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

"Then kill him."

The moment Chen Hongwu uttered those words, the air in the hall seemed to freeze.

The teacup in Chen Huaijin's hand froze in mid-air, and Chen Hongwen stopped waving his folding fan. The father and son both looked at Chen Hongwu as if they were seeing him for the first time.

"Nonsense!" Chen Huaijin slammed down his teacup, his face ashen. "Don't think that just because you've practiced martial arts for a few days and gained some skill, you can act recklessly!"

Chen Hongwu's expression remained unchanged.

"Do you know anything about the new county magistrate's background?" Chen Huaijin took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. "His surname is Wang, his given name is Yucheng, and he's from the Guangxi clique. His wife is a relative of Mo Laohu, and he himself has extensive connections. Otherwise, do you think I wouldn't want to get rid of him?"

Mo Laohu.

Mo Rongxin.

The name came to Chen Hongwu's mind: an important general of the Guangxi clique who had succeeded Chen Bingkun as the military governor of Guangdong two years earlier.

In Guangdong today, Mo Rongxin is a true regional warlord, wielding considerable military power, and even the provincial governor has to defer to him.

But Chen Hongwu knew something else.

He had studied history in his previous life, and in another year, Chen Jiongming would lead the Guangdong army to drive out Mo Rongxin.

After the two subsequent Guangdong-Guangxi wars, the entire Guangxi clique was decimated.

At this moment, Mo Laohu appeared majestic and imposing, but in reality, he was just a skeleton in a tomb and nothing to fear.

But he couldn't say these things to Chen Huaijin.

"Understood." Chen Hongwu nodded and said nothing more.

Seeing that he was no longer insisting, Chen Huaijin breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand: "Go back and rest. I know what I'm doing with the Xu family's affairs."

Chen Hongwu rose to take his leave.

As he stepped out of the main hall, the moonlight was bright. He stood in the courtyard, gazing at the full moon on the horizon, his eyes sparkling.

Wang Yucheng.

If pushed too far, he wouldn't mind getting his hands dirty with blood.

---

In the days that followed, Chen Hongwu spent his days either watching cats and snakes fight or petting cats.

After its battle with the green snake, the tabby cat seemed to have decided that Chen Hongwu was its "spectator." Every time Chen Hongwu went to the backyard to practice his martial arts, it would lie on the wall and squint at him.

Chen Hongwu walked over, picked it up, and stroked its fur.

The cat purred softly, a low, continuous sound. Chen Hongwu closed his eyes, feeling the vibrations in the cat's chest.

The essence of Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound lies in this "snoring".

Although cats are small in size, their vocalizations are exactly the same as those of tigers and leopards. Their bones and muscles resonate, their fur coordinates with their breath, and every movement is methodical.

Chen Hongwu placed his hand on the cat's back, feeling the subtle vibrations. Then he stood up in the Three-Body Stance, pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, relaxed his throat, and let his breath sink down.

"Buzz—"

The sound came from his chest, deeper and more powerful than a cat's purr. The tabby cat on the wall pricked up its ears, tilted its head, and looked at him, seemingly not understanding why this two-legged creature would make a sound like its own kind.

Chen Hongwu stood there for fifteen minutes before putting away the stake.

My lower abdomen felt warm, my back was sweating, and my bones felt like they had been soaked in warm water.

He glanced at the cat on the wall, and the cat looked back at him.

"Thanks," Chen Hongwu said.

The cat licked its paws, jumped off the wall, and disappeared into the night.

---

The only thing that troubled Chen Hongwu was that the guards in his mansion no longer met the standards for his sparring partners.

After mastering the initial stages of internal strength, he could easily send people flying with a single touch. The guards couldn't even withstand a single move from him. Zhao Hu and his gang now avoid Chen Hongwu at all costs, fearing they'll be called upon to "fight" him.

Chen Hongwu had no choice but to leave the city.

He wanted to challenge that mandrill to a duel.

After several encounters, he had figured out the beast's tactics. It was incredibly strong and had thick skin, but its moves were crude and relied entirely on instinct.

In their last encounter, he was already able to suppress his opponent.

He was confident he could keep the mandrill if he fought it again.

But the mandrill seems to have learned its lesson.

Chen Hongwu searched the mountains and forests outside the city for several days, turning the whole place upside down, but he couldn't find a single trace of it. That beast had become intelligent and knew it couldn't gain any advantage, so it deliberately avoided him.

Chen Hongwu stood on the hilltop, gazing at the vast sea of ​​forest, feeling somewhat helpless.

How can you improve your kung fu if you can't find an opponent?

---

That evening, Chen Hongwu came to the front hall.

Chen Huaijin was frowning at the account books. A thick stack of letters was piled on the table, all from shops in various places. Trade routes were blocked, goods were piling up, cash flow was tight, and everyone was pressing for payment.

"Father." Chen Hongwu walked in.

Chen Huaijin looked up at him and sighed, "What is it?"

"I can escort the caravan all the way out of Sanhai County," Chen Hongwu said.

Chen Huaijin hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "No. That beast has its eye on us. If you go out alone, what if—"

"It can't beat me," Chen Hongwu interrupted him.

Chen Huaijin opened his mouth, about to scold him for being ridiculous, but then remembered Chen Hongwu's several solid achievements and shut his mouth.

However, in both encounters, Chen Hongwu seemed to be able to protect himself more than enough; it would be difficult for him to protect the others!

"Are you sure?" Chen Huaijin stared at him.

Chen Hongwu did not answer.

He walked into the courtyard, looked around, and chose the pair of stone lions at the entrance.

The stone lion on the left must weigh at least 300 pounds.

Chen Hongwu walked over, squatted down, and supported the base of the stone lion with both hands. He lowered his waist and hips, straightened his spine, and took a deep breath.

Up!

He lifted the 300-pound stone lion above his head, and it remained perfectly still.

Chen Huaijin chased after them from the hall and, upon seeing this scene, his mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg.

Chen Hongwu carried the stone lion and walked around the courtyard three times. His steps were steady, and he landed silently. Then he gently put the stone lion down, leaving not even a dent in the ground.

"What kind of kung fu is this?" Chen Huaijin's voice was a little unsteady.

Chen Hongwu dusted off his hands. "He lifts heavy objects with ease, his strength flows through his body. A 300-pound stone lion is no different from a 30-pound one in my hands."

A stone lion weighing 300 jin (approximately 150 kg) can be lifted by a master of Ming Jin (a type of martial arts), but the lion's steps will become heavy and the ground will crack.

That's brute force.

The hidden force is different; as the force penetrates the stone lion, it also benefits itself, neutralizing its weight.

Although Chen Huaijin was not a martial artist, he was not stupid. He understood what this meant—Hongwu's kung fu had reached a level he could not even imagine.

"And then there's more," Chen Hongwu said.

He walked to the courtyard wall, faced the blue brick wall, and took a deep breath.

Bengquan (崩拳).

Half-step Crushing Fist.

With a twist of the waist and hips and a spring-like motion of the spine, all the strength of the body is concentrated at one point and strikes the blue brick wall.

"Bang!"

After a dull thud, a hole the size of a fist appeared in the brick wall.

Chen Huaijin walked to the wall and reached out to touch the hole.

The brick wall was a foot thick; a fist punched through it, but Chen Hongwu's fist didn't even turn red.

"This is... a brick wall a foot thick?" Chen Huaijin's voice trembled.

"One and a half feet," Chen Hongwu corrected.

Chen Huaijin remained silent for a long time.

He recalled that just a few months ago, Chen Hongwu was a spoiled brat who couldn't even kill a chicken. Now, this son of his could lift a 300-pound stone lion and punch through a brick wall that was a foot and a half thick.

Is this even human?

"How does that mandrill compare to you?" Chen Huaijin asked.

Chen Hongwu thought for a moment: "It has thick skin and great strength. But I am a human, and it is just a beast. Humans have wisdom, while beasts only have instincts."

He paused, then added, "I had the upper hand in our last encounter. Next time, I can kill it."

Chen Huaijin took a deep breath and finally nodded.

"Alright! I'll send someone to organize a caravan, and you'll escort them out. Once you're out of Sanhai County, deliver the goods to the next buyer and then come back."

"Okay," Chen Hongwu said.

Chen Huaijin returned to the front hall, picked up a pen, and began to write a letter.

Gather manpower, allocate goods, and arrange routes.

The Chen family has been operating in Sanhai County for decades, so they have a solid foundation.

Chen Hongwu stood in the courtyard, stroking the fur on the back of the tabby cat.

The cat purrs.

He also made a "snoring" sound.

Humans and cats resonate, tigers and leopards roar.

The cat on the wall jumped down and rubbed against his leg.

Chen Hongwu looked down at it and suddenly smiled.

"I'll learn from you when I get back."