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

The early morning sunlight, like water mixed with ash, barely seeped through the gaps in the reed shed.

The wind and rain had just stopped overnight, and the air was filled with the muddy, fishy smell, mixed with the oil and decaying odor unique to the shantytown, making one's nose feel tight.

When Chen Feng hunched over and crawled into the shed, the damp chill on his back had not yet dissipated.

He had hidden his money and kitchen knife in an abandoned ditch at the intersection of three alleys. He wrapped them in three layers of tattered burlap sacks and pressed them under half a foot of black mud. That place was a no-man's-land where smokers hid their secrets and rats and ants built their nests. The stench was so strong that it could overpower the smell of money. No one would have thought that someone would hide their life and fortune there.

He touched his chest; the damp chill of the early morning seeped into his tattered coat, but his heart remained steadfast: "Don't flaunt your wealth, and don't expose your weapons!"

The first rule for surviving in the Fan Gua Nong shantytown is to live like an inconspicuous patch of weeds!

"Cough cough cough—"

The old mother's cough came from the corner covered with hay, as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.

Chen Feng moved quietly and looked in the dim light—his mother's face was ashen, her lips were dry and cracked, and the tattered quilt covering her was full of patches, revealing the blackened cotton inside.

He felt a prickling sensation in his heart, but he forced down his urgency. The money he had risked his life to steal from Big Gold Tooth last night was enough to hire the head doctor from Hu Qing Yu Tang to treat his illness, and it could also improve the lives of his mother and son. But now things were tense, and the Axe Gang would come knocking on his door sooner or later. To flaunt his wealth now would be tantamount to inviting trouble.

He slowly approached, carefully tucking the cotton wadding around his mother's neck. His fingertips touched her burning skin, and he thought to himself, "This cold can't be delayed. I need to brew the last dose of traditional Chinese medicine to stabilize her condition. We can worry about the money later!"

A short while later.

As dawn broke, a faint fire ignited in the small mud stove at the entrance of the shed. Chen Feng squatted on the ground, his chest almost touching his knees, and gently blew on the fire.

As the flames flickered, he glanced around out of the corner of his eye, taking in everything.

His family's reed shed was located at the very end of this alley, surrounded on three sides by other sheds of varying heights.

On the right, in a low-lying area, rainwater accumulates year-round. The shantytowns that can be seen are all "coffin rooms" made from discarded oil drums. The space is so small that you can only curl up to sleep. The smell of oil and decay is so strong that it hurts your lungs. And at night, you can always hear rats grinding their teeth. The piercing sound makes your teeth ache.

To the left is a embankment only a few steps high, above which are the partitioned houses of "Swallow's Nest". This embankment also divides the shantytowns into different classes, and ordinary people do not easily go up.

Kan Shang was the territory of the local Chinese gangsters. Those "swallow nest" partitioned rooms housed opium dens, gambling dens, and prostitutes. The air was filled with the smell of opium mixed with jasmine, attracting rats and ants to scurry about.

At this moment.

Xiao Aqiao's door was still closed. The faded red paper on the door stood out starkly in the dusty shack. Chen Feng knew that this girl worked late into the night to make a living and would never open the door until noon.

Not far away, smoke rose from Old Li's clay stove. Old Li was originally a refugee from northern Jiangsu. He used to work as a rickshaw driver in Shanghai. A few days ago, he had his legs crippled by Big Gold Tooth of the Axe Gang and is now bedridden.

His old woman squatted by the stove, her back to everyone, her shoulders trembling, but she didn't dare to utter a sound of crying.

Chen Feng could see clearly that the old woman's hands were trembling. The water in the medicine pot hadn't even boiled yet, but her tears were already streaming down her cheeks, dripping into the muddy water on the ground and disappearing instantly.

In the Fan Gua Long shantytown, there's a rule that crying has to be taxed. The Axe Gang members say that crying is bad luck and affects "business." You have to pay a copper coin for every cry, and double that for mourning. If you can't pay, you'll be whipped and subjected to private torture.

Not long ago, Widow Wang cried for her husband for so long that her tongue was cut out.

Chen Feng withdrew his gaze, a cold smile playing on his lips: "In this world, even sorrow has become a luxury. Only by enduring, persevering, and growing stronger can one wait for a chance to turn the tide!"

Just then.

From the direction of the alley entrance came the sound of chaotic footsteps, crude shouts and roars, like a pack of wild beasts rushing into the shantytown.

The loud noise startled everyone, who craned their necks and looked anxiously toward the alley entrance, their faces filled with fear.

Chen Feng's heart sank, but his blowing motion remained unchanged—he knew that the news of Big Gold Tooth being beaten had finally spread.

A moment later, a group of men dressed in tight-fitting clothes and with axes at their waists rushed in. The leader, a one-eyed man with a black cloth covering his face, had a smirk and eyes as sinister as a venomous snake. He was none other than the leader of the Axe Gang in this area—Water Rat!

Chen Feng had only heard that "Water Rat" was a master of Ming Jin, whose "Entangling Silk Hand" could easily break a person's neck. But now, after truly feeling the guy's undisguised aura, his hair stood on end and a chilling coldness penetrated to his very bones.

A master of Ming Jin (a type of martial arts technique) is terrifying!

"Water Rat" made a fortune by selling water purification pills for pharmaceutical factories in the French Concession, and through the accumulation of resources, he managed to break through to the Ming Jin cultivation level.

The "water purification pills" were actually just dough balls mixed with lime. Drinking them was not only useless, but would also cause diarrhea. However, the water rats, with their superb skills and the henchmen of the Axe Gang, forced every household to buy them regularly. If they didn't buy them, the sheds would be demolished and people would be tied up.

Big Gold Tooth was just his subordinate, responsible for collecting taxes. Now that Big Gold Tooth is dead, Water Rat will surely use the pretext of searching for the murderer to extort money from him, thus finding the murderer and making money at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.

"Get out here, all of you!"

Water Rat's voice boomed like a broken gong: "Big Gold Tooth died at the alley entrance last night. Anyone who harbors the murderer or hides stolen goods, hmph...!"

Before he could finish speaking...

The henchmen swarmed in, searching house to house. The sounds of beatings, cries, and pleas filled the shantytown instantly—the elderly were pushed to the ground, women and children were driven aside, some had their tattered cotton quilts torn, their hard-earned few copper coins stolen, and others were punched and kicked by the Axe Gang members for resisting taxes, and some even had their fingers chopped off.

Chen Feng's heart beat slightly faster, but he remained in a squatting position, even shrinking his neck like the others to make himself look less noticeable.

And at that very moment.

He felt all the neighbors' eyes on him, some expectant, some pleading, and some resentful—they all knew that Chen Feng had fought in underground boxing and was skilled in martial arts.

"Chen Feng, make your move!" someone shouted in a low voice.

"If you don't intervene, we're all going to be beaten to death!" someone complained.

Chen Feng found it laughable; these people dared not resist themselves, yet they wanted him to take the lead and draw fire.

He knew very well that the water rat was trying to force out any potential threats. At this moment, not to mention taking action, even resisting would be falling right into the guy's trap.

and so.

Chen Feng had already activated his "top-notch persona management." His face instantly filled with a look of terror, as if he were stunned by the terrible scene before him. His body was trembling slightly, but his heart remained calm. He even deliberately shrank closer to his mother, actually protecting Lin Sao even more tightly.

Soon, two henchmen stormed into his reed shed and ransacked the place, leaving his meager belongings scattered all over the floor.

"Mom! Go hide in the crowd!"

Aunt Lin hesitated for a moment, but still listened to her son.

"Damn it, a penniless wretch!"

Two henchmen emerged, cursing and swearing. They disliked Chen Feng intensely and unleashed a full-force attack, each strike aimed to kill, targeting vital areas like the back of the head: "Are you hiding something? Hand it over!"

[Struck hard, Hard Qigong beginner level +1 (4/500)]

[Struck hard, Hard Qigong beginner level +1 (5/500)]

Chen Feng was secretly delighted, thinking to himself, "If I could get a few more thugs, perhaps once my hard qigong reaches a minor level, I wouldn't be afraid of any Ming Jin masters!"

So he deliberately staggered a few times, causing himself to fall heavily to the ground: "N-nothing, I really didn't do anything..."

"He really is a piece of trash!" Seeing his cowardly appearance, the other henchmen rushed up and attacked him with fists and feet, but they couldn't cause him any real harm or gain any experience.

"Um?"

Chen Feng discovered that although these henchmen were strong and powerful, their ordinary attacks were no different from tickling him; only a full-force attack could give him experience!

"What a piece of trash, looks like he didn't hide anything!" The henchmen, finding nothing and failing to kill him after fighting for a long time, were about to use their axes to finish him off when Water Rat stopped them, so they all turned around and went to the next house.

"Ouch--!"

Chen Feng slowly stood up, lightly patted the dirt off his body, and frowned slightly at the "pain" in his back—of course, this was just for show.

"Unfortunately, these are too weak!"

He slowly scanned the henchmen, memorizing them all, before his gaze fell on the water rat. The one-eyed man was half-closing his eyes, his gaze sharp as an eagle's, clearly not so easily fooled.

Chen Feng thought to himself, "This 'water rat' is quite cunning; I can't let my guard down!"

In no time at all.

After thoroughly ransacking the shantytown, the Axe Gang's henchmen left, cursing and swearing.

"What a coward! They're riding all over you, and you don't even dare to fight back!"

"I knew he was just bragging about fighting in underground boxing matches; he's just a spineless coward who only knows how to take a beating!"

"Living in the same alley as such a useless man is bad luck!"

Chen Feng heard his neighbors whispering; their words pierced his ears like needles, but couldn't penetrate his heart.

A barely perceptible smile curved Chen Feng's lips—trash? Coward? Softie? It doesn't matter, everyone better think that way!

In chaotic times, it's all about playing the field and building a persona first—making your opponents think you're always useless while you secretly level up! All the forbearance now is for a thunderous strike later!

"Brother Feng!"

A fragrant and soft jade hand was extended in front of him.

Chen Feng looked up and saw Xiao Aqiao standing in front of him. Her blue cloth clothes were washed until they were white, her hair was neatly combed, and her eyes were still sleepy from just waking up, but they could not hide her unique gentleness.

"Are you alright?"

Her hands were delicate, her fingertips carrying a hint of warmth. She gently supported Chen Feng's arm, her voice soft and gentle, like a spring breeze, filled with concern and deep approval.

Xiao Aqiao's gaze fell on Chen Feng's large palm, and she leaned slightly against him, a barely perceptible sense of security flashing in her eyes.

Chen Feng deliberately lowered his head to avoid her burning gaze, and said in a low voice, "No...it's nothing, thank you, Miss Qiao!"

"Feng! Are you alright?"

Aunt Lin came over, and as soon as she spoke, Xiao Aqiao was so startled that she quickly withdrew her gentle hand.

Chen Feng nodded and said in a low voice, "Mom, I'll go check if the medicine is ready!"

Aunt Lin didn't ask any more questions. She just watched her son squat back down by the clay stove, then looked at Xiao Aqiao, whose ears were burning hot. A knowing look flashed in her eyes, but she said nothing.

The firelight illuminated Chen Feng's profile, and his gaze became deep and sharp in a corner unnoticed by anyone.

He clearly saw the meaningful look in the old man's eyes as he left—the old man had not completely let go of his suspicions about him, and the crisis in this shantytown was far from over.

But Chen Feng wasn't afraid. He had a golden touch and knew how to conceal his strength and play it safe, like a kitchen knife hidden in a ditch, just waiting for the right moment to draw its sheath and draw blood.

Now, all he has to do is continue to lie low, brew medicine, take care of his mother, and play the role of a "useless Chen Feng," honing his skills in the darkness until the relationship between prey and hunter changes.