Madman!

Chapter 106: Let's See Where You Can Run

Chen Wujun pressed one hand below his navel, lying on his side like a drawn bow.

In his mind's eye, he guided a current drawn from the Magnetic Field Crystal. It snaked through every muscle fiber, traveled up to his face, then flowed down the back of his head all the way to his feet before returning to its source to envelop his internal organs.

As the current circulated, he felt a faint bloating sensation throughout his body.

However, his musculature was so robust that this stimulation was barely perceptible.

His internal organs, being far more fragile, made the swelling sensation acutely distinct.

After a long while, Chen Wujun suddenly opened his eyes. His slow heartbeat began to accelerate rapidly.

He took stock of the changes within. Every time he held this Hibernating Dragon Sleep stance, his body underwent subtle transformations.

Chen Wujun glanced at the Magnetic Field Crystal in his hand. It had turned a dull, lifeless grey, completely drained of utility. He tossed it into the trash can.

'One Magnetic Field Crystal every two days... plus the four major stances, the Tiger Roaring Golden Bell Cover, the Eye Cleansing... I need 49 crystals a month. That's nearly 250,000. Practicing martial arts really is a rich man's game.'

'Whether it's New Arts or Old Arts, the poor simply can't afford it.'Even with the massive profits from his server farm, plus the pool hall and Dance Hall he'd acquired after taking over Gao Fei's turf—along with the protection fees—his monthly income barely scraped past 400,000.

After all, as his territory expanded, so did his headcount, leading to higher monthly expenditures.

To an ordinary person, 400,000 was an astronomical figure. In a year, one could buy five 450-square-foot units in a high-end community like Mei Foo Sun Chuen.

Yet, he had to spend more than half of that astronomical sum every month just on his training.

'Originally, I could only train the Tiger Roaring Golden Bell Cover once every three days, and I couldn't practice the Tiger Descending Mountain stance daily without my body breaking down. Now, with the Hibernating Dragon Sleep, I can heal internal micro-injuries every session. I can train the Golden Bell every two days and the Tiger Descending Mountain every single day.'

'Martial arts isn't just about training; it's about nurturing. The Hibernating Dragon Sleep encompasses this nurturing aspect. Without such restorative techniques, no matter how well one trains, the accumulated damage will catch up with you as you age.'

'My appetite has grown these past few days, too... A pound of beef per meal isn't cutting it anymore; I'm only half-full. I'll have to tell Ah Yue to cook more tomorrow.'

Chen Wujun hopped off the bed, checked his reflection in the mirror, got dressed, and headed over to Ah Qi's place.

The room was as cramped as ever and carried a faint, lingering odor—the signature scent of the Walled City.

A thin, petite girl wearing a homey nightgown was holding onto the table in the narrow room, limping as she walked.

"Is your foot almost healed? When are you going back to school?" Chen Wujun noticed the cast on Ah Qi's leg was gone the moment he walked in.

Although she clearly didn't dare put weight on the injured leg, she could manage to touch her foot to the ground.

"The semester is over. I'll go back next term," Ah Qi replied, pulling out several test papers.

"Do these science and social science papers today. Let's see how well you've been studying lately."

Chen Wujun had been thinking that if Ah Qi went back to school, he'd need to find a new tutor—or perhaps arrange another car accident.

But seeing the test papers, he immediately changed his mind.

Switching tutors might be a blessing.

He had dropped out because he hated studying. Now, he not only had to chop people up for a living but also had to fill out test papers every day.

If he'd known it would come to this, he might as well have just stayed in high school.

With a fluctuating expression, Chen Wujun took the papers.

1: In the year 196 of the New Calendar, the ( ) Act was promulgated.

2: The Civil Rights Era lasted from the year ( ) to the year ( ).

3: The Voting Act promulgated in year 235 of the New Calendar prohibits the use of ( ) means in voting.

Snap.

The pencil in Chen Wujun's hand suddenly snapped in two.

"The pencil broke... I'll write it tomorrow."

Chen Wujun tossed the two halves onto the table.

Ah Qi sighed, turned around, and placed a metal pencil case on the table. It was filled with pencils.

Chen Wujun's expression turned grim. He felt Ah Qi was making things difficult for him on purpose.

...

The next day, Chen Wujun arrived at the warehouse, his face full of anticipation.

Compared to those social science papers, he much preferred practicing martial arts.

He took off his jacket, smeared a layer of grease on the wooden stakes, and then vaulted onto them to practice the Swimming Dragon Palm.

Several sandbags hung above the stakes, swinging back and forth while Chen Wujun wove his body through them.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Zhou Qing arrived at the warehouse. Chen Wujun was practicing the Mud-Wading Step in the sand pit. Upon seeing Zhou Qing, he immediately launched himself out of the pit.

"Master!"

"You showed interest in the Three Emperors Cannon Hammer before, so I will teach you today. This art exerts force like a cannon and strikes like a hammer, hence the name."

"The Three Emperors Cannon Hammer encompasses five forms: Ape, Bear, Tiger, Tortoise, and Dragon. It also includes fist techniques like the Opening Cannon, Sky-Reaching Cannon, Sky-Piercing Cannon, and Cross Cannon."

"Training requires the unification of the whole body's power. When the fists and feet are unleashed, it is like firing a cannon—majestic in imposing manner and full of power."

Zhou Qing explained slowly, his demeanor no different from any other day.

"I'll first teach you the signature move of the Three Emperors Cannon Hammer: Master's Three Arching Hands. Ancients would bow with cupped hands when meeting; the attack is hidden within this gesture..."

Zhou Qing assumed the bowing posture to demonstrate for Chen Wujun.

"In the past, people didn't have tyrannically strong bodies or, immense strength. While making a formal bow, they would suddenly arch forward, flipping their opponent over. It sounds a bit insidious and lacking in class..."

"In reality, this move is extraordinarily exquisite. By cupping the hands, you protect the head. Dropping the shoulders and elbows protects the ribs. No matter how the opponent moves, you stand firm like a mountain. During the exchange, you seize the center line. As long as you advance, you will send the person flying."

"It utilizes whole-body unified force. The body acts as a single unit. When moving, the feet do not leave the ground—still as a mountain, moving like thunder."

"Back in the day, Deng Yuan relied on his Horizontal Training Kung Fu and this single move. No matter how others attacked, he paid them no heed. He would simply arch his hands and blast out like a cannon, killing or maiming his opponents."

"Moreover, when you seize the center line and arch your fists forward, you block the opponent's path of attack. They are forced to press down on your hands. However, with a turn of your hands, you borrow their force to strike back even more ferociously."

"That's why it was said that an expert only needs the strength used to break a piece of hardtack to injure someone with this move. Hardtack is dense and tough; you use the leverage of snapping it to strike, because you are borrowing the opponent's own force to launch the counter-attack..."

...

Meanwhile, several cars arrived at the dilapidated industrial zone.

Nguyen Van Son sat expressionless in the car, chain-smoking, his eyes filled with blood vessels.

"Are you sure it's here?" Nguyen Van Son's lackey asked.

"Definitely. He comes here every Tuesday!" said a young man in the passenger seat. He wasn't one of Nguyen Van Son's men, but from Lidong. He pointed ahead: "Just over a hundred meters forward, then the big courtyard on the right."

The vehicle continued forward until they saw the location the Lidong member had described. Sure enough, there was a large courtyard containing several brick buildings that looked like abandoned warehouses.

Nguyen Van Son stepped out of the car, threw his cigarette butt on the ground, and immediately lit another.

Between him and Chen Wujun, this was no longer just a matter of Lidong paying for a hit.

It was pure, unadulterated hatred.

His own brother had been killed by Chen Wujun, the body returned without a single intact bone.

People poured out of the other cars, distributing blades from the trunks.

There were three vehicles, one of which was a van, totaling nearly twenty men. They all bore the signs of martial arts training.

These men were all practitioners of the Qi Observation Way.

"I want him alive. I'm going to flay him alive, piece by piece!" Nguyen Van Son took a large blade handed to him by a subordinate, staring fixedly at the warehouse.

The rest of the group immediately marched toward the warehouse with menacing intent.

...

Before they reached the warehouse, Zhou Qing, who was still explaining the Three Emperors Cannon Hammer, twitched his ears.

He stopped his explanation and said, "Someone is here. They're looking for you."

In the past, these people wouldn't have even reached the warehouse; they would have circled around and left.

But Zhou Qing now felt a constant sense of urgency—that time was running out—so he let them find this place.

It wasn't just because of the interrogation that night; he, too, was becoming increasingly unable to hold back.

"Looking for me?" Chen Wujun raised an eyebrow. Who would come looking for him here?

If it were Senior Brother Li, Master wouldn't have mentioned it so specifically.

With a turn of his eyes, he understood.

It was his enemies. He just didn't know if it was Lidong's people or the Luoyue People.

"I'll handle this," Chen Wujun said to Zhou Qing. As he turned around, his eyes filled with savage rage.

He was right in the middle of learning something exciting, and someone dared to come seeking him out.

Walking to the weapon rack, his gaze swept over it before he pulled out two short-handled sickles.

Rushed footsteps sounded outside the gate, followed by a loud bang as the warehouse doors were kicked open.

A group of Luoyue People armed with weapons stood at the entrance. They spotted Chen Wujun by the weapon rack instantly and, without a word, fanned out to rush him.

Every pair of eyes held cruelty and ferocity.

Chen Wujun took a deep breath. His body seemed to swell, his muscles becoming even more terrifying.

Holding a sickle in each hand, he stomped the ground and shot forward.

The first man slashed diagonally with his blade. The crisp sound of the wind alone revealed that he had a solid foundation in Old Arts.

Chen Wujun simply raised his hand, hooking the opponent's machete with one sickle. As his body brushed past the man, the sickle in his other hand wiped across the man's neck. Half the neck was sliced open, blood spraying wildly.

"Die!" Four men surrounded Chen Wujun from the front, back, left, and right. Their four blades formed a net, encasing him.

Chen Wujun swept his sickles outward, hooking the two blades coming from the front. The attackers felt a massive force transmit through their weapons, numbing the webs of their thumbs and causing them to lose control of their blades.

Chen Wujun stomped, shooting through the gap between them. At the same time, he spun his sickles a half-circle, flinging their blades away.

As soon as he landed behind them, he turned and swept both sickles, hooking them around the two men's necks.

Just then, two more blades came chopping down from the side.

Chen Wujun sprang backward, causing the two blades to hit nothing but air.

Meanwhile, the two men hooked by Chen Wujun's sickles had their heads sent flying into the sky.

Seventeen people had just rushed in, and in the blink of an eye, three were dead.

"Chen Wujun!" Upon entering, Nguyen Van Son locked his eyes on Chen Wujun. Then, he reached out, grabbed the large door, and slammed it shut with force.

The heavy door sealed.

It blocked the afternoon sunlight, leaving it outside the warehouse.

"Let's see where you can run now!"