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

Bullets came flying in one after another.

Chen Hongwu lay prone behind a rock, his ears listening for the direction of the gunshots. The man on the ridge was reloading quickly and his marksmanship was excellent; every shot was aimed at his vitals.

But at a distance of over a hundred paces, it would take time for the bullet to fly over, giving him enough time to react.

He is not someone who cowers and takes all the beatings.

In the brief lull of gunfire, Chen Hongwu emerged from behind the rock. He didn't charge in a straight line, but instead moved in a zigzag pattern, his body shifting left and right. The Bagua footwork is used for traversing flat ground and for dodging on hillsides. Each step landed with a twist, changing direction while simultaneously accumulating power.

When he cultivates his internal strength to the point of reaching the skin membrane, his perception becomes several times more acute than that of an ordinary person.

The sound of the bullet cutting through the air was a clear trajectory to him; he could even tell whether the bullet veered to the left or right.

The third shot grazed his shoulder, tearing a hole in his jacket.

The fourth shot hit the soil a step behind him, sending mud flying.

Chen Hongwu's speed increased rapidly. His spine swung, his center of gravity lowered, his body hair stood on end, his abdomen tightened like steel, and a layer of fine goosebumps rose on his skin. He resembled a wolf hunting its prey in the wild, relentlessly pursuing its target, drawing ever closer.

The man on the ridge finally panicked.

He fired a shot, didn't even check if it hit, and turned to run. He ran so frantically that he almost dropped the gun.

Chen Hongwu sneered and moved with lightning speed.

A hundred paces was nothing more than a dozen seconds for him. The man ran into a depression, crisscrossed with trenches, remnants of old battle trenches.

Chen Hongwu chased the man to the edge of the trench, where the man suddenly stopped and turned around.

He saw the other person's face.

Police station, Captain Ma.

Chen Hongwu's heart skipped a beat.

Captain Ma grinned at him, his smile full of smugness.

The next instant, guns emerged from the trench behind Captain Ma. A dozen, no, more than twenty, a dark mass of gun barrels aimed at Chen Hongwu.

"Clap clap clap clap—"

Flames spewed out, and bullets whistled through the air.

Chen Hongwu moved the instant the gun fired. Instead of turning around, he lunged to the side, pushing off the ground with both legs and shooting backward like an arrow.

But more than twenty guns opened fire at the same time, and a hail of bullets covered the entire area.

Two bullets struck his left arm, and one grazed his ribs. Blood splattered on his short jacket, and the pain burned like a branding iron into his flesh.

Chen Hongwu gritted his teeth and exerted his strength again the instant he landed, rushing towards the deep pool below the trench.

Gunshots rang out behind him, and dirt and gravel chased after his heels.

Ahead lay a precipice, below which lay a deep pool, its surface shimmering with an eerie light. Without hesitation, Chen Hongwu leaped in.

"thump!"

The icy pool water submerged his body, and blood gushed from the wound, forming a dark red stain on the surface of the pool.

Captain Ma led his men to the edge of the cliff and fired another round into the pool. The bullets pierced the water, creating a series of bubbles.

After firing more than a dozen shots, the water gradually calmed down.

"Captain, should we fish it out or not?" a police officer asked.

Captain Ma stared at the surface of the pool for a long time, but only blood was spreading on the water; no human figure appeared. He frowned, then waved his hand and said, "Keep watch until nightfall."

The police officers dispersed and guarded the area around the pool. Captain Ma sat on the edge of the cliff, lit a cigarette, and kept his eyes fixed on the water.

The sun moved from the east to its zenith, then slid back to the west. The surface of the pool remained calm; the pool of blood was washed away by the current and gradually faded.

It was completely dark.

Captain Ma stubbed out his cigarette and stood up: "Dismissed."

A police officer approached him: "Captain, could that kid still be alive?"

Captain Ma glanced at him: "With over twenty guns firing simultaneously, even a god couldn't escape death. He was shot several times and then jumped into the pool. Even if he didn't die then, he would have drowned after soaking in it for so long."

The officers nodded in agreement and followed Captain Ma away.

The footsteps faded into the distance, and the forest returned to silence.

The pool water was as black as ink, with only the moonlight shattering into a silvery white on its surface.

---

Sanhai County, the county magistrate's residence.

Captain Ma changed into clean clothes and stood in the main hall, bowing slightly. Sitting in the hall was Magistrate Wang Yucheng, a man in his forties with a fair complexion and a light beard, wearing a dark blue long gown and holding two walnuts in his hand.

"Dead?" Wang Yucheng asked.

Captain Ma nodded: "More than twenty guns fired simultaneously. That kid was hit at least three times, jumped into the deep pool, and never came up again. I led my men to keep watch until dark, and only returned after confirming there was no further movement."

Wang Yucheng was silent for a moment, then waved his hand: "Go and collect your reward."

Captain Ma responded and left.

Wang Yucheng leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest. At that moment, a young man in his early twenties emerged from behind the screen. He was wearing a Western-style shirt and had his hair slicked back. He was Wang Yucheng's only son, Wang Zhiyuan.

"Father, is Chen Hongwu really dead?" Wang Zhiyuan asked.

Wang Yucheng opened his eyes, glanced at his son, and said, "Captain Ma is a cautious man. If he says someone is dead, then it's most likely true."

Wang Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "That's good. Wanqing will definitely be happy to know this."

Wang Yucheng gave him a cold look: "You think I did this for that woman?"

Wang Zhiyuan was taken aback: "Isn't that right? Chen Hongwu was Wanqing's former fiancé. As long as he exists, he's slapping me in the face. And on the day the engagement was broken off, he humiliated Wanqing like that."

Wang Yucheng slammed the walnuts on the table, his voice turning cold: "You're a fool. She's just a woman. Once you have power, countless women like her will be throwing themselves at you every day."

Wang Zhiyuan muttered, "You're so decisive and ruthless, and you hold great power, but I've never seen you dare to find a woman behind your mother's back."

"You—" Wang Yucheng slammed his hand on the table in anger, taking a couple of breaths to calm himself down.

He stood up and paced back and forth.

"Guangdong may seem calm on the surface now, but undercurrents are surging. Those Cantonese people have always been dissatisfied with us Guangxi people and have been secretly plotting a rebellion, colluding with Chen Jiongming, who is far away in Zhangzhou. A major war will break out sooner or later."

Wang Zhiyuan suppressed his smile and listened attentively.

Wang Yucheng continued, "When a major war breaks out, we need manpower and weapons. Where will the money come from? The fastest way is to plunder the local wealthy households."

He paused for a moment: "The Chen family has deep roots in Sanhai County, and I had my eye on them before I took office. I first used the pretext of suppressing bandits to gain Chen Huaijin's trust and used his money and supplies to support my forces. Originally, it would have taken some time to slowly erode the Chen family's assets. Unexpectedly, those two mountain demons suddenly appeared and decimated the Chen family's guards, which accelerated my plan."

Wang Zhiyuan suddenly realized: "Did Father use someone else to do the dirty work?"

"Using someone else to do the dirty work is the first step." A cold glint flashed in Wang Yucheng's eyes. "The Chen family's guard is gone, the trade routes are cut off, and their business has collapsed by more than half. Now, as long as we eliminate Chen Hongwu, this variable, the Chen family will be like meat on a chopping board, at my mercy."

"That kid Chen Hongwu, I don't know what kind of freak he is. He's only been practicing martial arts for a few months, and he already has such skills. If I don't get rid of him soon, he'll be a major obstacle for me to take over the Chen family sooner or later."

Wang Zhiyuan quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Father is brilliant!"

Wang Yucheng waved his hand: "Alright, go down. Stay home these next few days and don't go around causing a scene."

Wang Zhiyuan responded and left.

Wang Yucheng was the only one left in the lobby. He sat back down in his chair, picked up the two walnuts, and slowly began to rub them.

The moonlight shone in through the window, casting a very long shadow on him.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

The Chen family, it will be your turn soon.