Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 228 Foshan Golden Pavilion

He Chenhua was stunned for a moment. How did Li Guangpu get involved? He had thought that the little fox was a fool and that even if he had a master, he was a fraud.

Ye Ningzhen's words made his heart skip a beat.

Li Guangpu was a renowned figure in Foshan. Northern boxers who came south were naturally subject to exclusion, and he suffered countless suppressions back then.

Today's Jinlou and Cheng-style Bagua are all the result of the hard work and dedication of that generation.

Jinlou has stood firm in Foshan for many years, a veritable den of iniquity, with a complex web of forces behind it, involving an unknown number of entities.

Li Guangpu, as the public figurehead, enjoys immense popularity.

Many boxing masters from the north in Foshan highly regard this person.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry for being so presumptuous. I thought you didn't have a master. Please forgive me."

He Chenhua reacted quickly and immediately bowed and apologized.

It's also a bit strange that Ye Ningzhen is so young and a disciple of Li Guangpu, yet she's already married. It's quite rare.

Generally speaking, many great masters and boxers do not accept female disciples because female disciples will get married and cannot inherit their mantle.

Although martial arts schools are now widely open and less conservative, true disciples generally do not get married.

She will find a son-in-law.

It is common for martial arts practitioners to choose their sons-in-law. The earliest example can be traced back to Yim Wing-chun, the founder of Wing Chun. This female martial artist chose Leung Po-chou as her son-in-law and passed down the Leung family's Wing Chun style.

If Gong Baotian hadn't had Ma San, the apprentice he raised from childhood, Gong Ruomei would probably have had to find a husband and wouldn't have been able to get married.

Ye Ningzhen nodded, said nothing more, and left with the little fox.

Chen Zhan remained a short distance away, only showing a side profile, before turning slightly as Ye Ningzhen and the little fox approached.

He Chenhua, out of curiosity, had been watching, and just as he turned around, he saw Chen Zhan's appearance.

The three walked away, but he remained standing there, stunned.

"This person... seems to be the one in the newspaper?" he muttered to himself.

At the same time, he recalled what Ye Ningzhen had just said. Ye Ningzhen was Li Guangpu's disciple. Li Guangpu had a very high status in Foshan and was considered the leader of Northern boxing masters. Whenever Northern boxing masters came to the South, they would come to pay their respects to him.

Ye Ningzhen added that the child was her husband's disciple.
It's about to come out
He Chenhua felt as if he had discovered some earth-shattering secret.

Martial arts leader Chen Zhan went south and even married into Li Guangpu's Cheng School of Bagua?

What is this for?
He sensed something big was happening, and at the same time felt a lingering fear, realizing he might have said something he shouldn't have. Fortunately, Chen Zhan didn't hold it against him.

It was just a minor incident, and none of the three paid it any mind.

Given Chen Zhan's current status and strength, there's really no need for him to teach a lesson over a few words from a martial arts school apprentice. The other party just called his moves fancy, but even Little Fox wouldn't take it to heart.

Only when someone hits a nerve will they become angry and embarrassed.

After turning a corner, Chen Zhan said, "Your master should know I was coming, right?"

Ye Ningzhen laughed and said, "Of course she knows. Ruan Zhi has been here for more than half a month. How could she not talk about you? She must have been exaggerating it."

Chen Zhan rubbed his forehead and shook his head, having forgotten about that incident.

They originally planned to meet privately to avoid causing too much of a stir.

This time, there's no going back.

"By the way, my master doesn't just have three disciples; he also has several fellow disciples. How should I put it?"

"Admirers?" Chen Zhan asked directly.

"I guess so. Although my master doesn't object to fellow disciples marrying, I'm unwilling, and no one can force me."

"Hmm, it's nothing. I've never seen a scene of jealousy and rivalry before."

"Jealousy is unlikely. With your current status and martial arts skills, who would dare to challenge you?" Ye Ningzhen was somewhat speechless.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. You and Mr. Li have our pride."

Ye Ningzhen smiled, and the two understood each other perfectly; Chen Zhan instantly grasped her meaning.

The reason for suddenly bringing this up was to ask Chen Zhan to show mercy; otherwise, why would he have said it beforehand that no one in the Golden Pavilion could threaten him?

Moreover, Chen Zhan found it amusing that he had used Li Guangpu's resources quite a bit from Tianjin to Fengtian and then to Beijing, so showing leniency was nothing unusual.

Of course, this also depends on whether Ye Ningzhen's fellow disciples have gone too far.

It was already close to evening.

After turning another street and walking onto the main road, Chen Zhan saw the "Golden Building".

Lacking the opulent splendor of Beijing, but possessing a more rustic and natural charm, Foshan's Jinlou is the oldest, having been built over twenty years ago.

When Chen Zhan and Ye Ningzhen entered the city, the people of Jinlou already knew about it and reported it to Li Guangpu.

Chen Zhan didn't mind and deliberately gave them time to prepare. They wandered around Foshan for a long time and didn't arrive until it was almost evening.

Jinlou is acting strangely today.

It's not open for business, but it's not closed either.

The whole of Foshan was puzzled. Why was Jinlou making such a big fuss on this day, which was neither a holiday nor a festival?
There were three times as many gatekeepers at the entrance. Usually, there were only two, but today there were four. Some prominent people even realized that the gatekeepers were not ordinary gatekeepers, but actually Li Guangpu's personal disciples.

Good guy.

The head of the Cheng School of Bagua Hall, the apparent manager of Jinlou, has his personal disciples all assigned to the door as gatekeepers. Who is this person coming?

Some speculate that it is a political figure. After all, Jinlou is such a big business that it has stood the test of time for many years. It is impossible for it to be supported by just a bunch of peasants. There must be political and business forces behind it.

But it was quickly rejected.

People who are truly in politics would never make a big fuss; they would keep a very low profile.

This display of power made it difficult for other martial arts practitioners in the south to understand.
Are they enemies or friends?
Many people in the martial arts world of the south sent people to keep an eye on who was coming and report back immediately.

Cheng-style Bagua has quite a few enemies in the South; those in the same profession are often rivals, and many people want to see Li Guangpu fall from grace.

As soon as Chen Zhan arrived nearby, he sensed that many people were secretly watching him, not him, but the Golden Pavilion. Despite the announcement that it was closed for business, many people were still unwilling to give up and came to check, but they were all stopped by the six gatekeepers until Chen Zhan and Ye Ningzhen appeared.

Ye Ningzhen saw the six people from afar; their faces were somewhat gloomy.

As soon as she stepped forward, the six people came over to greet her: "Third Sister, you're back."

His tone was sincere, and he bowed at a ninety-degree angle, behaving very politely.

Ye Ningzhen was the third among Li Guangpu's disciples. She had two senior brothers above her and more than a dozen junior brothers and sisters below her, not just Li Qingsu and Ruan Zhi.

"Zhiliang, is Master here? Who else has come?" Ye Ningzhen asked calmly.

Judging from Ye Ningzhen's tone, the group knew she was unhappy.

The leader quickly said, "Third Sister, Master is here, as are Uncle Cheng, Uncle Li, Uncle Feng, and, um, Second Brother."

Ye Ningzhen nodded, her face displeased, and said, "Then what are you guys doing at the door? Trying to intimidate me?"

"Third Sister, we dare not. We heard that you have reached a state of enlightenment. Not to mention us, even Senior Brother might not be your match."

"You've grown quite capable. You don't even need to ask to know it wasn't Master's arrangement. Who gave you permission to stand at the door?"

"Uh, we wanted to come here ourselves."

In the ancient martial arts world, there was a custom called "killing the gate of prestige." When someone came to the gate, and it was unclear whether they were friend or foe, a formation would be set up at the entrance, specifically to make things difficult for the visitor.

This custom has continued to this day. When a new son-in-law comes to visit, someone will stand guard at the door, raise conditions and questions, and only let him in if they are satisfied.

But those were ordinary people. In the martial arts world, you have to test your skills to see if you're qualified to enter.

However, this habit is normal for preparing things for others, but for Chen Zhan...
Some people are ungrateful.

Even Ye Ningzhen couldn't stand it anymore. It was only because Chen Zhan took the initiative to say that he would try not to hurt anyone that these hotheads would die.

"Ha, then get out of here!"

"You dare to object to my marriage? Let alone someone who dominates the martial arts world, even if I were just an ordinary person, a commoner, no one could stop me!"

Ye Ningzhen spoke, her voice not loud, but her aura was unparalleled. Upon hearing this, the six people immediately scurried away, not daring to utter a single word.

At that moment, the window on the second floor above opened, and Ruan Zhi's little head peeked out, her thumb pointing at Ye Ningzhen.

Chen Zhan chuckled behind him; Ye Ningzhen's affairs were none of his concern.

As expected, Ye Ningzhen's temper was such that not only her junior brothers, but even her senior uncles and aunts dared not point fingers at her.

The seniority system within the martial arts school.

According to Li Guangpu's perspective, she is a junior; according to the Red Lantern Saintess's perspective, Ye Ningzhen's aunt, Lin Heier, is of the same generation as Wang Wu, Li Cunyi, and Cheng Tinghua.

Ye Ningzhen became a peer.
She took the lead, with Chen Zhan leading the little fox behind her.

Upon entering the Golden Building, the ancient atmosphere intensifies. The wood is adorned with various carvings, including deep carving, shallow carving, relief carving, openwork carving, line engraving, and glass inlay, all of which are extremely artistic.

The building is circular, and many heads, all of them women, are sticking out from the second and third floors.

Under the enchanting lights, on the second and third floors, and in all directions, stood many pretty girls dressed in cheongsams, leaning against the railing. Some were dignified and beautiful, with delicate features, while others were gentle and charming.

Some women held a slender jade cigarette holder between their delicate fingers, exhaling a wisp of smoke from their mouths, their eyes half-closed, as if they had just woken up.

Jinlou is also a brothel, and even if someone sells their art but not their body, they are still considered a brothel. Some of the girls in the brothel are pitiful, while others are willing to go with someone. The brothel doesn't care, as they have already earned enough money to redeem themselves.

Moreover, in this chaotic world, there are so many pitiful girls. When someone is redeemed, a new girl comes in to fill the void.

The Thirteen Beauties of Jinling were thirteen top courtesans, but there were actually hundreds or even thousands of them.

The girls knew something big was happening, so they all turned their attention to it and whispered among themselves.

"Why isn't the business open today? Is something big happening in the building again?"

"Yeah, things haven't been peaceful these past two years. Last time, we were almost scared to death. The scene was so tense, we thought we were going to have a war."

"Don't say it. The boss forbids us from mentioning that. Besides, you'll get beaten up if you do!"

The woman immediately stopped talking.

"Today's event seems quite grand, but it's not as tense as usual. Perhaps some important person has arrived?"

"What kind of important person is it that we have to close down the business and have the six disciples of Baguazhang personally go out to greet him?"

The woman in red put her hand to her mouth and said, "Shh. I heard someone's coming from the north."

"Who is it? Don't boxers from the north often come to seek refuge with their masters? What's so strange about that?"

"This time is different! What do you know? The Third Young Lady has brought people back!"

After the woman in red finished speaking, several women surrounded her.

"Look, they're here."

When one person speaks, everyone bows their heads.

Just then, Chen Zhan and Ye Ningzhen came in, with a child in tow.

"Oh, there's a child here. Did you bring a child?"

"No way, Miss San?"

"Don't talk nonsense! If you dare to spout any more nonsense, how old is that child? He's over ten years old, how old is the Third Miss!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I spoke without thinking."

Before she could finish speaking, Ye Ningzhen looked up and her gaze sharpened.

The girls were so frightened that they immediately pulled their heads back, not daring to look down.

At this moment, a woman descended the stairs from the third floor. Her eyes were bright and her beauty unparalleled, though the fine lines around her eyes were already visible. She walked to the group of women and said:
"Go away, stop gossiping. The landlord is kind, but don't go too far. Get back to your room right now."

These women were very obedient; as soon as she got angry, the chattering girls would immediately go back to their rooms.

(End of this chapter)