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

Gongshanxiao slapped Chen Hongwu, sending him flying. Chen crashed into a pine tree, rolled twice on the ground, and finally stopped.

Chen Hongwu rolled over and stood up, shaking his numb arms. The bleeding from his tiger's mouth had stopped. When one's internal strength is cultivated to the skin membrane level, wounds heal several times faster than those of an ordinary person.

The male mandrill did not pursue; it stood before the female mandrill like a wall. Its eerie green eyes stared at Chen Hongwu, and a low growl escaped its throat.

Chen Hongwu took a deep breath, his heartbeat returning to normal, and his gaze swept between the two mandrills.

"Young Master!" a guard's voice called from below the hillside, "Should we fire?"

Chen Hongwu didn't even turn his head: "Don't move."

The two were locked in combat, and bullets, indiscriminate in their aim, would miss the mandrill and instead injure him.

Besides, the mandrill has thick hide and flesh, so ordinary rifle bullets might not be able to cause fatal wounds. Once it is angered, the caravan's small number of people will not be enough for it to kill.

The deputy leader was a seasoned veteran in his forties, surnamed Zhou. He had traveled all over the country for over a decade and had seen a lot of the world. He ran up the hillside with his gun, and when he saw the two mandrills, his face paled for a moment, but he steadied himself and shouted to Chen Hongwu, "Young Master, let's go together!"

"You all go first," Chen Hongwu said. "I'll cover the rear."

Team leader Zhou hesitated.

Chen Hongwu turned and glanced at him, his gaze icy, his voice low but carrying an undeniable air of authority: "Go."

Team leader Zhou said no more, turned around and went down the mountain, urging the guards to drive the carriage along the official road.

The carriage wheels started turning again and gradually disappeared into the distance.

Chen Hongwu stood alone on the hillside, facing two mountain demons.

Gongshanxiao watched the caravan leave without giving chase.

With Chen Hongwu around, they couldn't get past him.

Chen Hongwu stretched his shoulders and assumed the Three-Body Stance.

The front hand is slightly raised, the back hand is placed under the ribs, the weight is on the back foot, and the body is like a fully drawn bow.

The mountain demon moved.

This time, it didn't charge in recklessly, but approached slowly, observing Chen Hongwu's reaction with each step.

This beast is much smarter than a human.

Chen Hongwu moved his feet slightly, unleashing the Bagua Steps, and circled around Gongshanxiao. His footwork followed arcs and sideways, always keeping himself to the side of Gongshanxiao.

The mountain demon followed him around, and the two faced off for more than a dozen breaths.

Suddenly, the mountain goblin feinted with its left claw while its right claw lashed out from below.

Chen Hongwu ducked to avoid the attack, then countered with a tiger-shaped chopping punch, striking Gongshanxiao's forearm.

"Bang!"

Gongshanxiao's arm merely swayed, yet Chen Hongwu was thrown back two steps by the recoil.

The difference in strength is too great.

Chen Hongwu changed his strategy, abandoning direct confrontation. He employed a serpentine, drilling fist technique, attacking from one spot to the next, like a venomous snake circling its prey. Gongshanxiao, despite his brute strength, could never land a hit on him.

After fighting for a while, Chen Hongwu suddenly had an epiphany.

While the mandrill's movements are powerful, they lack variation. Its attack routes are straight and do not curve. In contrast, its own serpentine form, with arms like a snake's body and fists like a snake's head, can curve and change direction in mid-air.

Isn't this the principle behind the monkey's form?

The boxing manual says: "The monkey's form is light and agile, and its footwork is ever-changing. It moves like a monkey, advancing by shrinking its body and retreating by leaping."

The essence of the monkey form lies not in strength, but in adaptability. A monkey's strength is far inferior to that of a tiger, but a monkey is agile, able to leap and dodge among branches, leaving the tiger helpless.

Chen Hongwu's footwork began to change; it was no longer a simple Bagua circle walk, but incorporated monkey-like leaps and bounds.

He shrank back, shrinking half a head, and slipped under the mountain demon's armpit. The mountain demon missed its target, and Chen Hongwu was already behind it, delivering a powerful punch to its lower back.

It let out a painful roar, turned around abruptly, and Chen Hongwu jumped away again.

One after another, like a monkey teasing a tiger.

Gongshanxiao's attacks grew increasingly fierce, while Chen Hongwu's stamina was waning. After unleashing over twenty consecutive attacks of internal force, his heart began to race, and his breathing became heavier.

The mountain demon was also in bad shape, with seven or eight bloody holes on its body, black blood staining half of its body red, and its movements slowed down.

It suddenly stopped attacking, took a few steps back, and stood in front of the mother mandrill, panting heavily.

Chen Hongwu also stopped.

The two stared at each other for a moment.

The male mandrill lowered its head and nudged the female mandrill with its head. The female mandrill struggled to her feet and limped deeper into the forest. The male mandrill followed behind, and after a few steps, glanced back at Chen Hongwu.

It's as if it's saying—that's all for today.

The two mandrills disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

Chen Hongwu stood there and exhaled a long breath.

His short jacket was torn in several places, and there were a few bloody marks on his arms, but they were all superficial injuries. He moved his shoulder, and the bones cracked, indicating that he was not seriously hurt.

The tiger form is fierce, the snake form is unpredictable, and the monkey form is agile. Each of these three forms has its own use.

Just as he was about to sit down to rest, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Danger!

"Whoosh!"

A bullet flew from a distance, grazing his earlobe, lifting a strand of hair, and embedding itself in the tree trunk behind him, sending splinters flying.

Chen Hongwu suddenly ducked and rolled behind a large rock.

There's a gunman!

He hid behind a rock, holding his breath, his ears twitching slightly as he tried to catch any sounds around him.

In the distance, on the mountain ridge, a figure moved quickly.