Chapter 1

This is a narrow alley, with small shops lining both sides. The people here, regardless of age or gender, mostly wear old-fashioned clothing, and some even wear long robes and gowns, exuding a strong sense of the early modern era.

On both walls, there are many small advertisements, one of which is a recruitment ad that reads:

"Promote national martial arts, strengthen the body, and improve health. Master Yip Man personally teaches authentic Wing Chun. Welcome all aspiring martial artists."

Address: Rooftop, 159 Wing Lung Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon.

After reading the content of the advertisement, Zuo Xiaoyou remained calm, touched the black smartwatch on his left wrist, and sighed, "It's indeed the world of 'Ip Man 2.'"

Let's rewind to three days ago.

Zuo Xiaoyou, a native of Beihé, stands 1.85 meters tall and weighs between 75 to 80 kilograms. He is average-looking, neither handsome nor ugly, and somewhat resembles Zhang Zhen. On the surface, he looks like a typical northern man, but Zuo Xiaoyou is very quiet and is often called "Zuo the Scholar" by his acquaintances. In reality, he is a thirty-year-old extra, commonly known as a "dead extra."

He graduated from high school at eighteen, failed to get into his ideal university, and with both parents deceased and no family ties, he moved south to Hengdian to become a "Hengdian drifter." Unfortunately, he didn't have the talent to succeed, and after more than a decade, he was still a "dead extra."

However, his persistence over the years finally paid off, and he became a familiar face. Most production teams would include him in their list of extras, ensuring he always had a meal.

This year, his luck changed. A few days ago, a familiar assistant director cast him in a small role with a few lines. Although it was a minor role as a collaborator with only one line, he was shot by a party sniper from 250 kilometers away after delivering his lines.

Despite the unfortunate ending, it was still a role with lines. To celebrate, Zuo Xiaoyou bought ten meat buns to treat himself, and this marked the beginning of a turning point in his life.

Zuo Xiaoyou still remembers that day. It was noon, the sky was clear, and the sun was scorching. He was sitting under a tree, reading a book while waiting for work and eating the steaming hot meat buns to satisfy his hunger.

At that moment, a tall old man approached from a distance.

The old man was wearing an old-fashioned blue cotton outfit, looked to be in his eighties, with neatly combed white hair and skin like the bark of an old tree. When he opened his mouth, two silver-rimmed false front teeth were visible.

"Young man, I haven't eaten all day. Can you share some food with me?"

This was the first thing the old man said to Zuo Xiaoyou, his eyes fixed on the meat buns as he swallowed hard.

Zuo Xiaoyou closed his book, handed over the bag of meat buns, and gave him a bottle of water.

While the old man was eating the meat buns, Zuo Xiaoyou chatted with him and learned that the old man was from the capital and was in his eighties. His life had been unhappy; at thirty, his wife and child passed away due to various reasons, leaving him to live a lonely life.

Fifty years had passed, and the old man was now in his eighties. Feeling that his body was failing, he sold his house at the beginning of the year and decided to travel around the country before he died, experiencing the last moments of his life.

Yesterday, he arrived in Hengdian, stayed at a hotel for the night, and got up early to visit the film city. Unfortunately, his wallet was stolen along the way. The old man's ID, bank card, and room key were all in the wallet, leaving him stranded.

In the scorching summer, hot, tired, thirsty, and hungry, the old man's body couldn't take it anymore. Seeing Zuo Xiaoyou eating, he mustered the courage to ask for some food.

"Sir, you've had a tough time," Zuo Xiaoyou sighed, comforting him, "Good people will have good luck. Your wallet will surely be found."

Being away from home, the old man was fortunate to meet Zuo Xiaoyou. Zuo Xiaoyou helped him report the theft, filed a report, and then let the old man stay at his rented place for three days, taking good care of him, which deeply moved the old man.

Good things come in pairs. Three days later, the old man found his wallet. Although the cash was gone, his ID and bank card were still there. With the bank card, the old man felt more confident, withdrew 10,000 yuan in cash from the bank, and gave it to Zuo Xiaoyou as a thank-you gift.

Zuo Xiaoyou politely declined, "Sir, keep the money to help those in need in the future. I don't need it."

The old man was very pleased with Zuo Xiaoyou's attitude.

He took back the money and removed a smartwatch from his wrist, "Young man, you are a good person, and good people should be rewarded. I bought this watch from a second-hand market. It's a bit trendy, and I don't think it suits me. I'll give it to you."

Zuo Xiaoyou broke out in a cold sweat at these words.

A "smartwatch" from a "second-hand market"? The old man's mind must be a bit off.

Zuo Xiaoyou still politely declined, but the old man got angry. His face turned red, and Zuo Xiaoyou was startled. Afraid that the old man would get sick, he quickly accepted the watch. The old man watched him put it on and then happily continued his journey.

After the old man left, Zuo Xiaoyou examined the watch. As soon as he touched it, he heard a mysterious voice.

"Movie World Traveler activated. User bound. Entering the world of 'Ip Man 2.' Countdown begins: 10, 9, 8..."

Zuo Xiaoyou rubbed his ears, thinking it was a hallucination. But the countdown continued, and as it reached "3, 2, 1," everything went black before his eyes...

When he opened his eyes again, the surroundings had completely changed, transforming into a dirty and chaotic alley.

Suddenly finding himself in a strange environment, Zuo Xiaoyou was both surprised and nervous. He calmly walked out of the alley and arrived at a bustling commercial street.

The environment here had a strong Southeast Asian flavor, with few high-rise buildings. Most of the buildings were low-rise, with the tallest being a four-story building.

Most people here looked malnourished, wearing old and worn clothes, similar in style to those from the Republic of China era.

Zuo Xiaoyou was increasingly surprised but also calmer. He asked a middle-aged woman carrying a basket of vegetables and found out that she spoke very standard Mandarin, confirming that he was in China, which relieved him.

However, his heart sank again when the woman said it was the 39th year of the Republic of China, or 1950, and that he was in Hong Kong.

Sitting on a stone bench by the roadside for half an hour, Zuo Xiaoyou thought a lot. His years of drifting in Hengdian had made him very mature. After calming down, he began to look for the reason for his arrival.

After some thought and exploration, he determined that the problem was with the smartwatch.

"It is I who brought the user to this world," the smartwatch said, a voice only Zuo Xiaoyou could hear.

The smartwatch had an intelligent program, or so Zuo Xiaoyou believed. Whether it was an AI, a spirit, or something else, he didn't know, but it had a high level of intelligence and clearly informed him of his current environment and situation.

"I am the Movie World Traveler. Due to missing data, my origin is unknown. My function is to open spatial barriers and carry the user into different movie worlds. By completing tasks, the user can become stronger. Each successful completion of a movie world task grants the user a chance to draw a prize."

"There are four types of prizes:

1. An item from the movie world.

2. An ability from the movie world.

3. A character from the movie world.

4. Cash (automatically deposited into a 'bank card,' which can be used in any world, including the real world. The amount is based on purchasing power, calculated by housing prices)."

"Since this is the user's first entry into a movie world, a special prize draw is awarded. Would the user like to draw immediately?"

Without hesitation, Zuo Xiaoyou drew and was very lucky to win "1950 Hong Kong dollar purchasing power" worth 1 million HKD. The cash appeared on a black card in his hand.

"The user can store the bank card in the watch's space. By mentally stating the amount, the user can withdraw cash at any time. The watch currently has a one cubic meter space, which can store any item legally owned by the user. Each successful completion of a movie world increases the watch's space by one cubic meter."

This news invigorated Zuo Xiaoyou. He touched the bank card to the watch, and it disappeared. Opening the watch's space, he saw the bank card floating in the small space.

Zuo Xiaoyou playfully inserted and withdrew the bank card, acting more childishly than Chen Peisi playing with a gun holster in "The Main Character and the Supporting Role."

After a while, his curiosity waned, and he put the bank card back into the watch's space, mentally stating, "100 yuan."

His hand felt heavy, and 20 crisp five-yuan Hong Kong dollar bills appeared in his hand.

The denomination was small, but Zuo Xiaoyou wasn't surprised. He had run many extras in Qing dynasty and Republic of China era films and enjoyed reading historical books in his free time, giving him a good understanding of prices in different eras.

For example, in 1950 Hong Kong, a senior clerk's monthly salary was only 300 HKD, which would be 15,000 HKD in 2010, a 50-fold difference.

But the most shocking was the housing prices. In 1950, a 1,000 square foot apartment in Causeway Bay cost 50,000 HKD, which was incredibly cheap.

By 2010, the price per square meter in Causeway Bay had risen to over 100,000 HKD, a 200-fold increase.

The prize money was based on "housing prices," and with 1950's 1 million HKD purchasing power, Zuo Xiaoyou could buy 20 1,000 square foot apartments in Causeway Bay, which would be worth 200 million HKD sixty years later.

The realization was shocking.

Was he a billionaire now?

The Movie World Traveler was incredibly powerful, solving Zuo Xiaoyou's survival problem in an instant.

But now wasn't the time to think about that.

"Watch, how can I return?" Zuo Xiaoyou asked the watch in a low voice in a secluded place.

"Tasks for 'Ip Man 2' have been issued. Main Task 1: Become Yip Man's disciple. Main Task 2: Prevent Hung Chun-Nam from dying in the ring. Main Task 3: Help Yip Man defeat the boxer Twister. Completing the tasks will grant a prize draw and return to the real world. Failure will result in permanent stay in the 'Ip Man 2' movie world until the user's death."

"..."

The first and third main tasks were not difficult, but the second main task was quite challenging. Hung Chun-Nam was not supposed to die, but because Twister insulted Chinese martial arts as a dance, the old patriot Hung Chun-Nam preferred to die in the ring rather than admit defeat, leading to a tragic outcome.

The task was difficult, but no matter how hard it was, Zuo Xiaoyou had to complete it; he didn't want to die in this world.

With the tasks in mind, Zuo Xiaoyou immediately started looking for information about Yip Man.

Perhaps because it was a "newbie task," it didn't take long. Within an hour, Zuo Xiaoyou saw Yip Man's recruitment ad on a wall in Sham Shui Po, confirming that he was indeed in the world of "Ip Man 2."

Emotions were running high, but the primary task was to become a disciple.

"I wonder if Wong Leung has already become a disciple?" Zuo Xiaoyou, at thirty, didn't want to be a junior to a twenty-something kid.

"Ip Man 2" is a fictional and artistic world, different from reality. For example, in this world, Yip Man's disciple Wong Leung is based on the real-life Wong Chun-Ying, who was born in 1935 and was only 15 in 1950.

However, the actor who played Wong Leung, Huang Xiaoming, was in his thirties when he portrayed the role, and the movie doesn't specify Wong Leung's age. Based on his youthful and energetic appearance, he was likely in his early twenties, a young man prone to impulsiveness and reckless fighting.

Yip Man's age is even more exaggerated. In the movie, he is in his thirties, but in reality, he was 57 in 1950, and his son, Yip Chun, was 27, not the young boy in the movie.

Estimating the age, Yip Man in this world is likely around 37, 20 years younger than in reality.

Feeling that the age difference wasn't too significant, Zuo Xiaoyou, at thirty, could become Yip Man's disciple without issue. Yip Man was in one of the most difficult periods of his life, teaching martial arts to earn a living and support his family.

With a million dollars, if Zuo Xiaoyou helped Yip Man financially, Yip Man, with his character, would likely teach him all the secrets of Wing Chun.

Action speaks louder than words! Following the address, Zuo Xiaoyou quickly arrived at the rooftop of 159 Wing Lung Street, Sham Shui Po.

It was not yet noon, the weather was clear, and many large sheets were drying on the clotheslines on the rooftop.

Zuo Xiaoyou lifted a sheet and shouted, "Is Master Yip here?"