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

Chen Hongwu considered for a moment and nodded: "I will go and take a look at the martial arts gathering."

Ip Man smiled and said, "It's settled then! Two days from now, at noon in the main hall of the Foshan Martial Arts Association."

Chen Hongwu didn't ask any further questions, he just nodded.

The two parted ways at the foot of the mountain, and Ip Man rubbed his wrist as he walked into the city.

His wrist had been gripped by Chen Hongwu's eagle claws once. Although no bones or tendons were injured, his skin and flesh still ached faintly.

He planned to stop by Po Chi Lam on his way to get some liniment for bruises and sprains.

Chen Hongwu then turned and went back to the Chen family residence.

The house was quiet; neither Chen Huaijin nor Chen Hongwen were there. The steward was in the courtyard directing the servants to put away miscellaneous items.

Chen Hongwu asked, "Where is my father?"

The butler replied, "Master and the second young master left early this morning, saying they were going to visit several businesses and a few wealthy local families."

Chen Hongwu nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

He walked through the corridor and returned to his small courtyard.

He walked to the center of the courtyard, stood still, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing.

After practicing boxing under the waterfall for several days, the memory of the water's impact still lingered in my body. Each breath was deeper and heavier than before, and the opening and closing of my chest was half an inch wider.

He opened his eyes and began to punch.

When you throw a punch, it's like pushing a door in water, moving forward inch by inch, the muscles in your arm going from relaxed to tense, and then from tense to relaxed again.

"You have to fight to improve your skills and practice your moves with others."

Martial arts are something you can't keep secret; practicing behind closed doors for a hundred years won't help.

Which of the great masters in history achieved their status by shutting themselves away and not exchanging ideas with others? Yang Luchan visited Chenjiagou three times, Guo Yunshen sought out famous masters throughout the north and south, and Sun Lutang fought countless battles with others throughout his life.

Martial arts skills develop through combat.

After practicing his boxing twice, Chen Hongwu stopped and began to look forward to the gathering two days later.

---

In the west of the city, the Chen father and son were not so idle.

In the past few days, Chen Huaijin and Chen Hongwen visited five or six businesses and local gentry and wealthy families.

Foshan is a bustling commercial city with established businesses in every industry. There are five or six money shops alone, and countless rice and cloth shops.

Although the Chen family was the richest in Sanhai County, they were considered outsiders when they arrived in Foshan.

The space for doing business is limited—shop space, customers, goods, and connections have all been divided up by local forces.

Outsiders trying to get involved are essentially taking jobs from the locals and exploiting them.

Furthermore, the Chen family had offended Mo Laohu, and with the current situation in Guangdong unclear, no one knew whether the Guangdong army would drive out the Guangxi clique or the Guangxi clique would counterattack and take back Guangdong. Local wealthy families avoided the Chen family like the plague and didn't even get a friendly look from them.

"Father, this is the fifth one already." Chen Hongwen clutched a stack of visiting cards, his face pale.

Chen Huaijin walked ahead without stopping: "Then let's go to the sixth one."

"The sixth family is the Ye family." Chen Hongwen looked down at the address on the visiting card. "The Ye family mainly operates money exchanges and pawnshops. They own a large amount of land and property in the Sangyuan area and belong to the core of Foshan's gentry circle. If we can get in touch with the Ye family, we can be considered to have a firm foothold in Foshan."

Chen Huaijin took the visiting card and flipped through it: "The head of the Ye family is Ye Aiduo. I've heard he's fairly fair, unlike the other families who are so snobbish. Let's go and try our luck."

Chen Hongwen didn't say anything, but he didn't hold out much hope.

The setbacks he'd faced these past few days had taught him a valuable lesson: when you're under someone's roof, you have no choice but to bow your head.

The Chen family could wield great power in Sanhai County, but in Foshan, they were nothing.

The two arrived at the gate of the Ye residence. The gate was tall and imposing, with a black lacquered plaque hanging above the lintel bearing the two characters "Ye Residence" in vigorous calligraphy.

The two stone lions in front of the gate are majestic and imposing, and the steps are clean and tidy, which shows the grandeur of a wealthy family.

Chen Huaijin straightened his collar, stepped forward, and bowed to the two servants at the door: "Please inform him that Chen Huaijin of the Chen family of Sanhai County has come with his son to pay a visit to Master Ye."

He handed over the visiting card and casually slipped a few silver dollars into the hand.

One of the silver dollars landed in the servant's palm. The servant weighed it in his hand, but his expression didn't change much. He simply took the visiting card lazily and turned to walk into the house.

Another servant jogged after him.

Chen Huaijin stood at the doorway, his back straight and his expression calm. Chen Hongwen followed behind him, also standing ramrod straight.

Another servant asked in a low voice, "Are you really going to issue a notification?"

"Notify them my ass." The servant rolled his eyes. "These country bumpkins don't even deserve to enter the Ye family mansion. Just leave them hanging for a bit, then they'll leave on their own. We'll make a few dollars for free and have an excuse to rest."

The two whispered a few words to each other and slowly found a place to rest.

About an hour later, the two returned at a leisurely pace. They were somewhat surprised to see Chen Huaijin and Chen Hongwen still standing in the same spot, without even changing their posture.

"You haven't left yet?" The servant raised his chin.

Chen Hongwen's expression darkened slightly, but he still suppressed his temper and asked, "How is the notification coming along? Is it convenient for Master Ye to receive you?"

"Unfortunately," the servant said in a nonchalant tone, "Our master said he's very busy today and won't be seeing any guests. Please come again next time."

Chen Hongwen clenched his fist: "You guys didn't even bother to notify them, did you?"

The servant's face changed, and his tone became aggressive: "What do you mean by that? Believe it or not, the master is not seeing you today!"

Another servant chimed in, raising his voice a few decibels: "If you keep lingering, we'll have to call for help! Country folk have no manners!"

Chen Huaijin raised his hand to stop Chen Hongwen, his voice calm: "Since Master Ye is busy, we will visit another day."

He pulled Chen Hongwen and turned to leave, his steps neither hurried nor slow. As he descended the steps, he suddenly turned back and glanced at the two vermilion doors, his gaze lingering for a moment on the plaque above the doorway.

"Dad, they're clearly looking down on us!" Chen Hongwen said in a low voice. "Why should we put up with this humiliation?"

Chen Huaijin didn't speak, but continued walking forward. After walking a dozen steps, he finally spoke, his voice low and deep: "The anger you're experiencing now is because you're taking it for your brother."

Chen Hongwen was stunned for a moment.

"He risked his life fighting outside, braving swords and guns, risking his life for our family's safety," Chen Huaijin said. "If you can't even handle this much, how can you talk about reviving the Chen family?"

"The Chen family? Which Chen family are you from?"

Ip Man, who had just returned from Po Chi Lam, brushed past Chen Huaijin and his son. With his sharp ears, he overheard the conversation between the father and son and immediately thought of Chen Hongwu, whom he had just met, and subconsciously asked a question.