Fanatic!

Chapter 3 Applying Knowledge to New Situations
For the next few days, Chen Wuhong didn't dare to go home.

Although he had fractures in one arm and one leg, he was a local strongman and would surely find a way to survive.

Chen Wujun's nightly activities also began to expand from inside the fortified village to outside it.

To the north of the walled city is an airport under construction, to the northeast are parks and schools, and to the southeast is Hong Xiang Lu Wan, a new district with many high-rise buildings under construction and a university.

It is said that many wealthy people are buying land and properties in the south.

To the southwest lies a slum even more chaotic than the city walls.

The walled city was dark and filthy, filled with a stench and rats. Its inhabitants were the lowest rungs of society.

The slums in the southwest, surrounded by garbage mountains, are even more chaotic and impoverished, with the city dumping garbage into them every day.

Then the poor would look for things that were still edible, and even bones that had been gnawed on would be processed and sold back to the poor.

However, the people of the walled city had little contact with the other side, and the people from the other side were not allowed to enter the walled city to make a living.

The western and northwestern parts were the working-class areas. Kowloon Walled City and the working-class areas were separated by Cabingda Road and Kosenlong Road, which were quite prosperous.

In particular, there was a gold shop and a watch shop nearby, and Chen Wujun wandered around the area several times.

But I just wandered around.

After all, what bad intentions could a sixteen-year-old boy possibly have?

Back home, the food was placed on a small cabinet next to the sofa.

Chen Wujun placed a stool in front of the sofa, then put the plate on the stool, and ate while watching TV.

At that moment, the television was broadcasting an emergency news report: "A jewelry store robbery occurred today on Nathan Road. Three robbers robbed the Baifu Jewelry Store on Nathan Road at 2:30 PM. Federal police are appealing to the public for information..."

Chen Wujun sat on the worn-out sofa, picking at his food while watching the news intently.

While watching the news, he suddenly realized something: he wanted to borrow some start-up capital from a gold shop, but he couldn't do it alone.

Not only do they need someone to go in and put the gold in the cabinet, but they also need someone to watch over the store clerks and someone to drive outside, otherwise even if they manage to rob it, they won't be able to escape...

In other words, at least three to four people are needed.

By analogy, the same applies to banks and watch shops.

……

That morning, Chen Wujun went to the dental clinic with his father, but halfway there, he realized that his father was not heading towards the dental clinic, but in another direction.

"Exposed? Is Dad taking me to find the boss?" Chen Wujun's mind raced, but his face remained completely expressionless, revealing no flaw whatsoever.

However, contrary to his expectations, after turning several corners, his father arrived at a house.

Unlike the cramped and dilapidated houses in the walled city, this house was quite large, as could be seen from the outside, and shouts could be heard coming from inside.

Older father Chen Hanliang turned around, looked at him, and smiled: "Didn't you want to learn martial arts? You'll learn here from now on! Go in, I've already paid your tuition."

"I come here to practice martial arts every morning, and in the afternoon I also go to the dentist to help out."

"It's all done?" Chen Wujun was somewhat surprised.

He knows about the dental business.

It looks like Dad borrowed the money.

However, this martial arts school is neither Hetu Martial Arts School nor Dongsheng Martial Arts School.

This disappointed Chen Wujun, who had originally planned to pursue a career in martial arts and join a gang.

He wanted to make a lot of money and get ahead in life.

In the Walled City, the best way to make big money is to join a gang.

It was for this reason that Chen Hanliang sent him to this martial arts school in this remote corner.

This way, he could fulfill his desire to learn martial arts without having any contact with gang members.

To prevent the second son from "learning bad habits" from those scoundrels.

Chen Wujun's mind raced, but he felt mostly anticipation.

Pushing open the door, you'll find a space of about 100 square meters inside, with a height of a little over three meters. The floor is made of bluestone, and there are wooden figures, sandbags, and wooden stakes wrapped with hemp rope on one side.

There's a sign hanging on the wall opposite the door: Zhou Qing Martial Arts School.

On one side, four students were sparring, their footwork steady and their attacks fierce, mostly using elbows and knees.

On the other side, five trainees stood in a strange posture, each on one leg with their body low to the ground and the other knee raised high, like a fighting rooster poised to pounce.

Their muscles were tense, and sweat dripped from their foreheads.

A young man in his twenties was also looking around at the group, occasionally nudging them.

One of them looked surprised when he saw Chen Wujun, and then looked away.

Chen Wujun raised an eyebrow when he saw the other person. The other person's name was Lin Zetao. The two were classmates, but they didn't interact much.

Just then, the young man around them reached out and pushed Lin Zetao, who stumbled and fell several steps backward, almost falling to the ground.

"Where has your mind wandered off to?" The young man frowned and kicked him directly.

"The stance in Wolf Fist is a fighting stance, not just a pose! Your strength needs to be rooted to the ground, like you've taken root. Otherwise, if the enemy pushes you, you'll fly away, and then what's the point of fighting?"

Lin Zetao quickly went back to stand properly.

"You'll stand for an extra twenty minutes today! No rest until you've stood for 90 minutes." After reprimanding them, the young man turned to the others and said:
“If you lose focus, your spirit will scatter. If your spirit scatters, your strength will falter. If your strength falters, you'll become a sitting duck! You guys will also do ten more minutes of stance training.”

After reprimanding the youths, he came to Chen Wujun and looked him over.

Chen Wujun is 1.7 meters tall, fairly strong, weighs 140 jin (70 catties), and has a bronze complexion. He looks very honest, which made Chen Wujun nod slightly.

His gaze passed over Chen Wujun, and after nodding to Chen Hanliang, he said, "Chen Wujun? Come with me, let's register!"

"I'm your senior, surnamed Li, and I'm also your coach! I'll be teaching you at this stage!"

Chen Wujun followed Senior Brother Li to register with great interest, and then went to the back to get a set of training clothes.

Besides the main hall in the front, the martial arts school also has several rooms in the back.

After changing his clothes, the other people practicing Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation) had already started to rest, except for Lin Zetao, who was still standing there.

"The first boxing style taught at the martial arts school is called Wolf Fist. It's a boxing style used on the battlefield in the past. Although it's rudimentary, its practical combat ability is outstanding!" Senior Brother Li led Chen Wujun aside.

"The first step in practicing Wolf Fist is to practice stance training."

"The stance used in Wolf Fist is called the Fighting Stance, or the Charging Stance!"

"As I said before, Wolf Fist is a fist technique used on the battlefield in the past. It is like soldiers on the battlefield who are armed and waiting for the commander's order to charge forward."

"This charging stance is the foundation of Wolf Fist. It trains one's spirit, eyesight, and also generates strength." Senior Brother Li first assumed a horse stance and explained it to Chen Wujun step by step.

Just by standing there, Senior Brother Li's hair stood on end, his eyes sharp, like a soldier ready to spring into battle at any moment.

This is completely different from what Chen Wujun wanted to learn martial arts.

This martial arts school teaches traditional techniques.

Some of his classmates were learning new martial arts techniques, and they all started by training their strength at the martial arts school.

This disappointed Chen Wujun somewhat. He wanted to train his strength, because being stronger would be a good advantage in a fight.

Although Senior Brother Li said that this charging stance can also train strength, it is definitely not as good as the equipment used in the New Martial Arts School.

However, since his father had already paid the money, and even learning an old skill was better than not learning one, Chen Wujun patiently followed Senior Brother Li to practice horse stance.

Senior Brother Li would correct his movements from time to time.

"Keep your feet firmly planted, keep your stance low, and shift your weight forward, as if you're about to pounce!"

"I've said it before, you have to stand up as if you're facing a formidable enemy, surrounded by enemies, with every hair on your body standing on end!"

"Relax your shoulders, tense your muscles! Relax your shoulders, or you'll be exhausted before you even start fighting... Tensile your muscles, like a spring or an arrow about to be shot, ready to knee or bite your opponent at any moment!"

"Chest in, back straight, shoulders relaxed, elbows drooping! Straighten your neck, imagine there's a string pulling down your head!"

Senior Brother Li simply poked him with his finger, and he felt as if he had been stabbed with an iron rod, his body going numb on one side.

This greatly surprised him.

"When you can stand for half an hour without swaying or getting tired, and your hairs on your body rise and fall with your thoughts, and you can enter combat with just one thought, then you've achieved a minor success in your charging stance."

Let alone standing for half an hour, even standing for just one minute makes Chen Wujun's legs ache terribly, but he still grits his teeth and perseveres.

After all, money was spent.

After two minutes, Chen Wujun had no other thoughts; his entire being was focused on fighting the soreness in his legs.

After standing for five minutes, Chen Wujun felt that his legs were no longer his own, and only then did Senior Brother Li let him rest.

Chen Wujun plopped down on the ground.

"Tired, aren't you?" Senior Brother Li stood not far from him, looking at him, and then said slowly, "This is what happens when you stand in the wrong position."

Chen Wujun was immediately taken aback.

"Standing in the wrong position will only make you more tired!"

After resting for more than ten minutes, Chen Wujun was called up to practice standing meditation again, and Senior Brother Li corrected him once more.

Chen Wujun felt a little better this time. Although he was still tired, he was not in as much pain as before.

……

At noon, Chen Wujun felt as if his legs were filled with lead. When he saw Lin Zetao about to leave, he quickly took two steps forward, put his arm around Lin Zetao's shoulder, and led him out.

Lin Zetao subconsciously shrank his neck, then suddenly realized that he had arrived a month earlier than Chen Wujun, and that he was now a completely different person.

"Why are you walking so fast? Are you trying to avoid me?" Chen Wujun had most of his weight on Lin Zetao.

Chen Wujun pretended to be quite honest at home, but he was anything but honest outside.

In this walled city, if you're not fierce enough, you'll be bullied.

This applies even to children.

"What are you doing here?" Although Lin Zetao had just encouraged himself, he was still a little afraid of Chen Wujun, so he changed the subject.

"Sent from home... I didn't expect to see you here. Tell me, what's the deal with this martial arts school?" Chen Wujun inquired.

He wondered in his heart if he could get the money his father had paid back.

"I've been training here for a month. Our martial arts school is very powerful. Don't be fooled by the fact that it's an old style; it's very strong in actual combat. There are several other old-style martial arts schools in this city, and they all have to pay fees to He Tu and Li Dong. Only our school doesn't have to pay!" Lin Zetao said with some pride when talking about his martial arts school.

"However, the owner doesn't promote it, so most people don't know about this place!"

Lin Zetao's proud demeanor made it seem as if he had been training here for several years.

"Oh?"

Hearing this made Chen Wujun feel much less tired and his mood improved.

"Moreover, to master a new technique and make a name for yourself, you need to use Firefly Ointment... A small box costs 5000 yuan, and you need to use one box a month, and later you might even need two boxes a month..." Lin Zetao continued.

"You don't need this when practicing old techniques!"

This was something Chen Wujun was unaware of.

"How much is the tuition at our martial arts school?" Chen Wujun suddenly asked.

"You didn't know? It's 1500 a month."

Chen Wujun did the math in his head: the tuition for the martial arts school to learn the new technique was 3000 yuan, and he would need at least one box of ointment a month, which would add up to 8000 yuan.

His family's dental clinic only earns 5000 yuan a month, and 6000 yuan when business is good. They also have to support their family's food and drink, as well as their younger brother Chen Wuqi's schooling.

The old technique only costs 1500 per month.
He suddenly felt that learning old skills was a good idea.

"Atao, how long do we need to stand in this stance?" Chen Wujun asked.

“I have to stand for a long time. When I first entered the martial arts school, I stood in the charging stance for 17 days. Now I stand for half an hour every morning before practicing the Golden Rooster Stance and the Seven-Step Stance…”

"I heard that's already quite fast. Most people need to practice for four weeks before being taught other stance training. That's why there are so few people in the martial arts school; most of them can't endure it and leave..." Lin Zetao boasted.

“Our martial arts school is so amazing, let’s go celebrate. You pay.” Chen Wujun said with a quick glint in his eye.

"Huh? But I don't have any money!" Lin Zetao immediately deflated.

"Just kidding, you silly boy!" Chen Wujun patted Lin Zetao on the shoulder and laughed.

……

In the afternoon, while assisting at the dental clinic, he would stand on the training poles whenever he had free time, recalling the key points taught by his senior brother Li, carefully sensing the sensations in every part of his body, and correcting his movements.

"Power comes from the ground; your feet should be firmly planted on the earth, like an old tree taking root!"

"Imagine yourself facing a formidable enemy, with goosebumps all over your body..."

"His body is like a compressed spring, ready to pounce on his opponent at any moment..."

After all, he spent the money, so he has to get his money back.

The faster you practice this charging stance, the sooner Senior Brother Li will teach you other things.

(End of this chapter)