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

Wang Wu's response was also decisive. He didn't try to withstand the attack, but instead stepped back to avoid it. His right hand had already slipped over Chen Zhan's shoulder and his five fingers gripped the back of Chen Zhan's collar.

Using the force of Chen Zhan's forward lunge, the Tai Chi grappling technique grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him down, attempting to drag Chen Zhan's body forward.

Chen Zhan straightened his back and tightened the muscles in his neck, forcefully withstanding the force in that area. At the same time, he thrust his left elbow backward, aiming the tip at Wang Wu's chest.

Wang Wu loosened his collar, took a step back, and deflected the elbow strike.

After exchanging more than a dozen blows, the two each took a step back, widening the distance between them.

It looks like a draw.

But Chen Zhan was clearly more relaxed, his breathing remained unchanged, and his footwork was always composed.

Wang Wu calmed down, his brows furrowing slightly and his lips pressed tightly together.

His heart sank deeper and deeper with each blow.

The opponent's boxing style was too diverse. It wasn't the kind of jack-of-all-trades who knew a little about everything but wasn't proficient in anything. Instead, he was extremely skilled in every style, able to pick it up at will and connect it flawlessly.

He threw a punch, but his opponent neutralized it with Baguazhang.

I used Bagua footwork to circle around myself, while my opponent countered with Xingyi's straight-line counterattack.

I used Tai Chi grappling, and my opponent countered with Bajiquan close-quarters combat.

It's as if all martial arts are the same in his hands, without distinction of school or internal/external styles; what he strikes is all perfectly natural.

He stepped forward again.

This time he changed his approach, using an extremely ancient footwork, with a very low center of gravity, leaning forward, and raising his hands to his chest with palms facing outward. It was a posture similar to that of a bear, but not exactly the same.

This is a starting move that he figured out on his own, and it doesn't belong to any particular school of thought.

Two punches were thrown out simultaneously, the left fist in a straight line and the right fist in an arc, one in front and one behind, one straight and one curved, blocking Chen Zhan's center and side gates.

Chen Zhan stepped forward, his left hand meeting the left fist, and his right hand meeting the right fist. The muffled sounds of their forces colliding echoed one after another.

Wang Wu's punches became increasingly fierce. Towards the end, he stopped paying attention to any particular style and used whatever move was most effective: collapsing fist, chopping palm, elbow strike, knee strike, shoulder strike, headbutt—he used everything he could, and his attacks were extremely fast and powerful.

Chen Zhan responded to each attack with ease, using Xingyi, Taiji, Bagua, Bajiquan, Tongbei, and Chuojiao techniques to counter each style.

The two fought fiercely at the edge of the woods under the moonlight, the fallen leaves being whipped up by the force of their punches and swirling in the air.

Cheng Tinghua stood a dozen feet away, having recovered from his internal injuries. Holding the Bagua Blade in both hands, he watched the fight unfold, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

He was a disciple of Baguazhang and had excellent eyesight. He could tell that Chen Zhan was more serious when fighting Wang Wu than when fighting him, and that his attacks were also more powerful.

When he fought me just now, Chen Zhan didn't use his full strength.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been as simple as just coughing a few times.

After exchanging more than a dozen moves, Chen Zhan gradually gained the upper hand.

Although Wang Wu's boxing style is extensive and profound, it is, after all, the accumulation of decades of one person's experience, and no matter how extensive it is, it has its limits.

Chen Zhan is different. He has traveled through several worlds and over a hundred years, fought against hundreds of masters, and learned boxing techniques that span several eras and several martial arts systems.

The depth and breadth of this accumulation is unmatched by any martial artist who grew up in a single era.

The gap became increasingly apparent in the latter half of the exchange.

Chen Zhan's palm techniques began to precisely cut into the gaps in Wang Wu's punches, each palm striking precisely at the moment Wang Wu was exerting force, giving him no time to regroup.

Wang Wu's breathing gradually became heavier, and his fist technique changed from a combination of offense and defense to a focus on defense, forcing him to retreat repeatedly under Chen Zhan's palm techniques.

After two more moves, Chen Zhan deflected Wang Wu's straight punch with a Xingyi horizontal fist. Taking advantage of the moment when the opponent's center was wide open, he extended his right palm and pressed the heel of his palm against Wang Wu's chest.

No effort was exerted.

He just pressed against me like that, his palm against my clothes, and I could feel his heart beating underneath.

The two remained locked in a stalemate for a moment.

The moonlight shone on their faces, one calm, the other solemn.

Chen Zhan withdrew his palm and jumped back two steps, creating distance between them.

He stopped shrugging and spoke in his original voice, laughing, "Brother Wang, it's truly heartbreaking that you haven't recognized me yet."

The voice changed, and Wang Wu's body stiffened abruptly.

He stared wide-eyed at Chen Zhan's face.

The face was unfamiliar; high cheekbones, a pointed chin, and a look of someone in their thirties—it didn't match the person in my memory.

But the voice matched.

That night at the Fangshan mine, the sounds of gunfire, fire, and blood echoed in his ears.

The voices are exactly the same.

"Brother Chen?"

Wang Wu forgot to draw his knife, staring at Chen Zhan, his guard instantly vanishing, replaced by immense surprise.

"Good heavens! I was wondering where this grandmaster-level expert from the capital came from; it turns out it was you!"

He strode forward, grabbed Chen Zhan's arm, looked him up and down several times, and scanned his face repeatedly. The more he looked, the more he felt something was wrong.

"Have you had your face altered?"

"Disguise is a simple skill."

Chen Zhan nodded with a smile, "Something happened in Tianjin, so it's not convenient for that face to go out anymore."

Wang Wu suddenly realized, released Chen Zhan's arm, and turned to wave at Cheng Tinghua: "Cheng, come here, let me introduce you to someone."

Cheng Tinghua walked over, his twin swords already sheathed and tucked behind his waist. His face still showed some lingering fear from the beating he had just received. He frowned slightly as he looked at Wang Wu and Chen Zhan's familiar demeanor.

Wang Wu, with one hand on Chen Zhan's shoulder and the other pointing at Cheng Tinghua, introduced him in a casual manner: "This is Brother Cheng Tinghua, the head of the Cheng School of Baguazhang, a prized student of Mr. Dong Haichuan, and one of the top Baguazhang figures in Beijing."

He then turned to Cheng Tinghua: "This is Brother Chen Zhan. He and I fought side-by-side against the foreign musketeers at the Fangshan mine. You've already experienced his kung fu; I don't need to elaborate."

Cheng Tinghua's brow relaxed. He looked Chen Zhan up and down, then clasped his hands in a fist and said, "My apologies for my rudeness."

He was quite polite.

Chen Zhan nodded solemnly and returned the greeting with clasped hands: "Brother Cheng, I was very rude just now."

His apology was sincere. He broke into someone's security escort agency late at night, and after being discovered, he ran forty or fifty miles to lure the person to the outskirts of the city. He even fought the person's Bagua double swords with his bare hands for more than sixty moves. Anyone would be furious in that situation.

Cheng Tinghua wasn't one to hold grudges. In martial arts, strength was the most important thing. He wasn't angry about being beaten by someone stronger than himself, especially since the other party had held back.

"I must thank Brother Chen for showing mercy."

Cheng Tinghua adjusted his glasses, his tone softening considerably, "Your gossip skills have reached my master's level. There aren't many people in this world who can hold a blade between two fingers."

"It's truly unfathomable."

Cheng Tinghua added, his tone filled with admiration and emotion, that after his master Dong Haichuan passed away, no one in the Baguazhang school had ever reached the level of Baodan (embracing the elixir).

Neither he nor Yin Fu are suitable.

Now, seeing this in a stranger evoked a complex mix of emotions. The three of them stood at the edge of the woods; the moonlight was perfect, and the night breeze was cool.

Wang Wu was a straightforward man, and after the fight, he didn't bother with formalities. He asked directly, "Brother Chen, why did you suddenly come to the capital? We parted ways at the Fangshan mine last time, and I haven't heard from you since. I even sent people to Tianjin to inquire, but because of the trouble, they couldn't find out anything."

He remembered Chen Zhan saying that he had "some things to take care of in Tianjin." After being separated for more than half a month, his sudden appearance in the courtyard of Shunyuan Escort Agency late at night must have a reason.

Chen Zhan did not hide anything.

He recounted the events that had occurred in Tianjin from beginning to end.

From stealing silver dollars from the Taikoo Trading Company, to burning down the British Consulate, to massacring the police station, to the bloody battle at the Municipal Council, to being besieged by the Canal Gang and foreigners, to his brothers dying or scattering, to finally killing the Canal Gang leader, and then retreating to the countryside with the remaining men, disguising themselves and coming to the capital.

He spoke concisely, without any unnecessary embellishment, simply laying out each item one by one and explaining it simply.

But those who listen don't find it easy.

Wang Wu's expression changed from curiosity to shock, and then from shock to horror.

Cheng Tinghua's glasses almost slipped off his nose. He reached out to steady the frame, opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again.

They stole dozens of chests of silver dollars from the Swire Trading Company, bombed the British Consulate, slaughtered 43 officers in the entire police station, stormed the Municipal Council and killed high-ranking foreign political and business officials, and killed two martial arts masters hired from Beijing.
Any one of these incidents alone would be enough to be reported to the imperial court and cause a nationwide uproar.

It was all done by one person.

"No wonder you needed to disguise yourself."

Wang Wu swallowed hard, his voice hoarse. "This is no ordinary case, Brother Chen. This is a heinous crime. The foreigners and the Qing government will never let this go."

"Yes, that's why I came to the capital." Chen Zhan's tone was very calm, as if he were talking about someone else's business.

Cheng Tinghua frowned again as he noticed a detail.

"You just said that the two experts at the Transformation Realm invited from the capital are named He Zhongming and Yan Chongfeng?"

"Um."

"He Zhongming is a practitioner of Xin Yi Liu He Quan, and Yan Chongfeng is a practitioner of Tong Bei Quan; both are from Prince Yi's mansion."

Cheng Tinghua nodded. "I know both of them. Their kung fu is quite good, but He Zhongming is especially skilled, having cultivated his peak internal energy for over a decade."

He paused here, looking at Chen Zhan: "You killed He Zhongming?"

"Killed him. Yan Chongfeng escaped."

Cheng Tinghua was silent for a moment, then muttered something that sounded like "what a pity" or "it should be."

Then he remembered something else, and his gaze shifted: "You killed other people in Tianjin?"

Chen Zhan knew what he was going to ask, and said directly, "Kill Yin Fu."

The woods fell silent.

The wind blew through the treetops, and fallen leaves rustled down at the three people's feet.

Cheng Tinghua stood motionless, his eyes behind his glasses stopped moving, and his expression gradually darkened.

Yin Fu was his senior.

Under Dong Haichuan's tutelage, Yin Fu was the eldest and he was the second. The two had been learning martial arts, practicing palm techniques, and walking around together since they were young, forging a deep bond of brotherhood over decades.

Over the years, their relationship has indeed grown increasingly distant; their ideologies differ, and they have taken different paths.

Yin Fu joined the palace and the royal family, becoming a martial arts instructor for the emperor and eunuchs. He became increasingly shrewd and worldly, growing closer to the powerful and wealthy. He also became less and less discreet in his actions, resorting to some underhanded methods that Cheng Tinghua disapproved of.

On the surface, the two are still fellow disciples, but the rift between them has long since deepened to the bone.

But he is, after all, my senior.

They were taught by the same master, practiced the same set of palm techniques, and called each other "Master".

Cheng Tinghua stood there for a long time without saying a word.

Wang Wu remained silent. He had no good impression of Yin Fu. In his view, Yin Fu's actions over the years were completely contrary to the reformists' stance. He was a member of the imperial faction, helping the Prince's Mansion and the Palace, and was not on the same side as them.

But at this moment, with Cheng Tinghua in front of him, he couldn't say anything.

After a period of silence, Cheng Tinghua finally spoke.

His voice was a few decibels lower than before, carrying a suppressed heaviness: "Brother Chen, Yin Fu is my senior brother, I must say this upfront."

Chen Zhan nodded: "I know."

"How did you two fight?"

"A head-on confrontation."

Chen Zhan answered succinctly, "The foreigners invited him to help with the boxing match. We met in the rainy night. He struck first, and I countered. After several dozen moves, he lost."

Cheng Tinghua's lips moved slightly, then stopped.

He wanted to ask, "Is there any chance of survival?" but he swallowed the words back.

"A fist has no eyes; life and death are predestined."

When Cheng Tinghua uttered these eight words, his voice was steady and without resentment.

"He was no match for Brother Chen; his death was a fitting end."

For a martial artist, dying at the hands of someone stronger than themselves, in a direct confrontation, without sneak attacks or sabotage, is the most dignified way to die.

It's much more dignified than being riddled with bullets by foreigners' muskets.

It's much more dignified than serving as a eunuch in a prince's mansion until you die.

Cheng Tinghua took a deep breath and buried the matter in his heart.

He adjusted his glasses, his expression returning to calm: "I understand, Brother Chen, there's no need to worry about it."

Wang Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief, patted Cheng Tinghua on the shoulder, and said nothing more.

Turning to Chen Zhan, he asked, "Brother Chen, what are your plans for this trip to the capital? You caused such a commotion in Tianjin; the foreigners and the Qing government must already be after you. Although the capital is safer than Tianjin, it's not a place you can stay for long."

"We won't leave for now."

Chen Zhan shook his head. "The brothers I brought from Tianjin have already settled in at the Huiyou Escort Agency. I'll just wander around the capital, see a few people I want to see, and do a few things I want to do."

Wang Wu thought for a moment, then his expression turned serious: "Brother Chen, it's inconvenient for you to show yourself right now. Although Shun Yuan Escort Agency isn't large, it has enough space. If you don't mind, you can stay at my place. The people in the agency are all brothers; they're trustworthy and won't leak any information."

He paused, then added, "By the way, what's your current alias? I need to explain to the security company."

"Chen Sanshui."

"Alright, Sanshui brother." Wang Wu grinned, patting Chen Zhan on the shoulder. "Let's go back to the escort agency for a couple of drinks. We've been up all night, our stomachs are rumbling."

He turned and walked back the way he came, then took a couple of steps and glanced back at Cheng Tinghua: "Cheng with glasses, you come too. The three of us can drink together, it'll be more lively."

Cheng Tinghua pushed up his glasses, a slight smile playing on his lips, and followed after him.

The three people retraced their steps, crossing the fields outside the city. The moonlight cast long shadows of them, one in front and two behind, each stepping on its own shadow as they headed towards the capital. (End of Chapter)