Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 4: Bones and Muscles Explode! Tai Chi Whip Hand!
The boy was unable to resist and had no time to speak before being easily pushed behind him. He was somewhat shocked that Chen Zhan, who seemed so thin, possessed such strength.

The two thugs exchanged a glance, then looked at Chen Zhan's thin frame and smiled contemptuously.

"Hey, some greenhorn's come along, trying to mess with us guys."

Chen Zhan smiled upon hearing the Tianjin accent in his voice.

The two thugs, having learned a few moves, decided to strike first and charged at them from the left and right.

Chen Zhan turned around, picked up the boy behind him, and slipped into the alley behind the newsstand.

"Tread, step, step"

The two men chuckled and caught up. "Run? These three streets are all Third Master's territory, where do you think you're going!"

Chen Zhan walked through two alleys and turned into a hutong, only to find it was a dead end.

"Hey, out-of-towner? Don't you know about Widow Wang's Dead End Alley?"

"Hmm, I really don't know, but it's perfect."

Chen Zhan turned around, smiled sinisterly, and immediately made his move.

The two felt only a slight breeze, and Chen Zhan had already passed through the gap where they were standing. They thought Chen Zhan was abandoning the little fox and was about to escape.

The next moment, a cracking sound of bones was heard.

They already sensed something was wrong. Although they weren't very knowledgeable, they had seen the bodyguards of the gentlemen in the foreign concessions take action.

"The bones and muscles cracked!"

This is something that can only be achieved when one has reached a certain level in martial arts. Sun Lutang established the three stages of martial arts skill more than ten years ago: Ming Jin (manifest strength), An Jin (hidden strength), and Hua Jin (transformative strength).

When the body extends, all the joints and bones in the body can make a sound, which is the sign of 'Ming Jin'!
Before the two could think any further, they suddenly felt two steel whips lashing at their chests, causing them to groan twice.

"Crack! Crack!"

It flew in response, faster than Chen Zhan, and was thrown more than ten feet away.

Chen Zhan's Tai Chi whip technique, while not necessarily capturing the essence of Master Sun's Tai Chi, still delivers power with his arms like steel whips, his shoulders sinking and elbows dropping, the force flowing seamlessly from joint to joint. A thug with only a sham technique has no chance against it.

He took two steps to their side and reached into their pockets to take out their satchels.

He took out most of the copper coins and put them in his pocket, leaving ten copper coins.

"Sir, I was blind to your greatness. You are an expert, so please don't hold it against me."

"Copper coins, here are all the copper coins for you."

The two men reached into their pockets, but as soon as they moved their arms, sweat beaded on their foreheads—their ribs were broken!
"Ouch, that hurts so much!"

Chen Zhan casually stepped on the wailing thug and asked, "Stop howling, who is Third Master?"

"Oh, sir, sir, lift your foot, I can't breathe, if I die, how will you ask? Third Master is Zhang Third Master, a notorious scoundrel in Tianjin, he's in charge of all three streets and four alleys in this area."

Chen Zhan was speechless; even with broken ribs, he couldn't stop making sarcastic remarks.

Even among hooligans, there are social stratifications.

The top-level figures were called "Big Shots," who controlled casinos, brothels, theaters, and gangs. They had connections with officials in various concessions, lived extravagantly, and were notorious.

The next level down are the second-rate thugs, who are top-notch fighters. They have martial arts skills, are ruthless and vicious, and have taken many lives.

They often rely on their bravery to occupy a territory or to make the most of their main fighting force.

Similar to "Double Flower Red Stick".

At the very bottom are the two people standing beneath them, commonly known as "dog rascals," who act as thugs, pimps, or "extortionists."

These two were quite cunning; they started a business similar to lending money without any initial investment.

They make poor teenagers work for them, and then they use the money they earn to their own advantage.

"Third Master Zhang? Where do you live? Who lives with you?"

"This is hard to say, isn't it?" The thug panicked instantly. He wasn't stupid; if Chen Zhan was asking about this kind of thing, something big was probably going to happen.

Chen Zhan smiled; this guy was treating him like a saint.

Lift your foot, change to a thrusting motion, and strike your lower back with your foot. The lower back is the most painful area to be subjected to force, especially with the drilling force of a thrusting foot.

I didn't exert too much force, otherwise this blow would have broken my back and my body.

The man on the ground turned deathly pale instantly, and his wailing became distorted.

"Ah~~~, sir, sir, please lift your feet, I'll talk, I'll talk."

"Third Master lives in the house at the very end of Yuhua Lane, and there are two women in his house."

Chen Zhan didn't waste any more words. He stood up, turned to the dumbfounded boy, and said, "Bring those two manure baskets and the hemp rope."

The boy looked in the direction Chen Zhan was pointing and saw two manure baskets folded together at the end of the dead end. They were woven from willow branches and had shallow, open openings.

At this time, fertilization relied on manure, so every household had a manure basket.

The boy realized what was happening, quickly ran over and grabbed two manure baskets, which also contained black bags and hemp rope.

Chen Zhan then said, "Tie them up."

The boy looked at the two snarling thugs and attacked without hesitation. The two tried to resist, but were struck by lightning, losing a tooth and having both legs broken, and then fell silent.

He watched in horror as his mouth was stuffed shut and a black cloth bag that had previously contained feces was put over his head.

Finally, Chen Zhan threw them aside, covered them with a manure basket, and in the corner, it was impossible to tell that there were two people.
These low-level thugs cannot trigger [Devouring Fate and Forging Destiny], nor can they be considered extremely heinous criminals. Chen Zhan is not a murderous maniac.

"Sir, copper coins," the boy said hesitantly, looking at the satchel in Chen Zhan's hand.

Chen Zhan also looked at the young boy, whose face was still childish and covered in black stains, but was extremely determined.

"My name is Chen Zhan, what's yours?"

The boy remained calm, rubbed his hands together a couple of times, and said, "Master Chen, I've been a wanderer since I was little, without father or mother, without a name. Everyone calls me Fire Fox."

Chen Zhan looked at the boy, who was about 1.45 meters tall, wearing a dark red tattered jacket. There were several black marks on his cheeks, which were traces left after wiping his nose, and they looked a bit like fox fur.

"A fire fox? That's quite fitting."

He gave him all the satchels he was carrying, and the two walked out of the dead end.

The streets were gloomy. Although it was still morning, the sky was overcast, the air was cold and hard, and dust and smog covered the area, making the sky look gray.

"Mr. Chen, why are there five extra copper coins?"

The fire fox, dressed in a tattered dark red coat, took out a copper coin from his satchel.

"It's a gift for you. Just take me to eat some big meat dishes."

"Big meat" actually means good meat, but in this era, there weren't many places where ordinary people could eat meat. The best meat was supplied to the foreign concessions first.

In Nanshi, it's considered very good if ordinary laborers can get offal or offal to eat.

The little fox smiled happily, its face blooming like an ugly chrysanthemum. "I know a place where the meat soup is delicious. I've only had it once, but it's unforgettable."

He even licked his lips excitedly as he spoke.

The boy led the way, with Chen Zhan following behind. The two took advantage of the morning light and headed west, passing through streets and alleys.

After passing through the last alley, the two arrived at a main road. The road was paved with neat bluestone slabs and bustling with people, many of whom were dressed smartly.

This place is outside Nanshi, and Chen Zhan doesn't recognize it.

"We've arrived!" The fire fox stopped in its tracks.

Chen Zhan looked over and saw a hazy mist rising from a restaurant on the street corner, wafting through the curtain. Even from a distance, he could feel the warmth emanating from it.

The porters and laborers squatted or sat on the dilapidated benches, eating the food in their bowls.

"Huhuhu~"

Every now and then, someone would let out a satisfied sigh.

The restaurant's signboard read: "Braised meat, mutton soup."

Looking at the fox next to him, its little face was still dirty, but glistening tears were hanging from the corners of its mouth as it stared intently at the mutton soup on the street corner.

(End of this chapter)