Courtyard House: Starting in 1938, kill enemies and loot equipment.

On his journey back from Yan'an to the enemy's rear, Zhou Ye traveled day and night. Although the Japanese blockade along the way remained tight, he always managed to escape danger thanks to his advanced stealth skills and increasingly refined abilities. Whenever he reached a secluded spot, he would use the jade pendant's connection function to check on Xiao Cao's condition—the little girl was studying diligently at the Yan'an nursery, getting along well with her friends, and occasionally practicing basic skills on the farm. Her earnest appearance brought some comfort to Zhou Ye's worries and strengthened his resolve to wipe out the Japanese invaders and protect his homeland.

It was late at night when Zhou Ye arrived at the border between the Pingxi base and the outpost on the outskirts of the city. Instead of immediately returning to the outpost, Zhou Ye found a secluded cave and entered the system farm with a thought. In this familiar place, the wheat fields rippled, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard. It was isolated from the smoke and dangers of the outside world, making it an ideal place for cultivation.

He walked to the open space in front of the wooden house and summoned the system panel. Having experienced numerous battles, especially the Black Wind Pass ambush and the supply route interception, he knew that his strength still had room for improvement. Although basic techniques could strengthen his body and aid in self-defense, they were insufficient to cope with the increasingly sophisticated equipment and large-scale encirclement and suppression by the Japanese army. "System, exchange for advanced practical combat training techniques," Zhou Ye silently recited in his mind.

Several options popped up on the panel instantly, and Zhou Ye ultimately chose the "Mysterious Origin Demon-Slaying Technique"—this technique combined internal energy cultivation with practical combat skills, strengthening the physique, increasing speed and explosive power, and its moves also possessed the characteristics of dispelling evil and exorcising malevolent forces, making it particularly suitable for dealing with the vicious Japanese invaders. After confirming the exchange, a massive flow of information flooded into Zhou Ye's mind, while a warm current surged within his body, circulating along his meridians and merging with the basic techniques he had previously cultivated.

Zhou Ye immediately sat cross-legged and circulated his internal energy according to the incantation of the "Mysterious Origin Evil-Breaking Technique." The spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the farm seemed exceptionally rich, and a warm current surged through his meridians, cleansing his limbs and bones. The hidden injuries left from the previous battle gradually healed, and his physique was quietly strengthening. He could clearly feel that his five senses had become more acute; his hearing could detect the crawling of insects a hundred meters away, his vision could penetrate the darkness to see distant objects, and even his strength and speed had increased several times over.

As he continued his cultivation until the next morning, Zhou Ye slowly finished his practice. A wisp of faint white internal energy condensed in his palm, and with a casual wave, he cleaved a crack in a boulder beside him. "What a fine technique!" A look of joy flashed in Zhou Ye's eyes. With the "Mysterious Origin Evil-Breaking Technique," coupled with the system space and stealth technique, he was now capable of handling even more dangerous situations.

As Zhao Hu returned to the base from the farm, he was frowning. Seeing Zhou Ye return, he immediately greeted him: "Brother Zhou, you're finally back! We received intelligence that the Japanese army's Eagle's Beak Peak headquarters on the outskirts of Beiping is not only a transit point for supplies, but also stores a large amount of antiques, gold, and ancient books they looted from Beiping and the surrounding areas. We heard they're going to ship them back to Japan in batches!"

"Eagle's Beak Peak Headquarters?" Zhou Ye's heart skipped a beat. He had long harbored the idea of ​​raiding Japanese strongholds and retrieving national treasures. Now that his strength had greatly increased and he had the system space to rely on, it was the perfect time to make his move. "Brother Zhao, tell me in detail about the stronghold's defenses."

Zhao Hu spread out the battle map and pointed to the location of Eagle's Beak Peak, explaining: "The stronghold is built on the mountaintop, with cliffs on three sides and only one winding mountain road connecting it. The Japanese army has stationed a company of soldiers there, as well as heavy machine gun positions and sentries, making it extremely heavily guarded."

Zhou Ye traced the map with his fingertips, a resolute glint in his eyes: "I'll go and raid this stronghold. Those antiques and artifacts are our country's treasures; we absolutely cannot let the Japanese take them away!" He didn't mention the system space, only saying that he had a way to bring the supplies back safely.

That night, Zhou Ye changed into a black outfit and, under the cover of darkness and his advanced stealth skills, quietly infiltrated the Eagle's Beak Peak headquarters. The stronghold was brightly lit, with Japanese soldiers patrolling back and forth, heavy machine gun emplacements positioned at the mountain pass, and sentries hidden in the shadows—the defenses were indeed tight. But Zhou Ye was no longer the same as before. With the Xuan Yuan Po Sha Technique activated, his figure moved like a ghost, avoiding the sight of the patrols and sentries, and silently slipped into the stronghold.

He first infiltrated the Japanese armory, eliminating two guards and storing a batch of new rifles and grenades into his system space—these weapons could later be used to support the base. Following this, based on intelligence provided by Zhao Hu, he located the core warehouse storing supplies. Four heavily armed Japanese soldiers guarded the warehouse entrance. Zhou Ye didn't act rashly; instead, he channeled his inner energy, his figure flashing forward like an arrow, his palm strikes powerful, instantly stunning all four Japanese soldiers.

Pushing open the warehouse door, Zhou Ye's eyes widened in horror at the sight inside: the floor was covered with neatly packed wooden crates. Opening one crate revealed it filled with gleaming gold bars and silver coins; another crate contained bronze artifacts from the Shang and Zhou dynasties and porcelain from the Tang and Song dynasties, each a priceless antique; on the bookshelves in the corner, a large number of rare and ancient books were neatly stacked, including handwritten scriptures from the Wei and Jin dynasties, printed classics from the Song dynasty, and many precious paintings and calligraphy works—these were all national treasures looted by the Japanese invaders from the people, stained with the blood and tears of the common people.

"Damn Japanese devils!" Zhou Ye cursed under his breath. Without further hesitation, he used his mind to collect all the gold, silver coins, antiques, and rare books in the warehouse into his system space. The system space had a huge capacity, and once these materials entered, they were instantly stored away without any damage, as if they had sunk into the sea.

Just as he was about to leave, the sound of Japanese soldiers' footsteps and shouts came from outside the warehouse—clearly, someone had noticed the unusual behavior of the guards. Zhou Ye's eyes turned cold, and he activated the "Mysterious Origin Demon-Slaying Technique," concealing himself behind the door. When several Japanese soldiers pushed open the door, he suddenly struck, his palm strike carrying powerful internal energy, instantly killing the leading Japanese squad leader. The remaining Japanese soldiers didn't even have time to react before he dealt with them one by one, cleanly and swiftly.

The commotion alerted the other Japanese soldiers inside the stronghold, and a large number of soldiers surged towards the warehouse. Zhou Ye no longer lingered in battle, using stealth as cover to fight his way out. The power of the "Mysterious Origin Demon-Slaying Technique" was fully displayed at this moment. His movements were as fast as lightning, his palm strikes and fist punches aimed directly at the vital points of the Japanese soldiers. With his internal energy circulating, he could even shatter Japanese rifles with his bare hands. The Japanese soldiers were like paper in front of him, utterly vulnerable.

Upon reaching the heavy machine gun position at the mountain pass, Zhou Ye leaped aside, dodging the gunfire, kicked the machine gunner to the ground, seized the machine gun, and turned it to fire upon the pursuing Japanese soldiers. Japanese soldiers fell in droves, their screams echoing through the air. Zhou Ye seized the opportunity to retreat along the winding mountain road, leaving the Eagle's Beak Peak headquarters behind in chaos, engulfed in flames.

After leaving Eagle's Beak Peak, Zhou Ye sped along until he reached a safe area before stopping. He entered his system space and looked at the mountains of gold, antiques, and ancient books inside, his heart filled with mixed emotions—these were all national treasures, which should have been safely kept in museums or private hands if not for being looted by the Japanese. He secretly vowed that after the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, he would definitely hand over all these cultural relics and ancient books to the country so that they could return to their homeland.

Zhou Ye then inventoried the supplies within the system space: hundreds of gold bars, thousands of silver coins, over a hundred antiques including bronzes, porcelain, and paintings, nearly a thousand rare ancient books, and a batch of new weapons. These supplies would not only provide ample financial support for the base, but the rare ancient books were also cultural treasures with immeasurable value.

The next morning, Zhou Ye returned to the outpost on the outskirts of the city. Zhao Hu and the others immediately surrounded him upon his return, and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that he was unharmed. When Zhou Ye took out some gold, silver coins, and weapons from his system space and handed them to Zhao Hu, everyone was stunned. "Brother Zhou, where...where did this come from?" Zhao Hu's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

"The Japanese headquarters at Eagle's Beak Peak," Zhou Ye said calmly, "I've recovered the supplies the Japanese plundered from the people. These gold and silver dollars will be used to replenish supplies for the base; these weapons will be distributed to the brothers; and some antiques and ancient books will be kept safe for now, to be handed over to the state after the victory of the War of Resistance."

Upon hearing this, everyone cheered with joy and expressed their utmost admiration for Zhou Ye. Zhao Hu excitedly patted him on the shoulder: "Brother Zhou, you're amazing! Not only did you take down the Japanese headquarters, but you also recovered so many supplies. You've truly made a great contribution!"

Zhou Ye smiled, not mentioning the system's secrets, only saying that he used the terrain and his skills to outsmart the enemy. He knew that these supplies were just the beginning; the Japanese army's strongholds and headquarters in various parts of North China still held countless looted national treasures. He would raid them one by one and seize them one by one, making the Japanese pay the price and taking back all the treasures that belonged to China.

In the days that followed, Zhou Ye cultivated the "Mysterious Origin Demon-Slaying Technique," steadily improving his strength, while simultaneously gathering intelligence on Japanese strongholds. Whenever he learned of a stronghold storing plundered supplies, he would travel there alone, using his advanced cultivation techniques and system space to repeatedly raid Japanese headquarters, supply depots, granaries, and even armories. The Japanese were thrown into chaos by his antics, yet they could never find him. They only knew that a mysterious anti-Japanese patriot was specifically targeting their strongholds, robbing supplies and national treasures, causing them heavy losses.

After each raid, Zhou Ye would hand over the gold, silver dollars, and weapons to the base, while carefully storing the antiques, cultural relics, and rare books in the system space. He would occasionally show Xiao Cao photos of these ancient books through the heart-to-heart connection function, telling her that these were precious treasures left by their ancestors, and that he would take her to appreciate them after the victory of the War of Resistance. Xiao Cao always listened with great interest, her eyes full of anticipation.

Amidst the raging flames of war behind enemy lines, Zhou Ye, like a lone swordsman, relies on the system and wields high-level martial arts techniques to fight the Japanese invaders while reclaiming national treasures. He knows the road ahead is still long, but his conviction grows ever stronger—not only to drive the Japanese out of China, but also to protect the nation's cultural treasures so that his younger sister can study peacefully and appreciate the wisdom left by their ancestors in times of peace.

Meanwhile, the Japanese army harbored deep hatred for this mysterious "plunderer" and mobilized a large force to try to encircle and annihilate him, but each attempt failed. Zhou Ye's figure, like a ghost in the dark night, traversed the North China Plain, bringing endless fear to the Japanese army and a steady stream of support and hope to the base areas.