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

The front of the car was already nearly three zhang (approximately 10 meters) long.

Chen Hongwu suddenly ducked, bracing himself with his hands on the ground, and like a startled monkey, he sprang to the left using both hands and feet. The monkey-like movement—shrinking, leaping, and shifting—was executed in one fluid motion.

His figure traced an arc in the moonlight, and in no time he climbed up the high wall by the door, squatting on the top of the wall, looking down from above.

"Sizzle—"

The tires screeched violently against the ground, emitting pungent blue smoke. The lead military vehicle drifted and spun, its front end blocking the entrance to the Wang family mansion, right where Chen Hongwu had just been standing. The beam of the headlights swept across the high wall, illuminating the figure atop it.

The car door opened, and a young man jumped out.

He was in his early twenties, wearing a crisp military uniform with two buttons undone at the collar, revealing a white shirt underneath.

"Not bad, you dodged pretty quickly." His gaze swept over Chen Hongwu on the wall.

Chen Hongwu squatted on the wall, coldly looking down below.

His gaze swept around—several rickshaws were crushed into scrap metal, and two rickshaw pullers lay on the ground not far away, groaning, one clutching his leg, the other clutching his arm, blood seeping from between their fingers. A dozen soldiers jumped out of two other military vehicles, rifles in hand, their muzzles all pointed at the wall.

"Bang!"

At the sound of a gunshot, Chen Hongwu moved instantly—his body sprang up from the top of the wall, like a leaf blown by the wind, drifting towards the inner side of the courtyard.

The bullet landed where he had just been crouching, sending debris flying and leaving a white mark on the brick wall.

"Da da da—"

Bullets rained down on the high walls, sending up a series of blinding sparks. But Chen Hongwu had already scaled the walls and entered the courtyard. Without stopping, his figure flashed in the moonlight and disappeared into the shadows of the courtyard.

Not a single bullet landed.

The young man raised his hand to signal a ceasefire, and the soldiers behind him obeyed without question, lowering their guns in unison.

He raised the pistol to his mouth, blew away the wisps of smoke rising from the muzzle, and a smug smile spread across his face.

"Interesting, interesting, and a martial arts master at that." He narrowed his eyes, gazing in the direction Chen Hongwu had disappeared. "Good eyesight, but I don't like it."

At that moment, a series of hurried footsteps could be heard coming from the Wang family compound.

Wang Yucheng led his men out, followed by a large, dark mass of guests from the banquet.

Chen Huaijin and Chen Hongwen were also among them. Chen Huaijin's face was ashen, and his eyes anxiously searched for Chen Hongwu's figure in the crowd.

The moment Wang Yucheng saw the military vehicle and the young man beside it, his expression instantly became obsequious.

He quickened his pace and jogged forward, bowing and smiling apologetically: "Young Master Mo, it is an honor to have you here. I, Wang, have failed to greet you properly; please forgive me!"

Young Master Mo leaned against the military vehicle, toying with the still slightly warm Mauser pistol in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the gentry and celebrities behind Wang Yucheng.

His gaze held a condescending scrutiny, as if he were looking at a flock of lambs to the slaughter.

"County Chief Wang did a good job." He chuckled. "It saved me the trouble of calling people here."

Everyone's hearts tightened.

Young Master Mo straightened up, dusted off his hands, and said in a low but clear voice, "As I am new to your esteemed place, it is customary to collect a welcome fee. It's not much, just a percentage of each family's assets—"

He held out one hand, fingers spread: "Fifty percent."

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

Fifty percent? You really dare to mention that!

Young Master Mo didn't give them time to react. With a wave of his hand, more than a dozen soldiers in military uniforms stepped forward in unison, pulled back their bolts, and pointed their dark gun barrels at the crowd.

Young Master Mo grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

"Who's in favor? Who's opposed?"

The night wind was cold, and no one dared to speak.

---

That night, in the Chen family study.

The candles burned brightly, but the atmosphere in the study was even more somber than the night outside the window.

"Fifty percent! He's asking for fifty percent right off the bat!" Chen Huaijin slammed his hand on the desk, causing the inkstone to jump up and spill ink all over the table. "This young man surnamed Mo is even more ruthless than his father! I've been running my business in Sanhai County for decades, and he thinks he can just take it away like that? And he even gives me a deadline of tomorrow to gather the money! He really knows how to dream big!"

Chen Hongwen sat in the chair, his face pale, his fingers unconsciously digging into his knees: "Has Mo Laohu gone mad? Or has he been driven to the brink and is preparing to cash out and run?"

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts: "It seems that the Guangdong troops supporting Fujian in the Protectorate Zone have put a lot of pressure on the Guangxi Clique. Chen Jiongming is training troops in Zhangzhou and could advance westward at any time. Mo Laohu needs to prepare for war and needs military funds, and his son is just out there to siphon money off him."

"I don't care if he's ripping us off or taking our lives!" Chen Huaijin's voice trembled. "In the past three days, we've been selling off assets at rock-bottom prices, and the Chen family's assets have shrunk by more than half. Now he's taking another 50%, our Chen family might as well just starve!"

Chen Hongwen also fell silent.

Only the crackling of the burning candlelight remained in the study.

Chen Hongwu sat at his desk without saying a word. He leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped on his lower abdomen, his gaze calmly fixed on the teacup in front of him.

He lifted his eyelids.

He reached out and tapped his fingers three times on the table, lightly but clearly.

Chen Huaijin and Chen Hongwen both looked at him at the same time.

"You all pack tonight and head to Foshan." Chen Hongwu's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable certainty. "I'll stay here and handle things."

"No!" Chen Huaijin objected instinctively, "You're alone—"

"Hesitation will only lead to chaos." Chen Hongwu interrupted him. "This guy surnamed Mo is not right in the head. I don't know who raised him to be so self-centered. Your methods are useless against him."

Chen Hongwu stood up: "But after tonight, he won't be able to be so arrogant anymore."

"What are you going to do?" Chen Huaijin asked instinctively.

"Because... I will kill him!" Chen Hongwu said, emphasizing each word.

Chen Huaijin's expression changed, and he quickly said, "Don't be impulsive, that's Mo Laohu..."

"I must kill him!" Chen Hongwu looked at Chen Huaijin with a serious expression. "If the Chen family runs away, this guy will definitely bite us like a mad dog and never let go."

"Don't worry about it!" He waved his hand dismissively. "To be or not to be, the choice is yours. That's all I have to say."

After saying that, Chen Hongwu turned and left.

As I stepped out of the study, a night wind howled past, and the bright moon overhead was suddenly obscured by a passing dark cloud.

The cascading moonlight vanished in an instant, and the silent night enveloped Sanhai County.

Chen Hongwu paused, then darted onto the wall and vanished into the night in an instant.

A dark and windy night... a night for murder!