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

Once inside, Chen Huaijin closed the door.

The father and son sat facing each other. After a moment of silence, Chen Hongwu spoke: "I killed Captain Ma."

Chen Huaijin wasn't surprised, but he let out a long sigh. "I guessed it." He picked up his teacup but didn't drink. "The night you came back, Captain Ma died. Who else could it be but you?"

"You don't blame me?" Chen Hongwu asked.

Chen Huaijin put down his teacup and looked into his son's eyes: "A mere police captain, killing him is no big deal. Wang Yucheng's dog should have thought it would be killed one day when it bit someone. I just—" He paused, "I just hope that you won't act rashly in the future. If you really can't, you should at least let me know first."

Chen Hongwu nodded, without giving a clear answer.

Chen Huaijin didn't press further, and waved his hand, "Go on. I'll handle things outside."

Chen Hongwu got up and went out. Just as he rounded the corridor, a figure darted out from behind a pillar and almost bumped into him.

"Big brother!" Chen Hongxiu chuckled awkwardly, her eyes darting around. "You...where did you come from?"

Chen Hongwu looked at her and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I...I was just passing by!" Chen Hongxiu straightened her back, speaking with righteous indignation. "Can't I even leave my own home?"

Chen Hongwu didn't expose her and turned to leave. Chen Hongxiu grabbed his sleeve, her voice softening, "Big brother, I want to pet your big cat."

"Big cat?"

"It's that tiger!" Chen Hongxiu's eyes lit up. "I've been so bored these past few days. Dad won't let me go out, and I won't go to school either. I don't have any playmates at home—Ever since I fell out with the Xu family, Sister Wanting hasn't come to see me either. I was even thinking of going to the Xu family to cause a scene, but my second brother stopped me."

She tugged at Chen Hongwu's sleeve and shook it: "Big brother, just let me touch it. Just a touch, I promise I won't bother it."

Chen Hongwu glanced at her, then turned and walked towards the backyard.

Chen Hongxiu cheered and skipped after him.

In the backyard porch, the striped tiger was dozing on the stone steps. It was huge, with its four paws outstretched and its tail drooping over the edge of the steps. Its snoring was deep and continuous, like an engine running at full throttle.

Chen Hongxiu stopped a short distance away, clutching Chen Hongwu's clothes, both excited and nervous.

"Will it...will it bite me?"

"No." Chen Hongwu walked over, squatted down, and reached out to stroke the tiger's head. The tiger raised its eyelids to look at him, then closed them again, the purring in its throat continuing.

Chen Hongxiu cautiously approached, stretched out her hand, her fingertips hovering above the tiger's back for a moment before withdrawing. She glanced at Chen Hongwu, who nodded slightly.

She closed her eyes and slapped the tiger's back.

"So soft!" Chen Hongxiu exclaimed, opening her eyes and haphazardly stroking the tiger's back. "The fur is so thick! So warm!"

The tiger grew a little impatient with her touching it; its ears twitched, but it didn't move. Chen Hongxiu became even bolder, touching the tiger from its head to its tail and back again, clicking her tongue in amazement: "Brother, your big cat is even more docile than Aunt Zhao's tabby cat."

Chen Hongwu didn't say anything, he just stood aside and watched his sister pet the tiger with a silly grin on her face.

---

The main hall of the county government office.

Wang Yucheng paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, his face ashen. Zhou Shirong knelt below the hall, his forehead pressed against the ground, not daring to raise his head.

"More than twenty guns, scared away by a mere brat's eyes?" Wang Yucheng's voice wasn't loud, but every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth. "I was originally thinking of promoting you to captain, but now it seems you're just a hopeless case!"

Zhou Shirong protested in a low voice, "County Magistrate, that kid's eyes... really are like a tiger's. The way he looked at me, I felt like a rabbit pinned to the ground, too scared to move."

"Still trying to argue!" Wang Yucheng was furious and grabbed a teacup from the table, ready to smash it.

He's right.

A voice came from behind the screen, neither loud nor soft, but it made Wang Yucheng's hand stop in mid-air.

A middle-aged man emerged from behind the screen. He was in his fifties, not tall, but broad-shouldered and thick-backed, standing there like a cast-iron pillar. He wore a gray long gown, cloth shoes, and a coarse cloth belt around his waist, with his hands behind his back.

This person has very bright eyes, like two lamps, and when he looks at people, his gaze is calm and serene.

"To be able to see the tiger's intent with just a glare means that person has mastered the art to the core," the middle-aged man said slowly. "To have achieved mastery of Xingyi Quan is enough to qualify one as a true master."

Wang Yucheng quickly put down his teacup, his expression becoming respectful, even somewhat obsequious: "Mr. Liang."

This Mr. Liang, whose full name is Liang Fangwu, is extremely famous in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions. His ancestral home is Luoding, Guangdong, but he grew up in Cenxi, Guangxi. He has practiced martial arts since childhood and is proficient in Hung Kuen, Choy Li Fut, and Iron Wire Fist. He is most famous for his "Iron Man" kung fu, in which his muscles are as hard as iron when he exerts his strength, making him invulnerable to knives and spears. He is known as the "Iron Man of Guangdong and Guangxi".

What's even more remarkable is that he is not only skilled in martial arts, but also proficient in bone setting and massage. His medical skills are unmatched among the martial arts practitioners in Guangdong and Guangxi.

In the early years of the Republic of China, Liang Fangwu fought ten consecutive matches in the Guangxi martial arts arena without ever being defeated. Later, he was hired as Mo Rongxin's personal bodyguard and followed the Guangxi clique army south. When Mo Rongxin became the military governor of Guangdong, Liang Fangwu stayed by his side and was his most trusted expert.

Wang Yucheng tentatively asked, "Mr. Liang, could you lend a hand in dealing with this man? Chen Hongwu has only been practicing for a few months, yet he's already so arrogant. If he's allowed to grow any stronger, I'm afraid..."

Liang Fangwu waved his hand, interrupting him: "County Magistrate Wang, I'm here in Sanhai County to protect Young Master Mo's safety. I won't get involved in anything else."

Wang Yucheng's eyes darkened, and he asked again, "When will Young Master Mo grace us with his presence?"

"It'll be in the next few days," Liang Fangwu said. "I came here first to check out the situation and scout things out."

Wang Yucheng quickly replied, "That's wonderful! Mr. Liang, rest assured, I will ensure the security of Sanhai County is restored before Young Master Mo arrives, and guarantee that there will be no trouble." He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "I wonder if Young Master Mo could stay a few more days to enjoy a cup of wine at my son's wedding?"

Liang Fangwu glanced at him: "Wedding banquet?"

"It's about my son's marriage to Miss Xu," Wang Yucheng said with a smile. "It's set for the eighth day of next month. If Young Master Mo could grace us with his presence, it would be an honor."

Liang Fangwu was silent for a moment, then said, "You should bring this up with Young Master Mo yourself; I can't make the decision."

Wang Yucheng nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, I will definitely speak to Young Master Mo personally."

Liang Fangwu said no more and turned to walk towards the door. After taking two steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Wang Yucheng.

He shook his head, said nothing in the end, and strode away.

"Someone come here!" Wang Yucheng shouted outside, "Move the wedding date forward! The eighth of next month is too late—no, the eighteenth of this month, while Young Master Mo is here, let's get the wedding done!"

Zhou Shirong was still kneeling on the ground, cautiously raising his head: "County Magistrate, about the Chen family..."

Wang Yucheng gave him a cold look: "I have my own arrangements for the Chen family. Get out and stop getting in my way."

Zhou Shirong felt as if he had been granted a pardon and scrambled out of the room.

Wang Yucheng walked to the window, stood with his hands behind his back, and looked at the gloomy sky outside.

That kid from the Chen family is really tough.

"I just don't know, is it your life that's tougher, or my bullets?"

Wang Yucheng chuckled and hurried away.