Chinese martial arts: From being shot and killed by the armed police during a mountain search to bec

Night, in the backyard wing room.

Chen Hongwu stood barefoot on the edge of the water vat, where a thin layer of oil made his feet slippery.

He wasn't hitting the sandbag; instead, he was walking in circles.

The circle walking technique in Baguazhang.

He spun left and right, his footwork flowing smoothly. With each step, his soles slid slightly across the oily noodles, but he could always adjust his center of gravity and steady himself in an instant.

It's not for practicing Bagua, but for practicing integrated strength.

Xingyi, Bagua, and Taiji are all based on the same principle. Xingyi is direct and forceful, Bagua is fluid and dynamic, and Taiji is gentle and yielding. But at a high level, all three involve the entire body's strength being twisted into one, so that every movement involves the entire body.

"The boxing manual says: Xingyi is like a steel bar, Bagua is like a steel wire, and Taiji is like a balloon." Chen Hongwu silently recited in his heart, "The steel bar goes straight and direct, the steel wire twists and turns, and the balloon is round and unobstructed. The three come from the same source and are all external manifestations of whole-body strength."

He walked along the edge of the vat for half an hour, his steps becoming more and more steady.

He was still slippery, but it no longer affected him. The moment his foot landed, his waist and hips automatically adjusted, and his center of gravity remained in the most stable position.

After walking around enough, he started practicing boxing.

Chopping Fist.

With a single palm strike, the air exploded.

It's not the strength of the arms, but the strength of the whole body. The feet push off the ground, the waist and hips twist, the spine springs forward, and the force originates from the soles of the feet, passes through the legs, waist, back, and shoulders, and is transmitted all the way to the palms.

"Bang!"

The crisp sound echoed in the night sky.

Bengquan (崩拳).

The fist strikes with the force of an arrow, striking straight out. The same unified power, the same crisp sound.

Drilling punch, cannon punch, horizontal punch—each punch was delivered with a resounding boom.

On the third time, Chen Hongwu suddenly sensed something.

The fist is still the same fist, the force is still the same force, but an inexplicable change has occurred.

All the joints, muscles, and bones in my body felt like they were connected by an invisible thread. Before, when I exerted force, there was a certain sluggishness, and I felt like some parts couldn't keep up.

there's no more.

When one thing moves, everything else moves; when one thing is still, everything else is still.

He recalled the words of his predecessors: "When you have mastered Ming Jin, all the strength in your body is twisted into one, and every movement is a unified force. When you throw a punch, it's not just the force of your arm, but the force of your whole body. This is not a technique, but a natural reaction of the body. Only when you reach this stage can you be considered to have entered the advanced level of Ming Jin."

Chen Hongwu retracted his fist and settled into a stance, exhaling a long breath of stale air.

That breath lingered and did not dissipate, drawing a white line of energy in the night sky, thicker, straighter, and farther than in the previous days.

"Mingjin Upper Level"

He looked down at his fist.

The skin on the fist was intact, without any damage. But if that punch had landed on a person, at least three bones would have been broken.

The difference between the upper level of Ming Jin and the initial stage of Ming Jin lies in the integrated strength.

In its early stages, the practitioner could generate power, but it wasn't pure. Six-tenths of the force in a punch came from the arm, and four-tenths from the body. It appeared powerful, but was actually weak and unreliable.

At the upper levels, it's the opposite. Four-tenths of the strength comes from the arms, six-tenths from the body, or even more. The power of the waist, hips, spine, shoulders, and back—the entire body's strength—converges at one point.

"Guo Yunshen, the master of Xingyi Quan, was invincible with his half-step Beng Quan. His Beng Quan was the ultimate expression of whole-body power. When he threw a punch, it wasn't just a fist, but the whole person crashing into it," Chen Hongwu muttered to himself.

He stood on the water tank for a while longer, then jumped down.

No practice tonight.

After achieving a breakthrough, the body needs to adapt to the new way of exerting force. Don't try to do too much at once; we'll talk about it tomorrow.

---

The next morning.

At the entrance of the Chen family compound, the caravan was ready to depart.

A dozen or so horse-drawn carriages were lined up, their goods securely bundled. More than twenty guards stood beside the carriages, all armed with short guns and sabers.

Liu Kun rode his black horse with his back straight, his eyes scanning the group.

Chen Hongwu walked over, with a bundle slung over his shoulder and a Browning jacket tucked into his waistband.

Chen Hongwen stood on the steps, dressed in a suit and wearing round-framed glasses, fanning himself with a folding fan. He smiled when he saw Chen Hongwu.

"Brother, this is the horse prepared for you." Chen Hongwen pointed to the side.

A chestnut horse, plump and strong, with a glossy mane.

But the horse was restless, pawing the ground with its front hooves, snorting heavily, and occasionally rearing up and neighing. The handler pulling the reins tightened his grip, sweat beading on his forehead.

A spirited horse.

Chen Hongwu glanced at Chen Hongwen.

Chen Hongwen explained with a smile, "Brother, don't misunderstand. This horse is the best rider in the caravan. Uncle Liu specially picked it out to match your status."

Chen Hongwu didn't speak, but walked to the front of the horse.

The horse sensed the stranger, suddenly turned its head, opened its mouth, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and lunged at Chen Hongwu.

Chen Hongwu turned his head to avoid it and reached out to press down on the horse's neck.

He didn't use much force; he just placed his hand on it.

The horse stiffened, as if something had pressed it down, its restless body suddenly becoming still. Its four hooves were firmly planted on the ground, and it remained motionless.

Chen Hongwu mounted his horse and sat steadily on its back.

The horse sensed someone on its back and began to struggle again. Its front hooves lifted off the ground, its hind legs pushed off the ground, and its whole body shook violently, trying to throw the person off its back.

Chen Hongwu remained completely still.

He gripped the horse's flanks tightly with his legs, his hips and waist naturally adjusting with the horse's swaying. He seemed to be permanently attached to the horse's back, remaining as steady as a rock no matter how much the horse jolted.

Squatting in a horse stance is like squatting out like a horse.

If you don't have a stable stance, you'll wobble while riding. Once you've mastered the stance, riding a horse will feel like standing on flat ground.

After struggling for a while, the horse gradually calmed down when it realized it couldn't shake off the person on its back. It lowered its head and stood obediently.

Chen Hongwen stood on the steps, his folding fan suspended in mid-air, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He gave this horse the fiercest in the caravan, one that had broken the bones of three of his men. He thought it would give his elder brother a hard time, but Chen Hongwu tamed it with ease.

"Brother, you're really skilled." Chen Hongwen smiled as he closed his folding fan. "It seems you've really made a name for yourself after practicing martial arts these past few months."

Chen Hongwu grunted in response but didn't reply.

Liu Kun, riding on his black horse, glanced at Chen Hongwu, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but said nothing.

"Let's go." Liu Kun cracked his whip.

The caravan slowly started moving, the wheels of the carriages rolling over the bluestone slabs, the rumbling sound echoing through the streets in the early morning.

Chen Hongwu, mounted on his horse, glanced back.

Chen Huaijin stood at the door, his hands behind his back.

Chen Hongxiu poked half her head out from behind the door and waved her hand vigorously.

Chen Hongwu turned his head, spurred his horse on, and caught up with the group.

---

Outside the city, at Shili Pavilion.

The official road begins to narrow here, with rolling hills on both sides, covered in lush trees.

More than twenty bandits lay in ambush in the dense woods beside the road.

The leader was a one-eyed, burly man with a face full of scars and a tuft of yellow beard on his chin. He had two pistols tucked into his waistband and a machete in his hand.

This group of people were originally mountain bandits who had been entrenched in the Meiguan area. Last month, their stronghold was wiped out by the Chen family in conjunction with the county's government troops. Some died, some were captured, and only these twenty-odd remnants escaped.

They hated the Chen family to the core.

"Brother, why hasn't the Chen family caravan arrived yet?" A skinny, monkey-like bandit asked in a low voice, lying in the grass.

The one-eyed giant glared at him: "Wait! What's the rush?"

Skinny Monkey shrank his neck and muttered, "Was that woman's information accurate? What if we've been squatting here for ages and she's already gone somewhere else?"

"Shut up!" the one-eyed man said in a low voice. "That woman's whole family is dead. If she dares to offend us again, isn't she afraid of getting shot? The Chen family caravan will definitely take this route today."

Another half hour passed.

The sun rose high overhead, and the mist in the forest dissipated.

Just as the thieves were getting impatient, the lookout slid down from the tree, his eyes gleaming, and ran over quickly.

"Big Brother! They're here! The Chen family caravan is coming this way!"

The one-eyed giant suddenly stood up and grabbed a machete.

"Brothers, grab your weapons!"

A rustling sound came from the bushes, and more than twenty bandits got up one after another, the sound of pulling the bolts of their guns rising and falling.

The one-eyed giant licked his lips, a fierce glint in his eyes.

"Not a single member of the Chen family will be spared."

He paused, then added, "Move all the goods away; burn what can't be moved."

The thieves nodded, their eyes filled with greed and hatred.

The one-eyed giant lay prone at the edge of the bushes, peering through the gaps in the trees toward the official road.

In the distance, smoke and dust began to rise.

The Chen family caravan slowly approached.

Leading the procession were several mounted guards, followed by a dozen or so carriages. The carriages bore the Chen family's banners, which fluttered in the wind.

The one-eyed giant squinted his single eye, his gaze sweeping across the ranks before settling on the middle section.

A young man riding a chestnut horse stood upright with a composed demeanor.

The one-eyed man didn't recognize this person.

But no matter who it is, they will all die today.

"On my command," the one-eyed giant said in a low voice, "Get close before you fire, don't waste bullets."