Chinese martial arts: From being shot and killed by the armed police during a mountain search to bec

The First Madam's gaze swept over the Third Concubine's head and over the women who were crying in the flower hall.

She suddenly raised her hand and slammed it on the coffee table.

"Bang!"

The Ru kiln celadon teacup jumped up, bounced twice on the table, rolled to the edge of the table, and fell to the ground, shattering into seven or eight pieces. Tea splashed all over the floor, seeping out along the cracks in the blue bricks, all the way to the hem of the sixth concubine's skirt.

The crying stopped abruptly.

The sixth concubine's wailing caught in her throat, and she let out a sob. The seventh concubine's mouth was open, with half of "General" still stuck in her throat, but she swallowed it back down.

"Have you cried enough?"

"When the Marshal was alive, you were all so jealous of each other, practically ready to scratch each other's faces," the First Madam said, gesturing around the room. "Now that he's gone, you all know how to cry?"

No one dared to speak.

What's the use of crying?

"Wipe your tears clean." The first wife pulled a gun from her waist and slammed it on the table with a "bang." Her cold gaze swept across the room. "Sit back in your seats. Anyone who dares to utter a sound will be the first to be shot!"

The concubines exchanged glances and silently returned to their seats.

The First Madam didn't look at them, but instead ordered the guards, "Li Hu."

Guard Li Hu clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Madam."

"You've been a long-time follower of the Marshal, and I hope you won't disappoint me. Although the Governor is dead, Marshal Lu is still here, and so is the Guangxi Clique."

"Please give your orders, Madam, and Li Hu will do anything, even risk his life!"

"Pass on my orders! First, seal off Ciyun Nunnery and surround the entire area within a 500-step radius. No one is allowed to approach. No matter how many people die inside, no one is allowed to spread the news. Anyone who speaks out will be executed!" The First Madam's voice grew faster and sharper. "Second, send two trucks to Ciyun Nunnery to wrap the bodies of the Commander-in-Chief and his adjutant in cloth and transport them into the mansion through the back gate."

Remember, when walking at night, make sure no one sees you. Third, call the people at the telegraph office; I want to personally send a telegram to Guangxi.

Li Hu noted everything down, clasped his hands in a salute, and strode away.

The First Madam turned back to the nine women in the flower hall: "From now on, none of you are allowed to leave the mansion, receive guests, or mention today's events to anyone. Your usual food, clothing, and daily necessities remain the same. Drink tea as usual, play cards as usual. Not a single servant in the mansion is to be missing, and not a single guard is to be removed from the gate. No matter what outsiders think, the Governor's Mansion is still the same Governor's Mansion."

She paused, her gaze turning cold and hard: "Anyone who can't control their mouth—"

She didn't finish her sentence, but her gaze lingered on the fifth concubine's face for a moment. The fifth concubine felt a chill run down her spine from her gaze and quickly lowered her head, her voice trembling: "I...I will listen to everything you say, eldest sister."

"Me too," Fourth Concubine quickly followed.

"It's all up to you, eldest sister." The seventh concubine stopped crying, wiped away her tears, and stood up straight.

The sixth concubine sat on the embroidered stool, clutching her handkerchief in both hands. Her lips trembled for a long time before she finally managed to squeeze out two words: "I'll listen to... I'll listen to my eldest sister."

The first wife looked them over, nodded slowly, then stood up from the armchair and walked to the window.

Outside the window was the governor's mansion's back garden, with its artificial hills, flowing water, and lush flowers and trees. Sunlight shone on the pond, making the water ripple. Everything looked so peaceful and serene.

But the first wife knew that beneath this calm surface lay a pot of boiling oil.

She turned around and looked at the nine women in the flower hall, her voice suddenly turning cold: "From today onwards, the lives of the ten of us sisters are tied together. As long as the news can be kept secret, we'll still have a chance to survive when people from Guangxi arrive. If we can't keep it secret..."

Her hand rested on the window frame, her gaze heavy.

"Not a single person in the entire governor's mansion will survive."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The idea was good, but unfortunately she missed one person who knew the truth.

After dealing with the group of robbers, the rest of the journey went smoothly without any further complications, and the carriage was very quiet.

If it weren't for the faint, lingering smell of blood and the occasional glances, Chen Hongwu felt it would be even more perfect.

The train pulled into Foshan Station with its whistle blaring, billowing white smoke from the engine and enveloping the platform in a hazy mist.

Chen Hongwu got out of the carriage, with a few dried bloodstains on the hem of his clothes, left by the gang of robbers, which had turned dark brown.

He didn't linger on the platform; instead, he walked through the bustling crowd and exited the station directly.

The streets of Foshan are bustling with people. Porters carry their wares on shoulder poles and call out their wares along the way. Tea shops display newly arrived Pu'er tea, and the clanging and hammering sounds echo from the blacksmith's shop.

Chen Hongwu walked very fast, his steps were small but each step was very steady, and the soles of his cloth shoes made almost no sound as they brushed against the bluestone pavement.

To get from the train station to the Chen family residence, one had to cross three streets. When he reached the second street, Chen Hongwu suddenly paused for a moment.

At the street corner, two men dressed in shorts sat in front of a wonton noodle stall. One of them held a bowl, picking at the noodles with chopsticks, and slurped them down loudly; the other didn't touch his chopsticks, his eyes constantly glancing at the street.

Both men had their sleeves rolled up to their elbows, their forearm muscles were bulging, and the veins on the backs of their hands stood out like the gnarled roots of an old tree.

"A martial arts expert?"

Chen Hongwu didn't think much of it. Martial arts schools were everywhere in Foshan, and even the old men guarding the gates knew a few moves.

It wasn't surprising to run into a few martial arts practitioners. He didn't stop and turned into a small alley.

But then he realized something was wrong.

The closer you get to the Chen family's residence, the more skilled martial artists there are, and they are all quite good.

There were three people sitting at the tea stall at the alley entrance, one squatting at the entrance of the general store diagonally opposite, and another leaning against the old banyan tree outside the Chen family courtyard wall.

Each of them had slightly bulging temples, broad shoulders and thick backs, long and deep breaths, and wore coarse cloth short jackets.

"Something's not right. What happened to the Chen family these past few days?"

Chen Hongwu didn't go through the main gate, but instead went around to the back alley of the courtyard and stopped outside the lowest section of the courtyard wall. He listened to the sounds inside the wall, then touched the blue brick wall with his toes and, like a large bird, silently vaulted over the top of the wall.

When my feet landed on the grass in the back garden, not a single blade of grass bent.

It lands silently, like a cat pouncing on a mouse; it takes root and penetrates deep into the ground.

The Chen family mansion was indeed different. There were seven or eight unfamiliar martial arts masters in the corridor, each with bulging waists, obviously carrying weapons.

The number of guards patrolling the courtyard has doubled compared to before, with a team patrolling from the main hall to the backyard every incense stick's time.

Chen Hongwu walked along the wall toward the main hall, his figure flashing between the pillars and the artificial hill, avoiding three groups of patrolling people.

They soon arrived at the entrance to the main hall.

Inside the hall, Chen Huaijin sat with a slightly hunched back, his elbows resting on his knees, as if sighing. Chen Hongwen paced back and forth in the hall, his steps hurried and disordered, as the two talked.

After listening for a while, Chen Hongwu realized that their personal freedom was not restricted.

Only then did he push open the door and go inside.

The door hinges made no sound, and his shadow was cast first onto the blue brick floor, stretching out thin and long.

Chen Hongwen was halfway there when he caught a glimpse of a figure on the ground out of the corner of his eye. His hair stood on end, and he turned around abruptly, reaching for his waist with his right hand.

"it's me."

The moment Chen Hongwu's voice fell, he appeared beside Chen Hongwen and pressed down on his hand that was drawing his gun.

Chen Huaijin suddenly stood up from his chair, his face lighting up with joy, and exclaimed, "Hongwu?!"

"Big Brother!" Chen Hongwen turned to look at Chen Hongwu, scrutinizing him several times, his eyes shining brightly. "You're alright? That's great!"

Chen Huaijin walked over without saying a word, and patted Chen Hongwu's shoulder three times heavily. Each pat was harder than the last, and after the last pat, he didn't pull his hand back; it remained on Chen Hongwu's shoulder, his fingers trembling slightly.

"It's good to be back." Chen Huaijin's voice was a little hoarse, but the smile on his face was undeniable. "It's good to be back."

Chen Hongwu glanced at the wrinkles on Chen Huaijin's face, then at the dark circles under Chen Hongwen's eyes, and said nothing.

Chen Hongwen pulled Chen Hongwu down to sit, his words gushing out like beans: "Brother, you didn't go to Guangzhou, did you? I told you you wouldn't go. Going to storm the governor's mansion alone would be suicide! Father has been so worried these past two days that he can't sleep, afraid of bad news coming from Guangzhou. I've already told Father. Brother, although you have a stubborn temper, you're not reckless—"

That day at the Foshan Chamber of Commerce, Chen Hongwu swiftly killed a Green Gang assassin and then left Foshan, vowing to go kill someone.

Everyone thought he was acting out of anger and planned to go to Guangzhou to settle scores with Mo Laohu.

But no one thought he could succeed, even though Chen Hongwu had previously made a name for himself in Foshan and his boxing skills were already at a high level.

But facing Mo Laohu, who is rich, powerful, armed, and cunning as a fox, he has no chance of winning.

"I'm going," Chen Hongwu said.

Chen Hongwen's words caught in his throat, his mouth agape, unable to close.

"You went to Guangzhou?" Chen Hongwen's voice rose half an inch. "Brother, you went to the Governor's Mansion?"

Chen Hongwu shook his head: "I looked around outside, and the guards are too tight. It's impossible to sneak in."

Chen Hongwen paused for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief, his expression brightening again. "I knew it!"

"That's the right thing to do." Chen Huaijin's voice softened as he patted Chen Hongwu's arm. "What grudges are there? They're all fleeting. The most important thing is for the whole family to be safe and sound."

"At worst, we can move again, this time out of Guangdong. Even if Mo Laohu's reach is long, can he control all of China? I'll have the accountant do some inventory later, and we'll sell the shop—"

"Father," Chen Hongwu interrupted him, "What happened at home? Why are there so many unfamiliar faces?"