HCB Chapter 122 Yunhai Temple
Chapter 122 Yunhai Temple
Sun Changqing sighed: "Yeah, according to the Alliance Leader's standards, let alone buying it, even the annual rent would be an astronomical figure. We people... sigh, we're all poor."
He was telling the truth. These venerable masters present, though highly respected in their respective schools, were not wealthy. Traditional martial arts are currently in a slump; those who run martial arts schools are lucky if they can break even, and most even rely on pensions or support from their children.
Asking them to pool their money is a huge challenge; they can't even afford a down payment, let alone buy a "resort."
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became somewhat heavy again.
"How about... how about I go find some of my old friends?" Grandmaster Li Changfeng of Tongbei Quan said somewhat uncertainly. "I know a few small business owners who are also martial arts enthusiasts. Maybe I can get some sponsorship?"
"How much can you pull?" Wang Benlei asked.
"Well... thirty or fifty thousand shouldn't be a problem. Any more than that, and I can't say for sure." Li Changfeng wasn't very confident.
"Thirty thousand or fifty thousand... that's just a drop in the ocean." Wang Benlei said dejectedly.
Ma Cong smiled as he looked at everyone's worried faces.
He knew that money was the biggest problem. But he also knew that sometimes money wasn't the problem.
"Don't worry about the money for now," he said, his tone carrying a convincing quality. "Since I've brought it up, I have a solution. What we need to do now is identify the areas that meet our requirements."
"As long as the location is right, the money will come."
He said this with great confidence.
Although Sun Changqing and the others didn't know where Ma Cong's confidence came from, seeing his confident demeanor made them feel inexplicably more at ease.
"Alright! Since the Alliance Leader has said so, let's find a place first!" Wang Benlei, a man of action, immediately perked up. "Everyone, think about it in your own areas. Is there a suitable place? Near the capital, or in other provinces and cities, anything is fine."
"It's probably difficult near the capital." Sun Changqing shook his head. "This place is incredibly expensive. The price of a place that meets the Alliance Leader's requirements is unimaginable. Even in the suburbs, it won't be much cheaper."
"My hometown, Cangzhou in Hebei, has a lot of barren mountains and wilderness. It's a large and quiet place, but the transportation is not very good. Moreover, building from scratch requires a much larger investment," said Grandmaster Zhao Tieshan of Pi Gua Quan.
Everyone started discussing it animatedly, sharing everything they knew, but after filtering through the information, none of them seemed particularly perfect.
Either the location is too remote, or the price is too high, or the environment is too poor.
Just when everyone was at a loss, Ding Hao, who hadn't said much, suddenly raised his hand weakly.
After the match, he didn't leave but was kept behind by Ma Cong. He changed into a clean T-shirt and sat in the corner, looking somewhat awkward.
"Um... Mr. Ma, seniors, I... I think I know a place that might meet the requirements."
All eyes were on him.
Ma Cong nodded to him: "Tell me about it."
Ding Hao cleared his throat, seemingly mustering a great deal of courage, before speaking: "My hometown is in the south, in Foshan, Guangdong Province. There's a place called 'Xiqiao Mountain' there, which is the hometown of martial arts. Huang Feihong and Ip Man are the ancestral homes of those people."
"On the mountainside of Xiqiao Mountain, there is a temple that has been abandoned for a long time, called 'Yunhai Temple'."
"That temple is very large and used to be very popular. It has a main hall that can be used as an indoor training ground, and a huge platform square outside that can be used as an outdoor venue. The side rooms on both sides add up to more than a hundred rooms, which can be renovated and used as dormitories and offices."
"The temple is right next to the winding mountain road, and you can drive directly to the entrance, so it's very convenient. Also, because it's located halfway up the mountain, the environment is exceptionally tranquil, and from the platform you can see the reservoir and city below, so the scenery is beautiful."
Ding Hao spoke more and more fluently, and his eyes became brighter and brighter.
Wang Benlei was stunned: "Hey, this place you're talking about is practically tailor-made for us! How could such a great place be left to decay?"
Ding Hao's face darkened slightly: "My grandfather told me that it was destroyed during the movement decades ago. Although they thought about rebuilding it later, firstly, the project was too large and would cost too much money, and secondly, a new large temple was built at the foot of the mountain, so all the incense offerings went there. Yunhai Temple was left unattended and gradually fell into complete disrepair."
"So, who owns this temple now? Is it the government's, or some other organization's?" Sun Changqing asked, getting to the crucial point.
"Well... I'm not too sure." Ding Hao shook his head. "I only heard my grandfather mention it when I was a child. He said that the place had good feng shui and was a treasure land for practicing martial arts. He always felt it was a pity."
After hearing Ding Hao's description, Ma Cong was already tempted.
temple.
This medium is absolutely perfect.
Traditional Chinese martial arts and Buddhism/Taoism have always been intricately linked. Many styles of martial arts claim to have originated from temples. Establishing a base in an abandoned temple inherently carries a sense of inheritance and return.
Moreover, the "Yunhai Temple" described by Ding Hao perfectly met his requirements in every aspect.
"Ding Hao, book your tickets tomorrow and go back to Foshan," Ma Cong decided immediately. "Your task is to go and investigate Yunhai Temple in person, take photos and videos, and find out everything. In particular, find out who owns this land now—is it public or private?"
"Yes, Mr. Ma!" Ding Hao was so excited that he blushed and stood up abruptly, responding loudly, not expecting Ma Cong to entrust him with such an important task.
He felt that he was no longer an outsider, but was truly accepted into the group.
"Alright, let's leave the base situation at that for now." Ma-Cong nodded, then looked at everyone. "Next, the second thing is to set standards."
"This matter is more important than finding a location. It concerns the very foundation of our alliance."