A Life of Attributes Starting as a Nobleman in the Republic of China Era

"A normal divination slip contains powdered Tai Sui (a type of ancient Chinese medicine), along with a few Chinese medicinal herbs. The medicinal properties are mild but long-lasting."

The old man used a small copper knife to pick up a bit of the dark brown paste, brought it to his nose to sniff, and then quickly moved it away.

"But this," Old Master Zhong's expression turned serious, "is mixed with cyanide. When this stuff is mixed with the Tai Sui powder, the medicinal potency is more than ten times stronger."

He pointed to the divination token, "This thing has been altered. The one you killed wasn't a divination practitioner who had cultivated since childhood. He was a latecomer to the field, and someone forcibly implanted this thing into him and controlled him with Western poison."

Chen Che's heart skipped a beat. "A self-taught individual?"

"The divination people of the previous dynasty," Master Zhong explained, "were chosen from childhood, soaked in medicinal water and nurtured with cultivation techniques from a young age, and then implanted with Tai Sui after reaching adulthood."

He paused, then pointed to the pried-open hexagram.

"The ones you killed were already adults, their meridians were fully formed, and they could no longer be refined using traditional methods. So the people who created the hexagrams came up with another way, using stronger medicines to directly turn them into mindless zombies who only knew how to obey. These people don't live long, at most three to five years, but they are cheap to use, and it's not a pity if they die."

"So that means..." Chen Che seemed to understand something, beads of sweat kept sliding down his forehead, his eyes fixed on Grandpa Zhong.

With a complex expression, Old Master Zhong said, word by word, "If the other side has enough Yao tokens, they can completely create an army composed of Yao people."

He looked at Chen Che, a sharp glint suddenly flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"The person who can use Western poisons to improve the divination must be someone who is cooperating with foreigners, and in a high position."

The old man stood up, walked to the opening in the cave dwelling, and looked up at the night sky.

The moon had already moved westward, and the starlight became even brighter.

"Young man," he said, "the enemy you've messed with may very well have bigger schemes in mind."

He turned around, took out several thread-bound books from a wooden box in the corner, and handed them to Chen Che: "In Shanghai, the best cultivation techniques that money can buy are all here."

Chen Che accepted the book with both hands, clasped his hands in thanks, and handed over a silver note containing 100,000 taels of silver.

"You're so young, and you've already chosen the Green Gang since you first arrived in Shanghai. I originally wanted to make a good connection with you..." The old man snorted disdainfully and said, "I didn't expect you to also regard me as one of those greedy people."

"Sir, this 100,000 taels is not for buying books."

Old Master Zhong sneered, "What is that?"

Chen Che gently placed the silver notes on the table and pushed them in front of the old man.

"It's a deposit."

The old man frowned slightly: "A deposit?"

"The old man just said that the people of Yao can create an army," Chen Che said calmly. "If that day ever comes, it will throw the world into chaos."

"This 100,000 taels is to ask you, sir, to help me trace the origin of the divination. If you find it, please let me know so that I can take precautions."

Chen Che stood up and put the pried-open divination token back into his pocket.

"Interesting," he murmured. "Really interesting."

He picked up the silver note, looked at it in the moonlight, and saw that the signature read "Chen Che".

"Chen Che, I've got it." The old man said with a smile.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir," Chen Che said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

Grandpa Zhong waved his hand, walked back to the table, and slowly sat down.

Under the moonlight, his figure appeared exceptionally thin, like an old tree that had stood for many years.

"Go," he said. "Remember what you promised me."

Chen Che nodded and turned to walk towards the entrance of the cave.

After walking a few steps, I suddenly heard an old man's voice behind me.

"young people--"

Before he could finish speaking, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the cave!

The sound of orderly, well-trained running.

At least seven or eight people are flanking us from different directions.

The sound of footsteps shattered the rubble outside, making a clattering noise, growing louder as it approached, like a rapidly tightening net.

"Oh no!" Old Master Zhong's expression changed drastically, and he kicked over the oil lamp. "It's being followed! Run!"

The cave was plunged into darkness in an instant.

"There's a secret passage here!" Old Master Zhong's voice was very low as he pointed to the northwest corner of the cave dwelling.

Outside the cave dwelling, footsteps sounded simultaneously from three directions, swift and orderly. Seven or eight figures dressed in black emerged from the shadows, forming a fan shape to surround the cave dwelling.

These men were dressed in uniform black outfits, with dark blue uniform jackets over them, and new-style flat-topped military caps on their heads. The most striking thing was the muskets in their hands, all of them Mannlicher rifles, their barrels gleaming with a cold, hard steel luster in the dim moonlight.

In Shanghai, the political and military spheres were separate. The top political figure was Mayor Huo Yuanzhi, while the top military figure was Commander Sui Zhenwu of the Garrison Command.

The newcomers were none other than the Shenji Battalion under Sui Zhenwu.

The Shenji Battalion was a new army trained by the previous dynasty using Western methods. Nominally it belonged to the military and political affairs of Shanghai, but in reality it had long been firmly controlled by the Sui Zhenwu faction.

The four major families are increasing their investments in Shanghai, and with Gong Xin as their backer, Sui Zhenwu wouldn't be foolish enough to directly turn against Chen Che.

They probably didn't know that Chen Che was inside the cave; their only target was that divination tablet.

"Who are you from the underworld here?" The leader of the Shenji Battalion stepped forward, took off his military cap, revealing a young but sinister face. "We don't want to cause trouble; all we want is that little sign."

Old Master Zhong's calm voice came through: "This gentleman must have mistaken me for someone else. My surname is Zhong, and I run a small antique shop in the south of the city. I'm just doing some business here."

"Doing business?" The man scoffed. "We have a lost item that we've been searching for for days. We've planted informants in this ghost market, and today someone confidently claimed to have seen it in your shop."

As soon as the words were spoken, seven or eight Mannlicher rifles were raised simultaneously, their dark muzzles aimed at the cave dwelling.

"Come with me." The man waved his hand. "Tell your companions to come out too."

The cave was deathly silent, with only the occasional cry of an owl in the distance.

"Whoosh!" A piece of gravel shot towards the gun-wielding Shenji Battalion soldier with a sharp whooshing sound.

It's Chen Che.

He didn't come out through the main entrance, but instead went around to the side via the secret passage that Master Zhong had mentioned.

He swung his hands repeatedly, and seven or eight fist-sized pebbles, accompanied by sharp whistling sounds, accurately shot towards the gun-wielding Shenji Battalion soldiers!

"Watch out for hidden weapons!"

Amid cries of alarm, the soldiers scrambled to dodge. But the stones Chen Che threw were incredibly powerful and fast; the two men couldn't dodge in time and were struck on the wrists, their Mannlicher rifles flying from their hands.

Chen Che landed and rolled to hide behind a huge, abandoned stone mill.

Almost simultaneously, three rifles opened fire!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Gunshots rang out in the silent freight yard, startling a commotion in the distant ghost market, where figures in the darkness fled in different directions.

Lead bullets struck the millstone, sending sparks flying. The millstone, nearly half a person's height and almost five feet in diameter, was made of thick, hard bluestone, serving as the only barrier at that moment.