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

The official road was much flatter than the mountain trails, but it also offered less cover. When the wind blew, one could see the distant, rolling fields and the faint outlines of villages. Zhou Ye, carrying a Type 38 rifle, walked at the back, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings warily, his ears listening for the slightest sound, never daring to relax his vigilance.

The He Daqing couple led their two children ahead, while Lü Bingxin occasionally turned back to remind He Yuzhu to slow down, yet fearing they might fall behind, she kept walking slowly but steadily. He Yuzhu and Zhou Xiaocao had become familiar with each other and had stopped crying. The two children held hands and talked softly. He Yuzhu even gave Zhou Xiaocao the last piece of hard candy he had in his pocket, which made the little girl show her first faint smile since she transmigrated.

"Brother Zhou," He Daqing turned to look at Zhou Ye, his tone tinged with emotion, "You're quite young, yet you're so skilled, and you're even carrying a gun. Were you a soldier before?"

Zhou Ye shook his head slightly: "I've never been a soldier. My family are hunters. I learned some martial arts from my father when I was young, and the gun was taken from the Japanese."

"You captured it?" He Daqing's eyes lit up, full of admiration. "Brother Zhou, you're truly remarkable! These Japanese guns aren't so easy to capture. You're so young yet you have such courage; you're destined for great things!"

Lü Bingxin chimed in, "Brother Zhou is a capable and kind-hearted man. If it weren't for your willingness to accompany us, my daughter and I don't know if we could have made it to Beiping."

Zhou Ye smiled but didn't say much. He knew that in chaotic times, ability was the foundation for survival, and kindness could only be reserved for those who deserved it.

As we continued our journey, the sun gradually set in the west, and finally, the outline of Beiping City appeared on the distant horizon. The towering city walls stood majestically, shrouded in the soft twilight, like a silent behemoth guarding this ancient city that had weathered countless storms.

"Beiping! We've finally arrived!" He Daqing stopped excitedly, pointing to the distant city walls, his voice trembling slightly. "Bingxin, look, we've reached Beiping!"

Lu Bingxin smiled with relief, her eyes filled with anticipation for the future. He Yuzhu clapped his hands and cheered, "We have food! We have shelter!"

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar city walls, Zhou Ye was filled with mixed emotions. This was Beiping in 1938. On the surface, it was relatively peaceful, but in reality, undercurrents were surging. Japanese soldiers, traitors, warlords, and local ruffians mingled within it, making it a den of dragons and tigers. However, it was also the starting point of his path of revenge, and the place where he and his sister could find a place to live.

"Don't get too excited yet," Zhou Ye warned. "The area outside the city is not the same as inside. It's a mixed bag, with the most thugs and gangsters. We need to be careful and find a place to stay first before making any further plans."

He Daqing and Lü Bingxin nodded quickly. They knew that the chaotic world was dangerous and dared not be careless.

The four quickened their pace and headed towards the moat outside Beiping City. When they were about a mile from the city gate, several men dressed in short-sleeved shirts with bare chests suddenly rushed out from the intersection ahead, carrying wooden sticks and daggers, and blocked their way.

The leader was a bald man with a burly face, about thirty years old, with a short knife at his waist. His eyes were fierce as he sized up Zhou Ye and his group, a greedy smile curling at the corner of his mouth: "Halt! This road is mine, this tree is mine. If you want to pass, leave your toll!"

The thugs behind them joined in the commotion: "If you know what's good for you, hand over your money and food right now, or don't blame us for being impolite!"

He Daqing's expression changed, and he instinctively shielded his wife and children behind him, watching Zhou Ye nervously. Lü Bingxin also hugged He Yuzhu tightly, her face pale, but she tried to remain calm. Zhou Xiaocao was so frightened that she hid behind Zhou Ye, her small hands tightly gripping the hem of his clothes.

Zhou Ye's eyes turned cold, and he sneered inwardly. He hadn't expected to encounter thugs robbing him on the road so soon after arriving outside Beiping. What bad luck!

"We're refugees, we don't have much money," He Daqing said, suppressing his fear. He cupped his hands and said, "Brothers, please do us a favor and let us pass. We'll repay you in the future."

"Not much money?" The bald thug sneered, his gaze falling on Zhou Ye's Type 38 rifle and He Daqing's bundle, his eyes growing increasingly greedy. "Kid, do you think we're blind? That gun is a good thing, and that bundle of yours definitely has a lot of good stuff in it! Hand it over now, or we'll not only rob you, but also sell this little wench and those two punks for money!"

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Lü Bingxin's arm.

"court death!"

Zhou Ye's eyes turned cold, and he flashed forward, blocking Lü Bingxin's path. He grabbed the bald thug's wrist and twisted it forcefully.

"ah--!"

The bald thug let out a shrill scream as his wrist was dislocated. He trembled with pain, and the dagger in his hand clattered to the ground.

Seeing this, the other thugs were enraged: "How dare you hit our boss! Brothers, attack!"

They brandished wooden sticks and daggers and charged towards Zhou Ye.

Zhou Ye snorted coldly, shoving the bald thug forward and knocking down two other thugs who rushed at him. He moved nimbly, weaving among the thugs like a cheetah, incorporating basic knife skills into his fists and feet, each strike swift, accurate, and ruthless.

"Bang!" "Crack!" "Ah!"

Screams rang out one after another. In just a moment, Zhou Ye had knocked several thugs to the ground, some dead and some injured, lying on the ground groaning and unable to get up.

The bald thug was terrified. He hadn't expected this seemingly young man to be so skilled. He immediately knelt down and begged for mercy: "Sir, spare me! Sir, spare me! I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness. I shouldn't have blocked your way. Please let me go!"

Zhou Ye walked up to him, looking down at him with icy eyes: "Get lost! If I see you robbing people again, I'll break your legs!"

"Yes, yes, yes! I'll get out of here right now! I'll get out of here right now!" The bald thug hurriedly got up, ignoring the pain in his wrist, and led the other thugs away in a sorry state.

He Daqing and Lü Bingxin finally breathed a sigh of relief, their eyes filled with awe and gratitude as they looked at Zhou Ye.

"Brother Zhou, thank you so much!" He Daqing quickly cupped his hands in thanks. "If it weren't for you, my whole family would be in trouble today!"

Lu Bingxin also softly thanked him, saying, "Thank you so much, Brother Zhou, for saving me. I am deeply grateful."

Zhou Ye waved his hand: "It was nothing, no need to be so polite. Let's hurry into the city and find a place to stay."

He picked up the short knife from the ground and put it into his system space. Although the knife was ordinary, it was better than nothing and might come in handy in the future.

The four continued on their way and soon arrived at the gates of Beiping. Japanese soldiers and puppet troops stood guard at the gates, checking passersby; the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Zhou Ye told He Daqing and his wife to take the children and leave first, while he followed behind. He put the Type 38 rifle into his system space, leaving only the military knife and short knife at his waist, trying to make himself inconspicuous.

When it was their turn to be inspected, a puppet soldier, gun in hand, impatiently shouted, "What are you doing here? What are you doing in the city?"

"Boss, we're refugees," He Daqing quickly said with a smile. "I'm a cook, and I came to Beiping to find a job and make a living."

The puppet soldiers sized them up, their gazes landing on Lü Bingxin with a hint of malice. They then glanced at Zhou Ye, noticing his sharp eyes and knowing he wasn't someone to be trifled with, so they didn't dare to make things too difficult for him. They simply held out their hands and said, "You can enter the city, but you'll have to pay the city gate tax—five copper coins per person!"

He Daqing quickly took out twenty copper coins from his pocket and handed them to the puppet soldier. The puppet soldier took the coins, counted them, nodded in satisfaction, and waved his hand: "Go in!"

The four of them hurriedly walked through the city gate and stepped into the streets of Beiping.

Shops lined both sides of the street, and pedestrians came and went. There were scholars in long gowns, merchants in short clothes, Japanese soldiers and puppet troops in military uniforms, and beggars. It was a scene of prosperity in a chaotic world, but it also revealed a sense of oppression.

"Brother Zhou, where do we go to find a place to stay?" He Daqing asked, looking at the unfamiliar streets with some confusion.

Zhou Ye thought for a moment. In the original owner's memory, there were many dilapidated temples outside Beiping City. Many refugees lived there. Although they were simple, they could at least shelter from the wind and rain, and they didn't have to spend money.

"Let's go check out the dilapidated temple outside the city first," Zhou Ye said. "There should be a lot of refugees there. Let's settle down first and then slowly find work."

He Daqing and Lü Bingxin had no objections. They were newcomers and didn't know where there was a suitable place, so they could only follow Zhou Ye's arrangements.

The four walked along the street. As darkness fell, the number of pedestrians on the street decreased. Zhou Ye cautiously observed his surroundings to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

After walking for about half an hour, they finally found the dilapidated temple Zhou Ye had mentioned. The temple was small, with a leaky roof and crumbling walls, but it was already home to many refugees, men, women, and children, huddled in a corner, shivering.

Zhou Ye led He Daqing's family into the dilapidated temple, found a relatively clean corner, laid out some dry grass, and made it their temporary resting place.

"I'll make do here for the night," Zhou Ye said. "Tomorrow I'll go to the city to see if there's any suitable work, and then I'll find a better place to stay."

He Daqing nodded, took out a few dry, hard cornbreads from his bundle, and distributed them to his wife, children, and Zhou Ye and his sister: "Eat something to fill your stomachs first."

Zhou Ye took the cornbread and handed it to Zhou Xiaocao, then took out an ear of corn for himself and slowly ate it. He looked at the others in the dilapidated temple, most of them pale and thin, with numb eyes, and felt a pang of sorrow. This was the life of ordinary people in chaotic times, their lives as worthless as grass, and simply surviving was a blessing.

As night fell, the dilapidated temple fell silent, save for the occasional cough and the cries of a child. Zhou Ye leaned against the wall, wide awake, listening intently to the sounds outside while simultaneously planning his future.

First, find a stable place to live so that your sister and He Daqing's family can settle down; then, use the farm space to grow grain and raise poultry to solve the problem of food and clothing; then, find opportunities to kill Japanese devils and eliminate traitors, accumulate merit points, upgrade the system and farm space, and improve your strength; finally, gain a foothold in Beiping City, build your own power, avenge your parents and fellow villagers, and contribute to the country.

With this thought in mind, Zhou Ye's gaze grew even more resolute. He knew that this path was destined to be full of thorns and dangers, but he was fearless.

With the system and farm space at his side, a younger sister to protect, and companions to walk alongside him, he will surely be able to carve out a place for himself in this chaotic world of blood and fire!

As night deepened, the people in the dilapidated temple gradually fell asleep, but Zhou Ye remained awake, like a vigilant wolf, protecting those around him and his own path of revenge.