Chapter 56

Romance of Dragons and Snakes Chapter 56

When the Republic of China had been formed along with the Central Guoshu Institute, one half of the reason was to be promote the slogan of a strong and unified China. The other half of the reason was to hurry and unite all the influential members of the Wulin so that they would not oppose the government and disturb the peace,

With the appearance of a master came the multitude of disciples. From here, the fishes and the dragons mixed together, making supervision difficult.

If Wang Chao were to take on some disciples, they would be the children of government officials or even small time traders. They would be eager to fight and eager to conform with their elder disciple brothers. Their status as a fellow disciple wasn’t something anyone could shirk, and so the children of the government officials wouldn’t stand to be belittled. If anything, they would have their elder disciples help fight, and with time, it would be strange for them to not toe the law after some time.

“Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and the other coastal areas have never been baptised by the new Chinese revolution. In the past, many master martial artists had followed the Nationalist Party out of China and scattered into the foreign lands. But now that the doors to China had been reopened, the corrupt practices of many foreign places had leaked in as well, take a look at Guangdong’s current law and order situation…”

“If the government wants to root out those powers, it should be easy.” Wang Chao spoke.

“It’s difficult!” Cao Yi pressed his cigarette onto the ashtray fiercely, “For the sake of financial and political stability for our country and to remain friends with the world, we cannot afford to look shaky to the rest of the world. If we were to act paranoid with everyone within our own country, what do you think the outside powers would say? Furthermore, these people are all supported by major companies unlike the Wulin of the past. Those with power and money makes the situation far more convoluted than before and any step we take could lead to the internal collapse of our infrastructure.”

“Then what does that matter with me? Am I being monitored as well?” Wang Chao carelessly smiled.

“You are definitely being monitored!” Cao Yi rapped a fingernail on the glass table. “However, you have a clean background with no criminal dealings, making it acceptable for us to invite you. To be honest, Zhao Jun shouldn’t even bother to think he can control whatever he pleases with a single wave of his hand. The coastal development is something that we are monitoring as well! It is only because he has connections with the Central Committee that we have not moved against him!”

“Accept me?” Wang Chao was skeptical, “Just what type of organization is this? What did you want me to do, or just why am I valuable?”

“You can fight, meaning that you are valuable. I want you to join the coastal area and become a well known scholar of martial arts! I will definitely do my best to support you until you become a well known and reputable figure within the coastal Wushu world. This plan could take 10 years, or 20, or even 30 years. But in the end, I wish that you can win over the martial artists and align them with the government!”

Snorting, Cao Yi spoke, “To speak using the terms of a Wuxia novel, I wish to support you in becoming a leader of the Wulin!”

“A leader of the Wulin!” Wang Chao’s body shot up in disbelief at Cao Yi’s words.

“Of course, you are just one of the candidates.” Cao Yi smiled. “There are others like you, but I won’t let you know since even I don’t know them myself.”

“You can choose to decline; that would be fine. But with your power, even if you win this gamble with Zhao Jun, your future days won’t be comfortable!” Cao Yi spoke. “Right now amongst the most influential masters overseas is Xue Lianxin, a disciple of Xue Dian. Back during the Communist victory over the Nationalists, Xue Dian had been shot to death by machine guns in Tianjin City as a result of the People’s Government. His disciples would later form a deep grudge against the government. The other influential person is Zhu Hongzhi who was a disciple of the administrator of the Central Guoshu Institute, Zhu Guolu. In the past, the government and they were of one mind, but now they have both grown old and can no longer fight as well. All that is left is their influence. As of now, the ones best capable of fighting is Chen Aiyang and several others. You must defeat them and establish prestige for yourself. When the time comes, we will help you take on disciples and spread your name throughout the coastal Wulin world!”

“The government needs a person to support, you are the one I choose!”