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

Night falls, in the backyard wing room.

Chen Hongwu stood barefoot on the stone slab, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, his eyes slightly closed.

His breathing was long and even, with his chest and abdomen rising and falling like the ebb and flow of the tide.

After more than a month of rigorous training, nourishment with medicinal herbs, and the guidance of experience from his previous life, this body has been transformed. His bones and muscles are now aligned, his qi and blood are abundant, and the functions of his internal organs have returned to normal.

Tonight, he sensed something different.

A faint warmth spread through my lower abdomen, like a gentle fire. This warmth spread with each breath to my limbs and bones, causing a tingling sensation and muscle twitching wherever it reached.

"When the Qi and blood are abundant, the essence will naturally be refined into Qi." Chen Hongwu understood this in his heart.

In my past life in prison, that senior once said: Ming Jin (manifest strength) is the outward manifestation of refining essence into qi. When essence and qi are sufficient, they naturally activate the muscles and bones, resulting in powerful punches.

Chen Hongwu opened his eyes and slowly began practicing the Five Elements Fist.

Chopping Fist.

The initial strike is like an axe, the final strike like a chop. Each movement, both in and out, expands the lungs. The air is cut by the edge of the palm, producing a subtle hissing sound.

Bengquan (崩拳).

The force of the punch is like an arrow, straight and direct. With each punch, the waist and hips twist, the spine springs forward, and the power of the whole body converges into one point.

On the third time, things changed.

A punch was thrown out, and the air exploded with a loud "Bang!"

It wasn't the sound of a hand slapping, but the popping sound produced by the friction between the fist and the air.

Crisp and sharp, short and sharp, like a cracking whip.

Chen Hongwu didn't stop, he continued to fight. Chopping, slamming, drilling, cannoning, and horizontal punches—each punch carried that crisp sound.

The fists exploded with a resounding boom, the sound never ceasing.

Finally, after finishing a round of punches, he stopped and let out a long breath.

The breath lingered, leaving a white trail in the air that persisted for a long time.

"Ming Jin"

Chen Hongwu looked down at his fist; the skin on his knuckles was slightly red, but there was no broken skin.

In my previous life, it took me half a year to break through to the Ming Jin level.

In this lifetime, it's just over a month.

It's not that he's more talented; it's that he's retracing his steps and knows exactly where he's headed.

He recalled the words of his predecessors: "Ming Jin is the hard power in boxing, the way to change bones. If you practice it, your bones will be as hard as iron and your fists as heavy as mountains. Master Guo Yunshen's half-step Beng Quan conquered the world, which is the pinnacle of Ming Jin."

"When you've mastered Ming Jin, the power of all your joints and muscles is twisted into one, and every movement you make exudes a unified force. When you throw a punch, it's not just the power of your arm, but the power of your entire body."

Chen Hongwu took a deep breath and felt the changes in his body.

It felt as if an extra layer of resilience had been added to my muscles and bones, and there was no longer any hesitation when exerting force. My blood and qi surged, and the warmth in my lower abdomen was even stronger than before.

"Once the initial stage of Ming Jin (a type of internal strength) is achieved, the next step is refinement. This involves smoothing out and thoroughly practicing the energy throughout the body, unifying it into a single force."

In his previous life, it took him three years to complete this task.

I hope things will go faster in this lifetime.

---

The next day, early in the morning.

Chen Hongwu ordered his servants to bring in a large water vat and place it in the center of the courtyard.

The water vat is waist-high, with a mouth diameter of over five feet. The walls of the vat are smooth and glazed.

"Bring another pot of cooking oil," Chen Hongwu ordered.

The servants did as instructed.

Chen Hongwu carried the oil jug and poured it around the rim of the jar. The clear oil spread across the glazed surface, glistening and slippery to the touch.

He then had a sandbag placed above the mouth of the vat, suspended by a rope, at a height just between his chest and abdomen.

Having done all this, Chen Hongwu took off his shoes, went barefoot, braced himself on the edge of the vat with both hands, and leaped onto it.

The sole of my foot slipped immediately when it landed on the oiled rim of the vat.

He swayed slightly, his waist and hips sank a little, and he stood firmly as if his feet had taken root.

After breaking through to the Ming Jin level in his previous life, his predecessor taught him to practice the Cheng Jin (whole-body strength) using this method.

Walking, punching, and hitting the sandbag on the slippery rim of the cylinder requires the muscles of the whole body to constantly adjust their center of gravity; if any part of the force is not applied correctly, it will slip and fall.

Over time, all the strength in your body will be channeled into one.

Chen Hongwu took a deep breath and took the first step.

He slid his feet slightly across the oily noodles, then immediately used the strength of his waist and hips to stabilize his center of gravity while keeping his upper body relaxed.

One step, two steps, three steps.

After walking about half a lap, his body began to sway. He remained calm and composed, adjusting himself in the direction of the swaying, as if he were walking a tightrope.

After completing one lap, his forehead was covered in sweat.

This method of training is ten times more tiring than practicing horse stance.

Chen Hongwu did not stop and continued walking the second and third laps.

After walking five laps, his steps gradually became steady. Although he couldn't yet move as freely as on flat ground, he no longer slipped easily.

Next, he started hitting the sandbag.

Standing on the edge of the vat, he punched the hanging sandbag.

After throwing the first punch, he immediately lost his balance, slipped, and fell off the edge of the vat.

Chen Hongwu landed steadily with a somersault, his expression unchanged, and then jumped back onto the edge of the vat.

The second punch was followed by a throw.

The third punch, the fourth punch, the fifth punch.

With each fall, he adjusted his method of exertion. He reduced the brute force of his arms and increased the twisting of his waist and hips, allowing the force to originate from the soles of his feet, travel through his spine, and reach his fists.

On his tenth fall, he punched the sandbag, but his body only swayed and he didn't fall.

"That's about it."

Chen Hongwu continued practicing, punching one after another. The sandbag swayed back and forth as he was hit, and his body swayed slightly as well, but his feet remained firmly planted on the edge of the sandbag.

---

"Big brother! What are you doing?"

A crisp sound came from the courtyard gate.

Chen Hongwu withdrew his fist and turned to look.

Two little girls walked in together.

One was Chen Hongwu's younger sister, Chen Hongxiu. She was born to the third wife and was not his biological sister, but she had been close to Chen Hongwu since childhood. She spoke frankly and without any reservations.

The other one is Xu Wanting, the second daughter of the Xu family. She was wearing a light pink school uniform, with two braids and bright, sparkling eyes.

"Brother Hongwu, what are you doing standing on the vat?" Xu Wanting asked curiously as she approached.

Chen Hongwu did not answer. He jumped down from the edge of the vat, picked up a cloth, and wiped his feet.

"Why are you here?"

Chen Hongxiu said with a grin, "Wanting missed you, so she secretly ran away. Her sister wouldn't let her come to the Chen family, so she climbed over the wall."

Xu Wanting blushed and slapped Chen Hongxiu, saying, "Nonsense! I... I just came out for a stroll and stopped by on the way."

Chen Hongwu glanced at her but said nothing.

Chen Hongxiu had already instructed the servants to set out pastries and fruits on the stone table in the courtyard. He pulled Xu Wanting to sit down, and they ate melon seeds while watching Chen Hongwu practice his martial arts.

"Big brother, you can continue, don't worry about us." Chen Hongxiu waved his hand.

Chen Hongwu jumped back onto the edge of the vat and continued hitting the sandbag.

Two little girls sat beside me, chattering away.

"Wanting, do you think our class teacher, Ms. Li, has a thing for Director Wang from the Academic Affairs Office? I saw them talking in the hallway the day before yesterday, and she was blushing."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Teacher Li is already married."

"What's wrong with getting married? Just because you're married doesn't mean you can't..." Chen Hongxiu lowered her voice, and the two whispered together, occasionally bursting into laughter.

Chen Hongwu ignored him and continued punching the sandbag.

After about half an hour, Chen Hongxiu suddenly remembered something and shouted to Chen Hongwu, "Big brother! Why haven't you been coming to see the girls in our class lately? Weren't you always pestering them? It was so annoying!"

Chen Hongwu's men kept asking, "Who?"

"Who else could it be? Lin Yuqing!" Chen Hongxiu said, cracking sunflower seeds. "You used to come to our class every day, and everyone was trying to avoid you. But lately, since you haven't been coming to see her, she's been asking about you, saying she's been missing a lot lately."

She paused for a moment, then said with a grin, "Big brother, you're really good! That tactic of feigning retreat to advance and playing hard to get is quite skillful!"

Chen Hongwu then remembered.

Before he awakened his innate wisdom, the original eldest son of the Chen family did indeed pursue his sister's classmate, Lin Yuqing. However, it was just a passing fancy, nothing more than a fling.

Miss Lin was beautiful and the daughter of a wealthy family in the county. The original owner pursued her for several months, but she remained indifferent.

Now that he has different pursuits, he is even less likely to take such things to heart.

"Not interested," Chen Hongwu replied indifferently.

Chen Hongxiu pouted: "Tch, what's with the pretense of being high and mighty?"

She said a few more words, but seeing that her brother was unmoved, she stopped talking about it.

"By the way, eldest brother, Dad said the day before yesterday that second brother is coming back soon." Chen Hongxiu changed the subject. "He said he's finished his studies in the provincial capital and is coming back to take over part of the family business."

An image of a young man appeared in Chen Hongwu's mind.

The second son, Chen Hongwen, was born to the second wife and was only half a year younger than his father. He was intelligent from a young age, studied diligently, and was a renowned genius in the area. A few years ago, he went to the provincial capital to study at a business college, where he received a considerable amount of international education.

Returning to take over the business?

Chen Hongwu's hands kept moving, but his mind was racing.

The Chen family business is so large that Chen Huaijin can't manage it all by himself. It's only a matter of time before the second son comes back to help.

But that has nothing to do with him.

He had no interest in doing business and had no intention of competing with anyone.

His path lies in boxing.

Fist is power!

"Understood," Chen Hongwu said.

Seeing her older brother's lukewarm reaction, Chen Hongxiu pouted and turned to continue chatting with Xu Wanting about her girlish thoughts.

Xu Wanting would steal glances at Chen Hongwu practicing his boxing on the edge of the vat from time to time, her eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and indescribable emotions.

Chen Hongwu was completely unaware.

He punched the sandbag again and again, feeling the smooth flow of his body's strength gradually coalescing into one.

The lubricant on the cylinder rim is no longer an obstacle.

The next step is to train this sense of balance into muscle memory.

By then, one will have truly entered the realm of Ming Jin (明劲).

As the sun rose higher, cicadas chirped incessantly in the courtyard.

After the two girls finished their pastries, they sat for a while longer before getting up to say goodbye.

"Big brother, we're leaving now. We'll come visit you another day." Chen Hongxiu patted the sunflower seed shells off her skirt.

Xu Wanting walked to the courtyard gate, glanced back at Chen Hongwu, opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately didn't, and followed Chen Hongxiu away.

The courtyard fell silent.

Chen Hongwu jumped off the edge of the vat and stretched his shoulders.

The Ming Jin technique has been fully developed.

Next came the daily refinement.