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

The Grand Duke was sitting behind a table with account books spread out on it. Two men stood beside him, both dressed in short clothes with bulges at their waists and carrying weapons.

There were still quite a few people outside the door.

The Grand Duke of Cao has gone into hiding, but he can't just ignore everything. He needs to gather intelligence from all sides and keep track of what's happening outside. You can raise an army for a thousand days, but you can't guard against thieves for a thousand days.

He couldn't rest easy as long as Chen Zhan lived.

"Whoosh whoosh-!"

A slight gust of wind, accompanied by the sound of something cutting through the air, caused the three people inside to look up simultaneously.

The door opened, but instead of knocking or breaking down, someone pushed it open and entered.

The face I was facing was unfamiliar.

Cao Taisui's face turned deathly pale in the firelight.

He recognized him.

It's not that we know each other, it's that we don't. Everyone in the courtyard is an acquaintance, so not knowing each other is the biggest problem.

Before Cao Taisui could speak, the two guards pounced on him.

One attacker cut in from the left, using a grappling technique to lock Chen Zhan's right wrist. The other approached from the right, employing a wrestling technique to grab Chen Zhan's leg.

Chen Zhan first faced the one on the left, not dodging, letting him grab his wrist. Then, he lowered his wrist, grabbed the other's tiger's mouth with his other hand, and twisted it outward, turning the joint into a dead angle.

As the other man cried out in pain and tried to pull away, Chen Zhan seized the opportunity to pin his entire arm down, then raised his knee and smashed it into his elbow joint. The bone broke with a crisp sound, and the man gasped in shock, collapsing to his knees and unable to get up.

The one on the right was already in front of him, bending down to grab his leg. Chen Zhan moved half a step to the side to avoid him, then bent his elbow and smashed it down from above. The tip of his elbow struck the back of the other man's neck, and he fell to the ground, crawling twice but unable to get up.

Cao Taisui stood up, his chair slid backward, and he retreated.

He was originally quite skilled in martial arts, but after holding a high position for many years, he had long since neglected his skills.

He uttered half a sentence, "Chen—", but didn't finish the sentence.

Chen Zhan walked over.

The lights in the room flickered in the wind, casting long shadows on the wall.

They left the canal gang before noon.

There were more people on the street, and vendors started setting up their stalls one after another.

A candied hawthorn vendor pushed his cart past, the wheels creaking. Chen Zhan followed him for a few steps and bought them all from him.

I held it in my hand, but didn't eat it; I just carried it forward.

He had walked this street for many years. It was a no-man's-land in the southern city. How many years ago was it that he met the little fox, Ye Ningzhen, here?

Now, walking down this street feels like walking on a completely different street; it doesn't feel familiar at all.

He's killed all those he wanted to kill, and he can't see those he wanted to see. This city has no unresolved grudges with him.

Let's go then.

They headed out of the city.

Once outside the city gate, the official road stretched out into the countryside, flanked by lush green fields. In the distance, a dirt road stretched out, the wind blowing in, swirling fine sand. He squinted, unaffected by the dust.

Suddenly, I felt that this world, this timeline, was completely devoid of life, vitality, and hope.

Everything was lifeless.

They became even more disheartened.

He wanted to leave.

I checked my luck value with my mind; it was only 50,000, which wasn't enough.

I don't know how much more will be needed to return to the original timeline.

After thinking it over, Chen Zhan finally decided to go to the capital, where there were a few people who were interested.

But first, they went to meet up with the people outside the city.

Once outside the city, they encountered few obstacles. The foreigners couldn't keep the city under lockdown forever, and there were plenty of places to hide in the countryside.

Passing through a rural wheat field, it was June, and the wheat and sorghum were growing well. Many farmers were walking between the field ridges.

People were also watching along the country lanes, afraid that children might damage the crops.

Chen Zhan naturally wouldn't do anything destructive, and headed towards the small station.

Xiaozhan area is located at the lower reaches of the nine rivers in the Haihe River Basin. It was originally a plain formed by marine and river alluvial deposits, with a low-lying terrain and mostly saline-alkali wasteland.

From the Liao and Song dynasties, a model combining military defense and border farming was formed. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, large-scale farming was carried out, and the surrounding areas were planted extensively.

Some time ago, after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Yuan Shikai was ordered to supervise the training of the "New Army" in Xiaozhan, Tianjin. However, at present, only the order has been issued, and the troops have not yet been transferred.

Troop movements are complex. Even if the Qing court issues an order, it may not be implemented, and even if it is implemented, it may take a long time for the response to come. In the meantime, there is extortion and exploitation at every level.

By the time we arrived at the small station, it was already evening.

Fortunately, the moon was bright and the stars were few tonight, and after searching all the way, I found myself near the City God Temple.

They certainly wouldn't all gather in the City God Temple; that would be too conspicuous. The City God Temple was just a place to leave secret signals.

Upon entering the City God Temple, the courtyard walls were dilapidated, overgrown with weeds, and the incense had long since died out. Only a few clay statues of gods remained, leaning on the altars, their faces mottled.

Chen Zhan found the coded message at the base of the back wall of the main hall.

There is a shallow, willow-leaf-shaped engraving that is not noticeable unless you look closely. The tip of the willow leaf points east.

This was a mark agreed upon with all parties beforehand. The willow leaf was chosen by Lu Jun, meaning "a glimmer of hope after darkness," and its direction indicates the location.

Head east.

After walking for about half an hour, a dirt road led into a low-lying area. On both sides of the road were sorghum fields and sparse jujube groves. Moonlight filtered through the branches of the jujube trees, casting dappled patterns on the dirt road.

At the end of the road, a small village came into view.

Liuhe Village.

The village is small, with only twenty or thirty households. The mud-brick houses are low and crouching on the ground, and the courtyard walls are also made of mud bricks. They are uneven, and in some places, half of them have collapsed, revealing the firewood stacks and chicken coops inside.

As Chen Zhan entered the village, a pair of prying eyes shot over from behind the jujube tree on his left.

He didn't stop walking. He glanced over and saw that the other person was well hidden and was even holding back their breathing. An ordinary person wouldn't be able to detect them at all.

But that gaze carried a sharp edge, the alertness unique to someone skilled in martial arts. The moment that gaze fell upon him, the other person's breath tightened slightly.

Master.

At the very least, it's a foundation of internal strength.

Chen Zhan's gaze swept over, and the figure suddenly flashed out from behind the jujube tree. The figure moved very fast and did not run into the village, but instead ran towards the sorghum field outside the village.

This is a smart choice.

Upon noticing a stranger approaching, their first reaction is not to warn, but to fear being followed. So they walk in the opposite direction to lead the person away from the village, afraid of bringing trouble into the village and implicating the villagers.

"So vigilant?"

Chen Zhan didn't chase after him, but stood there for a few moments. It was too dark to see his face clearly, but he could tell from his movements that his steps were quick and short, and the way his feet landed showed signs of military training. He must be Cheng Shaojiu's brother.

Cheng Shaojiu's thirteen men have all met him before, so why are they running away?
Then I understood.

I'm in disguise now, with high cheekbones, a pointed chin, and an old scar. I look completely different from my original face, so it's perfectly normal that the other person doesn't recognize me.

Moreover, his attire, though his brown brocade robe was quite dirty, was clearly not something a country person should wear.

If a stranger in a brocade robe walked into the village where they were hiding in the dead of night, anyone would run away.

Chen Zhan chuckled and pressed his hand against his face a few times.

Apply pressure with your fingertips to the cheekbones, brow ridges, and jawline. The bones shift slightly under the skin and return to their original positions. The high cheekbones flatten, the pointed chin rounds back, and the old scar on the left cheek disappears as the skin and flesh rebound.

In a few breaths, his face transformed back into that of a young man in his early twenties with delicate features.

He continued walking towards the village.

Not far away, behind a crooked jujube tree on the right, they sensed someone watching them again, but this time the other person didn't run away; instead, they came to meet them.

Under the moonlight, a man dressed in black shorts strode out. He was lean and fit, with a strip of cloth wrapped around his right shoulder, indicating that he was injured. His right arm did not swing much when he walked.

"Mr. Chen?"

The man stopped immediately upon recognizing Chen Zhan's face and called out.

Chen Zhan also recognized him.

Fourth brother.

Back at the Four Gates Inn, the third, fourth, and fifth brothers teamed up to assassinate Yinmian Liu, intending to kill him as well, but they were beaten half to death by him. Later, he gave them a bottle of Xiao Huan Dan (a type of elixir) that saved the third brother's life, thus beginning their connection.

"It's me. Are you all alright?"

The fourth brother grinned, the moonlight illuminating the weariness and scars on his face, his smile tinged with the relief of surviving a close call: "Brother Cheng received your signal and withdrew, taking the secret passage in the backyard of Qingyi Hall. It took him more than an hour to emerge, and it was almost dawn when he came out. He rushed here, arriving only in the middle of the night last night."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Chen Zhan's back, and when he saw the dark bloodstains seeping through the brocade robe, the smile on his face froze for a moment:
Are you injured?

"It's just a superficial wound, nothing serious."

Chen Zhan waved his hand. "Where's Lao Cheng? Take me to see him."

The fourth brother nodded, turned around and led the way, the two walking along the dirt road in the village.

The village was quiet. At this hour, the villagers had long since gone to bed, and every house was dark. Only a few dogs heard the footsteps and let out a couple of low growls in their yards, without barking.

When they reached the door of the house at the very end of the village, the gate was ajar. The fourth brother pushed it open with a creak. Inside the yard were some farm tools and firewood, and a faint light from an oil lamp shone from the main house.

"Brother Cheng, Mr. Chen has arrived."

The fourth brother called out softly from the doorway.

There was a commotion inside the room immediately: the sound of chair legs scraping against the floor, footsteps, and soon the door was pushed open, revealing Cheng Shaojiu in the doorway.

He was noticeably thinner than when Chen Zhan last saw him, his cheekbones were more prominent, his eye sockets were sunken, and his stubble covered his chin. His short clothes were covered in mud and grass, making him look like a tenant farmer who had been toiling in the fields for days.

The moment he saw Chen Zhan, his lips trembled, his eyes reddened, and he clenched his fists tightly to suppress his emotions, then bowed and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"Let's go inside and talk."

Chen Zhan stepped into the house. The house was not large, with a square table, a few benches, and several straw mats in the corner, on which three people were lying.

All three were Cheng Shaojiu's brothers, their bodies wrapped in strips of cloth, and they were injured.

One of them had his left arm wrapped up and was in a sling around his neck, which likely indicated a fracture or dislocation.

One of them had thick bandages wrapped around his waist, from which dark red blood seeped out, and he grimaced as he turned over.

The third injury was on his leg; his lower leg was fixed in place with a wooden board, and his entire leg was stiff and straight, unable to move.

When the three men saw Chen Zhan enter, they all struggled to get up and bow, but Chen Zhan raised his hand and pressed them down.

"Lie down, don't move."

Cheng Shaojiu moved a stool to the table and poured Chen Zhan a bowl of water, which was well water and was cold.

Chen Zhan took the bowl, drank a sip, and put it down: "Tell me what happened."

Cheng Shaojiu sat down opposite him, his voice hoarse, probably because he hadn't drunk much water in the past two days: "After you left that afternoon, I felt something was wrong. There were people watching around the courtyard. I sent Lao Si with two men to go out the back door to scout. We hadn't gone half a street when we discovered that members of the Canal Gang were following us, and there was more than one group."

"I knew then that things had been exposed, so I immediately followed the pre-arranged code and had everyone go down into the dry well in the backyard. The secret passage was dug by Ma Liu years ago, leading to an abandoned granary two streets away. We came out of the granary, split into three groups, and each took their own route to retreat out of the city."

He paused, his gaze falling on the three brothers lying in the corner: "When we retreated, we were caught up by a group of the Canal Gang. We fought a battle. Seventh Brother's leg was injured then, broken by a stick. Ninth Brother's waist was slashed by a knife; the wound isn't deep, but it's still bleeding. Eleventh Brother's arm was dislocated when he jumped down from the wall. I put it back in place, but the bone wasn't set properly, so he can't move for a while."

"There are no fatal wounds, just superficial and bone injuries; they'll heal after a while."

Chen Zhan nodded, glanced at the three men's injuries, and found them to be relatively minor, confirming Cheng Shaojiu's assessment.

"What about the others? Have you made contact with Lu Jun, Wu Qingshan, and Zhang Laojiao?"

Cheng Shaojiu took a sip of water, his throat feeling a little better: "We've made contact with everyone. Lu Jun, along with Xiao Jiu and a few brothers, evacuated from the tunnel at Xu Ying's house and are now near Gegu Town in the east, with Xu Ying."

"The largest group is from Wu Qingshan's side, about seventy people divided into four or five groups, scattered in several villages south of the small station. Most of them have arrived, but two or three have gotten separated and are still being searched for."

"Where's Old Zhang?"

"Old Zhang was the first to leave. He has a keen sense of smell; as soon as the afternoon's raid went wrong, he felt something was amiss and fled overnight with his trusted men from the Four-Door Cart Gang. They didn't take the main roads, but rather the waterways, rowing downstream along the Haihe River all night. They're currently hiding in a fishing village near Dagukou."

After hearing this, Chen Zhan felt a little relieved.

Fortunately, the big fish were all there and didn't get caught.

Those who died...

He remained silent for a moment, said nothing, and took out some silver notes from his pocket, all of which he had obtained from the canal gang.

What are your plans for the future?

Cheng Shaojiu stared at Chen Zhan's face, his gaze filled with both probing and apprehension.

He hadn't known Chen Zhan for long, but he could already tell that this man would never give up halfway through something.

Although the plan to seize the machinery bureau was thwarted, Chen Zhan must have other plans in store.

"Go to Lu Jun's place first and meet with Xu Ying."

Chen Zhan stood up. "You all stay here to recover. Don't move around too much. Wait for my news."

Cheng Shaojiu nodded and stood up to see him to the door.

Knowing that Chen Zhan was going to find Lu Jun, he offered, "Mr. Chen, I'll take you there. Gegu Town isn't far from here; it won't take half an hour by the back road."

"Walk."

The two left the courtyard and walked east along the dirt road behind the village.

Night deepened, the moon rose high overhead, its light bathing the entire field in a white glow. The sorghum stalks swayed gently in the night breeze, rustling softly, mingling with the distant croaking of frogs—a far cry from the tranquility of Tianjin city.

Along the way, Cheng Shaojiu recounted some details of the retreat. (End of Chapter)