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

The next day, the sun was high in the sky.

The warm Shanghai sun shone through the windows of Hu Qing Yu Tang, making the side rooms cozy and warm.

on the bed.

Hu Tao and Tang Tang snuggled in bed catching up on sleep, their beautiful brows slightly furrowed.

My dreams are filled with the scorching images of Chen Feng leaping across the river and throwing punches by the garbage bridge, fighting bloody battles at the Songjiang Wharf, and blowing up ships and destroying bridges in the Suzhou Creek. Even my breath is filled with lingering fear.

in the courtyard.

As the sixth senior brother was about to depart, he slammed his hand heavily on Chen Feng's shoulder, his calloused index finger brushing against Chen Feng's blue robe, his voice deep and resonant like a drum:

"To establish oneself in Shanghai by concealing one's strength and striking unexpectedly, one must learn the art of hiding one's weapon within one's bones!"

"This skill combines the ingenuity of traditional Chinese martial arts' bone-shrinking technique with the mystery of concealing weapons. It's like both martial arts and magic, capable of hiding one's sharpness without a trace, yet also capable of delivering a fatal blow in an instant!"

Er Gou, scratching the back of his head, stared intently at the bulging red holster on Chen Feng's waist, his face full of confusion: "Senior brother, this Mauser pistol isn't small, and the holster is even more conspicuous. How could it be hidden by shrinking bones? It doesn't seem possible to me at all!"

The sixth senior brother nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Discard the gun case, hold only the gun, and use the shrinking technique to conceal yourself from your body!"

"Watch closely!"

The sixth senior brother took a half step forward, lowered his shoulders, tucked in his ribs, and loosened his hips. A series of soft "crackling" sounds came from his joints, and his muscles contracted quietly like flowing water.

With a gentle twist of his revolver, it slipped under his clothes like a needle through the gap in his shoulder and rib area, without leaving a single bulge on his skin.

With a flick of his wrist, the pistol magically returned to his palm, so fast that only a cold glint remained. The skillful technique of Chinese martial arts and the agility of magic were perfectly integrated, leaving Er Gou dumbfounded, yet he couldn't discern even a fraction of the trick.

Chen Feng's eyes were sharp, and his joints creaked. He immediately imitated his sixth senior brother's hunchback, lowering his shoulders, tucking in his ribs, and adjusting his spine.

At first, his movements were clumsy, and the Mauser pistol slipped from his hand several times. However, he had a solid foundation in Chinese martial arts and his comprehension of the body was far beyond that of ordinary people. As time went by, he became more and more skilled at hiding the gun in his collarbone.

In less than half an incense stick's time.

He concealed the Mauser pistol perfectly under his armpit, standing still as if nothing had happened. Even if the wind blew his clothes, it wouldn't reveal the gun. No ordinary person could see the slightest trace of it being hidden, no matter how hard they looked.

Heaven rewards diligence; success is inevitable.

[Hint: Through practice, you have mastered the skill of concealing your weapon by shrinking your body, gaining 200 experience points.]

[Sharpshooter Basics (212/500)]

"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" Er Gou clapped his hands and laughed, his eyes filled with admiration.

"Excellent comprehension! Excellent potential!" The sixth senior brother's eyes shone brightly as he repeatedly praised, "Good junior brother! Master was absolutely right to choose you as his last disciple; it's a great fortune for our Yan Sect!"

After saying this, the sixth senior brother did not linger any longer and turned to leave with Er Gou.

Chen Feng stood in the courtyard, rubbing the Mauser C96 pistol in his palm, feeling more confident about going to the underground boxing ring alone.

Just then.

Hu Mingxuan walked over slowly, handing over a newspaper with ink still wet. A knowing look lingered in his eyes as he joked, "The matter at Songjiang Wharf has just been settled, then the City God Temple suffered a massive explosion, and last night the Wuzhen Road Bridge was engulfed in flames... Chen Feng, Shanghai is certainly bustling lately!"

Chen Feng took the newspaper, his fingertips tracing the glaring headlines on the page, a faint smile curving his lips, without uttering a word.

"That bombing of the Wuzhen Bridge was so satisfying! Those thugs from the Green Gang finally backed down, and the poor people by the river could finally breathe a sigh of relief!" Hu Mingxuan sighed softly, his tone full of regret. "But the bombing of the City God Temple... I don't even know who did it! All those singers, acrobats, and opera troupes lost their livelihoods, and many of them had to take their weapons and go out into the streets to fend for themselves. In this world, it's always the poor who suffer the most..."

Chen Feng remained silent.

He knew better than anyone that the only way to change all of this was to have a strong enough fist!

"I'm going—!"

He clasped his hands slightly in greeting to Hu Mingxuan, then turned and headed straight for No. 260 Aidoya Road—where the infamous Rong Sheng Life and Death Arena was located!

He had heard about this notorious underground boxing ring in Shanghai back in the days of the Beast Cage. The fighters were fearless and their punches were fierce. Behind the scenes, it was connected to Du Yuesheng, the Jewish Eye Bank, and the Xuhui Orphanage. It was a den of dragons and tigers that he was bound to enter on this trip.

Halfway there.

As Chen Feng was pondering how to conceal himself, he suddenly heard a series of harsh curses and cries coming from a secluded alley.

I looked up.

Three thugs from the Green Gang were seen brutally assaulting a clown-masked acrobat.

One person grabbed the artist's arm and slammed him hard against the blue brick wall.

One of them kicked him hard in the waist and abdomen with a vicious force.

The leader of the thugs squatted on the ground, snatched the cloth bag that the artist was clutching tightly in his arms, took out the only copper coin inside, and stomped it hard into the mud.

The rusted copper, mixed with dust, was ground into a filthy mess, but he was still not satisfied, spitting out a vicious snort: "You wasted my time, and all you got was a single copper coin?"

Before he could finish speaking...

He pulled a gleaming dagger from his pocket, the tip pointing directly at the performer's knee, and sneered, "Today I'll rip your kneecap off, let's see how you'll keep begging for food then!"

"No—" A heart-wrenching cry came from beneath the clown's mask, the voice trembling and incoherent, blood and tears rolling down his cheeks.

"stop!"

Chen Feng's cold shout suddenly exploded, like shattered ice piercing the air, silencing the entire alleyway by half: "If you plunge in, not a single bone in your body will remain intact!"

"Who?"

Several thugs turned around abruptly and saw Chen Feng alone, dressed in a fine blue shirt. They immediately revealed their vicious nature, thinking he was a fat sheep delivered to their door.

The lead thug spat, brandishing a dagger, and lunged forward, his face blatantly ruthless and cowardly: "Where did this brat come from, daring to meddle in the Green Gang's affairs? You're asking for death!"

The other two followed closely behind. One grabbed a short, thick wooden stick from the roadside, while the other kicked Chen Feng in the knee. Their moves were vicious and brutal, each aimed at a fatal spot: "Boss! This kid's dressed well, let's kill him and make some money!"

Chen Feng stood still, his body subtly circulating his internal energy, his dantian energy condensing between his skin, flesh, and bones.

He raised his hand and lightly reached out, directly grabbing the dagger that was thrusting towards him.

"Snap—!"

With a slight exertion of his five fingers, the dagger, forged from fine iron, shattered and shattered, its fragments falling to the ground.

Almost at the same moment.

"Snap—!"

The wooden stick slammed into his shoulder with a sharp crack, breaking the stick in two. The thug's wrist went numb from the impact, as if he had struck refined iron.

The third person kicked his knee, and there was a dull thud, like kicking a metal stone.

"Ouch!" The man immediately grimaced, clutching his foot in pain and jumping around on the spot.

From beginning to end.

Chen Feng didn't even flinch, a faint sneer playing on his lips, his tone as cold as frost: "With this little strength, you're as weak as trash, yet you dare to come out and do evil?"

Before he could finish speaking...

Chen Feng moved suddenly, the power of the Tongbei Fist flowed from his shoulders and back through his arms, his arms stretched out like a long whip being drawn from its sheath, the speed of his fist was so fast that it was only a faint shadow.

The first thug who rushed at them didn't even have a chance to react before Chen Feng's right fist accurately struck his throat.

"Snap—!"

The powerful punch penetrated the body, and with a crisp cracking sound, the throat bone broke on the spot.

The man's eyes bulged out, and he made a hissing sound as his body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the bluestone slab. He convulsed twice and then stopped breathing, with blood gushing from the corner of his mouth.

The other two thugs were terrified when they saw their boss die instantly, and turned to flee for their lives.

"die!"

Chen Feng let out a low shout, his figure approaching like a ghost. His left arm sank down, turning his fist into a palm and grabbing a person's shoulder armor. The Tongbei Qiaojin suddenly burst forth.

With a crisp "crack," the shoulder armor shattered.

He flipped his wrist again, and his index finger struck the other man's temple like an iron awl. The sound of bone cracking rang out again, and the man groaned as he fell straight to the ground, his eyes wide open, completely silent.

Just as the last person reached the alley entrance, Chen Feng stomped on the ground and chased after him, following closely like a shadow. His left arm tightened around the man's neck like an iron chain, while his right fist, brimming with powerful force, slammed into the man's back.

"Bang—"

With his spine shattered, the man instantly went limp and collapsed in the alley corner, blood gushing from his mouth and nose. He struggled a few times before going completely still.

In just two breaths, Chen Feng had dealt with the three Green Gang thugs with brutal punches, leaving only the howling of dust in the alley and the suppressed gasps of a clown performer.

Chen Feng bent down and scanned the three corpses, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly: "The bones are a bit harder than those of ordinary Green Gang henchmen..."

At the scene of the murder, he didn't think too much!

He crouched down and probed with his finger.

They searched the three thugs and took all their money—a few silver dollars, a dozen copper coins, and half a pack of cigarettes—and stuffed it all into the clown performer's trembling hands.

He gently patted the other person's trembling shoulder, pointed to the clown mask on his head, and said calmly, "I'll trade you this mask!"

The artist was already terrified. Seeing that Chen Feng not only didn't hurt him but also gave him money, he was immediately grateful and tremblingly took off his hood and offered it with both hands.

Then he stumbled and disappeared into the alleyway.

Chen Feng leaped onto the wall and landed in another alley after a few bounces.

next second.

He put the clown mask firmly on his head, his entire face hidden beneath the mask, his sharp edge completely concealed.

Stepping through the dappled sunlight, I walked step by step toward the dark entrance to Rong Sheng's life-or-death arena.

A foul wind swept by in the distance, carrying dust that brushed against the faded red paint on the boxing ring sign. The remaining trace of the character "生" (life/life) stood out like a drop of congealed blood in the darkening sky, silently waiting for him to step into this arena where life was a matter of life and death.