125. Martial Arts Anecdotes from Seventy Years Ago, Refining the Coiling Dragon Silk

There was a specific reason why Du Ruo mentioned the White Crane Sect of the Chen family.

If the debunking of "Master Ma" several years ago made many people feel that traditional martial arts were ineffective and tore away the veil that had long been forced upon them, then the White Crane Sect incident Du Ruo had just mentioned was the very first time that veil had been ripped off. It was also a primary reason why traditional martial arts had languished for such a long time.

About seventy or eighty years ago, learning traditional martial arts was still a sought-after pursuit, especially in the Hong Kong and Macau regions, where it was particularly popular.

At that time, the Tai Chi master Wu Gongyi arrived in Hong Kong and began opening a school to accept students. His arrival was met with great fanfare, and his public declaration, "I have traveled from the north to the south without encountering a single rival," sent a massive shockwave through the martial arts community of that era.

Many people were unconvinced by him, but there was little they could do. This Tai Chi master had trained officers at the Whampoa Military Academy and was highly revered by prominent figures everywhere, many of whom practiced Tai Chi under his tutelage.

However, in the world of martial arts, there is no such thing as being second best. There was always someone who refused to accept it. Thus, Chen Kefu of the White Crane Sect stood up and issued a retort in the newspapers. What did he say? He said exactly what Du Ruo had quoted: "You have traveled from the north to the south without encountering a rival, and I have traveled from the south to the north without suffering a defeat."

With that single reply, the two were locked in a standoff, drawing the attention of everyone in the Hong Kong and Macau regions. It was 1954, and martial duels were prohibited, so the two were forced to trade barbs through newspaper columns, a verbal battle that lasted for half a year.

It wasn't until local dignitaries stepped in to mediate that it was suggested they hold a ring match in the form of a charity fundraiser. In January of '54, the two finally engaged in a martial arts duel in Macau.

Because the great masters of the late Qing and early Republican era had either passed away or were too elderly, the public was intensely curious about traditional martial arts. Consequently, the duel was a massive event—a rare instance in modern history of a martial arts showdown captured on film.

How massive was the fanfare? At the time, pork cost nine cents a jin, yet tickets for the duel ranged from ten to two hundred dollars. With scalpers driving the prices up more than tenfold, nearly twenty thousand people attended the match. Even the most popular global boxing matches of that era only drew about ten to twenty thousand spectators.

The sensation caused by the event went far beyond that; there were even popular actresses singing to warm up the crowd. To call it a grand spectacle would be an understatement.

When the two stepped into the ring, they displayed the demeanor of grandmasters, appearing to be figures of great significance. To prevent fatalities, they mimicked ring-fighting rules: no eye-gouging, no strikes to the groin, and no kicking. The match was divided into five rounds of five minutes each. Honestly, nobody at that time knew what the true level of a martial arts master actually was. But with one claiming no rivals from north to south and the other undefeated from south to north, these constraints were a sign of respect for both men.

But what was the result? One Tai Chi master and one "great grandmaster" ended up brawling in the ring like two street thugs. To be honest, it was only because they were both practitioners of traditional martial arts; had the supposed "amateur" boxer who fought Master Ma been in the ring, he likely could have knocked both of them out just as he did with Master Ma.

And so, under the gaze of local luminaries and nearly twenty thousand spectators, the two flailed at each other with amateur punches for two or three minutes before being pulled apart. The grand spectacle ended in a lackluster draw. From that point on, the reputation of traditional martial arts plummeted to an all-time low. The prestige that the masters of the late Qing and modern eras had worked so hard to build was completely squandered—though whether that was ultimately good or bad is hard to say.

That was why, as soon as Du Ruo heard "White Crane Fist," he immediately associated it with this event. After all, the fact that the style was also surnamed Chen made the connection impossible to ignore.

"Ahem, well, drink your tea, drink your tea. By the way, I heard from Xiao Qi that the Coiled Dragon Silk is damaged. Bring it out and let me have a look."

Chen Yanting had originally wanted to discuss martial arts with Du Ruo, but after that question, he quickly changed the subject, not wanting to talk about boxing styles anymore. After all, he didn't want to tell Du Ruo that, although they weren't from Chen Kefu's lineage, they were also practitioners of White Crane Fist. The fallout from the Chen Kefu incident had caused their elders to become so enraged they fell ill, closing their school and turning to blacksmithing instead. That event had been limited by the era, circulating mostly in coastal and developed regions, but it was still quite well-known in the martial arts community.

"I brought it. Please, take a look."

By now, even if Du Ruo were dim-witted, he would have caught on. He quickly pulled a small bag from his pocket. His question had been a classic case of touching a sore spot; he truly hadn't realized that his subconscious remark would hit such a sensitive nerve. He swore he hadn't known there was a real connection. After all, White Crane Fist was widely practiced in the south. If Chen Yanting had a slightly worse temper, he probably would have kicked Du Ruo out.

"The internal mechanism is damaged. How did you use this? As a tow rope? Even the mechanisms in this are made of the highest-grade alloy steel; it could easily hoist two people."

Chen Yanting poured out the Coiled Dragon Silk and took a brief look, immediately identifying the issue. He had forged it himself, so he knew the strength of every component better than anyone. He truly couldn't fathom what kind of situation Du Ruo had been in to break the internal mechanism.

"Well, something like that."

Du Ruo felt awkward. How was he supposed to explain? In reality, using the Coiled Dragon Silk to stop a stampeding, thick-skinned water buffalo weighing sixteen hundred pounds was effectively the same as using it as a tow rope. He had thought that adding "Qi" would enhance the cutting ability of the steel wire, but it was still just a wire, and he had wrapped it directly around the buffalo's head. The sudden explosive force had simply been too much, leading to the current state.

"Grandpa, can it be repaired?" Li Qiyao asked from the side. She had witnessed the birth of the Coiled Dragon Silk and felt it was a pity to see it ruined now.

"It can, but there's no point." Chen Yanting frowned and explained so the three of them would understand: "This bracelet is hollow. It was already a headache to install the internal parts, and most importantly, once the mechanism is installed, the whole thing becomes a single, integrated unit. To replace it now, I'd have to break the bracelet open and replace all the parts. The cost would be higher than making a new one, and you'd still end up with an old piece. It's not worth it. Keep it as a souvenir."

Chen Yanting put the damaged Coiled Dragon Silk back into the bag and pushed it toward Du Ruo.

"Boss Du, could you give this to me? I'd like to keep it as a keepsake." Li Qiyao spoke up suddenly. At her words, Xiang Yuanyuan and Du Ruo looked over, puzzled.

"Don't misunderstand. I participated in drawing the drafts for this bracelet and helped with the exterior design. I also think it's quite pretty as a bracelet... err, I mean, it would make a nice decoration for my home." Seeing their gazes, Li Qiyao hurriedly explained, though she realized Du Ruo usually wore it as a bracelet.

"No problem at all. I really owe you for this, and it's useless to me now. If you don't mind it, keep it as a memento." Du Ruo pushed the small cloth bag toward Li Qiyao. It was a minor matter, and they weren't teenagers anymore; he wasn't about to jump to conclusions about her having feelings for him over something like this.

"You'll have to ask Grandpa Chen to help you hide the steel wire inside, otherwise it won't make a very good decoration," Xiang Yuanyuan added. She had also witnessed the design process, so she could understand.

"That's a small matter. Bring it over another day and I'll take care of it for you. It won't be functional, but restoring the shape won't be a problem." Chen Yanting agreed readily. He then turned to Du Ruo, as the most important part was yet to come: "So, Master Du, do you need me to craft another one?"

"I have some ideas. Master Chen, do you think you could lengthen the wire? Three meters is a bit short. To be honest, with my current speed, there's no need for me to use the Coiled Dragon Silk at that distance."

Du Ruo had fashioned the Coiled Dragon Silk shortly after gaining his hidden weapon skills. Although not much time had passed, Du Ruo had since been reborn. What had once felt convenient now felt unnecessary, especially with the addition of "Qi" to protect his joints and boost his power. Within three meters, Du Ruo was no slower than he would be using the wire.

"Lengthening it is no problem, but this weapon was designed for assassination; three meters is the limit for controlling the wire. Any longer... for every foot added, the difficulty of control increases exponentially. How much longer do you need it to be?"

"Can you do ten meters?" Du Ruo asked firmly. Ten meters was a good distance. With his current "Yin Hand" hidden weapon technique, he could project the dragon head with significant lethality at ten meters, meaning it would work fine as a projectile. As for the control, his internal "Qi" was far beyond what it had been before. By infusing the wire with "Qi" and using his "Spirit" to guide it, he was confident he could manipulate ten meters of wire in the air.

"Ten meters?" Chen Yanting's voice rose in surprise. He didn't even want to ask how Du Ruo intended to control it.

"Yes, is that possible, Master Chen?" Du Ruo insisted.

"Ten meters is possible, but the wire will have to be thinner. That means the resilience of the wire won't be as high. Also, once the wire is that long, pressing the mechanism won't be able to generate the force of a hidden weapon; the mechanism will only be able to retract and release the wire, not provide any lethal power." Chen Yanting thought for a moment and laid out the potential consequences.