The Cycle of Reincarnation in the Four-Courtyard House: A Journey Through the Heavens

Time flew by and it was summer of 1944.

One day in July, another family moved into courtyard number 95 – the Yan family.

According to Lao Yan, his father passed away in June of this year.

Because Yan Bugui was born to the second wife, he was not well received by the first wife, so in the end he only received some money and they were all sent away.

The powerful revisions to the plot allowed Yan Bugui's family to still move into the front yard of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang.

The west wing room and the side room where they lived were bought by Old Yan from the deaf old woman for 150 silver dollars.

When Li Xiao saw the pained expression on Lao Yan's face when he mentioned 150 silver dollars, he felt an urge to laugh.

When this guy was the shopkeeper at the overpass general store, he wasn't as stingy as portrayed in the TV series.

Unexpectedly, after being kicked out by the first wife's family and living alone, this guy's inherent tendency to scheme was finally fully activated.

"Hey Lao Yan, your family's been running this small business for decades, right? I bet you've received at least 500 silver dollars as a share. The rest you have should be enough for your family to live comfortably!"

Yan Bugui sighed and said, "Brother, you don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. My father used to say, 'You won't go poor from eating or dressing, but you will go poor if you don't plan ahead.'"

"I can't just live off this little bit of money now. My second child was just born this year, and I have two sons now. They'll all need money to get married and start their own families in the future!"

Li Xiao handed him a cigarette, which Yan Bugui happily accepted, then sniffed it.

Li Xiao said to him, "Old Yan, if you want to make a living, you have to increase your income and reduce your expenses. Increasing your income is the most important. Why do I hear you only thinking about reducing expenses? No matter how much you save, how much money can you actually save?"

Li Xiao exhaled a puff of smoke and said, word by word, "You must remember, money is earned, not saved. Have you ever seen a rich person who made their fortune by being frugal?"

Li Xiao's words made Yan Bugui's eyes light up, and then he fell into deep thought.

......

Three days later, in the early morning, Li Xiao had just gotten up and finished practicing a set of Xingyi Quan when he suddenly received a secret message from Shen Chuan.

"Chief, I found out where Yoshiko Kawashima is last night."

Li Xiao's expression turned serious, and he immediately asked, "How did you find her?"

Yoshiko Kawashima, a remnant of the Qing Dynasty and a female spy from the island nation, has been wholeheartedly serving the island nation for decades, betraying a large number of secrets of China and causing incalculable losses to China.

The shadow of this Eastern witch can be seen in events such as the "Huanggutun Incident," the "September 18 Incident," and the "January 28 Incident."

As an elite spy, this woman's whereabouts were naturally extremely secretive. It took Li Xiao's men nearly half a year to find out her location.

"Just the night before last, Yoshiko Kawashima dressed up as a man and went to the Tianqiao Theater to watch a play. After the play ended, she actually stopped the famous Peking Opera artist Ma Lianliang under the pretense of celebrating his birthday, and tried to extort money from him."

"Boss Ma was eventually forced into a corner and was extorted out of 15000 yuan by her. The woman even claimed it was a tribute."

Do you know where it lives now?

"It currently lives in a courtyard at No. 34, Dongsi Jiutiao."

"Understood!"

......

The night was as dark as ink, spilled onto the bluestone pavement of Dongsi Jiutiao Street.

The hutongs of the old city have lost their daytime hustle and bustle, with only the faint light from the waning moon peeking through the clouds cutting out shadows of varying depths from the mottled brick walls.

Li Xiao's figure was like a ghost blending into the night, his footsteps making barely perceptible sounds on the stone slabs of the ground.

He silently glided to the vermilion gate of courtyard number thirty-four. At this moment, the faded copper ring on the lintel of the gate was covered with a layer of dust, forming an eerie contrast with the warm yellow light that faintly shone from inside the courtyard.

This seemingly ordinary courtyard house is actually the lair of Yoshiko Kawashima, known as the "Oriental Witch," a malignant tumor entrenched at the core of the island nation's spy network.

Li Xiao held his breath and focused intently, his ears picking up on the sounds coming from inside the courtyard.

A few soft barks of dogs in the distance were carried away by the wind, followed by the sound of a woman speaking in the neighboring courtyard, and then everything fell silent again.

Yoshiko Kawashima was always vigilant. Not only were there hidden sentries in the courtyard, but according to Shen Chuan's investigation, there was also an underground passage in the courtyard that led to an unknown destination. Any unusual activity would trigger an alarm.

But Li Xiao had already figured out the layout of the defenses here. He quietly circled the courtyard wall and arrived at the west side of the small courtyard.

On the west side of the small courtyard is a narrow gap only one meter wide, next to another courtyard.

With his legs slightly bent, Li Xiao climbed up the courtyard wall with a little effort. After scanning the area with his sharp, eagle-like eyes, he fell silently into the courtyard like a falling leaf.

Li Xiao was currently behind the west wing of the courtyard, and he crouched down as he made his way towards the main house.

The courtyard, paved with blue bricks, was swept very clean, and the stone slabs on the ground reflected the serene moonlight.

A crabapple tree in the northeast corner of the courtyard is full of flower buds, which appear somewhat shadowy under the light shining from the house.

A slender figure was reflected in the window of the main room. The person was bent over the desk and flipping through documents. Occasionally, she would raise her hand and tap the table lightly. The jade ring on her thumb flashed a faint green light under the lamp. Li Xiao recognized her at a glance. This person was none other than Yoshiko Kawashima.

Today she was wearing a men's Zhongshan suit and had a neat short haircut. Although she was looking at documents, the fingertips of her right hand were always less than three inches away from the holster under the table. The woman's eyes would occasionally sweep out the window, with a sharpness and suspicion that came from years of being in dangerous situations.

Li Xiao moved slowly along the wall, the sound of his boots scraping against the ground being masked by the howling wind blowing through the corner of the courtyard.

He knew that Yoshiko Kawashima had excellent marksmanship and fighting skills, although she was not as good as him. However, there were two Japanese spies guarding him in the east wing of the courtyard. If he was not careful, he would fail at the last minute.

He arrived at the window of the main room, and in his hand appeared a Glock 17 pistol with a silencer installed. The matte black gun body did not reflect a single ray of light.

As if sensing something, Yoshiko Kawashima, who was inside the room, suddenly stopped writing, listened intently, and her eyes sharpened abruptly.

Just as she reached for the holster, Li Xiao suddenly raised his hand.

"Pfft~ Pfft~"

Two soft gunshots rang out, and two 9mm bullets accurately pierced the glass of the window and precisely entered Yoshiko Kawashima's forehead and heart.

At this moment, astonishment and resentment flashed in the eyes of the Eastern witch. She opened her mouth to shout, but no sound came out.

Yoshiko Kawashima's body trembled violently, then went limp in an instant, the light in her eyes quickly dimmed, and finally only deathly silence remained.