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

Tianjin is located by the sea and along the river, and its people have relied on the water for generations.

Every man here knows how to swim; they're all masters of the water, and once they're in the river, they're like dragons in the water.

Holding their breath while diving and swimming against the current are commonplace for them.

Erzhu, along with several brothers, leaped into the river. The icy water did not deter them for a moment; they swam swiftly like fish towards the camphor wood box at the bottom of the river.

The river water wasn't crystal clear, but it didn't obstruct their view, and they quickly found the box that had sunk to the bottom of the river.

Erzhu reached out and tapped the box. The camphor wood was hard, and even after being soaked in water, it did not show any damage.

He shook the box vigorously, but it didn't budge. The heavy weight of the box was palpable as it traveled through his fingertips.

Erzhu and his brother exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

The two men bent down at the same time, gripping the edge of the box with both hands. Their internal energy burst forth. They had both practiced rudimentary external martial arts and possessed great strength, making ordinary heavy objects no problem for them.

Even so, the two of them worked together and barely managed to move the box off the riverbed, slowly swimming towards the riverbank.

The 300-pound box became even heavier after being soaked in water. The water pressure added to the weight, and every step required tremendous effort, causing the muscles in his arms to bulge and the veins to stand out.

The closer they swam to shore, the more surprised they became.

Where did such a heavy box come from? The other side of the river is the British concession. Could it have been accidentally dropped by someone from a foreign firm?
But there's no way so many boxes could fall down at once.

Some people even wondered to themselves if the river god had sent them wealth as a gift.

After a great deal of effort, the group finally swam to shore.

Wu Qingshan was already waiting on the shore, with several brothers standing behind him. Upon seeing this, he immediately stepped forward, grabbed Erzhu and the other man, and together they pulled the heavy camphor wood box toward the shore.

Wu Qingshan had practiced internal martial arts and his skills were among the best in the Yihe Incense Society. However, even when he lifted the camphor wood box that had been soaked in water, his arms felt heavy. He had to slightly circulate his inner energy in his dantian before he could barely put the box on the ground. The soil under his feet was pressed into shallow pits.

"Open it and take a look." Wu Qingshan's tone was a mix of urgency and curiosity.

The box was locked; the camphor wood was hard and couldn't be cut open with ordinary knives.

However, the incense-burning shrine is a mixed bag, with all sorts of people, and lock picking is the most basic skill.

A tall, thin man took out a thin wire, inserted it into the keyhole, and gently fiddled with it a few times. With a "click," the lock opened.

"Boss, it's open."

The tall, thin man lifted the lid of the box, and Wu Qingshan raised the lantern in his hand, shining the light into the box.

In an instant, a silvery-white expanse came into everyone's view, so dazzling that they couldn't open their eyes.

"Holy shit."

A dozen or so men stood around the box, stunned and their breathing became heavy.

Inside the box, countless silver coins were neatly arranged, unsealed, gleaming with a cold silver light, heavy enough to slightly warp the camphor wood box.

They had never seen so much money in their lives.

This box of silver dollars was enough to buy several large houses in the old city of Tianjin, enough to set up several shops, and to completely free them from their life of wandering.

They couldn't even imagine how to spend so much money.

Everyone stared intently at the silver coins in the box, and for a moment no one spoke, only heavy breathing could be heard.

Erzhu was the first to react. He turned his head sharply to look at the river and said excitedly, "Senior Brother, there are still dozens of boxes in the river!"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gazes to the river, their eyes burning with an even greater intensity, as if they wanted to burn the river water through.

"Quickly, move! Be careful, don't make too much noise and alert the police in the concession. If we do, none of us will be leaving."

Wu Qingshan gave a deep and firm order, "Erzhu, go to the nearby stronghold and call some more brothers over. More men make things easier."

"No need to call anyone, I've brought people with me, and I've also brought a wheelbarrow."

A voice suddenly came from the shadows. Wu Qingshan and the others immediately became alert, turned around, placed their hands on the weapons at their waists, and stared intently in the direction from which the voice came.

"Don't be nervous, Boss Wu, it's me."

Qin Ming and Lu Jun emerged from the nearby woods with a dozen or so people, pushing several wheelbarrows.

Qin Ming had delivered a letter to the Yihe Incense Society the day before, and Wu Qingshan and the others recognized him.

Lu Jun was even more famous. After taking over Yinmian Liu's business, he became a prominent figure in the old town, and no one dared to provoke him easily.

Wu Qingshan looked at the two of them and instantly understood.

This was not some river god's wrath, nor was it a silver coin accidentally dropped by a foreign firm; it was Chen Zhan's doing.

Chen Zhan was trying to drag them onto a pirate ship. These boxes of silver dollars were both a pledge of loyalty and a death warrant.

Once they get involved, they can never get rid of it.

It wasn't that he wasn't tempted, but he was aware of the risks involved. However, even if he wasn't tempted, his brothers would be.

Even if no one else is tempted, they have already amassed a chest of silver dollars. If Chen Zhan were to spread the word, the foreigners would not let it go, and they would surely die.

The left and right sides are the same.

Wu Qingshan hesitated, his brows furrowed, and he remained silent.

Lu Jun saw through his thoughts and spoke slowly and calmly: "Boss Wu, let's move the things back first, and then we can discuss it slowly. At this point, we can only move forward, can't we?"

Erzhu chimed in urgently, "Yes, senior brother, we've already gotten involved. Even if we give up now, the foreigners won't let us off the hook once they find out. Besides, these silver dollars were taken from our people by the foreigners. We might as well take them. If we take them back, we can recruit soldiers and horses to fight against the foreigners and the Qing government!"

Wu Qingshan took a deep breath, his eyes hardening.

He was a decisive person by nature, and now that things had come to this, there was no way out but to go all the way down this path.

"Okay, let's get them back first, then we'll make further plans!"

At a command, dozens of people jumped into the river, working in pairs to lift the camphor wood box from the bottom and swim to the shore.

The people on the shore were responsible for receiving the boxes, moving them onto wheelbarrows, and carefully tying them up to avoid making any noise.

Wu Qingshan also went into the water, Lu Jun stood on the shore directing, while Qin Ming led a few people to guard the intersection, keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding movements to prevent anyone from passing by and discovering their whereabouts.

The river water was icy cold, but everyone was full of energy and no one complained.

Boxes of silver dollars were dredged ashore, loaded onto wheelbarrows, and piled up to the brim.

"Qin Ming, take your men and move the goods to the backyard of Boss Wu's wonton shop. It's secluded there and you won't be easily discovered," Lu Jun ordered in a deep voice.

Qin Ming nodded, and led a dozen or so people, pushing wheelbarrows, carefully heading towards the old town.

"Aren't we going to wait for Mr. Chen?"

Erzhu looked at the river and asked hesitantly.

He both respected and feared Chen Zhan, feeling that Mr. Chen was incredibly capable and that it would be safer to wait for him to leave together.

Lu Jun shook his head, his tone grave: "We'll only be a burden to Mr. Chen if we stay here. The most important thing right now is for us to leave quickly and hide the things properly."

Wu Qingshan nodded and waved his hand: "Come on, everyone follow me. Hurry up, we have to hide the stuff before dawn."

No one dared to delay, and they quickly followed behind Lu Jun, heading towards the old town, soon disappearing into the thin mist.
-

Meanwhile, James, the security captain of Swire Group, was leisurely walking back with his team who had come to help fight the fire. When he arrived at the scene, he found that the fire was almost extinguished and their assistance was no longer needed.

Several familiar police officers gathered around him and started chatting, talking about which brothel had a new girl and suggesting they go try it out together sometime, their tone flippant.

James was happy to take a break and chatted with the others for a while, complaining about the trouble of putting out the fire and looking forward to the joy of his day off tomorrow.

About half an hour later, he led his team back to Swire Properties at a leisurely pace.

He had no worries about the security of the trading company.

Those who remained were the elite of the security team, armed with guns, and many had even practiced martial arts; they were quite skilled.

Moreover, the security measures inside the foreign firm were top-notch, with sturdy doors and windows and tight security. The entire concession area was always safe, and no one dared to cause trouble here.

"It's foggy, we can't even see the moon."

One of the security guards looked up at the sky and sighed.

A thin mist drifted over from the river, enveloping the entire street and greatly reducing visibility.

"Yeah, Captain, we have a day off tomorrow, how about we go to Yiyue Tower? I heard the girls there are young and beautiful," another team member said with a smile.

James laughed heartily and patted the shoulders of his teammates: "No problem, it's on me. They're cheap, I guarantee you'll have a great time."

A group of people chatted and laughed, their steps slow and deliberate, until they reached the vicinity of the Taikoo Trading Company. From afar, they could see the guards on duty at the entrance, each one standing ramrod straight.

James was secretly wondering to himself, "Why have these guys changed their ways today? It's already past midnight, and there's only an hour left until dawn, yet no one is slacking off or taking a nap."

He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and slowly walked over.

The closer I got, the more uneasy I felt.

The team members on duty remained motionless, neither dozing off nor changing shifts, and their postures remained unchanged, like statues.

James felt a sudden pang of panic and quickened his pace.

Richard?

"Sheldon?"

He called out twice from a distance, his voice echoing through the silent street, but no one responded.

The eerie silence intensified his fear, and he quickly looked up at the building.

The lights around the building were still on, and in the dim light, you could see the windows upstairs. One of them was dented, clearly indicating that it had been vandalized.

"Fuck! The window! The window is broken!"

James's expression changed drastically, and he led his team, running frantically towards the foreign firm.

His mind was completely focused on Swire Properties, and he didn't hear anything from the river a hundred meters away.

Reaching the bottom of the trading company building, James yelled at the guards standing by the wall, "Fuck, what are you doing? What's wrong with the windows upstairs? Speak up!"

Still no one responded.

He suppressed his fear, walked quickly to the wall, and looked at the row of team members standing in neat rows.

Everyone was facing the wall, standing loosely and motionless, making the whole scene extremely eerie.

James felt uneasy.

He reached out and gently tugged at the arm of the line: "Chartz, you're here."

With that pull, the team member slid off the wall and crashed heavily to the ground with a dull thud.

James looked down and was instantly terrified.

The team member was already dead, with a thin, long, bone-piercing nail stuck in his neck, embedded deep in the wall. A pool of dried blood lay on the ground.

He looked left and right along the wall and saw that every guard had a bone-piercing nail stuck in their neck, pinned to the wall in the same position.

"Fuck!"

James was trembling with fear, his voice shaking. Even if he was stupid, he knew what had happened.

Thieves broke into the Taikoo Trading Company and killed all of his men!

"Upstairs, quick! There are thieves! Shoot anyone you spot!"

He suppressed his fear, drew his pistol from his waist, shouted at his team members, and led a few of them to rush frantically into the foreign firm's gate.

The security personnel of Swire Group were equipped with top-of-the-line firearms. As they walked in, they vigilantly observed their surroundings, pointing their guns at every corner, not daring to relax their guard for even a moment.

James led a few people straight to the second floor.

He knew that the foreign firm's money was kept in a safe room on the second floor.

Along the way, he felt both panicked and hopeful: the goods of the foreign firm were large and heavy, and the thieves could not carry them away at all. As for the silver dollars, they were also very heavy, and unless a large group of people came, they could not steal much.

Upon reaching the second floor, James immediately turned on the indoor lighting, instantly illuminating the entire floor.

He rushed to the safe room and saw the damaged iron door crash to the ground. His face turned deathly pale instantly, and he ran into the room like a madman.

The camphor wood chest inside the room was missing half of its original size, leaving the empty floor with only scattered wood shavings and a faint camphor wood scent.

"Useless! All of you are useless! Fuck! What's going on? What exactly happened?"

James vented his anger wildly, kicking over an empty box next to him, his voice hoarse.

He walked to the window and felt the cold wind rushing in from outside, his heart filled with doubt.

What kind of notorious thief could kill all his men and steal dozens of boxes of silver dollars in one night?
"Captain, there's a smell, it's the smell of gunpowder!" a team member suddenly said, his voice tense.

After venting his anger, James gradually calmed down. His nose twitched slightly, and sure enough, he smelled a faint scent of gunpowder. His expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Go! Go! Get out of here! There's gunpowder!"

But it was too late.

The fuse left by Chen Zhan was very long; it was gunpowder and fuse he had smuggled from the Fangshan mine.

He didn't understand this stuff and couldn't determine the exact time of the explosion, but he didn't care.

Even if an explosion doesn't kill many security personnel, it can still further disrupt the order of the concession and attract the attention of foreigners.

"boom--!"

A loud bang, but not too loud.

Chen Zhan has already used a lot of gunpowder at the consulate, and there isn't much left here.

However, the explosion occurred near the safe room, instantly shattering the empty boxes inside, sending wood chips flying, and creating a long crack in the wall.

Although the explosion was not very powerful, its impact was enormous.

The Taikoo Building was a landmark building in the British concession of Tianjin. Before the fire at the consulate was completely extinguished, an explosion occurred here. These two accidents in succession completely ignited chaos in the concession.

Chief Constable Charles, who had just calmed the consul down, was nearly driven mad upon hearing the news of the explosion at the trading company.

Without taking a break, he immediately led a large number of police officers and firefighters, rushing frantically toward the Swire Group.

By this time, Chen Zhan had already left the concession area. (End of Chapter)