Chapter 78: From tiger to eagle and snake to dragon (1/2)
Chapter 78: From tiger to eagle and snake to dragon
“I only thought that he was a person with decent strength, but who would have known that…”
Wang Chao and Zhang Wei’s fight had already reached back to the S Province a long time ago. But the results had utterly shocked Cao Yi since he thought he knew Wang Chao the most.
Starting from the ruffian he had fought three years ago, Wang Chao had grown up faster than he had thought.
“Three years ago, he had only started to learn how to fight. He wasn’t even an opponent for me back then. But three years later, he has grown into a master of martial arts. What a transformation. Instead of beating the snake out of the grass, a dragon appeared, how shocking.”
Cao Yi himself had been in the underground boxing world for a decent amount of time so he knew how terrifying one of the Three Tigers of Guangdong was.
In truth, he had not really expected Wang Chao to win that fight.
But the situation in the southeast Asian martial arts world had grown more and more chaotic over the years. He had many plans, but those required a large amount of martial artists. Even though special commando soldiers were easy to train, the experts of the Wulin were not that easy to deal with either.
For the sake of cooperating with the plans of the organization, he had fed medicine to a dead horse by pulling Wang Chao. He had even pulled the strings for Wang Chao to be given a loan for 100 million RMB.
It had been a gamble. If Wang Chao were to lose that 100 million, then his political career would end there. But if Wang Chao were to win, then his prospects for the future would shine brightly.
Not only did the battle pit Wang Chao’s life against Zhang Wei, but Cao Yi’s political career was on the line. If he did not complete the mission given to him by the organization, then his career was all but over.
When in the Jianghu, one cannot do as one pleases. On the inverse, when in the court, one cannot do as one pleases either.
“Congratulations, comrade!” At the same time, the general Chang Zhouliang had been extremely happy to see his friend win.
“But we’re not at the best part yet.” Cao Yi calmed down and shook his head.
“Right now the situation in southeast asia is getting more and more complex–it’s practically a game between nations. The United States have already fought with us for many years. Although on the surface our relationship seems quite well, it is an absolute mess underneath. There’s even new information from the European Union, they seem to be interested in sticking their leg into Asia. The southeast martial arts world may not be a decisive chess piece, but in regards to the politics of the government, they are quite crucial.”
“That’s right.” Chang Zhouliang spoke . “The martial arts world says it isn’t black, but it is black. It says it white, but it has countless of connections to the underground and may even be the source of it. If we don’t control it and is exploited by someone else, then that wouldn’t bode well for our plans.”
“The most worrisome part is the Japanese martial arts world. They’ve already commercialized their martial arts and made it an industry. With their assets, they were able to become a large chain in the west. Whatever actions we take will have serious repercussions. Our Chinese martial arts world has safeguarded its traditions strictly and thus has declined greatly. The Shaolin Temple will only burn incense and no longer has any martial arts. Whatever true martial arts China has left, it is hidden from the regular person from fear of everything. It’s almost at the point where they are so paranoid they’ll imprison a person for eating peanuts.” Cao Yi spoke.
“Ai, our nation seeks only the realistic things. Although that pursuit isn’t such a bad idea, we should still leave behind concrete information. It’s no wonder that we are a backwards country, we don’t even have the energy to gather together the ideas from the past. It’s a good thing our economy is established for the most part. As the proverbs say, warm clothes and a full meal begets a lustful heart’. With all these riches now, what use do we have for the old ideas?” Zhouliang spoke accurately about the current situation of China as a whole.
“That’s true. Wang Chao’s report has already reached the superiors. Let’s see what the organization will do. If there are no other mishaps, then the application I sent for funds should be accepted. With the organization, it’ll take half a year before they’ll tell Wang Chao to open up several dojos by the coast to spread his name. However, I will only be able to support him in the dark. After all, the princelings are far too much of a hindrance.”
The second step to their plan had been for Wang Chao to open up a dojo at the coast to improve his reputation. With time, his reputation would grow to hold a major sway in the martial arts world to a large extent.
But this was a huge risk as well. Even if Wang Chao was able to open up a business there, it would be affected by the princelings. They would not take kindly to him, and even Japan, Korea, Thailand, and the other disciplines would start their attack. The future as is would be quite difficult.
The reputation of a master would only need to be hit once so that it would never rise again.
For those who walked by the river, how would their shoes stay dry? For those who floated in the Jianghu, how would they not be contested with a blade?
Even for the number one expert around, there was no guarantee that he would win day after day, month after month, and year after year.
Even if they didn’t lose, they would still earn many enemies. The weapons of today was far too strong. If one wasn’t careful, then even a random sniper would be able to shoot dead a master like Chen Aiyang.
Cao Yi’s plan could be said to be pushing Wang Chao straight into a sea of flames.
But there was no other choice for either him or Wang Chao.
The both of them were mere chess pieces to be used by their respectful nation against another.
“Ah, my comrade, what’s the market like in the underworld fighting ring now?” Zhouliang spoke.
“Although Wang Chao was in hiding for some time, the information we received from our other undercover agent was more than enough to figure it out. At the very least, the profits are extremely huge! It outstrips what the KTV, any bar, or any entertainment place could offer by at least ten times the amount. In the area of Guangdong controlled by Wu Yingda alone, there are 7 or 8 different venues to fight. Every night there are several fights to be seen. Each match is filled to the brim with spectators and the entry fee is quite high, but the betting prices are even higher. A single day could earn millions, sometimes, tens of millions could be won! This is far more luxurious than betting on an actual sport. The entire area of Guangdong must earn Wu Yingda a net profit of 2 to 4 billion RMB per year!”
“Net profit!” Zhouliang was shocked. What had to be made clear was that operating a venue like this may earn a lot of money, but the costs of managing it was also extremely high.
“Every single Chinese person reveres martial arts, but they are restrained by real life. Yet, this desire burns even stronger despite that. In a fighting ring, they are able to maintain their secrecy and enjoy the entertainment to a giant fervor.” Cao Yi spoke. “These fighting rings don’t even do any harm. At the very most, they make sure that slaughters between gangs die down in frequency.”
“Yea. When those princelings and the ones backing them fall, the organization will have to choose someone else to take control of this market.”
While Cao Yi and Chang Zhouliang were talking about their plans with each other, Wang Chao had already returned to the enchanting villa he owned in the Tianxing district.
This competition with Zhang Wei and the discussions he had with Chen Aiyang had given him plenty to think about. He could say that he had even reached a very important milestone in his martial arts.
Wang Chao’s victory over Zhang Wei had been partially due to his luck. Just thinking about it, if they were to fight again, Wang Chao would doubt that he had any chance to win.