Romance of Dragons and Snakes

His own martial arts was already heads above Tan Wendong’s, but it didn’t seem as if the young gang leader had even cared about Wang Chao’s prowess in it at all. But the very moment Wang Chao gave his name, Tan Wendong had seemed to transform into an idolator of some type. Tan Wendong hadn’t shown it openly, but the look of worship was there in his eyes.

“Master Wang, why don’t we find a place to sit down.” Fang Bei took the initiative to speak first. “There’s a quaint tea shop over there.” Her eyes had looked to him with a vivid and spirited glow that did nothing to hide the look of excitement on her face. Even the freckles around her nose could be clearly seen.

This policewoman wasn’t exactly stunning in her looks, but there was still some appeal to her. She exuded a sense of can-do and calmness that added to her capable personality. From a preliminary look at her, Wang Chao had felt that she was the type to take meticulous attention to any single task she put her head without fail.

Such characteristics like these were quite charming in their own very way.

Wang Chao had also seen one more thing to her however. This little policewoman had a crush on Tan Wendong. When they were all in the same room together, she had been giving a sour look at the meek and docile girlfriend of Tan Wendong.

Sitting peaceful on the veranda of the tea shop, the two of sat in silence for some time before Fang Bai had decided to be the one to break the silence. “Master Wang, were you really able to see the aptitude of Tan Wendong? Is that why you wish to take him in as a disciple?”

“Of course. His aptitude is something that is better than any other youngster I’ve seen.” Wang Chao spoke.

In truth, there wasn’t much need for Wang Chao to rush for a disciple at his age. But because he had made an enemy out of many, he would still have to take in two students if not disciples in the case something were to happen to him. If he came across any expert, then his disciples would at the very least be able to discern their own truths from his teaching.

It was unfortunate that his achievements in martial arts could only be said to be heads beyond the others. As one that could be said to be a grandmaster in the world of martial arts, there were practically none that could stand next to him as an equal. The only road from here was backwards, so he had to look for a disciple soon.

In any case, Wang Chao was the headmaster of the Laoshan School of Internal Martial Arts and the progenitor of his own style of martial arts. It was said Confucius had three thousand students, but only seventy-two disciples that had mastered his teachings as inheritors to his legacy. He at the very least should have eight or ten disciples of his own. One would be Huo Ling’er and perhaps the finicky Han Xiaoqing would be the second. As of right now though, the pickings were rather disastrous.

There was also one additional reason. The amount of youngsters that had interest in martial arts were many, but those with the aptitude for it were severely lacking. The vast majority of those with a penchant for it were like a flash of fire in a pan–after three minutes of enthusiasm, their resolve would die out. Those unable to stomach the hardships would be unable to continue onto this harsh path to continue to learn martial arts with the utmost meticulousness. An enthusiast that was talented, willing to endure in silence, and captivated by martial arts was far too few in numbers.

And with it being so hard to come across one, Wang Chao was loathe to let one go when he found one.

This was a problem that any master of martial arts would come across from the times of antiquity to even the modern era. Those who were spirited for the first three minutes were numerous, and those who would endure under all odds were few.

Should a master come across one that met these rare conditions, then they would undoubtedly chase after them.

“Master Wang, please don’t see Wendong as the leader of a gang, his personality isn’t at all bad.” Fang Bei sighed. “When he was in his early teens, his father and mother became involved with the wrong people and were killed in a car accident as a result. He suffered greatly after that, but even though he’s been lead astray onto the darker path, it’s for the sake of revenge. For that reason, master Wang, I hope that you will help him break free from that and take him away from this.”

“But I’m no idiot. I know that the moment you stray off the moral path to walk the darker path, it is very hard to turn back. Like those who retire from the Jianghu, the problems of before will only catch up with you after time. Without power, those problems will only increase, and I’ve seen that happen to know. If Wendong were to be reformed and dissolve the Wendong Group, then it’ll only take tomorrow for the public safety bureau to register him as a criminal and dredge up some past crime to arrest him with.”

Yes. This policewoman had an insightful eye that Wang Chao couldn’t help but agree with. The world Tan Wendong lived in was indeed such a place.

To walk the darker path was fundamentally a path that one had to walk until all that was left was darkness. One could wash away their sins in a golden basin, but without power, the sins of the past wouldn’t disappear like smoke.

The police or one’s enemies wouldn’t let such a golden opportunity escape them. If a dog was drowning, there would always be ones that would go and beat the dog as it drowned.

To walk the darker path meant having only one road, and that was to dream big and expand your power as much as you can. Pull connections from where they might exist, expand your influence, increase your capital, and deepen your intrapersonal relationships. That was the only way to secure one’s safety. There was no turning back on this road.

“If one wishes to go to Liangshan, there should be no idea of offering amnesty to your enemy.” Wang Chao spoke to summarize his thoughts.

“Yes, that is the idea. But when I saw master Wang today, that was when I felt that you could be the savior to Wendong. You are a famous master of martial arts with connections to the army itself. If anyone would be capable of stopping the public safety bureau from threatening Wendong, it would be master Wang. Even his enemies wouldn’t dare move a muscle without fear of the army itself. With time, Wendong would really be able to reform hiself. He can walk away from the darker path and return as a person on the right and moral path. My only worry is that Wendong is won’t disolve the Wendong Group because of the feelings he has for it.”

“He will. He is a smart one. An idiot that knows not how to size up the situation by the hour is not a person that could succeed in martial arts.” Wang Chao gave a mysterious smile before divulging into another topic, “The reason why he has not yet replied to me is because he wishes to think. He doesn’t trust me, and so he will not make a decision. That is the steadfast nature of his.”

“Is that really it? I guess I don’t understand him as much as I thought I did.” Fang Bei muttered. “I hope what master Wang says is correct.”

“I can see that you take fancy to Tan Wendong as well.” Wang Chao smiled.

“That’s right, I like him.” Fang Bei conceded without skipping a beat. “His current girlfriend doesn’t suit him at all. My family is connected with the Public Security Bureau, meaning that as long as Wendong walks the path of a criminal, there will be no way we would ever be together.”

“Then rest assured. Tan Wendong will definitely come looking for me. If I’m not wrong, three days will be all it will take. He’ll dissolve the Wendong Group and take care of the rest.”

“I’ve heard people say before that when one becomes strong enough in martial arts, they start to have premonitions. Master Wang, is this one of those so-called premonitions?”

“There is no need for any premonition. I talk from experience. As long as he has decided on such, Tan Wendong will dissolve his gang and come with me to learn martial arts. Whatever trouble that comes after will be taken on by me.”

Just as Wang Chao said, Tan Wendong really did dissolve the Wendong Group in secret just three days later. Somehow managing to scrape together all of the hard-earned cash he and the group had earned all those years, Tan Wendong had split it evenly to all of his subordinates before telling them to run as far as they could. There had been two reasons for this. First of all, they would need to hide from their enemies now that the group was no longer there to protect them all. Secondly, this would prevent the police from later acting on a single strike on the remaining dregs of the group. Any evidence of their past crimes were destroyed without discrimination, and with that, not even water would be able to escape from this iron-clad lockdown.

On the third day, Tan Wendong had been seated within one of the restaurants in the city whilst waiting for Wang Chao to answer to his invitation.

Wang Chao had brought Huo Ling’er, Liu Qing, Gao Jun, Zhang Kai, and Fang Wei along with him to the pre scheduled meeting. This meeting would of course serve as the apprenticeship banquet for Tan Wendong.

“Well? Have you made your decision?” Wang Chao smiled towards Tan Wendong.

“I have. Not only that, but I’ve dissolved the Wendong Group. From today onwards, I will wash my hands from the golden basin and leave the path of a criminal.” Tan Wendong spoke seriously. There had been no regret on his face–whatever he was capable of earning, he was also capable of spending.

“Oh? Does this mean to say that you had already planned a backup plan before this? Otherwise, would you really disband the Wendong Group that easily?” Wang Chao asked with interest.

“When you live as a criminal, how could you not have an escape route?” Tan Wendong retorted calmly. “The very first day I started my life as a criminal, I already knew that what lied at the end of road for me wouldn’t be a good one. With how the country is with its internal affairs, there is no easy way to maintain a criminal organization. I’ve already made the preparations over a year ago to transfer my funds to an overseas account, so in these past three days, I was also able to give each of my subordinates an escape route as well after dissolving the group. Whatever evidence we had of any crimes, they are as good as gone. So even if the government tries to arrest us now, they won’t have a handle to open the door with. But don’t worry, I’ve made sure that you won’t be able to usurp any power from me either.”

Having said that, Tan Wendong started the apprenticeship ritual and kowtowed his head to Wang Chao three times. “I, Tan Wendong, pledge myself to master Wang Chao as his disciple. No matter what happens from today onwards, I will not discriminate my master in anyway. Let humanity and the gods be both witness and judge, and let me be put to death by gunfire should I betray my vows.”

“Good!” Hearing Tan Wendong’s vows, Wang Chao had been extremely pleased with him. “As long as I am able, I will teach you all I know in earnest.”

Tan Wendong had the heart to reform as a criminal to become a student and had the foresight to plan his backup plan in advance. All he was missing was the opportunity to do so. In the eyes of Tan Wendong, Wang Chao had given him the best opportunity to do so, and for that reason, he had been very moved and resolved to be Wang Chao’s disciple.

One of the main contributing factors was the fact that Wang Chao was an extremely famous person in the world of martial arts. After his victory over Nguyễn Hồng Tú, his name was known to practically all of Japan-China. Whether it was China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Korea, or even in the oversea Chinese societies, Wang Chao was known.

In the course of three days, Tan Wendong had enough time to make his own investigation of Wang Chao. From there, he was able to dig up a general approximation of who Wang Chao was. Tan Wendong had concluded that Wang Chao would be someone that deserved to be his master and have the power to take him in for asylum.

“This is your senior, Huo Ling’er.” Wang Chao introduced.

“Senior-sister, hello.” Tan Wendong smiled to her. He knew that this woman was not an ordinary person either. The Huo family of Shanghai was a very grand aristocratic family. He was only a small hoodlum rat in a small city. Compared to her, the power he had was as much as a single hair from nine oxen.

And so he would secure a good friendship with both the Huo family and the central government with one fell stroke.

“Congratulations! Congratulations, master Wang for earning another disciple.” Liu Qing had been the first to offer up his congratulations.

The reason why Wang Chao had called them here today was to bear witness and act as the cheering audience.

“Junior of mine, when we talk about talent, you are a brilliant display for your age. Let me say this, be more mysterious and less transparent.” Huo Ling’er laughed.

The procession of people continued to laugh and eat their meal for some time with great gusto when all of a sudden, a series of footsteps could be heard coming towards their general direction.

“Tan Wendong! Rumors have it that you’ve quit the life of crime? Tsk tsk tsk, what a shame that is.”

Leading the front of this new group was a tanned-skin man with his hair curled up in a bun. The gloomy face of his had a cigarette rolled in his mouth, and each time he spoke, his yellowed teeth could be seen.

“Bao the Second, boss Hong didn’t respect he rules, so me cutting the tendons to one of his arms was within my rights. What about it, did you come here for revenge then?” Tan Wendong spoke rather lazily to the man when he saw him.

“Master, this person’s named Bao Á Minh, he’s one of the subordinates to the one I crippled earlier, boss Hồng. Within the borders here, he has some name as a member of one of the Vietnamese gangs in Hanoi. There was probably a spy in my group that told them the news when I dissolved the gang.”

Just as Tan Wendong had been explaining things to Wang Chao, a young man suddenly came from behind Bao Á Minh. His hair was dyed completely red and several silver earrings could be seen on his ears. He wore a gaudy T-shirt and jeans along with brand name sneakers. On his back was a very big backpack.

“Are you the Tan Wendong that knows how to use the chain dart? I’ve come to fight you, I hope that you will respond in kind!”

This youngster had a rather rough but unstressed accent when he spoke Chinese to Tan Wendong.

“Who are you?” Tan Wendong cast a glance over to him, but he did not rise up from his seat.

“My name is Lee Cheol-han, a second-dan black-belt Taekwondo practitioner under the tutelage of ninth-dan master Choi Jang Baek. When master Choi came to Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar to teach, I took the opportunity to go with him.”

This genuine Korean-dressed youth had spoken with a polite tone to his vice, but his eyes gave an otherwise haughty look to Tan Wendong. “Mister Bao from the Hanoi Gang is just one of the groups our Jang Baek style Taekwondo sponsors. I came here today in place of master to resolve this difficulty mister Bao has. Since there is a grudge between the two, why not settle this in a match of martial arts?”

“You study chain-related weaponry. So do I.”

Lee Cheol-han had already set down his backpack onto the ground with a loud clanking sound. As soon as the backpack hit the ground, the area around it quaked just once, signifying that the item held inside was a hefty one and was made from metal.

“Zip!” In a second, the zipper had been pulled apart! Lee Cheol-han had immediately stuck a hand into the backpack before retrieving a long steel chain with two bowl-sized iron balls at the end of both sides.

These two balls were connected to one another by a series of chain to form yet another of the classical weapons.

“A Taekwondoin studying the meteor hammer? Choi Jang Baek’s Taekwondo is a mess it seems.” Wang Chao thought to himself.