Bang! Even someone who had never seen a real gun could tell it was a gunshot.
It startled Yang Xuan. Although his physical body was fairly tough now, and with psychokinesis added in, defending against a small-caliber pistol should not have been a problem. But when it came to guns, he still felt an instinctive sense of panic.
"Anyone who moves gets shot. Akutagawa was murdered yesterday, and I'm taking Chen Zhen back to assist with the investigation," the detective said.
Poor Chen Zhen. According to the plot, he'll definitely be framed, and it won't end there. He'll even be branded a traitor.
Although he knew Chen Zhen was innocent, Li Shuwen had spoken. Since they were staying at someone else's home, they had to lend a hand when trouble arose, so they went to court together.
Heh heh, those four witnesses are hilarious. The last one seems almost mentally disabled. If you're going to find false witnesses, at least put some effort into it.
At that moment, the door opened, and a woman in a kimono walked in. If this scene had background music in the movie, Yamada Mitsuko would have slowly entered, then smiled innocently at Chen Zhen.
Yang Xuan felt he must have been out of his mind back then. How had he been captivated by the flashy martial arts moves of several grown men while overlooking such a stunning beauty?
"Miss, please state your identity," the lawyer said.
"My name is Yamada Mitsuko. The current Minister of Education, Yamada Konan, is my father," Mitsuko said gracefully.
"Then, is what Chen Zhen said true?" Knowing that she was the daughter of a high-ranking Japanese official, the lawyer's tone softened involuntarily.
"Chen Zhen was lying. We spent the entire night together that day," Mitsuko said agitatedly.
The faces of the Jingwu School members changed slightly at once.
After the case was dismissed, the people from the Jingwu School did not wait for Chen Zhen. Only Yang Xuan and Li Shuwen remained.
Mitsuko happily threw her arms around Chen Zhen.
"I've abandoned everything now. You have to support me for the rest of my life, okay?" Mitsuko said happily.
"Mm." Chen Zhen nodded forcefully.
Yang Xuan was actually a little excited. When he had first watched Fist of Legend in elementary school, he had not understood much. He had only thought that the young lady was beautiful and seemed very virtuous. Although it was a film about the War of Resistance, Yamada Mitsuko had still left a brilliant impression in the movie.
"Master, do you think we should intervene? Chen Zhen is bringing this Japanese woman back to the Jingwu School. It'll probably explode," Yang Xuan said worriedly.
"A-Xuan, I can't tolerate injustice. When I see something unfair, I have to step in. I also hate the Japanese deeply. But this Japanese woman is loyal and righteous. She abandoned everything to come to China and find Chen Zhen. If Chen Zhen abandoned her at a time like this, I'd think he was nothing special. Yet Chen Zhen actually disregarded his reputation and kept her by his side. Not bad. Chen Zhen has quite a sense of responsibility after all. He's a man. However, it would be inappropriate for the two of us to interfere right now. I've observed Huo Ting'en and Chen Zhen these past few days, and they're bound to fight. They're merely holding themselves back for now. Bringing this Japanese woman back to the Jingwu School could easily trigger a fight. Besides, we aren't members of the Jingwu School, so it wouldn't be appropriate to interfere in their internal affairs," Li Shuwen said after some consideration.
"All right, then, Master." Yang Xuan drooped his head.
"A-Xuan, remember that many things can't be judged by appearances. After wandering the martial world for so many years, I've met far too many people. Sometimes, it's truly difficult to distinguish good from evil. Remember my words: don't use your martial arts to bully the weak just because you possess them," Li Shuwen said earnestly.
"Don't worry, Master. I only wanted to learn martial arts so I could resist Japanese imperialism," Yang Xuan said.
"Mm. Let's return to the Jingwu School," Li Shuwen said.
When they returned to the Jingwu School, the place was indeed already in an uproar.
"I know that ever since you came back, everyone has respected you but not me. Let's have a match. Whoever wins becomes the head of the school. If you lose, leave this place immediately." Without waiting for Chen Zhen to answer, Huo Ting'en walked straight into the training hall.
At first, the two of them used the Jingwu School's techniques, exchanging blows back and forth. Chen Zhen even held back several times.
Huo Ting'en showed no mercy either. He knocked Chen Zhen down, and Chen Zhen lost his temper and began fighting with all his strength. In the end, he launched two flying kicks in succession and sent Huo Ting'en flying several meters.
Huo Ting'en lay half-reclined on the ground, supported by four or five Jingwu School disciples. With a bitter expression, he said, "I lost. You're the head of the Jingwu School now."
"I never intended to become the head. If you insist that I choose, then I can only leave the Jingwu School." After saying that, Chen Zhen entered the memorial hall and bowed three times toward Huo Yuanjia's memorial tablet, each bow striking the floor loudly. Then he left with Mitsuko.
Yang Xuan's eyes nearly popped out as he asked, "Master, why didn't they seem to use much force, yet every move was so powerful?"
"A-Xuan, you're exceptionally talented. You're already not much weaker than Huo Ting'en and Chen Zhen. But you've only been practicing martial arts for a few days, while they've trained since childhood. I estimate that Huo Ting'en is at the peak of Ming Jin, while Chen Zhen is at the middle stage of An Jin. The difference is considerable, of course," Li Shuwen said thoughtfully.
"Master, there are actually different classifications? Then what level am I at?" Yang Xuan asked curiously.
"You? Heh heh, the level of sheer stubborn strength!" Li Shuwen teased.
"You've only practiced martial arts for a few days. Martial arts realms aren't achieved overnight. Do you think defeating them would be easy? That's because you're exceptionally talented and naturally powerful. Let me tell you: the realms are Ming Jin, An Jin, Hua Jin, Dan Jin, Gang Jin, and Hua Xu," Li Shuwen explained.
"Then Master must be at Gang Jin or Hua Xu, right?" Yang Xuan asked excitedly.
Thump!!!
"Ah! Master, why did you hit me?" Yang Xuan said, clutching his head.
"I'm only at perfected Hua Jin right now. They say that among the current martial arts masters, only Tiger-Head Young Protector Sun Lutang has reached Gang Jin," Li Shuwen said, his face flushed.
"Ah, Master, I didn't know! I haven't even been practicing martial arts for a month!" Yang Xuan said aggrievedly.
"Mm. At least you know your own limits. For ordinary people, one to two years of boxing practice is enough to loosen the major joints, such as the shoulders and hips, and understand what relaxation and integrated force are. That's when they begin to develop real skill and enter the stage of improving their kung fu. Although they understand integrated force at this stage, crude strength still remains, so they can't produce crisp, hard force. Even if you can produce great power—the so-called fierce, explosive force—it's actually still crude strength. After seven or eight years of constant training, once the crude strength has been completely removed, you can produce crisp, hard force. That is explosive force, also called the lion-shaking-its-mane force. Shanxi seems to call it steel-bar force. Only after developing this force can one be considered to have entered the Ming Jin stage.
"An Jin is when all your strength is integrated into soft force, driven into the opponent's body and released at the proper moment to injure him.
"As for Hua Jin, as the saying goes, you strike people as though hanging up a painting. With your blood and qi surging like smoke signals, you can even prevent a fly from landing on you," Li Shuwen said.
As he spoke, he displayed the circulation of his blood and qi in front of Yang Xuan. Yang Xuan immediately felt the air around his master's body distort slightly. Li Shuwen casually took out a handkerchief and lightly slapped it against the wall. The handkerchief stuck there as if it had been coated with glue, taking a full ten seconds to fall.
"As for Dan Jin, Gang Jin, and Hua Xu, I don't understand them very well yet. I don't have the slightest idea what Dan Jin is, nor do I know when I'll break through. Sigh." Li Shuwen sounded slightly regretful.
"A-Xuan, you have an advantage over me. I sincerely hope you can enter Dan Jin and Gang Jin. I want to see what the scenery at the summit of the martial path is like," Li Shuwen sighed.
"Master, then teach me," Yang Xuan said.
Ding~ Li Shuwen has imparted his insights into practicing Ming Jin, An Jin, and Hua Jin to you.
Life is so much better with a cheat! Hahaha.
His master also went off to attend to his own affairs, leaving Yang Xuan to practice by himself.
Yang Xuan planned to return to the main plane only after Chen Zhen killed Fujita Go. After all, he wanted to see how far he was from the final boss of the Fist of Legend world.
Chen Zhen had been able to defeat Fujita Go for two reasons. As the saying went, hardness without softness merely wasted strength, while softness without hardness could attack but never overcome. Fujita Go had probably been too rigid. As the saying went, excessive hardness was prone to breaking. That was why he had lost.
Of course, there was one even more important reason: Chen Zhen was the protagonist. Heh heh.
Time flew, and nearly a day passed.
Yang Xuan wore a bitter expression as he practiced. Before he knew it, he had already reached the peak of An Jin. What was he supposed to do? Although his master was a Hua Jin expert, even he couldn't withstand this kind of stimulation. What if he developed high blood pressure?
No, that won't happen. My master is so powerful—he definitely won't be discouraged by me.
"A-Xuan, dinner's ready. Come exchange one palm strike with me, then we'll eat," Li Shuwen said casually.
With a pop, the sound was not very loud. In fact, it was quite soft. Li Shuwen's eyes widened as he thought helplessly, When I used to teach my disciples, every one of them seemed stupid as a brick. Now the disciple I'm teaching is a monstrous genius. He had been completely crushed.
Li Shuwen's lips twitched. "Go eat dinner. Your practice is coming along. Remember, no matter how talented you are, you can't neglect your daily training." At this point, even if Huo Ting'en and Chen Zhen joined forces, they might not be able to defeat him. He only lacks actual combat experience. But no matter how powerful he becomes, he's still my disciple. Hahahaha.