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

Li Boqiang suppressed the turmoil in his heart: "I understand, I will definitely handle this matter well."

Charles nodded in satisfaction, waved his hand, and said casually, "Alright, you've been up all night, go back and get some rest. If you have any news, report to me immediately, without delay."

Li Bo and Wang Shun quickly responded in unison, then turned and strode out of the police station.

The two walked side by side in silence until they left the police station area. Then Wang Shun lowered his voice and said urgently, "Brother Bo, are we really going to help the foreigners lure Mr. Chen into a trap? If something happens to Mr. Chen, neither of us will survive!"

Li Bo stopped in his tracks: "I know, but we have no choice. Charles is watching us. Let's hold our ground and take it one step at a time."

Wang Shun nodded, and the two parted ways. Li Bo gripped the case file tightly in his hand and hurried towards his home.

Li Bo lived in a detached bungalow in the concession area.

The treatment of police officers in the concession was not bad. Each officer had his own residence and did not have to live in a shantytown. This was one of the reasons why he chose to become a police officer.

As soon as he entered the door, he immediately called his wife and daughter over, his tone urgent but deliberately soft: "Quickly, pack a few changes of clothes and go back to your parents' home in the old city to hide. If you have the chance, leave the city as soon as possible and don't stay in Tianjin."

Although his wife and daughter had doubts, they could also see that something was wrong with his expression, so they didn't dare to ask any more questions and quickly packed their things.

Li Bo stood at the door, vigilantly observing the movements outside. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed two police officers secretly watching his house from the street corner, but they did not step forward to stop them.

He knew in his heart that this was Charles's scheme.

To use him as bait, he needs to make sure his family is settled so he won't have any worries and will cooperate with them more "wholeheartedly" to lure Chen Zhan out.

After seeing his wife and daughter off and watching their figures disappear at the alley entrance, Li Bo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He lay alone in bed, tossing and turning, feeling uncomfortable all over.

He picked up the case file on the table, carefully opened it, and read it through.

Only then did he fully understand just how audacious Chen Zhan was.

Not only did he cause a ruckus at the consulate in Tianjin and bomb the Taikoo Trading Company, but he also killed dozens of foreign musketeers at the Fangshan mine in Beijing and even took away the mine's gunpowder.

He was conflicted; on the one hand, he hoped Chen Zhan would come to retrieve the case files.

In this way, he could complete the task assigned by Charles, temporarily save his and his family's lives, and even gain Charles's trust.

On the other hand, he hoped that Chen Zhan would not come.

He knew Charles was treacherous and cunning, and that a trap must have been set up outside. Once Chen Zhan showed up, he would surely be surrounded and his chances of survival would be slim.

Subconsciously, he was more inclined to side with Chen Zhan.

Chen Zhan dared to stand up against foreigners and the corrupt Qing government, and dared to stand up for the common people. He was a hundred times better than those foreigners and police officers who oppressed the people.

But he had worked as a patrolman for many years and had personally witnessed the foreigners' powerful ships and cannons, their arbitrary oppression of the people and their disregard for human life. He also knew how powerful the foreigners were in Tianjin.

He understood even more clearly that what Chen Zhan and the others were doing was simply like throwing an egg against a rock.

Time passed little by little, and before we knew it, night had fallen.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and night completely enveloped the entire city of Tianjin.

The originally sunny weather suddenly changed, and a light drizzle began to fall. The cold raindrops hit the window and made a "pat-pat" sound, adding to the oppressive atmosphere.

The police station's torches reappeared in the streets and alleys, their dim yellow light flickering in the rain.

The search continues, and a tense and oppressive atmosphere permeates the air.

Outside Li Bo's bungalow, in a dark corner, Charles stood in the rain, with a foreigner holding an umbrella for him to shield him from the falling rain.

Opposite him stood a thin man who seemed out of place in his surroundings.

The man had unhealthy pale skin, an expressionless face, wore a long black robe, and had a face full of wrinkles and a long mustache.

Judging from his age, he should be in his forties or fifties.

He kept his eyes closed the entire time, his inner strength contained.

Another foreigner was also holding an umbrella for him, his expression respectful, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

Charles spoke first, his tone somewhat tentative: "I've heard that you are Emperor Guangxu's bodyguard, so your martial arts skills must be very high, right?"

It was no coincidence that he specifically invited this person to help him fight.

Recently, Tianjin has been in turmoil, with gang leaders such as Tie Zui Ma Liu and Yin Mian Liu being killed one after another. These people had intricate connections with the Prince Yi's Mansion in Beijing.

Most of the money that Tiezui Ma Liu made by exploiting the common people was given as tribute to Prince Yi's mansion.

When Tie Zui Ma Liu was killed, Prince Yi was furious. He immediately sent men to Tianjin with an imperial decree to wipe out all the gangs in Tianjin and bring all of Tianjin's underground forces under the control of the Qing Dynasty.

The man sent was formerly the head guard of Prince Yi's mansion, and his Baguazhang skills were superb.

Later, he was recommended by Prince Yi to the Imperial Palace, where he first taught the chief eunuch palm techniques, and was later hired by Emperor Guangxu as his personal martial arts instructor, becoming a veritable "Imperial Tutor".

Although this "Imperial Tutor" was merely a martial arts instructor and not an imperial tutor in the court, he still held a prestigious position and should not be underestimated.

His reputation was even more illustrious in the martial arts world of the capital.

Faced with Charles's probing, the man slightly raised his mustache, his tone calm and unwavering: "Just this once, I'm not here to help you catch a thief."

Charles smiled and said in a smooth tone, "Your Excellency is mistaken. You help me capture and kill this notorious bandit who has been causing havoc in Tianjin, and I will send people to assist you in wiping out the gangs in Tianjin and completing the task assigned by the Emperor. It's a win-win situation, mutual assistance, so why not?"

The man was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "That's fine too."

After exchanging a few more words, the man declined to say anything more and closed his eyes again.

He stood quietly in the rain, his aura becoming increasingly restrained.

The foreigner next to Charles leaned forward, lowered his voice, and asked with some concern, "Chief Constable, will he really come? What if he doesn't come? Won't our plan fall through?"

Just as Charles was about to speak to comfort him, the man opposite him suddenly opened his eyes.

His eyes, sharp as a hawk's, pierced through the drizzling rain, fixed on the street ahead, and he said with certainty, "They're here."

Before he finished speaking, he took two steps out of the corner, walked slowly to the center of the street in the drizzle, stood quietly, looked at the rain curtain in the distance, his expression calm, but with an invisible pressure.

Through the rain, a figure slowly emerged, walking step by step toward this place.

The man was wearing a straw raincoat, his steps were steady, he walked with a standard square gait, and his expression was calm and unconcerned.

He had clearly been aware of the ambush around him, but he ignored it and walked straight toward Li Bo's bungalow, raising his hand to push open the door.

Li Bo, who was inside the room, was startled awake when he heard the door being pushed open. He looked up and saw that Chen Zhan had already taken off his raincoat, walked to the table and sat down, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Mr. Chen, there's an ambush outside!"

Li Bo quickly stood up, walked briskly to Chen Zhan's side, and whispered a reminder, "Charles has laid a trap, just waiting for you to come!"

Chen Zhan put down his teacup, his face expressionless: "I know."

"Then you're coming again?"

"Besides, I haven't prepared the information you requested yet, so why did you come so quickly?"

He assumed Chen Zhan had come to collect information, but he had just escaped and had no way of gathering anything to hand over to Chen Zhan. He simply couldn't understand why Chen Zhan would willingly walk into his trap.

"I'm not here for the data."

“After you come here, Charles will be completely trusting of you, and you can focus on helping me. There are at most three days left before the Salvation Society begins, and we don’t have any time to waste.”

Li Bo paused for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Yes."

He agreed verbally, but he still had some doubts in his heart.

work
Three days from now, given the current situation, will he still be able to leave?
Chen Zhan naturally noticed his expression, but without offering any explanation, he glanced at the files on the table: "Is this the prepared bait?"

He reached for the case file, quickly flipped through it, his eyes narrowing slightly as he thought to himself:
"The foreigners are somewhat intelligent; they even know to investigate the Fangshan mine. However, this might implicate Shunyuan Escort Agency."

Although he thought that way, he didn't feel much guilt.

Shunyuan Escort Agency is now thriving in the capital, with many skilled individuals, and it will only be able to live a peaceful life for the next few years.

Not long after, the Eight-Nation Alliance entered the city, and the people of Shunyuan Escort Agency could not escape death in the end, almost all of them dying under the guns of the foreigners.

If Shunyuan Escort Agency makes some preparations in advance, perhaps a few fewer people will die.

Chen Zhan finished reading the stack of case files without showing any surprise.

He had anticipated that the foreigners would put pressure on the capital and investigate the Fangshan mine.

This is an open conspiracy; even if he knew it, it wouldn't matter.

Even if he sends someone to the capital overnight to inform Wang Wu, what can he do?
Wang Wu was a man of strong character and integrity, and Shunyuan Escort Agency was the culmination of his life's work; he could not possibly take his men away from the capital.

He will still choose to resist and deal with foreigners and the Qing government.

In chaotic times, everyone has their own destiny. What must be fought for must be fought for, and what must be fought for must be fought for. There is no escaping it.

Chen Zhan casually tossed the case file back onto the table, stood up, picked up his raincoat, put it on, and didn't say another word.

He turned to face the wind and rain, pushed open the door, and went outside.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, he felt the cold gazes coming from all directions, as well as the chilling gun barrels hidden in the shadows.

His skin wrinkled slightly, his fur tightened, his mind raced, and he walked straight ahead without pausing.

As night deepened, the rain intensified, and the cold rain pattered against the raincoat, making a soft "shush" sound.

The lights in the concessions on both sides were not bright. This area was not a bustling place to begin with, and it seemed particularly dim at this moment.

Chen Zhan took a dozen steps, and suddenly a thin figure appeared in the rain ahead.

The man exuded a sharp aura, his inner brilliance was restrained yet hard to conceal, and standing in the rain, he carried an immense pressure.

Chen Zhan paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, and thought to himself:

"Hmm? Foreigners can actually hire such experts?"

This was the most outstanding expert he had seen since arriving in Tianjin, far superior to experts like Luo Ze and Cheng Shaojiu who possessed internal strength.

His decision to venture alone into dangerous territory was not out of arrogance.

To others, this place is a dangerous den of tigers, but to him, it's nothing.

In the past ten days or so, he has already figured out the power dynamics of this era.

Even if he cannot use most of his vital energy, there are very few things that can pose a threat to his life.

The firearms of that era were far inferior in speed and power to those of decades later, and could hardly harm him.

His cultivation at the Core Formation stage had already reached a transcendent level; if he wanted to leave, no one in this world could stop him.

Moreover, even more powerful firearms were not readily used by foreigners within this concession.

Have no fear.

The expert who appeared before him was indeed someone he hadn't expected.

After a slight pause, Chen Zhan stepped forward again: "A master from Tianjin? I've been in Tianjin for so long, and I've never seen anyone like you."

The man in front of me slowly shook his head: "I am not from Tianjin."

He looked Chen Zhan up and down, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The young man before me, though not old, possessed a calm and composed aura, and his spirit was restrained, clearly indicating that he was also a top expert.

"You're a master, and you're still very young."

"I don't know which sect he belongs to."

"You are qualified to know my name."

"The Eight Trigrams, Yin Fu."

Upon hearing the other party introduce themselves, Chen Zhan's eyes lit up instantly. His gaze pierced through the drizzling rain, directly into Yin Fu's eyes, his tone carrying an undisguised excitement, and even a hint of anticipation:

"The Eight Trigrams Yin? Great, that's wonderful."

Before he finished speaking, his blood and energy surged, and his divine will became highly concentrated.

Yin Fu was startled, a hint of surprise and wariness flashing in his eyes, and asked, "You know me?"

He was certain that he had never seen this young man before, nor did he know his identity.

He didn't understand why the other person would get so excited when they heard his name, and the way he was addressed as "Gossip Yin" was also strange, unlike how someone he had never met would address someone.

Chen Zhan murmured, "We've known each other for a long time."

There were many masters in the late Qing Dynasty, such as Huo Yuanjia, Wang Wu, Huang Feihong, and Yin Fu, all of whom were famous throughout the world.

Having traveled through time, he had met many masters and even sparred with them several times. He always harbored a desire to have a proper contest with these top masters from the late Qing Dynasty.

There are probably very few people he would want to kill with his own hands.

Yin Fu is one of them.

When the Eight-Nation Alliance entered the city, they burned, killed, looted, and committed all sorts of atrocities. Empress Dowager Cixi fled westward in panic, and the one who helped her escape was none other than Yin Fu, the Baguazhang master in front of us.

Moreover, Cheng Tinghua was betrayed, and Yin Fu was the most suspicious.

Now that we've run into each other, there's no reason for us to let this go.

Seeing the strange light in Chen Zhan's eyes, Yin Fu became even more wary.

But Chen Zhan had already made his move.

The curtain of rain, like a beaded curtain, shattered in an instant. (End of Chapter)