Romance of Dragons and Snakes

Chapter 133: A Fight Between Males (One)

“European Union, Foreign Chinese Association, my organization, American spy….Ai! I’ve been caught up into a situation where people assume this all to be true. I won’t be able to get away from this, so what path should I take in the future?”

Lisa was only a minor spy, so she wouldn’t know much in comparison. Wang Chao had wanted to know almost everything possible about Tang Zichen from Lisa’s mouth, but even then some things were impossible.

But still, from these small moments, Wang Chao had been able to infer and deduce many things.

When Lisa saw that Wang Chao’s face had clouded over, her eyes immediately gazed to the gun on the ground. Her finger twitched slightly, but she did not bend down to pick it up just yet.

Wang Chao’s previous movements had completely shattered her self-confidence. In front of this strong male, she truly was in a position where she couldn’t beg to live or die.

Despite the nimbleness of her actions, Lisa had never practiced martial arts before, so how could she be a match for Wang Chao’s whose movements were as fast as lightning? If he was up against two people with guns, then there would be some worry.

But with just one person whose gun skill wasn’t that high, they wouldn’t accomplish much against the monstrous amount of martial arts Wang Chao had.

“Are you just going to ask that, and nothing else? Like what members are in our department, or what their names are? Or where is our secret base in Hong Kong?”

When Lisa saw that Wang Chao wasn’t asking any more questions, she was taken aback. She was already planning to tell some lies using her skills in deceptions to fool him.

Who would have known that Wang Chao would stop asking after learning about some bits and pieces? This had caused her to feel as if she had miscalculated while also giving rise to an enigmatic sense of flavor to Wang Chao in her mind.

Bending down, Wang Chao picked up the gun. “You’ve most certainly have a pile of lies prepared to trick anyone when it comes to classified information. Why would I waste my time?” Wang Chao didn’t turn back as he opened the door and walked out.

“How went it?” Lin Yanan asked Wang Chao when she saw him walk out.

“I’ve crumbled her self-confidence. You should have a psychological expert come deal with her interrogation next.” Wang Chao shook his head before handing the gun to her.

“I’ll be returning to my room to rest. I want to take a good luck at that ‘National Arhat’ from the Ministry of State Security. ‘National Arhat’, what an awe-inspiring name.”

“Take a good rest, I’ll have the organization take care of the interrogation.” Lin Yanan seemed lost in thought as she stared at Wang Chao’s retreating back. It was only after Wang Chao disappeared from sight that she let out a silent sigh.

Returning to his room, Wang Chao took off his military uniform and sat cross-legged onto the bed and closed his eyes shut.

Then afterwards, a series of events from the past began to flow like lightning from the inner depths of his mind. Starting from meeting Tang Zichen and learning martial arts, his life had been changed forever from that. Then by becoming linked to Zhu Jia by earning Zhao Jun’s hatred, Wang Chao had been hunted down by Zhao Jun’s men to kill. Soon after, Cao Yi had taken notice of him and entered him into the organization. On his journey of matches, he had killed Xu Zhen’s disciple, forced Zhang Wei to leap into the sea, and killed the Japanese genius Ye Xuan. With his trip to Singapore, he had entered the eyes of the Americans who pulled the Shaolin Temple into the matter. After killing the warrior monks of the Shaolin Temple, Wang Chao was now pulled into the internal discord within his country.

“Princelings, Japanese martial arts world, Xu Zhen, Chenshi Corporation, Ministry of State Security, Shaolin Temple, and the Central Military Commission. The higher ups already know of the connection between sis Chen and I. Sis Chen herself isn’t an ordinary person. She is definitely a person of value, could they possibly want me to deal with her in the future?”

Wang Chao had been extremely still as he sat. There wasn’t a single movement to be seen, and it didn’t even seem as if he was breathing.

All of his total experiences, the inconveniences, grievances, and minute details of the past 5 years had entered his mind and had caused him to become extremely tenacious. But this earth-shaking net had restricted him tightly so that it felt as if he couldn’t move any of his limbs at all.

“Tied up by the long rope of the mortal world. Just how will I shed off this rope and feel free? I have already entered the world, but I am now tied up by the affairs of life, and my will and intent restricted. I cannot throw off the yoke of the world, meaning my martial arts will definitely not improve by even an inch. If I can manage to resolve this troublesome matter, then I will definitely be able to reach a new height.”

Daoists of the past would first withdraw from worldly affairs to cultivate. Then they would rejoin the world to feel the will of the people. In the final juncture of the secular world, if they could severe the ropes that tied them to it, then they would truly achieve the Way, the true fruit of achievement.

Although it seemed like a fairy tale, Wang Chao’s way of thinking was in accordance with this situation he had thought up.

“How can I escape? All these inconveniences, grievances, hatred, and the chaotic mess. The country, the personal matters, righteousness, profit, and love. It has all blended together into a congee. I am but only a man of martial arts, I am not a Daoist Immortal from the legends who can ascend into the Heavens to evade the Earth. I require food, I need to live. I have parents, a country, an ethnicity, reasoning, and feelings. I am born, I grow old, I grow sick, and I die, whether it be by gun or by human.”

Being tied up by the worldly affairs and have one’s will and intent shackled. To a practitioner, that was deadly.

Due to his business becoming bankrupt, Zhang Wei was forced to enter a competition. His heart and will to fight was not at its peak and was shackled. That was the reason why he had lost.

After Wang Chao returned from Singapore and learned of Tang Zichen’s identity, his heart had felt a knot inside. And after today where he had heard from Lin Yanan’s lips that not only did they know about his connection with Tang Zichen, but they had investigated it, the knot had only grown bigger.

To have such a knot in his heart, it would be incredibly dangerous to enter a match now.

Wang Chao was fully aware of this fact. When he returned to his room to rest, he had adjusted his frame of mind and brought his shackles to mind for him to unravel and figure out what path he should take in the future.

Just as Wang Chao sat on his bed to unravel his mind of his thoughts, a scheduled plane was flying from Beijing to Hong Kong. In the first class cabin sat three youths.

Amongst these three youths were two males and a female who all ranged from being 26 years old to 30 years old. Although they wore casual attire, the aura they would occasionally emanate marked them out from the rest.

Amongst these two males was one who wore silver sportswear. With slender white fingers that resembled jade, his body was well proportioned, resulting in a feeling that screamed perfection.

This male was extremely attractive with his facial appearances. His skin was glossy without any creases, but it was unlike the faces of a pretty boy or gigolo. His skin was red without any darkness, meaning he was extremely healthy.

His eyes fluttered shut and his lips remained motionless. Just from his appearances, there lied a heroic and elegant air around him.

The other young male was quite different to the first. Although his face was rather proper, it lacked grace. And his skin was rough and dry. His physique was robust and his joints were large. His eyes seemed to radiate the light of a showboat like an unsheathed decorative blade. In that frosty light, nothing was hidden.

The female was somewhat attractive. Her eyebrows were like willow leaves and her eyelashes were quite long. The skin on her face was healthy, but the skin on her hands were quite coarse while the skin on her joints had traces of old brown skin. However, she carried herself upright and her eyes were quite intimidating. Her slightly pointed lips had given off an air of haughtiness that would make it quite hard for any stranger to approach her.

“Brother Duan, although we have orders to take control of the situation this time in Hong Kong, I’m afraid it might not be as easy.”

The woman was sitting right next to the side of the male with the silver sportswear. Tilting her head down, her bangs swayed to the side as she whispered in an extremely soft voice.

“That I know.” The silver sportswear wearing male opened his eyes slightly. His lips barely seemed to move as a soft voice could be heard, “I’ve heard their side recently brought in a talented youth who made himself known of late. Opening up a martial arts school in Shandong, it’s clear to see his objective–he wishes to gain influence and expand. In a few years, he could possibly stamp out the sect of my teachers. This time, he has imprisoned one of my shishu, and killed the other one. Although my shishu have committed a crime, their intent on doing so is worth some time looking into.”

These three men were members of the Ministry of State Security sent to bring back Yong Bao.

The male wearing silver sportswear was the number one disciple of Shaolin, “National Arhat” Duan Guochao. The other two were his colleagues, the female was named Chen Ke, and the male was called Dong Ling. The both of them were experts at their jobs.

“Brother Duan, let me ask you, are your injuries from last time healed up? That mission where you had to infiltrate Japan and fight Iga Eiyu was incredibly dangerous. Wasn’t it me that said, brother Duan, that your arrogance hasn’t been whittled away at all? You’re always talking about to Minister Wang Ziwen, and the higher ups always gives you a hard time by always giving you dangerous mission after dangerous mission. If it weren’t for your connection to the Shaolin Temple, Wang Ziwen would have gotten rid of you already.” Chen Ke spoke up in concern.

“Chen Ke, it isn’t arrogance, but me being unyielding. For us practitioners, this remains true for all of us. To comply with the higher ups, to bow and scrape our knees, and to lick the boots of others, those are the actions of a puppet.” Duan Guochao’s eyes lit up. “My injuries have healed a long time ago. The Iga family is truly deserving to be called one of the two strongest families within the Japanese martial arts world. That Iga Eiyu has already entered the Transforming Jin realm. So I wonder, just what world has his elder brother, Iga Minamoto, stepped into? There’s also the master of Taichi in Singapore, Chen Aiyang. I was tempted to take on several missions relating for him to see if I could exchange fists with him.”

“Brother Duan, back to our main subject at hand, do we know anything about the talented youth they have? He had to have been trained well if he was cultivated to go against the men of the Shaolin Temple as you say. Do they think he is Zhang Sanfeng? How laughable.” Chen Ke’s lips curled up into a disdainful smile.

“Perhaps he won’t be the only one. As the highest tree, our Shaolin Temple attracts the greatest winds.” Duan Guochao smiled as well. “If there is just only one, then I will ensure to show the power of my teacher’s sect and eliminate that hidden threat.”