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

The sky was bright.

The ship slowly entered the estuary of the Huangpu River, its whistle sounding a long, deep blast that carried far through the morning mist.

The buildings on both sides of the river emerge from the mist, and the Bund's collection of international buildings is arranged in a well-organized manner. Western-style buildings made of granite and cement are lined up along the river, with Gothic spires, Baroque columns, and British-style buildings with red brick walls flashing by one after another.

The Huangpu River is lined with masts, and cargo ships and passenger ships flying the flags of Britain, France, Japan and Germany shuttle back and forth, interspersed with Chinese sailing ships and sampans flying the dragon flag.

In the distance, the steel bridge of Waibaidu Bridge gleamed with a grayish-blue luster in the morning light; beyond the bridge lay the territory of the International Settlement.

The ship slowly approached the shore.

Shiliupu Wharf is one of the busiest wharves in Shanghai, where the sounds of steam horns, shouts, and boatmen's chants blend together.

A number of people had already gathered at the dock to wait for the boat. Some held up wooden signs with their names on them and stood on tiptoe to look, while others waved their hats and shouted to the boat. Several rickshaws were lined up at the end of the pier, and the drivers squatted on the shafts smoking pipes.

The porters, with their bare, bronzed arms and thick blue cloth pads on their shoulders, were ready to rush onto the planks at any moment to grab work.

As the gangway descended, stretchers covered with white sheets were carried out one after another.

The ship crew members, with stern faces, carefully carried the stretcher down in pairs, and the outline of a human figure could be vaguely seen under the white sheet.

Some of the stretchers still had dark red blood seeping from their edges, dripping onto the iron plates of the gangway, where it quickly congealed in the morning breeze.

The dock fell silent instantly. Everyone stared at the stretchers. Some people subconsciously took a half step back, while others craned their necks to see what was going on.

"What happened? Someone died?"

"There was a commotion on the ship last night, did something happen?"

A staff member dressed in a Swire Shipping Company uniform stood by the gangway, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, and whispered something to the Public Works Department police.

Someone on the dock shouted, "Who died?"

The employee, caught off guard, stammered, "He's...he's Japanese."

"Japanese?" The crowd was taken aback at first, then someone shouted, "The dead one was Japanese!"

These words were like lighting a powder keg, and the dock erupted in cheers.

"Good riddance!"

"Heaven has eyes!"

"Those Japanese devils have finally met their match!"

Several old dockworkers slammed their carrying poles on the ground and burst into laughter.

Taking advantage of the victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese ran rampant on Chinese soil for more than 20 years. The resentment in the hearts of the people had long been pent up like a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment.

Chen Hongwu and Li Cunyi walked down the gangway, carrying rattan boxes, their steps unhurried.

Li Cunyi's injuries had not fully healed, and his face was pale, but he was in much better spirits than yesterday. He changed into a set of clean clothes that Chen Hongwu had lent him and followed behind.

As soon as the two stepped off the gangway, Chen Hongwen, accompanied by two attendants, squeezed through the crowd to greet them.

Chen Hongwen's face showed signs of exhaustion from not having slept well all night, but his eyes were full of excitement. He was clearly exhausted from the commotion last night and couldn't help but want to find out more.

"Big Brother!" Chen Hongwen stepped forward and took the rattan trunk from Chen Hongwu's hands, carrying it with a swaying gait. He then glanced at Li Cunyi following behind him and asked, "And this gentleman is?"

"The friend I met on the ship is surnamed Li," Chen Hongwu said.

Chen Hongwen smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to Li Cunyi: "Hello, Mr. Li!"

Although he didn't know who this person came from, anyone who could be taken under his elder brother's wing must have some skills.

Li Cunyi nodded slightly, which was considered a greeting.

After greeting everyone, Chen Hongwen turned to Chen Hongwu, his tone excited: "Brother, did you hear about what happened on the ship last night? A whole ship of Japanese died! I heard even a big shot died. They deserved it, they were so arrogant!"

I don't know which hero did it, but the method was clean and efficient, leaving no one alive!

"If I could meet a hero like that, I'd kowtow to him a few times!"

Chen Hongwu carried the rattan box forward without saying a word.

Li Cunyi's lips twitched slightly. This hero is none other than your own elder brother.

Chen Hongwen was still marveling: "I heard some noise outside last night but I didn't dare to go out. Then it went silent. I only found out this morning that a whole corridor of people had died."

He became more and more excited as he spoke, wishing he could see for himself how that "unknown hero" killed more than a dozen Japanese men one by one.

The people on the dock gradually dispersed, and the stretcher was carried onto the waiting trucks on the perimeter.

Chen Hongwu and his group waited for their ride by the rickshaw, while Lin Yuqing stood at the exit in the distance, carrying her small rattan suitcase and looking around.

She changed into a light blue cheongsam with a white cashmere cardigan over it, accompanied by a middle-aged man who came to pick her up.

She stood on tiptoe, looking around as if searching for something.

The middle-aged man beside her asked, "What is Miss Biao looking for? Do you know anyone there?"

Lin Yuqing shook her head: "No, just looking around. It's my first time in Shanghai, I'm really curious."

"That's normal. Shanghai and the countryside are different." The middle-aged man straightened his back, a proud look on his face.

Lin Yuqing secretly rolled her eyes.

Chen Hongwu and his entourage arrived at the City God Temple area by rickshaw, where Chen Hongwen had already arranged for someone to book an old-fashioned inn.

The inn was small but fairly clean. Moss grew in the cracks of the stone slabs in the courtyard, and two large water vats were placed in the corner, with several koi carp slowly swaying their tails in the water.

After checking in and freshening up, Chen Hongwu sat down at the stone table in the courtyard, with Li Cunyi sitting opposite him, holding a cup of hot tea to warm his hands.

Chen Hongwu glanced at him: "Your injury will be fully healed in a few more days. Rest at the inn for a few days, and then you can take a boat back to Guangdong. You know this route well, so I don't need to explain it further."

Li Cunyi was silent for a moment, then put down his teacup and looked at Chen Hongwu: "Master Chen, I'm not leaving. I am deeply grateful to Master Chen for saving my life. You pulled me out of the sea."

I'm not going back to Guangdong. From now on, there will be no more Li Cunyi, the number one assassin of Guangdong and Guangxi; there will only be Li Yi. If you don't mind, I'll follow you, serving you faithfully and at your beck and call."

Chen Hongwu glanced at him but did not speak immediately.

Li Cunyi didn't urge him, he just sat there and waited.

After drinking a few cups of tea, Chen Hongwu was about to speak again when Chen Hongwen's footsteps came from the courtyard gate.

He jogged over, clutching a gold-embossed invitation in his hand. Before even entering the courtyard, he called out, "Brother, Chen Gongzhe from the Jingwu Association has sent someone to invite you. They say they're hosting a banquet at Xinghualou at noon to welcome you back."