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

Inside the teahouse, the previously noisy atmosphere suddenly froze. The faces of all the tea drinkers turned pale in an instant, their eyes fixed on the moldy tea that had fallen into the empty teacup, and they even subconsciously held their breath.

The porcelain surface of the teacup gleamed coldly, and the moldy tea clung to the bottom, lying dormant like a hidden bomb ready to explode at any moment, making it hard for everyone to breathe.

"Knock knock knock—"

The violent pounding of hearts pounded wildly in everyone's chests, and terror washed over every face like a tidal wave. Everyone's toes gripped the soles of their shoes tightly, and their muscles were taut like a fully drawn bow. At the slightest disturbance, they would probably rush out the door in a panic.

But their innate curiosity, like an invisible string, held them firmly in place, preventing them from moving an inch. They could only stand frozen in place, staring intently at the two people facing off in the arena with a mixture of tension and trepidation.

In that tense and expectant moment, when the air was almost suffocating, a loud, boisterous laugh suddenly erupted, making everyone's eardrums vibrate: "Hahaha—"

The burly man with a face full of scars grinned, revealing a mouthful of large, gray teeth. He raised his hand in a fist salute to Hu Mingxuan, who had thrown him the moldy tea, and spoke in a booming voice, "Manager Hu, please forgive us! We are forced by circumstances; it doesn't count as 'despicable behavior'!"

Before he could finish speaking...

He abruptly grabbed the dragon-mouthed kettle from the table, flicked his wrist, and poured scalding hot water directly into the teacup, causing the moldy tea stalks to churn wildly within. Before the tea had even cooled, the burly man gulped down a large mouthful of the scalding tea, savoring the bitter, astringent taste of the moldy tea with a slight smack of his tongue. Then, with a nonchalant air, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Chen Feng again and said, "I presume you, young brother, are the recently renowned Chen Feng?"

Chen Feng's expression remained calm and composed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but inwardly he felt a chill run down his spine.

"The news spread so fast! These informants on the waterways are truly well-connected!"

"Moreover, this Big Grey Tooth is quite forthright, unlike those thugs from the Green Gang! It seems there's more to the kidnapping than meets the eye!"

Seeing Chen Feng remain silent, the burly man wasn't annoyed. He tilted his head back and gulped down another mouthful of tea, then abruptly stood up, his imposing figure instantly blocking out half the sunlight. His tone suddenly turned cold and hard: "I am acting on the orders of the two leaders to inform you three that in three days, the goods will be handed over to you!"

After saying that, the burly man turned and left, his steps swift and light, and he disappeared from the teahouse entrance in no time.

On the table where he had just sat down, beneath the empty teacup, lay a neatly folded piece of paper.

"call--"

Only then did all the tea drinkers breathe a sigh of relief, but because they hadn't seen the excitement that followed, their faces showed a hint of disappointment.

When the noise returns.

"Great location!"

Chen Feng looked out the window, surveying the entire Songjiang River below, and said in a deep voice, "In the days of guns and cannons, this location could truly have controlled the throat leading to Shanghai!"

"Hmm!" Hu Mingxuan gazed at the ships shuttling back and forth on the river, deeply moved. "My Hu Qing Yu Tang controls half of Shanghai's medicinal herbs. If the river route is cut off, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

The voice just fell.

A shout came from the entrance of the teahouse: "Fortune telling and palm reading, no charge if inaccurate!"

A thin man holding a "divination flag" appeared at the door, darted into the teahouse, and went from table to table asking for customers. Amid the disgusted shouts of the tea drinkers, he finally walked to Chen Feng's table.

The man's gaze swept quickly across the room, making sure no one was watching. Then, with a sudden flick of his left hand, the divination flag covered in writing fell to the ground, completely obscuring most of his body and blocking the view of those at the next table. His voice was extremely low: "Brother, the person you're looking for—their hideout and whereabouts—fifty silver dollars!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he paused deliberately, a shrewd glint flashing in his cloudy little eyes, as if he were calculating something. Then his tone suddenly became more forceful, revealing a ruthless edge that left no room for refusal, and he gently raised the price.

"For more details, you'll have to pay extra!"

"One hundred silver dollars, fair and square!"

In the docks around Shanghai and Songjiang, there's never a free lunch. This informant held the information as if it were a ticking time bomb; he knew he was living a life of constant danger. If he sold the secret to a buyer today, and his enemies found out tomorrow, he would face a gruesome death, possibly even bringing ruin upon his ancestors' graves.

Since it's a hole that's being filled with one's life, what's a few extra coins? So, he wasn't at all guilty about raising the price on the spot; on the contrary, he felt it was perfectly reasonable—it wasn't just about the price difference, but also about buying himself a talisman.

Chen Feng didn't say anything, but readily stuffed the two heavy cloth bags into the other person's hands.

The informant didn't even open it to check; he simply weighed it in his hand and already knew what it was.

After the other party quickly stuffed the cloth bag into his pocket and turned to leave in a hurry, Chen Feng found two small notes with messy handwriting in his palm.

The matter is settled.

The three of them didn't linger any longer, got up and left the teahouse, heading down the mountain.

As the saying goes, going up a mountain is easy but coming down is hard, but the three of them moved with incredible speed and reached the ferry crossing on the river in just half the time it took to climb the mountain.

As soon as we boarded the ship.

Walnut and Tangtang returned with their helpers, their bags bulging, clearly indicating they had acquired quite a few items.

Hu Mingxuan nodded slightly to Hu Tao, indicating that the matter was settled. Hu Tao immediately suggested, "Let's gather everyone together and discuss it in the cabin!"

As everyone boarded the ship, a headcount revealed that Hu Sanzhen was the only one missing.

"I'll go get him!"

Wang Xiaoer volunteered, but before he could finish speaking, he heard an old, somewhat reproachful voice approaching from afar: "Coming! Coming! You're getting old and your legs are slow. Don't you like waiting a little longer?"

Hu Sanzhen slowly climbed onto the deck, carrying a fishing basket full of fresh fish in one hand and a fishing rod on his shoulder in the other. The fish in the basket were lively and jumping, their scales shimmering, making them very eye-catching.

"Wow! Old Hu is amazing!" Tang Tang's eyes lit up, and she excitedly stepped forward, then pointed to the fishing basket and exclaimed, "Wow, these red koi are so vibrant and beautiful!"

"Great! Great!" Upon hearing this, everyone gathered around and peered into the fishing basket.

"Hmm?" Chen Feng stared at the koi carp in the basket, their bodies entirely red and their scales shimmering with an unusual light. Instead of finding them beautiful, a strange chill ran down his spine and straight to the top of his head, and a feeling of dread instantly arose in his heart.

"Buddha-light fish!"

The boatmen's expressions suddenly turned serious. Pointing deep into the mountainside, they said in deep voices, "That's the release pond of Pudu Temple. These Buddha-light fish are sacred creatures that the temple's pilgrims release!"

Wang Xiao'er, being impetuous by nature, waved his hands dismissively upon hearing this, nonchalantly patting his belly: "Why release it? This fish is so plump and delicious, wouldn't it be better to cook it and eat it!"

But before he could finish speaking...

With a flick of his wrist, Hu Sanzhen tilted the fishing basket, and all the crimson Buddha-light fish fell into the surging river, disappearing in the blink of an eye, all the while muttering, "Releasing them is good, releasing them is good..."

Chen Feng took in the whole scene. Based on his experience of crawling and rolling around in the underground dragon, and his understanding of Hu Sanzhen's stingy personality, he was 100% certain that this Buddha-light fish was definitely hiding something unknown.

His expression remained unchanged, and he didn't ask any further questions, keeping his doubts deep in his heart.

A moment later.

Inside the cabin, everyone sat in a circle, the atmosphere so heavy it seemed like water could drip from it.

Hu Mingxuan slowly unfolded the note left by the burly man, glanced at it, and read aloud in a deep voice, "It clearly states the transaction location—Phoenix Mountain North Ferry Wharf!"

Hu Tao nodded slightly: "There are still three days on the other side of the mountain. There's no need to rush this matter!"

As soon as she finished speaking, her gaze fell directly on the two slips of paper in Chen Feng's hand, and she said, "Tell me about your situation first. How's it going?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng slowly unfolded one of the slips of paper, revealing a line of crooked yet clear handwriting: "Water Rat is currently at Rice Market Ferry!"

Upon seeing this, everyone's expression changed, and they all spoke up, saying that Mishidu was the busiest wharf in Songjiang, with not only a large number of dockworkers, but also no less than a hundred Green Gang thugs entrenched there, making it a mixed and extremely dangerous place.

Chen Feng remained expressionless as he slowly unfolded another slip of paper. The contents of the paper made his eyes turn slightly cold: "Water Rat has switched allegiance to Huang Jinrong of the Green Gang. His injuries have healed, his cultivation has improved, and he has become a dock manager!"

He understood that Huang Jinrong must have used a lot of resources for the water rat to recover from its injuries in a short time. It was expected that the water rat would have survived a life-or-death battle and improved its strength.

Chen Feng was not afraid at all. Even if Shui Haozi had reached the mid-stage of Ming Jin, he himself was also a Ming Jin cultivator, and with his hard qigong and minor mastery of Tongbei Quan, he was more than capable of defeating him. What he was really worried about was how to eliminate this person quietly and without alerting him.

"We can't let him escape!"

As Chen Feng pondered to himself, he slowly walked to the gunwale, wanting to catch his breath in the river breeze. The setting sun cast its golden rays upon the river, creating a shimmering, breathtaking scene.

Just then, a familiar figure came running along the riverbank, his voice carrying a mix of urgency and elation, penetrating the river breeze and reaching my ears.

"Ninth Senior Brother!"

"It's me!"

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