Chapter 68: Testing Each Other's Strength

  Sitting in the Thunder's car, they drove onto the ring road, with strong winds and lightning, after about an hour of driving, the Dongfeng Mengshi had already turned into a place on the west outskirts of Beijing, where tall walls stood and it was quiet and secluded.

  As the eye can see, trees rise and fall, waves ripple, it's hard to imagine that in a internationalized metropolis like Beijing, such a natural haven still exists.

  At this time, the sun had just set, and the crimson clouds covered half of the western sky, like a raging fire. Before long, the car turned into an inconspicuous alley and drove forward for less than two minutes before seeing a majestic ancient gate with two rows of tall and upright armed police standing guard.

  As soon as they arrived at the entrance, they were stopped by the security guard at the door, who said that the State Guesthouse was not open to outsiders and asked them to leave. However, Lei Ting said a few words from inside the car and showed his ID, and they were immediately allowed to pass. Although the State Guesthouse is an important venue for national leaders to conduct diplomatic activities and receive foreign heads of state and other important guests, with Lei Ting's identity and status, it was naturally not a problem for him to enter.

  "Tonight, Old Master Zhang's dinner party is being held at the State Guesthouse's Building 7. Most of the guests are local officials and several national treasure-level experts from the Palace Museum will be there to conduct on-site appraisals of the Yuanmingyuan antiques that Zhou Lin brought back from Russia. At that time, there will be a very brief ceremony. If my information is correct, the family of Tang Niu, whom you killed, should also make their move."

  Lei Feng said, stopping the car and signaling for Wang Chan and Zhou Yahuan to get out. He turned his head and took a glance at Wang Chan, whose expression suddenly looked somewhat strange: "Don't blame me for not warning you beforehand, tonight's host Old Master Zhang is also an elder of the Bagua Palm school, and as for relationships, he might even have some connection with Tang Niu's grandfather. I mentioned your situation to him when I called earlier, and he's very interested in you!"

  "Oh? I've heard of the Bagua Palm school before. From Dong Haichuan down, there were eight great disciples. Only Zhang Zhaokui's branch had Han Muxia spread the kung fu into the military, it seems that the 29th Army's Big Knife Squad was trained by him, and also the Northwest Army's Pistol Squad have some connection. As for those who practiced Bagua Palm when they were older and were in the military, could it be that the old man with the surname Zhang you're talking about is the one who passed down this school of kung fu?"

  Wang Chan tilted his head, and after a while, he suddenly spoke out of the ordinary, and Lei Feng's heart was shocked.

  It turns out that Zhou Lin's father was actually similar to Wang Chan's origin. In the Republic of China, the great hero Han Muxia was a chief instructor of national arts at the Whampoa Military Academy for a long time, teaching his specialties, Xingyiquan and Baguazhang. Many people from both the KMT and CPC learned from him, including the most famous one, the "Premier" who was then the director of the political department of the Whampoa Military Academy.

  Otherwise, later on, the situation was chaotic, and even a prime minister who seemed to be a scholar would not often go deep into enemy territory to kill. The reason is that "the higher the skill, the bolder the person". Later, this branch of Bagua Palm took root in the army, and during the time when Lao Yezi was in power, he was actually a leader of the Central Guard Regiment.

  And Wang Chan knew the secrets of this Bagua Palm, which also came from his old master's idle talk. It is worth noting that Wang Daliang was a famous "hairy" in the three northeastern provinces at that time, and he was a real hero from the green forest, who knew the doors and gates of the rivers and lakes very well.

  "Huh? You seem to know quite a bit, don't you?" Lei Feng glanced at Wang Chan with an expression that couldn't help but reveal some surprise. However, he was also resentful of Wang Chan for using his tricks on him and forcing him to do things, so he didn't have the energy to chat with Wang Chan anymore. He just coldly smiled a few times before leading the way, walking quickly into a three-story small building surrounded by green trees with Wang Chan following behind.

  This small building, from the outside looks just like an ordinary old red brick building, and it's not young anymore. But only when you push open the door and walk in will you discover that inside is actually a "different world", with luxurious decorations, far beyond those of an ordinary five-star hotel.

  However, these things have nothing to do with Wang Chan himself. In his eyes, the difference between a thatched hut and a palace is not great. Whether it's an empty house or a luxurious one, the fundamental function of a house is just to shelter from the wind and rain.

  As soon as he entered the hall, Wang Chan's eyes lit up in an instant. From afar, he saw a white-haired old man walking out of the corridor with big strides.

  The old man's strides were very large, but each step was flat and even, like treading mud, extremely stable. He lifted his feet and landed with a gentle touch, without stirring up any dust. It seemed slow and leisurely at first glance, but in fact he was walking very quickly.

  From a distance, I saw Leide, Wang Chan and Zhou Yahuan, the three of them, opening their mouths to let out a loud, sonorous laughter, with a majestic voice, full of energy, not sounding like an old man's voice at all.

  "It's indeed the master of Baguazhang, who has practiced for a lifetime. His skills have been internalized to the bone, and he practices even when sitting or walking. This old man looks at least over 70 years old, but his leg strength is stronger than that of Tang Niu in his prime. He walks like the wind, stands like a nail, moves like a dragon, and sits like a tiger. Truly, he's getting better with age!"

  In the blink of an eye, the two parties were less than a dozen steps apart. Wang Chan's eyes secretly measured the old man, who, despite his advanced age and declining physical strength, had a rosy complexion like that of an infant, with a sharp spirit and clear, sparkling eyes that showed no signs of the usual thick eye bags and dull gaze of the elderly.

  He wore an old-fashioned green military uniform on his body, and the shoes he wore were thousand-layered "old head shoes", which made people know at a glance that this old man was a generous and straightforward person, purely from a military background.

  "Grandpa Zhang!" Seeing the old man, Lei Feng, who was tall and majestic, respectfully bowed to him.

  This old man was once a powerful figure, one of the top hands in the Central Guard Regiment, and had been personally responsible for protecting the Chairman before Liberation. Although he has long since retired, his connections within the military are still extremely extensive, and he is also an old acquaintance of the Lei family.

  Wang Zhen also pulled aside the bewildered Zhou Yahuan, imitating Lei Feng's mannerisms, and paid his respects. For an elderly man like him, even if one didn't consider his status or achievements, just looking at him as a senior member of the Bagua Palm clan, Wang Zhen had to maintain sufficient respect and courtesy.

  "Little Stone, is this the one you just told me about who killed Wang Chan, the successor of the Liangpai Bagua Palm?" The old man nodded with a smile and got straight to the point.

  "Grandpa Zhang, I've told you so many times already, don't call me by my nickname. My full name is Lei Feng!" The old man's words "Little Stone" immediately made Lei Feng, the tall and proud man, turn red with embarrassment, feeling that he had lost face in front of outsiders like Wang Chan and Zhou Yahuan, and no longer having any dignity to speak of.

  "Wow! You little rascal has grown up and knows what's good and bad, not even letting me call you by your name anymore. You're really something! Let me tell you, even if you have a grandson of your own one day, as long as I'm still alive, I'll still call you Little Stone, and that's only right!" The old man walked up to him, gave him a loud slap on the back, puffed out his chest, and glared at him with a rare display of playfulness.

  "Alright, alright!" Lei Feng covered the spot where he was hit by the old man and hastily retreated. He had learned Xingyiquan and Baguazhang from this old man when he was a teenager, so he really didn't stand a chance against him. Moreover, the old man had practiced martial arts for his whole life, although his physical strength wasn't as strong as it used to be in his prime years, but his skills in Baguazhang were getting more and more refined with age, hitting him felt like countless steel needles piercing into his flesh, truly unbearable.

  In a flurry, he diverted the trouble to the east and took over the original topic, pointing at Wang Chan and introducing him, saying: "This man is called Wang Chan, it was he who just killed Tang Jie's son Tang Niu. You weren't looking for him? I've brought him to you, now it's up to you! Where's Zhou Lin? I'll take his daughter to find him, you two can slowly chat!"

  "Oh, it's Zhou Lin's daughter, he's on the third floor, you guys go up first!" As soon as Lei Feng said this, the old man suddenly looked at Wang Chan's eyes and lit up, waving his hand impatiently at Lei Feng, only exchanging a casual greeting with Zhou Yahuan, then stretched out both hands to Wang Chan and pulled him over.

  "Alright young man, let's shake hands first and test each other's strength before we talk."

  Wang Zhen's heart skipped a beat. In the past, when practicing boxing, people would often engage in trial matches to test each other's skills, regardless of whether they had any grudges or not. As a result, modern martial arts have adopted the method of "crossing hands" to gauge an opponent's depth, with the aim of reducing conflicts and casualties among fellow practitioners. However, when it comes to an old master like him, who has spent his entire life practicing internal boxing, "crossing hands" takes on a completely different meaning.

  Neijia wugong, traversing all the meridians, the whole body is like a mighty energy surging, like a huge sphere of outer lead and inner mercury. With every move, great power can be generated, defeating the enemy to death. It's just like Wang Zhen's internal explosive palm in his horizontal training, silently and quietly subduing the thunder, same principle.

  An expert in internal martial arts must be on guard at all times, as a single moment of carelessness can lead to a fatal blow. How could Wang Chan afford to be even slightly negligent?

  "The old man is really good at playing tricks!"

  The fist frames in Baguazhang are divided into three types: fixed frame, live frame and changeable frame. The first two are used for practicing skills and building up internal power, while the last one is actually used for fighting. It emphasizes the unity of inner and outer movements, with the mind leading the body. The changes are smooth and natural, with free insertion and withdrawal, unrestricted by the Baguazhang itself, and a casual move can be a killing blow.

  This old man had obviously practiced to this point, with a raise of his hand, as light as a feather, changing like lightning, and as stable as a rock. King Chan couldn't help but put in all his effort, taking it seriously. At the moment, he let out a word of praise, and also reached out his hand, touching the old man's hand together.

  As soon as the two hands touched, Wang Chan suddenly felt that the pair of thin old hands of the seventy-year-old man in front of him seemed to contain infinite power. The skin pores on the palms of their hands expanded and contracted, with a force that was like a clear spring gushing out, rising and falling, contained but not revealed. At this moment, he knew that the old man's fist technique and martial arts skills were indeed getting stronger with age, and his internal energy was being used in a way that was truly divine. Although it wasn't necessarily better than his own, the old man's mastery of internal energy was definitely something he couldn't match.

  Sparring is different from real combat, sparring is a test of depth, although it cannot represent the overall level of martial arts skills, but it can probe into a person's mastery of internal energy.

  So Wang Chan's hands touched, and he immediately shook his body, taking a step back with his hands still clasped together. The old man's hands violently trembled and jumped up more than half a foot high.

  "Hmm, you're practicing Shaolin Kung Fu! And it's even the internal style that was converted from the external school, how strange... Your kung fu seems to have a hint of Wudang Internal Fist flavor, good guy, true yuan inner cultivation. At this rate, in three to five years, you might be able to form an elixir. No wonder you were able to beat Tang Jie's grandson to death!"

  "Your skills are impressive, and you're still vigorous in your old age!" Wang Chan was shocked in his heart. He admired the old man for being able to see so many openings on him with just one move.

  It's said that the world is full of masters, and indeed they emerge one after another. In the capital city, there are tigers hiding in the mountains and dragons lying dormant. As soon as I arrived here, I encountered such a master-level figure. My way is not isolated!!!

  "I've lived for many years, and there are indeed not a few people who have mastered Shaolin Kung Fu. However, someone like you who can start with external hard skills and then move on to internal martial arts is truly one of a kind. Even General Xu, that great hero, might not be your match in terms of fist techniques alone. But you young folks are always so hot-headed, never knowing when to yield, and in the heat of the moment, you've stirred up big trouble. Do you know who Tang Xiaozhou is?"

  The old man gently shook his hands and nodded towards Wang Chan: "From the school's point of view, he is still one of my senior brothers. However, the Bagua Palm technique has many branches and it's complicated to explain. But now, he is one of the ten elders of the Hongmen Zhi Gong Tang in Tanxiang Mountain, with tens of thousands of disciples under his command. If you want to avenge his grandson, even if you spit on him, he can still crush you to death. However, since you killed Tang Niu after he initiated the fight, it's not considered malicious murder. According to Hongmen rules, they will send someone to challenge you again for a life-or-death duel, and settle the grudge with one knife."

  "The grudges of the jianghu have been settled, as long as no one plays tricks, I'm not afraid of anyone coming to challenge me again. If I'm not skilled enough and get killed by someone, I won't regret it!" Wang Chan smiled lightly, talking about his own life and death as if he was talking about someone else, with a calm and carefree expression on his face.

  "You're indeed a true martial artist, people like you are getting rarer these days!" Upon hearing Wang Chan's words, the old man seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then his eyes lit up as if he had suddenly recalled something nostalgic. His gaze at Wang Chan also became full of admiration.

  "Today's dinner party was originally prepared for Zhou Lin, that kid. Since you're here too, just join in together! After the event, stay behind and keep me company for a few days, let's have a good chat!"

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