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

The sky was as dark as ink, and thunder rumbled muffledly from deep within the clouds.

A strong wind swept through the long street, raising a cloud of dust and scraps of paper, and the sycamore leaves along the street rustled in the wind.

It's going to rain!

The vendors on both sides of the street looked up at the sky, grumbling as they began to pack up their stalls.

An old man selling wontons hurriedly took the iron pot off the stove, a woman selling vegetables shouted for her children to help carry bamboo baskets, and a shop assistant from a silk shop climbed a ladder to fold up the rain shelter. The sound of bamboo poles colliding was particularly crisp in the wind.

The rain hadn't started yet, but the streets were already mostly empty.

As Chen Hongwu and his three companions walked back to the inn, Chen Hongwen was still immersed in the exhilarating feeling of the fight on the stage. He gestured as he walked, muttering about Huang Jinrong's livid, fat face.

"That feels great! That feels so good! Huang Jinrong must be furious."

"They're probably cursing our Chen family ancestors for eighteen generations in their hearts, but they don't dare to utter a single harsh word."

"So this is the emperor of Shanghai? In front of my elder brother, he's nothing but a grandson."

Chen Shi followed behind him, her little face flushed with excitement, nodding vigorously in agreement from time to time.

Li Yi walked at the back with his hands behind his back, a faint smile on his lips. He didn't join in the chatter of the two young people, his gaze habitually sweeping over the alleyways and rooftops on both sides of the street.

Chen Hongwu suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Big brother?" Chen Hongwen turned around.

"You guys go first," Chen Hongwu said calmly.

Chen Hongwen was taken aback: "What's wrong? Big brother, aren't you coming with us—"

Before he could finish speaking, a steady and strong hand landed on his shoulder.

Li Yi had already walked to his side without him noticing, his five fingers slightly clenched.

"Uncle Li?" Chen Hongwen turned to look at him.

Li Yi didn't look at him; his gaze went over his shoulder and landed on the deep alleyway at the end of the long street.

As the former top assassin in Guangdong and Guangxi, his sensitivity to killing intent was almost like that of a wild animal.

That chilling aura, mixed in with the gale, felt like a thin needle pricking the back of his neck.

He was still seriously injured and unable to fight, but his vigilance remained.

"Walk."

Li Yi only said one word before pulling Chen Hongwen and Chen Shi back to the side of the street.

The three of them walked quickly away along the pillars of the arcade. Chen Shi looked back at the pillars and was then pulled forward by Li Yi.

Chen Hongwu only turned around after the three figures disappeared into the depths of the arcade.

A figure slowly emerged from the shadows at the alley entrance.

The man was of medium height, wearing a dark blue brocade robe, covered with a black haori, and with a plain white horn belt around his waist.

"Boom!"

A pale flash of lightning illuminated the sky, revealing his face. He appeared to be around fifty years old, with a thin face, slightly prominent cheekbones, and lips pressed tightly together like a thin line.

His features were not exactly ferocious; in fact, they could be described as refined. But his eyes were like two deep, ancient wells.

He walked slowly toward Chen Hongwu, each step steady and with a strange rhythm, like a pendulum swinging or a heartbeat beating.

Anyone who practices martial arts can immediately tell that this is a manifestation of the body and mind being tamed to the extreme, with movements and breathing completely synchronized.

The newcomer placed his left hand on the scabbard of a katana at his waist, while his right hand hovered three inches above the hilt, with his fingers slightly bent.

This posture may seem casual, but in reality, no matter which direction the attack comes from, his right hand can instantly complete three actions: drawing the sword, unsheathing it, and slashing horizontally.

The starting stance for Iaijutsu in Japanese Kendo.

Chen Hongwu immediately made a judgment.

My gaze fell on the knife at the man's waist. The scabbard was black and plain, with a ring of polished brass around the opening.

The handle is wrapped in white sharkskin, and the knot on the handle is in the shape of a chrysanthemum.

Those who wear the chrysanthemum knot are either members of the royal guard or imperial swordsmanship instructors. In Japan, it is a symbol of status and a guarantee of strength.

Boom!

Another pale bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, illuminating the entire long street in a ghastly white light.

"Splash!"

Immediately afterwards, a torrential downpour began, with large raindrops pounding on the bluestone pavement and splashing up patches of white water.

The last few vendors who were packing up their stalls on the street were also swept away by the torrential rain, and in the blink of an eye, the entire street was deserted.

The rain curtain, like a screen, cuts the sky and earth apart, separating them into two worlds.

"Japanese?" Chen Hongwu squinted, his voice carrying steadily through the rain to the other person's ears.

The man stopped, slowly raised his right hand, and lightly gripped the hilt of the knife with his five fingers.

In the rain, the movement appeared exceptionally slow, as if some solemn and sacred ritual was being performed.

Rain dripped from the edge of his straw hat, splashing into a fine mist on his shoulders and scabbard.

Amidst the sound of raindrops, he spoke, his Chinese pronunciation clear and composed.

"Takano Sasaburo." The man bowed slightly, his movements polite and his tone unhurried. "The Tokyo Hokushin Itto-ryu, entrusted by the Black Dragon Society, is here to take your life."

Chen Hongwu narrowed his eyes slightly.

Hokushin Itto-ryu, founded by Chiba Shusaku in the late Edo period of Japan, is one of the three major schools of Japanese swordsmanship and enjoys a very high reputation in the Tokyo martial arts world.

The Hokushin Itto-ryu swordsmanship emphasizes "cutting down" and "drawing strike." Once the sword is drawn, it is as fast as lightning, known for its speed and precision, and famous for its "first-come-first-served" nature.

The term "first to act" means to anticipate the opponent's intentions before they make a move and launch an attack first.

Chen Hongwu had heard of the name Takano Sasaburo in his previous life.

He was a top disciple of the Hokushin Itto-ryu Menkyo Kaiden, and served as the Imperial Kendo Instructor to Emperor Meiji, holding an extremely high position in the Japanese Kendo world.

It is said that when he sparred with others, his opponents often didn't even have time to draw their swords before the tip of the blade was pressed against their throats. He was never defeated in his life and is a legend in the world of Japanese martial arts.

The Black Dragon Society has gone all out this time.

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Hongwu cleaved through the rain with a palm strike and charged straight at Takano Sasaburo!

"Snapped!"

The rain curtain was cleaved open by this palm strike, creating a crack several feet wide, with water droplets splashing everywhere, like a beaded curtain breaking.

He dug his toes into the puddle of the bluestone slab, unleashing a surge of power from his scalp, his spine trembling like a dragon shaking its armor, leaving a hazy, gray afterimage in the rain.

One step, two steps... within three steps, the distance between the two was compressed to nothing.

Chen Hongwu's right fist burst out from his waist, a Xingyi Bengquan (a type of fist technique), the fist travels along the center line, the power originates from the Yongquan point (a point on the sole of the foot) and flows through each joint.

The fist tore through the air and the torrential rain, creating a brief vacuum three feet in front of him.

At the same time, Takano Sasaburo gripped the hilt of his sword with his right hand.

His thumb pressed against the hilt of the sword, and with a soft clang, the katana was drawn more than an inch from its sheath.

The sword was not fully drawn; it was only slightly pulled out the moment Chen Hongwu launched his attack.

Iaijutsu does not aim to combine parrying and attacking; rather, it is a single strike that decides life or death.

The sword was drawn and the strike was executed in one fluid motion.

But precisely because of this, the timing of the strike is crucial.

Too early, and the opponent might stop and change their move; too late, and you'll be hit by a punch before you can even draw your blade.

unless--

He can be faster than Chen Hongwu!