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

As dusk settles and the city lights begin to twinkle.

In the dining room of the Tang family villa, the crystal chandelier cast a warm yellow glow, and the exquisite Western dishes were already set on the table. However, because the owner, Tang Zhen, had not yet returned, there was an indescribable sense of stagnation in the air.

"Tap—tap—tap!"

Until a slightly heavy footstep echoed through the corridor.

"Creak—!"

Tang Zhen pushed open the door and entered. His usually composed and strategic eyes were now covered with an unyielding solemnity, and even the way he raised his hand to sit down revealed a hint of fatigue.

Seeing this, Chen Feng looked at Hu Tao, whose eyes were clear and bright, and gently suggested, "If you're tired after your meal, why don't you go back to Hu Qing Yu Tang to rest? I'll come find you in a couple of days after I've finished what I'm doing!"

Hu Tao shook her head slightly, her clenched fingers turning slightly white. Her clear eyes showed no fear, only unwavering determination: "With Brother Chen Feng here, I'm not afraid of anything!"

Hu Mingxuan put down his teacup, his gaze steady as he looked up, his tone carrying the certainty and protectiveness of an elder: "Since Hu Tao is willing to stay, as her elder, I should naturally stay by her side!"

His calm words conveyed a sense of responsibility, instantly dispelling the somber atmosphere at the gathering.

Tang Tang blinked her bright almond-shaped eyes, looking at the person protecting her best friend, and muttered softly, "That's so nice. I also want an elder like that who's always there to protect me, so my father doesn't have to shoulder everything alone!"

A sweet, innocent complaint made Tang Zhen's tense lips relax slightly. He forced a smile, raised his hand to rub the top of his daughter's head, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, hiding a hint of unspeakable bitterness.

A heavy atmosphere, like an undercurrent, swirled in everyone's hearts.

After dinner.

"Follow me!"

Tang Zhen gave Chen Feng a meaningful look, and the two of them went into the study on the second floor one after the other.

The air inside was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, isolating the room from the noise of the outside world.

The two chatted casually about everyday things, and the atmosphere seemed peaceful, but there was always a sense of tension.

suddenly.

A resolute glint flashed in Tang Zhen's eyes. He stepped forward, his large hand firmly patting Chen Feng's shoulder with a heavy, all-or-nothing force: "Brother Chen, tomorrow morning, you should take Hu Tao and Ming Xuan and leave!"

He paused, then, as if giving a nagging instruction or muttering to himself, said, "Tangtang will go with you too! Leave Shanghai, the farther the better!"

Chen Feng looked at the anxiety and helplessness hidden deep in his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips. His tone was calm yet resolute: "I have accepted Tang Tang's invitation to stay at your residence for a few more days! With a storm brewing, would it be the act of a true man to abandon you?"

Looking at the composure and responsibility in his eyes, Tang Zhen understood his good intentions and felt a surge of warmth in his heart, but he still shook his head helplessly and let out a barely audible sigh.

A moment of silence.

He abruptly changed the subject, his voice becoming heavy as lead: "Brother Chen, do you know who the true uncrowned king of Shanghai is?"

talking.

Tang Zhen slowly walked to the window, gazing at the deep night outside. His voice was heavy with apprehension as he carefully stated, "It's the Sassoon family!"

"This family has a nearly century-long history of bloodshed and accumulating wealth; they can be considered the Rothschilds of the East!"

"Their ancestors had ruled Baghdad for generations, holding the position of 'Nasi,' which was essentially the king of the Jews, controlling the local wealth and lifeline! Later, to avoid trouble, the whole family moved to the British colony of Bombay, where they rose to power step by step through the opium trade!"

He paused for a moment.

He continued:

"In 1832, David Sassoon founded the Sassoon & Co. in Bombay, smuggling Indian opium into China in a steady stream. Within just a few decades, they squeezed out many established trading companies and became the absolute hegemon in the opium trade with China!"

"They were behind both Opium Wars, fueling the flames and amassing enormous wealth by corrupting the Chinese people and plundering silver!"

"Later, the Sassoon family split, and the second son, Elias, established his own firm, the New Sassoon & Co., shifting its focus entirely to Shanghai!"

"Under the leadership of Victor Sassoon, the power has reached its zenith!"

"He not only controlled the opium and arms trade, but also monopolized nearly one-fifth of Shanghai's real estate. Landmarks like the Sassoon House and Riverside Building on the Bund were all his properties. Even more terrifying, they jointly founded HSBC, holding nearly 40% of the shares, controlling the financial lifeline, and having influence in both the legal and illegal worlds. From the concession authorities to the street gangs, no one dared to mess with them!"

Without waiting for Chen Feng's response.

He continued slowly, his voice tinged with a heavy tone:

"My Tang family had dealings with this family back in Guangzhou!"

"To put it nicely, they are old friends; to put it bluntly, they are sworn enemies with a history spanning over a hundred years!"

"They are ruthless, vengeful, and never fail!"

Tang Zhen turned around, his eyes almost overflowing with seriousness: "Especially Victor. This man is extremely cunning and vicious. He has never suffered such a great loss in his life! Today's competition, a million silver dollars, is nothing to him, but since his family's reputation has been insulted, he will definitely retaliate fiercely!"

"well--!"

He sighed heavily, his brow furrowed with deep sorrow, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his palms, revealing an undisguised anxiety: "Jardine Matheson has always been Sassoon & Co.'s biggest competitor. Although the two companies focus on different areas of business, they are both Britain's front companies in China, and the covert struggle has long since intensified. The British have tacitly allowed the commercial battle to escalate into a physical one—this is the source of my greatest worry these days!"

"Gurgle—"

Tang Zhen's Adam's apple bobbed, his lips moved a few times, and some words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back in the end.

His hesitant expression, the fear and helplessness hidden deep in his eyes, were all too clear.

Chen Feng knew perfectly well that Tang Zhen must have received a death threat from the Sassoon family.

From the first day he arrived at the Tang family, with the tight security along the way, to all the subsequent incidents, Chen Feng had already foreseen that even without today's competition, Nassau would definitely have deliberately provoked him!

He knew perfectly well that he could see all of Tang's more than one hundred guards, both overt and covert, and he could also keep track of all his menacing rivals.

When force is laid bare, it serves as both a deterrent and an exposure of vulnerabilities!

After bidding farewell to Tang Zhen.

Chen Feng returned to his room but did not fall asleep immediately.

He ordered his servants to bring a basin of boiling water, and slowly lay down in it. The warm water enveloped his entire body, and the fatigue of the past few days gradually dissipated.

My consciousness sank into my retina, and a familiar pale gold interface instantly appeared:

Heaven rewards diligence; success is inevitable.

Tongbei Quan: Great Achievement (1500/5000)

[Hard Qigong: Great Mastery (1950/5000)]

Sharpshooter: Mastery (10/5000)

Chen Feng closed his eyes, sorting out his thoughts and planning the important matters to come: first, the various matters after the opening of the Hu Qing Yu Tang branch; second, to track down the whereabouts of "Octopus," find out the clues to his father's disappearance, and completely eliminate this hidden danger; and third, to improve his skills. Hard Qigong is currently improving the fastest, and he is expected to be the first to break through to the mid-stage of the Great Completion. However, the higher his combat power, the stronger the opponent he needs to be as a "sharpening stone" to improve his Hard Qigong.

Furthermore, although the sharpshooter had already mastered his craft, he still couldn't stop thinking about the iron gate that Tang Tang had mentioned—what kind of deadly weapon was hidden inside?

Lost in thought, a wave of weariness washed over him, and Chen Feng gradually drifted off to sleep.

I don't know how much time passed, but in the dead of night, all was quiet.

"call--!"

A sudden, biting wind swept by, and dark clouds instantly obscured the moonlight, shrouding the entire Tang Family Garden Villa in darkness, where even the chirping of insects vanished without a trace.

"Whoosh whoosh-!"

Several dark figures swept across the courtyard wall like ghosts. Immediately afterwards, a large group of figures dressed in black silently and rapidly approached the villa, their movements swift and ruthless, exuding a strong killing intent.

"Snap—!"

Before a sentry could react, a man in black covered his mouth and nose from behind, and a cold, sharp blade instantly sliced ​​across his neck, causing blood to gush out and stain the grass beneath his feet.

The guard collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound, dying instantly.

"Snap snap snap—!"

The killing spread silently. The outer guards were one after another with their throats slit without a sound. In the darkness, the shadow of death pressed closer and closer.

"Um!?"

Inside the room, Chen Feng, who had been sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes. With his senses far exceeding those of ordinary people, he instantly detected the bloody smell and subtle disturbances in the air.

He got up, dressed, drew his gun, and cocked it, his movements fluid and seamless, without the slightest hesitation.

There was no trace of sleepiness in his eyes, only a chilling vigilance!

There was no time to think.

Chen Feng rushed towards Tang Tang's room and pushed the door open.

"call----"

He saw Tangtang and Hutao sleeping soundly in each other's arms on the bed; he tiptoed to the bedside and gently patted Tangtang's shoulder.

Tang Tang opened her eyes groggily, and the moment she saw the dark figure in front of her, her pupils suddenly contracted. Just as she was about to cry out, Chen Feng covered her mouth.

"It's me!"

Chen Feng gestured for Tang Tang to be quiet, lowered his voice, and said urgently yet steadily, "There's an enemy attack. Don't make a sound, follow me!"

"Enemy attack!"

Tangtang instantly woke up, nodded quickly, and reached out to shake Hu Tao awake beside her.

The two girls, who hadn't had time to change their clothes and were only wearing cotton pajamas, were pale-faced but forced to suppress their fear as they followed closely behind Chen Feng and tiptoed out of the room.

The three of them had just reached Hu Mingxuan's door, preparing to wake him up.

"Bang bang bang—!"

A burst of rapid, intense gunfire suddenly ripped through the night sky, shattering the tranquility of the villa.

The bullet pierced the window frame, shattering glass and sending splinters flying.

Shouts of killing, screams of agony, and the sound of gunfire mingled together, echoing throughout the courtyard.

"Bang bang bang—!"

Armed with two pistols, Niu Ma led the remaining guards in the villa in a fierce counterattack against the attacking assassins. Gunshots rang out one after another, and flashes of light flickered in the darkness.

In chaos.

Tang Zhen gripped his pistol, crouched low, and ran quickly toward the crowd. His face was grave, and his temples seemed to have turned a few more gray.

Seeing that Tang Tang was unharmed, his tense expression relaxed slightly. He turned to look at Chen Feng, his voice slightly hoarse, yet revealing a resolute determination he had long anticipated: "What was bound to happen has finally happened!"

Chen Feng nodded slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping across the window, and warned in a deep voice, "I only have two clipless magazines on me, plus the bullets in the chamber, a total of no more than thirty rounds. Everyone remember, don't waste bullets, and don't go near the windows. Since the enemy dared to attack in the dead of night, there must be snipers lying in ambush on the perimeter!"

Before he could finish speaking...

Niu Ma led the remaining dozen or so guards back in a disheveled state, their arms still stained with blood, their faces filled with anxiety: "Master! The telephone lines downstairs have all been cut. The enemy's firepower is too intense; these ordinary walls can't stop the bullets at all. We can't hold this place!"

Tang Zhen made a quick decision: "Let's go to the study! The walls of the study are reinforced with steel plates, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. We can use the windows to launch a counterattack!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng frowned and immediately emphasized, "This place is too dangerous!"

He looked around, knowing full well that simply hiding inside to defend themselves was not a good strategy; if the enemy set the house on fire, they would be in dire straits; moreover...

"Hiding in the study only allows us to passively take hits. If the enemy brings in heavy machine guns from the firing range, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

Chen Feng immediately made a decision, saying in a deep voice, "I'll draw the enemy away. Niu Ma will cover everyone as we leave through the back door and head straight to the firing range! Using the heavy machine guns to establish a defensive line, we just need to buy some time. These assassins won't dare linger and will naturally retreat!"

"Great idea!"

Tang Zhen's eyes lit up, and he praised Chen Feng repeatedly, his eyes filled with gratitude and entrustment: "Brother Chen is right! These assassins are all desperate criminals, but they would never dare to fight here for long. As long as we stall them for a moment, they will retreat as soon as the police arrive!"

Looking at Chen Feng's resolute back, Hu Tao subconsciously grabbed Chen Feng's arm.

Tang Tang's eyes reddened slightly, a thousand words stuck in her throat, ultimately turning into a silent worry, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Chen Feng turned his head and gave the two of them a reassuring smile. His tone was firm yet gentle, carrying a reassuring power.

"Don't worry, I'll be back!"