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

It was the 29th day of the lunar calendar, at dawn.

The inky blackness of night enveloped the Fangua Lane shantytown. The silence was so profound you could hear a pin drop, except for a sudden burst of noise from the Yan Family Martial Arts School deep within the alley, abruptly shattering the deathly stillness of the winter night.

Inside the boxing gym.

Chen Feng was surrounded by his fellow disciples, each with bulging waists and heavy silver coins jingling with their wealth.

Everyone's eyebrows were raised in joy, their faces beaming with elation and pride, all radiating the high spirits of following Chen Feng's victorious battle and returning with a full load of spoils.

Not long after, Aunt Lin and Xiao Aqiao were politely invited over by the people from the boxing gym. The already lively courtyard gained a touch of gentle vitality.

That night, the boxing gym was completely sleepless.

The interplay of candlelight and oil lamps illuminated the blue-brick courtyard as bright as day, and laughter and chatter filled the air, dispelling any hint of the chill of deep winter.

In the kitchen, the teacher's wife and Yan Xiaomei were busy with various tasks.

Before long, a large pot of steaming sweet fermented rice soup with eggs was ready. The sweet and mellow aroma filled the boxing gym, and everyone held a bowl of piping hot sweet soup, the warmth going straight from their fingertips to their hearts.

Yan Xiaomei carried the fermented rice soup with eggs to Xiao Aqiao, blinked her bright eyes, and praised Xiao Aqiao for her beautiful appearance.

The two girls huddled together, eating sweet soup and chatting and laughing. Their clear laughter echoed through the courtyard, filled with the joy and brightness of young girls.

Beside her, the teacher's wife handed the sweet fermented rice with eggs to Lin's wife, holding her hand and praising her repeatedly, saying that she had raised a good son. In the casual conversation about everyday life, there was a lot of simple and heartwarming affection.

After the four women went inside to chat, only a group of men practicing martial arts remained in the courtyard of the boxing gym.

"Ninth Senior Brother has just gone through a fierce battle and must be exhausted. I know a little about massage and would like to offer some relief!"

Er Gou spoke in a deep voice, his fingertips moving nimbly and steadily, precisely landing on the swollen area of ​​Chen Feng's shoulder and arm, the force perfectly controlled.

"Cool!"

Chen Feng's tense muscles gradually relaxed, and the soreness left by the bloody battle disappeared completely at this moment.

The special healing pills he had taken earlier transformed into a warm current, slowly spreading from his shoulders and neck to his limbs and bones, and his injuries were healing rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Er Gou raised an eyebrow, and instead of decreasing the force in his hand, he increased it. His fingertips moved like nimble snakes, pressing down on the most sore and swollen acupoints.

"That feels so good!"

Chen Feng felt a tingling sensation rush to the top of his head. The fatigue from his hard work during this period of cultivation was completely dispelled by these skillful hands.

"Your technique is even more effective than the elixirs from the Pill Hall!" Chen Feng couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

The other disciples, watching from the sidelines, were filled with envy and immediately shouted in unison, "We're tired too! If Ninth Senior Brother is comfortable, we want to be too!"

The crowd surged forward, surrounding him and vying to have Er Gou massage them.

"Cough cough—"

Yan Tieqiao cleared his throat twice, then spoke up in high spirits, "The boxing gym has a reunion dinner every year on the 29th. Since everyone is gathered here today, let's not leave! I still have some ingredients here. Let's set up a fire and grill some, and also cook a big pot of brown sugar glutinous rice wine, which will warm us up and relieve our fatigue!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present cheered and applauded, instantly pushing the already enthusiastic atmosphere to its peak.

In fact, everyone knew perfectly well that Master Yan Tieqiao had deliberately gathered all his disciples at the boxing gym late at night, not just for a simple family reunion to celebrate the New Year.

Chen Feng just won a great victory in the battle, and everyone was loaded with money. On the way back, they also killed several Japanese ronin. This incident will inevitably attract the crazy retaliation of the "Beast Cage" forces and the Japanese.

Master's actions, ostensibly for the New Year's Eve reunion, were actually a way to protect everyone's safety.

Before long, a roaring bonfire was lit in the center of the courtyard, the flames crackling and leaping several feet high.

Two plump pheasants, several marinated fresh fish, and a lot of steamed buns were roasting over the fire. The oil was sizzling and dripping, and the rich aroma mixed with the smell of smoke was irresistible.

The warm firelight shone on every face, making everyone's smiles appear genuine and radiant.

"Ninth Junior Brother!"

The eldest disciple's gaze swept over Qian Hu, who remained silent in the corner, before landing on Chen Feng. He patted Chen Feng heavily on the shoulder, his voice trembling with excitement: "Today! Thanks to you, we direct disciples have made a fortune!"

"Yeah yeah!"

The second senior brother clutched the jingling, heavy silver coins in his arms, grinning from ear to ear, and shouted, "My storehouse is full! My bag is overflowing with silver coins, I really have to thank my ninth junior brother!"

"We've earned enough for several years' worth of tuition in one go, it's so awesome!" The other fellow disciples patted the silver coins in their pockets and surrounded Chen Feng, praising him endlessly, their words full of sincere admiration.

Yan Tieqiao observed all of this without much emotion, only throwing his head back and laughing heartily: "There will be plenty of opportunities like this in the future; getting rich is just a thought away! Full warehouse! Full warehouse, what a great name!"

Immediately afterwards, he gave a stern and stern rebuke:

"Disciples! Did you gain anything from tonight's battle?"

Everyone instantly recalled the scene of Chen Feng defeating five Japanese karate masters and bringing pride to the Chinese people.

After a moment of sighs and lamentations, everyone was filled with admiration from the bottom of their hearts.

They all knew that this triumphant news would soon spread throughout the Fan Gua Nong shantytown and even the entire Zhabei district.

The reputation of Yan Family Martial Arts School will surely rise as a result.

Chen Feng's reputation soared at this moment, making him the most dazzling new star in the entire boxing gym.

"good!"

Looking at the spirited Chen Feng and the jubilant disciples filling the courtyard, Yan Tieqiao felt immensely gratified. He immediately made a loud decision, his voice steady and powerful: "Today, Chen Feng has not only brought glory to the boxing gym but also made the nation proud. His character and martial arts skills are both superb. From this day forward, Chen Feng will be my last disciple, Yan Tieqiao's last disciple!"

Upon hearing this, all the direct disciples present were stunned, their faces showing a moment of astonishment.

No one expected that the master would bestow the most important title upon Chen Feng without hesitation.

But upon closer reflection, it makes perfect sense.

After a brief silence, everyone quickly came to their senses, stood up, solemnly clasped their hands in greeting to Chen Feng, and congratulated him in unison. Their words were full of recognition and respect, and they had completely accepted this ninth senior brother who had risen to prominence.

"Giggle giggle—"

Qian Hu, however, stood frozen in place as if struck by a heavy hammer.

The color drained from his face instantly, and he was completely disoriented, as if struck by lightning.

The position of his most coveted and self-assured disciple was so easily taken away by Chen Feng.

He stared intently at Chen Feng's retreating figure, the jealousy and resentment that had been building up in his heart surging up instantly, transforming from initial disappointment and confusion into overwhelming hatred.

Yan Tieqiao took in the whole scene, his smile vanished abruptly, he stood up abruptly, his gaze instantly turning as cold as a knife as he swept over all the disciples present, and with a cold shout, the entire courtyard fell silent.

"Qian Hu! Do you know your crime?!"

Qian Hu's heart skipped a beat, and a suffocating sense of oppression instantly locked onto him.

He was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat, his legs went weak, and he knelt down on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, his voice trembling as he cried out that he knew nothing of his crime.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Xiaomei pulled Xiao Aqiao out of the house and quickly recounted Qian Hu's evil deeds of intercepting and killing Chen Feng on the way in front of everyone.

The eldest brother and the second dog immediately stood up and testified that everything they said was true.

When the truth came out, the boxing gym erupted in chaos.

Everyone was filled with righteous indignation, glaring angrily at Qian Hu, pointing their fingers at him and shouting in unison that their master, Yan Tieqiao, should cripple this ungrateful traitor.

Driven to the brink, Qian Hu's long-suppressed jealousy and hatred erupted completely. He went berserk and roared hysterically, shouting that he had been learning martial arts at the gym for many years and that, apart from Yan Xiaomei, he was the best in terms of talent. In terms of cultivation, he had already touched the threshold of internal strength!

Why is Chen Feng able to become a personal disciple as soon as he arrives?

By what right did they take away the position of the last disciple?

Why should I spend every day with Yan Xiaomei?

He doesn't agree!

He is the one who deserves this position the most; no one is more suitable than him!

Looking at the seemingly deranged Qian Hu, Yan Tieqiao, mindful of their years of master-disciple relationship, ultimately refrained from taking action himself. He simply said in a deep voice, "Since you consider yourself superior to Chen Feng, dare you sign a life-or-death pledge to set up a 'boat duel' on the Suzhou River on the second day of the second lunar month, the day the dragon raises its head, and have a fair and square duel with Chen Feng!"

"good--!"

With red eyes, Qian Hu gritted his teeth and agreed, signing a life-or-death agreement with Chen Feng on the spot.

Seeing this, Yan Tieqiao said no more and coldly ordered that Qian Hu be expelled from the sect completely.

From then on, the master and disciple severed all ties and had no further connection whatsoever.

The bonfire was still burning brightly, but the atmosphere in the courtyard had changed from jubilation to a somber silence.

A showdown concerning life and death, honor and who is the true successor of Tongbei Quan has been quietly decided on the eve of the Lunar New Year.