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

Just one palm strike.

Police Chief Luo Ze, who usually bossed them around and whom even the Canal Gang dared not easily provoke, was actually a master of internal energy.

His skull was smashed by a single blow, and his head rolled to the ground, staining the bluestone slabs with blood.

The alley was deathly silent, save for the heavy breathing of the police officers and the dripping sound of blood falling to the ground.

Chen Zhan did not stop moving. With a flicker of his body, he moved like a ghost between the four police officers.

In the blink of an eye, all the guns in the hands of the four policemen were in his hands.

This time, he didn't destroy the guns. Instead, he turned around and threw them to He Ming and the other two, who were still in a daze. He said in a calm tone, "You go back first and tell Lu Jun and Wu Qingshan to proceed according to the original plan. I'll have a good talk with these guys."

Erzhu finally snapped out of his shock and looked at Chen Zhan's back with awe.

He nodded frantically, grabbed He Ming who was still in a daze, and pulled along two other brothers. They rushed into the depths of the alley and quickly disappeared into the night.

Chen Zhan turned around and his gaze fell on the four police officers who were trembling with fear.

It's not that they haven't seen experts before.

Tianjin has been a martial arts center since ancient times. The saying "learn both literary and martial arts, and you can sell them to the emperor" has been passed down for centuries. The police station also regularly hires masters from various martial arts schools in Tianjin to teach their officers basic fist and foot techniques to deal with street fights.

But they had never seen a master like Chen Zhan before.

In the midst of laughter and conversation, a master of internal energy and four armed police officers had no chance to resist. Luo Ze's head was smashed by a single palm strike, and he died without any power to fight back.

The four of them had the same thought at the same time: even if they had fired the gun, it wouldn't have mattered.

The enemy was too fast; bullets couldn't hit them, let alone kill them. In the end, they were the ones who died.

Now that no shots have been fired, there is still a chance of survival.

Chen Zhan's tone was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger: "Gentlemen, let's talk in private. Don't worry, you won't die."

All four were Chinese, with shiny braids at the back of their heads, making it impossible to tell whether they were Manchu or Han.

They watched as Chen Zhan turned and walked into a side alley, his back to them, completely unsuspecting and unconcerned whether they would take the opportunity to escape.

The four exchanged glances, and two of them, with a sudden thought, took advantage of Chen Zhan's back being turned and turned to run away, one on the left and one on the right.

Their kung fu skills are barely at the beginner level, yet they spend years running around the streets, moving incredibly fast and covering several meters in the blink of an eye.

"Whoosh—!"

Chen Zhan didn't turn around. With a slight movement of his sleeve, two gleaming plum blossom darts flew out from his sleeve and were casually thrown. The plum blossom darts flew accurately towards the two fleeing policemen with a whooshing sound.

The two men were so focused on running forward that they were completely unaware of the murderous intent lurking behind them.

With two muffled groans, the two staggered forward a few steps before collapsing to the ground. The plum blossom darts pierced their backs, and blood instantly stained the bluestone slabs.

The remaining two police officers were so frightened that they froze and no longer dared to think of escaping.

They watched Chen Zhan walk into the alley, hesitated for a moment, and then looked back at their colleagues lying on the ground. Those two were usually at odds with them and often bullied them by taking advantage of Luo Ze's power.

Now he's died so easily in the alley.

"Brother Bo, are we really going in?"

The young policeman's voice trembled as he spoke softly.

His name was Wang Shun. He had only been in the police station for two years and had never seen anything like it. What he had just witnessed had terrified him.

The older police officer, named Li Bo, had been in the police station for five years. He was meticulous and tactful.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his fear: "Let's go, let's see what they're up to. Either way we're going to die, going in might give us a chance to survive."

The two gritted their teeth and stepped into the alley.

"Very smart."

Chen Zhan turned around, his tone still calm, "Have you ever considered that even if I didn't take action today, you wouldn't survive if you went back?"

"Uh..." Wang Shun was stunned and subconsciously looked at Li Bo.

Li Bo nodded emphatically, a bitter look on his face: "Indeed, you are right. Luo Ze is a second-level police sergeant in the British concession, and he is deeply trusted by the foreigners. If he dies, we, as the accompanying police officers, will be used as scapegoats by the British and tortured to death even if we return alive."

Chen Zhan smiled faintly: "How about I help you find a way to survive?"

The two exchanged a glance, a glimmer of hope flashing in their eyes, yet tinged with hesitation.

Li Bo hesitated before speaking, "You won't make us join you, will you? We have wives and children, and our families are all in the concession. If we follow you, our families will be implicated tomorrow and will surely die."

They had no loyalty to the British whatsoever; they became policemen simply to earn a living and support their families.

But their family is their weakness; if their family is implicated, they would rather die than comply.

"No, you will still be patrol officers, and you might even rise to a higher position than you are now."

Chen Zhan spoke slowly, reassuring them, "During this time, you will also have time to arrange for your families to leave the city and get away from Tianjin, this place of trouble."

Wang Shun's eyes lit up, then he frowned again: "You want us to be undercover agents?"

"Yes."

Chen Zhan nodded, without hiding anything.

Li Bo shook his head, a look of worry on his face: "But you just said that if we go back, we'll be dead anyway. Luo Ze is dead, but we'll go back alive and well, and even lose our service pistols. How are we going to explain this to the British? If they suspect us, we'll still be dead."

Chen Zhan smiled, his gaze fixed on the two of them, his tone carrying a certainty: "Just say it."

"Speak frankly? Isn't that a dead end?"

Wang Shun was eager to speak, but before he could finish, Li Bo stopped him with a hand.

Li Bo pondered for a moment, his eyes sharpening as he looked at Chen Zhan: "Does Your Excellency mean we should reveal everything and then become double agents?"

He didn't know what a double agent was, so he could only use the word "undercover agent" to express his guess.

Chen Zhan nodded approvingly: "Smart. Just tell the truth: you met me, Luo Ze attacked and was killed by me, and the other two policemen took the opportunity to escape. As for the whereabouts of the others, don't mention them. You don't need to change a single word of the rest."

"Furthermore, I'm asking the two of you to be my inside agents, and I'll also inform the other side about this."

Li Bo instantly understood Chen Zhan's intention.

In this way, they could not only save their lives, but also potentially gain the attention of foreigners, be promoted, and advance to a higher position.

Aren't you afraid we'll really betray you?

Li Bo stared into Chen Zhan's eyes and asked cautiously.

Because if they betray Chen Zhan, Chen Zhan himself might be fine, but Erzhu and the others would definitely die.

"Those who understand the times are wise."

Chen Zhan's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority: "You should know my capabilities if you didn't run away earlier. I can steal dozens of chests of silver dollars from the heavily guarded Taikoo Trading Company, so why can't I kill two ordinary patrolmen like you?"

He paused, then added, "I'm helping you find a way to survive by giving you a chance. If you're determined to die and betray me, there's nothing I can do but send you to meet Luo Ze."

Chen Zhan was telling the truth, and it was the only way to survive.

Li Bo didn't hesitate for long and immediately nodded in agreement: "Okay, we'll help you. What do you need us to do? How many days do we have to prepare?"

Chen Zhan lowered his head and silently calculated: "About five days."

The Salvation Society is starting in three days and will run for three days straight. He plans to make his move near the end of the society's activities. These five days will be enough for Li Bo and Wang Shun to make arrangements for their families and to gather information.

"Okay, five days is enough."

Li Bo breathed a sigh of relief. "What do we need to do? Just tell us."

"Help me find some information."

Chen Zhan looked at him and said slowly.

He wanted information from many years ago.

After saying just those few words, Li Bo's expression changed instantly, his eyes filled with shock and hesitation: "You...you're in cahoots with those people? So many years have passed, and you're still investigating those things?"

"no?"

"Even a hatred that has lasted for a hundred generations can be avenged."

Li Bo sighed, a helpless look on his face: "I'll try to find a way to get my family out of the city, and then I'll do my best to help you investigate. It's just that those documents are very tightly sealed, and it won't be easy to get them."

"I need all the original materials, preferably with photos."

"No matter how difficult it is, you must get it. If you really can't do it, tell me where it is and I'll go there."

I'll do my best.

Li Bo nodded, no longer making excuses. At this point, he had no way out.

"can."

Chen Zhan waved his hand, indicating that they could leave.

Li Bo and Wang Shun nodded quickly and turned to leave.

The two had only taken two steps when Chen Zhan's voice came again: "Wait, the activity funds."

Before he finished speaking, a string of silver dollars was thrown from the air, about fifty in total, and landed in Li Bo's hand. They were heavy and had a cool metallic feel to them.

Li Bo gripped the silver coin in his hand, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He worked in the police station for five years, risking his life, but he couldn't earn that many silver dollars.

But he felt no joy whatsoever. These fifty silver dollars were his life-saving money; he was now completely on Chen Zhan's pirate ship.

Only now did he truly understand that Chen Zhan was no ordinary flying thief.

What they were going to do was not simply rob the rich to help the poor, but to be enemies of foreigners and the Qing government; they were here to take lives.

Li Bo and Wang Shun dared not linger. They gripped the silver coins tightly, quickly walked out of the alley, and headed towards the police station.

Then, Chen Zhan turned around, disappeared into the night, and walked in another direction.

About half an hour later, two teams of police officers rushed over. The leader was a foreign captain who, upon seeing the corpses of Luo Ze and the other two police officers on the ground, turned ashen-faced and berated his men.

The police officers dared not delay. They quickly took out a white cloth, wrapped the body in it, and carried it away from the alley.

In the alley, only bloodstains remained on the ground, and the stench of blood lingered in the air.

the other side.

Lu Jun had already distributed all the silver dollars and parted ways with Wu Qingshan, each leading their men back to their own strongholds.

Instead of returning to his own residence, Lu Jun wandered through several alleys, passed by an inconspicuous little courtyard, and leaped inside.

The yard was small, with a few green vegetables growing there, and a dim kerosene lamp lit up inside the house.

Lu Jun knocked gently on the door and said in a low voice, "Grandma Xu, it's me, Lu. There's been some progress on what you mentioned last time."

The door was quickly opened, and a girl wearing coarse cloth clothes opened it. She looked around warily, and only after confirming that no one was there did she step aside to let Lu Jun in.

The girl led Lu Jun into the house.

The room was simply furnished with a kang (heated brick bed), a table, and a few chairs.

When Grandma Xu saw Lu Jun come in, she asked anxiously, "Little Lu, why haven't you come for so many days? What's the name of that person you mentioned, surnamed Chen?"

Her tone carried an undisguised urgency.

Lu Jun paused for a moment, then looked up and gazed at the earthen bed.

On the earthen bed, a woman sat in a strange posture, as if she were meditating cross-legged, but her hands were in a bizarre hand seal, pressed against her chest, and she remained motionless.

The woman looked very old, with a face full of wrinkles, gray hair, and withered skin, as if she might die at any moment.

But strangely, her voice and the aura she exuded didn't seem like someone her age.

Lu Jun suppressed his doubts and quickly replied, "Grandma Xu, I've been too busy these past few days to come over. That person's surname is Chen, and his given name is Zhan. He told me that himself."

Upon hearing this, Grandma Xu, who was sitting cross-legged on the earthen bed, suddenly opened her eyes.

Those eyes, which were originally dull and lifeless, now seemed to flash with divine light, appearing exceptionally bright under the dim lamplight, staring straight at Lu Jun.

"You said...his name is Chen Zhan?" Grandma Xu's voice trembled slightly, trying to hide her excitement.

“That’s right, he claimed it himself.” Lu Jun was startled by her reaction and quickly nodded.

Are you sure you didn't hear that wrong?

"Absolutely not."

Grandma Xu fell silent.

The room fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the crackling sound of the burning kerosene lamp.

Grandma Xu closed her eyes, her brows furrowed, seemingly deep in thought.

The silence lasted for a long time. Lu Jun, who was impatient by nature, couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Grandma Xu, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now. Mr. Chen has a lot of things to do, and I need to go back and help him."

"and many more."

Grandma Xu quickly asked, "Could you please invite him here?"

Lu Jun was about to take a step when he heard this and immediately looked troubled: "That's probably not easy. Mr. Chen is very busy lately."

He probably knew Chen Zhan's overall plan. During this time, he must have been too busy to easily meet an old man he didn't know.

"Then please pass on a message for me, and see if he's willing to come over."

“I can’t move my body, otherwise I would have gone to see him in person.”

Looking at Grandma Xu's earnest eyes, Lu Jun couldn't bear to refuse and nodded: "Okay, that's fine. Please tell me, and I will definitely pass on your words to Mr. Chen."

Grandma Xu took a deep breath and said, word by word, "Xu Long, the Vice Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Lu Jun frowned and silently repeated the sentence in his mind.

This sentence sounds like an official title, and "Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard" should be an official title in the Ming Dynasty.

As for "Xu Long," he had no idea who he was; he was neither a celebrity in Tianjin nor someone in their circle.

"Okay, I've got it. I'll definitely pass it on to Mr. Chen." Lu Jun nodded without asking any further questions. (End of Chapter)