70: Chapter 70 Martial Arts Master

Chapter 70 Martial Forest Expert

"Falling flowers fill the sky, obscuring the moonlight, raising a cup to offer upon the Phoenix Terrace, the Princess of Changping presents incense in tears..."

The radio was playing a catchy opera tune.

In the morning, inside an old-fashioned courtyard.

Ma Jianguo sat with crossed legs on a rattan chair, listening to the opera with his eyes half-closed, his hand tapping his thigh to the rhythm.

Hearing the rustling sound of a door opening, he suddenly opened his eyes.

He focused his gaze on a sneaky, bulky figure in front of the courtyard's main gate.

He immediately shouted angrily:

"Stop right there!"

The bulky figure's shoulders twitched slightly, and he turned around with an honest, simple smile:

"I'm just going out to buy a pack of cigarettes to relieve my boredom."

Ma Jianguo refused to listen to his explanation and immediately scolded him sternly:

"Ma Donghe, do you still want your life?"

"If you go hang out with those bad friends again, I might as well have someone break your legs too."

"If you dare to step half a step out of this door today, I won't acknowledge you as my son anymore!"

Scolded severely, Ma Donghe sullenly returned to the house, sat heavily on the steps, and remained silent.

His right arm was in a cast, hung below his neck.

With a face full of stubble and hair as messy as a bird's nest, he looked quite decadent.

Seeing his son sulking, Ma Jianguo spoke again:

"We are holding an activity gathering today with a newcomer ready to join, you are going to hold down the fort for me."

"Once your injuries heal up in a few days, I won't stop you from wandering outside, as long as you don't hang out with gangs anymore."

Hearing this, Ma Donghe raised his head and muttered:

"Which fool is going to be fooled this time? I've never seen anyone stick with it since I was a child."

"Those guys couldn't settle their hearts and were not fated with our sect's Cultivation Technique. If they ran, they ran."

Ma Jianguo, however, didn't mind, his expression even carrying a hint of hope:

"I heard Junior Brother Wu say that this young man has exceptional talent, worthy of being a once-in-a-century Genius. Maybe there's some hope..."

Ma Donghe scoffed.

His old man just loved making a fuss over nothing.

Opening a class in a shopping mall to teach people Tai Chi for health preservation and fooling old men and women was one thing, but he always had to drag Qigong into it.

As a result, in less than half a month, because someone went crazy practicing, they were reported and forced to close down.

He even had their children come knocking on his door, beat him up, and left bruises on his face.

If not for his old age, it was hard to say whether he could still see him again.

Ma Donghe shook his head inwardly.

As for any Qigong Mind-Cultivation Technique, even the old man himself hadn't fully entered the threshold.

He started learning it since childhood, but didn't learn any fancy tricks.

Speaking of fighting, those fancy Moves were not as useful as a simple and crisp straight punch.

Thinking of this, Ma Donghe couldn't help touching upon his troubles and sighed:

"No matter how strong one learns Kung Fu, what's the use? Still can't beat those monsters!"

"Who says you can't beat them?"

Hearing this, Ma Jianguo blew his beard and stared with wide eyes:

"Back in the day, your great-grandfather truly practiced Qigong to Major Achievement, gained the appreciation of the President, became his personal bodyguard, and even became the first curator of the National Martial Arts Museum."

"It's just that we, his descendants, are unworthy, letting the precious item gather dust and the family fortunes decline..."

Hearing this, Ma Donghe realized the old man was about to scold him again and hurriedly begged for mercy:

"Alright, alright, I know."

Ma Jianguo still glared at him and continued lecturing:

"Furthermore, the Dao of martial arts focuses on cultivating one's essence and nature, not on giving you skills to go out and fight fiercely with those punks..."

Ma Donghe originally wanted to refute a few words, but held back.

Although he had learned some basic Cultivation Techniques following him since childhood, they didn't help much in street fights.

But his physical fitness had indeed improved a lot, and his recovery ability seemed different from ordinary people.

Without eating supplements, his build could still grow this large.

Thinking of this, the look he gave his old man became slightly gentler.

"Old man, you've practiced Kung Fu for decades, fuss less, and I reckon you can live to be a hundred years old."

"Bah, you're already in your thirties, hurry up and find a wife, don't sponge off me here, I can live to be a hundred and twenty!"

Toward this son born when he was nearing fifty, Ma Jianguo felt quite exasperated at his failure to live up to expectations.

While the father and son were talking, car horns and human voices successively came from outside.

Ma Jianguo immediately stood up, and as if changing his face, he put on a kind and amiable smile.

"The guests are here!"

...

Jiangbei Suburbs, Tianxin Village.

True to its name, there used to be a lot of cultivated farmland here.

But with urbanization expansion, the farmland in the village became less and less, and factories became more and more.

The environment didn't look very good anymore.

Wu Datong was driving a small electric scooter, with Fang Cheng sitting in the back seat.

The cement road was not very flat, and the electric scooter bumped up and down.

"Is it here?"

Fang Cheng looked at the urban-rural fringe scenery around him, wondering what kind of identity those boxing friends mentioned by Wu Datong actually had.

"Senior Brother Ma is an expert; not only does he have a deep family heritage, but he is also very amiable and approachable with no airs at all. This Martial Arts Research Association was initiated and organized by him."

No mistakes, first release, check it out!

"I didn't believe in traditional martial arts before either, but after witnessing his skills, I immediately admired him from the bottom of my heart..."

Wu Datong drove the electric scooter while showering Fang Cheng with praises and explaining repeatedly.

Before long, they arrived at the place, and the scooter parked by the roadside.

Fang Cheng flipped down and looked up at the small courtyard with white walls ahead.

It looked like an ordinary residence, but several luxury cars were parked at the entrance.

Fang Cheng nodded slightly.

An expert was an expert after all; the show was still quite big.

Wu Datong dragged his slightly lame left leg, walked forward, and slapped the iron gate hard.

Bang, bang, bang.

Soon the courtyard door opened, and a muscular man with a cast on his hand greeted them and let them in.

Fang Cheng also followed behind, entering the courtyard, and saw that a group of people were already standing and waiting for them.

"Senior Brother Ma, I brought someone over, you can inspect the goods first."

Fang Cheng's gaze swept quickly across everyone present.

He found that they were all quite elderly people with graying hair.

If you added Wu Datong and the muscular man who opened the door just now, they practically gathered a lineup of the old, weak, sick, and disabled.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng's face inevitably darkened.

What kind of Martial Arts Research Association was this? It was clearly a nursing home plus a federation for the disabled...

With a flash in his eyes, he immediately recognized the muscular man with the broken arm among them.

He was Ma Donghe, the debt collector he met in the hospital once.

Ma Donghe evidently recognized Fang Cheng at the same time, a hint of surprise showing in his eyes.

An elderly man standing beside him with a rosy complexion and a peaceful demeanor was sizing up Fang Cheng.

"Not bad, not bad. He looks talented and handsome."

"Does this young brother want to join our Martial Arts Research Association? But before that, according to the rules, we must first test your Aptitude and level."

As soon as he finished speaking, another old man holding a teacup and drinking water immediately snatched the conversation:

"That's right, our Martial Arts Research Association only recruits martial arts Geniuses, and does not accept mediocre people making up numbers."

Seeing them speak in a literary and refined manner, acting like Jianghu experts.

Fang Cheng also couldn't help cupping his fists and said somewhat respectfully:

"May I ask for your esteemed names, Seniors?"

Hearing this, the five elders present immediately announced their resounding titles.

"Baguazhang, Dong Yunchuan!"

"Xingyiquan, Zhang Haixiang!"

"Eagle Claw Kung Fu, Chen Zizhen!"

"White Crane Sect, Wu Dewang!"

Finally, the peaceful-looking elderly man also said with reserve:

"Current Sect Head of Ma Style Tai Chi, Ma Jianguo."

Hiss, are they preparing to hold a Martial Arts Conference?

Fang Cheng was slightly stunned, then said:

"Testing Aptitude is fine?"

"However, could this Junior first ask to learn a thing or two from you Seniors' abilities?"