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

On the rooftop, Chen Hongwu lay like a weightless tile, nestled in the shadows of the ridge. His breath blended with the night wind, his heartbeat steady as a pendulum. With the internal energy flowing through his chest, his control over his body had become even more refined—he could even minimize the amplitude of his breathing, his chest barely rising or falling.

When martial arts are practiced to a certain level, a person becomes one with their surroundings when still, their qi and blood are restrained, their pores are closed, their essence, qi, and spirit are contained within, and they are difficult for external things to invade.

Inside the bookstore, the dim light of a kerosene lamp cast a halo around the table. Chen Huaijin sat at the table, hands on his knees, leaning forward, his gaze sharp as a knife as he stared at the middle-aged man opposite him.

"When will you make your move?" His voice was low and deep. "Wang Yucheng is ruthless and has repeatedly tried to harm my son..."

The middle-aged man was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"Operation canceled."

Chen Huaijin was stunned.

"What did you say?" His voice suddenly rose and then fell sharply, his knuckles cracking. "Say it again?"

"Brother Chen, let me explain..." The middle-aged man raised his hands and made a reassuring gesture.

Chen Huaijin slammed his hand on the table, causing the kerosene lamp to jump and spill oil all over the table. He leaned over, grabbed the middle-aged man by the collar, and growled in a low voice, "What do you mean? Didn't we agree to take action next month? Are you playing me? I'm risking my whole family's lives to play this game with you?"

The middle-aged man, grabbed by the collar, didn't struggle, but just gave a bitter smile: "Brother Chen, we didn't want this either. But Mo Laohu's son suddenly turned around and came to Sanhai County to beg for money."

Chen Huaijin loosened his grip slightly.

"Mo Rongxin's son, Young Master Mo," the middle-aged man repeated. "He has men with him. If we make a move now, we'll definitely encounter considerable obstacles."

Moreover, the higher-ups are planning a gradual, piecemeal approach, and they don't want to break ties with Mo Laohu so quickly. If they were to kill his son here…”

"Eat me piece by piece?" Chen Huaijin sneered. "By the time you've finished, my entire Chen family will have been chopped up and fed to the dogs by Wang Yucheng!"

"If we just take down that Young Master Mo, why would we be afraid of Tiger Mo tearing off our mask?"

The middle-aged man shook his head with a wry smile: "It's not that easy. Do you think they don't have skilled bodyguards around them?"

"We are in contact with the Fujian Constitutional Protection Area, and we are just waiting for the right time to launch a major offensive, completely drive the Guangxi clique military leaders out of Guangdong, and then advance westward to uproot Lu Rongting and his Guangxi clique!"

Chen Huaijin loosened his collar, took a step back, and his chest heaved violently.

"Don't give me that nonsense." His voice was hoarse. "The Chen family and Wang Yucheng have completely broken off relations. Are you telling me to stop the operation today so that my entire family can just sit here and be slaughtered?"

The middle-aged man straightened his crumpled collar and sighed, "Brother Chen, I know we've wronged you in this matter. But rest assured, we are not the kind of people who abandon our allies or betray our promises."

He paused, then continued, "These days, the Chen family has been secretly selling off assets at low prices, but we can't hide it from them. I know you've already made the worst-case scenario plan. In that case, why not take another step—Brother Chen can move his whole family to Foshan."

That's our territory; neither Mo Laohu nor any of the Guangxi clique's henchmen can get in. We'll send a team to escort the Chen family; their safety is absolutely guaranteed.

Chen Huaijin remained silent.

His gaze fell on the tilted kerosene lamp on the table, the wick still burning, the flame flickering, just like his mood at that moment.

"When do we set off?" he finally asked.

The middle-aged man said, "Three days later."

"Too rushed." Chen Huaijin shook his head. "Seven days! In seven days, I'll have most things arranged. Destroy everything that can't be taken, and sell off what can be sold at a low price. We can't let that bastard Wang Yucheng get away with it!"

The middle-aged man thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay."

Chen Huaijin looked at him and said, "I hope there won't be any more accidents this time."

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "I will certainly live up to your expectations."

Chen Huaijin said no more, got up and walked towards the door. He pushed the door open, glanced left and right to make sure no one was following him, then slipped out and disappeared into the night.

On the rooftop, Chen Hongwu watched Chen Huaijin's figure disappear into the alleyway. After waiting a while to make sure the middle-aged man hadn't followed him out, he silently slid off the roof.

Instead of going straight home, he took a longer route, scaling the side wall into the Chen family's backyard. Just as he landed, the tiger looked up at him, then lazily lay back down.

Chen Hongwu returned to his room, closed the window, and sat in the darkness.

---

The county government office, Wang Yucheng's study.

Wang Zhiyuan sat in a chair, legs crossed, his face full of anxiety. He took a sip of his teacup, then slammed it down again.

"Dad, tell me, how can we kill that brat Chen Hongwu? He won't die even if we shoot him, it's so weird!"

Wang Yucheng sat behind his desk, holding a string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand, turning them one by one. He closed his eyes, as if resting or deep in thought.

"Just because a gun can't kill him doesn't mean he can't be killed," Wang Yucheng said slowly. "Legend has it that those grandmasters of Chinese martial arts can 'sense the cicada's presence before the autumn wind blows,' and this kid already has that quality. This level is beyond human reach."

Wang Zhiyuan leaned closer: "Then what should we do?"

Wang Yucheng opened his eyes, his gaze cold and sharp: "To kill this kind of person, you either need a martial arts master who has also practiced shooting, whose marksmanship has reached a level of spontaneous, thoughtless action, so that they can pull the trigger before the other person can react; or you need a boxing master to beat him to death!"

"Where are we supposed to find someone like that?" Wang Zhiyuan said helplessly. "Sanhai County is such a tiny place, what martial arts master could we possibly have!"

Wang Yucheng pondered for a moment, then slowly uttered four words: "Use a borrowed knife to kill."

Wang Zhiyuan was taken aback: "Using someone else to do the dirty work?"

Wang Yucheng suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the study.

After a moment, he stared at Wang Zhiyuan and said, "You take your men and work through the night to produce a batch of invitations, and tell them..."

"To show the respect of the people of Sanhai County for Governor Mo, we will be hosting a banquet in three days to welcome Young Master Mo and to celebrate his arrival. We hope that all gentry and distinguished guests will grace us with their presence!"

Wang Yucheng looked bewildered: "What does this have to do with using someone else to do the dirty work?"

"If you ask me..."

"Idiot!" Wang Yucheng roared, "Just do it! What are you talking about?"