Chapter 115: The Recluse Master's Part-Time Job
When Li Daniu and the others returned to Pig Cage City, the tailor and A-Gui were still waiting for them.
Upon seeing the lively and energetic A-Xing, both the tailor and A-Gui wore expressions of utter disbelief. What was going on here?
Kuli Qiang could only shake his head helplessly at their puzzled looks. He didn’t know either. He had only stepped out for a moment and saw A-Xing come out full of life, his wounds completely healed.
Could such martial arts truly exist in this world?
Inside A-Gui’s shop, the group settled down. Li Daniu wanted to learn more about the martial world in this era—what kinds of masters existed besides the notorious Fire Cloud Evil God.
After all, the movies only depicted Shanghai Bund, which, though the most prosperous place in China at the time, was still just a small corner compared to the whole country.
As A-Gui was about to prepare some tea, A-Xing eagerly grabbed the kettle. He had just witnessed their skills firsthand and knew they were absolute masters. Naturally, he wanted to show his respect.
Following Li Daniu’s earlier advice, he first rinsed the tea leaves with boiling water, then brewed the tea and poured a cup for each of them.
Li Daniu was surprised when he took a sip—the tea was extraordinary. Although he had never tasted fine teas in his previous life, he had seen some television programs and could roughly distinguish quality.
The tea was fragrant and refreshing, and the leaves were remarkably uniform in size.
“Good tea,” he remarked.
A-Gui smiled and said, “This was looted from the Japanese not long ago. I usually don’t dare to drink it, but since we’ve met like-minded folks today, it’s only right to bring it out.”
Li Daniu almost spat out the tea he had just swallowed. What did A-Gui mean by “looted from the Japanese not long ago”?
“Oh? So you were behind that robbery from the Japanese the other day? I was about to make my move, but you beat me to it. After that, they tightened security, and I haven’t found another chance. You’ve got to share half that tea with me,” the tailor said with a smile as he savored the tea.
What on earth was going on? Weren’t these people living in seclusion? How could they talk so casually about robbery?
Kuli Qiang, who didn’t know much about tea and didn’t mind the heat, gulped down half a cup and said, “Why rob tea? It’s useless—you can’t eat it or use it. What a waste.”
“Who said we only robbed tea? You think where did all the sudden wealth in every household come from recently?” A-Gui retorted.
“That was yours? No wonder,” the tailor sighed. “If only I had known earlier that you’re like-minded, the three of us could have pulled off a big score together.”
Like-minded? Did that mean they all practiced martial arts? Or just liked robbing the Japanese?
Li Daniu couldn’t help but ask, “Do you live by robbing the Japanese?”
“Of course not,” A-Gui replied.
Hearing that, Li Daniu breathed a slight sigh of relief. That was more reasonable—it made no sense to roam around using force if they were truly in hiding.
But before he could relax, A-Gui added, “I’ve also robbed the French and the Germans.”
Kuli Qiang chimed in, “I’ve even robbed the Crocodile Gang and the Axe Gang. They’re worse than foreigners—ruthless in oppressing the Chinese.”
So this was what they called seclusion. Li Daniu finally understood why these men, who appeared so poor on the surface, could still afford the nutrition necessary to maintain their martial arts training.
“Why don’t you join the army? Instead of these small-time robberies to help the poor, you might as well fight on the battlefield and do something bigger.”
The tailor shook his head. “You say that easily. Without modern firearms, each of us could take on a hundred ordinary men. But in battle, not to mention artillery, even stray bullets can kill us easily. It’s better to stay here in Shanghai Bund, help the poor by robbing the rich, or assassinate Japanese officers—it’s more effective.”
Li Daniu nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, in this era of rapidly advancing firearms, even a master fighting a hundred men is no longer impactful. Like the atomic bomb America had developed and would soon drop on Japan, after that, few would still pursue personal martial prowess.
A-Gui then turned to Li Daniu and asked, “May I ask which school you come from?”
“Family martial arts,” Li Daniu replied without waiting for further inquiry. “My family emigrated overseas many years ago. I recently mastered some skills, and hearing about the chaos back home, I returned to see how I could help.”
“To have such resolve is truly a blessing for China,” A-Gui and the others praised, sincerity unknown.
A-Xing, who had been silent, finally spoke up, “Why don’t you teach martial arts to more people? No matter how advanced foreign weapons are, if everyone knew martial arts, things wouldn’t be like this.”
The others didn’t answer A-Xing but instead looked at Li Daniu with surprise.
Li Daniu understood their meaning and explained, “I only met A-Xing after returning, so I haven’t told him everything.”
“A-Xing, martial arts aren’t as easy to master as you think. Ordinary people without aptitude need ten years or more to reach the level of fighting ten men at once. To reach the level of these three elders might take decades of relentless training. Even after such effort, it’s nothing compared to a machine gun’s bursts. In this era, learning knowledge is more practical than learning martial arts.”
“Exactly,” the tailor added. “I’m considered above average in aptitude, but I’ve practiced Iron Wire Fist for over forty years to reach my current level. Forty years—that’s not just daily hard work but also a huge consumption of food and medicine.”
A scholar’s wealth is in knowledge, a warrior’s strength in skill—that has always been the way.
Hearing this, A-Xing’s face fell.
“Master, do I really have to train for decades to become a master?”
“No,” Li Daniu shook his head with a smile. “A-Xing, do you know why I went to such lengths to pretend to be a bad guy and test your temperament?”
“Isn’t that how apprentices are usually tested?”
“Yes, apprentices are always tested, but never as harshly as I tested you.” Li Daniu looked at A-Xing. “I was so strict because you are a one-in-a-million martial prodigy.”
A one-in-a-million martial prodigy?
Not only the tailor and the others were stunned, but A-Xing himself was speechless.
Li Daniu continued, “What takes ordinary people ten years to learn, you might pick up in a month or two, maybe even less. And my martial arts are no ordinary style. So if you master it, you could become invincible in a very short time.”
“Master, are you joking with me?” A-Xing couldn’t believe it. He had practiced the Buddha’s Palm for years but wasn’t a master yet.
“I’m not joking. This is the truth.” Li Daniu wanted to instill this confidence in A-Xing, so he could one day challenge the Fire Cloud Evil God head-on.
At that moment, A-Gui and the others gathered around A-Xing, feeling him all over but finding nothing unusual.
“Are you sure you’re not mistaken?” After a long search, they looked back at Li Daniu in unison.
Li Daniu said nothing, only chuckling, then called out toward the window.
“Elders, why not come in and take a look?”
Hearing this, the three immediately took defensive stances, as if facing mortal enemies—because previously, Li Daniu’s call had summoned two assassins.
“Don’t be nervous; it’s the landlady and landlord.”
“What? They’re masters too?” The three couldn’t believe it, considering how the landlord couple usually behaved.
The landlady entered, smoking a cigarette, glared at the three, then looked at Li Daniu and asked, “Kid, how did you figure it out?”
“By using my eyes, naturally,” he replied.
The landlord also came in and asked, “Kid, where did you learn your Tai Chi?”
“Of course, it’s passed down in my family.”
“Passed down? From which ancestor?”
Li Daniu smiled. “From the patriarch himself—Zhang Sanfeng.”
“Really? Your ancestor is Zhang Sanfeng? But your surname isn’t Zhang.”
“It’s genuinely passed down from Zhang Sanfeng. Why can’t Zhang Sanfeng accept disciples with the surname Li?” Li Daniu added silently, “He personally taught me.”
(To be continued.)