Grace Under Fire

MOK KWAI-LAN has been looking for her sworn brother YAU SUM-SHUI, who is a waiter of Fook Yue Kui restaurant, everywhere. She finds him gambling in an illegal boxing gymnasium at last. SHUI has bet on dark horse LUI CHING-LUNG, nicknamed the IRON MONEY. He is on his way to collect his prize money, but somebody else picks up his stub. He has a fight with that person. LAN calms them down. She gets to know LUNG later when she is trying to help him. MOK PING, SHUI’s adoptive father, is the tea master of Fook Yue Kui. He disapproves SHUI’s personality and gambling habit. LAN and her colleagues have gone to Baiyun Mountain to take spring water. They become enemies with Guangzhou East Governor TONG YUET-HANG’s men on their way back. Beijing Senator KANG YIK-TIN is visiting Guangzhou soon. HANG invites kung fu master WONG FEI-HUNG to perform in front of TIN but HUNG turns him down……

HUNG stops his students from teaching WAI a good lesson. WAI leaves Po Chi Lam after HUNG has refused to fight with him. LUNG has left his medicine. LAN takes it to his home. A man with leprosy attacks her as she enters the house. The man is LUI KONG, LUNG’s father. Beijing is constructing a railway. Local residents have been forced to leave their homeland because of the construction. HUNG’s second son, HON-YIP, is a journalist. He asks TIN about this on the reception for him when he visits Guangzhou. What is more, he reports later that TIN’s cousin is the contractor of the project. HANG hates HUNG even more. LUNG cannot afford his father’s medicine. LAN stops him from stealing and takes him to Po Chi Lam to ask for the help of HUNG. The police close down the newspaper YIP works for and put its staff in prison. HANG sets YIP free. HUNG pleads HANG to release other people as well.

YIP tells HUNG his colleagues have been released. He blames HUNG for dealing with bigwigs, saying that they can settle the matter without them. HUNG does not say a word about the truth. LAN sees HUNG talking to WAI when she is having late supper with SHUI. LAN and SHUI follow HUNG and WAI to the countryside, where the two kung fu masters have a fight. Their techniques take the two young people’s breath away. LAN is very interested in learning kung fu. The next day, some bullies beat LAN and SHUI. PING settles the matter with all his saving. SHUI leaves angrily, as PING forbids him from learning kung fu. A beautiful woman scolds a couple on the street. Fook Yue Kui is holding a wedding banquet. SHUI is surprised to see that KWAI FA, the bride, is the beautiful woman he saw the day before. LAN and SHUI leave home early to watch the students of Po Chi Lam practice kung fu.

LING WAN-KAI bails YIP out. When they are home, HUNG requests YIP to quit his job. YIP accuses HUNG of dealing with bigwigs. The father and son end up in discord. HANG reports to the mayor that he has closed all the illegal casinos in Guangzhou. The mayor commends on his good work done, saying that he will make a very good potential mayor candidate. LAN is taking medicine to LUNG’s when she hears someone calling other people to deal with a leprosy man. She makes a beeline for LUNG’s place and saves him and his father before too late. LUNG carries KONG on his back to Po Chi Lam. When he wakes up, KONG is surprised to know that HUNG has saved him. Instead of thanking HUNG, he blames him for breaking up his family. When he finishes, he leaves with LUNG. KONG tells LUNG how he was defeated by HUNG in a duel and forced to leave Guangzhou many years ago. KONG is nowhere to be found the next day morning when LUNG wakes up……

The deadline for repaying FA’s debt is approaching but SHUI is still $250 short. A customer is not satisfied with the Sweet and Sour Sparerib of Fook Yue Kui. FA bets FOOK $250 to see who will cook the best Sweet and Sour Sparerib. It turns out she is a superb cook. FOOK employs her as second chef. HANG has been invited to make a speech at a Buddhist Festival event. He is not happy when he learns that the organizer has invited HUNG to host the plaque unveiling ceremony. LUNG throws a hammer at HUNG in order to seek revenge for his father. He is soon suppressed. In addition to interceding for LUNG, HUNG apologizes to him openly for insulting his father many years ago. HANG badmouths HUNG but LUNG is not influenced. FA has prepared some dishes for FOOK but he kicks her out of the treasurer’s office. The illegal casinos in Guangzhou have been very active lately……

FA invites FOOK to have congee in Li Wan by writing him a note. YUET-FUNG, his wife, follows him to Li Wan preparing to catch him red-handed. When she breaks into the room, she is surprised to see SHUI is also there. SHUI lies that he is having a date with FA in order to help FOOK out. LUNG is being bullied by some hooligans. LAN goes up to his help but she alone cannot fight them off. HUNG staves them off. HUNG shows LUNG the renowned LUI’s kung fu system and tells him to come back for revenge when he has picked up all the martial arts techniques. The hooligans have come again. PING defeats them one by one. Not until then do LAN and SHUI know that he is a kung fu expert. FA requests FUNG to introduce her to high officials. She tells her frankly it is her wish is marry a rich man. HUNG would like to take SHUI as student. He calls on PING at the restaurant for this reason.

PING refuses to let SHUI learn kung fu from HUNG. SHUI leaves home in anger. LUNG works as a coolie at the pier. LAN visits him and then watches him practice kung fu. Although YIP manages to sneak into the accountant’s house, he fails to take away his ledgers. The accountant and his wife are attacked at train station when they are fleeing Guangzhou. PING finally agrees to let SHUI learn kung fu with HUNG. He also decides to teach LAN the Mok’s Fist. A few men break into the newspaper YIP works for and turns it upside down. YIP’s colleague is injured in saving YIP. Thanks to HUNG and YIP, the accountant’s life is spared. With the information provided by the accountant, HUNG and YIP risk their life to get the ledgers. They find out that the local government is collaborating with Guangzhou’s illegal casinos.

HUNG pays a visit to the Chun Wah Daily, which has just resumed business. CHENG-CHI, the Chief of the Daily, tells him the paper is able to re-open with the support of Guangzhou East Governor TUNG MING. Meanwhile, HANG and the media have arrived. HANG congratulates YIP, though he has never hated HUNG so much. A woman is selling her daughter on the street. FA stops her, for the girl reminds her of her own miserable childhood. She therefore sympathizes with LUNG. SHUI and LAN visit Po Chi Lam. LUNG has come to challenge HUNG to a contest. HUNG turns him down. HANG visits a leprosy hospital with a western doctor. He is surprised to see KONG, who he thinks has died. FA bets that SHUI will not be able to invite any high officials or influential figures to his apprenticeship inauguration ceremony. The mayor shows up at the ceremony under SHUI’s crafty scheme……