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

The next day, before dawn, the rain that had been holding back all night finally poured down from the clouds.

The rain was heavy and torrential, with raindrops the size of soybeans hitting the bluestone pavement and splashing up a white spray.

Pedestrians on the street were scattered by the sudden downpour, vendors hurriedly packed up their stalls, and rickshaw drivers pulled their rickshaws under the arcades to take shelter from the rain. In the blink of an eye, the street was mostly empty.

Chen Hongwu sat cross-legged on the bed in the guest room, while the rain poured down outside the window.

He put away the thunderous sound, got up and walked to the window, pushed open the wooden window to get some fresh air.

My gaze inadvertently swept downstairs and I saw a person kneeling at the entrance of the inn.

The little mudfish knelt on the rain-soaked bluestone steps in front of the inn. It was completely soaked, its hair stuck to its forehead, and water was running down its chin and elbows.

The tattered short jacket he was wearing was soaked by the rain and clung to his body, revealing the outlines of his collarbone and ribs.

The patches on his trousers at the knees were soaked in muddy water, his lips were frozen purple, and he was shivering slightly in the rain.

But he stood ramrod straight, his two mud-covered hands resting flat on his knees, his eyes fixed on the tightly closed wooden door of the inn.

Chen Hongwu stood by the second-floor window without saying a word.

Li Yi came out of the next room, glanced downstairs following his gaze, and smiled, "He's a persistent one."

The two stood by the window for a moment, then heard footsteps behind them. Chen Hongwen, wearing a jacket, strolled over from the next room.

He glanced downstairs again, his brows furrowing. "It's been all night? He's been kneeling like that? The rain's pouring down like this, and he's so frail. If he keeps kneeling like that, he might die."

He turned to Chen Hongwu and said, "Brother, this kid wants to stay with us as a follower. We might as well take him in. I'll give him a stipend, just to have another handyman."

Chen Hongwu looked at the little mudfish kneeling upright in the rain and remained silent for a moment.

He waved his hand and turned away from the window: "Medical knowledge should not be easily passed on, and doctors should not knock on doors."

After saying that, he left the room.

Chen Hongwen was completely bewildered. Watching Chen Hongwu's figure disappear down the corridor, he turned to Li Yi and asked, "What does this mean?"

Li Yi also turned and left: "This child has good potential."

Chen Hongwen stood still, looking to his left at the empty corridor.

Looking down at the little mudfish kneeling in the rain below, he still couldn't quite grasp the situation.

He stamped his foot in frustration and chased after them, shouting, "Explain yourselves clearly! What do you mean by 'not easily passed on'? What do you mean by 'good aptitude'? Hey! Hey!"

The master-disciple relationship in the martial arts world is never a game.

In the past, martial arts masters had a very strict set of rules and a long testing process when accepting apprentices.

For a disciple to be accepted into the inner circle, they need an introducer and a guarantor. After the disciple is accepted, they must undergo three years of observation and training.

The master teaches the form openly, but secretly judges whether a disciple is worthy of inheriting the skills by observing the details of their character and conduct.

The key to these first three years lies in the word "tempering". The master may not agree to accept you as a student, but will only say "practice with me first".

Every morning before dawn, the apprentice would fill the water vat and sweep the yard clean, then practice standing meditation and basic skills, which would last for most of the day.

The master watches from the sidelines, but doesn't teach anything substantial; he only observes your patience, comprehension, and character.

Only those who can endure this hardship and training are qualified to learn real skills; those who cannot will simply pack their bags and leave.

When Yang Luchan was learning boxing in Chenjiagou, he pretended to be deaf and mute and did odd jobs for many years under Chen Changxing's tutelage. Every day, he carried water, chopped firewood, and swept the courtyard, secretly learning boxing techniques. It wasn't until Chen Changxing confirmed that Yang Luchan was of good character and had extremely high comprehension that he was formally accepted as a disciple.

Sun Lutang studied Tai Chi under Hao Weizhen, and after undergoing numerous trials, he finally received the true teachings.

This approach works even in mythology. Didn't Sun Wukong have to do odd jobs for several years before he received the true teachings from Bodhi Patriarch?

This is the meaning of "the secrets are not easily passed on." True kung fu is not like the sugar figurines sold on the street, which you can take away for a couple of coins.

What a master passes on to his disciple is not just the boxing stance and fighting techniques, but also a whole set of rules for being a person, the inheritance of martial arts, and the century-old reputation of the sect.

Taking on the wrong apprentice can, at best, tarnish the reputation of the family, and at worst, bring disaster to the region.

Liu San is a perfect example. Liu Desheng only took him in for the apprenticeship fee, taught him a few rudimentary skills, and then let him go out to commit crimes.

Therefore, a proper martial arts master would rather not accept a single disciple for ten years than accept the wrong one.

Although Chen Hongwu was not as rigid as those older generation boxers, he was not one to accept just anyone who came and kowtowed.

Little Mudskipper has good potential and is a good prospect for martial arts. Chen Hongwu was considering taking him as a disciple, but it wasn't something that could be decided after kneeling for one night.

Chen Hongwu went downstairs to the courtyard. The rain was still falling, and the bluestone slabs in the courtyard were being pounded and made a loud pattering sound. Water curtains hung down from the eaves.

He turned and went upstairs to his room, moved the tables and chairs aside, and stood in the center of the room.

On rainy days, I can't practice in the yard, but I can't stop practicing. Although the room is small, it's more than enough time to practice a few rounds of short stance boxing.

He stood in a Wuji stance, with his feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, tailbone tucked in, chin slightly tucked in, and tongue touching the upper palate.

With your hands hanging naturally at your sides, palms facing backward and fingers slightly spread.

After closing his eyes and regulating his breathing for a while, the thunderous sound rolled through his internal organs, and his qi and blood gradually filled his limbs.

Then he slowly raised both hands, his left hand drawing a half-circle in front of his chest, his right hand clenched into a fist with the palm facing up and the knuckles facing outward, his shoulders relaxed and his elbows dropped, and his waist and hips suddenly twisted.

The right fist bursts out from the chest, and the forearm suddenly rotates inward at the last moment of the punch, with the fist eye facing the sky and the palm facing the chest. The force originates from the Yongquan point on the sole of the foot, twists through the waist and hips, passes through the shoulder and elbow, and goes straight to the fist.

"Bang!"

The fist tore through the air with a low, muffled thud, like a drumstick striking a cowhide drum.

Move and block.

One of the Five Strikes of Tai Chi.

In most people's minds, Tai Chi is a gentle and slow martial art that uses softness to overcome hardness.

The elderly men and women in white silk shirts slowly practicing Tai Chi in the park have become the fixed image of Tai Chi in the public's mind.

However, the power and ferocity of Tai Chi is enough to leave most external martial arts in the dust.

The Five Strikes of Tai Chi: Blocking Strike, Elbow Strike, Body-Splitting Strike, Groin Strike, and Planting Strike are five extremely powerful striking techniques in Tai Chi.

Each punch is based on the waist and hips, and the whole body's strength is the foundation. When exerting force, it is required to "accumulate force like drawing a bow and release force like shooting an arrow". It looks relaxed and soft, but it is actually fierce and unparalleled.

Yang Luchan was invincible in the capital back then, not because of his soft push hands, but because of his devastating Tai Chi punches.

The title "Invincible Yang" was earned through sheer hard work and dedication.

Chen Hongwu twisted his waist and hips again, retracting his right fist to his waist while his left fist emerged from under his ribs.

As the fist passed through the midline of the body, it suddenly accelerated, with the palm facing inward and the knuckles facing upward. The entire left arm suddenly sprang open like a spring compressed to its limit, with the fist pointing directly at the chest acupoint of the imaginary enemy in front of him.

Immediately, his right elbow slammed backward, the tip of his elbow tearing through the air with a short, sharp "whoosh."

Elbow strike.

The brilliance of this punch lies in the unity of fist and elbow: the front hand punches the chest, while the rear elbow simultaneously strikes the ribs.

With a punch and an elbow striked simultaneously, the force splits into two streams from the waist and hips, one flowing into the front fist and the other into the rear elbow, the two forces exploding at the same instant.

If the opponent defends in front, they will be hit by a rear elbow; if they defend in back, they will be hit squarely by a front punch, making it extremely difficult to defend.

The Banlan Chui is a direct, head-on strike, while the Zhoudi Chui involves a simultaneous punch and elbow strike, attacking from both the front and back, making it a more unpredictable and deceptive fighting style.

He turned his body, took a half step forward with his left foot, and followed with his right foot.

As the body turns, the person squats slightly, and the left fist comes out from under the right armpit, with the palm facing outward and the knuckles facing down. The entire arm is like a whip being lashed out, with the back of the fist slamming forward.

When throwing a punch, the waist and hips suddenly twist to the left, the spinal fascia suddenly opens up, and the force of the punch explodes from the waist and spine all the way to the back of the fist.

A side-step punch!

Chen Hongwu's fighting style was aggressive and fierce, with wide-ranging and powerful attacks that could easily dislocate bones and kill with a single blow.

After incorporating these five Tai Chi punches, the fighting style becomes more varied.

The concealment and suddenness of Tai Chi punches can be interspersed between powerful and deadly moves, making it more difficult for the opponent to predict.

Especially the "Side Strike" and "Elbow Strike," these two moves can be switched extremely quickly, allowing one to go from a defensive to an offensive stance in an instant.

These five Tai Chi strikes were practically tailor-made for him, giving him wings like a tiger.

Chen Hongwen's footsteps echoed in the corridor. He stopped outside Chen Hongwu's door and knocked on the doorframe: "Brother, someone's looking for you outside."

"Who is it?" Chen Hongwu stopped his boxing stance, stepped forward, opened the door, and asked.

"I don't know him. He's a middle-aged man in a long gown, with two followers. He says he's here to visit you."

Oh, right, Liu Desheng is there too, following behind, looking like a complete bastard.

Chen Hongwen paused, then added, "The one in charge claims his surname is Du."