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

The morning light streamed through the windows of the courtyard house, warming the bluestone path. The autumn morning breeze of 1947 was slightly cool, but it couldn't dispel the lively atmosphere in the courtyard—Yi Zhonghai chopped firewood with a steady, powerful grip; Xiulan, her slightly protruding belly, picked wild vegetables under the eaves; Jia Fugui, carrying his fitter's bag, called Jia Dongxu to go to Lou's steel rolling mill together; He Yuzhu squatted in the corner, teasing a stray cat, the twelve-year-old boy full of mischief; the deaf old lady sat on the threshold, basking in the sun, her eyes filled with the serene indifference of someone who had seen it all.

Inside the east wing, Zhou Ye was sitting cross-legged with Xiao Cao, circulating the "Qingyuan Spirit Heart Technique".

The girl held her breath and concentrated, the luminous white golden core within her dantian slowly rotating. Azure Yuan spiritual energy flowed throughout her body along profound pathways, completely concealing the previously exposed aura of the golden core into her very bones. She appeared no different from an ordinary fourteen-year-old girl, even the spiritual energy between her skin had transformed into a gentle, earthy aura. Zhou Ye scanned her with his golden core spiritual sense and nodded in satisfaction: "Very good. The Azure Yuan Spiritual Heart Technique emphasizes concealing energy and guarding the heart. In this state, even a golden core cultivator wouldn't be able to detect your true potential."

Xiao Cao opened her eyes, a glint of light flashing in them. She leaned close to Zhou Ye and whispered, "Brother, I feel my spiritual energy circulating so smoothly. I even secretly used my spiritual energy to help Aunt Yi steady the swaying vegetable basket, and she didn't even notice."

With her pure spirit physique and the "Azure Origin Spirit Heart Technique," she could use the power of her Golden Core with complete ease, without revealing any of its sharpness.

Zhou Ye smiled and ruffled her hair. Just as he was about to give her some instructions, Zhao Hu's gentle knocking came from outside the courtyard gate. Zhao Hu was now in the late stage of Qi Refining. His steps were steady and his aura was restrained. Ordinary people could not see anything unusual about him.

"Brother Zhou, there's something going on outside." Zhao Hu lowered his voice as he entered, his expression grave. "That scoundrel Zhang Huai'an lost all his undercover agents and can't swallow this insult. This morning, he colluded with the Nationalist government's inspection team, threatening to thoroughly investigate the grain depots and warehouses in the South City black market, accusing them of 'possessing contraband and colluding with the communists and bandits.' It's clear they're targeting our secret passage for cultural relics and our transported supplies!"

Zhou Ye's eyes turned slightly cold.

Zhang Huai'an, as expected, was still determined to cause trouble. Unable to defeat them openly, he resorted to underhanded tactics by leveraging the power of the government. Fortunately, he had already purged the traitors, the Shou'an Association was heavily fortified, and he had five trusted confidants at the late stage of Qi Refining. In addition, he and Xiao Cao both possessed Golden Core cultivation, so these tricks could not cause any trouble.

"What's the panic?" Zhou Ye said calmly. "The inspection team has just been bribed by Zhang Huai'an to go through the motions and extort money. If they really dare to force their way into the secret passage, we have ways to deal with them. Go and inform Old Ma and Scarface Qiang to proceed according to the original plan. Prepare the money to bribe them, only open the visible granary, and completely seal off the secret passage to the warehouse with the black iron gate."

"Yes!" Zhao Hu bowed and accepted the order, then turned and disappeared through the courtyard gate.

Zhou Ye turned to look at Xiao Cao and said gently, "Come with me to the South City Warehouse. Use the Azure Origin Spirit Heart Technique to purify the Yin energy of the artifacts in the secret passage so that the inspection team can detect anything amiss."

The secret passage contained several boxes of ancient artifacts that had just been transferred from the base area, still carrying some traces of the lingering effects of war. Ordinary people would not be able to detect them, but there was a feng shui expert in the National Government's inspection team. If he were to discover the clues, complications would inevitably arise.

"Okay!" Xiao Cao readily agreed, picked up the bamboo basket under the eaves, and pretended to follow her brother to get grain. She skipped and hopped out of the courtyard with Zhou Ye, looking completely ordinary.

Upon arriving at the South City Black Market, the brothers of the Guardian Society had already secured the street corners. Old Ma was having tea with several junior officers from the inspection team at a teahouse, while Scarface stood guard at the warehouse entrance, his fierce expression keeping the troublemakers at bay. Five trusted confidants at the late-stage Qi Refining realm were scattered in the shadows, their presence concealed, awaiting Zhou Ye's command.

Zhang Huai'an stood in the car on the street corner, staring at the warehouse door through the car window with a sinister look. When he saw Zhou Ye walking slowly with a little girl, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, but he didn't take Xiao Cao seriously. In his opinion, Zhou Ye was just a private treasure protector with some influence, and the person with him was just an ignorant girl.

Zhou Ye led Xiao Cao into the warehouse without looking to the side, closed the door behind him, and flicked his finger to create a soundproof barrier.

The entrance to the secret passage inside the warehouse was secured by an impenetrable iron gate. Zhou Ye took Xiao Cao's hand and they stepped into the depths of the passage together: "Xiao Cao, let's do it."

Xiao Cao nodded, closed her eyes, and activated the "Azure Origin Spirit Heart Technique".

The golden core within his dantian glowed faintly, and pure, gentle azure spiritual energy overflowed from his fingertips, transforming into a pale blue mist that slowly enveloped the artifact box in the secret passage. Azure spiritual energy excels at purification and nourishment; in just a moment, the lingering war gloom, dust, and turbidity on the artifact were completely cleansed, leaving only the warm and gentle aura of the ancient object itself. Even the chilly atmosphere in the secret passage became warm and inviting.

Zhou Ye simultaneously channeled the power of his Golden Core to reinforce the Xuan Iron Gate and stone walls of the secret passage. The spiritual energy seeped into the stone, making the secret passage even more solid. Even if it were bombarded with explosives, it would be difficult to damage it in the slightest.

"Brother, it's done!" Little Grass withdrew her spiritual energy, her little face full of relief. With the strength of the early stage of Golden Core combined with the Azure Origin Spirit Heart Technique, handling these small matters was a piece of cake.

Zhou Ye smiled and praised, "My little grass is getting more and more amazing."

Just as the brother and sister finished packing, the shouts of the inspection team came from outside the warehouse. It seemed that Zhang Huai'an was stirring things up behind the scenes, forcing the inspection team to force their way into the warehouse. Zhou Ye led Xiao Cao out of the secret passage and calmly opened the warehouse door.

The head of the inspection team, a cigarette dangling from his lips, glanced sideways at Zhou Ye: "You're Zhou Ye? Someone reported you for possessing contraband. Search you!"

"A search is fine, but if nothing is found, please give the Shou'an Society and the grain merchants and people of Beiping an explanation." Zhou Ye's expression was calm, and his golden core spiritual sense quietly spread out, instantly suppressing the unorthodox cultivator in the inspection team, making him feel numb all over and dare not make a move.

The inspection team swarmed in, searching every grain sack and crate in the warehouse. They found nothing of interest, not even a hint of contraband, only a warehouse full of cheap, fragrant grain. Old Ma stepped forward at the opportune moment, discreetly slipping a prepared silver note to the captain, and said with a fawning smile, "Captain, you've worked hard. It's all a false accusation by villains. Mr. Zhou is a great benefactor who supplies grain to the entire city."

The captain, having accepted the bribe but finding nothing, and also feeling flustered by Zhou Ye's suppressed spiritual energy, immediately seized the opportunity to back down, shouting, "You scoundrels! How dare you falsely accuse innocent civilians! Come back with me!"

The group slunk away. Seeing this, Zhang Huai'an, who was in his car at the street corner, smashed his teacup in anger, but he was powerless to do anything about Zhou Ye. He could only drive away in frustration.

The crisis was thus averted.

Scarface clenched his fists and whispered, "Mr. Zhou, are we just going to let Zhang Huai'an go like this?"

"What's the rush?" Zhou Ye said calmly. "He won't be able to keep this up for long. Once we figure out his hideout, we'll take him down in one fell swoop."

After arranging the warehouse duty, Zhou Ye led Xiao Cao back to the courtyard. As the sun set, smoke was rising from the chimneys in the courtyard. Xiu Lan had cooked red date porridge, and He Yuzhu had secretly taken leftovers from the restaurant and was clamoring to share them with everyone. Jia Fugui and his son also returned from the steel rolling mill, saying that Director Lou had assigned them new work and that their wages had increased considerably.

Xiao Cao helped Xiu Lan serve the porridge, behaving obediently and sensibly. No one could tell that this little girl was already a master at the early stage of the Golden Core realm. The deaf old lady looked at Zhou Ye, nodded gently, her eyes full of approval.

Back in the east wing, Zhou Ye took out the steel parts he had brought from the Lou family. These were materials for reinforcing the secret passage and making protective cases for the artifacts. Xiao Cao came over and gently wiped the parts with her Azure Yuan Spiritual Energy to remove the rust: "Brother, from now on, leave all the work of protecting these artifacts and reinforcing the secret passages to me. The Azure Yuan Spiritual Heart Technique is the most suitable for this."

Looking at his sister's earnest expression, Zhou Ye felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

The little girl who used to need his protection can now fight alongside him, using the power of the Golden Core and profound techniques to protect the treasures of the nation and safeguard the peace of this small courtyard.

As night deepened, the lights in the courtyard house went out one by one.

Zhou Ye and Xiao Cao sat cross-legged and continued to cultivate the "Qingyuan Spiritual Heart Technique," concealing their inner energy and hiding their true abilities in the mundane world.

Outside the window, the undercurrents of Beiping City were still surging. Zhang Huai'an's conspiracy and the storms of the chaotic world continued, but Zhou Ye was no longer afraid.

He possesses an elixir of immortality, close relatives by his side, loyal brothers and sisters, and patriotic allies. Even if the road ahead is fraught with storms and darkness, he can still see the light at the end of the tunnel and ensure the eternal transmission of Chinese culture.