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

The night was shrouded in river mist, making it hard for the small steamer to breathe.

"ah--"

Tangtang rubbed her sleepy eyes, yawned deeply, and shuffled back to the cabin to rest. Her figure quickly disappeared behind the cabin door.

Seeing this, Hu Sanzhen also stretched lazily, his joints making a slight cracking sound, and was about to turn around and leave.

"Don't go!"

Chen Feng stopped the other person, his face devoid of any playful smile, only a deep and unwavering seriousness: "Can you tell me about Xiao A Qiao?"

A sly glint flashed in Hu Sanzhen's eyes. He chuckled twice, his eyes darting around, and he spoke in a deliberately mysterious tone.

"I'll tell you when you come back alive from Songjiang!"

"However, before you go to pay your respects to the powerful figures, you might as well learn more about the unsavory ways of the teahouse!"

The voice just fell.

He shrank back into his cabin like an eel, leaving Chen Feng standing there, staring thoughtfully at the closed cabin door.

The next day.

As dawn broke, the clear blue sky, cloudless and pristine, reflected on the river's surface, shimmered with light.

The small steamship of Yihe Trading Company sounded its horn early in the morning, breaking through the waves on the river and slowly heading towards Songjiang.

Tang Tang stood by the ship's railing, glanced at Chen Feng beside her, pouted, and complained softly, "You delayed us yesterday, otherwise we would have arrived in Songjiang much earlier, and I could have had more fun at the Songjiang dock!"

Before Chen Feng could respond.

She turned around and quickly went to meet Hu Tao, who was walking towards her. She affectionately took Hu Tao's arm, and the two chatted and laughed, their clear laughter floating in the river breeze.

Chen Feng shook his head helplessly and looked up at the direction of Songjiang, where the fog was gradually dissipating.

Just then.

On the river, three massive ships lined up in a straight line, heading straight towards the small steamer, their hulls cutting through the water with imposing presence.

Leading the group was a "Swire ducktail boat," with the British flag flying high on its mast. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that it was a vessel belonging to the British-owned Swire Group.

Upon seeing that it was the small steamer of the British Jardine Matheson Company, the other party immediately sounded its horn to signal them. Tang Tang became excited upon seeing this, and stood on tiptoe to wave vigorously at the other ship, her face beaming with joy.

Hu Mingxuan, standing to the side, frowned slightly, his eyes serious, clearly seeing through the scheme behind the ship.

Chen Feng noticed the change in his expression and immediately stepped forward, asking in a low voice, "Is there something wrong with this British guy's ship?"

These words were spoken.

Hu Mingxuan glanced subconsciously at Tang Tang, who was still waving not far away, afraid that the little girl would hear him and be frightened.

He then reached out and pulled Chen Feng to a secluded spot on the ship's side, pointed to the Taikoo ducktail boat as it passed by, and said in a deep voice, "Take a look at this cargo hold cover. What's different about it compared to the cargo ships we've seen before?"

Chen Feng's gaze slowly swept over the cargo hold, scrutinizing it carefully for a moment. His pupils suddenly contracted, and his voice was filled with disbelief and shock: "Wait a minute! How can a grain transport ship have so many holes in its hold? Aren't they afraid of getting wet in the rain?"

"right!"

Hu Mingxuan nodded gravely and uttered the cruel truth, word by word: "Those are air vents. The hold disguised as a grain depot doesn't contain grain at all, but 'piglets'."

Chen Feng instantly understood the meaning of the word "piglet." A chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and his blood seemed to freeze at that moment.

Before he could recover from his shock...

"Here you go!"

Hu Mingxuan raised his chin again, pointing to the second ship following closely behind, his voice even colder: "That's the Japanese Nisshin Maru!"

The ship was adorned with a glaring Japanese flag, which fluttered in the wind like an eerie ghost sail. The ship's hull was painted with the four large characters "Immigrant Business Development," appearing gleaming, but at the cabin door, there was a tilted movable board, exuding an indescribable eeriness.

Hu Mingxuan pointed to the movable panel, his tone chilling: "That's for conveniently disposing of bodies!"

Chen Feng clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, and the veins bulging slightly. Anger and coldness surged within him.

Just then.

The third large ship had already sailed in front of them. Hu Mingxuan spoke slowly, his voice icy cold: "This is a 'private ship'! It belongs to Du Yuesheng of the Sanxin Company!"

Before he could finish speaking...

The large ship had already passed the small steamer, and a red cloth was prominently displayed on its bow with the four characters "Compassionate Salvation" embroidered on it.

These four words seem incredibly ironic in the face of such a sordid affair.

Hu Mingxuan pointed to the hull, his voice icy cold: "Inside this ship, there are barbed wire cages hidden in the walls, specifically designed to prevent people from escaping and to suppress riots!"

He had just finished speaking.

"I know that!"

Wang Xiaoer quickly moved closer to Chen Feng, his body trembling slightly, and added in a low voice, "I heard that once escapees are caught, the Green Gang thugs will use 'river clam shell torture' on their tendons, also called 'wave-breaking torture'."

"Yes! That's right!" Hu Sanzhen nodded in agreement with Wang Xiaoer's words.

Seeing this, Wang Xiaoer immediately puffed out his chest as if he had been rewarded, raised his chin, and said, "Although I've lived in Hu Qing Yu Tang for many years, I've still heard a bit about these dirty things outside!"

Hu Sanzhen laughed heartily, but his expression suddenly turned cold. He stared sharply at Wang Xiaoer and said in a deep voice, "Have you ever heard of the 'Three-Nine Peeling Law'?"

Wang Xiaoer shook his head blankly, looking completely puzzled.

"suck--"

Hu Mingxuan took a deep breath and spoke with venomous words: "The collusion between colonial capitalism and the Green Gang operates on the principle of 'squeezing out the value of labor in three weeks and discarding the body after nine months.'"

These words struck Chen Feng like a thunderclap.

He had traveled through time and knew of the darkness and depravity of the old society, but he never imagined that people could be so wicked and evil so depraved.

Hu Sanzhen looked at him, his eyes terrifyingly serious: "Don't be in such a hurry. Once you take office, you'll see even more heinous things!"

That's all.

He raised his chin and pointed at the three ships of sin that were gradually disappearing into the distance, sighed softly, and spoke with a complex tone.

"Compared to these three, the truly formidable one is 'Flying Bear'!"

"12000 people were sold to Southeast Asia every year, all of them refugees from northern Jiangsu and southern Anhui, and river workers who built the canals—12,000 families were shattered!"

Upon hearing this,

Chen Feng's heart sank suddenly, and a murderous intent surged from the bottom of his heart like wildfire, burning him so intensely that he trembled all over.

"Young man!"

Hu Sanzhen gently patted his shoulder, his expression serious as he advised, "You're only at the Ming Jin level right now, all alone! You can't afford to offend them, and you can't save them! First, become stronger, first, gain power, otherwise you won't even be able to protect yourself!"

The river breeze swept by, carrying the fishy smell of the river water, and also the unseen stench of blood.

Chen Feng stood on the gunwale, gazing at the vast river, motionless for a long time.

The sunlight was still bright, but before him lay an endless expanse of darkness.

"Is Father alright?"