America: John Wick 1924

Chapter 23 Martial Arts Master [Chen Zhen] and Female Martial Arts Master [Chen Qi]

Una led Li Yu to a wide, imposing gate.

"The person who specifically asked to see you is inside. Go in quickly."

After saying this in a rather indifferent manner, Una stepped aside to make way.

Li Yu thanked Wu Na, then reached out and grasped the doorknob, turned it, and pushed it open to enter the room.

He had barely stepped inside when he quickly scanned the room, observing everything inside.

This room is probably the reception room of this police station. The room is quite exquisitely decorated, with carpets, lights, coat racks, fireplaces, etc. There is also a decorative deer head specimen on the west wall.

In the very center of the room, there were two very soft-looking sofas, with a small table between them.

A young couple—both around twenty years old and of Asian descent, clearly Chinese by their appearance—were sitting on the sofa facing the door.

Upon seeing Li Yu arrive, they immediately stood up to greet him.

Looking at the familiar-looking young Chinese man in front of him, Li Yu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow:

"Hmm? We seem to have met before."

After quickly searching his memory, Li Yu suddenly remembered where he had seen this face before.

“I remember now…you were the person on the train.”

The other person was none other than the handsome "athletic heartthrob" whom Li Yu had met briefly on the train.

The young man chuckled a few times, then spoke in Mandarin with a Foshan accent:

"We meet again. I am Chen Zhen from Zhenbang Martial Arts School, from Foshan, Guangdong."

Then, he turned to look at the Chinese girl beside him.

"This is my younger sister, Chen Qi."

The girl clasped her hands together in front of her and smiled sweetly.

"Chen Qi of Zhenbang Martial Arts School".

Although it was barely perceptible, at this moment, a faint joy did appear on Li Yu's cheeks—the reason being nothing more than hearing his familiar accent after so long, which truly stirred up a myriad of emotions.

Living for a long time in an environment full of foreigners, suddenly hearing a familiar accent... only those who have experienced it firsthand can understand the excitement and emotion involved.

After Chen Qi finished speaking, Li Yu couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.

A secondary reason is that she is very cute.

The main reason is that her Cantonese pronunciation is so standard that it can be recorded and stored in a museum so that future generations can understand the authentic Cantonese pronunciation.

Chen Zhen's Mandarin has only a slight accent.

Chen Qi's Mandarin is entirely Cantonese-accented Mandarin.

Classic characteristics of Mandarin with a broad accent include, but are not limited to, unclear pronunciation, prolonged intonation, inability to pronounce the tongue properly, and confusion of initial consonants (f/h not distinguishing)...

Because of these characteristics, girls often speak Mandarin with a soft and gentle tone.

However, her accent actually suits her lovely appearance very well.

Chen Qi had large, round eyes, delicate features that looked as if they had been carefully sculpted, fair skin, and a figure that was neither too thin nor too plump. Her broad chest supported her pale yellow dress, making her no less stunning than Jane and Una.

Having seen so many girls with "huge breasts" lately, Li Yu is almost immune to this trait.

After calming his emotions, which had been stirred by hearing his familiar accent, Li Yu straightened up and introduced himself:

"My name is Li Yu, and I am from Raoping, Chaozhou. I am new here and unfamiliar with the place. May I ask what 'Zhenbang Martial Arts School' is?"

Just now, Una angrily questioned him about whether he was from Zhenbang Martial Arts School...

Now, the Chen siblings claim to be from Zhenbang Martial Arts School...

Li Yu's curiosity about this martial arts school had reached an unprecedented level.

Before Chen Zhen could speak, Chen Qi, with a proud expression, preemptively answered:
"Zhenbang Martial Arts School was opened by my late father, Chen Zhen, in San Francisco's Chinatown! It teaches Bajiquan and Chen-style Miao Dao! My elder brother is the current head of our school!"

—Oh? Bajiquan? Miao Dao (a type of Chinese swordsmanship)?
A hint of surprise flashed in Li Yu's eyes.

As fellow practitioners of Bajiquan, Li Yu couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity towards the two siblings before him, subconsciously scrutinizing them from head to toe—their upright posture alone, setting them apart from anything else, exuded the air of martial arts practitioners. At that moment, Chen Zhen abruptly interjected:
“Mr. Li, it’s inconvenient to speak while standing. Please have a seat.”

As Chen Zhen spoke, he gestured to the sofa next to him, indicating that he wanted to sit down.

Li Yu took his seat first, and the Chen siblings sat down a step later, directly opposite him.

Chen Zhen asked:
"Mr. Li, do you understand Cantonese?"

Li Yu shook his head:

“I am a native of Chaozhou and I don’t speak Cantonese.”

In fact, not only can they understand it, but they can also speak very standard Cantonese, which can silence even the "Cantonese police".

Pretending not to understand Cantonese—this is actually Li Yu's personal habit.

When he was in school, Li Yu often pretended not to understand Cantonese in front of his classmates.

As a result, people around him often spoke freely in Cantonese to Li Yu about gossip that he didn't want him to hear, which added a lot of fun to his boring school life.

Over time, this became Li Yu's habit, always maintaining the image of "not understanding Cantonese" in front of outsiders.

Even disregarding other factors, there's really no need to reveal all your secrets to a stranger whose name you've just learned; it's always better to keep a few things to yourself.

Seeing Li Yu shake his head, Chen Zhen, having anticipated this, continued speaking in Foshan-accented Mandarin:
"Mr. Li, I have heard about the matter. Are you injured?"

"Apart from being very hungry, I am fine."

Li Yu paused for a moment, then lowered his eyelids and cast a scrutinizing gaze at the Chen siblings.

"You're the ones who got me out of the police station, right?"

Chen Zhen nodded.

"You guys are pretty capable, managing to get a suspect acquitted on the spot."

"My late father had a past relationship with the chief of this police station."

"If I may ask, why are you helping me? As far as I know, we only learned each other's names half a minute ago."

"..."

Chen Zhen pursed his lips, feigning doubt.

Li Yu stared intently at his face, observing his expression, and soon realized something, revealing an expression of sudden understanding.

"...Heh heh, I get it. Those two Slavs weren't here to kill me, they were here to kill you, right?"

Although it is in the form of an interrogative sentence, it has the tone of an affirmative sentence.

After a moment's hesitation, Chen Zhen nodded slightly.

"...That's right, the Lavrov brothers are after me."

"'The Lavrov Brothers'? Are those the names of those two Slavs?"

"Yes, they are notorious assassins in San Francisco's 'underworld'."

Skilled in boxing, ruthless in their methods... Chen Zhenyan succinctly recounted the Lavrov brothers' various exploits.

After listening, Li Yu murmured to himself:

"So those two were such formidable and ruthless characters..."

—I don't feel anything at all.

Aside from being very tanky and durable, Li Yu didn't think these two brothers were anything special.

********

********

New book launch! Please add to your favorites! Please read on... If you have any monthly passes, please vote for this book! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

(End of this chapter)