I used the Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) to fight the Japanese.

Despite his excitement, Mancang hadn't lost his composure. The items were still in Old Master Song's hands, so there was no need to rush. However, this undoubtedly made the rescue operation even more difficult! Carrying such precious national treasures across thousands of kilometers to break through the Japanese encirclement and suppression was no easy task!

The two walked through the alley back to the hotel. They spent the whole night discussing but couldn't come up with a proper rescue plan. They could only take it one step at a time and see Grandpa Song first.

The two arrived at the steamed bun shop early in the morning to wait for Grandpa Song. And sure enough, the shop was quite popular; there were already many customers early in the morning. The waiter, seeing them arrive, specially arranged for them to sit at a table further inside, and served them two baskets of steamed buns while they waited.

A short while later, an elderly man with gray hair walked into the steamed bun shop, and the waiter quickly went up to greet him.

"Mr. Song, please come in! It's crowded today, so please squeeze in with these two young men! The usual three dishes, please?"

"It's alright, the same three dishes as always," the old man said as he followed the waiter to the table where Mancang and his companion sat down.

"Alright! Please wait a moment, sir!" The waiter agreed and left. A short while later, he brought the old man a basket of steamed buns, a bowl of porridge, and a small dish of side dishes.

The old man ate slowly as usual. After finishing a bun, he looked down to drink his porridge and noticed a golden pen on the side of the bowl!

The old man's eyes narrowed and his hands began to tremble. He could barely hold the chopsticks and stared at the gold pen without moving!

"Grandpa, don't get agitated. We are Professor Song's students, and we came here specifically to pick you and your family up!" Mancang quickly identified himself.

"Uh?...Where is Jiamo?..." The old man suppressed his excitement for a long time before finally asking the question he cared about most.

"Teacher and Senior Sister Zaohua are in Yudu. The Japanese are forcing them to explore a gold mine. Don't worry, they're safe until the mine starts production!" Mancang quickly said.

"This...it's my fault for dragging my child down with me..." The old man couldn't hold back his tears when he heard that his son was in the hands of the Japanese, and he began to murmur his self-blame.

"Don't say that, old man! Teacher and Senior Sister Zaohua have been holding off the Japanese without surrendering, and they asked us to take you and your family with us. As long as you and your family are safe, Teacher and the others will naturally find a way to escape!" As he spoke, Mancang glanced outside the shop and was relieved to see that the two Japanese soldiers who had followed him were not making any unusual moves.

"...May I ask where you're from? The wartime capital or Hong'an?" the old man asked with a groan.

"Uh!..." Man Cang naturally knew what he was asking, but given his position, it was really difficult to answer. After thinking for a moment, he decided to tell the truth.

"No, that's not it. I have a village in Yudu Township. We young people are organized together to fight against the Japanese and protect our fellow villagers. This time, I just wanted to settle you and your family in the village and let you live with the villagers."

"The teacher and Zaohua are exploring Wangyue Mountain, not far from the village. I'm not the professor's student; Zaohua and I are friends. I originally wanted to secretly rescue her. However, she was unwilling to abandon the teacher and leave alone, and asked us to rescue you and your family first, which is why we came here!"

"Don't worry, sir, it's safe at my place for now. You and your family can stay here without worry. After you're settled, I'll get to work on rescuing Zaohua and the teacher!"

"I see, I'm so sorry to have troubled you!" The old man finally understood the intricacies of the situation, and after a moment of contemplation, he continued, "Is there anything I can do?"

My son is in danger and at the mercy of others. Although I have no connection with these two young men, this is not the time to be coy. Besides, they brought the golden pen, which means they have gained my son's approval. I should cooperate fully.

"We are new here and don't know the situation yet, so please tell us the truth." Mancang didn't stand on ceremony. He was completely clueless and didn't even know how to save the person.

“That’s true! There are four of us in total…” The old man briefly explained his predicament.

According to the old man, there are five people in his family. His son works as a professor, while he and his daughter-in-law take care of their grandchildren at home. His granddaughter is nine years old and his grandson is seven. After the full-scale outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, the couple stayed at home to personally teach the children.

The family was being watched by Moriyuan Products, with eight guards, two at each of the front and back gates, working in shifts. Their residence was nearby, though the old man didn't know the exact location. The biggest headache was that the train station wasn't far from the Japanese garrison; if something happened to them, the Japanese soldiers would immediately blockade the station and search, making it extremely difficult to slip past them.

Moreover, it's quite a distance from the train station, so getting there safely won't be easy.

After understanding the situation, Mancang breathed a sigh of relief. Although rescuing the people would be difficult, there were only eight Japanese soldiers. If they could capture them all, they could reach the train station and escape before the Japanese could react.

Even if the Japanese soldiers caught up with the car, they were confident that they could successfully deceive the Japanese and safely send the family back home.

After finishing their conversation and completing their meal, they agreed to meet again at the same steamed bun shop next time before parting ways.

After leaving the steamed bun shop, the two brothers changed their clothes and went to a rickshaw company, where they bought two rickshaws and started picking up passengers. The best way to quickly familiarize themselves with the terrain was to become a rickshaw driver; in later cities, taxi drivers undoubtedly knew the local people best.

Besides familiarizing himself with the terrain, the driver had another purpose: to lull the Japanese soldiers into a false sense of security so that he could find the temporary lodging of these eight Japanese soldiers and prepare for a decisive attack.

They were on the road for four days straight, making over a dozen trips back and forth from Longya Lane to the train station. The two brothers knew every building and alleyway like the back of their hand. They frequently loitered around the Japanese soldiers, figuring out their temporary quarters. After repeatedly confirming their escape route, they booked train tickets and prepared to leave.

The train was scheduled for 9 a.m. two days later. The morning before, the two brothers went to the steamed bun shop again to tell their grandfather to get ready. To lull the Japanese soldiers into a false sense of security, the old man went out of the steamed bun shop and wandered around the market, buying a huge amount of rice, flour, oil, and vegetables, which he had the two porters carry home, making it seem like he was going to live a long-term life! The two Japanese soldiers who had been following him didn't pay much attention when they saw that it was all food, and continued to keep watch at the door after the old man went home.

The two children were particularly mischievous that day, and the sounds of their laughter and playfulness could be heard from time to time in the yard. Even the two adults joined in, having a great time playing games like tic-tac-toe and drop the handkerchief!

At noon, the aroma of fried dough sticks wafted from the courtyard, leading the Japanese soldiers guarding outside to believe that it might be a child's birthday!