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

The second day of the new year.

Zhabei was gently enveloped in a thin layer of New Year's atmosphere, but it couldn't warm the damp and chilly air of the Fan Gua Nong shantytown.

The wind blows.

The tattered tarpaulin on the roof of the shed below the embankment rustled, and the chill from above seeped into your bones through the cracks in the wooden walls; even the sunlight felt cold on you.

Starting from the first day of the Lunar New Year, every household in Shanghai was immersed in the leisure of the holiday season, with all professions—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—closing down their businesses; shops closed, workshops locked up, docks were quiet, and factories were silent, remaining closed until the Lantern Festival.

In the entire city of Shanghai, only opium dens, casinos, and brothels—places that devour people's flesh and blood—continue to operate day and night, their bright lights reflecting the endless despair of the lower classes.

Yan Tieqiao had already taken his family to visit relatives and friends, exchange New Year greetings and reminisce. The boxing gym was empty, and there were no longer the sounds of punches and kicks flying through the air or breathing out.

With nowhere else to go, Chen Feng could only retreat to his cramped and small house and devote himself to cultivation.

Heaven rewards diligence; success is inevitable.

[Tongbei Quan - Minor Success in Stance Training: 30/1000]

[Minor Mastery of Hard Qigong: 247/1000]

[Tongbei Quan for Beginners: 484/500]

Of course.

Swallow's Nest is fine on ordinary days, but when a typhoon hits, it rains heavily outside and lightly inside. Pots and pans are used to catch the water, and there is no peace and quiet all night.

More importantly, the room was dimly lit and cramped, making it difficult to even turn around.

Chen Feng could only stand in the horse stance again and again. In the moment when his muscles and bones were tense and his blood and qi were circulating, his mind was filled with thoughts of the next step: once he found his lost father, he would definitely buy a bright and quiet courtyard so that his family would no longer be crammed into this dilapidated house with leaky roofs. They could live with their backs straight and could also practice their kung fu freely and enjoy themselves!

I'm tired from standing in the meditation posture.

He sat down next to his mother, Lin Sao, and Xiao A Qiao, chatting about everyday things, stealing a moment of peace.

Looking at my mother's withered fingers, weaving straw hats without stopping, the straw fibers had worn her fingertips into calluses and cracks that bled.

Chen Feng felt a pang of sadness and softly advised, "Mom, stop making things up. Take a good rest during the New Year. We have plenty of money!"

Lin Sao just gave a muddy laugh, her wrinkled face etched with a lifetime of toil: "I can't stay idle. I've worked all my life, and I feel uneasy if I stop... I'll listen to you, and I'll make less of this in the future!" The resignation and resilience in her voice brought tears to one's eyes.

outside the house.

Occasionally, the sounds of neighbors arguing and talking could be heard, scattered and intermittent, revealing the unique hustle and bustle of the shantytown.

And below the ridge.

Those former neighbors now bow and scrape before Chen Feng, their voices full of flattery and respect, a far cry from their former arrogance of bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

They had all heard that this young man had killed five top Japanese karate masters in the "Beast Cage".

Despite the awe and respect, many people still suspect that the underground boxing ring is deliberately setting up a scheme to cheat gamblers out of their money.

These days, what underhanded methods won't gangs use to squeeze money out of the poor? You can't truly believe it until you see it for yourself!

These days.

The major gangs in Shanghai temporarily ceased hostilities, and even the poorest members of the "Ground Dragon" gang managed to get through the Lunar New Year with enough to fill their stomachs.

This pitiful period of peace and tranquility lasted only a few days.

On the morning of the third day of the Lunar New Year, just as dawn was breaking, a heart-wrenching argument and wailing shattered the tranquility of Swallow's Nest like a cold, sharp knife.

Chen Feng was already a master of Ming Jin, and his five senses far surpassed those of ordinary people. Even through a wooden wall, every word clearly penetrated his ears, each word piercing his heart.

Next door lived the Wu family of five.

Old Wu was nearly fifty years old, his back always hunched over, as if life had broken his spine. A pair of worn-out reading glasses sat on his nose, but what was most striking were his fingernails, which were slightly tarnished from years of typing.

He was a technician at the Commercial Press, and with his unparalleled skill in typesetting, he could earn a steady 15 silver dollars a month.

This should have been a stable livelihood that would have provided enough food and clothing for his family, but he became addicted to gambling, unable to quit, and poured all his hard-earned money into the bottomless pit of the casino.

The family was so poor that they often went hungry, the rice jar was always empty, and the three children's bellies were always flat.

Chen Feng slowly pushed open the creaking, dilapidated door and walked out.

The scene before him made his pupils constrict sharply—a brothel madam with heavily made-up, distorted features, neither human nor ghost, stood with her hands on her hips blocking the entrance to the Wu family's house, her fleshy face trembling wildly. Behind her were two burly thugs with fierce expressions, short knives at their waists, and the cannibalistic Green Gang leaning against them.

"Snapped!"

The madam slapped a handful of silver dollars into Old Wu's trembling hand. The crisp clinking of the coins was particularly jarring in the dilapidated shantytown: "Eighteen silver dollars, take it! This is the highest price I've offered for this area on Fourth Road!"

Old Wu clutched the meager sum of money that had both saved and harmed his daughter, his withered hands trembling uncontrollably. His voice was hoarse and desperate: "It was supposed to be twenty yuan! Twenty yuan! My daughter is an innocent, virgin, not some rotten cabbage!"

Originally, he wanted to sell his daughter to Tianchan Theater, but the theater only offered eight dollars, which wasn't even a fraction of the debt owed to the King of Hell!

With no other options, he gritted his teeth and made the difficult decision to sell his daughter to the Black Swan Ballroom on Fourth Road in exchange for twenty silver dollars to save her life.

But when it came to the final step, Zhou Bapi still tried to lower the price, refusing to pay even the agreed-upon twenty yuan.

"So what if she's a virgin?"

The madam sneered, her tone as venomous as a poisoned knife: "Take it or leave it! If you dare not pay, the casino people will come and tear your place down, rip out your tendons, and skin you alive! You can't pay your debts even with your life!"

One sentence struck at Old Wu's deepest fear.

A few days ago, addicted to gambling, he tried to make a fortune at the Shiliupu Wharf before the end of the year, but ended up losing everything. He not only lost all his last penny, but also gritted his teeth and borrowed the most ruthless "Nine Outs and Thirteen Returns" debt from the casino.

He borrowed ten silver dollars by signing an IOU, but only received nine. By the due date, he was required to repay thirteen dollars, with interest compounding every three days. In just a few days, the debt had driven him to desperation.

If they don't sell their daughter, the only thing waiting for the family of five is death.

Seeing his pale face and silent demeanor, the madam uttered an even more heinous remark, each word striking a nerve with the women of the shantytown: "If you sell your daughter, your family will have one less mouth to feed, saving you some money. And... after the Lantern Festival, you'll be able to pay one less menstrual tax! You do the math, isn't that a good deal?"

Menstrual tax – one of the most absurd, bloody, and inhumane exorbitant taxes levied in the six major shantytowns of Zhabei.

Every woman, whether an infant or an old woman with white hair, had to pay this so-called "dirty tax" for "offending the earth god with her blood."

There's no reasoning, no compassion. If you can't pay, you'll be beaten, humiliated, or even tortured to death.

Chen Feng will always remember the day he first transmigrated. Li Mei, a neighbor of the "Rolling Dragon" family, was forced to drink incense ash to stop her bleeding because she couldn't afford the deadly tax. In the end, her wound became infected and she suffered from sepsis, dying in agony. Her life was as fragile as a blade of grass!

Before Old Wu could recover from his despair, the madam's eyes flashed with a sharp look, and she gave a fierce wink to the two thugs behind her.

Two burly men, like hungry wolves, rushed into the dilapidated house. Their rough hands grabbed a thin little girl and dragged her outside.

The girl was only fourteen or fifteen years old, with delicate and pretty features, an age when she should have been pampered and cherished by her parents. But now, she was terrified, her face ashen, her eyes brimming with tears of fear, crying out in a heart-wrenching scream, her voice hoarse and on the verge of breaking: "Father! Save me, Father! I don't want to go to a brothel! I won't go to that kind of place! Mother! Please save me!"

The cries were like needles, piercing the hearts of every poor person.

inside the house.

Old Wu's wife, holding her two even younger children, huddled in a dark corner, trembling all over. She didn't even have the courage to look up. Blood tears... blood tears flowed silently down her face, but she didn't even dare to cry out loud.

She was just an ordinary woman who couldn't even protect her own daughter in this cannibalistic world.

The area was crowded with neighbors, men, women, and children, all with their heads down, fists clenched, their eyes filled with anger, heartache, and helplessness, yet no one dared to stand up and speak.

Everyone knows that this madam is backed by the Green Gang, a powerful and ruthless force that controls everything in Shanghai.

To stand out? That's suicide!

They are just the most insignificant ants in the shantytown, having to be careful even when they breathe, so how could they possibly fight against man-eating beasts?

Standing beside Chen Feng, Aunt Lin watched this scene of life and death unfold before her. Tears streamed down her face, her voice choked with emotion. She sighed heavily, "What a tragedy... What kind of world is this..."

Before he could finish speaking...

Xiao Aqiao came out of the house and immediately recognized the wicked madam. Her voice was as cold as ice.

"Chen Feng, she's the ruthless Zhou Bapi of the Black Swan Ballroom, the Zhou Bapi who drove so many girls to their deaths!"