Chapter 7

Huo Dongjun also admitted that Liao Zhizong's kung fu had indeed reached the level where he could open a martial arts school. After all, in the 1970s and 1980s, fewer and fewer disciples could persist in practicing at the martial arts school every morning and evening. Young people preferred combat sports like Muay Thai, Jeet Kune Do, and Karate, which could provide fighting skills in just a few months. Liao Zhizong's skills, placed in the 1980s, were already considered outstanding among the younger generation.

Since Deng Zhiyong was so certain, Huo Dongjun had nothing to say, but he still felt that going to Kowloon Walled City to fight, even in an emergency, went against the original purpose of learning martial arts. This was why he preferred to deal in electronic watches rather than fight in the Walled City. Learning martial arts was not about being aggressive, and martial arts and combat sports were two different concepts. For example, Hong Yihai, who focused on practicing Choy Li Fut, also taught Huo Dongjun and his disciples lion dance, drumming, and medical skills, among other things.

Lion dance is a skill that all southern Chinese martial arts schools must learn. It involves the techniques of dragon and lion dance. Before his rebirth, Huo Dongjun had no concept of lion dance, but after being reborn, he discovered that while lion dance was gradually declining in northern schools, it was still prevalent in southern schools. Choy Li Fut alone has nine methods of lion dance, including the steps for picking the green, walking, and performing with other martial arts schools, as well as the steps for competing with other lions, formations, breaking formations, and climbing high places, among others.

Drumming involves the techniques of drumming and gong striking used during dragon and lion dance performances, with different drum beats for various occasions.

Medical skills are unique to each martial arts school, as martial artists are prone to injuries. Each school has its own methods for treating bruises, external injuries, and other issues. For example, after eleven years with Li Jianqing, Huo Dongjun could now substitute for Li Jianqing when he was out, wearing a long robe and sitting in the clinic to treat and prescribe medicine for patients.

"Helping Xiaorong get the money for surgery is the most important thing. All the boxing matches are at night, which won't affect my work during the day. However, I won't have time to be there for Xiaorong's surgery. Zhiyong, you need to help me. Can you take Xiaorong for the surgery?" Liao Zhizong handed the money to Huo Dongjun and asked with a smile.

In Hong Kong, most martial arts schools no longer followed the old tradition of both the master and the disciple choosing each other. Most schools now only cared about money, not character. Only Li Jianqing still adhered to the old ways, insisting on selecting disciples who met his standards. His chosen disciples were all loyal and righteous. Apart from his second senior brother Luo Zhiming, who joined a gang out of brotherhood, the others were all of good character. Liao Zhizong was even more so, being warm, outgoing, and steady, which was why the rebellious Luo Zhiming, even after being expelled from the school, would still bow and leave the martial arts school at Liao Zhizong's request.

"I can handle it," Huo Dongjun did not refuse, took the money, and nodded to Liao Zhizong, saying, "Senior Brother, be careful with the matches these few days."

...

The next day, Huo Dongjun took Xiaorong to see the Western doctor Omar Tien Nu. The bearded doctor was still trustworthy, taking the money and doing the job. He even invited a doctor from a major hospital to assist in Xiaorong's surgery for the hemangioma. The surgery was successful, and the exorbitant fee of 40,000 dollars was justified by the fact that the doctor used advanced laser technology to avoid scarring on Xiaorong's face, which was not available in some small hospitals in Hong Kong.

During the week Xiaorong stayed in the clinic after the surgery, Huo Dongjun realized for the first time that he needed to earn some money. In this life, he was not alone, and his master was not a carefree old man with children to support him. If it were Li Jianqing who needed medical attention next time, and he couldn't afford it, they would have to wait for death.

Thus, Huo Dongjun thought of becoming a stuntman. His love and dedication to martial arts in his previous life came from martial arts and action movies. In this life, if he really had to say which industry in Hong Kong he understood, it was only the Hong Kong kung fu films. His understanding was limited to watching many movies and remembering the fighting scenes, not writing scripts or directing.

Being a stuntman in Hong Kong was a very niche profession, especially in the 1980s. Deng Zhiyong initially tried being a stuntman but quit after a few days, not because of the low pay, but because his body couldn't handle it.

According to Deng Zhiyong, the film crew treated stuntmen like they weren't human, and the old stuntmen didn't treat the new ones any better. On his first action scene, Deng Zhiyong fell and broke his head, and his nose bled. In that scene, he played a henchman, and the action director asked him to play a "hard zombie." A "hard zombie" is not about dressing up in Qing dynasty official clothing and jumping like a zombie, but a basic skill for stuntmen called "stiff fall." This means that when the main actor pretends to punch the face of the stuntman playing the "hard zombie," the stuntman must be thrown off the ground, stiffen and fall straight without any instinctive protective movements.

This action is very difficult for newbies because the camera usually pulls back to show a wide shot, emphasizing the main actor's powerful punch and the henchman's miserable fall. The old stuntmen, with years of practice, had developed techniques, but newbies, without guidance, would inevitably hit their heads when they fell for the first time.

Moreover, the pay for stuntmen was not pitifully low. If one worked hard and was smart, and had the guidance of experienced stuntmen, earning over a thousand dollars a day was not impossible.

Deng Zhiyong quit after a few days, even though he had a martial arts background and was favored by some experienced stuntmen, earning nearly 2,000 dollars in a few days.

Huo Dongjun wanted to become a stuntman because it was the only profession he could think of that would pay well and where he had some advantages. He had watched many kung fu movies and had more experience with the actions in the films than others. In his rebirth, he had only two advantages: ten years of experience in戳脚 (a martial arts technique) and a wealth of experience with classic kung fu movie fighting scenes.

So, after Xiaorong was discharged from the clinic after seven days, Huo Dongjun did not continue running the clinic. Instead, he left Chen Zhiwei to take care of the clinic and practice with the other disciples while he prepared to go to 19 North Street in Yau Ma Tei to work at the "Stuntmen Association." This "Stuntmen Association" was not a legally registered organization. Deng Zhiyong had told him that 19 North Street was a gathering place for independent stuntmen in Hong Kong, where those without a team could gather. If a film crew needed stuntmen but couldn't afford big teams like the Liu Family Team, the Yuan Family Team, or the Hong Family Team, they would come to 19 North Street to find people. Even if these big teams were short of people, they would also come to 19 North Street to find additional members.

The initiators of this "Stuntmen Association" were the famous Hong Kong stuntmen Tang Jia and Liu Jialiang.

Initially, 19 North Street was a gathering place for the Tang Family Team and the Liu Family Team, but it later became a hub for the entire stunt industry. The building was originally owned by Tang Jia, who generously provided it for all stuntmen to use, without charging membership fees or rent. Even after Tang Jia moved to Canada, he did not reclaim the property, leaving it open for stuntmen to find work opportunities.

So, after practicing in the morning, Huo Dongjun changed into the black Zhongshan suit and old-style leather shoes that Li Jianqing had worn, preparing to go to 19 North Street to look for work. With no business at the martial arts school and Xiaorong's illness, the surgery cost 40,000 dollars, and the stay at the clinic, including medication, cost another 2,000 dollars. Huo Dongjun had 11,000 dollars left, of which 10,000 was saved by his senior brother Liao Zhizong, and he did not plan to use it. He took out 500 dollars and gave it to Chen Zhiwei, asking him to take care of Xiaorong for a few days, as he did not know how long the stunt work would last.

Just as he was about to leave the martial arts school to catch a minibus, Huo Dongjun saw Deng Zhiyong appear, panting and looking anxious.

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother has been injured and is being held in Kowloon Walled City!"

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