12dz Chapter 1211 Rich people buy houses, one street at a time.
Chapter 1211 Rich people buy houses, one street at a time.
The Wong Tai Sin Temple in Hong Kong, also known as Sik Sik Yuen, covers an area of more than 18,000 square meters in Kowloon. It was first built in 1945 and has been extremely popular ever since. In particular, the first incense stick on the first day of the lunar calendar was sold for more than a million dollars in the 1960s.
Moreover, the dragon and lion dances at Wong Tai Sin Temple are all performed by experienced master craftsmen, which is quite different from what you usually see.
During a casual conversation, Da Bao overheard Guo Yingnan mentioning that seven Justices of the Peace from Hong Kong were organizing a Lion Dance Competition this year, with various clubs and martial arts schools allowed to register individually.
It is said that the lion king who snatches the first green lion will not only receive a reward of 500,000, but his appearance fee will also increase several times over when he performs at various venues. Everyone would fight tooth and nail for such a prestigious and profitable opportunity.
Guo Yingnan usually doesn't concern himself with these kinds of things; his advisor, Su, can handle even the smallest matters. However, this Lion King Tournament is no small matter. If they lose, not only will they lose the title of Hong Kong's number one triad, but they will also be ridiculed by everyone.
People in the martial arts world value face above all else. For the Lion King Tournament, various groups held several meetings and finally decided on the participants, which were then reported to the Lion King Tournament organizing committee.
Members of martial arts clubs and martial arts schools overlap, but those who truly practice martial arts don't join clubs. There's a saying: "The poor study literature, the rich study martial arts," meaning that those who achieve success in martial arts generally come from wealthy families.
Because martial arts training is extremely physically demanding, children from poor families often don't even have enough to eat, let alone get proper nutrition. So how could they have the energy to train in martial arts? That's why famous martial arts schools rely on these wealthy students for their livelihood.
This Lion King Tournament saw enthusiastic participation from various martial arts schools, including Ip Man's own school. Since the tournament six months ago, Ip Man's Wing Chun school business has improved significantly, and with household expenses, Ip Man's usually stern face has become more cheerful.
The disciples were all talking about the Lion King Tournament, but Ip Man was smiling bitterly. Unlike Ip Man, the disciples who came to learn Wing Chun were from wealthy families since childhood, so of course they didn't know how much it cost to make a lion head.
Even with a bamboo frame and silk decoration, it was still beyond Ip Man's means. If it were even better, with all hand embroidery, a lion head would cost at least five hundred Hong Kong dollars.
The apprentices were chatting excitedly when they turned around and saw their master sitting in a chair, drinking tea in silence. They then gathered around and looked at their master.
Wing Chun has three main characteristics: strong close-combat ability, stable stance, and good body coordination. These are all perfect for lion dancing. Ip Man was too embarrassed to tell his students that he was short of money, so he could only smile and say that he would think about it some more.
At that moment, a voice came from inside.
"Old Ye, your martial arts school is on the rooftop, can other people see it?"
Ip Man was taken aback and quickly stood up. His disciples stepped aside, and only then did he see Guo Yingnan and Da Bao. Da Bao was holding a beautifully sculpted little girl, and there were two other girls, one older and one younger, beside him.
The little girl, with a bit of baby fat, was curiously touching the wooden dummy.
Ip Man was pleasantly surprised and repeatedly clasped his hands in greeting.
"Mr. Guo, Young Master Qin, what brings you here?"
Guo Yingnan also cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and Da Bao, holding the child, could only smile and nod.
"I heard the owner of this street is going to sell it, so Young Master Qin came to take a look. If you like it, you can buy it all."
The apprentices next to him clicked their tongues in amazement. Most of them knew Guo Yingnan and Da Bao. They had personally witnessed Da Bao shoot and kill the foreign police superintendent. They knew he was from a wealthy family, but they never imagined he was this rich. He even bought houses street by street.
Da Bao had always admired Ip Man, not because of his martial arts skills, but because of his character—he was upright, kind, and principled. That's why he came to see him.
Just as described in his previous life's biography, Ip Man lived a very poor life. Guo Yingnan once wanted to help him, but Ip Man did not want to get involved with the gang and declined. Guo Yingnan did not care, because this was what Da Bao had instructed him to do at the time.
Da Bao whispered a few words to Guo Yingnan, who nodded and smiled in agreement before turning and going downstairs.
Ip Man told his disciples to disperse and asked Da Bao to sit down. Niu Niu ran over, shook her brother's hand, and pointed at the wooden dummy. Da Bao smiled and nodded, then handed Nuan Nuan to Wen Wen.
The three little dolls were all wearing the same red cotton-padded jackets with fur collars, just like dolls that had stepped out of a New Year's painting.
Da Bao was only wearing a sweater. As a grandmaster, he was no longer afraid of the cold or heat. He walked up to the wooden dummy and gently touched it. Ip Man's wooden dummy was made of boxwood. When he escaped from Foshan, he only took this wooden dummy with him, along with his wife, children, and luggage.
This wooden dummy has been with him for over thirty years; it can be said to be a part of his life. Da Bao turned to Ip Man and said with a smile.
"Master Ye, my sister really likes this wooden dummy. Could you walk through it for her?"
Ip Man stood up with a smile, rolling up the sleeves of his long robe. He had practiced on the wooden dummy for decades; even with his eyes closed, he knew exactly which part of the body to target.
Ip Man planted his legs firmly in a "two-character clamp sheep stance," spread his hands, and gently parried the wooden dummy's arms. He spoke as he struck.
"The wooden dummy is for practicing the Siu Nim Tao technique..." Ip Man's right arm began to block.
"Finding the bridge..."
“Indicator…”
At first, Ip Man slowly blocked and struck, but gradually his speech and punches became faster. At first, his disciples could keep up, but gradually all they could see was their master's shadow, and all they could hear were the crackling sounds.
Ip Man became more and more excited as he fought. He suddenly let out a long roar and used the three Wing Chun styles of Siu Nim Tao, Chum Kiu, and Biu Gee, along with his open-hand punches and plum blossom stances. He fought faster and faster. To others, it seemed as if Ip Man was not fighting a stationary wooden dummy, but rather as if two masters were exchanging blows.
Da Bao nodded secretly. Ip Man had mastered Wing Chun to its highest level. Even if Ng Mui were to be resurrected, her skill in Wing Chun might not surpass that of Ip Man.
Little Niu Niu and Wen Wen clapped and shouted repeatedly, and even Nuan Nuan joined in the shouting.
"Uncle is so amazing."
Ip Man took a step back and was about to gather his strength when Da Bao leaped forward, assumed the "Two-Character Goat Stance," spread his hands, and attacked Ip Man with the same stance and the same fist technique. Ip Man was caught off guard, but he only took half a step back before he and Da Bao began to fight.
With Da Bao's Grandmaster level, he could perform any martial art in the world quite well after watching it twice, including Wing Chun. No one expected that Da Bao had only watched Wing Chun twice, and the total time spent watching it was less than ten minutes.
Even though he had just learned Wing Chun, he was evenly matched with Ip Man.
Ip Man's Wing Chun is capable of both launching and retracting, with his Qi flowing freely and his mind and intention aligned perfectly. Under the pressure of Da Bao's imposing aura, Ip Man let out a long roar, breaking through his own limits and stepping into the ranks of grandmasters.