Chapter 10, A Match of Equals

"You little brat, just wait until I go up and beat your master until he can't find his teeth, let's see what you have to say then!" Hong Zhenan laughed and scolded

In the original film, only Ip Man attended the round table battle, without bringing a single disciple. However, due to the involvement of Zuo Xiaoyou, this time Ip Man brought all his disciples with him

Just arrived at the entrance of the hall, Zuo Xiao looked inside. Aki was waving at him: "Brother You."

Zuo Xiao and You Han smiled and nodded. Upon seeing Aji, they also saw Hong Zhenan, and quickly went over to greet him: "Uncle Hong, I appreciate your help this time"

Little brat

Cursing inwardly, Hong Zhenan stood up and jumped onto the round table with great momentum. Without any greeting, he launched a quick attack and engaged in battle with Ye Wen.

Then I would like to see just how formidable Hong Zhennan is. Even a homebody can have moments of high ambition!

In the blink of an eye, the time for the Round Table Battle has arrived

After dinner, Zuo Xiaoyou recounted a segment of the Three Kingdoms to the Hong family. Noticing that it was getting late, he took his leave and returned home

If this continues, Hong Zhenan will eventually be knocked out by Ye Wen due to a decline in physical strength. Fortunately, the Round Table Battle lasts only the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. With the time wasted by the first two individuals, as Hong Zhenan and Ye Wen break the round table, the incense burns out, and the two ultimately reach a draw

Oh?" Hong Zhenan paused with the chopsticks in his hand: "Is your master really that impressive?"

Hmm. Hong Zhenan picked up his bowl and chopsticks, had just taken a few bites of rice, and casually asked, "How strong is your master? How many ordinary men can he defeat?"

At first, Hong Zhenan was somewhat dismissive, but as Ye Wen effortlessly defeated the two masters from the martial arts school, Hong Zhenan's expression changed. He turned to look at the smiling Zuo Xiaoyou and thought to himself: This kid really didn't deceive me. Ye Wen is indeed very strong

"I will not hide it from you, Master Hong," said Zuo Xiaoyou with a hint of pride. "Back in the day when my master was in Foshan, he was known as the number one expert in Foshan. When the Japanese came, my master single-handedly defeated ten Japanese karate masters, leaving them utterly defenseless."

Huang Liang, feeling unconvinced, was about to speak when Ye Wen interrupted him: "A Liang, your senior brother is right; there is no ultimate martial art in this world, only the strongest individuals. Do not underestimate the people of the world."

Oh? Hong Zhenan looked at Zuo Xiaoyou with a skeptical gaze and said, "Is it really that impressive?"

Just as the boxers were murmuring and boasting, Ip Man arrived with his disciples

Is this your master, Ip Man

Waste

During the duel between the two men, no one noticed a young man holding a camera, capturing photos of their confrontation. As a result, the next day, nearly everyone in Hong Kong knew that a Wing Chun master named Ip Man had fought to a draw with Hung Jan-nam

It is hard to say. Left Xiaoyou pondered for a moment and said: "I am a junior, and it is not appropriate for me to comment on my master, but the master's boxing skills are formidable, capable of defeating more than a dozen people like Akina in one go"

"Good." Left Xiao nodded.

In the martial arts community of Hong Kong, the strongest person should be Master Hung. However, my master is not inferior either

Master Hong

On the evening of the following day, Zuo Xiaoyou, who was staying at Hong Zhennan's house for dinner, heard this news

"Matters within one's own domain." Hong Zhenan's gaze fell upon Ye Wen; by his demeanor, he sensed that Ye Wen was a master.

Left and right paths: "Master, you go ahead! My fellow disciples and I will cheer for you here."

Upon returning home, Zuo Xiaoyou informed Ye Wen that Hong Zhenan would personally take the stage the day after tomorrow, urging Ye Wen to be prepared

"Impossible!" Before Hong Zhenan could speak, the girl interrupted, saying: "My dad is the most formidable martial artist in all of Hong Kong, your master definitely can't compare to my dad."

Please

The girl pouted and fell silent

"Shut up!" Zuo Xiaoyou slapped Huang Liang on the back of the head and reprimanded, "There is no such thing as the strongest martial art in the world, only the strongest individuals! Do not underestimate other martial arts; every master present here could take on ten of you!"

Zuo Xiao You looked at her and smiled, saying: "If Master Hong were ten years younger, my master would definitely not be a match for him. But since Master Hong is older and burdened with injuries, I dare to say that my master is not inferior to him. My master once said that there is no strongest person in the world, because even the strongest will eventually grow old, and when one gets old, any young man can easily bring him down."

"The day after tomorrow at 10 a.m., at the Denan Teahouse," Hong Zhenan said, "Tell your master to come early, don't be late."

The Round Table Battle requires acceptance of challenges from various sects. The competition is sure to be thrilling. Ip Man thought this would also be an opportunity for his disciples to broaden their horizons, so he agreed to Zuo Xiaoyou's proposal

"There is no need for excessive words," said Zuo Xiaoyou. "If you want to know how formidable my master is, you can find out for yourself the day after tomorrow when he takes the stage personally." After a pause, he added, "However, there is only the time of one incense stick for the entire event, so Mr. Hong, you must make the most of it. Otherwise, I fear that when the time is up, you will not be able to determine a winner."

On that day, Ip Man did not open the school to teach students, but instead brought a dozen or so disciples to the De Nan Teahouse

To be able to match Hong Zhen Nan evenly...! ... Who exactly is this Ye Wen!?

"Then I shall see for myself." Hong Zhen Nan's fighting spirit was fierce; over the years in Hong Kong, he had never encountered a worthy opponent. Unexpectedly, now there appeared a Ye Wen. A rare challenger, he was indeed curious to see if Ye Wen was worthy of being his opponent

Hmm? Everyone present frowned, and Hong Zhennan's expression was also not very pleasant

I have fought on such a platform dozens of times before, but below are not benches; they are all knives

Putting down the chopsticks, he nodded slightly to the left and right: "Thank you, Uncle Hong, when will it be?"

With a loud shout, the two men once again engaged in fierce combat. Hong Quan was characterized by its broad and powerful movements, while Hong Zhen Nan also shouted repeatedly; Wing Chun employed close-range strikes, and Ye Wen utilized various subtle deflecting techniques to withstand Hong Zhen Nan's onslaught.

Amidst the applause and cheers of the audience, Ip Man was unanimously accepted into the martial arts community of Hong Kong, allowing him to officially open his school and take on students

You should go up a little later! One incense stick's time is too long, and I fear you may not have enough stamina and end up being beaten by my master

Over the years, Ip Man has not encountered a single defeat, which has made him somewhat arrogant. Now, upon hearing from his disciple about a master who is on par with him, he cannot help but feel a tinge of excitement in his heart

After the master finished speaking, all the disciples around him displayed expressions of admiration, which was quite amusing

Understood. Ye Wen turned his head to look at the masters of other martial arts schools, a bunch of misfits, they did not appear formidable at all

"Is there anyone else who will go up?" After the first two masters were knocked down, no one had gone up for a long time. Hong Zhenan could not help but urge Cui. However, the other masters were all observing with their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts, and no one stepped forward.

Is Hong Zhen Nan very strong? Ye Wen asked

"Master Hong." Ye Wen immediately clasped his fists and bowed.

Your master speaks wisely. Upon hearing these words, Hong Zhenan nodded in agreement and said: "The fist fears the young and strong; this is an unbreakable truth throughout the ages. However powerful one may be in youth, when old age arrives and one can no longer move, anyone can easily defeat him. Your master possesses such insight; that is remarkable!"

To speak disrespectfully, I believe my master is no worse than Master Hong

Hehe. Left Xiao You smiled slightly, served a piece of tender tofu to the young girl, and turned to Hong Zhen Nan, saying: "My master is in the prime of his life, while you, Hong Bo..." Looking at Hong Zhen Nan's white hair, Left Xiao You shook his head: "Therefore, I believe that if you two were to fight, at the beginning, perhaps Hong Bo would have the upper hand, but gradually, my master would bring it to a stalemate. However, if it continues, Hong Bo might end up losing."

Hong Zhenan and Ye Wen fought for a while before separating, cupping their fists and bowing: "Master Ye."

"Sister, don't be rude." Although his daughter's words pleased Hong Zhenan, he still put on a stern demeanor: "There are always people better than you, and there may be someone outside of this world who is truly more capable than me, perhaps even Ah You's master."

Yes. Left Xiao and Right immediately invited Ye Wen over, saying: "Master, this is Hong Bo."

The two individuals exchanged punches and kicks with great intensity, leaving the onlookers under the table dazzled and speechless

"Bragging." The girl pouted and said, "I don't believe it at all"

As predicted by Zuo Xiaoyou, Hong Zhenan's strength is actually slightly stronger than that of Ye Wen. However, due to his advanced age and years of suffering from illness, Hong Zhenan's physical condition has deteriorated. Initially, he was able to slightly suppress Ye Wen, but as time went on, Hong Zhenan's stamina declined, and Ye Wen, relying on his youth, gradually turned the tide, resulting in a balanced confrontation between them.

The martial artists sat on chairs sipping tea, not forgetting to boast to their disciples.

At this moment, the entire hall of the teahouse was taken over by Hong Zhenan. In the center of the hall stood a large round table, surrounded by inverted wooden stools. Beyond that were the martial artists and disciples from various martial arts schools in Xiangjiang.

Master, defeat them all, Wing Chun is the strongest!

I ... ...

"Sister, stop messing around," Hong Zhennan's wife could no longer bear it and reproached, "When a man is speaking, a woman should not interrupt."

Please

I have already made arrangements regarding your master's acceptance of the martial arts school challenge

"That is not necessarily the case," the young girl wrinkled her nose

Hong Zhenan stood up and replied, "Master Ye, let me first explain the rules of the competition to you. You must stand on the table to accept challenges from the other masters. If you surrender, it counts as a loss; if you fall off the table, it also counts as a loss. If you are still standing on the table when a stick of incense burns out, you will have passed the test"

It is good to let the junior disciples broaden their horizons

Yip Man casually approached the round table, while Hong Zhen Nan said to his companion Zuo Xiao You standing beside him: "Ah You, what you just said was excellent. There is no strongest martial art in the world, only the strongest person."

I believe that Hong Bo and the master should be in a position of equals.

Wing Chun has become popular, and so has Ip Man

You are just putting a shine on your master's face. Hong Zhenan is indeed a big brother figure, inherently possessing a spirit of defiance: Do not be fooled by my age; defeating your master is not a particularly difficult task.

"Yes, Master." Once Ye Wen spoke, no matter how great the grievances of Huang Liang were, he could only suppress them and respond respectfully.