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

Early in the morning, Lu Xiaojia arrived at the Central Martial Arts Academy.

There was already a line of people in front of the gate, some coming to learn boxing, some to give invitations, and some to ask for a place to join the class. The number of people had increased several times compared to the previous days.

Lu Xiaojia's car could only be parked at the street corner. He was too lazy to wait for someone to clear the way, so he got out of the car and walked.

Upon entering the gate, you are greeted by a smell of sweat mixed with pine resin.

In the front yard, dozens of young disciples were practicing their boxing techniques, led by several newly arrived instructors.

On the east side, they practiced bridge hand techniques; on the west side, they practiced leg techniques; and on the north side, under the corridor, sat several students who had registered their names, reciting line by line with their instructor: "Three parts punches, seven parts kicks; better to take ten punches than one elbow."

Further inside, the Intermediate Court was even more bustling.

Liu Baichuan, shirtless, was demonstrating the "Mandarin Duck Legs" technique to a group of disciples.

He landed firmly on one leg, while the other leg flew left and right, making no sound when it went out and bringing the wind back with it.

A crowd gathered around, watching intently.

Lu Xiaojia couldn't help but sigh, "It's only been a few days, and he's already made a name for himself. Master Chen is truly a remarkable person."

He met Chen Hongwu in the main hall.

Seeing Lu Xiaojia enter, he didn't get up, but simply said, "Young Master Lu, please sit down."

Lu Xiaojia didn't stand on ceremony. He plopped down, drank half a bowl of cold tea, and then explained his purpose.

"Master Chen, I've come here for two things."

"Firstly, my father wants you to serve as an instructor in the army, not permanently, but occasionally giving a few pointers. Your salary will be the same as that of a junior officer, with room and board paid separately. You can come and go as you please between Longhua and Songhu."

Chen Hongwu hummed in agreement, waiting for him to continue.

Lu Xiaojia continued, "The second thing is that students from several universities in Shanghai jointly petitioned me. St. John's University, Nanyang Public School, Fudan University, and Shanghai University all signed a petition."

They wanted to invite Master Chen to teach Chinese students martial arts and methods for improving physical fitness. Tuition fees are easy to arrange; several schools can pool their resources to cover it, so you won't have to come for nothing.

After listening, Chen Hongwu did not respond immediately.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Both things are good. The military and schools are both good places to teach martial arts. But I don't have enough time these days."

Lu Xiaojia quickly replied, "You don't need to go every day, just once every few days is fine. At school, you can teach some basic things, let them practice standing postures and walking steps, how could that interfere with your practice?"

Chen Hongwu smiled and put down his teacup: "Young Master Lu, boxing is not like making soup. You can't just throw a chicken carcass into the pot and call it a day."

To truly teach someone, you have to supervise their practice. If you don't supervise, they'll practice incorrectly, and correcting that later will be harder than not learning at all.

He paused for a moment: "At my age, my martial arts skills are improving, and I can't bear to waste a single second."

All these miscellaneous tasks in the office have been delegated to Hong Wen. If he were to continue serving in the military or a school, it might seem glamorous, but in reality, it would be a waste of his time.

Lu Xiaojia understood the underlying meaning and was somewhat disappointed, but she didn't try to persuade him further.

"Then I'll go back first and relay the message to my father verbatim. As for the school, let's postpone that for now." Lu Xiaojia stood up to leave, then turned back and said:

"However, Master Chen, if you really agree, all the students in Shanghai will owe you a favor, and the reputation of the Central Martial Arts Academy will not be limited to martial artists."

Chen Hongwu simply nodded.

He certainly knew the benefits. In fact, there were martial arts masters in the Republic of China who went to schools to teach students boxing. For example, Han Muxia once taught at Nankai University, and one of his students became a very famous figure.

Just then, a disciple rushed in from outside, his face pale, clutching a folded piece of paper in his hand.

"Director, someone asked me to give this to you!"

Chen Hongwu took the note and unfolded it. After just one glance, his face darkened.

Lu Xiaojia sensed something was wrong and quickly asked, "Master Chen, what's wrong?"

Chen Hongwu didn't say anything, but handed over the note.

Lu Xiaojia took it and saw that there was only one line of text on it:

"Chen Shi is in our hands. If you want him to live, come alone to the abandoned cotton mill on the outskirts of the city at dusk today."

Lu Xiaojia jumped to his feet, cursing, "Damn it! They're trying to kidnap people on our behalf! Master Chen, don't worry, I'll go back and muster the troops, surround the outskirts of the city, and bombard them with cannons!"

Chen Hongwu raised his hand: "You can't go."

Why?

"The note clearly states that I am coming alone." Chen Hongwu's gaze turned cold. "Chen Shi is someone I brought back. They are trying to force me to show myself. If you send a single soldier, they will become desperate and Chen Shi will surely die."

Lu Xiaojia opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

Chen Hongwu took a sip of tea, his expression calm and composed: "Tonight I will go alone to see who is pulling the strings behind the scenes."

At the other end, the Shiliupu Wharf.

Staff Officer Jiang disembarked from the ship. He changed into a slightly worn dark blue Zhongshan suit, and his leather shoes were polished to a shine, but they couldn't hide the fatigue from days of traveling.

He carried a wicker trunk, hailed a rickshaw, and headed straight for the headquarters of the Green Gang in the French Concession.

Du Yuesheng was reviewing accounts in a side hall.

A messenger reported that a staff officer from the Guangdong Army was requesting an audience. The officer merely grunted in response, not even raising his eyes: "Guangdong Army? Just one staff officer? I won't see him!"

The man turned to leave, but Du Yuesheng suddenly called him back.

"Never mind, let him in and serve the tea."

He suddenly remembered that Chen Hongwu seemed to have a good relationship with the Guangdong Army.

Staff Officer Jiang entered, saluted, and introduced himself.

Du Yuesheng leaned back in his armchair and raised his hand indifferently: "Chief of Staff Jiang has come from afar; you must be tired. May I ask what brings you here?"

Staff Officer Jiang put down his rattan trunk and said, "I'm looking for a job in Shanghai, so I've come to visit Mr. Du."

Du Yuesheng picked up his tea, blew on it, and said slowly, "Shanghai is a place where all sorts of people mingle and powerful forces are deeply entrenched. The jobs that Staff Officer Jiang would be interested in have probably already been taken, and some minor jobs are probably not suitable for Staff Officer Jiang's status."

The implication was a refusal.

Staff Officer Jiang remained calm, simply smiled, and added, "To be honest, Mr. Du, when I was in Foshan, I met Master Chen Hongwu a few times. I even drove him around twice."

"Smack."

Du Yuesheng gently placed the lid of the teacup back onto the bowl.

"Master Chen?" Du Yuesheng sat up straight in his chair. "Which Master Chen?"

"Chen Hongwu from the Central Martial Arts Academy," Staff Officer Jiang said. "When we were in Foshan, Master Chen taught at our camp and we became acquainted."

Upon hearing this, the faint smile on Du Yuesheng's face instantly blossomed, as if blown by a spring breeze.

"Staff Officer Jiang! Why didn't you say so sooner!"

He stood up, went forward personally, and offered Staff Officer Jiang a chair.

"Please sit down! Here's some tea! We'll bring you better tea!"

Staff Officer Jiang waved his hand repeatedly, feeling a slight sense of emotion.

Unexpectedly, in just a few months since their separation, Chen Hongwu had already made a great name for himself in Shanghai. He had once tried his best to invite Chen Hongwu to go to Shanghai with him, but Chen Hongwu refused.

If I had known this would happen, I should have persisted a little longer and shamelessly clung to the other person; otherwise, I wouldn't be in this awkward situation now.