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

"Are you someone from the imperial court?"

Cheng Shaojiu looked up, his gaze wary as he looked at Chen Zhan. "No, if you were someone from the imperial court, you shouldn't be trying to subdue us, but rather killing us as soon as possible."

These people were all defeated soldiers of the Shenji Battalion, and they were Han Chinese.

In the eyes of the Qing court, they were deserters and traitors.

When the imperial court arrives, they will show no mercy and will kill them all; it is impossible to subdue them.

That is why they were willing to be Ma Liu's "lackeys," using the identity of Qingyi Hall to cover their whereabouts and live a few peaceful days. Otherwise, if they were discovered by the court, they would face certain death.

Chen Zhan looked at him and shook his head, saying, "Not only am I not a member of the imperial court, but I also intend to kill the imperial court."

"We must also kill foreigners, kill lackeys, kill villains, kill opium addicts, kill injustices, and kill this chaotic world!"

"How about it, do you want to come with me?"

"Fight your way out?"

Seven kills in a row, each word resounding and powerful.

Chen Zhan usually had a calm demeanor and rarely showed his emotions, but this slight hint of killing intent made Cheng Shaojiu and the other ten feel a sudden increase in pressure, their bodies turn cold, and even breathing become difficult.

They could clearly sense that the killing intent emanating from Chen Zhan was not deliberately released.

Chen Zhan is someone who has fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood; he has countless lives on his hands.

Cheng Shaojiu looked at Chen Zhan with a complicated expression, his heart in turmoil.

Following Chen Zhan was undoubtedly a path of no return; it meant being an enemy of the imperial court and foreigners, and risking death at any moment.

Of the ten people, none of them were greenhorns just starting out.

They had served in the Shenji Battalion, fought on the battlefield for many years, and were used to seeing mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Later, they spent a few years in the Qingyi Hall.

Having witnessed the intrigue and oppression of the people by various gangs, he was already tired of this life of constant fear and aiding and abetting evil.

Chen Zhan had sharp eyes and could see through their thoughts at a glance.

He wasn't in a hurry; his expression remained calm as he slowly spoke.

"The world of martial arts is governed by fate, and wealth and honor are determined by destiny. Once you enter this world, it's impossible to leave unscathed."

He paused, his tone calm but every word piercing, "Ma Liu is dead. His enemies won't feel that their revenge has been achieved; they will only transfer their hatred to you. After all, you are his most trusted subordinates, and you have offended quite a few people."

"Since ancient times, it has been easy to leave the mountains, but difficult to wash one's hands of the martial arts world."

"Here's what you'll do: help me with something. If you succeed, you brothers can live together, either by hiding your identities and finding a place to live a peaceful life, or by changing your identities and working for me. It's up to you."

Cheng Shaojiu looked up, staring directly at Chen Zhan, and asked solemnly, "What if it doesn't work out?"

"It won't work?"

Chen Zhan smiled faintly, "Brothers traveling together will keep each other company and prevent loneliness."

"Okay, we'll do it for you!"

Cheng Shaojiu didn't hesitate any longer and agreed almost immediately.

Now they only have two choices: either submit to Chen Zhan directly, or do something for him, and if they succeed, there will be other options.

If they don't choose now, given Chen Zhan's ruthlessness, they won't survive until today.

Chen Zhan is ruthless and deadly; his attacks are always fatal. He is definitely not a soft-hearted person.

Chen Zhan nodded slightly, raised his hand and tossed a small, crystal-clear jade bottle, which drew an arc in the air and landed precisely in Cheng Shaojiu's hand.

"Give this to the one who is most seriously injured. Only give him one. Don't give him the remaining three until he is about to die."

Cheng Shaojiu gripped the small jade bottle tightly, uncorked it, and took a sniff. A faint fishy stench wafted towards him; it wasn't exactly pungent, but it certainly wasn't pleasant.

He frowned slightly, and couldn't help but have some doubts in his heart.

"Heh, if you're not comfortable with that, just watch your brother die."

"I've killed all the elders of Qingyi Hall. You'll have to deal with the mess yourself. Come find me at Simen Inn in three days."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Zhan's figure flashed and disappeared from the courtyard gate in an instant.

Cheng Shaojiu and his ten companions were left standing there in a daze, and for a moment, no one spoke.

The courtyard was still a mess, filled with the stench of blood. The bodies of Ma Liu and Huang Sihai lay to one side, a horrifying sight.

A moment later, the door to the side room was suddenly pushed open, and the fourth brother, clutching the wound on his arm, staggered out, his expression panicked and his voice trembling with tears: "Brother Cheng, Third Brother is dying, come quickly!"

Last night, there was a chaotic fight in the courtyard. They stayed in the side room, afraid to come out for fear of being hacked to pieces. Now that things have calmed down outside, they dared to come out and shout.

Cheng Shaojiu's heart tightened, and he immediately led everyone to rush into the side room.

Inside the room, an elderly doctor with white hair was using silver needles to perform acupuncture on his third son, who was lying on the bed. A row of medicine bowls were placed beside him, but he shook his head helplessly.

"The internal organs are bleeding, and it's impossible to stop it."

The old doctor sighed, his tone heavy, "In a moment, the blood stasis will fill the internal organs, and there will be no saving him; he will die."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the third son on the bed suddenly began coughing violently again.

A mouthful of blood spurted out, staining the bedding on the pillow red and dripping down the edge of the bed, making everyone's hearts clench.

"This is all fresh blood from your lungs. If you vomit a few more times, you will lose too much blood and be on your deathbed."

The old doctor shook his head, his tone full of regret, "You should say goodbye to him as soon as possible. I did my best."

Cheng Shaojiu and the others rushed into the house and just happened to hear these words. Grief appeared on everyone's face.

They were brothers who had faced life and death together on the battlefield, and now they could only watch helplessly as their third brother was about to die.

Without hesitation, Cheng Shaojiu immediately took out the small jade bottle given to him by Chen Zhan from his pocket and handed it to the old doctor, saying urgently, "Old sir, please take a look, is this pill poisonous?"

The old doctor took the small jade bottle, poured out a pill, smelled it, then pinched it between his fingers, his brows furrowing tightly.

"There shouldn't be any poison. But most of these pills on the market are scams. They're just filled with some nourishing herbs that can at most replenish qi and blood, but they can't cure this kind of internal injury at all. They're not very useful."

Cheng Shaojiu didn't speak. He took the pill, walked to the bedside, carefully pried open Lao San's mouth, and poured the pill into his mouth.

She gently patted his throat with her fingers to make sure the pill went down his throat and into his stomach before she felt a little relieved.

"Brother Cheng, what is that?"

The fifth brother came closer, his face full of doubt. He was also injured and his face was still pale.

"That pill was given to me by that guy surnamed Chen." Cheng Shaojiu's voice carried a hint of weariness and a hint of luck.

"what?!"

The fifth brother's expression changed drastically. Ignoring his own injuries, he rushed forward to force the third brother to vomit. "How can we give that to our third brother? What good intentions could that Chen fellow have? He killed Ma Liu, and he might be trying to poison us! Make our third brother vomit it up!"

With lightning speed, Cheng Shaojiu grabbed the fifth brother and pulled him aside, shouting sternly, "Stop! If you don't eat, the third brother will surely die! We're desperate now, so if you touch him again, you'll only make him die faster!" Cheng Shaojiu was enraged, and his aura instantly erupted.

Back in the Shenji Battalion, he was a centurion, leading dozens of men, and had long established his authority among his brothers.

The fifth brother was taken aback by his reprimand, but seeing Cheng Shaojiu's serious expression, he gradually calmed down.

She could only stand aside, her eyes fixed on the third child on the bed, filled with worry.

No sooner had the pill been taken than the third son on the bed suddenly began coughing violently again, spitting out mouthfuls of blood. With several "plop" sounds, the blood stained most of the bedding.

"Oh no!" Everyone's hearts tightened, and they rushed over, their faces full of panic, thinking that the pill had had the opposite effect.

The old doctor suddenly reached out to stop everyone, his voice urgent: "Wait a minute, don't panic! Look, the blood he's vomiting is decreasing, and it's a very dark color. It's all stagnant blood accumulated in his body, not fresh wound bleeding!"

Upon hearing this, everyone focused their attention and looked closely.

Just as the old doctor had said, the blood that the third son vomited became darker and darker, the amount of bleeding gradually decreased, and the frequency of his coughing also slowed down.

Before long, the third brother stopped spitting blood and coughing. His breathing gradually became steady, and his originally pale face became slightly rosy.

The old doctor quickly stepped forward, placed his hand on the third son's wrist, carefully took his pulse, then leaned down to listen to his chest for a long time, and gradually an incredulous look appeared on his face.

Turning to Cheng Shaojiu, she exclaimed in shock, "What kind of elixir is this? It's so powerful! His injuries have truly stabilized; the bleeding from his internal organs has stopped, and his heartbeat has become much more stable. It's simply a miraculous elixir!"

The fourth and fifth brothers' faces lit up with surprise and joy. They exclaimed excitedly, "Really? Brother Cheng, that's wonderful! Give Third Brother one more, just one more, and maybe he'll be completely cured!"

Cheng Shaojiu slowly shook his head: "No, the man surnamed Chen said that you can only eat one. The remaining three can only be eaten when you are about to die."

At this moment, he completely believed Chen Zhan's words.

Although Chen Zhan was ruthless, he had no reason to lie to them about such a matter. Moreover, the efficacy of the pill was already evident, leaving him no choice but to believe it.

What they didn't know was that Chen Zhan had given them a Shaolin secret recipe for Lesser Rejuvenation Pills.

Back then, after annihilating Shaolin Temple, they seized all its rare treasures and secret elixirs for themselves.

Besides the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill, he also carried the more powerful Greater Rejuvenation Pill with him.

The laws of this world suppress the existence of internal energy and true qi.

However, things at the physical level can be fully utilized.

For example, medicine, swords, and even some purely technical martial arts techniques can be practiced normally.

He had memorized all 72 Shaolin skills, and even got his hands on the Shaolin treasure, the Yi Jin Jing.

However, he couldn't cultivate internal energy.

Even the best internal energy cultivation techniques are nothing more than ordinary martial arts in this world.

It is not even as practical as internal or external martial arts.

Having traveled through several worlds, Chen Zhan had long since discovered this problem.

Every martial art has its dependencies.

Once you cultivate internal strength and true qi, you will naturally reduce your need to study techniques over time.

After all, internal energy protects the body, blocking swords and breaking techniques. No matter how many techniques there are, they are useless if they cannot break through the defense.

On the contrary, some of their basic sword and fist techniques are quite sophisticated in terms of variations, showing a style reminiscent of both internal and external martial arts.

These basic skills are designed to counter those martial arts practitioners who cannot develop internal strength and can only win by relying on techniques. Only by honing one's techniques can one gain a foothold in the martial arts world.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Tianjin was in an uproar.

The leader of Qingyi Hall, Iron-Tongued Ma Liu, is dead.

The second-in-command, Huang Sihai, is also dead.

The news spread like wildfire throughout Tianjin, shaking the entire city.

In just a few days, the heads of the two major powers in Tianjin, Yinmian Liu and Ma Liu, died one after the other.

The news of the Qing army's defeat was immediately suppressed, and the deaths of the two major gang leaders became the biggest news in Tianjin. People were talking about it everywhere.

In the study of He Weiqing, the General of the Tianjin Garrison, there was a newspaper on the table. The front page headline was the news of the murders of Ma Liu and Huang Sihai, accompanied by portraits of the two corpses, which were very eye-catching.

He Weiqing sat in the chair, his fingers lightly tapping the table. His expression was solemn. After thinking for a moment, he called out towards the door:

"Someone come here."

A subordinate dressed in Qing soldier's uniform strode in, bowed, and said, "Sir."

"Investigate the background of that expert surnamed Chen and his next move. Report back immediately if you have any information."

He Weiqing's tone carried a hint of authority, "In addition, keep a close eye on the remaining forces of Qingyitang, as well as the movements of other gangs, and prevent Tianjin from descending into chaos."

"Yes, sir!" the subordinate bowed and replied, then turned and quickly retreated.

Meanwhile, inside the Liangshan pawnshop, Qin Ming sat behind the counter, calmly reviewing the news in his hand.

This place was originally called the Black and White Pawnshop, which belonged to Yinmian Liu. Now that Yinmian Liu has been killed, Lu Jun has taken over the pawnshop, changed the signboard, renovated the premises, and given it a completely new look.

They continued to run the pawnshop business, but stopped their previous fraudulent activities.

Qin Ming's martial arts skills were considered quite good under Lu Jun's command, so Lu Jun arranged for him to be stationed here.

On the one hand, he managed the pawnshop business, and on the other hand, he collected information on various forces in Tianjin to provide assistance to Chen Zhan.

He knew about Ma Liu's death much earlier than many others, even half a day before the newspaper reports.

In the black market, there's a business that thrives on information asymmetry.

This morning, a young man took the news of Ma Liu's murder and exchanged it for one tael of silver from him.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and sold the news to a newspaper, earning ten taels of silver, so he didn't lose out.

Originally, those petty thugs could have sold the information to the newspaper themselves.

But this involves issues of connections and authenticity.

The newspaper wouldn't buy information from those petty thugs. Firstly, they're likely to get fake news, and secondly, if problems arise, there's no way to get after-sales service.

It's much more reliable to buy from people with fixed locations like them.

Just then, Lu Jun strode in. Qin Ming looked up, and the two met eyes.

Lu Jun took out a neatly folded document from his pocket and handed it to Qin Ming, saying solemnly, "Go to the Four Gates Inn and personally deliver this document to Mr. Chen."

Qin Ming took the documents, carefully tucked them into his pocket, and nodded solemnly.

After saying this, he stood up, straightened his clothes, and quickly walked out of the pawnshop, heading towards the Four Gates Inn. (End of Chapter)