37: Chapter 37 Hung Kuen

Li Changsheng didn't know much about Southern Fist either. While the Wing Chun taught at Hongyi Martial Arts Hall was a form of Southern Fist, there were simply too many styles within that category. As a newcomer who had just started practicing martial arts, there was no way he could know them all.

However, as he recalled the scenes he had just witnessed, a connection to a certain martial art mentioned by Elder Zhang inexplicably surfaced in his mind.

Elder Zhang had emphasized it specifically because he had once been an instructor at the National Martial Arts Institute and had spent a long time in the Central Plains of the North. It just so happened that one particular style shared many similarities with the one in front of him.

"It should be Hung Ga!"

In the footage, the person used few leg techniques, but their steps were stable and their posture fierce. It was a style of 'hard bridges and hard horses,' powerful and vigorous. The way both fists struck like cannons was indeed extremely similar to Hung Ga.

"Hung Ga? From the Hongmen, or..."

Hearing the name of this style, Captain Zheng's brow furrowed. Hung Ga would not be easy to investigate.

Hung Ga is one of the five major styles in Guangdong Province and has a vast number of practitioners. This was especially true during the modern era when the Hongmen grew in strength, making Hung Ga one of their core martial arts. Some of the organization's 'Double Flower Red Poles' were particularly skilled in it.

It was said that in the underground Boxing matches in Hong Kong, Hung Ga was frequently seen. Its momentum was fierce and overbearing, with astonishing power. Not only was it devastating, but it was also visually impressive enough to be very popular with audiences.

"Did Consultant Li see anything else? Can you identify any characteristics of the killer through the traces of their moves?" Director Lu pressed further.

Li Changsheng shook his head. Being able to identify Hung Ga was already his limit. The video was extremely blurry; how could he see anything more?

"Nothing else. I don't know much about the styles here in Guangdong Province, and I don't know many people in the martial arts circles here," Li Changsheng said, shaking his head.

Upon hearing this, Director Lu Feiming nodded, his face showing little disappointment.

This was originally just a small meeting. Later, he would still need to conduct a joint investigation with nearby brother units and even ask local professionals for help with the inquiry.

"Alright, then thank you, Consultant Li. Xiao Zhang, please see Consultant Li out."

Naturally, there was no need for an outsider like Li Changsheng to participate in the subsequent matters, and Li Changsheng didn't mind.

As he left the meeting room, Li Changsheng could still faintly hear Director Lu's words inside.

"Everyone needs to get moving. Contact the martial artists in the local martial arts community for a joint discussion. At the same time, contact..."

After signing a non-disclosure agreement, Li Changsheng walked out of the police station.

"It looks like this is becoming quite a big deal. For now, it has nothing to do with me, but it does serve as a reminder."

Today's events made Li Changsheng somewhat uneasy. While the person seemed to be targeting the local martial arts community, there had only been two cases so far. Heaven knows if they would strike at other martial artists.

Although Li Changsheng had some confidence in his own strength, after seeing that person's decisive and swift methods, he began to have some doubts.

"I can't be a frog at the bottom of a well. I still need to keep working hard."

Secretly cheering himself on, Li Changsheng decided to run back on foot.

After spending half an hour running home from the police station, Li Changsheng began to apply a simple bandage.

That punch had been too fierce; he had scraped off a lot of skin on his hand, and his bones seemed to ache slightly.

Li Changsheng gave a bitter smile. He had been too hasty at the time, aiming his fist at the other person's helmet. It was lucky the other party wasn't wearing a steel helmet; otherwise, his hand would likely be in a cast by now.

He started his broadcast as usual. Since it was already close to the afternoon, there weren't many people yet.

Li Changsheng didn't mind and began practicing the Eight Brocades, Taiji Stance, and Half-Step Crushing Fist.

"Streamer, I've seen people use sandbags and sparring partners for practice, but I've never seen anyone wear leg shackles."

"Haha, the streamer really knows how to have fun. Leg shackles for Boxing? Are those also leg wraps tied on?"

Indeed, many viewers noticed that Li Changsheng was wearing shackles on his legs while practicing, which clattered with every movement.

Li Changsheng wasn't doing this without reason; it was a small trick for practicing the Half-Step Crushing Fist.

On one hand, it was naturally to simulate Elder Guo Yunshen's mindset at the time; a situational reconstruction might allow him to feel the same emotions.

On the other hand, it was a characteristic of the Half-Step Crushing Fist itself: to restrict one's own steps and ultimately deliver a long-distance impact and explosive effect from a short distance.

Because Li Changsheng couldn't control small steps at the beginning and tended to overstep during the power-accumulation phase, the shackles could limit the step length, allowing him to familiarize himself with this footwork until it became an instinct.

"So it turns out the secrets of the Half-Step Crushing Fist were all hidden within Elder Guo Yunshen's circumstances back then."

The more he practiced, the deeper Li Changsheng's realization became. During the early stages of hard practice, one must strictly bind oneself. Whether through external restraints or self-restraint, one must be like a trapped beast.

But when the hard practice yields results in the middle and Late Stages, it is like a tiger leaving its cage—unstoppable.

Just like Elder Guo Yunshen, after he walked out of his cage, he used the Half-Step Crushing Fist he had practiced for many years to become unrivaled under heaven.

He established the illustrious reputation of 'conquering the world with the Half-Step Crushing Fist.'

"Streamer, your punches look way more powerful than before. Isn't this progress a bit too fast?"

"Yeah, streamer. They say it takes ten years of martial arts practice before you can even step out the door. How long has it been for you?"

'Smoking Chimney' gifted the streamer a Rocket: Streamer, give us a real demonstration! You have a sandbag there, try out the effect!"

The viewers were quite curious. After all, this fist technique was what Li Changsheng had practiced most during his broadcasts these past few days, and they had watched him gradually develop that sense of power.

A sense of power is something that can actually be distinguished by listening to the sound of the wind.

Previously, Li Changsheng's Half-Step Crushing Fist made almost no wind noise, but lately, the wind from his punches had been constant, and an occasional burst of power could even produce a crisp 'crack' sound.

Everyone was also curious whether this was the sound of his clothes or actual wind from the punch.

Seeing how enthusiastic the viewers were, Li Changsheng also felt inspired.

After all, everyone previously only liked watching Card Throwing. It wasn't that Card Throwing was bad, but it was a concealed weapon technique, and its power generation skills were actually derived from Traditional Martial Arts.

Li Changsheng still preferred to showcase the core of Traditional Martial Arts, like fist techniques.

"It just so happens I also want to test the effect of that punch from this morning."

After a bit of thought, Li Changsheng began to set up the sandbag. His sandbag was the vertical Boxing type purchased online.

It was filled with iron sand and weighed about fifty kilograms. The outer layer had some impact-absorbing cotton, which provided excellent shock absorption.

Generally, boxers with good training conditions use this kind of equipment.

Seeing Li Changsheng actually start setting up the sandbag, everyone became excited and expectant.

"This punch from the streamer represents a month of cultivation. Surely it can at least make the sandbag wobble, right?"

“Pfft! You little hater, don't look down on the streamer. He's gained quite a bit of muscle lately; he’s not the stick insect he was before.”

Indeed, with his recent diet of plenty of meat, plus the Bazhen Soup and training, Li Changsheng's body was now covered in a layer of quite even muscle lines. However, it didn't look overly bulky; it was a perfect, healthy physique for a normal person.

"At most it'll wobble. I've been to a Boxing gym, and even professional boxers are only at that level. Unless it's a heavyweight fighter punching with full force, it's very hard to actually displace this thing."