Chapter 10: The Bottom of the Class

  The next day, Mu Ya Ping asked as soon as he went out: "Master Ma, do you know if there's anyone nearby selling a house? It would be best if the place is a bit bigger." Old Black Ma thought for a moment with his head tilted and said: "There is one, but it's quite far from the Mu residence, separated by four streets." Mu Ya Ping said: "Take me there immediately." Old Black Ma said: "I heard that house is unlucky."

  "What's unlucky about it?" Mu Ya asked curiously. Ma Laohei recalled, "Two years ago, the young lady in this house hanged herself to death, and it was said that she opposed marriage. Not long after, a child in this family fell into a water vat and drowned. Two deaths occurred one after another, and the Feng Shui master said it was because the young lady's spirit did not disperse. There was no way for the family to move away, but this house has been uninhabited, and until now, it still hasn't been sold."

  Mu Ya Ping was delighted to hear the news and thought that such a house would definitely be cheap. He said, "I'm not afraid of ghosts or gods, take me there immediately." Soon, Ma Laohei took Mu Ya Ping to the front door of the house, where he saw that the large gate was tightly closed, with peeling paint and rusty locks. Ma Laohei went to ask around, and an elderly neighbor brought over a key to open the courtyard gate, apparently helping to take care of the house.

  This is a standard quadrangle courtyard, with symmetrical wing rooms and ear rooms, the main house has two rooms that go through to the other side. The only thing that makes Mu Yapeng happy is that there is an orchard behind it. Mu Yapeng walked around the overgrown courtyard several times, feeling very satisfied. He decided to buy this house, and asked old man Ma next door to contact the owner immediately, then asked Ma Laohei to inform Tong Baosheng to bring silver coins quickly.

  A few hours later, the landlord and Tong Baosheng rushed to the scene one after another. The landlord quoted 300 silver dollars, Mu Yaping quoted 200 silver dollars, the landlord hesitated for a moment before agreeing to the deal, apparently he knew that the other party had already understood the story of this house, then both parties signed and drew, Mu Yaping smoothly obtained the house deed.

  After the owner left, Tong Baosheng asked in confusion: "Mu Shao Ye, what do you want to use this house for?" Mu Yaping said mysteriously: "To open a martial arts school." "Open a martial arts school?" Tong Baosheng was somewhat perplexed, but since Mu Shao Ye had already made up his mind, he didn't dare say anything more. Apparently, he thought Mu Shao Ye just wanted to open a martial arts school for fun.

  Then Mu Ya Ping arranged another task for Tong Bao Sheng, asking him to find someone to clean up the house. In the afternoon, the people who came to clean the house, Mu Ya Ping and Ma Lao Hei went shopping on the street to buy pots, bowls, food and other daily necessities, busy until sunset.

  Mu Ya Ping arrived at Tianqiao the next day, heading straight for the martial arts training ground from two days ago. However, to his surprise, there was no sign of that family here. He asked passersby, but they didn't know either. Seeing an old clothes shop nearby, he walked in.

  The clothing store was not very large, but it looked very clean. Behind the counter sat a man in his 50s, who immediately stood up and greeted with a smile when he saw a young master dressed in bright clothes come in: "Young Master, are you buying or selling?" Mu Yaping asked: "Shopkeeper, I want to ask something." The old man changed his face as soon as he heard it, sat down and didn't say a word.

  Mu Ya Ping took out two coins and placed them on the counter, saying: "Boss, this is not enough to show respect, just a small favor." The old man put the money in his pocket and asked: "What do you want to know?" Mu Ya Ping said: "Boss, the day before yesterday, there was a group of people performing acrobatics in front of your door, why didn't they come today?" The old man sighed and said: "Yesterday afternoon, that family was having a great time performing, when a group of local bullies came to collect protection fees. As a result, both sides got into a fight. Although the bullies were numerous and powerful, they were quickly beaten and ran away with their tails between their legs. Before long, the police arrived, saying they were disturbing public order, and took them away. What kind of thing is this?"

  Mu Ya Ping rushed to the police station, after inquiring, a family was indeed detained inside, and the police were simply extorting money. Mu Ya Ping paid the fine and bailed out the family. Before releasing them, a policeman viciously said: "Damn it, don't let me see you again, if I see you at Tianqiao again, I'll arrest you."

  In front of the police station, the big man excitedly grabbed Mu Ya Ping's hand and said: "Mu young master, you are a great good person. Great kindness doesn't need to be thanked, I Lu Chuan Xiong will say goodbye here and we'll meet again someday." Mu Ya Ping asked: "Lu Master, where do you plan to go?" Lu Chuan Xiong replied: "The big road leads to the sky, each walks their own way, this place won't keep you, there's another place that will."

  Mu Ya Ping said: "Lu Shifu, I have a good place to go." Lu Chuan Xiong's eyes lit up and he asked: "Where?" Mu Ya Ping said: "Look, your family hasn't eaten yet, let's take a step and talk about it in detail." He chose a nearby restaurant, and after the wine and dishes arrived, Mu Ya Ping poured wine into cups and said: "Lu Shifu, you and I are like passing clouds meeting by chance, which means we have fate. I want to open a martial arts school, please go and take charge of it. If you agree, please drink this cup of wine."

  Lu Chuanxiong, upon hearing this, immediately knelt down and said: "Young Master Mu's great kindness is something I can never repay. Lu Chuanxiong swears to heaven that in this life and the next, he will only look up to Young Master Mu." Mu Yaping quickly helped Lu Chuanxiong up and said: "No need for formalities, today we have a chance encounter with Master Lu, it is also my good fortune. Come, let's finish this cup of wine." Then Lu Chuanxiong introduced: The eldest son, Lu Datou, is 19 years old; the second son, Lu Ertou, is 17 years old. The eldest daughter, Lu Yue, is 14 years old; and the second daughter, Lu Dan, is 12 years old.

  Lu Chuanxiong is a straightforward and unpretentious person. They come from simple villages, untainted by the airs of city dwellers, which makes Mu Ya Ping feel most at ease. The key is that Lu Chuanxiong's traditional virtue of gratitude is deeply ingrained in their bones, so later on, when using them, Mu Ya Ping doesn't have to worry about them rebelling against him.

  Mu Ya Ping's current idea is simple, to establish a martial arts school, first cultivate his own strength. In the future, in order to stand firm in the capital, it would be impossible without an underground force. Opening a martial arts school is to cultivate a loyal and powerful army, as for how to use them in the future, it depends on the situation, there is no clear goal yet.

  As he walked into the courtyard, Lu Chuan-yong looked around and was very satisfied. He asked in puzzlement: "Young Master Mu, it's clear that you're a young master from a wealthy family, why do you want to open a martial arts school?" Mu Ya-ping said: "Master Lu, I won't hide it from you, I'm actually in the antique business and have some spare money. Firstly, I love martial arts, and secondly, I also want to do some good deeds."

  "What's good?" Lu Chuanxiong asked in doubt. Mu Yapeng continued, "I want to recruit poor children to learn martial arts, not only can they solve their survival problems, but also find a good future for them, this is my intention." Then Mu Yapeng recounted his experience of surviving great difficulties. Lu Chuanxiong listened and sighed repeatedly, becoming even more convinced of Mu Yapeng.

  Dahu, Erhu, Luyue, and Ludan were overjoyed to see such a great courtyard. Seeing the excited look on the children's faces, Lu Chuanxiong said gratefully: "Young Master Mu, I didn't expect you to have even prepared a house in advance. It's rare for a young master like you to be so thoughtful." Mu Yaping said: "Master Lu, do you think this mansion is suitable for opening a martial arts school?"

  "Are you prepared to recruit how many people?" Mu Ya Ping said: "The first batch recruits 50 people." Lu Chuan Xiong said: "50 people, this courtyard is enough." Mu Ya Ping said: "Well, let's make a sign today. I've already thought of the name, just call it Zhongyi Wuguan. After the sign is made, we'll open for business. What do you think?"

  Lu Chuanxiong was surprised and said, "Isn't it inappropriate to open a business without recruiting apprentices?" Mu Yaoping smiled and said, "Master Lu, you and your son are not human. I plan to recruit 14 or 15-year-old children. Can Master Lu send someone to Shandong to recruit for me?" Lu Chuanxiong said, "No problem, this matter is on my shoulders, I will make sure that Young Master Mu is satisfied."

  Mu Ya Ping didn't bother to ask anyone for help with the signboard and other matters, and instead took care of all the formalities himself. With money, things went very smoothly, and everything was a green light. That evening, Mu Ya Ping invited Police Chief Xiong, Detective Team Leader Gou, and Tax Bureau Director to a dinner at Mingyue Restaurant. At the table, Mu Ya Ping openly gave them silver dollars and asked them to take care of him in the future. As the saying goes: "Money can make ghosts grind mills." When you take someone's money and help them out of trouble, people naturally understand and appreciate it.

  The next day, with a loud firecracker sound, the Zhongyi Martial Arts Hall opened for business. Gongfu Dahu and Ertiger were preparing to leave on a long journey, carrying their luggage on their backs. Obviously, Lu Chuanxiong had entrusted them with the important task of recruiting new disciples. Mu Yapeng gave each of them enough travel expenses and instructed them not to cause any trouble on the road and to return early.

  After the commotion subsided, Lu Chuanxiong asked: "Mu Young Master, the martial arts hall is officially open for business. As the big boss, you should set some rules." Mu Yaping smiled and said: "From now on, the martial arts hall will be managed by you. I'll provide the funds, but I have one requirement: apart from learning martial arts, the disciples must also learn to read and write, grasp cultural knowledge, so that they can achieve something in the future and strive for a better career." Lu Chuanxiong was overjoyed and said: "Mu Young Master, I will definitely make you feel at ease and satisfied."

  Mu Ya Ping seemed to remember something and asked: "Lu Shifu, what about your wife?" Lu Chuan Xiong's face darkened as he said: "My child's mother fell ill on the way to Beijing, but we didn't have enough money for treatment, so she passed away." A pained expression appeared on Lu Chuan Xiong's face. After a moment of silence, Mu Ya Ping said: "The dead cannot be brought back to life, you should let go and look forward, your future will be better."

  Muayping saw that Lu Chuanxiong was still silent, knowing he was still in pain, so he changed the subject and said: "From now on, I'll hand over the martial arts hall to you completely. I have other businesses to attend to. I know you resent police and government personnel, but to avoid unnecessary trouble, you need to learn self-control and not provoke disputes. The surface-level issues I've already smoothed out; when problems arise, I'll step in to resolve them."

  Lu Chuanxiong said with difficulty: "Mu Shao Ye, I have a fiery temper. If there's anything not quite right, please bear with me." Mu Yaping said: "If it's just some street rascals causing trouble, don't hesitate to chase them away, but whatever you do, don't take anyone's life." Lu Chuanxiong said: "Mu Shao Ye, I'll remember your words." Mu Yaping took out his pocket watch and glanced at it, then instructed Ma Quan to go buy wine and dishes.

  At this moment, the door was suddenly pushed open and a person rushed in frantically.