Chapter 69: Triple Kill, Development

Wang Yan sat quietly, drinking tea, waiting for the so-called explanation from Director Mak.

Before long, the phone rang. Wang Yan picked it up: "Hello."

"Wang, do you have time for an afternoon tea?"

"The usual spot. See you in a bit." Having said that, and hearing the agreement on the other end, Wang Yan hung up directly.

At a tea restaurant outside the Chengzhai, several police officers stood outside. Ignoring them, Wang Yan walked in with a few of his men.

A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall; Wang Yan had always met with these foreign devils on his own turf.

Seeing Wang Yan enter, Director Mak, accompanied by several high-ranking police officials behind him, rose enthusiastically and said, "Hi, Wang! Long time no see. How have you been?"

Walking up to him, Wang Yan said, "You know I've never liked these useless pleasantries."

With more guns and more power, Director Mak shrugged and said, "Still as humorless as ever. Fine, let's sit and talk."

Once both were seated, Director Mak had his men bring over a bruised and battered foreign devil, pointing at him and saying, "This is the one who didn't know his place. I've already disciplined him a bit. I hope you can give me some face and let him off the hook." As he spoke, he leaned in toward Wang Yan and whispered, "His grandfather is a member of the Legislative Council."

Ignoring Director Mak's words, Wang Yan looked at the unlucky wretch, whose eyes were filled with hatred, and said, "Too light."

His men understood immediately. Under Director Mak's ugly expression, one of them punched the unlucky wretch until he fainted, then, using all his strength and aiming carefully, stomped on and broke one of his legs. The immense pain woke the man who had just passed out, and he let out a series of miserable howls.

Director Mak looked at Wang Yan with fury, opening his mouth to say something, but upon seeing Wang Yan's indifferent gaze, he very wisely shut his mouth. He was afraid that if he said another word, Wang Yan might get excited and beat the idiot to death, which would make things difficult for him to explain.

Wang Yan didn't tolerate such nonsense; what was a council member worth? Who was he trying to scare? Clearly, since Director Mak had dared to beat him until he was bruised and battered, it was obvious he wasn't worth much.

Director Mak controlled his emotions well and had his men take the screaming idiot away. As if he hadn't just been livid and furious, he put on a smiling face and said, "Wang, you've vented your anger. Let's talk about business."

Wang Yan nodded, signaling him to continue.

"You've built a street nearby, all martial arts schools, and a large, professional fighting ring." Director Mak said confidently, "I don't understand these things, but our warriors want to witness your... martial arts? Wang, what do you say?"

"Director Mak, don't you know the rules of our duels?"

With a confident smile, Director Mak said, "Oh, of course, I know. Our warriors can follow your rules."

"Heh, fine. What time? How many people?" Wang Yan knew his goal, but it didn't matter; they were dead men anyway.

"In a week, three people. How about that?"

"Then that's settled. I'm leaving." With the matter finished, Wang Yan had no interest in wasting more breath on him. He stood up and called out, "Uncle Deng, bring the best food and drink for these officers. Put it on my tab."

"Very well, Mr. Wang." Uncle Deng, smoking his long pipe on the side, responded with a chuckle. He was the manager from the Golden Pavilion; Wang Yan had sent people to notify them back then, and many had followed him over. After the victory, some returned to Foshan, while others came with him.

Nodding toward Director Mak, Wang Yan left with his men.

That very day, news spread throughout Hong Kong that Chinese martial arts would duel against Western boxing, and the fervor only grew.

At night, in the Chengzhai council hall, the Chinese Martial Arts Association held a meeting regarding the duel with Western boxing.

"Western scum, beat them to death," said an old senior with a fiery temper.

"Right, beat them to death. Damn it, what kind of stray cats and dogs dare to challenge us?" This was Li Qiankun speaking; he had followed Li Shuwen's style.

The crowd was filled with righteous indignation, which could be summarized in four words: "Beat them to death."

Wang Yan raised a hand to signal, and after the crowd quieted down, he said, "Beating them to death is a given, but Western boxing has its own unique strengths, and we must not be negligent."

Everyone nodded solemnly. Most people here knew about Western boxing; years ago, there had been duels in the country, and everyone had had some contact with it. Not to mention, Wang Yan had even sparred with them using Western boxing later on.

Wang Yan took a sip of tea and said, "They have three people. Who will represent us?"

The older ones didn't speak; they couldn't swing their fists anymore, and this wasn't the martial world they once knew.

"I'll go." Jin Shanzhao and Li Qiankun on the side spoke in unison.

Wang Yan nodded: "Fine, we need one more."

The people below didn't speak casually. In this room full of experts, except for a select few, no one dared to claim they could defeat everyone else. If it were a regular duel not involving national honor, they would absolutely not yield, but this was the first battle between the Chinese Martial Arts Association and the foreign devils. If they dropped the ball, no one could bear the responsibility. They had to win every match; they had to beat them to death.

Zhang Li, on the side, stopped Ip Man, who was about to speak, shook his head, and said, "Don't look at each other. I'll go."

Wang Yan nodded: "Fine, that's settled. Go back and rest well. Don't hold back when the time comes."

Li Qiankun and Jin Shanzhao went without saying; having fought alongside Wang Yan for so many years, they were absolute killers. And Zhang Li had once been a top operative for the organization, having killed many people. In recent years, he had exchanged ideas with the old seniors in the Chengzhai and had made significant progress. Wang Yan was quite confident in the three of them.

Seeing the three nod, Wang Yan said to the other heads of the martial arts schools, "After this, there will surely be more people learning martial arts. Go back and prepare; don't be caught in a scramble when the time comes."

Once these words were spoken, everyone laughed in unison. Some laughed at the impending wealth, some at the foreseeable victory, and others at the new step forward for the promotion of martial arts.

In the blink of an eye, a week passed. After the diffusion and fermentation of this period, more and more people knew the news. The betting pools in the Chengzhai and other black-market pools were incredibly hot.

That day, in the arena outside the Chengzhai, an octagonal cage stood in the center, and the surrounding area was packed with people, with some even standing for lack of seats.

In the spacious front row, Wang Yan and Director Mak sat on the left and right.

"Wang, I can't wait to see the results," Director Mak said with a smug smile.

With a faint smile, Wang Yan turned his head and said, "Is that so? What a coincidence, I was thinking the same thing."

Director Mak took a confident sip of tea and said, "Then let's see who wins." The three people fighting today were all boxing champions, with the highest having held the title for three consecutive terms; they were all in their prime. He didn't believe those flowery techniques could win.

Ignoring the foreign devil, Wang Yan had long since realized that this should be the segment where Ip Man fought Twister. He had lived here for twenty years; back then, besides *The Grandmaster*, he had only watched the other *Ip Man* series for the spectacle and hadn't memorized them carefully, so they had long since blurred.

Soon, the match time arrived. The first round was Jin Shanzhao against a boxing champion.

The host was a family member who had learned English here and was just filling in as a guest. He emphasized the introduction of the foreign boxing champion, while for Jin Shanzhao, he just mentioned his name and that was it.

As both sides finished their preparations, accompanied by the sound of distant, stirring war drums and the howling cheers, shouts, and encouragement of the audience below, the duel officially began.

Before taking the stage, they had already understood each other's etiquette, though of course, the foreign devil had to follow their rules. Jin Shanzhao cupped his hands, and the boxing champion mimicked the gesture, after which both sides opened up the distance.

The boxing champion didn't rush to attack, instead hopping left and right, looking for an opportunity. Jin Shanzhao, in a horse stance, saw him being so indecisive, simply kicked off the ground and lunged forward, throwing a straight punch toward his face. The boxing champion dodged and seized the opportunity to throw a hook. Jin Shanzhao raised his left arm to block, simultaneously closing in and raising his elbow, striking straight at his face. The boxing champion hurriedly tilted his head, using his other arm to block horizontally. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach and subconsciously pulled in his abdomen and bent over.

Jin Shanzhao, having succeeded with the knee strike, seized the opportunity, grabbed the boxing champion's hair, and delivered another knee strike. The boxing champion could no longer resist, hurriedly protecting his face with both hands to avoid being killed by the strike. Immediately after, a massive force from the arms struck; Jin Shanzhao had already let go of the hair, and coupled with the boxing champion's momentum as he struggled to stand, his body was straightened out. Jin Shanzhao unleashed a flurry of punches at his exposed chest, each strike heavier than the last.

As the referee stepped forward to pull Jin Shanzhao away, the boxing champion, leaning against the cage, slowly collapsed. Jin Shanzhao had only gone to such trouble to follow his own rules; otherwise, it wouldn't have been a hair-grab and knee strike, but a direct throat-piercing strike.

Hearing the referee announce the match result, the people below said nothing. They had long since gone quiet; they had gone quiet the moment Jin Shanzhao unleashed his heavy punches.

Only when they heard the boxing champion had been beaten to death did the foreign devils become a bit angry, because some of them didn't know the rules either, having never seen them before. They clamored for an explanation and made a scene for a while. This was easy to handle, as Director Mak personally went up to explain the rules. Aside from not striking vital points, there were no rules until one side conceded or died.

Walking back and sitting down, Director Mak's expression was a bit ugly, and he drank tea to hide his forced composure. Being fat first doesn't count as being fat; weren't there two more matches? Best of three, no need to rush.

Glancing at him indifferently, Wang Yan didn't mock him; the facts were there, what was the point of saying useless things?

Li Qiankun took the stage. Trading injury for injury, he used a "leaning mountain" strike, drove him to the edge of the octagonal cage, followed up with a heart-stopping elbow strike, and then beat him to death with a flurry of punches.

Finally, Zhang Li faced Twister, maneuvering and attacking, winning easily and beating him to death directly.

During the match, Wang Yan quietly asked Ip Man how long it would take to beat Twister under these rules. Because Wang Yan hadn't sparred with Ip Man for a long time, he didn't know what level he had reached. Of course, Ip Man didn't want to look for trouble, dodging whenever he could; after all, being beaten one-sidedly wasn't very interesting.

Hearing Wang Yan's words, Ip Man smiled and held up three fingers to Wang Yan.

Wang Yan drank his tea with a chuckle and said to Director Mak on the side, "Director Mak, such activities are very good. I think we should have more exchanges in the future." As he spoke, Wang Yan pushed a check across the table.

"Of course, that's only right," Director Mak said with a forced smile, glancing at the number on the check. He froze for a moment, blinked, looked again, and then chuckled as he picked up the teacup on the table: "Wang, you're right. We do need more exchanges; only with exchanges can there be progress."

Wang Yan glanced over, saw the check had disappeared, and said with a smile, "Good, then that's it. Director Mak, enjoy yourself; I'll be taking my leave."

Director Mak said goodbye to Wang Yan with a face full of smiles.

This competition attracted a large number of Hong Kong Island residents to the Chengzhai. Many of them had never been here before and were unaware that the Chengzhai was developing so vigorously. The consumption by these people also stimulated the development here. At the same time, it thoroughly established the reputation of the Chinese Martial Arts Association and Martial Street, leading to an endless stream of people coming to sign up for boxing lessons.

Having tasted the sweetness, Director Mai started a pimping business, constantly bringing in boxing champions and experts from Europe and America. There was more and more blood on the ring, and the development of the Chengzhai was also accelerating.

While Wang Yan's development in the Chengzhai was flourishing, the world situation was changing unpredictably, and war was once again on the verge of breaking out.

In June, the Korean War broke out. The United States acted aggressively as a patriarch, with warships patrolling the Taiwan Strait. In July, it intervened in the Korean War.

In October, General Peng stood tall and resolute, leading his army across the river.

Affected by this, land prices in Hong Kong Island fell sharply, and the Chengzhai expanded on a large scale once again. At the same time, Zhou Guangyao transported a large amount of supplies to the north.

Meanwhile, the country launched a campaign to suppress bandits, aiming to thoroughly wipe out everything. The nearly 200,000 bandits and bullies entrenched in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions were no match at all and were beaten into a steady retreat.

Consequently, a large number of dregs fled south to Hong Kong Island. They were just as pathetic as the batch from last year, and the second round of the Chengzhai defense war subsequently broke out.

The result was predetermined. After killing a large number of dregs, the remaining ones honestly accompanied their predecessors to work for free. This was a time of great construction, and these people, who were well-fed and oily-mouthed, were all strong laborers and good workers, contributing to the prosperity of the Chengzhai.

At the end of the same year, the increasingly solemn Chengzhai council hall.

Gong Baosen and a group of medical and martial arts seniors sat in the front row, followed by the second-generation disciples of each family, all nervously watching the figure moving and shifting in the center of the venue.

Wang Yan either plowed with horse-stance straight punches, stepped forward with high kicks, lay on the ground like a tiger, or opened his stance and twisted his body. After a set of movements, Wang Yan closed his eyes to perceive and experience them.

A group of people didn't even dare to breathe, fearing they would interrupt Wang Yan.

After a long while, Wang Yan opened his eyes, clapped his hands, and shouted, "Good."

Instantly, the young disciples in the hall cheered loudly, while the old seniors let out a long sigh, smiling with red-rimmed eyes.

Following the first set of "Body-Strengthening Martial Exercises" that Gong Baosen and the others researched in 1946, after four years of painstaking study, they finally produced the second set of results.

Compared to the first set, the second set progressed rapidly. Now, practicing one set of movements takes about twenty minutes, and the exercise intensity is not high, which is just right for children. Adults might find it a bit strenuous because their bodies are fully developed and their flexibility is insufficient, so many movements cannot be done correctly, and the effect is greatly reduced.

The effect is quite different from the first set, after all, the amount of exercise is what it is. But long-term persistence will lead to a considerable improvement in physical fitness, and as one practices more, turning these movements into instinct, combat ability will also improve. By the time one reaches their teens, if they want to learn martial arts specifically, they will have a very good foundation and can get started quickly.

After everyone quieted down, Wang Yan said, "Don't be too happy yet. The second set of martial exercises is much better than the first. It's just that children cannot practice it every day; there must be an interval. Now the key problem falls on the secret recipe."

It is still the same as the first set; to maximize the effect, it still needs to be combined with the secret recipe. If there is no such thing, relying solely on eating and meat, some things will not be supplemented properly, and long-term practice will cause damage to the body.

After so many years of research, and with the foreign devils captured after coming to Hong Kong Island, and under various medical instruments, the improvement of the secret recipe has also achieved certain results. Replacing two precious medicinal materials, the efficacy dropped by a little less than half, which is acceptable. Medicine is three parts poison; if the side effect problem is solved and all medicinal materials are replaced with large-quantity and cheap ones, even if there is only a little effect, that is a success.

Wang Yan then looked at the white-haired old gentleman who was in charge of the secret recipe matters and said, "Mr. Li, are there any difficulties with the secret recipe now?"

As soon as the secret recipe was mentioned, they were no longer happy and all looked at Mr. Li in unison. This damn thing has been researched for twenty years, and it's still the same.

Mr. Li also knew what Wang Yan meant, asking him what was missing, after all, he knew Wang Yan's medical skills. Mr. Li said, "Nothing else, it's our problem. It's been almost twenty years, and two medicines have been changed. I don't know if I can see that day in this lifetime."

Everyone understood, there was really no way. There are already many doctors now, and the level of both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine is quite sufficient; having more people won't be of much use. At present, we can only continue to refine the martial exercises, and I don't know when it can be thoroughly solved.

After talking about things in a dull manner for a while, everyone dispersed.

Wang Yan contacted friends in the country, handed over the first and second sets of "Body-Strengthening Martial Exercises," told them all the precautions and problems, and that was that.

To be honest, Wang Yan didn't count on that secret recipe anymore, let nature take its course.

Gong Er lay in Wang Yan's arms, seeing that he hadn't moved for a long time, couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about?"

"Hmm?" Wang Yan, who had come back to his senses, hugged Gong Er and said, "Thinking about those secret recipe things, it's hopeless in this lifetime."

"Talking nonsense, what do you mean hopeless in this lifetime? It's already been twenty years, maybe it will be fine in another twenty years? We can wait." Gong Er patted Wang Yan, she felt that Wang Yan's words had a sense of twilight, which was not good.

"Yes, can wait, can wait. Then I'm a bit impatient now, what should I do?" Wang Yan said while fumbling around.

"Didn't we just... oh my..."