Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 234 The Central Plains War
The head of the operations department not only became physically disabled, but he also became a dead man.

Cai Xuepeng was both the section chief and the commander-in-chief. He died of a heart attack without causing any major uproar. He had a history of heart problems and was often restless and plagued by nightmares.

He died at home, with no signs of foul play, and there were no suspects.

No one would have imagined that something that happened two years ago would suddenly come knocking on their door again.

So nobody thought of the Bagua Hall and the Golden Pavilion.

Chen Zhan didn't pay much attention and began intensive preparations for the opening of the "Chinese Alliance" the next day.

The address is located at the deepest part of Funing Road, a street lined with martial arts schools.

There are many martial arts schools on Funing Road, but as long as you have money, you won't have trouble finding a place.

As for the exclusion from other martial arts schools, that's not even a concern.

Since Chen Zhan doesn't ostracize them, they all think Chen Zhan is being incredibly kind.

Since Chen Zhan entered the Golden Pavilion the day before yesterday without concealing his appearance, he was immediately known by all the major martial arts schools. Martial arts schools in Foshan sent people to watch. Although they could not get in, if a big battle broke out in the Golden Pavilion, they could hear it clearly from outside.

I thought it would be a fierce battle, but Li Guangpu's Bagua School is not easy to deal with. Over the years, many who have challenged him have been beaten to death or maimed, and he also has military connections.

They were unaware of Ye Ningzhen's true identity, only assuming she was a woman beside Chen Zhan, and naturally, they were also unaware of the history between them.

Chen Zhan was also a Northern boxing master, and he even won the title of martial arts leader in the capital.

On this journey south, the first stop was Jinlou.

These Southern boxers were all speculating: Was this a prelude to targeting their own people first?

But there was no movement from inside the Golden Pavilion until late at night.

With the personnel who had been watching withdrawing, there was no movement from within the Northern Boxing School for three consecutive days. Chen Zhan and Ye Ningzhen began large-scale construction of a venue at the end of Funing Road.

The Southern boxers in Foshan were very surprised by this outcome. They couldn't believe that nothing had happened and no disputes had arisen, which was unbelievable in their minds.

Foshan has many martial arts schools, and the various forces involved are even more complex.

It's true that the North and South are at odds, but Southern boxers are also divided into several factions. Among them, Hung Kuen is relatively united, and the four fierce Hung Kuen practitioners had some connections and looked out for each other.

The three masters of Wing Chun were no longer viable. Yao Cai, Ruan Qishan, and Ip Man each claimed that their own school was the authentic one, while the other's was a side school of Wing Chun, which naturally led to conflict.

Of the two titans, Wong Fei-hung has passed away, and Lee Sai-wing is old and lives mostly in Hong Kong, rarely making public appearances.

In recent years, many northern boxers have moved south, and southern boxers are much more united than before. Before that, regardless of north or south, boxers were enemies.

If we're eating from the same pot, if you eat one more bite, I'll have to eat one less bite.

How could we possibly be all smiles and laughter?

After much thought, there were only two possibilities: either Chen Zhan would surrender to the Bagua Sect, or he would easily subdue the Bagua Sect.

Neither of these situations is what they want to see.

Ten days later, the venue for the Chinese Alliance was already taking shape.

The three Ye sisters were busy with various tasks, and Xiong Hanshan often came to help. He did not choose to open his own clinic, but instead joined Chen Zhan's team.

On the contrary, Chen Zhan didn't care about these things; he just wanted a venue.

A mountain is not valued for its height, but for the spirits that dwell there.

Chen Zhan spent his days in the Bagua Hall, watching the disciples of the Bagua Sect spar. Occasionally, when the interest struck, he would offer some pointers, but he mainly just watched.

The disciples he recruited from the capital city, thanks to his influence, also thrived in the Bagua Sect.

He sparred with Li Guangpu, Cheng Yougong, and several other disciples, with each side winning and losing.

After returning from Fengtian, Ye Ningzhen's status in the Bagua Sect rivaled that of Li Guangpu, and no one dared to question her.

Because she not only mastered the hidden strength, but also integrated her internal strength, reaching the level of transformed strength.

He also accomplished something significant, something that Li Guangpu had failed to achieve despite making several trips to Northeast China over the past twenty years.

Li Guangpu is two years younger than Gong Baotian, and they have been rivals for many years. At that time in the capital, Gong Baotian worked in the palace with Yin Fu and repeatedly cracked down on the bodyguards of the "Yuanshun Escort Agency", which led to the two having a feud.

Later, Wang Wu escorted everyone out of Beijing, the old woman fled, and Gong Baotian and Yin Fu also retired to the Northeast.

After Yin Fu's death, Li Guangpu visited him many times. Although both were masters of the Transformation Realm, there are different levels among masters. In fair combat, Gong Baotian was indeed a cut above the rest each time.

Gong Baotian was able to dominate the martial arts world in Northeast China because of his exceptional skills.

Chen Zhan felt it was a pity that he hadn't fought against him.

But unexpectedly, in Ye Ningzhen's generation, she brought back the method of internal cultivation of the marrow and internal organs using the Eight Trigrams.

There was also a sign for the authentic Bagua (Eight Trigrams).

The "sign" thing doesn't mean there's actually a plaque. From Dong Haichuan to now, it's been over a century, so even if there was a plaque, it would be rotten by now.

Rather, it means they can use the name "Authentic Bagua" to open a martial arts school and accept students, and no one can object. Moreover, many people in the Foshan martial arts community know the name of Gong Baotian and the Gong family. Gong Baotian has also visited Foshan several times, intending to promote the spread of Southern Fist to the North.

Ye Ningzhen naturally became a sought-after figure in the Bagua Sect. With deliberate publicity, the entire martial arts world of Foshan knew that the Bagua Sect had gained another grandmaster.

In the drill ground.

Chen Zhan and Li Guangpu were watching two disciples spar. They were unarmed and dared not use weapons for fear of accidentally injuring each other.

Both men had a good foundation in Baguazhang, and their movements were precise and their footwork was not chaotic. However, the older one was more composed and gained the upper hand after a dozen or so moves.

Baguazhang (Eight Trigrams Palm) is a fast-paced martial art. With diligent study and practice, one can use its footwork to bully ordinary people within a year or two, and even three or five strong men cannot catch it.

But to truly master the skills, you need to improve your footwork and keep your mind steady.

Many people practice walking stances and develop some skills, but then they become arrogant and think they can fight. They become impatient and restless, and they act the same way when fighting others, relying on their footwork and eager to achieve victory.

Just like in the arena, the younger disciple is Cheng Yougong's apprentice, while the slightly older one is Li Wenbiao's apprentice.

The young man was eager to attack, but after a dozen or so moves he couldn't gain the upper hand and was put on the defensive.

Just as he was about to be double-handedly shoved in the waist, Li Guangpu moved swiftly and stopped the two men: "Alright, don't hurt your own people."

In the martial arts school, any fights must be watched by the elders of the school, just to prevent this.

Because if a fight breaks out, it's easy to lose control; having elders present can protect both sides from injury.

Unless the two have a personal grudge, they will fight in private, and then no one will care whether they live or die.

The two stopped immediately upon being stopped and said in unison, "Thank you, Senior Uncle."

Li Guangpu returned to Chen Zhan's side and asked, "Does the Alliance Leader know what's been going on with Wen Biao lately?"

Chen Zhan found it strange and shook his head, saying, "I've been staying at the academy recently and haven't seen Uncle Li many times."

His meaning is also obvious.

Li Guangpu was somewhat suspicious, thinking to himself that Li Wenbiao had been preoccupied since leaving the Golden Pavilion that day, and had rarely come to the pavilion since, which was unusual for him.

Li Guangpu summoned Liang Xing.
"You didn't come yesterday either. Did you go out with your master?"

"What has your master been busy with lately?"

Liang Xing was Li Wenbiao's personal disciple. At that time, a personal disciple was almost like a son. Moreover, Li Wenbiao had no biological son, so he treated Liang Xing as his son's disciple.

"Yesterday I went to Heshan with my master to pay respects to my master's wife."

He didn't answer the other question because he didn't know either.

"Why are you suddenly thinking of offering sacrifices when it's neither a festival nor a holiday?" Li Guangpu asked curiously.

"Perhaps it's because Cai Xuepeng died. Master wanted to tell his wife that he suffered too much back then and died without knowing why."

Liang Xing didn't hide anything; he cried sadly at Li Wenbiao and Li Ruo's grave yesterday, and he cried along with them.

Li Guangpu roughly understood that Li Wenbiao hadn't mentioned that matter for two years, not because he had forgotten it, but because he dared not.

Many things are better kept to oneself; once they are unearthed, they cause unbearable pain.

No wonder Li Wenbiao hasn't come to the museum for many days.

“Cai Xuepeng was arrogant for three years, running rampant in Foshan by relying on the power of the Action Department. He suddenly died of a heart attack. It really is unpredictable,” Li Wenbiao sighed.

"Perhaps it is just karma," Chen Zhan said calmly.

Li Guangpu sensed something different in Chen Zhan's words, but didn't have time to think about it further.

Li Cunzhi rushed in from outside, clutching a stack of newspapers in his hand, which were crumpled from his grip.

"Master, a fight has broken out! A real fight has broken out."

In his panic, Li Cunzhi ran and jumped to Li Guangpu's side. Seeing Chen Zhan there, he respectfully said, "Alliance Leader, you are here too."

Li Guangpu snorted coldly, "What's all the fuss about? Who's fighting?"

Li Cunzhi swallowed hard. He had just stepped out onto the street when he heard a newspaper vendor hawking his wares. He picked up the newspaper and immediately knew he was in trouble.

I was running all the way, and my mouth was dry.

"Master...it's not human, it's...it's from the north, a war has broken out in the north!"

He handed over the somewhat tattered newspaper he was clutching.

Guangzhou Daily.

The entire page was talking about one thing: the "Central Plains War" had begun.

It was common knowledge that the major warlords and the Nationalist government had long been at odds and were only superficially united. However, the people of the whole country believed that war would not break out easily, let alone on such a large scale.

(End of this chapter)