Romance of Dragons and Snakes

Chapter 122: A Trap (One)

“So the Shaolin Temple is going onto the stock market and wish to invite all martial artists within the martial arts world. No matter how much I look at this, doesn’t it feel like a modern gathering of the Wulin? The location on this card doesn’t Mt. Song in Henan, but Hong Kong? This isn’t a joke I hope!”

When Wang Chao looked at the invitation, he had realized the invitation card said to meet up in Hong Kong this time. In his heart, he couldn’t help but feel an unimaginable feeling well up in his head.

“It’s not a joke at all.” Lin Yanan smiled. “The Shaolin Temple has many disciples that went overseas to expand. Some became famous while some grew rich and powerful. Their connections have expanded, in Hong Kong most especially. And now, the Shaolin Temple has grown exceedingly well. So having a gathering in Hong Kong, is there really anything strange about that? Did you think this would be something out of a novel and be an invitation for a hero? A gathering of the entire Wulin to choose someone to be the leader?”

“It’s a good thing that this time the meeting will be in Hong Kong rather than in America. The Shaolin Temple will protect you in Hong Kong.”

Wang Chao shook his head, “There are many experts in China, do you remember when we went to the homelands of Zhang Wei? His martial brother Leung Jingmen and the Daoist monk with the surname of Xu. The both of them are capable of Hidden Jin despite the lack of combat experience. But they are not fighters, they are men of Wushu instead. People like this are definitely numerous within the country. They’re hidden and silent, but would the Shaolin Temple invite such men one by one? Even if they were invited, would they go to Hong Kong?”

The martial art sects of today’s era were practically all but gone. The remaining experts had already hidden themselves amongst the people. Some went into business, some became officials, officers, politicians, or teachers. Very few would go into the underground or open a school to train disciples.

The very notion of a martial art sect was extremely faint now with the experts all hidden away.

Only the Shaolin had developed economically and politically. They were completely deserving to being known as the leaders of the Wulin.

But Wang Chao couldn’t understand one thing. What was the point of this meeting? Was it to illustrate one’s position within the Wulin?

But since there was no Wulin now, the way the Shaolin Temple was operating, it was like lighting a lantern for a blind man to use.

“The Shaolin Temple is inviting the well known figures! Well. Known! Do you not understand these two words? In other words, those who have financial strength, know martial arts, are well known, and are a part of the upper-class. It isn’t anything as chaotic of a mess you’re thinking of like the Wulin or the Beggar’s Union with their beggars. If you know martial arts, but have no money or no status, why would the Shaolin Temple invite you? To sweep their grounds maybe?”

Lin Yanan rolled her eyes to Wang Chao, “The Shaolin Temple has reformed and expanded quite quickly for 30 to 40 years. Many foreigners have come to Mt. Song to practice martial arts and diversifying the staff. Several foreigners are quite rich and powerful when they became a disciple for the Shaolin Temple. This way, the foreign connections of the Shaolin Temple has grown majorly! According to the organization, even the Morgan Financial Group, Disney, Rockefeller and several other groups in America have their men practicing Shaolin. Naturally, some of them admire Chinese martial arts and have nothing better to do with their money than to play around. But that doesn’t mean to say the same for all.”

Wang Chao had thought for a moment. Things were really as she said. After 30 or 40 years of reforms, the Shaolin Temple had became well known overseas. Many foreigners had came running to Mt. Song to learn martial arts, causing the Shaolin Temple and several foreign powers to become intertwined. In the name of Shaolin, many martial arts school had already opened up in America, Europe, and other countries. It could be said that they had truly charged out from Asia and onto the world stage.

“For the Shaolin Temple to suddenly open up to the stock market, it is quite doubtful. The powers they are involved with are certainly quite deep, this must be carefully investigated!” Lin Yanan spoke. “However, the Shaolin Temple matter has to be done discreetly, and not openly.”

“In brief, we should go to Hong Kong first. Investigating the Shaolin Temple isn’t something that can be done in one or two days. Let’s go and see first. With your identity, the organization will benefit greatly from this.” Lin Yanan nodded her head.

Just as Lin Yanan and Wang Chao had finished talking about the invitation from the Shaolin Temple, Wang Chao’s cellphone in the room began to ring.

The caller was Liao Junhua.

Shandong, Ji’nan.

Bang! Two fists collided together before Liao Junhua took three steps back. All he could feel was his entire body trembling as a buzzing sound could be heard in his ears.

“How did your martial arts improve that fast so quickly?” Liao Junhua was amazed. “I heard that you went to Singapore recently and fought against a Canadian master of the Cheng Style Baguazhang in a match, is that right?”

“You get your news quite fast.” After being forced back by the “Parry and Punch”, Liao Junhua had experienced the use of the hard rotation Jin by Wang Chao. After that, Wang Chao explained the matter with Cheng Shanming and their competition.

After hearing that Cheng Shanming was capable of Transforming Jin and was a student of marksmanship, Liao Junhua clicked his tongue.

“When I was in the American Chinese circles, I once heard of a Canadian expert of Cheng Style Baguazhang. But I never faced off against him! It’s no wonder your martial arts has improved if you were practicing rigorously underwater! Is the effect truly that big? One of these days, I’ll have to try it myself.”

“We can talk about that later. I came to ask you, what is going on with the Shaolin Temple?” Wang Chao asked.

“With your school opening up in Shandong, you are taking a piece of the market from the Shandong Institute of Guoshu. Furthermore, with a name like yours, if the Shaolin Temple didn’t invite you to the meeting, who would they invite then?”

“I heard that you were given an invite as well?”

“Correct.” Liao Junhua nodded. “However, I don’t have any leisure time to go and help these monks with whatever. I advise you not to go either. Word about these monks aren’t very good.”

“Does the Shaolin Temple even have any more fighting monks?” Wang Chao asked. “If they are all pig-headed and fat-bellied, then there really is no point in going.”

“Of course!” Liao Junhua’s eyes flashed brightly. “The Shaolin Temple still have genuine martial arts. Mt Song still has Mt. Taishi and Mt. Xiaoshi. The Shaolin Temple teaches martial arts on Mt. Taishi while Mt. Xiaoshi is focused completely on economics. The monks who are more astute than others, know how to do business, and earn profit are gathered there. They have many experts, but because of the deep bonds they have with foreign powers, I have no desire to go wading in the pool of water that is the Shaolin Temple.”

Wang Chao thought for a moment. Liao Junhua’s situation was quite special, he did not wish to form a relationship with the monks at all.

“If they have any experts, then I should take a look.”

“Then be careful of one thing. Do not compare notes with any of the monks. I’m not afraid of them by any means, but the moment you injure one of them, they will not leave matters at that.” Liao Junhua warned.

Three days later, Wang Chao and Lin Yanan arrived at the Hong Kong airports. After disembarking from the airplane, they saw two tall monks dressed in yellow robes and holding a giant sign.

On the sign read, “Welcome, Master Wang Chao.”

These two monks were extremely eye-catching and could be seen at a glance. Naturally, Wang Chao and Lin Yanan saw them and walked on over.

The two monks had been watching the entrance of the airport closely, but when they saw Lin Yanan and Wang Chao walking towards them, they gave each other a glance. As their eyes sparked up, a nervous look overcame their faces.

“Eh? What are they nervous about?” Lin Yanan spoke with confusion when she saw their expressions.

“If I may ask, are you Master Wang Chao?” The two monks suddenly asked.

“Are you from the Shaolin Temple?” Wang Chao looked at the monks. Their temples were bulging outwards and their physiques were well-built. Their palms were fair in skin tone and held no dead skin. But their knuckles had the faint traces of scarring.

These two monks had clearly trained their old skin away and were able of breaking out with Hidden Jin.

“The Shaolin Temple truly does have genuine martial arts if they are able of sending out any random two monks like this. Are all the monks capable of that? That’d be quite….” Wang Chao thought.

Lin Yanan’s eyebrows furrowed deeper and deeper.

“We are the monks in charge of receiving the guests for the Shaolin Temple. If we may, do you have your invitation card, Master Wang?”

Wang Chao took out his invitation card and allowed one of the monks to take it. After examination, the two monks gave a look of relief to each other.

“Master Wang, if you could please follow me?” One of the monks gave a nod. Instead of returning the card, he gave a gesture to Wang Chao to follow.

Wang Chao and Lin Yanan both followed the monks to the edge of the airport where a car could be seen waiting for them.

One of the monks opened up the door to the driver’s seat and climbed in. It seemed that he would be driving the car himself, leaving Wang Chao astonished.

“Master Wang, if you could please.” The other monk opened the door to let Wang Chao and Lin Yanan enter first. With a close of the door, he entered the backseat with them.

“Yong Bao, start the car now.”

Vroom!!! The car rumbled to life before driving away from the airport in an instant. Traveling on the road for a while, they finally arrived at a mountain path.

“If I could ask the master, what is your Dharma name?” Lin Yanan suddenly asked the monk sitting in the back with them.

“This poor monk’s Dharma name is Yong He.

“The generation name of Yong? That’s the same generation as the abbot Shi Yongxin.” Lin Yanan suddenly asked.

“Uh….” The monk suddenly realized something wasn’t right and his face scrunched up in anxiety.

“Wang Chao, move!” Lin Yanan suddenly forced Wang Chao aside with her elbow before breaking the glass to the driver’s compartment to grab at the nape of Yong Bao’s neck with her other hand.