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

Chapter 186 Sacrificing oneself for the country, the crime reduced by three degrees.

Wang Xiangzhai was still hesitating when Chen Zhan made the plan: "Then it's settled. Starting tonight, you should act naturally and not let anyone notice anything amiss."

Chen Zhan's only worry was that the three actors' acting skills were not up to par.

"Hehe, brother-in-law, don't worry, this is my specialty!" Ruan Zhi said excitedly.

Wang Xiangzhai could only thank him hurriedly, promising a generous reward if the murderer was caught.

Everyone went their separate ways.

This kind of plan to lure the snake out of its hole won't be effective in a day or two; it will take at least some time for the other party to lower their guard before they make their move.

Therefore, the three of them only need to come over at night, stroll around the streets near the Xingyi Hall, and not stay too long. If they stay for too long, it will seem deliberate.

All three were great beauties, each with their own unique charm, like plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums.

Ye Ningzhen is aloof and cold, Li Qingsu has an elegant temperament, and Ruan Zhi is playful and lively.

So they had to wear red coats and dress a bit rustically, otherwise the three of them would look too refined and beautiful, which would seem fake.

For the next two days, the three of them practiced their skills at the Bagua Hall during the day and strolled around Xicheng, where the Xingyi Hall was located, in the evening.

After two days of fruitless searching and with no one following or eyeing them, the three grew somewhat disinterested.

At noon on the third day,
Zhao Hongbao has already left the capital and headed south, taking most of his disciples with him. The Bagua Hall is now deserted.

Chen Zhan was talking with Ma Fengtu in the backyard.

Not a formal duel, but just a few exchanges, Ma Fengtu stepped aside and said, "It's still hard to accept that we'll fight again. You're only twenty-eight years old. I don't know if anyone has ever reached the age of twenty-eight and achieved the Golden Elixir, but I don't think so in the last hundred years."

But Chen Zhan smiled, neither modest nor secretive, and revealed his purpose of unifying the martial arts world.

She even told him about everything she had done during that time.

He wasn't afraid of Ma Fengtu betraying him; in a sense, he was more trustworthy of people like Ma Fengtu than other members of the Xingyi School.

Although the Northwest Army still had warlord characteristics, it was not confused when it came to matters of national importance.

One of the earliest local troops to join the resistance against Japan during the War of Resistance against Japan, and one of the most courageous in combat.

They formed the People's Anti-Japanese Allied Army and fought several tough battles, including the Battle of Shanghai and the Battle of Taierzhuang, during which several army commanders died.

His anti-Japanese stance remained consistent throughout!

Putting aside everything else, the Chinese people believe that anyone who is willing to die for their country can have all their faults wiped clean before their death.

Before the War of Resistance against Japan, Sichuan warlord Liu Xiang exploited the people. While he may not have committed every imaginable evil, he was certainly not a good person.

He died fighting against the Japanese and was immediately buried next to the Wuhou Temple.

Those who die for their country will have their crimes reduced by three degrees.

Therefore, from a standpoint of principle, Chen Zhan completely trusted Ma Fengtu, simply because he was a true hero in the War of Resistance against Japan and was ruthless in killing Japanese devils.

Chen Zhan's goal was simple: to unify the martial arts world, then resist the Japanese and kill the Japanese devils.

The broadsword squad trained by Ma Fengtu in the Northwest Army was able to shine in the War of Resistance against Japan.

Chen Zhan believed that if martial arts practitioners organized themselves, they would be far more ferocious than the Big Sword Gang.

Of course, I need to practice more and kill more people.

A martial arts expert who has never killed anyone may not be able to kill a soldier who doesn't know martial arts on the battlefield.

The battlefield is a meat grinder; sometimes, brute force is more effective than skill.

After listening to Chen Zhan's ideas, Ma Fengtu, with his insight and the level of contact he had, naturally knew that the Japanese would not give up and that a war was inevitable sooner or later.

"At your age, having reached the stage of 'Baodan' (a specific stage in Chinese astrology), you certainly have the right to say this, but this path is not easy."

"There are countless well-known masters in the martial arts world, both north and south. The world is in chaos now, but it has only been chaotic for a few years. The Qing Dynasty has only been overthrown for a little over a decade. A few years ago, there were even bastards who wanted to restore the imperial system. Those people all have cards to play."

"Including that old eunuch from the Yellow Lotus Sect you mentioned, a grunkard who had successfully achieved the elixir of immortality?"

Chen Zhan also mentioned this matter; he didn't hide the fact that he killed someone. Over the past few days, the higher-ups have long known about it, and Hong Chen wouldn't keep it from them.

"Hmm, this old man who has been cultivating his inner core for decades has profound skills. However, his strength will gradually leak out after he starts fighting. Cultivating the inner core will slow down his aging process, but he can't fight often when he gets old. Otherwise, the patriarchs of several families wouldn't have died so young."

"That old eunuch is over eighty years old? He can still maintain the fighting strength of a Nascent Soul cultivator and spar with you?" Ma Fengtu was somewhat incredulous.

People in this era are extremely rare to live to eighty.

The average lifespan is only around fifty years old, and those who practice martial arts have even shorter lifespans because they die young, resulting in an even younger average age.

It's hard to imagine that an eighty-year-old man could smash a house to pieces with a single punch.

Ma Fengtu thought for a moment and then said:

"With three hundred years of history, it's not surprising that the Qing Dynasty could produce such a master. Our various schools and sects have a long history of inheritance, and there are many hidden talents among them. I know more about them from my time in the military."

"If you want to unify the martial arts world, these are all obstacles. Given the current state of the world, if you want to resist Japan, which sect would be willing to fight to the death with you?"

"Oh, right, there are quite a few old guys hiding in Japan as well."

Chen Zhan nodded.

After his encounter with the old eunuch, Chen Zhan realized that the martial arts world was not so simple.

There are five grandmasters on the surface, but back then, Wang Wu, Li Cunyi and the others were not much worse than Chen Zhan is now in terms of martial arts.

Why were they unable to assassinate the king and kill the old witch?
In short, the Qing court was not to be trifled with. With a reign of three hundred years, it was impossible for the Great Qing's warriors not to have top-notch experts.

Despite its cunning and manipulative tactics, the Qing government imposed a ban on martial arts among the people, suppressed and killed Han Chinese, and enslaved Manchus from beyond the Great Wall.

I just didn't expect that times would change.

Guns are coming.

"Even if we can't do it, we still have to do it. It doesn't matter whether we succeed or not, it's something we have to do. If Japan starts its plot against China from the Northeast, can your Northwest Army defeat them?"

Ma Fengtu was taken aback, then thought of the current situation of the Northwest Army.

He shook his head: "We definitely can't win."

“I understand what you mean. Even if we can’t win, we have to fight. If everything were decided based on paper strength, China would have perished long ago.”

He paced back and forth a few times, then turned and said:

“You’re absolutely right. We fully support you. Old Ma has seen what you’ve done in Fengtian and Tianjin and is eager to go with you.”

"The Piga Tongbi Hall in Beiping is managed by my personally trained disciples. If you need it, just let me know."

Ma Fengtu had some doubts about Chen Zhan's ability to unify the martial arts world, but he was extremely supportive of his goals. In essence, Chen Zhan was still doing what the Boxers and the Martial Arts Association had failed to do.

A strong nation and a strong race are needed to resist foreign enemies.

Moreover, in Ma Fengtu's view, if a full-scale war were to break out with the Japanese in the future, all the disciples in the sect would have to go to the battlefield, and no one could escape.

Chen Zhan also knew that he had indeed done just that; his own son had become the captain of the Northwest Army's pistol squad and died on the battlefield.

Countless disciples died under his tutelage.

"If you want to achieve the elixir of immortality, you can use the large mercury ball of Tai Chi. Tai Chi is indeed a very ancient tradition, and it is the most complete one that has been passed down, with no interruption for hundreds or thousands of years."

"The elixir is like a dragon hibernating in the abyss, or a tiger lurking in the forest. The essence, energy, and spirit are gathered internally in the dantian, and the strength of the whole body is concentrated into a single point, waiting for the right moment to unleash its unstoppable power."

"In Taoist terms, a single golden elixir is perfectly round and radiant. Whoever obtains it can transcend the ordinary and become a saint, merging with the Tao."

"To embrace the elixir, one must make the elixir round and the intention move, embracing the round as one, compressing all the strength of the body into a lump of flesh, and then releasing it. This is called elixir strength. The large mercury ball is like a mercury elixir, and the mercury inside is the strength of your whole body. If you can master and understand the large mercury ball, you should be able to understand what embracing the elixir is."

Chen Zhan shared everything without holding anything back.

Of course, this is only because Ma Fengtu has received this treatment, and he has reached this level of understanding.

Even if you find a bright and capable young man, it's pointless to listen to him.

They also felt that Chen Zhan was unwilling to fax things.

Ma Fengtu listened thoughtfully, pacing back and forth for a while, sometimes shaking his head and sometimes nodding.

Suddenly his eyes lit up, then he closed them again, his body swayed, and he took a few steps in the courtyard. He then assumed a posture of ape arms stretching lightly, extending his limbs and sinking his inner energy.

Ma Feng's portrait resembles the Monkey King bowing, yet it also contains a hidden charm.

Chen Zhan could tell from his posture that he had already grasped the essence of 'Dan Yuan Yi Dong', and was only a little short of mastering it.

A moment later, he got up and opened his eyes.

He clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Chen Zhan and said, "Thank you, Brother Chen!"

Chen Zhan waved his hand and said, "It's alright. People like us must unite. In the future, when I establish my own sect in the south, I will break down all sectarian barriers. As long as we fight against Japan and save the country, we can all learn real skills from me. We can learn any internal cultivation method or even the art of embracing the elixir!"

Ma Fengtu bowed deeply, not stopping when Chen Zhan spoke, but bowing even lower.

"Brother Chen is generous in giving his advice. A wise person is a teacher, and it is only right that I bow to him. But Brother Chen's ambition and spirit are even more admirable."

The two exchanged a few more words before Ye Ningzhen arrived.

It wasn't dark yet.

“A child came and left a note,” Ye Ningzhen said.

Chen Zhan took the note. Ma Fengtu had just turned away when Chen Zhan stopped him, saying, "Brother Ma, there's no need to turn away. This matter is somewhat related to you."

"Oh?"

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the two hit it off immediately, but Ma Fengtu knew his place and took the initiative to avoid the situation. Unexpectedly, Chen Zhan said it was related to him.

Chen Zhan opened the note.

Only a few names and their corresponding positions were written on it.

Ma Fengtu broke out in a cold sweat. These people held very high official positions, considered important posts in Beiping.

"This is."

“Those who collude with the Yellow Lotus Sect and traffic in opium.”

"So what do you want to do?" He didn't say anything stupid like handing it over to the higher-ups. If Chen Zhan could let the higher-ups handle it, he wouldn't have wanted the list in the first place.

"Kill one man in ten steps, take his head at midnight."

"."

Ma Fengtu looked at it for a while, glancing at the note and then at Chen Zhan. There was a person on it who had once served in the Northwest Army, and he recognized him.

"Ah~"

In the end, it can only turn into a sigh.

He also knew that the Northwest Army and even the Central Bureau were now in turmoil, with factions constantly fighting each other, and many people taking the opportunity to amass wealth.

They even dared to do things that are strictly prohibited, such as reselling opium.

This shows the extent of corruption.

"Be careful not to reveal your identity. There are more experts in the capital than just those few who are out in the open."

"Well, don't worry."

Chen Zhan nodded, and seeing that it was getting late, they went out to eat together.

After dinner, the three women changed into red clothes.

Ruan Zhi, who was initially excited, was already getting annoyed. "I have to wear this ugly dress again!!!"

"You came up with this idea, and you want to back out?" Li Qingsu laughed.

"Sigh, I'll wear it, I'll wear it."

They split up as they approached the western part of the city. Chen Zhan, Ma Fengtu, and Wang Xiangzhai kept watch in secret, each taking a separate route and signaling with a whistle.

After walking through several streets, I found nothing.

There was no one suspicious.

Chen Zhan wasn't discouraged at all. It had only been three or four days, and the thieves had scouted the place more than three times, let alone a murderer.

The group returned to the Bagua Gate.

Chen Zhan changed into black clothes, underwent a bone-changing ritual, and then rushed out through the back door.

Silently, it blends into the night.

The next morning, on the four city towers in the east, west, south, and north.

Each had a corpse hanging on it, along with a notice.

The document contained confessions and signatures from the four individuals, detailing their alleged collusion with the Yellow Lotus Sect, opium trafficking, and various other misdeeds committed throughout their lives.

(End of this chapter)