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

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and there were only four days left to keep the appointment at the "Beast Cage".

The night was like a tattered cloth soaked in ink, covering the shantytown of Fangua Lane.

In the partitioned room of the water rat, the light of the kerosene lamp flickered, illuminating his one-eyed, sinister face.

He sat cross-legged on a creaking wooden bench, toying with a silver coin in his hand, with two burly henchmen standing behind him.

"Master Gu's reach is getting longer and longer, and Master Wang isn't increasing his manpower. This lousy territory is bound to be lost sooner or later!"

Water Rat exhaled a smoke ring, the smell of smoke mingling with the stench of liquor, causing his subordinates to wince: "Collecting taxes and selling water purification pills? Too slow! By the time Master Gu attacks, we won't even get a share!"

"Bang!" He slammed the silver dollar on the table, a ruthless glint in his one eye: "That bastard Big Gold Tooth made a fortune before he died, he might be hiding in this alley. And that Chen Feng, I always felt something was off about him—I heard he was very defiant when Big Gold Tooth was forced to pay taxes the night he died? Now he's acting like a coward!"

"Master, shall we go and arrest him now and interrogate him?" A subordinate stepped forward, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"What's the rush?"

Water Rat sneered, "Master Gu's men are watching us like tigers. If we make a move now, we'll alert them and someone else could easily snatch the prize!"

There was another reason, which Water Rat didn't explicitly state, but he only instructed: "Send two brothers to keep an eye on him secretly. If he slips up even slightly, or if he's involved with Big Gold Tooth's money, I'll snap his neck!"

He paused, glanced at the well not far away, and a wicked glint flashed in his eyes: "We can't worry about that now. Let's add some stuff to the wells at the entrances of each alley. We need to find a new way to make quick money!"

The well was funded by a foreign pharmaceutical factory and supervised by the Municipal Council, so the water thieves could only cause trouble; they dared not directly collect money, much less seize the opportunity and ruin the foreigners' good cause.

Many people knew there was something wrong with the water, and some who lived near the Suzhou River preferred to drink the dirty and smelly river water, which led to the business of water rats selling water purification medicine.

"Master is wise!" Upon hearing this, the subordinate revealed a knowing, sinister smile and bowed as he retreated.

the other side.

In front of the reed shed, Xiao Aqiao sat restlessly, her brows furrowed. She had just rushed over from the Black Swan Ballroom and overheard the Axe Gang members whispering about "making money faster." Feeling uneasy, she came to remind Chen Feng, "Brother Feng, why don't we escape? Escape far away, to Nanjing..."

Before he could finish speaking...

"We can't go to Nanjing!"

Chen Feng's heart tightened, and he almost cried out in surprise.

"suck--!"

He took a deep breath, regaining his composure, as still as a deep pool. Squatting by the clay stove, he stirred the medicine in the pot and whispered, "We absolutely cannot act rashly now! The water rats have their eyes on me. If we reveal even the slightest weakness, we'll face annihilation!"

As a modern-day office worker who has traveled from another era, he may not have read many books, but he still knows a thing or two about major events.

Moreover, having lived two lives at the bottom of society, the rules of survival were already ingrained in his bones—personal image management was like creating a unique label, hiding one's strength and disguising oneself was like slacking off without being discovered by the boss, the henchmen of the Axe Gang were just some clueless security guards, and the troublesome ones were the water rats.

Chen Feng knew that the era was about to descend into chaos, and it was better to stay in Shanghai than to flee to other places. At least there were resources to fight for here, underground boxing matches to improve his hard qigong, and boxing gyms to train and improve his martial arts skills. It was a better chance of survival than other places.

He slowly raised his head, looking at Xiao Aqiao, a barely perceptible longing in his eyes: "I want to continue my studies at the boxing gym! I want to know just how strong 'Water Rat's' Ming Jin really is? Tell me, is traditional Chinese martial arts still useful in this era? Can it help me survive in this chaotic world? Can it help me make a name for myself in this Shanghai? Can it help me protect the people around me?"

Xiao Aqiao looked at Chen Feng as if he were asking her a question, or as if he were talking to himself. Although she didn't understand any martial arts or Ming Jin, she knew perfectly well that Shui Haozi was ruthless and vicious. He had risen from the bottom through bloodshed and was definitely not weak!

"Brother Feng, wait until things calm down before you go back to the boxing gym!"

"Stop fighting in underground boxing matches. From now on, I'll take care of you!"

Chen Feng smiled and said nothing more.

According to his usual routine, in four days he will go to the "beast cage" again to be a human punching bag, then go home to recuperate for a week before going back.

This illegal boxing ring belongs to a local tyrant in the Chinese-controlled area—Xiang Gongpi!

A veteran figure with considerable seniority, he commands respect from both the legitimate and criminal worlds, as well as from foreign warlords. The Axe Gang and the Green Gang, in particular, give him their utmost deference.

Currently, the "Beast Cage" is Chen Feng's most stable channel for improving his hard qigong, and it is precisely because of this employment relationship that Water Rat did not dare to directly kidnap him...

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Chen Feng got up and added some water to the dregs of the medicine, brewing a much milder herbal remedy.

The flickering firelight in the clay stove illuminated his serene profile.

Not far away, Wang Ada returned carrying a bucket of well water, water droplets still dripping from the rim.

Wang Ada was an honest and simple man who supported his family of five by pushing a cart at Xinzha Bridge.

He could earn 0.8 silver dollars a day through hard work, which could be exchanged for 13 jin of japonica rice at the official price. But when he arrived in the Zhabei shantytown, he could only exchange it for 10 jin of moldy rice.

The reality is that after paying all the various taxes and levies at the bridgehead, the amount left in hand is at most 3 jin of moldy rice, and half of that 3 jin must be used to pay taxes and levies to the shantytown.

More often than not, poor people like Wang Ada couldn't even afford moldy rice and could only cook bran and chaff to keep themselves alive.

Wang Ada grabbed a small handful of moldy rice and put it into a pot, added water and cooked porridge, his movements as numb as a puppet.

Chen Feng glanced at him, sighed inwardly, and didn't say much—in the Fan Gua Nong shantytown, sympathy was the most useless thing; being alive was already a blessing. Ironically, although Shanghai was tough, at least it allowed his family to barely survive.

After a while.

Chen Feng carried the prepared herbal medicine to his mother's side and carefully fed it to her.

Just then, a heart-wrenching scream suddenly came from outside: "People are dead! Wang Ada's whole family is dead!"

Chen Feng's heart tightened. He helped his mother lie down and quickly walked out of the reed shed.

Inside Wang Ada's shed, the family of five lay sprawled on the ground, their faces pale and black blood trickling from their mouths, clearly poisoned.

The bucket was overturned to the side, and well water was spilled all over the ground, emitting a faint odor.

The neighbors gathered at the entrance of the reed shed, terrified, their whispers rising and falling.

"How could this happen? A perfectly good family..."

"Did you eat something unclean?"

"Is anything here clean?"

Just then.

"What are you yelling about?"

Water Rat swaggered in with a large group of henchmen. His one-eyed man swept the scene with a sinister and greedy look, and loudly announced, "Quiet down! The Well Dragon King is angry! Whether it's the well water at the alley entrance or the water from the Suzhou River, drinking it will kill you!"

He paused, deliberately stopping in the middle of the crowd, and raised his voice: "But don't panic, everyone. I have clean and safe drinking water here, 10 coins a barrel, guaranteed to be fine!"

Chen Feng stood at the back of the crowd, his eyes turning cold. He instantly understood—it wasn't some Dragon King of the Well being angry; it was clearly a water rat who had poisoned the well, trying to make money through such a vicious method. That old bastard, he's worse than an animal for money!

But he showed no sign of it on his face; instead, a plan formed in his mind: "My chance to test my skills has arrived! My hard qigong experience points will increase again!"

"Make way!"

Chen Feng squeezed to the front, a fawning smile on his face, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to the Water Rat: "Master, 10 copper coins a bucket is too expensive! How can we poor people afford that much money? Can you make it cheaper, how about 5 copper coins a bucket?"

Water Rat glanced at him sideways, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "Cheap? Don't you know what time it is? If you think it's too expensive, don't drink it, or you'll be killed by the Well Dragon King!"

Pretending not to give up, Chen Feng continued to bargain: "Master, please have mercy on us lowly people... people will die if they don't drink water!"

"Take care of your mother's legs!"

Water Rat got impatient and kicked Chen Feng in the stomach: "You shameless bastard, don't you even know who you are!"

[Struck hard, Hard Qigong beginner level +1 (6/500)]

Water Rat's strength was far superior to that of the henchmen. His kicks carried a fierce and domineering force, like an iron hammer hitting his body, causing Chen Feng's blood to surge and his steps to stagger back several steps.

Chen Feng winced in pain, but inwardly he was overjoyed: "Hurry up and kill that damn rat! Do as much as you can before I kill you!"

"Ouch!" He pretended to wince in pain and cursed the other man in Sichuan dialect, "Ouch! You little bastard, you hit me really hard... um, it hurts like hell!"

Finally, he didn't forget to keep haggling: "Three cents a bucket would be perfect!"

"Damn it! You still dare to bargain? I'll show you what's what today!" Water Rat was furious when he saw Chen Feng still dare to stand up. He lowered his body and his whole body exploded with crackling sounds like popping beans. He stepped forward, twisted his waist, straightened his back, and threw a punch. The fierce power was released in the momentum.

Upon seeing this, Chen Feng was startled: "Supporting the hammer?"

Before the fist even reached him, he felt a sharp pain in his skin—the old man's "Supporting Hammer" punch clearly carried an indescribable force, far stronger than Chen Feng's "Supporting Hammer".

At this critical moment.

Chen Feng knew that even if he had mastered basic hard qigong, if he took this punch, he would be crippled if not killed.

He dared not be careless. Relying on his understanding of the hammer-wielding style, he immediately activated the "run if you can't win" tactic. With a dodge, he instantly pinned one of the Axe Gang's henchmen in front of him.

With a muffled thud, the strong, muscular manipulator's chest caved in instantly, the sound of bones cracking sending shivers down one's spine.

The other henchmen were terrified, fleeing in panic: "We're on the same side! Boss, spare our lives!"

Water Rat stopped what he was doing, narrowed his one eye, and his gaze towards Chen Feng sharpened: "This kid knows his stuff, this kid is very strange!"

Just as he was about to take further action and test Chen Feng's strength, a subordinate suddenly rushed over, his face panicked: "Master! Something bad has happened! Master Gu... Master Gu's men have attacked and are taking our territory!"

"Damn it! They're trying to steal my territory at this critical moment!" Water Rat was startled; he hadn't expected Master Gu's men to arrive so quickly.

He glanced at Chen Feng, who had disappeared into the crowd, and temporarily suppressed his doubts—no matter what problems this kid might have, protecting his territory was the most important thing right now.

"Pooh!"

Water Rat spat angrily and roared at his men, "All of you, come with me! Get them out of here!"

Before he finished speaking, a group of people wielding axes surged toward the alley entrance like a tide, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"The Ming Jin master is indeed formidable, but..."

Chen Feng stepped out of the crowd, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Regardless of the outcome of the battle between the two sides, I can finally free up some hands for a while!"