Chinese martial arts: From human punching bags to martial arts mastery

The next day at dawn.

The cold mist silently drifted over the old wooden windows of Swallow's Nest, making the wood grain on the window frame appear even deeper.

"Gurgle—!"

The soft sound of his throat bobbing was particularly clear in the room. Chen Feng swallowed the last mouthful of dry rice, the bottom of the bowl so shiny that it could reflect a person's image.

Xiao Aqiao's fingertips exuded a faint, feminine fragrance as she gently smoothed the wrinkles on his clothes—the coarse cloth garment was faded from washing, and the edges were worn with fine fuzz, yet it was kept spotless.

Her voice was as soft as willow catkins in early spring, carrying an unconcealed worry: "Don't push yourself too hard at the boxing gym today. What if someone bullies you..."

"Don't worry, A-Qiao!" Aunt Lin's laughter interrupted at the right moment, her eyes crinkling with amusement. "Feng'er has always been a very sensible child!"

Chen Feng nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the faint scar on Xiao Aqiao's wrist, his eyes darkening slightly. "Mother, Aqiao, I'll register at the boxing gym first, then I'll go to Hu Qing Yu Tang to find the best doctor to get you both well!"

Aunt Lin's smile deepened, almost overflowing: "No rush! No rush! Since it's your first day, stay there a bit longer, we'll save dinner for you!"

Xiao Aqiao's ears turned red, as if she had applied rouge. She lowered her head, fiddling with the hem of her clothes, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow under her eyelids. She didn't reply.

After a while.

The morning light, carrying the scent of dew, gently wrapped around Chen Feng's clothes.

As he stood in front of the boxing gym, the fragrance of rice still lingered on his fingertips, and the warmth of Xiao Aqiao smoothing his collar seemed to still be on his shoulder. The knowing smile from Aunt Lin's words, "Aqiao is a good girl," had not yet faded.

He touched the silver dollar in his bundle, tracing the pattern on it with his fingertips, thinking to himself, "I need to establish myself at the boxing gym as soon as possible and go see a doctor soon"—not only because of his mother's illness, but also because of the words of the Black Swan madam, which he kept on his mind.

"Creak—"

Chen Feng pushed open the wooden door of the boxing gym. The shouts and the sharp sound of punches cutting through the air, mixed with heavy breathing, rushed towards him.

On the muddy ground, twenty or thirty disciples were practicing horse stance, each with their backs straight, rooted to the earth like pine trees, and no one dared to blink as sweat streamed down their foreheads and into their eyes.

As soon as Chen Feng stood still, he saw two people practicing boxing in the courtyard. One of them was burly and dark-skinned, his punches were steady and powerful, each move carrying the force of a thousand pounds, yet revealing an unadorned honesty. Sweat streamed down his broad forehead, soaking his short-sleeved shirt, but he remained meticulous, his boxing moves perfectly in place. The other person was as agile as a cat, his moves were sharp and tricky, but his eyes always carried a deliberate arrogance, glancing around from time to time, as if showing off, or as if being wary of something.

"Who are you?"

The sturdy, honest-looking man was the first to stop his punches and stride over, a warm smile on his face, the lines around his eyes revealing a hint of kindness.

"Chen Feng! Sharp Feng!"

Chen Feng clasped his hands in a salute, his movements swift and his eyes open and honest.

"Oh! You must be Chen Feng!"

The man's eyes lit up, and he quickly reached out to help him carry the bundle. His fingers were broad and strong, and his palms were covered with calluses from years of boxing practice; they were rough but warm.

"I'm the eldest disciple, Zhao Shanhe. Master mentioned you to me a few days ago!" he said eagerly. "I've been practicing boxing with Master for ten years. I'll explain the rules and intricacies of the school to you slowly!"

No sooner had Zhao Shanhe finished speaking than a sneer broke through the air.

As the agile man withdrew his fist, he deliberately created a gust of wind that swept past Chen Feng's clothes, carrying a hint of intimidation.

Chen Feng raised his eyes and carefully examined the other party—the guy was wearing short clothes, had sharp eyes, crossed his arms, and his mouth was pursed, his face full of disdain and arrogance—it was none other than his seventh senior brother, Qian Hu!

He had been practicing boxing for five years, and his muscles were sharply defined. The copper buckle on his waist gleamed. It was said that he could speak a few words in the gang. He was usually very arrogant and couldn't stand anyone being more valued than him. He exuded an air of "I am the best in the world".

"Senior Brother is so kind-hearted, he personally greets every Tom, Dick, and Harry?" Qian Hu's voice carried a hint of sarcasm, like icicles scraping against a stone slab: "Why would a newbie who's just started out need your personal attention?"

Qian Hu sized Chen Feng up and down, noticing his coarse clothes and meager belongings. His contempt deepened: "According to the rules of the martial arts school, ordinary disciples must first practice stance training for three months before being taught by senior students. Senior Brother, with your distinguished status, has no time to waste on newcomers!"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Zhao Shanhe's face, and he quickly smoothed things over: "Seventh Junior Brother, Chen Feng just arrived and doesn't know the rules. It's only right that we, as his senior brothers, take care of him!"

"take care of?"

Qian Hu scoffed, his gaze sweeping over Chen Feng like a weight, his sarcasm undisguised: "A boxing gym isn't a charity. If you want to learn something real, you have to earn it yourself. Senior Brother, you've been with Master for ten years, and you still haven't even scratched the surface of internal strength. Instead of spending your time training newbies, you should spend more time practicing your own boxing!"

These words made Zhao Shanhe blush slightly, but he still patiently said, "Master said that fellow disciples should help each other..."

"Mutual help and assistance depends on the individual!"

Qian Hu interrupted him, pointing to an ordinary disciple in the corner who was hunched over and looked timid: "Li Er, come here!"

The disciple named Li Er froze, then rushed over, his head bowed low, clearly showing that he had also suffered at Qian Hu's hands.

"you!"

Qian Hu raised his chin and pointed at Chen Feng, his tone carrying an unquestionable command: "Take him to the corner and teach him proper manners. Don't let him think that the boxing gym is a place where he can come and go as he pleases and ask whoever he wants to learn from!"

Li Er nodded in agreement and reached out to pull Chen Feng towards the corner, but Zhao Shanhe quickly stepped forward to stop him: "Seventh Junior Brother, it's only right that I show him around to familiarize him with the environment since he's a newcomer. It's more reliable for me to personally teach him the basics of stance training!"

Chen Feng frowned slightly, already understanding in his heart: Zhao Shanhe genuinely wanted to help him, while Qian Hu was clearly deliberately making things difficult, unable to bear seeing his senior brother being kind to others—this infighting was already evident as soon as he entered the door!

"Is the senior brother showing favoritism towards the newcomers?"

Qian Hu raised an eyebrow, his tone clearly provocative: "Our boxing gym values ​​strength above all else. Our disciples are all forged through hard work; there's no reason for them to come here and benefit from the senior brother's fame. I think this kid is just a poor wretch; it's uncertain whether he can even last three months. Why waste your time?"

His words both criticized Chen Feng and implied that Zhao Shanhe was inflexible; every word was filled with the tension of a power struggle.

Chen Feng stood aside without saying a word, just silently watching the two argue. He already knew the personalities of these two brothers—the eldest brother was a typical good-natured but treacherous person, while the seventh brother was a ruthless and ambitious man who couldn't stand others taking even the slightest advantage.

Just as Zhao Shanhe was rendered speechless by Qian Hu, and Li Er also looked troubled, the moon gate in the backyard creaked open.

The visitor was none other than Yan Tieqiao.

He wore a plain-colored long gown with the cuffs slightly rolled up, revealing his strong forearms. His steps seemed slow, yet they carried an invisible aura, as if each step was treading on the hearts of everyone present.

"Hey—ha—"

The shouts in the courtyard instantly rose eight octaves, and all the disciples instinctively straightened their backs.

"My beloved teacher!"

Qian Hu immediately put on a fawning smile and quickly stepped forward to greet him, but Yan Tieqiao looked straight ahead and walked straight through the crowd to Chen Feng.

He looked Chen Feng up and down, then suddenly said, "From today onwards, you're under my command!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the courtyard fell silent instantly, followed by a chorus of gasps.

The ordinary disciples were so shocked that their eyes widened and their mouths were agape.

Several of the direct disciples were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, their eyes swirling with complex emotions.

Zhao Shanhe was so shocked that his mouth gaped open in an "O" shape, his honest face filled with disbelief.

Qian Hu's face instantly darkened, like a sky filled with dark clouds, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. He had practiced boxing for five years and had only been personally instructed by Yan Tieqiao three times. What right did this newbie, who had just entered the door, have?

Chen Feng was taken aback at first, then quickly waved his hand: "Master, no need, no need, I'll just learn from my senior brother, you don't need to..."

He lowered his voice and whispered in Yan Tieqiao's ear, "Old man, you're putting me on the hot seat!"

He was given special treatment by the curator as soon as he entered the door. Wasn't this obviously making him a target of everyone's criticism?

Especially with Qian Hu's eyes that seemed to want to devour him, he's afraid his days ahead won't be peaceful.

"From this day forward, you are my ninth personally instructed disciple, Yan Tieqiao!"

Yan Tieqiao, however, seemed not to hear him. A sly smile played on his lips as he declared loudly, "My disciples will naturally be taught by me personally!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pressed down on Chen Feng's shoulder, a steady, mountain-like force coming through him: "Stand firm! The stance of Tongbei Quan emphasizes being rooted in the earth, as firm as a pine tree; having your Qi sink to the Dantian, as still as an ancient well; and having your mind free from distractions, as clear as a bright mirror..."

The morning sunlight shone through the old locust tree in the courtyard and fell on Chen Feng.

He could clearly feel countless gazes around him, some of them astonished, some envious, some curious, and some with Qian Hu’s undisguised jealousy and resentment, as well as Zhao Shanhe’s bewildered expression of “what should we do with our nemesis senior brother?”

"suck--!"

Chen Feng took a deep breath, suppressing all the turmoil in his heart, and slowly sank down with Yan Tieqiao's help.

He knew that from this moment on, the fierce competition within the boxing gym had officially begun.

With the master's personal guidance, he stood on the opposite side of everyone from the very beginning, which was also the starting point for his comeback—"Come on! Come and hit me! You'd better use both fists!"

As Qian Hu watched Yan Tieqiao patiently instructing Chen Feng, the sinister look in his eyes almost overflowed, and his fingernails nearly dug into his palms.

"Just you wait, you're just a newbie. Even with a master backing you up, I can still make you look like a ghost!"

In this boxing gym, only strength speaks volumes!

Zhao Shanhe stood aside, watching the tense scene unfold. He scratched the back of his head, looking helpless. These two sworn brothers had just met, and the infighting was already so fierce. It seemed that this boxing gym would never have peace and quiet again.