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

Abandoned yarn factory in the suburbs.

As soon as it was light, people within a three-mile radius heard the explosion from the previous night.

The bold ones would sneak out before dawn to investigate, while the timid ones would wait until the rooster crowed before venturing out.

By the time the sun reached the treetops, over a hundred people had gathered outside the yarn factory.

The front half of the factory gate was blown away by the blast wave and stuck crookedly in the muddy ground by the roadside, like a tombstone covered in rust.

A few wisps of black smoke billowed out from behind the broken wall, carrying the smell of burnt flesh, which choked several women and made them gag on the spot.

"People are dead! So many people are dead!" A bald, teenager ran out of the factory, his face pale, shouting as he ran, one of his shoes missing.

The two police officers stood on the perimeter, grimacing, neither daring to persuade the crowd to disperse nor daring to go in.

Patrolman Huang Daya arrived half an hour ago, glanced inside once, and then leaned against the wall and vomited half a bagful.

Dismembered bodies, all dismembered bodies!

Some were wearing Japanese military uniforms, some were torn in two, some had their heads embedded in iron-cased machine guns, and one had a lone arm hanging from a broken chimney, swaying in the wind like a summoning banner.

Two reporters from the Shenbao newspaper squatted against the wall, one holding a notebook and the other a camera.

The spotlight flashed, white smoke billowed up, and several onlookers cried out and backed away.

The person holding the camera said, "Have you taken enough pictures? Go back in and take a couple more. When the security team comes, they won't let you take a single picture."

The reporter didn't even look up: "You take your pictures, I'll write mine."

After discussing it for a while, the two ventured deeper into the factory area, even picking up two burnt-out shell casings and stuffing them into their pockets.

Three poles in the sun.

Chen Hongwu had been standing on the blue brick ground in the backyard of the Central Martial Arts Academy for almost half an hour.

He was barefoot, his toes gripping the ground, his legs slightly bent, his knees touching, and his crotch empty like a bridge.

The left and right arms are no higher than the chest and no lower than the abdomen, embracing each other like a ring, one in front and one behind.

This posture is the "Tortoise and Snake Entangling Posture" from the "True Explanation of Xuanwu".

When standing in this stance, visualize a tortoise and a snake intertwined in the dantian.

The tortoise sits motionless in the center of the dantian, its energy as deep as a mountain; the snake coils around the tortoise's body, head to tail, in an endless cycle.

The practitioner closes their eyes and introspects, achieving a unity of mind and spirit, and a fusion of yin and yang.

Outwardly, it displays the stillness of a tortoise; inwardly, it moves like the movement of a snake. The body remains still, yet the vital energy and blood surge like a river, and the nine vertebrae of the spine move like an undercurrent.

Chen Hongwu held his head with his Baihui acupoint pointing upwards, his tongue touching the upper palate, his chin slightly tucked in, and his eyes half-closed, seemingly looking but not really looking.

His breathing was extremely slow, so slow that his chest barely rose or fell.

However, if you listen closely at close range, you can hear a very light and deep surging sound coming from his body every ten breaths or so, like water churning in a deep well, almost imperceptible.

The boxing manual says: "The tortoise hides and the snake coils, the dantian is like an abyss. Outwardly show stillness while inwardly circulate; if you grasp this meaning, all joints will be connected."

Suddenly, he started spinning his left palm.

This turn was extremely light and slow, as if the palm was holding an invisible mercury, which flipped up from the front of the abdomen and slowly passed through the midline.

With three rotations of the wrist, without swaying the shoulder or moving the elbow, the artist drew a circular arc connecting heaven and earth using only the subtle undulations between the base of the palm and the knuckles.

Then, he moved his feet, as if stepping on two live snakes, sliding an inch and then half an inch across the ground at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye.

With each gliding motion, the entire spine seems to be pulled upwards by invisible threads, starting from the coccyx, one segment at a time, two segments at a time, like a dragon raising its head.

His muscles and bones were relaxed like cotton, while his skin and fur were completely loosened.

The wind swept through the courtyard and through the moon gate, causing a slight tremor to rise on his skin, as if a thousand eyes were opening simultaneously in the wind.

Pores become like eyes, skin listens to the wind.

This is no longer a simple application of internal force, but rather a transformation of force that has reached the point of "the whole body is transparent and the mind is like a pearl."

The longer he stood, the more harmonious his rounded and rounded aura became.

Liu Baichuan stood under the west corridor, completely absorbed in watching.

"Outwardly still, inwardly dynamic; combining strength and gentleness." Liu Baichuan lowered his voice, his eyes shining.

Hu Baoyi swallowed a mouthful of porridge: "The boxing manual says, 'In stillness, movement is still movement; not even a feather can be added, not even a fly can land.'"

I think if Master Chen keeps standing there any longer, even the wind in the yard won't dare to blow on him.

Xuanzhenzi sat cross-legged on the eastern steps, squinting his eyes, and after a long while said, "He has transformed the 'roundness' of the elixir he took last night into his cultivation."

"After a little more polishing, it will truly become a round lump."

When Chen Shi woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

He was weak, but he still managed to drag himself out of the side room.

Chen Hongwen was outside counting the wound medicine that had been brought in the night before. When he saw him come out, he hurriedly said, "Why are you out of bed? Your brother told you to stay in bed."

Chen Shi shook his head, walked three feet behind Chen Hongwu, and stood still with his hands at his sides.

After Chen Hongwu finished practicing his stance, he finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse: "Master, I... I've held you back."

Chen Hongwu turned around, glanced at him, and said, "Nothing of the sort. Don't overthink it. Take good care of yourself, improve your kung fu, and we'll settle our scores and get revenge later."

Chen Shi felt a lump in his throat and lowered his head even further.

"Your body is still too weak to practice martial arts. There's some medicinal food brewed in the kitchen. Go drink it first, rest for a few days, and come back to practice the Great Sage Stance once your Qi and blood are balanced." Chen Hongwu looked at him, his voice calm and steady.

Chen Shi gritted his teeth, nodded, and turned to go to the kitchen.

After Chen Shi left, Chen Hongwu sat down in the corridor.

Chen Hongwen handed over a bowl of warm tea and placed several newspapers he had just bought on the table.

"Brother, what happened last night has been reported in the newspapers," Chen Hongwen said in a low voice. "Both the Shen Bao and the Shi Bao published it, but they only said that 'an unexplained fire broke out in an abandoned textile factory in the suburbs, and dozens of Japanese people died tragically,' without mentioning anything else."

Chen Hongwu flipped through two versions and then said, "Let them make up whatever they want. As long as it doesn't involve my museum, I'll save myself the trouble."

Chen Hongwen said, "Yes. But this is good too. It saves Lu Yongxiang some trouble, and the Public Works Bureau is happy to pretend they don't see it."

Chen Hongwu nodded: "What about the Manchu queue? Have you checked it?"

Chen Hongwen shook his head: "You asked Young Master Lu to investigate the remnants of the old regime, but only one night has passed. How could it be so fast?"

Those old folks didn't own many properties in Shanghai to begin with, and even though the Qing Dynasty had been gone for eight or nine years, they were still hiding them and refusing to let them see the light of day.

Young Master Lu relayed a message: "To take action against them, we must dig deep; we cannot rush it."

Chen Hongwu did not respond.

Chen Hongwen sighed and said, "The Japanese have really suffered a major blow this time. The Black Dragon Society in Shanghai, which is now only in name, is practically defunct."

The consulate is in a hurry to recall military officers from various regions; they probably won't dare to seek revenge again anytime soon.

Chen Hongwu gently set down his teacup and said, "The Japanese have never focused on Shanghai."

Chen Hongwen was taken aback: "Where is it?"

"Outside the pass," Chen Hongwu said.

northeast.

Chen Hongwu knew better than anyone that the Japanese had already extended their reach, first establishing a foothold in Northeast China, and then gradually swallowing up half of China.

Shanghai is now nothing more than a pawn set up in the concessions, a mere pawn that has crossed the river. Killing or removing it will not shake their foundation.

"This sore that grew on the bone isn't in Shanghai," Chen Hongwu said slowly, "but for now, we haven't reached that point yet."