All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

There is a dance floor on the first floor, surrounded by various open-style booths with semi-circular sofas. Waiters and waitresses move among them, and the dancers and hostesses laugh and joke. They drink, play drinking games, and watch stage performances—everything is available!

Bai Jiaxuan smiled and walked up to the second floor. Once up there, it was much quieter, and most of the people drinking and chatting seemed to be of a noble and elegant type.

Ye Huai'an continued walking towards the third floor!

As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, several waiters came forward. One of them blocked Bai Jiaxuan's path and asked him respectfully.

"Sir, I'm sorry, the third floor is not open to private individuals. Do you have an appointment?"

Bai Jiaxuan paused for a moment, then smiled and shook his head.

“I didn’t make an appointment. You guys go and tell Boss Huang that the friend who made him a fortune last year is here!”

Bai Jiaxuan's inexplicable words made the waiter look at him suspiciously, but he still tried to ask in a respectful tone.

"May I ask your name, sir?"

Bai Jiaxuan waved his hand dismissively and replied somewhat impatiently.

"Just tell him exactly what I said, he'll understand!"

The waiters looked at each other, and finally the lead waiter nodded and gave a look, signaling the other waiters to keep an eye on Bai Jiaxuan. Then he ran upstairs!

Ye Huai'an didn't make things difficult for the service staff. Bored, he turned around and leaned on the second-floor railing, watching the performance on the stage below!

Regardless of the era, these places of pleasure are always bustling with activity. The more glamorous the exterior, the more sin and filth are hidden beneath, because that is human nature!

As Bai Jiaxuan was sighing, he suddenly heard a middle-aged fat man rushing down the stairs.

Bai Jiaxuan turned around and saw that it was Boss Huang. This guy was even fatter than last year, with a ruddy complexion.

When Boss Huang saw Bai Jiaxuan, his eyes were filled with mixed emotions—surprise, fear, and even trepidation. He quickly reached out and grasped Bai Jiaxuan's hand with trembling hands, speaking in a respectful tone.

"Mr. Chen, how have you been?"

Bai Jiaxuan laughed heartily, patted Fatty Huang on the shoulder, and replied with a smile.

"Mr. Huang, it's been a long time!"

Chapter 47: One Against a Hundred

Seeing Bai Jiaxuan's cheerful smile, Boss Huang felt much more at ease knowing he could take on a hundred opponents alone.

He was genuinely worried that Chen Zhen, whom he hadn't seen for a year, might be desperate and had come to him for refuge!

He knew very well what the name Chen Zhen represented in Shanghai today!

Last year, Chen Zhen's duel with the Japanese only caused a sensation among the common people. What truly made Chen Zhen's name a taboo was the attack on the Japanese army branch.

In order to find out about the suddenly emerging mysterious force, intelligence agents from various countries have offered huge rewards on the underground intelligence market, which have accumulated to more than $100,000, an astronomical sum!

The reason for such a high bounty is that this force is too mysterious and has left almost no clues.

Although Shanghai is a chaotic place, everyone is aware of the powerful forces behind it. The sudden appearance of this force has made all the major powers feel a chill down their spines. What if they were to launch an attack one day?

Therefore, the intelligence rewards offered by various countries have exceeded $100,000, but no one has claimed the reward yet!

Although there is no conclusive evidence yet, the great powers, including the Japanese, have narrowed down the suspects to Chen Zhen!

The martial arts skills Chen Zhen displayed on the dueling platform were different from those left by the attack on the Special Agent Building.

However, after investigation, the Japanese discovered that the attackers who stormed the intelligence building that day did not use firearms such as pistols, but rather relied purely on melee weapons to kill the attackers.

Such skill inevitably brings to mind Chen Zhen on the martial arts stage.

Last year, Bai Jiaxuan used the alias Chen Zhen to stand up for the Jingwu School, which was not exactly a secret. There were many clues left behind, but Chen Zhen's true identity could never be found out.

The latest information we can find is that Chen Zhen and his backers are part of an unknown force, and it is currently unclear which side they belong to.

In fact, Bai Jiaxuan had already appeared by Boss Huang's side last year, so naturally someone had also investigated Boss Huang!

Especially since the martial arts competition last year was organized by Boss Huang, it's natural that someone investigated the relationship between Boss Huang and Chen Zhen last year.

Fortunately, Huang's boss is from France, which is one of the great powers and has enough strength to protect him!

Although last year's competition was organized by Boss Huang, it naturally had his boss's permission behind the scenes!

Of the profits from that match, Boss Huang took at most 30%, while the remaining 70% was taken by his other bosses!

So, Mr. Huang really couldn't find any clues!

Most importantly, even Boss Huang doesn't know Chen Zhen's true identity!

Through clues about weapons transportation, Boss Huang actually had a vague guess in his mind, but he never revealed that guess to outsiders!

He had no grudge against Chen Zhen. If he betrayed Chen Zhen and the latter came looking for revenge, his own life would be more precious. He knew Chen Zhen's unpredictable and supernatural skills.

Therefore, Boss Huang did not reveal Chen Zhen's identity and background to his boss.

Most importantly, he was also implicated in the attack on the Japanese army branch last year, and he naturally tried to cover it up.

After Bai Jiaxuan and Boss Huang went up to the third floor, they quickly entered a private meeting room.

Boss Huang personally brought out two bottles of fine wine and poured them for Bai Jiaxuan!

After clinking glasses and exchanging a few pleasantries, the two got down to business.

Bai Jiaxuan naturally came to Boss Huang to inquire about the current situation in Shanghai.

His own group of little monkeys were unfamiliar with the area, and the intelligence they gathered was all generic and unreliable; naturally, they couldn't possibly know the real situation.

Besides gathering intelligence, Bai Jiaxuan naturally asked Boss Huang to continue purchasing a batch of weapons from him.

The more weapons the better, since warlordism is just around the corner. Weapons are consumables, so buying more is never a bad thing!

Moreover, Bai Jiaxuan was well aware that Zhang Xiaopeng, with his clever little head, would definitely be planning some big moves in the future.

Having more weapons means fewer monkeys will be sacrificed in the future. It's always a good thing to prepare some in advance!

When Bai Jiaxuan asked about the true situation in Shanghai, Boss Huang pondered for a moment and then recounted the events of the past year.

In the end, Boss Huang couldn't help but remind Bai Jiaxuan to be careful in Shanghai, because once people knew he had appeared, countless people would be interested in him.

In short, what Mr. Huang meant can be summarized in one sentence!

Little brother, if you want to live, keep a low profile!

Bai Jiaxuan smiled and nodded, not refuting Boss Huang's reminder!

After all, he meant well, and besides, he didn't know his own true strength.

Boss Huang also reminded Bai Jiaxuan that Jingwu School has now become the target of public criticism and is being watched by countless eyes, so he must not contact anyone from Jingwu School!

Bai Jiaxuan nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that not going to Jingwu Gate as soon as he entered the city was the right choice.

He wasn't afraid of those eyes, but Zhang Xiaopeng and his group of more than twenty people had come along this time. If they were really surrounded, not many of them would be able to escape!

Therefore, this matter needs to be considered carefully!

But he definitely had to go to Jingwu School, not only to see old friends, but also to make a deal with them.

This is a long-term trading strategy, so it cannot be interrupted!

Although he had countless business partners for herbal powder, the Republic of China government was undoubtedly the best partner for the next few decades.

First, the other party will be the ruler of this land for the next few decades; second, the other party is not short of money; third, helping one's own people is always better than helping outsiders.

If Ye Huai'an were to sell the herbal powder carelessly, he was certain that it would never end up in the military.

Either the wealthy secretly bought them up, or the foreigners took them. You have to understand that World War I was just around the corner, and these life-saving items on the battlefield could definitely determine the life and death of countless people.

It seems that this trip to Shanghai was indeed subject to many restrictions, but Bai Jiaxuan did not believe that the Republic of China government would just stand by and watch the deal be ruined.

They are the ones who urgently need the medicine powder, not me; I have absolutely nothing to worry about.

In short, he should go and scout things out first. Only after the transaction is completed can Chen Zhen's identity truly appear in Shanghai!

Having made his decision, Bai Jiaxuan stopped wasting time and directly brought up the matter of purchasing weapons with Boss Huang.

Boss Huang wasn't surprised. He had secretly guessed that Bai Jiaxuan must have a powerful force behind him. In this era, anyone with ambition needs weapons, just like chopsticks for eating. They are consumables, so it's normal to buy weapons!

Since Boss Huang also dealt in arms on the side, he naturally did not refuse Bai Jiaxuan's purchase request.

Besides, could he refuse this killing god in front of him?

Maintaining the relationship is naturally the best thing; having more friends means having more options, and who knows, you might actually need this person's help in the future.

Bai Jiaxuan purchased a large quantity of weapons this time, amounting to over 50,000 silver dollars, including a significant amount of explosives!

After carefully confirming several times that the explosives would not be used in Shanghai, Mr. Huang finally breathed a long sigh of relief!

The explosives Bai Jiaxuan used at the Japanese army branch last year came from Boss Huang, and the Japanese almost used the explosives to find him.

Fortunately, that batch of explosives was second-hand goods that had changed hands several times on the black market. If they had actually used the explosives from their own warehouse last year, the Japanese would definitely have found a way to use them against them!

Last year, this guy went too far. Mr. Huang is still feeling lingering fear and is genuinely afraid that this guy will pull off another spectacular explosion show!

The two quickly settled the business, and Boss Huang didn't dare to overcharge Bai Jiaxuan, offering a fair price and the same old terms: delivery to Luoyang for self-pickup!

As for the payment, Bai Jiaxuan will send someone to make the transaction after Boss Huang arranges the transportation. The payment will be settled in advance. Bai Jiaxuan is not afraid of Boss Huang playing any tricks, and he is not worried about being cheated by the other party!

Boss Huang is now a big shot in Shanghai, so this kind of arms deal is no problem for him. Those big warlords buy arms in big deals worth millions of silver dollars, but for this small business, Boss Huang gave a timeframe: at most half a month to deliver the goods!

After the business deal was settled, the two relaxed considerably. They exchanged drinks, smoked cigars, and chatted about gossip from various countries over the past year, as well as interesting tidbits about his nightclub. They were quite happy!

After spending two hours at Boss Huang's place, Bai Jiaxuan finally got bored and got up to say goodbye.

Boss Huang couldn't wait for Bai Jiaxuan to leave his nightclub, since there were countless intelligence agents from various countries inside. If they found out that he and Chen Zhen were very familiar with each other, there would be a lot of trouble!

However, he still had to be polite on the surface. Boss Huang asked with a smile if he wanted to find a few popular dancers to keep Bai Jiaxuan company for one night.

Bai Jiaxuan smiled without saying a word and refused. He got up, picked up his top hat and put it on. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something at the door and turned around to say something to Boss Huang, who had already stood up to see him off.

"Mr. Huang, could you do me a favor?"

Mr. Huang's body trembled slightly as he stood up, and his eyelids twitched, sensing that something big was about to happen.

He gave an awkward laugh and quickly composed himself before speaking.

"I wonder what kind of help Mr. Chen would like me to provide?"

Bai Jiaxuan smiled and glanced at the somewhat uneasy Boss Huang, then shook his head and said.

"It's nothing serious. Mr. Huang, you have extensive connections in Shanghai. I'd like to ask you to help me publish a message in major newspapers in about two weeks!"

When Mr. Huang heard about the half-month timeframe, he couldn't help but think of the batch of weapons he had promised to deliver within half a month.