Chapter 99: The Wulin of the People (2/2)

“Ha! Ha! Ha!” A series of sounds could be heard alongside the clanking of metal. Turning towards the source of the sound, Wang Chao and the other two could see on the other side of the bridge, four or five youths could be seen standing in the horse stance. Their arms had several iron rings that clanked whenever both arms punched the air.

With each burst of Jin from their punches, the iron rings clanked together loudly.

These youths had been very steady in their horse stance, and their fists had been very firm like a tiger. Anyone could see that these youths had already some semblance of foundation on martial arts.

When Wang Chao saw the series of iron loops on their arms, Wang Chao knew that this was the Bridge Hand of Hung Ga, similarly called the Iron Wire Fist.

Using the iron rings to strengthen the arms and to practice breaking out and taking in Jin would lead to the arms being like reinforced iron bars after some time.

Standing besides the youths were two middle aged men with black beards with a clearly distinct aura belonging to a master.

From far away, Wang Chao could see that these two men had temples that bulged outwards and muscles that was very distinguishable. One of them wore a simple martial artist robe with a hairpin running through a hair bun in a style reminiscent to what a Daoist monk would have.

“Go on and ask.”

The martial arts of Hongcun village was especially prevalent, and with Zhang Wei being a master of well known repute, it shouldn’t be a mystery to any martial artist on where he came from.

Lin Yanan brought the car close to the bridge before stopping a decent ways away from the martial artists.

The Daoist monk and the other middle-aged man had long since noticed they were there and their eyes bore straight into the three newcomers.

“Keep on practicing and keep your eye on your hands! Don’t look around, pay attention!”

Lin Yanan and Zhu Jia were both very beautiful in their own rights. When those youths saw the two beauties come walking over, their attention couldn’t helped but wane as their eyes focused on them rather than their hands. It was because of this that the middle-aged man had barked out in anger.

“Dear masters, might this one ask where the home of master Zhang Wei is?” Lin Yanan asked the man.

“What are you looking for at Zhang Wei’s home?” Upon hearing Zhang Wei’s name, the middle-aged man’s expression contorted with a fierce glare as he examined Lin Yanan.

“You are a practitioner as well I see. Why are you looking for Zhang Wei?”

The Daoist monk spoke afterwards.

At this sudden development, even the youths practicing their martial arts had ceased in their movements as their icy eyes stared at Wang Chao and the two females.

“I am a friend of master Zhang Wei. I heard about what happened to his family, and so I came here hoping to see if I would be able to provide assistance.” Lin Yanan had only reached the higher levels of the Clear Jin, so the Daoist monk had been easily able to discern that she was a practitioner as well.

But Wang Chao’s martial art had already reached a realm where his muscles and bones acted as one. Thunder followed his fist, his internal and external had harmonized along with the Yin and Yang. Even more importantly, his Jin had permeated his inner organs, the common man wouldn’t be able to tell that Wang Chao was a practitioner like this.

When the Jin of the muscles permeated the inner organs, it would be difficult to tell from the outside.

“A friend of Zhang Wei? I know them all, but why is it that I haven’t seen you before?” The middle-aged man’s voice grew unkindly.

“Might I ask who you are?” Lin Yanan’s eyebrows furled together.

“I am a fellow student alongside him, Leung Jingmen .” The man began to crack his knuckles with a loud popping sound, “Youngsters, just who are you really? State your purpose, now.”

“Leung Jingmen? I’ve read from the reports that he and Zhang Wei both learned Wingchun from Leung Jung. Could Leung Jingmen be the son and successor to Leung Jung?” Wang Chao suddenly thought back to the reports on Zhang Wei.

The husband to the creator of Wingchun was Leung Bok-Chao. His later student had been Leung Jan of Foshan. Following the final years of the Republic of China where Wong Fei Hung had taught martial arts, those with the surname of Leung had primarily been in the Wingchun school in Guangdong. Wingchun combined with Hung Ga, Southern Shaolin Arhat Longfist, and several other disciplines so that if one knew Wingchun, then they would know Hung Ga. Often times, the two disciplines were combined.

“Zhang Wei’s fellow student Leung Jingmen must have never entered the martial arts world. He clearly hasn’t fought in the underground fighting rings.” The experts amongst the People were many, but those with a name were few. Those who were well known didn’t necessarily mean that they could beat those with a name however.

As Sun Lu-Tang once said about the experts amongst the People: For one who never leaves his mountain to study martial arts, who would know about Xu Aizi? Would they know who Dong Haichuan’s master was?

“You must be looking for his family. Unfortunately, his wife and child have already gone overseas.” The Daoist monk spoke tensely.

“Gone overseas?”

Wang Chao had been slightly surprised, but relieved at the same time. He had been an opponent to Zhang Wei, but he had come to sympathize for Zhang Wei and wished to help his family. But if they had gone overseas already, then there was nothing left to do about that.

Giving a signal to Lin Yanan, he spoke, “Let’s go then!”

Just as Wang Chao turned to leave, Leung Jingmen suddenly spoke out, “Wait.”

“Master Leung, is something the matter?” Lin Yanan turned around.

“Just who are you three? Zhang Wei was a fellow disciple younger than me, but we were very close. So why is it that I don’t know that he had you three youngsters as friends? It is not that I am doubting you, but Zhang Wei has fought for many years and earned many enemies, thus, I cannot help but ask this question.” Leung Jingmen explained, but the expression in his face hadn’t eased up.

“We are fellow practitioners with master Zhang. When we heard what happened to him…” Lin Yanan spoke.

“What nonsense! When you walk, the elbow joints to your arms jut out just slightly. Not only is that a signature of the way how a Baji practitioner uses their elbows, your elbows even have calluses! Any practitioner of Wingchun, Hung Ga, White Crane, Southfist or Bridge Hand would have such a result from practicing!”

The Daoist monk’s eyes suddenly grew sharp as he pointed out the discrepancies.