Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 188 Master, someone's here to challenge us. Little brother, where did you learn your boxing skills?

When He Yuzhu left the Huo family, he took Ah Lang with him and drove away in the old car they used to drive.

While driving, Ah Lang asked, "Mr. He, what are your plans for the future?"

"You should know Hong Kong very well, right? Do you know where there are apartments for sale?"

"Does Mr. He have any requests?"

"Street-front shops are best, and restaurants are even better."

"Mr. He is planning to open a restaurant? But you..."

"What, are you worried I don't have money?"

"No, no, aren't you going back? I'm just worried that if you buy it, no one will take care of it."

"Just show me around, we can talk about the rest later."

"it is good."

"By the way, I heard that martial arts schools are very popular in Hong Kong. Where are they located? I haven't seen any."

"You want to go and have a friendly spar?"

"No, I just wanted to see that martial arts schools are no longer available in China."

"Mainly in Yau Ma Tei and Wan Chai, but most of them only open at night?"

"Oh? Why is that?"

There's a saying here to describe martial arts schools: "Selling fish in the morning, practicing bruises at noon, and teaching at night." The masters have to make other living during the day, otherwise the martial arts school can't stay afloat.

"Is that so? Did you and Ah Feng also have a master?"

“We learn Hung Kuen, but we learned it back in our hometown. Our master hasn’t come here.”

"Then take me to see where the best restaurants are first, and we can go check them out tonight."

"it is good."

Ah Lang drove He Yuzhu to Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. When they passed Yau Ma Tei, Ah Lang pointed out some shops on the side of the road, all of which were martial arts schools.

As for Causeway Bay and Central, which require taking a ferry, He Yuzhu gave up after seeing the long queues at the ferry terminal.

For dinner, Ah Lang suggested two places: Da San Yuan Restaurant and Long Men Restaurant.

He Yuzhu asked about the difference, and A Lang told him that Da San Yuan was a pure Cantonese restaurant, while Longmen Restaurant had a nightclub with singers performing.

Upon hearing that the restaurant and nightclub were combined, He Yuzhu became curious and immediately had A Lang drive to the Longmen Restaurant.

Ah Lang thought He Yuzhu would be shocked when she went in, but to his surprise, He Yuzhu just looked at her curiously and curled her lips, saying, "It's nothing special."

"Has Mr. He been to a similar place before?"

“No, I’ve been to those American ‘bonfire parties’ before,” He Yuzhu joked.

Ah Lang didn't dare accept the offer. His boss had told him that this guy had been to the Peninsula and that the so-called 'bonfire party' was definitely not about singing, dancing, or eating.

When the dishes were served, He Yuzhu tried them one by one. They were just so-so to him, mainly because he wasn't used to Cantonese food.

The performance of "The Princess Changping" on the stage made him drowsy. Looking at the restaurant full of people who had come to support him, He Yuzhu shook his head.

Ah Lang listened with great interest, and the kid was a little reluctant when He Yuzhu told him to leave.

After leaving the restaurant, the two drove to Yau Ma Tei. Ah Lang only knew that there were many martial arts schools in the area, but he didn't know the specifics.

But when we arrived, he didn't even need to introduce it; everyone had it hanging there—wooden plaques and cloth banners.

The signs all read things like: "**Fist XX Martial Arts School," "Personally taught by Grandmaster XX."

There are also couplets such as: "Punch the fierce tiger of the South Mountain, kick the dragon of the North Sea."

As the two walked, people naturally came up to ask if they wanted to learn boxing. It was just because of He Yuzhu's attire that people could tell he was a rich young master. Times have changed; martial arts schools love people like him who are interested in martial arts and have money.

He Yuzhu had only seen southern styles of martial arts along the way, so he casually pulled aside a disciple from a nearby martial arts school and asked, "Little master, why don't I see any northern styles of martial arts around here?"

The man gave him a strange look and said, "This is Hong Kong, of course there are more Southern styles of boxing. If you want to learn boxing, you should learn Southern styles. Our Choy Li Fut style is very powerful."

As he spoke, he put on airs. He Yuzhu glanced at the man and saw that he had some skill but not much substance. He used a clever trick to push the man, and the man fell to the ground with a thud.

He Yuzhu said, "This won't do either; it's all show and no substance!"

He was still a little dazed after falling, not understanding why he had fallen just because someone touched him.

But a moment later, He Yuzhu was stunned. The guy shouted, "Master, someone's here to challenge us!"

This shout had a significant impact. Not only did a group of people rush down from their building, but people from other martial arts schools around them also excitedly ran over and surrounded the two of them.

Why not surround others? Because they are the only two unfamiliar faces in this place.

"Mr. He, let's go quickly." Ah Lang's expression changed drastically, and he tugged at He Yuzhu and whispered.

"Why are they all so excited?" He Yuzhu didn't learn this boxing style from a master, so he doesn't know any rules. His father didn't tell him anything either, so he probably doesn't know much either.

"It's not so easy to see a challenge going on; we're just here to watch the show!"

"Oh, so what do you think would happen if I kicked down all the stadiums?"

“Mr. He, I know you’re very capable, but you can’t just make jokes like that.” As he spoke, Ah Lang looked around warily, and only felt relieved when he realized that no one had heard what He Yuzhu was saying.

As the two were whispering to each other, they saw the people from the martial arts school part to make way for a middle-aged man of average build emerge from behind the crowd.

After coming out, the middle-aged man glared at the apprentice who had just shouted, because other apprentices had already told him what had happened, and this was just asking for trouble.

Only newcomers who want to make a name for themselves and take on disciples would challenge a martial arts school, but after looking at this young man, he didn't seem like someone who wanted to open a martial arts school and take on disciples at all; he seemed more like someone who came to find a master.

The kid shrank back; he had just shouted it out subconsciously, and he regretted it as soon as he did.

"I am Zhang Lei, a practitioner of Cai Li Fo Quan. I have yet to learn from you!" The middle-aged man clasped his hands in a fist salute to He Yuzhu, his tone still quite polite.

"He Fei!" He Yuzhu also clasped his hands in greeting, but did not mention his sect.

"So it is you who has come to challenge us. May I ask which school of martial arts you belong to?"

The middle-aged man opposite frowned, and this time his tone was not so polite, clearly feeling that He Yuzhu was looking down on him.

He Yuzhu is the type of person who's easily persuaded; if you talk to me nicely, we can talk nicely together.

Upon hearing his tone, He Yuzhu, who had initially just been joking and wanted to explain the misunderstanding, immediately changed his mind and decided that the gym must be challenged, and that it should be challenged to make a name for itself.

A warrior should always have some backbone, right? If he explains, people will just think he's backing down.

"He Fei, Bajiquan, Baiyuan Tongbeiquan, Taiji," He Yuzhu said calmly.

Only then did Ah Lang and the young man who had been shouting realize why He Yuzhu had asked about Northern Fist; it turned out that his entire kung fu style was Northern Fist.

"Bajiquan? Is it a literary contest or a martial arts contest?" Zhang Lei's voice rose a notch. In the late Qing Dynasty, Cai Li Fo's people had lost to Li Shuwen of Bajiquan.

He Yuzhu glanced at A Lang, who then quietly explained.

This caused the onlookers to start whispering among themselves.

"This kid is such a hothead, he doesn't even know anything about literary or martial arts competitions."

"Could it be that they just came from the mainland?"

"Looking so young, what skills could he possibly have?"

"Shut up, all of you. Someone who knows so many styles of martial arts can't be a simple person, can he?" "Yes, Master."

He Yuzhu ignored the surrounding discussions without even glancing at them. After thinking for a moment and realizing he didn't know anyone, he said, "Let's have a literary contest, but let's stop here."

Zhang Lei on the other side visibly breathed a sigh of relief. It's one thing to be young and strong, but if the kid on the other side isn't very good at fighting and gets hurt, that would be a real problem. This isn't the Republic of China era anymore; there are laws here, and the police will take care of things.

However, he himself was unwilling to make a move, so he said to a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight beside him, "Master He, I see that you are not very old, how about letting my eldest apprentice have a match with you? Atao, go and spar with this Mr. He."

"Yes, Master."

He Yuzhu looked at Atao and shook his head, saying, "He's no good."

"What, you look down on me?" Tao got angry when He Yuzhu said he was no good. He was quite famous in this area, and among the young people, he was at least in the top five, if not number one.

As he spoke, he took a few steps and stood in front of He Yuzhu, getting into a fighting stance.

He Yuzhu stopped explaining when he saw this; no explanation was as convincing as knocking him down.

"In that case, please!" He Yuzhu didn't even make a gesture.

"Watch out," Atao said through gritted teeth. He felt insulted; the other person clearly looked down on him.

After saying that, he took a step and threw a punch, which made his master Zhang Lei frown. Why was this kid acting recklessly? His school relied on agile footwork combined with boxing and low kicks. Throwing a punch right away was just showing off his weakness.

However, he couldn't give a verbal warning at this moment, so he could only prepare in secret, making sure his apprentice wasn't injured if he was outmatched.

He Yuzhu stepped aside and grabbed A Tao's fist with his right hand. With a pull and a tug, A Tao rushed forward. If someone hadn't stopped him, he would have fallen flat on his face.

Enraged, Atao realized he had been careless. He shook his head and began to move around He Yuzhu with agile steps, always keeping an arm and a half's length distance.

He Yuzhu's feet were slightly apart as he turned.

However, this time he didn't wait for Atao to make a move. As the kid changed his stance, He Yuzhu moved and rushed forward to Atao. To Atao's astonishment, He Yuzhu slammed into his chest with a powerful shoulder strike. Atao flew up, and then He Yuzhu grabbed him and pulled him back, spinning him around a few times to dissipate most of the force of the impact. Atao landed hard on his backside.

Tao was still in shock, staring at He Yuzhu with a look of fear on his face, sitting on the ground breathing heavily.

Zhang Lei was about to make a move, but he held back.

He Yuzhu wasn't using his full strength; it was just a friendly spar. In a real fight, Atao would have been killed in that one blow.

"You flatter me!" He Yuzhu said calmly, clasping his hands in a gesture of respect.

“I am no match for you.” Atao stood up and said, his face flushed.

"Atao, come back."

"Yes, Master."

"You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, the other party held back and even helped me deflect their force. Master, I've embarrassed you."

"Hmph, they're experts. If they feel ashamed, they'll just work harder in the future."

"Yes."

"Master Zhang, aren't you going to compete yet?" He Yuzhu asked, seeing the master and apprentice still grumbling.

“Let’s fight.” Zhang Lei stepped forward. If he backed down before even fighting, how would he ever run his martial arts school?

When the two sparred, He Yuzhu didn't knock him out directly. Instead, he used Bajiquan, Tongbeiquan, and Taijiquan in turn, mainly to see what the real Cai Li Fo was like.

After exchanging about ten moves, Zhang Lei conceded defeat. He had no choice but to admit defeat; He Yuzhu had been able to take him down several times but hadn't. How could he not see that He Yuzhu was using him as a training partner?

"I lost!" Zhang Lei said dejectedly.

"You flatter me." He Yuzhu clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"Should Master He take down the sign?"

What sign should we remove?

"I've lost. I can't teach my apprentices here anymore."

"Is that so?"

"If Master He doesn't know, then why are you challenging the school?"

"Can I say it's a misunderstanding?" He Yuzhu didn't want to ruin someone's livelihood; there was no need for that, since they had no grudge against each other.

Zhang Lei smiled wryly. Even if he didn't take down the signboard, it wouldn't be as easy for him to take on apprentices as before.

"Master He, why don't you go check out the other martial arts schools?"

Zhang Lei decided to throw caution to the wind and embarrass himself along with everyone else.

These words drew angry glares from the other martial arts instructors.

"Hmph!" Zhang Lei snorted coldly. He wasn't afraid of these people; many of them were his defeated opponents.

At this moment, someone spoke up; it wasn't Zhang Lei, but rather came from behind He Yuzhu.

"Young Master He, may I ask who your Tai Chi teacher is?"

He Yuzhu turned around and saw a middle-aged man smiling at him. He Yuzhu felt that this man looked familiar, but he really had never seen him before.

"It's a family heirloom, so why does this master also need to handle it?"

"No need, no need. My grandfather would like to invite Master He to our martial arts school for a chat."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man pointed to a building on the side. He Yuzhu looked in the direction he was pointing and saw an elderly man with gray hair standing on the third floor, staring intently at him.

Upon seeing the old man, He Yuzhu was greatly shocked, with only one thought in his mind: "So alike, so very alike."

"May I ask your surname?" He Yuzhu asked tentatively.

"My surname is Chen."

He Yuzhu took a deep breath and said, "Let's go, I also have something I want to ask Grandpa Chen."

"please!"

"please!"

The two of them walked away amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, followed by Ah Lang.

Zhang Lei called his apprentices back. He had to enforce the sect rules on the kid who had shouted earlier, and he also discussed with his apprentices how to minimize the impact of today's defeat.

Seeing that there was no more excitement to be had, the others returned to their own places.

Of course, there were also some busybodies who followed He Yuzhu and his group, wanting to see if there was any more excitement to be had.

He Yuzhu followed the middle-aged man into a building where the ground floor was a traditional Chinese medicine shop. A banner hanging at the entrance read "Chen Family Tai Chi Martial Arts School" and "Personally Taught by Grandmaster Chen Jikai."

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat when he saw the name. His maternal grandfather also had this name, but his mother had only mentioned it briefly.

Suppressing my excitement, I followed the middle-aged man upstairs with a mix of trepidation and excitement, still unable to confirm just one name.

Ah Lang, who had come along, wanted to follow, but was stopped by someone.

Mr. He!

"It's okay, just wait for me downstairs."

"Okay, just call me if you need anything."

(End of this chapter)