Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 226 The Little Fox's Life Has No Limits
The news of the massacre of the Yuhu caravan in Yingtan spread quickly because Chen Zhan had left his name.

Chen Zhan's actions were essentially using vigilante justice, and even if he was doing something to punish evildoers, it was bound to cause discomfort in the local area.

But there was nothing they could do. Chen Zhan was not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also had been appointed by the National Government and was recognized by the authorities as the leader of the alliance.

Chen Zhan wasn't wrong to take action against the martial arts gangs, but his methods were too brutal, slaughtering the entire clan.
The local authorities conducted a thorough and responsible investigation, and within a few days, they made public the evidence of the Yuhu caravan's crimes.

It was only then that several counties around Yingtan learned that the infamous Hongshan bandits, who had robbed, killed, and committed arson years ago, were now embroiled in a series of atrocities.

It turned out to be the same group of people from the Jade Lake Caravan.

Many people have friends and relatives who have been killed by bandits. These bandits, who were once ruthless killers, have gone out of business and become law-abiding citizens, living in the city and running their horse business as if no one else is around.

It was absolutely chilling.

It was the fifth day since Chen Zhan and his two companions arrived in Longquan.

Shen Tingquan already knew about the situation in Yingtan, and the news quickly spread to several surrounding counties.

The father and son wept with joy and worked even harder.

"Father, the iron is fully soaked!"

The young man ran in carrying a wooden basin containing three pieces of dark blue iron.

Shen Tingquan didn't speak, but reached out and stirred the water in the basin. The moment his fingertips touched the iron, his brows relaxed slightly: "The well water is just the right temperature. Go and clean the anvil."

The young man had just swept the iron filings off the anvil when Shen Tingquan had already inserted the iron into the furnace.

The bellows were operated by foot, and he was sweating profusely from pedaling. The charcoal fire in the furnace crackled and popped, gradually turning from dark red to bright white, making Shen Tingquan's face glow red.

He stared intently at the iron until its edges began to feel sticky, then suddenly shouted, "Withdraw the wind!"

The long tongs gripped the charred iron and sizzled it onto the anvil, sparks flying onto the blue brick floor, leaving black spots that were quickly cooled by the wind.

The middle-aged man invited by Shen Tingquan had a face as black as charcoal. He stared intently, his hand gripping the hammer handle, waiting for the iron to fall.

Hammer on!
The first hammer blow struck the center of the iron with a loud "clang," shaking the leaves of the old locust tree in the corner of the yard.

His hammering technique was extremely strange. It was not fast, but every strike was incredibly accurate. He would first strike the edge to set the shape, and then strike the middle to gather strength. When the small hammer fell, the iron material would spread out to both sides like soft mud, without the slightest crack.

When the sun was directly overhead, the blade blank was finally forged into shape.

"Fetch water and loosen the injection," Shen Tingquan said.

The young man drew water from the old well in the corner of the courtyard and put in a handful of pine needles. Shen Tingquan's secret recipe for forging swords and knives required "pine needle well water" for quenching, as the pine needles would allow the water temperature to drop slowly, making the blade less prone to cracking.

He took a deep breath, gripped the red-hot knife blank with his long pincers, and slammed it down into the bucket.

"Sizzle!" White mist instantly enveloped the entire courtyard, carrying the bitter smell of pine needles and the burnt smell of molten iron.

Shen Tingquan stared at the knife blank in the bucket until the bubbles on the surface of the water gradually subsided before reaching out to fish the knife out.

Sunlight shone on the blade, giving it a pale blue sheen. The forging patterns on the blade flowed like water from the tip to the handle.

"It's done!"

He flicked the blade with his finger, and a clear "clang" reached Chen Zhan's ears, much more pleasant than the Japanese demon sword.

The white fog dispersed.

Shen Tingquan also saw Chen Zhan arrive.

He stepped forward excitedly and said, "Thank you so much, Mr. Chen. I am just a blacksmith and have nothing to repay you with, except to forge your knife well."

"Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission!"

The Tang sword in Shen Tingquan's hand was exactly the same as the one drawn by Chen Zhan, both in terms of patterns and blade.

Shen Tingquan gripped the hilt of the knife, using a thick black cloth as a barrier, intending to hand it to Chen Zhan, but Chen Zhan instead grabbed the blade directly.

"Mr. Chen, be careful! It's just come out of the oven."

How could he possibly speak faster than Chen Zhan act? His five fingers gripped the blade, but instead of the expected 'tearing' sound or the sound of flesh being torn apart, the blade vibrated and rang out.
"Ding~"

Chen Zhan flicked his finger, causing it to strike the blade with a clear, ringing sound.

Shen Tingquan's eyes widened!

Because Chen Zhan not only held the sword, which had just been soaked in clean water, with his fingers unharmed, but also flicked it with his finger, causing the Tang sword to bend, and the curvature became even larger.

"Crack~"

The blade curved at nearly ninety degrees, bounced back, and struck Chen Zhan's hand. It stopped trembling and hummed, becoming as docile as a kitten.

Then, under the incredulous gazes of Shen Tingquan and the dark-faced middle-aged man, Chen Zhan pressed his fingers on the blade.

"Don't"

Shen Tingquan knew his craft all too well. The sharpened Tang sword, paired with top-quality materials, was pressed down by Chen Zhan's fingers...
But the scene he feared didn't happen. Instead, Chen Zhan pressed down, lifted his hand, and revealed fine, white cuts on his fingers that didn't bleed.
"How did Mr. Chen manage to do that?"

Shen Tingquan blurted it out, but immediately realized it was inappropriate. In the martial arts world, it's taboo to ask about kung fu. He wasn't a martial artist, but he had some experience with it, so he knew he had been presumptuous.

However, Chen Zhan didn't care. He took the Tang sword completely, gripped the hilt with one hand, turned towards the direction where there was no one in the courtyard, and swung the sword out in the air.

Chen Zhan didn't use much force, but the sharp blade created a gust of air that swept through the air and hit the jujube tree in the yard. The jujube tree had just sprouted new branches and was not yet in the fruiting season, so the gust of air hit it and made a 'slap slap' sound.

"The knife is very good, I'm very satisfied."

This is the second Tang Hengdao; the other one has already been forged.

Shen Tingquan was very thoughtful; he even specially crafted a scabbard for Chen Zhan. The scabbards for the two demon swords were ugly and unsuitable for Tang swords. "I'm glad you're satisfied."

Chen Zhan didn't say much and turned to leave. He had originally wanted to use Li Guangpu's influence, but whether the other party was injured or disheartened, he politely declined at the time.

Perhaps over time, those who are not martial arts practitioners have lost face in giving them this courtesy.

Then came the transaction. Chen Zhan didn't offer any words of thanks; it was a fair trade.

After leaving Longquan, the three of them did not take the train again, but instead rode horses to enjoy the scenery.

Walking over a hundred miles each day, Chen Zhan spent the rest of his time formally teaching the little fox the basics.

After practicing stance training for half a year, my foundation is decent, and I'm qualified to practice some basic boxing techniques.

Chen Zhan didn't have him start with Xingyi Quan, but instead started with Tai Chi Kung Fu, as Tai Chi was indeed more suitable for building a foundation.

And the little fox has enough time.

He practiced Tai Chi for ten years without ever leaving his home.

But if he had truly practiced Tai Chi for ten years, with his talent, as Chen Zhan's first disciple, and with the personal instruction of many top masters, he would have been in a very good position.

He could stay indoors for ten years, but once he did, he could conquer the world.

Ten years later, he was only in his early twenties.

By then it would be 1940, the curtain of the War of Resistance against Japan would be fully raised, and if the martial arts world still couldn't figure this out after ten years, then Chen Zhan had lived in vain.

According to the path Chen Zhan set for him, he was not allowed to walk the path of martial arts.

Whether it's joining the army for frontal combat or organizing operations behind enemy lines, the little fox is a master, with unlimited potential.

"Tai Chi emphasizes relaxation without collapsing and uprightness without stiffness. It starts with stance training, with the 'Hun Yuan stance' practiced for one hour each day."

"Hold your hands in a circle in front of your chest, like you're holding a big watermelon, leaving a gap under your armpits, and relax your shoulders and neck."

Following his demonstration, the little fox imitated him. After practicing the basics for half a year and reading most of the books, it soon stood up quite properly.

Chen Zhan saw that he was doing well, corrected him a few times, and helped him relax.

"Then practice the Tai Chi steps, find the balance between emptiness and fullness, and start practicing the basic slow steps, only practicing the transition between the bow stance and the empty stance."

As Chen Zhan spoke, he drew two lines on the ground, the distance between them the same as the little fox's shoulders. He instructed the little fox to step on one line with his knee slightly bent, extend the other leg behind him with his toes lightly touching the ground, and keep his hands in the "embracing a circle" posture of stance training. He then slowly shifted his weight from his front foot to his back foot and back again.

It's like walking on cotton; you can't make a sound.

“Every step in Tai Chi involves emptiness and fullness. If you practice two hundred steps every day, with the front foot full and the back foot empty, the center of gravity shifts as the weight changes from full to empty and from empty to full.”

"After a few years of training, you can switch between reality and illusion in an instant. When fighting against experts of the same level, you can keep your body stable at all times, and you will have won most of the battle."

"Yes, Master, I understand," the little fox said very seriously.

"It's not over yet. A true grandmaster of martial arts can integrate martial arts into life, into the fields and countryside. I'll teach you this move. Whether you can become a grandmaster in the future depends on your comprehension."

"When practicing boxing, avoid brute force and cultivate 'relaxation and sinking'."

"Firstly, one should not get angry on ordinary days. A stable mindset allows the blood and qi to circulate smoothly in the body. When one gets anxious or angry, the blood and qi rush to a certain position, thus disrupting the balance."

"Secondly, how do you integrate kung fu into your life? For example, when holding a teacup, gently support it with your fingers, loosening and sinking it at the same time, instead of using brute force to grab it; when sweeping the floor, use your waist to drive your arms, not your arms to exert force; even when eating, sit up straight and don't bend down to eat your rice."

"These two points are the essence of integrating boxing into life. Everything is like flowing water, 'following the force,' not 'resisting the force.' It's as soft as flowing water, yet it can break through stone."

"Only when you've cultivated enough 'relaxation' in life can you unleash sufficient 'fervor' when you finally explode and kill!"

The little fox listened attentively, its little eyes blinking constantly. It also practiced diligently, listening intently as it spoke, its internal and external strength in the Hunyuan stance remaining consistent.

Although he was young, he had been bullied since childhood and longed to acquire martial arts skills and power.

Chen Zhan had already figured it out, but he still forced him to stay calm.

When you are young, you can hold a grudge if you feel wronged, but you can't let it become distorted, otherwise it will lead to disaster.

Fortunately, the little fox was upright and honest. He was surrounded by people who upheld justice and killed Japanese devils. Under their influence, he was never lacking in a sense of righteousness.

Unlike Ma San, who went astray for power.

Moreover, Chen Zhan wasn't worried. The little fox wasn't Ma San, and he wasn't Gong Baotian either. Gong Baotian had no son, raised Ma San from a young age, couldn't bear to kill him, and even on his deathbed, he wanted him to turn back.

But Chen Zhan was different. He had nothing to be reluctant about. A child who went astray and betrayed his master and ancestors was no longer a child, but an enemy. Not to mention that he had joined the Japanese, he was a sinner who deserved to die.

What I just taught is enough for the little fox to practice for two or three years. When he or she is around fourteen or fifteen years old, he can start practicing hitting people.

There's still plenty of time.

Traditional Chinese martial arts are divided into training methods and fighting methods. Internal martial arts are all about training before fighting, while some external martial arts start directly from the fighting methods. For example, martial arts like Iron Palm can develop skills quickly, but it also puts the body under greater strain.

Only by practicing to the level of Wang Ziping and Gu Ruzhang, working from the outside in, can one gradually improve their health and even reach a higher level.

But that's difficult. However, if you don't master external martial arts to the core, the damage to your body won't be too great, and you can quickly gain a certain level of martial prowess.

Sometimes, it's hard to tell which is better or worse.

Especially a few years later, when the Japanese began their invasion of China, the army was full of people who practiced external martial arts. They didn't have time to slowly toughen up your body.

The country is broken and the land is shattered. By the time you return to the mountains, it will be too late.

(End of this chapter)