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

A cold wind swirled dust across this sinful area hidden in the shadows of Shanghai.

"Tap tap tap—"

The steady, powerful footsteps broke the deathly silence.

Chen Feng walked forward steadily, with Er Gou following closely beside him. Their destination was the underground boxing ring ahead, which was known as the "Beast Cage" by the gamblers of Zhabei.

But just as they were about to reach the "beast cage," a sudden change occurred.

"Brother Feng!"

Er Gou froze on the spot, as if nailed down, his face changed drastically, he covered his mouth and nose with both hands, and stared wide-eyed in terror at the gloomy building beside him.

"Brother Feng! This...this tastes wrong!"

"Something's really not right!"

Chen Feng frowned slightly and looked up in the direction Er Gou was looking.

The building was right next to the "beast cage," and the iron gate along the central axis was cold and black, exuding an indescribable eeriness. Two doorplates stood beside the gate.

One of them prominently displayed the words: East Asia Ergonomics Research Institute!

The other one was completely covered by a piece of coarse gray-black cloth, as if it was deliberately hiding some unspeakable secret, or as if it was waiting to be revealed!

"call--"

A chilling gust of wind suddenly swept by, abruptly lifting a corner of the curtain.

A glaring signature was instantly exposed to the air—Lieutenant Colonel Kitano Masaji, Medical Surgeon of the Japanese Army!

Chen Feng's pupils contracted sharply, feeling as if those words were a red-hot branding iron, piercing his eyes with pain. His heart tightened inexplicably, and a familiar yet angry palpitation surged within him.

But for a moment, he just couldn't remember who this Japanese bastard was.

I felt a surge of hatred, and my blood was boiling!

Chen Feng suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, glanced coldly at the tin shed beside him, poured the last bit of blood from the bottle into his mouth, and said in a deep voice, "Let's go!"

At this moment.

Inside the animal cage, the noise was deafening.

The underground boxing ring was filled with smoke, and the stench of sweat, alcohol, and blood mingled with the frenzied roars of gamblers, creating a tumultuous atmosphere like a boiling cauldron.

It's located in the space between the boxing ring and the adjacent research institute.

The boxing ring manager, hunched over and rubbing his hands together, fawned over a fat, greasy figure in front of him: "Boss, that 'Iron Head Chen' is tough, incredibly resilient, and still has a lot of value left. We can definitely squeeze him dry a few more times!"

This fatso is the real mastermind behind "Beast Cage".

He held the pipe in his mouth, slowly exhaling a perfectly round smoke ring. The smoke ring swirled gently in the air, seemingly solidifying into a cold, hard word—"Live!"

Outside the dark room.

The area around the boxing ring was already in an uproar.

The hordes of gamblers were feverish and frenzied.

Everyone was screaming three names at the top of their lungs—Black Panther! Killer Wolf! Dragon Elbow!

These three are top-tier Thai boxers who have traveled a long way; each one is ruthless and their moves are deadly.

Black Panther! He is best known for his knee strikes; a single knee strike can shatter bones and tear flesh. If Chen Feng hadn't broken through his previous breakthrough, he would have surely met a tragic end.

Kill Wolf! Dominating with extreme speed and explosive power, his moves are ruthless and vicious, and he often uses lethal force even in formal boxing matches.

Dragon Elbow! His elbow strikes are like knives, each move deadly. He may seem like the least noticeable of the three, but he is actually the most ruthless and powerful character.

In the eyes of all gamblers, these three working together could easily defeat Chen Feng in the blink of an eye.

The casino even offered huge odds: betting on Chen Feng to live was 5 to 1; betting on Chen Feng to die was almost negligible!

The moment they heard the betting began—the gamblers went completely crazy!

Everyone rushed to the gambling table, pushing, shoving, shouting, and even fighting, afraid that if they were a step too late the dealer would stop selling.

"I want Chen Feng dead!"

"Two hundred coins to buy Chen Feng's death!"

"A thousand coins will buy Chen Feng's death!"

"One dollar to buy Chen Feng's death!"

......

Qian Hu and the others had just placed their bets when they waved their stakes and roared like madmen, "Chen Feng is dead!"

The barking hadn't even subsided.

A clear voice suddenly parted the crowd—"I'm betting on Chen Feng!"

It's the eldest brother—Zhao Shanhe!

The crowd was taken aback at first, then instinctively made way for each other, all wanting to see what this "madman" who dared to bet on the wrong side was up to.

When 150 silver dollars were slammed onto the gambling table, the entire cage exploded!

"Demolish the rubbish!"

"The casino is cheating! They're using swindlers to scam us!"

"Fake bet! It's definitely a fake bet! They're trying to trick us!"

The shouts and curses were deafening. If it weren't for the powerful and intimidating aura emanating from Zhao Shanhe, the group of gamblers would have already rushed up and stabbed him in the back.

Qian Hu and his accomplices curled their lips into astonished and malicious smiles, then quietly disappeared into the crowd.

But after the senior brother turned and left.

An elderly man, shrouded in black robes and his face obscured by shadows, slowly approached. His hoarse, deep voice rang out: "I'm going to place a heavy bet too!"

The gamblers were stunned again and reluctantly made way.

"Three hundred silver dollars!"

The old man spent a fortune, still betting on Chen Feng to live.

This enraged the gamblers, who cursed the casino for being afraid of losing money and for deliberately sending people to disrupt the game and confuse the public.

Driven by rage, many more people, with bloodshot eyes, staked their entire fortunes on Chen Feng's death.

Just as everyone was going crazy.

But no one expected that the next moment, even Hu Sanzhen from Hu Qing Yu Tang would slowly walk into the boxing ring.

This renowned doctor, known for his composure, remained silent and calm, placing two large bets—buying all of Chen Feng's life!

The noisy, bustling crowd paused for a moment, and a slight wavering finally arose in the hearts of many gamblers.

After a while.

When the words "place your bet and you're done" echoed throughout the stadium, the atmosphere suddenly froze.

In the shadows of the stadium.

A group of actuaries' fingers flew across the page, the abacus clicked and clattered, the sound so rapid it was unsettling.

With the final click of the abacus, a note was quietly handed to the casino's behind-the-scenes boss.

The man glanced at them, then summoned the steward again, slowly exhaling a cold, piercing smoke ring, his eyes filled with ruthlessness...

It seems that everything is already set in stone!

at the same time.

In the center of the arena, on the ring, stood a sallow-faced, emaciated Chinese man.

He was the human punching bag in the previous match, and now he is covered in injuries, trembling, and can't even stand up straight.

"Dila Dica!"

Black Panther grinned maliciously and stepped forward slowly, showing no mercy whatsoever.

Leaping into the air, bending his knee, crashing down—a deadly flying knee strike slammed into the man's chest.

"Click—"

The clear sound of bone cracking echoed throughout the venue.

Before the man could even scream, he spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsed to the ground, twitched a few times, and then fell silent.

The entire venue fell silent for a moment, then erupted into wild laughter and cheers.

Two thugs dragged the still-warm corpse off the edge of the ring like a dead dog, leaving a glaring trail of blood on the ground.

No one sympathized, no one was angry.

In the eyes of these gamblers, this was just an appetizer before the next heavyweight boxing match.

The casino manager waved his hand dismissively: "Next! Iron Head Chen!"

Before he could finish speaking...

The gamblers, their ferocity ignited by the bloodshed, gripped their bets tightly, their faces contorted with rage as they pushed forward, spitting and roaring.

"Kill him! Just like the last one!"

"Break his bones! Make sure he can't get up!"

"I've bet everything I own; he has to die!"

Their eyes were numb and greedy; they saw Chen Feng as just another corpse to be dragged away. They wished the three Muay Thai fighters would strike immediately and beat Chen Feng to death on the ring so they could make a fortune.

The stands were filled with shouts, laughter, and urging, a chaotic mix of indifference and cruelty.

They're all waiting to profit from human suffering.