In the world of martial arts, grind your skill level to become a saint.

Hongqiao Town, Yueshan Boxing Hall.

In a relatively quiet courtyard, two figures were sitting at a stone table, drinking tea and chatting.

Liu Chongshan put down the teapot in his hand, then his gaze fell on a middle-aged man sitting opposite him with thick lips, short hair, and a small tuft of beard on his chin. He smiled and said, "Brother Yan Zhen, I haven't prepared any good wine or food for your visit tonight. I didn't know you enjoyed tea, so I specially brought some aged tea. I hope you won't find it offensive..."

Upon hearing this, the man called Yan Zhen laughed heartily, then picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and showed a hint of enjoyment on his face.

"Excellent tea!"

Yan Zhen nodded in approval, then looked thoughtfully at the teacup in his hand, a serious expression appearing in his eyes.

Setting down his teacup, Yan Zhen said, "Brother Liu, we've known each other for decades. I'd like to take some good tea with me when I go back later. You probably won't mind, will you?"

"You rascal..." Liu Chongshan also took a sip of tea, his tone tinged with helplessness, "It's one thing that you never bring me anything when you come, but you always have your eye on my good tea. How can you be so shameless?"

Seeing that Yan Zhen didn't speak but only nodded with a smile, Liu Chongshan said again, "Fine, anyway, you always give me bad advice whenever you come. What do you want to say this time?"

Liu Chongshan and Yan Zhen had known each other for many years. Liu Chongshan had helped Yan Zhen through many difficulties in the past, and the two had a very close relationship.

So whenever Yan Zhen had something to do, he would come to Liu Chongshan to discuss it.

"Speaking of which, how's my niece doing lately? Is she still constantly heading into the inner city?"

Yan Zhen was asking about Liu Chongshan's daughter, Liu Jun.

"Sigh! Still the same old story, just like me, stubborn and inflexible!"

Liu Chongshan sighed helplessly.

"If you ask me, brother, you shouldn't be too strict. The child is getting older and naturally has her own ideas. Besides, there's nothing wrong with the things she wants to do..."

Yan Zhen offered words of advice.

"The Inner City Martial Arts Alliance has a long-standing feud with Zhang Family Fortress. Brother Yan, do you perhaps think it's a good thing for that girl to be getting too close to these people? You and I are both well aware of the current situation in Zhang Family Fortress, aren't we?"

Liu Chongshan frowned.

Currently, throughout Yanshan City, whether it's the three gangs and two factions, or the alliance and the fortress, everyone is making moves, both openly and secretly.

And without exception, these forces have all begun to show signs of gathering and becoming adversaries.

This means that the situation in the city may change drastically soon.

Their martial arts academy in the outer city does not belong to any faction, so taking sides at this time would be an unwise move.

"Indeed... I've been quite unsettled by this matter lately too, but Brother Liu, I'll only talk about the worst-case scenario. What if... what if it really comes to that? What do you think will happen to us neutral parties?"

Liu Chongshan remained silent.

He had considered this question before.

But knowing the outcome is like this, thinking too much won't solve anything.

"If all the martial arts academies in our entire outer city remain neutral, then the Alliance and the Fortress will absolutely not let us off so easily. You must know that the combined strength of all the martial arts academies, even if it cannot compare to the Martial Arts Alliance, is still a force to be reckoned with. If this force were to side with the Martial Arts Alliance or Zhang Family Fortress at a crucial moment, it would be fatal to the other side, and they will absolutely not allow such a hidden danger to exist!"

Yan Zhen expressed his current concerns.

"But the time isn't right to take sides yet. Once a choice is made, there's no turning back..."

Liu Chongshan hesitated.

He looked at Yan Zhen, and for a moment, something seemed to happen. He said, "Brother Yan, have you already made a decision?"

"Some people from the Martial Arts Alliance came looking for me a few days ago..." Yan Zhen pondered for a moment before slowly nodding.

What do you think your chances of winning are?

Liu Chongshan had an answer in his mind, and he continued to ask.

"It's hard to say. The Martial Arts Alliance has a strong foundation, but Zhangjiabao is not simple either. However, the Martial Arts Alliance has some official background, so I think the former has some advantages."

"The government?" Liu Chongshan frowned. "If those greedy fellows were reliable, how could Zhangjiabao have ended up like this? You know how much they profited from both sides back then, don't you?"

"But in the end, Zhangjiabao still lost, didn't it?"

Yan Zhen smiled.

"Alright, I know why you came here today, but I still need to discuss this matter more carefully..."

Liu Chongshan now roughly understood Yan Zhen's purpose, and he waved his hand, not wanting to continue the topic.

Yan Zhen felt somewhat helpless upon seeing this.

He knew Liu Chongshan's personality; he was rather indecisive and found it difficult to make decisions at crucial moments.

The conflict between the Martial Arts Alliance and the Zhang family was just like that, but at that time, both the Zhang family and the Martial Arts Alliance underestimated the influence of the forces in the outer city.

This also allowed most martial arts academies to remain unscathed in that conflict.

Now that this storm is brewing, it will eventually affect the entire Yanshan City. He thought that neither the Martial Arts Alliance nor Zhangjiabao wanted to make the same mistake again.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Liu Chongshan, Yan Zhen didn't say anything more. He left behind a letter from the Martial Arts Alliance, then bowed and took his leave.

He knew this matter was of great importance, and Liu Chongshan needed time to consider it.

Liu Chongshan watched Yan Zhen's departing figure and fell into deep thought for a moment.

But after thinking for a while, he still had no answer, so he shook his head, left the pavilion, and returned to his room.

Sitting at his desk, Liu Chongshan took out his account books and began to check and record the entries one by one.

Whenever he felt agitated, he would take out his account book and check it over and over again. This helped him to focus his attention elsewhere and calm his mind.

Just as they pulled out the accounts, a letter sealed with wax fell out.

Liu Chongshan was taken aback, then suddenly remembered when he had received the envelope.

At the time, he thought it was a letter of self-recommendation from some stranger, and he was busy meeting Tang Huang, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

Now he has even less interest in paying attention to these things.

Just as he was about to throw the letter into the wastepaper basket, his hand suddenly paused.

Because this letter paper is quite similar to the one Yan Zhen gave him before.

Could this have been sent by another force?

Thinking this through, Liu Chongshan immediately opened the letter and began to read it without further hesitation.

The handwriting on the letter was very neat and strong, but the contents of the letter made Liu Chongshan feel a chill run down his spine.

"This is…?"

A cold glint flashed in Liu Chongshan's eyes. He quickly put the letter away, then got up and hurriedly left the room, heading towards the courtyard.