang Chao was skeptical, “Just what type of organization is this? What did you want me to do, or just why am I valuable?”

“You can fight, meaning that you are valuable. I want you to join the coastal area and become a well known scholar of martial arts! I will definitely do my best to support you until you become a well known and reputable figure within the coastal Wushu world. This plan could take 10 years, or 20, or even 30 years. But in the end, I wish that you can win over the martial artists and align them with the government!”

Snorting, Cao Yi spoke, “To speak using the terms of a Wuxia novel, I wish to support you in becoming a leader of the Wulin!”

“A leader of the Wulin!” Wang Chao’s body shot up in disbelief at Cao Yi’s words.

“Of course, you are just one of the candidates.” Cao Yi smiled. “There are others like you, but I won’t let you know since even I don’t know them myself.”

“You can choose to decline; that would be fine. But with your power, even if you win this gamble with Zhao Jun, your future days won’t be comfortable!” Cao Yi spoke. “Right now amongst the most influential masters overseas is Xue Lianxin, a disciple of Xue Dian. Back during the Communist victory over the Nationalists, Xue Dian had been shot to death by machine guns in Tianjin City as a result of the People’s Government. His disciples would later form a deep grudge against the government. The other influential person is Zhu Hongzhi who was a disciple of the administrator of the Central Guoshu Institute, Zhu Guolu. In the past, the government and they were of one mind, but now they have both grown old and can no longer fight as well. All that is left is their influence. As of now, the ones best capable of fighting is Chen Aiyang and several others. You must defeat them and establish prestige for yourself. When the time comes, we will help you take on disciples and spread your name throughout the coastal Wulin world!”

“The government needs a person to support, you are the one I choose!”