Chapter 53: Turtle Back Crane Form
When Chen Wujun came out of Jin Di Finance, he was still carrying a small bag with 630,000 inside.
The two gambling dens had a total net rake of 260,000 this month, handed 130,000 to Sha Jiu, and paid out over 60,000 to the henchmen.
The rest was all his.
‘So everyone wants to climb up, and once they do, they can just lie down and get money.’
‘Since I’ve climbed up, I’ll never go back down. Whoever blocks my path dies!’
‘Ji Xiang seems very close to me, but actually has an opinion about me, maybe just dislikes me purely, or maybe has the same idea as me, thinking I’m blocking his way.’
‘After all, I’m in a fellow disciple relationship with Senior Sister, closer than others… and Senior Sister has helped me a lot, if I were useless that’d be fine, but if I perform well, I might threaten his position in the future.’
Chen Wujun pondered darkly in his heart as he walked back.
Ever since he understood that doing things means “cut the grass at the root, don’t give others an opportunity,” his mentality changed again when looking at others.
Back at his place, Chen Wujun took out the money and counted it once, then counted it again.
He really liked counting money.
“130,000 in cash here is too unsafe, should get a bank card… but to get a card I need my parents to co-sign the account…”
“Better to get a few from the henchmen, then split the money across them, but when there’s more money, splitting isn’t a solution either, heard that large unexplained funds get flagged by the bank… better ask Senior Sister later how to handle it.”
After carefully hiding all the money, Chen Wujun took out a notebook and flipped to the back, filled with densely written text.
January 19th, Ji Xiang and his men have an opinion about me…
……
“Does the martial arts school have anything tomorrow? Your mom is going to buy couplets, and some New Year’s goods too, if nothing then go with her.” At dinner, Chen Hanliang asked Chen Wujun.
“Sure!” Chen Wujun nodded.
He mainly practiced the bear, crane, tiger, and ape stances now, so skipping the martial arts school wouldn’t affect his stance training.
Besides, shopping wouldn’t take a full day.
“Straighten your waist, don’t always hunch your chest, doesn’t look right. You weren’t hunched before.” Chen Hanliang reached out and patted his back twice, but it felt like patting a stone instead of a back.
Instantly full of surprise.
“Why is your back so hard?”
“From martial arts practice, my back is thick, not hunched.” Chen Wujun said expressionlessly.
With martial arts practice, his body shape was gradually developing toward Turtle Back Crane Form, with extremely thick and full back muscles, especially the shoulder blades spreading out on both sides with a slight curve, and his neck somewhat long and slender.
“Also, why are your arms growing faster than your height? Your shirt sleeves are short now.” Huang Meizhen said too.
“Grown a bit.” Chen Wujun nodded, this was the change from practicing Agile Ape Hangs from Beam stance, in the last month his arms had lengthened by nearly a fist’s width.
Now his thighs and waist were extremely thick and sturdy, upper body Turtle Back Crane Form, arms with even muscles, looking slender but extremely powerful.
Sitting there, the whole person was as steady as a mountain, but when exploding, like a volcano erupting, extremely explosive.
Chen Wujun had tested his punching power at He Tu Martial Arts School yesterday, twisting his whole body’s strength into one, punching out 1140 jin.
Three weeks ago, he could only hit 1026 jin.
And now wasn’t even the fastest strength growth phase for Tiger Descends Mountain stance.
According to Master, the first four weeks of this stance twisted the whole body into one force, body like a spring accumulating power.
Weeks four to eight were when strength grew fastest.
The next morning, Chen Wujun wore a shirt and suit pants accompanying his mom Huang Meizhen to buy New Year’s goods, temperature only around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but Chen Wujun felt no cold in just the shirt, another change from martial arts practice.
“How about this shirt? Matches you well!” Mom picked up a blue-white jacket from the stall and held it against Chen Wujun.
“I’ll buy my own later.” Chen Wujun said.
These stall clothes were under 50 bucks, he wouldn’t wear that now.
His shirts cost a few hundred each.
“Don’t think it’s cheap, the material is good and thick. Shirt inside, this outside, keeps you warm.” Huang Meizhen still thought it matched Chen Wujun well.
“Then this one!” Chen Wujun just let her buy it since she wanted to.
“Boss, how much for this?”
“Good eye, looks great on, just 30 bucks!” The boss bustled around, tossing a perfunctory compliment.
Until noon, the two carried big and small bags to the dentistry, crowds everywhere along the way, so packed it made Chen Wujun inwardly irritable.
Chen Wujun carried the stuff, using his shoulders to shove people aside.
Some walking felt a huge force shove them flying, glared angrily, but saw Chen Wujun’s build and shut up.
Chen Wujun was just over 1.73 meters tall now, but his back under the shirt was extremely broad.
Clearly only 1.73 meters, but felt like 1.93.
“Don’t walk so fast! Bumping people!” Huang Meizhen reminded from behind.
“They’re just moving aside nicely, clearing the path, so we walk faster!” Chen Wujun extended his arm outward, shoving the person ahead half a meter away, while turning his head to say.
Two people nearby crashed into each other.
“Can’t you watch where you’re going?” A young man turned and cursed.
Chen Wujun looked at him expressionlessly, eyes bright and scary.
The young man glanced at Chen Wujun’s build, then looked past him to a kid in the other direction: “Talking to you, squeezing around! Whose adults don’t watch their kid?”
Chen Wujun forced a path through the crowded Long Jin Street, and the two went to the dentistry.
Huang Meizhen grabbed a handful of change for Chen Hanliang.
“Change!”
“Those fellow Daoists come begging money every holiday!” Chen Hanliang said.
“Those shameless ones, give them a buck or two to get rid of them, but always prepare extra change.”
Chen Wujun knew about this too, those fellow Daoists went door-to-door to shops begging money during holidays.
Shops didn’t want trouble, so gave a buck or two to send them off.
“I’ll get Four Treasure Rice.” Chen Wujun sauntered off to buy several portions of Four Treasure Rice, the three ate, then he helped carry stuff home before heading back to the martial arts school for practice.
……
Two days later, warehouse.
Chen Wujun took off his outer clothes, revealing a body of muscle, Turtle Back Crane Form even more pronounced.
And his arms clearly a bit longer than normal.
When punching practice, arms extremely flexible, like two steel whips striking, when powering swift as wind and thunder, every move bringing wind sounds.
Footwork steady yet not clumsy.
Though just over a month of stance training, totally different from a month ago.
Chen Wujun had now practiced Body Tempering to the upper level, stance training alone brought him huge changes.
Zhou Qing walked in, saw Chen Wujun punching practice, watched appreciatively for a bit.
Until Chen Wujun finished powering.
“Master!”
“Not bad, your stance training is solid, time to learn other kung fu!”
Hearing this, Chen Wujun was thrilled, finally could learn Swimming Dragon Palm.
“Before the war there was an internal martial arts boxing method called Eight Trigram Palm, also Roaming Eight Trigram Palm, Linked Eight Trigram Palm, widely circulated. Unfortunately after the war… few left who knew it, core elements mostly lost.”
“30 years after the war, someone compiled Eight Trigram Palm moves, created a boxing method called Swimming Dragon Eight Trigram Palm.”
“After several changes, generations built on Swimming Dragon Eight Trigram Palm, innovating, discarding useless parts, combining postwar new techniques, finally forming this Swimming Dragon Palm.”
“This Swimming Dragon Palm is soft with hardness inside, blending hard and soft. Body uses Walk, Pierce, Twist, Turn, but palm strikes are fierce explosions!”
“Swimming Dragon Palm prioritizes footwork, eight steps, eight palms! Palm changes with body, steps turn with palm, one step one palm change, every step can strike, anywhere!”
“For Swimming Dragon Palm, feet like Mud Treading Step, lower body steady as grindstone, upper body light as swallow, you’re about there now!”
While Zhou Qing explained, he demonstrated Swimming Dragon Palm stance, feet slowly turning, eight steps a circle, palm method matching footwork, changing step by step.
Chen Wujun’s eyes lit up, his previous Mud Treading Step practice, and bear, crane, tiger, ape stances, were all foundations for this Swimming Dragon Palm.
After Zhou Qing explained once, he took off his upper clothes.
Zhou Qing’s whole body muscles knotted, back thick and broad, arms and neck streamlined muscle, spreading arms made back bulge with two meat packs like folded wings.
This Turtle Back Crane Form was far more pronounced than Chen Wujun’s.
Especially surprising was Zhou Qing’s skin, looking around fifty outwardly, but body skin tight and fine like a baby’s.
No looseness or wrinkles, Chen Wujun compared to his own skin, thought Zhou Qing’s was even tighter and finer.
“Watch closely!” Zhou Qing said steadily, then demonstrated Swimming Dragon Palm again.
Chen Wujun suddenly noticed Zhou Qing’s back muscles passing like waves, then palm slapped out with a crack, like exploding the air, with a bang.
