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

Chapter 44 Murderous Intent on a Snowy Night!
Chen Zhan remained hidden, eating his dry rations as he walked.

Along the way, I noticed that the entire city of Tianjin was gripped by a strange sense of panic, with pedestrians hurrying past.

Every now and then, Japanese ronin or police officers would grab someone of similar height and build, force them to turn around for a look, and then roughly push them away.

The people lived in constant fear, terrified that some misfortune might befall them, and that their families would be destroyed and their lives cut short in an instant.

But Chen Zhan, the culprit, did not regret it.

I've never heard of peace being achieved through forbearance.

Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun; the words of great men are never outdated, this has always been true throughout history.

Perhaps a period of forbearance will bring a period of calm, and the people will have a better life for a few days, months, or years.

What happens next?

What about their descendants?
How many years have passed since the First Sino-Japanese War?

How many years has the Lushun massacre been over?

Although some more brutal things have not yet happened, imperialism has never given up its desire to destroy us, and a desperate battle will be fought sooner or later.

The common people may not understand, but Chen Zhan, a person from later generations, understands it all too well, and that is why he admires the heroes of this era even more.

The green hills bury the bones, regardless of their origins.

They didn't know that China would eventually win; they only knew that the enemy's weapons were ten times better and their military strength was ten times greater.

but!
It's just war.

Only fight to the death!

Chen Zhan practices traditional Chinese martial arts, which wasn't called traditional Chinese martial arts before. It was called fist techniques, martial arts, or various other names such as Southern Fist and Northern Leg.

But nowadays, all kinds of martial arts schools across the country are putting up their own banners.

All styles of boxing, palm techniques, and leg techniques are used interchangeably and are all referred to as the National Martial Arts Academy.

Tianjin has the Sanwu Martial Arts Academy, the Chinese Martial Arts Association, and the Tianjin Martial Arts Academy; Beijing has the Beiping Martial Arts Academy; and the south has the Liangguang Martial Arts Academy.

Almost every major city has a martial arts school.

Why?

Why is it called the National Martial Arts Academy?
National martial arts! It's not just a term, but a way of having the nation in one's heart and mind, so that the martial arts in one's hands can be powerful and overwhelming.

This nation is not a nation of one family, one surname, one person, or one organization, but a nation of spirit that has been gathered together by hundreds of millions of people over thousands of years.

How could a nation's martial arts be weak if it's practiced with the spirit and energy of its people?
If gods stand in the way, they will kill gods; if they stand in the way of Buddha, they will kill Buddha!
Chen Zhan kept walking, his mind immersed in "the nation and the art," and his aura became increasingly profound and steady.

But nobody noticed.

"That person! It looks like Chen Zhan!"

"Quick! Follow them!"

"Quickly notify the police station! One hundred! One hundred silver dollars!!!"

Simply finding Chen Zhan's whereabouts and reporting it for verification would earn him a hundred silver dollars. No one wanted to miss out on such a reward that was practically free.

One person left, while the rest continued to follow.

But in a blink of an eye, the person vanished.

Chen Zhan continued to appear on the streets of Tianjin, sometimes in Nanshi, sometimes in Xiaobailou, and even near the Five Nations Conference Hall.

The police and the Japanese garrison were extremely angry, viewing it as a provocation.

They mobilized a large force, intending to annihilate them, regardless of life or death.

Inside the main building of the French Concession.

Bai Yunsheng and Yuan Wenhui naturally learned of Itagaki Ichiro's murder very quickly.

Chen Zhan didn't leave, and he dared to kill Itagaki, so there's no reason for him to be afraid of the two of them. Whether in terms of status or the experts around them, neither of them can compare to Itagaki Ichiro.

Terrified!

This frightened the two so much that they couldn't sleep all night and dared not sleep at all last night.

The two men gathered inside the Green Gang headquarters, bringing together all the gang's top fighters and underlings as a precaution.

Bai Yunsheng and Yuan Wenhui were both local bullies in their early years. Fighting and brawling were common occurrences for these peasants in the underworld. Later, they rose to become local tyrants, joined the Green Gang, and even interfered with the police force.

Their behavior became increasingly outrageous, forcing women into prostitution and committing numerous acts of rape and abduction.

Now that they've cleaned up their act and gone ashore, many old Tianjin residents still remember the evil deeds they committed back then. The two men sat facing each other in the hall, their faces full of sorrow.

"Godfather, has the Big Boss responded?" Yuan Wenhui asked.

Bai Yunsheng was calmer than him, but he also understood the seriousness of the matter. He had experienced the fall of Tianjin twenty-nine years ago and knew the ways of the Big Sword Society and the Boxers.

Wang Wu, the Great Swordsman, was a truly ruthless killer. He beheaded countless members of the Qing Dynasty's imperial family and even foreigners from the Eight-Nation Alliance.

Chen Zhan has a similar air to those of yesteryear.

Perhaps they really are remnants of the Boxer Rebellion?
This makes sense. How could things be good if the Boxers and the Red Lanterns colluded?

"I did say that, but it takes at least five days by ferry from Shanghai to Tianjin."

“We’ll stay here for the next five days, but be careful. That kid has gone mad,” Bai Yunsheng sighed.

"That's the only way. Let the brothers in the gang take turns guarding him. I just hope his injury is too serious and he needs more time to recuperate until the big boss's expert arrives."

The two of them had no hope that Chen Zhan would let them go.

They're all shrewd people. Chen Zhan already killed the Japanese supreme commander, so why would he spare their lives?
Most traitors are aware of this, but they didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

"Boom!"

The sound of footsteps on the stairs made the two of them jump to their feet. A voice came from outside the door: "Master Bai, there's news about Chen Zhan."

Bai Yunsheng ordered his men to open the door, while he and his companion stood far away. "Speak quickly."

"The brothers in the gang reported that the kid appeared in many places today, his shadow was everywhere, it seems to be intentional."

After listening, Bai Yunsheng waved his hand to dismiss his men and looked at his adopted son, Yuan Wenhui.

"What's this kid up to?"

Yuan Wenhui shook his head, and the two of them were completely confused. At this point, no matter what Chen Zhan's plans were, they should keep a low profile.

What are they trying to do? Are they challenging all the armed forces in Tianjin?
Little did they know, Chen Zhan, whom they were thinking about, was less than a few hundred meters away.

I stood quietly in the shade outside the Western-style building, observing the structure.

Chen Zhan's frequent appearances were a ploy to lure the Green Gang into a trap. Finding out the Green Gang's headquarters was easy, but pinpointing the whereabouts of Bai and Yuan was not.

The Green Gang had many branches, and the two men had even more wealth; the saying "a cunning rabbit has three burrows" is insufficient to describe their cunning.

However, the two men were extremely wary of him, and their subordinates would report any news they received. Chen Zhan followed them all the way to the vicinity.

After more than 20 years of transformation, the French Concession became an exclusive area for the wealthy, consisting of detached villas. Two streets lined with plane trees lined the area, and each villa was far apart and relatively independent.

Under the plaque of "Green Gang Headquarters," at least a hundred people gathered inside and outside the Western-style building.

The guards responsible for protecting Bai and Yuan were not the only Green Gang personnel available; there simply wasn't enough room for more.

Chen Zhan stood motionless in the shadows, blending into his surroundings.

Before the king of beasts pounces on its prey, it always gathers its strength for a moment, and he seems to be gathering his strength at this moment.

An hour passed.

Snowing.

Winter has been over for a while, and Tianjin has actually seen its first snowfall in years, something that has never happened before.

And it was heavy snow.

A rare heavy snowfall in Tianjin.

Even in the north, it's rare to see such heavy snow.

The snowflakes were fine and dense, and the bare branches of the plane trees lining Avenue Joffre were covered with a layer of white down.

In the distance, the European-style streetlights under the trees are topped with snow caps, and the lights inside the glass shades emit a warm, dim yellow glow in the snow.

It was supposed to be a cozy snowy night.

But for no apparent reason, a chilling atmosphere permeated the entire Green Gang headquarters.

"Oh!"

Gunshots rang out, piercing the plaque of the main hall. Then, three more shots rang out with great force, snapping the plaque in two.

It crashed to the ground at an angle, kicking up a cloud of snow.

(End of this chapter)