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

Gunshots and chopping sounds echoed intermittently in the alley for a day and a night. Smoke shrouded every corner of the Fangua Lane shantytown, and every household hid inside, afraid to show their faces.

As the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, the sounds of battle gradually faded away.

Chen Feng squatted in front of the drafty reed shed, cooking moldy rice porridge for his mother while keeping an eye on the alleyway from the corner of his eye.

Water Rat and Master Gu's men fought to the death, both suffering heavy losses. This was what he heard from the Axe Gang henchmen who had escaped back.

It is said that Water Rat had several ribs broken by Master Gu's bodyguard, and his lower body was also injured. He probably won't be able to get out of bed for at least a hundred days.

Unable to save face, Master Wang summoned several hundred men, and in the end, Master Gu also lost many of his men, temporarily losing the strength to expand.

This battle.

The Axe Gang's arrogance plummeted, and this shantytown sandwiched between the two major forces unexpectedly became a no-man's-land.

With the previous layers of taxes suddenly reduced, the neighbors finally showed a bit of life on their faces, and even their steps became lighter.

Taking advantage of this relaxed situation, Chen Feng quickly took some money he had hidden in the ditch and went to Yaoshui Lane to hire a doctor to treat his sprained ankle.

The doctor took Lin's pulse, examined her complexion, and slowly shook his head: "The cold is nothing to worry about; a few doses of medicine will cure it. But her body is too weak. Living in damp, dark places for so long has caused cold to accumulate in her lungs, which may have left a chronic condition. I'm afraid I can't help her recover completely!"

Having said that, he looked up towards the direction of the concession, where tall buildings and Western-style houses were faintly visible, with white smoke billowing from their chimneys. His tone was full of helplessness: "Those foreigners live in clean houses and drink clean tap water, that's why they don't have this damned tuberculosis!"

Chen Feng's heart sank, and he silently nodded.

He looked at the short, moldy reed shed in front of him, with cracks in the roof and moss growing in the corners, where even sunlight rarely shone in.

Ultimately, my mother's illness was caused by this environment.

Moreover, he knew better than anyone that the peace in the middle zone was only temporary, and the two major powers would eventually make a comeback. When they clashed, the reed huts in the low-lying area would be nothing more than lambs to the slaughter.

"Mom, let's move!" Chen Feng said firmly as he packed his medicine bag.

Aunt Lin hesitated for a moment, then shook her head repeatedly, her withered hands gripping the dry grass beneath her tightly: "No, no, we can't move! Your father has been forcibly conscripted to repair the river embankment. What if he comes back and can't find us? Besides, how much will moving cost? With all our savings, if we can't make ends meet and fall behind on taxes, we'll be beaten to a pulp!"

Her voice trembled, and her eyes were filled with fear—in Fan Gua Nong, she had seen too many consequences for those who owed taxes: they were either forced into hard labor or beaten to death, and many had no choice but to sell their wives and daughters to pay off their debts in order to survive.

Looking at his mother's wrinkled face, Chen Feng felt a pang of sadness. He knew his mother's concerns and understood the cruelty of the world.

ponder for a moment.

Chen Feng offered a compromise. He slowly said, "Mom, we won't move far. We'll move up the hill and rent the Swallow's Nest next to Xiao Aqiao's. That attic room is spacious enough to stand upright in, and it's dry, which is good for your health. I've already asked about the rent. We'll use the money I saved from underground boxing to cover it for now. I'll go there more often, and I'll eventually earn it back!"

Aunt Lin hesitated, but looking into her son's determined eyes and remembering the night she coughed so hard, she finally nodded.

Chen Feng acted immediately, finalizing the house deal by noon and moving in that afternoon.

Standing in front of the reed shed where she had lived for several years, Aunt Lin touched the mottled reed stalks, her eyes filled with reluctance and worry.

But when she stepped into the attic house in Swallow Nest, she was stunned. The ceiling was high enough to easily stand up straight. The walls were made of wooden planks. Although simple, they were dry and free of mold. There was also a small window that let in some sunlight.

"This...this is where we live?"

Lin's voice trembled with emotion. She reached out and touched the wooden wall, tears streaming down her face.

In the Fan Gua Nong shantytown, living in such a shack was something I never dared to dream of.

Chen Feng helped his mother sit down, feeling relieved. "Mom, we'll live here from now on. Take good care of yourself!"

He spoke casually, but in his heart he was calculating: "The rent is three silver dollars a month, my mother's medicine still needs to be paid for, and buying rare glutinous rice is even more difficult. It seems I need to speed up my training. I have to manage both the underground boxing ring and the boxing gym!"

As for the two hundred silver dollars, Chen Feng didn't want to use them easily unless absolutely necessary, except for his mother's medical treatment and Xiao Aqiao's redemption.

That evening, Chen Feng specially cooked a pot of dry rice and steamed two Yangtze River salted fish on top of it. Although the moldy rice had been washed several times, it still carried a faint musty smell, but in the shantytown of Fangua Lane, this was an unimaginable luxury.

"Knock knock knock—"

He knocked on Xiao Aqiao's door next door and invited her to come over for dinner.

Little Aqiao carried a small pickling jar and walked into the house somewhat awkwardly.

When Aunt Lin saw her, she quickly got up to greet her, took her hand and sat her down at the table, showing no sign of disgust. She inadvertently caught a glimpse of the hideous scar on Xiao Aqiao's wrist where the virginity mark had been placed.

"Miss A-Qiao, please sit down and try the food that A-Feng cooked!" Aunt Lin's smile was especially kind. She knew that it was not easy for women to live in this world, and it was even more difficult for little A-Qiao, a young girl, to make a living in Zhabei.

The kerosene lamp in the room was dim yet warm, and the three of them sat around a small table.

Chen Feng filled two bowls with rice, handing one to his mother and the other to Xiao Aqiao, while he only took a small half bowl for himself.

Aunt Lin, her hands trembling as she held the rough bowl, kept adding fish to Xiao Aqiao's bowl, muttering, "This is too extravagant, truly too extravagant! I've never eaten such hearty rice in my life!"

Xiao Aqiao opened the pickling jar, and a salty and fragrant aroma wafted out. These were pickled vegetables she had been saving for a long time, which she usually couldn't bear to eat, but she brought them here today to share.

"Auntie, try this. I pickled it myself. It goes well with rice!" She picked up a piece of pickled vegetable with her chopsticks and put it into Aunt Lin's bowl, her eyes filled with tenderness.

While eating, Aunt Lin suddenly sighed, "Ah Feng, if only your father could come back safely, and our family could have a hot meal like this!" Her voice was filled with expectation and worry.

Chen Feng's grip on the chopsticks tightened suddenly. He didn't speak—he didn't know if his father was still alive, and could only pray silently in his heart.

After dinner, Chen Feng escorted Xiao Aqiao back to the room next door. As they reached the door, he suddenly spoke: "When are you planning to buy your freedom? I'll go with you!"

Xiao Aqiao trembled and suddenly raised her head. Just as their eyes met,

Chen Feng smiled slightly, took a heavy cloth bag from his pocket, and stuffed it into Xiao Aqiao's hand: "There's fifty silver dollars in here. Hide the rest of the money well, and don't let anyone find out!"

Xiao Aqiao was stunned for a moment, then opened the cloth bag and saw the neatly stacked silver coins inside. Tears welled up instantly.

"Chen Feng..." she choked back tears, "I always hoped you would be a wolf that could bite, but the night Big Gold Tooth died, I was so worried I didn't sleep a wink. Your safe return is better than anything!"

She knew that Chen Feng had risked his life to earn this money, so she took out thirty silver dollars and tried to hand it back: "I don't need this much to redeem myself, twenty dollars will suffice!"

"Take it!" Chen Feng pressed her hand down, his tone resolute: "You've helped me a great deal; you can't suffer after your redemption!"

During the scuffle, his fingertips accidentally touched Xiao Aqiao's wrist, where there was a shallow scar, like a burn, with somewhat jagged edges.

Chen Feng's pupils contracted slightly, but he tacitly refrained from asking any further questions—in chaotic times, everyone has a past they'd rather not mention!

Looking into his determined eyes, Xiao Aqiao knew that he genuinely cared about her, so she finally nodded and put the silver coins away.

"I understand that you're focused on practicing martial arts and wanting to become stronger!" Little A-Qiao looked up, her eyes shining. "From now on, whether you go to a boxing gym or an underground boxing ring, I'll take care of you. I live next door, so it'll be convenient for me to bring you tea and medicine. Only if you can concentrate on your martial arts training can you protect yourself and me!"

Chen Feng felt a warmth in his heart. In this chaotic world, it was truly rare to find someone who understood his forbearance and was willing to share his burdens.

"Ah Qiao... then I'll trouble you. I'll cover all your expenses from now on!"

Xiao Aqiao chuckled, tilting her head and staring intently at Chen Feng: "Are you going to take care of me?"

Then, she boldly emphasized, "I'm very greedy!"

When Chen Feng returned to his attic room, his mother was already fast asleep, her breathing much more even than before.

Chen Feng sat by the window, gazing at the deep night in Fan Gualong, his thoughts churning.

He knew that Xiao Aqiao's path to redemption would be anything but smooth—dance halls and brothels were always "easy to get in, but hard to get out."

As for himself, he still has a long way to go.

He is still exploring how powerful traditional Chinese martial arts are and whether they can stand firm in chaotic times!

My mother's health needs to be nourished with rice and safer foods. When will she fully recover?

Where did my father, who has been missing ever since, go after being forcibly conscripted to build the river embankment? Is he still alive? And how can we find him?

The peace in the no-man's-land of Fan Gua Nong shantytown is only temporary. The two major forces of Master Gu and Master Wang will make a comeback sooner or later. Although Chen Feng has moved to Yan Zi Ke, which is just a step away, he knows that the lurking water rats will not let him go easily.

Two more days!

Chen Feng is about to go to the "Beast Cage," a purgatory that will allow him to grow stronger quickly, but also a gamble with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death.