The 18th year of the Da Yong reign: The beginning of the story involves rescuing revolutionaries.

The car stopped at the entrance of the Wang Family Manor.

After Wang Zhi got out of the car, he found that the door was open.

Besides him and Afu, there was indeed a third person who had the key to the house.

After entering the courtyard, Wang Zhi saw the back of the third person, a scholar in a long robe standing in front of the artificial hill, looking at the sky with his hands behind his back.

Taking two steps forward, Wang Zhi asked, "Father, what brings you to this manor today?"

Hearing the voice, Wang Xizu turned around and said, "Autumn is getting stronger. I was admiring the leaves on Qingfeng Mountain and was planning to paint a picture. I'll rest here on the way down. Have you been drinking?"

Wang Zhi's memory of his father was that their relationship was very complicated. Despite being the closest blood relatives in the world, there was always a sense of distance between them, especially after Wang Zhi's mother died.

In his opinion, it was mostly because the original owner's inner secrets were too heavy.

He replied, "It's just a small drink. Magistrate Hu is hosting a banquet for me and the leader of the Daxing Gang."

"The Daxing Gang." Father Wang frowned, his tone uneasy, and said, "We must be extremely careful when dealing with this kind of domineering gang that bullies men and women."

"I understand, son. By the way, Father, Director Zhou said he would like to pay you a visit another day to request a piece of his calligraphy."

"Calligraphy?" Father Wang sneered. "You scoundrels, you're pretending to ask for calligraphy, but you really want the Wang family's help."

Wang Zhi was surprised; this cheap father didn't seem as obsessed with nature as he appeared.

"Our son thinks so too. So, what do you think, should we see him or not?"

"See, staying in this prefecture and county means we'll inevitably have to deal with them. In recent years, you've managed the Wang family very well, both in terms of business and reputation. The elders of the collateral branches of the clan, who initially had some complaints, have gradually come to accept it. I'm very pleased to see this."

"I'd like to have a heart-to-heart talk with you today. Let's go to the study and have a chat."

"Yes." Wang Zhi was greatly surprised, but he did not refuse.

I just hope my father can get to the bottom of things quickly; he has the matter of the rebels on his mind.

Now the situation has been handed over to the county government. Once they tighten the encirclement and things become tense, the three rebels will try to escape on their own to avoid exposing the New Central Association's inside agents or stronghold in Liuzhou County. In the original story, it was at this critical juncture that they were captured and handed over to the county magistrate by the combined efforts of the Daxing Gang and Zhou An's men.

These three men were exceptionally stubborn. No matter what kind of torture they were subjected to, they never revealed who their mole in Liuzhou County was. Since the higher-ups specified that they should be killed alive, they dared not actually kill them. In the end, they were taken to the provincial capital, and the county never managed to find out who the so-called mole was.

But now, at this critical juncture, he must personally escort the three members of the New China Society out of Liuzhou County.

This is the best way for the Daxing gang to launder their money and go ashore.

Father and son entered the study one after the other. The wooden door closed gently. The father sat behind his desk, on which lay a painting of autumn maples with ink still wet. It looked as if he had just been sketching in the mountains.

The first question Wang's father posed stunned Wang Zhi. He said, "In your younger years, you practiced martial arts abroad and studied overseas. You've seen the world. What's your opinion on the New China Society?"

Wang Zhi opened his mouth, calmed his turbulent thoughts, and then lowered his voice to say, "Father, those are traitors."

As soon as the word "traitor" was uttered, Wang Zhi keenly noticed that his father's expression seemed to dim slightly. Wang Xizu suddenly seemed somewhat disheartened: "Traitor is traitor, but not a thief."

"Alright, I need to focus on my writing now. You can go ahead and do your work."

"Yes." Wang Zhi replied, walked out of the study and quietly closed the door. His gaze shifted from his father's pensive face to the painting. From this angle, it seemed to be more than just a simple landscape painting; it also resembled a map of Qingfeng Mountain.

Inside man, inside man, Wang Zhi pondered these two words repeatedly, chuckled and shook his head. No wonder there was always that lingering estrangement between father and son.

Neither father nor son are easy to deal with.

Inside the secret passage, Wang Zhi transformed once again into the composed leader of the Daxing Gang.

They left the Wang family manor through a secret passage.

In the territory of the Daxing Gang, Wang Zhi met Afu, who had already returned.

He revealed his true intention: to safely escort the three members of the New Central Society out of Liuzhou County.

This news was clearly even more shocking to Afu than that of landing on land.

And if they do this, and can't hand over the person within ten days, how will they explain it to the county government, and how will they explain it to the provincial government officials who come down to supervise?

These questions swirled in Afu's mind, but he didn't ask any of them. Instead, he silently gathered the most elite and clever brothers in the gang and accompanied the gang leader to Wanliu Street.

On the way there, Afu vaguely understood what it meant to get ashore.

Wanliu Street.

Even from a distance, Wang Zhi, riding his tall horse, could see the signboard of Fengqinglou fluttering in the wind. It was the most upscale restaurant in the county, with signs lining the streets all around, and shops lined up one after another displaying the signs of time-honored brands.

The peddlers pushing wheelbarrows and carrying loads, upon seeing the Daxing Gang's men in the distance, quickly moved aside to make way for them.

The refugees begging in the corner shrank further into the shadows.

They might not recognize the leader, Wang, but they recognized Master Fu and the black outfits worn by these men that symbolized the Daxing Gang.

After the group of people had disappeared like a gust of wind, the passersby started discussing it again.

"I wonder who's going to be unlucky this time."

"It can't be us, can it? We paid our share of the wages that month."

"I heard there's been some unrest in the city lately, and the Daxing Gang is chasing after them."

After a few words of discussion, everyone went about their business. However, in the bustling market, there seemed to be a few unfamiliar faces with downcast eyes. They glanced at the Daxing Gang and the others from afar, then disappeared into the crowd.

Outside the largest private room at Fengqinglou, members of the Daxing Gang stood ramrod straight, guarding it.

Inside, Wang Zhi saw the skinny monkey and fat chicken that Afu had left to keep watch on Wanliu Street.

As he expected, the two men, Skinny Monkey and Fat Chicken, only discovered what appeared to be traces of rebels, but the evidence was highly credible because they were the people who dealt most with street vendors and could recognize unfamiliar faces at a glance. Moreover, according to them, the rebels also had a unique aura.

However, the two quickly lost sight of him.

This actually aligns with the original game's storyline. The three rebels were exposed when the search area was narrowed down by the joint search by the county government and the Daxing Gang, and they risked breaking out at night.

After finishing their conversation, Skinny Monkey and Fat Chicken exchanged a glance, feeling uneasy, fearing that the gang leader would blame them.

Wang Zhi simply said, "Thank you for your hard work. Did you disturb the neighbors while keeping watch?"

"No, no. We usually don't bully them, we just collect our share of the money. Now that the banner lord has given the order, we didn't even dare to eat the oranges that old man Song offered us." The two hurriedly shook their heads like rattles.

Wang Zhi found this amusing and said, "You guys go back to your work."

Next, Wang Zhi called Afu in and ordered him to quickly gather another twenty trusted men to deploy defenses on Wanliu Street.

Strictly check out people from other places entering and leaving the area, especially at night. Be vigilant and do not make a fuss or take any action if anything seems amiss. Immediately send someone to report it.

Without his help, the three of them would never have escaped Liuzhou County.

Two days prior, all the roads leading out of the county town, whether by water or land, were guarded by county officials and militia. The county government was short-handed, so the heavy responsibility of searching the town fell on the Daxing Gang. It wasn't that the officials were really that incompetent.

Ah Fu knew what the gang leader wanted to do, and immediately nodded: "Yes."

"Now, I'll just wait for you to break through," Wang Zhi said, leaning against the railing and looking down at the bustling crowd below.