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

The eighth day of the first lunar month - Shiliupu Wharf!

The festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year had not yet dissipated, but the cold mist over the Huangpu River had already been mostly evaporated by the rising sun.

The dock was bustling with noise and a hundred boats racing, but the small steamer moored at the easternmost Class A berth stood out like a crane among chickens, suppressing all the surrounding clamor.

This small steel-hulled steamer stands out among the wooden boats. Its hull is painted entirely in maroon with bright silver rivets. It is 23.1 meters long, 4.25 meters wide, and weighs over 40 tons, making it a behemoth in inland waterways.

The chimney spewed out thick black smoke, like an inky pillar stuck in the river's surface, occasionally spewing sparks that were dispersed by the river breeze.

A rumbling sound came from the engine room, the rhythm of steam surging in the cylinders. Suddenly, a long, hoarse whistle pierced the sky, startling the sparrows on the dock into fluttering flight, and the brass bells on the deck jingled.

The sixteen crew members each performed their duties: the captain stood on the bridge, looking out with binoculars in hand; the chief engineer wiped his oil-stained hands at the hatch; the sailors were deftly checking the mooring lines; and the stewards and cooks were moving back and forth at the hatches, carrying luggage and food boxes. Every move they made exuded professionalism and tension.

In the center of the deck, Hu Qing Yu Tang's group had already gathered, standing in a clearly defined circle.

Hu Sanzhen, dressed in a gray cloth long gown, with white hair and beard, held a brass pipe in his hand but did not light it. His cloudy gaze looked across the surging river towards the Songjiang waters, his brows furrowed into a deep frown—a doctor's vigilance against unknown risks, and also an elder's concern for the younger generation.

Hu Mingxuan, standing beside him, was the complete opposite: dressed in a tight-fitting outfit with a wide leather belt around his waist, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, he stared intently at the road leading from the dock to the Fan Gua Nong shantytown, his footsteps creaking on the deck, revealing an barely suppressed anxiety—he was the pillar of the Hu family on this trip, possessing the Ming Jin cultivation, and believed he should be the vanguard for the redemption, but the clan had instructed him to obey an outsider's orders, so he was naturally holding back a lot of resentment.

At the front of the crowd, Hu Tao wore a cheongsam with floral stripes and colorful laces adorning the collar, lapels, and sleeves. She wore her hair in two buns, with red ribbons tied to the ends for good luck during the Lunar New Year.

She lowered her head slightly, her fingers constantly stroking the buttons on the hem of her dress, wrinkling the silk. A blush rose on her fair cheeks, revealing both worry about the redemption and a hidden, unspeakable anticipation. Her fingertips moved faster and faster, as if counting her heartbeats, waiting for someone to appear.

the other side.

The scene at the dock was already in complete chaos.

In the past few days, the news that "Hu Qing Yu Tang is going to Songjiang waters to redeem people" has spread like wildfire throughout the streets and alleys of Shiliupu.

At this moment, the dock was packed with people, three layers deep, so crowded that it was impossible to move. Even the roof of the warehouse was covered with a few young men, who were afraid of missing a single bit of the excitement.

The river breeze carries the smells of fish, coal smoke, and tobacco, mixed with the aroma of moldy rice porridge wafting from the breakfast stalls on the street, weaving a vivid picture of urban life in the Republican era.

The bluestone pavement at the dock was worn smooth by footsteps, and the shops on both sides hung worn-out Spring Festival couplets, while the pawnshop signs swayed gently in the wind.

Many pawnshop and gambling den owners craned their necks and looked at the small steamer with envy, their whispers carried on the river breeze.

"Look at the pomp and circumstance of Hu Qing Yu Tang! A 40-ton steamship, sixteen crew members serving them—this isn't redeeming people, it's clearly just putting on a show!" A pawnshop owner in a light purple cotton-padded jacket stroked his beard, his tone full of sourness.

"No matter how ruthless the Songjiang bandits are, they probably won't dare to ask for an exorbitant price after seeing this kind of grandeur. This time, we'll definitely be able to ransom them safely!" A shop owner nearby chimed in loudly.

But the dockworkers' whispers revealed a different reality.

Several sweat-drenched men, carrying sacks, leaned against the crane, their voices hushed: "The two bandit leaders of the Songjiang River are no pushovers; they're ruthless characters with countless lives on their hands!"

An elderly dockworker in his early thirties, clutching a large, rough porcelain bowl, gulped down a mouthful of cold water and sighed, "Without Hu Qing Yu Tang's intervention, they'll be skinned alive and bleed heavily to bring that person back? It'll be difficult!"

In the crowd.

The gamblers' hands were burning hot with their copper coins, and they were all extremely excited, their spittle flying as they created an atmosphere of excitement.

"You know nothing! Hu Qing Yu Tang has hired a tough guy! It's Chen Feng, who's recently become quite famous in Fan Gua Lane!"

A gambler with a mustache slapped his thigh, his voice suddenly rising: "Back when he was still a human punching bag in 'The Beast Cage,' he single-handedly killed three Thai masters!"

Another gambler nearby immediately added fuel to the fire, exaggerating even more: "You guys don't know, do you? Before the New Year, he killed five Japanese karate masters, one punch each, like smashing watermelons! The scene was absolutely bloody!"

These words drifted into the ears of the Green Gang thugs nearby, immediately eliciting a burst of sneers.

A dozen or so Green Gang men dressed in black short-sleeved shirts and with short knives hanging from their waists stood with their arms crossed at the entrance to the dock. The leader was a thin man with a pockmarked face.

He closed his eyes slightly, tapping the iron ruler in his palm with a soft "tap, tap" sound.

His henchmen around him were talking amongst themselves.

"Chen Feng? No matter how famous he is, he's only good at dealing with people below the Ming Jin level!"

"The two bandit leaders are genuine masters of Ming Jin (a type of internal energy cultivation). No matter how skilled your unorthodox techniques are... they're useless against them!"

"If this kid dares to go to Songjiang, he's definitely not coming back alive, and he'll end up feeding the fish in the Suzhou River!"

Only the man with pockmarks, who was banging the iron ruler, didn't even lift his eyelids, as if the surrounding noise had nothing to do with him.

As the sun rose higher, it climbed up the clock tower next to the dock.

The pointer points to the hour of Si (9-11 AM), when the sun is high in the sky.

"What time is it?!"

Wang Xiaoer from Hu Qing Yu Tang was pacing anxiously on the deck, muttering to himself, "Chen Feng! Why hasn't he arrived yet? Could it be that he's scared and backed out at the last minute?"

"That 'Iron-Headed Chen' guy is completely unreliable!"

"It's not his fault; after all, their opponents were two notorious bandit leaders, highly skilled in martial arts!"

"We've prepared enough medicine and can simply ransom them. Why bother asking an outsider for help and creating unnecessary trouble!"

The cacophony of complaints from the Hu Qing Yu Tang staff made the atmosphere on the deck increasingly tense.

"shut up!"

Hu Mingxuan's face darkened, and he clenched his fist tightly in his sleeve.

Hu Sanzhen twirled his pipe twice in his palm, a hint of hesitation creeping into his eyes.

Hu Tao stopped fiddling with the Chinese knot button, looked up at the crowd, her eyes dimmed slightly, revealing a hint of disappointment.

Just then.

"despair--"

A clear, melodious footstep came from against the flow of people.

"They're here!"

The pockmarked man suddenly opened his eyes, his triangular eyes flashing with a sharp light as he stared intently at the crowd, his iron ruler ceasing its striking motion.

Followed by.

The crowd seemed to be cleaved by an invisible blade, automatically making way for each other.

Chen Feng, dressed in a blue robe, stood tall and straight like a pine tree, his sleeves rolled up slightly. His steps were not fast, but they carried a deep and powerful force, as if he were standing on a silent martial arts arena, not a noisy dock.

His face was calm, his eyes indifferent, and the surrounding discussions, suspicions, and expectations did not register with him.

"Is he Chen Feng?"

"So young!"

All the Green Gang thugs turned their gazes toward him, and all the onlookers' eyes were fixed on the figure in the green robe like spotlights.

in the crowd.

When the pawnshop owners saw Chen Feng's face clearly, their hearts sank and their expressions changed drastically.

"It was him?"

The shops that had initially tried to defraud Chen Feng dared not linger any longer, shrinking deeper into the crowd as if they wanted to bury their heads in their chests, afraid of being recognized.

on the deck.

Hu Tao's eyes lit up instantly, her earlier disappointment vanishing. She stood on tiptoe, waving her little hand vigorously, her clear voice cutting through the noise: "Chen Feng! Over here!"

Chen Feng looked up, nodded slightly to Hu Tao, and walked straight toward the small steamer without stopping.

Just as he was about to step onto the springboard.

"Whoosh whoosh-"

A group of Green Gang thugs suddenly surrounded him, then parted in a V-shape, and the skinny, pockmarked man slowly walked out.

This man exudes a calm and powerful aura, with his Ming Jin cultivation subtly emanating from him. He has a face full of pockmarks from smallpox in his childhood, making him a ruthless character known in the martial arts world as "Pockmarked Skin".

He clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and said, "Greetings, Section Chief Chen! I am the manager of the Shiliupu Wharf. I hope you will take good care of me in the future!"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire room fell silent.

Chen Feng's gaze sharpened slightly, and he instantly understood—the madam's sudden appearance at Swallow's Nest a few days ago, intercepting the Tianchan Theater and snatching people away—all of this was Mr. Du's scheme!

He lightly clasped his hands in a fist salute, his tone neither warm nor cold: "It's my annual leave, I haven't taken office yet, this title is premature... Farewell!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned slightly to the side, avoiding Ma Pi's outstretched hand, and stepped onto the plank. The plank was as stable as flat ground under his feet, without the slightest sway.

After boarding the ship, Chen Feng exchanged brief pleasantries with the members of Hu Qing Yu Tang.

Hu Sanzhen and Hu Mingxuan patted his shoulder lightly, and the three of them chatted and laughed for a few words; Wang Xiaoer simply nodded as a greeting, still carrying a hint of resentment.

Hu Tao leaned closer, her face beaming with excitement. She tugged at Chen Feng's sleeve and pointed to the small steamer, explaining, "Chen Feng, we borrowed this steamer specifically for safety reasons on our trip to Songjiang. It's fast and highly maneuverable. If anything goes wrong, we can easily escape and avoid being trapped!"

talking.

She then pointed to Hu Mingxuan and Hu Sanzhen beside her, a mischievous grin on her face: "These are the two helpers I found for you! You know them both. My uncle, Hu Mingxuan, is a genuine master of Ming Jin (a type of martial arts); and Hu Sanzhen, an elder of the Hu family, has superb medical skills and will be of great use in critical moments!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng nodded slightly but did not say anything more.

Just then.

A series of crisp footsteps echoed from inside the cabin, accompanied by a familiar voice that was both charming and haughty.

"And me!"