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

In the stillness of the night, ripples suddenly appeared on the river. With a splash and a sudden roar, a figure emerged from the water—it was Chen Hongwu.

That deep pool connected to an underground river. After falling into the water, he followed the underground current and swam underwater. He didn't know how long it had been before he finally surfaced from the great river.

He swam to the shore, climbed onto a large rock, lay down on his back, and gasped for breath.

Two bullet holes in his left arm, and a graze to his ribs. The bullets are still lodged in the flesh, the wounds are soaked in water, and the skin is white, but there is no inflammation.

When internal strength is cultivated to the skin membrane, blood and qi become abundant, wounds heal quickly, and even bacteria have difficulty growing.

Chen Hongwu sat up, took a deep breath, and focused his mind on his body.

He could feel the location of the two bullets in his left arm muscles, one deep in the biceps and the other near the ulna. The abrasions on his ribs were shallow, just flesh wounds.

He extended his right hand, his index finger pressing against the edge of the bullet hole in his left arm. With a sudden burst of internal force, his muscles contracted and writhed violently, as if an invisible hand were churning within them. The bullet was pushed by the muscles, moving outward little by little.

Sweat dripped down his forehead, and it hurt, but he didn't even flinch.

Healing with subtle force is like guiding qi with a needle. Use intention to guide the force, and use the force to drive the blood. Where qi and blood flow, no disease will arise.

The first bullet was squeezed out of the wound and fell onto the rock with a "thud." The second one followed closely behind. Chen Hongwu washed the wound with spring water, and then found some herbs on the bank, chewed them up, and applied them to the wound.

Most people in the ancient martial arts world also knew some medical skills.

Those who engage in constant martial arts competitions are bound to suffer injuries. Accumulated injuries over time can lead to death or permanent disability.

Huang Feihong primarily practiced medicine, while martial arts became a secondary occupation. His medical records contain a wide variety of injuries, including gunshot wounds, knife wounds, and sprains.

This master was not only highly skilled in martial arts but also in medicine, making him a master of both.

In his previous life, Chen Hongwu was in prison when that senior taught him many remedies for injuries and acupuncture techniques.

Unfortunately, we don't have silver needles right now, so we can only use internal force as a substitute. The principle of internal force healing is the same as acupuncture—using qi to guide blood and unblock the meridians. But internal force is more direct than acupuncture; wherever the force goes, qi and blood follow, and it can heal both internal and external injuries.

He did not return to the Chen family.

He was ambushed by Captain Ma of the police station. He would never believe that the county magistrate had authorized him.

Being severely injured at this moment, returning rashly would only alert the enemy. If the enemy were to send dozens more gunmen to surround the Chen family, he would have no chance of escape, no matter how fast he flew.

Chen Hongwu fled into the mountains and found a secluded cave.

The cave wasn't deep, but it was dry and sheltered from the wind, with a thick layer of dead leaves covering the ground.

He settled down.

They hunted for food every day, and when they had no fire, they would rub wood together to make fire.

Two dry wooden sticks, a wooden board, hands quickly rubbing together, the drill bit generating heat, smoke, and fire—all in one smooth motion. The roasted rabbit and pheasant, though without seasoning, were prized for their freshness.

When thirsty, drink mountain spring water; scoop a handful from the rock face—it's clear, cool, and sweet.

Seven days passed like this.

For seven days, he practiced standing meditation to cultivate his inner energy and used subtle techniques to unblock the meridians at the wound site.

The wound healed from the outside in, first forming a scab, then the scab fell off, and new flesh grew out, a tender, pink layer. By the fifth day, I could already exert force on my arm. By the seventh day, only two faint red marks remained from the wound.

Because of his injuries, he couldn't perform large, sweeping movements. So he practiced martial arts within a limited space.

Standing in the Three-Body Stance, practicing the Five Elements Fist techniques—splitting, drilling, collapsing, and horizontal—one move after another, the body maneuvering within a confined space without ever touching the rock wall. This training method is even more difficult than in a martial arts hall. The smaller the space, the higher the demands on footwork.

On the morning of the seventh day, Chen Hongwu walked out of the cave and practiced a complete set of Xingyi Quan in a clearing in the forest.

Tiger-style chopping fist, roaring like a tiger shaking the forest. Snake-style drilling fist, hissing like the wind. Monkey-style leaping, light and agile as an ape. Dragon-style swimming body, winding like a dragon.

When he got really into the swing of things, his body seemed to transform into a dragon, with his spine like a dragon's body and his arms like dragon's claws, each punch carrying a twisting and turning force.

The boxing manual says: "The dragon form is the supreme form of Xingyi. Training the spine is like training a dragon. When the spine is flexible, the body is flexible, and when the body is flexible, power reaches the four extremities."

The Dragon Form trains the spine, which has thirty-three vertebrae, each of which is a point of transmission for power.

The essence of the Dragon Form is to train the entire spine to be flexible, like a dragon, able to bend, stretch, twist, and turn. Chen Hongwu had previously grasped the essence of the Tiger Form and the Snake Form in the Cat-Snake Fight, and now he has unknowingly entered the Dragon Form as well.

After finishing his punch, he stopped and let out a long breath.

The breath lingered, drawing a straight white line in the air, like an arrow, and remained there for a long time. This is a sign of abundant qi and blood, and strong lungs and internal organs.

The injury has healed.

Just then, a roar suddenly echoed from the forest. Deep, drawn-out…

Chen Hongwu's ears twitched; it was the sound of the female mandrill.

A slight smile played on his lips as he followed the sound.

Deep in the dense forest, the female mandrill leaned against a large tree, her wounds still healing, scabs showing through her black fur. The male mandrill stood beside her, his ears perked up alertly.

Upon seeing Chen Hongwu, the male mandrill let out a low growl, pawing at the ground with its front paws as it protected its mother.

Chen Hongwu showed no hostility; he simply stood at a distance, assuming a three-body stance.

The mountain demon seemed to understand something, hesitated for a moment, and finally stepped forward.

The man and the beast faced off in the forest for a moment, then moved at the same time.

Chen Hongwu used only overt force, not covert force, to exchange blows with Gongshanxiao. Gongshanxiao was incredibly strong, each claw carrying the force of a thousand pounds. Chen Hongwu used Bagua footwork to dodge, tiger form to block, snake form to move, and monkey form to leap.

He didn't seek to harm it, only to feed it.

The male mandrill seemed happy to have such an opponent, and in the heat of the fight, he even neglected the female mandrill.

---

Chen family, Sanhai County.

Chen Huaijin stood in the hall, his brows furrowed. Chen Hongwu had been missing for seven days. He had sent out several groups of people to investigate, but they all reported finding no trace of the young master.

"Send more people to look!" Chen Huaijin slammed his fist on the table.

Just as the steward was about to respond, the gatekeeper ran in to report: "Sir, someone from the county government has come and says that the county magistrate requests your presence for a talk."

Chen Huaijin was taken aback. Wang Yucheng?

He hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded. Not going would be disrespectful. At this critical juncture, he couldn't give Wang Yucheng an excuse to cause trouble.

Chen Huaijin changed his clothes, took two guards, and went to the county government office by carriage.

Upon entering the main hall, he was stunned.

The hall was packed with people, all of them prominent and wealthy individuals from Sanhai County. There was Mr. Zhao, who owned a rice shop; Mr. Sun, who owned a cloth shop; Mr. Li, who ran a dock business… more than twenty people in total, young and old.

Upon seeing Chen Huaijin enter, everyone stood up and exchanged pleasantries.

"Master Chen has arrived!"

"Mr. Chen hasn't looked well lately. Is he having some business troubles?"

Chen Huaijin gave a few perfunctory words and found a seat. He glanced around but didn't see Wang Yucheng.

"What exactly does the county magistrate mean by calling us here?" Boss Zhao asked in a low voice.

"I don't know," Manager Sun shook his head. "Could it be that they're going to impose donations again?"

"Didn't you just donate last month?"

The crowd was buzzing with discussion, saying all sorts of things.

Just then, footsteps came from behind the screen, and a woman's figure emerged.

She wore a dark blue dress, her hair was neatly styled, her chin was slightly raised, and her gaze swept across the entire room.

Xu Wanqing.

The hall fell silent instantly.

Who in Sanhai County doesn't know about the feud between Xu Wanqing and the Chen family?

After Xu Wanqing returned, the two families engaged in open and covert struggles in their businesses, with the Chen family launching a full-scale attack on the Xu family.

Later, Xu Wanqing got involved with the county magistrate's son, broke off the engagement, was humiliated, and caused a huge scandal.

The meaning of Xu Wanqing standing in the county magistrate's seat now is self-evident.

All eyes turned to Chen Huaijin.

Chen Huaijin remained expressionless, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and acted as calmly as if he were in his own living room.

Xu Wanqing also glanced at him, her gaze icy and smug.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she began, her voice clear and resonant, "County Magistrate Wang has an urgent matter to attend to and will arrive later. I will entertain you all in advance."

She paused, her gaze sweeping across the room before finally settling on Chen Huaijin.

"I have invited you all here today because there is an important matter to discuss."