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

In the mountains and forests, Chen Hongwu flipped his front hand into a palm and pressed it down; his rear hand then thrust forward into a palm strike, his fingers curling like an eagle catching a rabbit. The power of his entire body was concentrated at his fingertips, not just in his fingers.

The boxing manual says: "Autumn is the season when eagles are most triumphant, and they rely entirely on the strength of their claws to catch rabbits; the yang energy in the kidneys passes through three gates, replenishes the essence and nourishes the brain, entering the Niwan point."

He was training his finger strength, repeatedly studying the eagle form from the twelve forms.

The transitions between each form in Xingyi Quan require considerable effort. These transitions are the most crucial, and also the easiest places to create openings. Masters target these weaknesses when attacking.

He has gained considerable insight into the dragon, snake, tiger, and monkey forms, and can only say that he has mastered the remaining forms to a high degree.

While the tiger form is fierce, it lacks a follow-up attack; while the snake form is agile, it cannot kill a powerful enemy without a final, decisive bite. Although a python can constrict with its body, its most effective method is using the venom in its fangs.

One chop, two chops, three chops...

After practicing hundreds of times, Chen Hongwu concentrated all his essence, energy, and spirit into his fingertips.

In his eyes, everything around him had disappeared, leaving only simple actions like "a gentle chop followed by a heavy grab."

His arms swung up, repeating the same arcs in the air. Lost in his practice, engrossed in the chopping and slashing, he completely forgot about time.

Every time he slashed or struck, he perfectly embodied the four-word principle of "light strike, heavy return" in Xingyi Quan training.

"Tai Chi is like catching fish, Bagua is like pushing a millstone, and Xingyi is like catching shrimp."

Chen Hongwu's slash and grab were executed with complete concentration, as if he were catching a large shrimp swimming in the water.

In the shadows of the nearby forest, two mandrills, one large and one small, watched this scene with curiosity.

After so many days of interaction and competition, they realized that this man couldn't do anything to them, or rather, he didn't intend to do anything to them.

Therefore, he became bolder and his temper improved a lot. He no longer shouted for fighting and killing, but treated Chen Hongwu as a playmate.

After striking and chopping for who knows how many thousands of times, Chen Hongwu suddenly snapped out of his reverie, his knuckles turning bright red, clearly having pushed himself to the limit.

It was already dark outside, and night had fallen.

Before I knew it, I had been practicing all day.

In the days that followed, Chen Hongwu went from grabbing empty air to lifting heavy stones.

He didn't practice any physical techniques or other forms; his daily routine consisted of simple chopping and grabbing. During the day, he would focus on chopping and grabbing large rocks, and at night, he would close his eyes and concentrate on chopping and grabbing at the air.

Practice your eyes and hands during the day, and rest your eyes and hands at night.

If you keep pushing yourself too hard, your finger joints, being just flesh and blood, will eventually give out.

His practice and cultivation are in line with the Taoist principle of Yin and Yang harmony.

A gentle chop followed by a forceful grab and lift represents the interplay of yin and yang.

The muscles and bones are relaxed, but the skin and hair stand on end; it is still a balance of yin and yang.

Through simple practice, he began to understand the profound yet simple mysteries of Yin and Yang.

"When martial arts reach an extremely profound and superior level, every move follows the principles of Yin and Yang, with water and fire in harmony. Everything arises naturally, without any deliberate effort."

The two mandrills come every day. They think humans are so boring, repeating the same actions every day.

Day after day, sunrise and sunset, moonrise and sunset.

In the end, his boxing style seemed to align with the rhythm of sunrise and sunset. Every day at the moment the sun rose, his striking power would naturally surge forth; at the moment the moon rose, his power would relax, transitioning from practice to restorative energy.

Even on cloudy or rainy days, when the clouds obscure the sun and moon, it has no effect on him whatsoever.

Because he has integrated the laws of the rising sun and moon into the laws of his body's surging power, no matter how thick the clouds are, they cannot block it.

"Wudang swordsmanship involves daily and monthly practice to achieve harmony between man and nature. Aligning one's yin-yang rhythm with the rhythm of nature is the best way to maintain health."

On this day, Chen Hongwu suddenly took a step forward, and the strength in his finger joints suddenly surged forth.

"Splash!"

He forcefully punched through the huge tree in front of him, a tree that would take two people to encircle, with his finger strength!

Overjoyed, he suddenly attacked, unleashing a tiger-shaped strike that sent shockwaves through the mountains and forests, its roar echoing through the air.

At the end of his chopping punch, he unleashed another powerful claw strike, combining it with an eagle-like movement. His chest suddenly became incredibly sharp, as if a razor blade burst forth from his throat, sharp and piercing, just like a mighty eagle swooping down from a thousand meters in the sky.

The tiger-shaped aura and sound were already incredibly fierce, but after suddenly transforming into the eagle-shaped claw attack, the aura and power on his body surged even higher and more intensely, reaching an even higher level.

"Snap!"

Chen Hongwu turned around and grabbed, striking the boulder he used for practicing martial arts in front of him.

An inner force surged forth, and the hard boulder was instantly cracked, revealing five deep, wet finger-like holes.

With a swift movement, Chen Hongwu broke through the ground, suddenly recalling a deadly move from his monkey form. Without pausing, he grabbed a handful of pebbles and hurled them forward. The pebbles, like bullets, embedded themselves into the trees with a series of sharp, resounding thuds.

"So that's how it is. The connection after the eagle might be the monkey. But I've only practiced up to the point where the eagle's claws appear with a single strike. I haven't mastered the entire eagle form yet, so it's not advisable to force more continuous variations."

The two mountain demons looked on in horror at the sight.

They'd tried hitting the boulder with their claws, but only managed to leave a few white marks. This human, however, had dug five holes in it with just his fingers—what incredible finger strength!

The male mandrill took two steps back, protecting the female mandrill, letting out a low whimper, his eyes filled with fear.

Chen Hongwu glanced at them, then withdrew his fist and exhaled a long breath.

After half a month of arduous training in the mountains, he achieved mastery of the eagle form.

---

Sanhai County, bookstore.

Under the dim light of a kerosene lamp, the middle-aged man's face was grave. He pulled a piece of paper from the envelope and pushed it in front of Chen Huaijin.

"Brother Chen, our men have gathered some information." The middle-aged man's voice was low. "Your son, Chen Hongwu, was ambushed by the police outside the city a few days ago. Captain Ma had more than twenty guns with him. Your son was hit by several bullets and jumped into a deep pool. He never came up again."

Chen Huaijin's pupils suddenly contracted, and his hands on the table began to tremble.

"What did you say?" His voice was hoarse, as if it were being squeezed out of his throat.

"The news should be reliable." The middle-aged man sighed. "Our informant in the county government saw Captain Ma return to report, saying that your son... is dead."

Chen Huaijin suddenly stood up, causing his chair to tip backward. His face flushed red, veins bulged on his forehead, and his lips trembled violently.

"Wang Yucheng!" He slammed his fist on the table, causing the kerosene lamp to jump and spill oil all over the table. "I'm going to kill him! I'm going to tear him to pieces!"

He turned around and was about to rush outside.

"Brother Chen!" The middle-aged man grabbed his arm. "Calm down! Going now is suicide!"

"My son is dead, what's the point of me being calm?" Chen Huaijin shook off his hand, her eyes red-rimmed. "Hongwu was only eighteen! He... how could he..."

He couldn't continue, his voice trembling with tears.

The middle-aged man gripped his shoulder tightly: "Brother Chen, listen to me. A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. If you go to the county government now, forget about killing Wang Yucheng; you won't even get to see him before you're shot dead. If you die, who will avenge your son? Who will seek justice for your Chen family?"

Chen Huaijin shuddered and stopped struggling.

The middle-aged man continued, "Wang Yucheng is entrenched in Sanhai County. He has money and guns. We can't beat him in a direct confrontation. As long as we wait for the right opportunity, not only Wang Yucheng, but even Mo Laohu won't be able to protect him!"