Romance of Dragons and Snakes

But Cheng Shanming was even faster! Nimbly moving his hand, a bullet was shot from his gun and entered straight through the forehead of the sentry! Red and white sparks could be seen flying as the gun was shot. At the same time, Cheng Shanming had leapt behind a nearby pillar which later exploded with sparks from where the gunner had shot. Cheng Shanming had managed to dodge it.

The gunners of the Chinese Revival Society were specially trained. But, Cheng Shanming’s marksmanship was far more terrifying than they had initially thought. He could compare to the commando unit of his nation, and furthermore, he was an expert of the Wulin! With his martial arts attaining perfection along with his movements, he could be considered to be a monster!

Most importantly, he had honed his body to combine the teaching of Baguazhang with how to shoot a gun. Like the leap of a monster out for blood, he would be able to kill his enemies ten times out of ten.

That was far more terrifying than any commando soldiers.

After the ancestor of the Cheng-style school of Baguazhang died from being shot, his successors had learned from his mistakes. Combining Baguazhang with marksmanship had led to a freakishly strong skill that exuded a terrifying killing potential.

Heading off into Southeast Asia to take vengeance for his elder martial brother Zhang Guangming; it was this marksmanship that Cheng Shanming could rely on. With a gun in hand, he was unmatched under the heavens.

“To adapt with the times is the Way of the King. For an expert to wield a gun, even an Immortal of Daoism would not be able to defend themselves.”

Cheng Shanming had shot dead three people in one moment and then the fourth without ever getting hurt. Blowing away the smoke from the muzzle of the gun, Cheng Shanming before pulling out the spear from one of the bodies. With the blood dripping down from it, the spear was truly a dreadful sight to behold.

Whether it was a spear of the past or a pistol of the present times, when it was in Cheng Shanming hands, both weapons had a mind of their own.

His marksmanship and spear techniques had already attained perfection along with his martial arts.

TL Note: In Chinese, 枪法 can refer to both a spear or a gun, making this a pun. In the modern era, it would almost exclusively mean marksmanship.

“Oy, why was there gunfire outside?” As soon as Cheng Shanming killed the four sentries, he hadn’t loosened up. Just as he was about to use his spear to vault over the walls, a sudden shot could be heard coming from the entrance. This gunshot was extremely faint and he was just barely able to hear it. The gun that was shot surely had to have an advanced form of a silencer added onto it.

When it came to understanding the firearms of today’s era, Cheng Shanming wasn’t at the level of a specialized person, but he could still teach a person a thing or two about it. Whether it was the model, assembly, way to hold, the calibre or the range of a gun, Cheng Shanming knew of it.

Crash! Crash! Five men dressed in pure black could be seen flying over the walls while another seven men came crashing through the entrance. Rolling on the ground, each one of them held their guns towards any possible hiding spot in sight.

“Have the hostiles been taken care of?”

“Captain, there were four sentries here earlier, but they’ve been killed already!” One of the men who had rolled over the walls whispered, but Cheng Shanming could hear the voice clearly.

“Killed? What’s going on? Did they have some sort of internal strife? Have you found Cheng Shanming yet? He’s quite big in stature and has a long beard. If you find him, he is not to be harmed at all costs.”

It appeared that Boulder and his team had already taken care of the outside and were just coming in to besiege the place.

Boulder and his team were experts in assaults with their advanced technology and skillsets. Shen Hong may be the vice-president of the Chinese Revival Society and commandeered plenty of power, but this was Singapore so he wasn’t able to carry many guards. As things stood, Singapore was a peaceful place and didn’t have many criminal gang wars happen.

Within the first engagement, Boulder and his team had already disposed of any resistance and made it inside.

The gunfire that Cheng Shanming had heard had been from Boulder and his team when they were outside the villa.

Shen Hong had already been shot through the throat and died with blood coming out from his wounds without a sound to be heard.

“Cheng Shanming isn’t here? I don’t see anyone inside.”

“What, he’s not here? Search the insides now!”

A series of responses could be heard as Cheng Shanming tried to reduce his body size while hiding within a nearby tree’s shade. Even his breathing couldn’t be heard.

Cheng Shanming had been in shock as he listened to these men, “Who are they? With that behavior, they must be from the special forces. Could they be from the Chenshi Corporation? No, can’t be. There is no way the Chenshi Corporation would use so many hired guns in Singapore. Even a rabbit knows not to eat the grass in front of its burrow. So just who are these people? What should I do? There’s still three bullets in this pistol, and there’s more than three people down there. If I don’t resolve this, then I’ll be shot to death.”

In an instant, Cheng Shanming’s mind had spun with plans and thoughts, but none of them had been enough for him to find a solution.

In the face of all this, he could only pray he wasn’t caught. He was skilled in the usage of a hun and martial arts, but he wasn’t immortal.

At that moment, a single figure came walking in.

“Have you found Cheng Shanming yet?” This person was Lin Yanan. Seeing the situation under control, she had walked in with Wang Chao.

“Now’s my chance. To capture a traitor, one should first capture the king. That female is the leader, if I capture her, I can get away from here. I just need a better angle before I make my move. The people behind her won’t use their guns; even if they are true with their aim, this pressure would be enough to hamper them. Within twenty meters, one second is all I need to make my leap!”

Just as Lin Yanan appeared, Cheng Shanming leapt into action!

Crash! His spear had made an arc as it propelled him forward like an arrow leaving the bowstring. In an instant, he had cleared the pond, pavilion, and stairs only to land right in front of Lin Yanan to grab at her.

Cheng Shanming’s martial arts had already reached an unbelievable height. In that leap, he had been like a cheetah chasing after a goat. With the borrowed momentum from his spear, his speed had multiplied. Even the soldiers on site wouldn’t be able to react to this..

An expert of the Wulin was suited to become an assassin. In close distances, a man was as strong as a nation. When the distance was closed, then even a gun was of no use.

Bang! A figure from behind Lin Yanan immediately let loose the sounds of thunder. With the air exploding with the sound, his fist had flew towards Cheng Shanming.

“Where did an expert like this come from!” Cheng Shanming was startled. His arm immediately wound around the fist and tried to twist it in such a manner to dissolve the Jin within it.

“Master Cheng, stay your hand!”

“You? Are these men yours?”

As the two men squared off, Cheng Shanming suddenly realized the fist he had struck against had belonged to Wang Chao.

As soon as he heard Wang Chao call out for him to stop, he hadn’t continued his attack. His body landed on the ground while the gun in his hand pointed downwards before spinning around his finger.

“What a guy, so master Cheng is an expert capable of using a gun!” Lin Yanan had been startled at that moment, but every soldier with her had already gathered behind Cheng Shanming’s back.

“Hurry up and leave this place, the police have already been notified! Get out of here and regroup at our old location!” Lin Yanan looked at his watch and cried out a warning.

“Master Cheng, we bear no ill will. Let us go, I’ll explain everything later.” Wang Chao spoke.

Lin Yanan turned around to go while all the other soldiers flew into action and disappeared without a trace in a blink of an eye.

“What a swift group of soldiers. I didn’t think that you would have so much influence like this.” Cheng Shanming looked at Wang Chao with his beard floating in the wind. Placing his gun in his sleeves, he turned around to retrieve his spear before also washing his hands of the blood by the pond.

“Let’s go.”

As the three walked out, Boulder had somehow managed to bring out a rather ordinary looking car for Cheng Shanming to enter with his spear.

“Would it be possible for you to send me to the piers?” Cheng Shanming spoke calmly.

“Of course, but master Cheng, I came here with a request for this time. Would it be possible for you to temporarily hold off your fight with master Chen Aiyang next month?” Wang Chao and Lin Yanan looked at Cheng Shanming.

“Haha, I was originally planning on not fighting next month. The Chinese Revival Society had forced my brother to fight to his death, just why would I let such a thing slide? I was already planning on returning to Canada tonight, when you came rushing in, I had already killed those sentries on the outside.” Cheng Shanming laughed.

“Master Cheng, you are quite adept with the gun.” Lin Yanan spoke, “Are you trained in marksmanship?”

Cheng Shanming stroked his beard for a moment before sighing, “The ancestor of our Cheng-sect Baguazhang was killed by gunfire. How could we not take that as lesson? Hundreds of years later, foreigners came with their strong boats, cannons and guns and blew apart the gates to our nation. We took that as a lesson that would never be forgotten. Even us martial artists must strive to move forward with the times to keep up with the tides of the modern era. Otherwise, we will be sapped away by the tides and disappear without a trace. It is especially important one learns how to use a gun overseas. No matter how strong one is in martial arts, they will be a dead man nonetheless. Being able to use a gun and being able to use martial arts makes one have very few men capable of fighting them in this world.”

“I hadn’t imagined that amongst the Chinese overseas, the martial artists would have such an open-minded person as master Cheng.” Lin Yanan remarked.

“There is no other choice. With the pressure of living, one has no other choice but to adapt to live. One has to adapt to the environment, or else risk the environment rejecting you.” Cheng Shanming’s eyes had a cloudy expression to them. “We practitioners of Baguazhang must study how to use a gun. Study both martial arts and firearm and combine footwork with marksmanship so that you may stand strong with your feet on the ground. When I was 20 years old, I had already practiced shooting a gun for three years. To be honest, between both areas, I am most pleased with my marksmanship.”

“Master Cheng, the path of Chinese Boxing has many different variations to it. Even if one is a genius, they will almost certainly never reach a level of supremacy, a realm where it is instinctual to avoid danger, and a realm where the spirit comes back in full circle. If one is concentrated in his path, how could he seek another path? One must try to attain as high of a realm of martial arts as they can or risk having no hope.”

Wang Chao’s eyebrows furrowed together.

Staring at Wang Chao for a moment before shaking his head, Cheng Shanming spoke, “Attaining the utmost Way with martial arts has always been a hope with no substance. Three hundred years ago, those grandmasters who have reached such a stage can be counted on a single hand. Reaching the highest levels of martial arts requires talent, diligence, concentration, and most importantly, luck. There is no shortage to talent, and neither is there in diligence and concentration. However, people who have all of the above are truly lacking in numbers. I am not like them, I can only move on to find another way.”

“To attain the utmost Way of martial arts requires cultivating the body. But in the end, one cannot gain immortality and fly towards the heavens. It is nothing more than a dream that cannot be attained in reality. To have a dream as a youngster is good, but it is bad to be detached from reality.”

Wang Chao looked at Cheng Shanming for a moment before suddenly saying, “Master Cheng, please excuse me for speaking bluntly. Your martial arts is beyond mine, and your Jin has already attained the Transforming Jin. But this is the accumulation of the many breakthroughs you’ve managed over the years. By now, you are 40 years old, correct?”

“Correct, I am 42 years old this year.” Cheng Shanming’s eyes flickered as he was trying to figure out what Wang Chao was getting at.”

“Your martial arts may be better than mine, but in a battle to the death, your inspiration does not compare to mine. Even if we fought again, you would lose the upper hand.”

Wang Chao’s sudden words had made Lin Yanan startled with surprise.

“With the tides of time and the barrage of firearms, your confidence in Chinese boxing has wavered. When your confidence wavers, how could you speak of having more inspiration or spirit? Even if things were truly like this, we martial artists must carry this thought over our hearts. If we have hope, do we need dreams? How could one press forward without this inspiration? In truth, knowing that it is impossible is where we practitioners gain inspiration.”

“You also speak correctly however. A practitioner must be determined in order to fight with reality, even if it means to sacrifice one’s life. Thus, luck plays a major factor in this. It would seem that I am a person of determination and luck then.”

Cheng Shanming grew silent. After some time, he finally spoke, “Just who are you?”

“I am Chinese of course. A man of China.”

Cheng Shanming’s eyes lit up, “I’ve got it, so you’re…”

The car came to a stop as it reached the piers.

Dismounting from the car, Cheng Shanming turned to Wang Chao, “I have taken the side-route and have no luck guiding me. I have comprehended many thing with my fists that cannot be left in North America. The essence of the Cheng school of Baguazhang must remain within our homelands. I gift them to you in hopes that it will help you move forward.”

Cheng Shanming hadn’t said to pass on, but rather, to gift. Clearly, he had begun to see Wang Chao as a man of the same generation as he.