All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

In the same year, Tian Xiao'e became pregnant again, and gave birth to a boy the following year, named Bai Xiao'an!

In five years, Tian Xiao'e gave birth to a son and a daughter for Bai Jiaxuan, bringing him both a son and a daughter, and peace and tranquility!

In the past five years, Bai Xiaowu and Heiwa's generation have also started to marry and have children, settling down in Bailuyuan.

However, the eldest son, Bai Xiaowen, and his sister, Bai Ling, have not returned home for the past five years.

Of course, Bai Jiaxuan was fully aware of their experiences over the years, but he never interfered in the children's lives.

The cruelty of war grew increasingly severe over time, and Japan launched a full-scale war of aggression, making this chaotic world even more disorderly.

Only the Bailuyuan area remained calm and peaceful, as if it had been forgotten by this chaotic world.

The brothers Lu Zhaohai and Lu Zhaopeng also showed their talents in the chaotic world. Four years ago, Lu Zhaohai left Bailuyuan and began his military career.

Having survived several life-or-death crises, he is now a regimental-level political commissar, quite renowned in a certain area, and a thorn in the side of the White Party.

As for Lu Zhaopeng, after graduating from military academy, he joined a department and became a confidential secretary.

The general direction of history remains unchanged, but due to Bai Jiaxuan's butterfly effect, certain events and the fates of certain people have undergone earth-shattering changes.

Bai Jiaxuan was already in his early fifties, with a dark complexion that seemed to remain unchanged from twenty years ago. To conceal his unusual appearance, Bai Jiaxuan had grown a beard and was thinking that he might as well dye his hair white in a few years.

He's living a wonderful life with one wife and one concubine!

Bai Jiaxuan has three sons and two daughters, and with his children and grandchildren by his side, he enjoys a rare family bliss!

On the contrary, Lu Zilin, who is the same age as him, already has a gray beard and poor eyesight. His two sons, whom he misses dearly, have not returned home for several years and he does not even have a grandson.

Lu Zhaohai has never consummated his marriage with the woman he found for his eldest son years ago, and she has become a resentful woman who never speaks or smiles.

Bai Jiaxuan originally thought he would stay in the small town of Bailuyuan until the chaos ended, but as the chaos intensified and the situation became increasingly turbulent, he had no choice but to leave the mountain once again.

And this time, he's going to return to Shanghai!

Because Zhang Xiaopeng got into trouble!

Zhang Xiaopeng's shadow organization has grown larger and larger over the years. It is impossible for such a behemoth to hide from some powerful forces.

The Shadow Organization not only possesses vast resources and intelligence, but also controls a mysterious powder that drives countless forces to madness with envy.

Since Zhang Xiaopeng took over the powder trade more than 20 years ago, in the first few years he did only trade with the Jingwu School. However, as the war continued, the value of this powder began to rise sharply.

In the Republic of China era, in order to seize control of this medicinal powder, a scheme was devised against Zhang Xiaopeng and others one year, ultimately leading to a breakdown in negotiations between the two sides.

From that point on, this medicine powder began to enter the free market, created in pursuit of profit.

Because production was strictly controlled, and the production location of the powder was kept strictly confidential by Zhang Xiaopeng and other senior executives, the price of this miraculous powder increased year by year.

The annual trade in medicinal powder alone generates over a million dollars, a massive fortune. Combined with years of accumulation and the emergence of other industries, the Shadow Organization's wealth is comparable to that of a nation.

Despite numerous attempts by various forces to target Shadow over the years, Zhang Xiaopeng has managed to thwart them all.

However, no matter how much you guard against it, it's hard to guard against a traitor within the management team. Because of a traitor in the management team, Zhang Xiaopeng and the entire management team were eventually wiped out.

This time, the enemy is Bai Jiaxuan's old acquaintance, Little Japanese!

With the full-scale invasion, the Japanese successfully landed in Shanghai in November of that year. Now, the entire Shanghai has become the domain of the Japanese. They no longer regard the Western powers that once existed as their own. Apart from the French Concession, the other concessions are also under the control of the Japanese.

The Japanese are now extremely arrogant. Their continuous victories have led them to dream of conquering the entirety of China.

The Japanese have long coveted the Shadow Organization. To deal with this organization, they planted spies within it years ago!

Under the influence of spies, and with the rapid development of the Shadow organization in recent years, the personnel have become somewhat uneven. The other side seized the opportunity and arrested Zhang Xiaopeng and more than ten other senior management members in one fell swoop!

The news of Zhang Xiaopeng's arrest reached Bai Jiaxuan's ears through secret channels almost the next day.

When Bai Jiaxuan heard the news, he remained silent for a long time before finally deciding to take action.

For him, Zhang Xiaopeng was just a pawn he had unintentionally placed back then, but he never expected that this pawn would become a towering tree.

In fact, it didn't matter whether he rescued the other side or not. Bai Jiaxuan wasn't worried that the Japanese would attack Bailuyuan, a place that had never been occupied in history.

Saving Zhang Xiaopeng was a decision Bai Jiaxuan made after careful consideration, as the Shadow organization might still be of great use to him in the future.

Don't underestimate Zhang Xiaopeng's more than 20 years of management. As far as he knows, this organization is extremely tight-knit. This unexpected arrest, besides the traitor, also involved a certain amount of coincidence.

Although Zhang Xiaopeng was arrested, the organization is still operating. The traitors are only a small group of people, and even the Shanghai branch cannot control them.

The reason the other side captured Zhang Xiaopeng was naturally because they hoped he would be used by the Japanese. So, this situation can still be salvaged.

This experience has taught Zhang Xiaopeng a lesson.

After making his decision, Bai Jiaxuan set off lightly. He originally planned to go alone, but in the end, he took Bai Xiaowu and Lu Zhaoqian, also known as Heiwa, with him.

Although these two are quite capable, they have hardly ever left Bailu Plain since they were young, so they have too little experience. This time, we'll let them broaden their horizons!

The three of them traveled on their way, and everything had already been arranged for them, including their travel identities.

Amidst the chaos of war, the three of them fared smoothly, encountering no obstacles or even checks along the way.

Upon arriving in Shanghai, a city already overrun by the Japanese, the three of them were able to openly display their identities.

Bai Jiaxuan's identity was arranged as a pro-Kuomintang figure with a relatively high status, while Bai Xiaowu and Heiwa were his secretary and security personnel, respectively.

When they encountered Japanese personnel checking their identification, the other party saluted Bai Jiaxuan after seeing the identification he provided!

This shows that the power of the Shadows is indeed more formidable than imagined.

Zhang Xiaopeng's achievements over the years are quite impressive!

Bai Jiaxuan and his two companions arrived in Shanghai without incident.

Returning to Shanghai, Bai Jiaxuan was filled with emotion. Standing on the banks of the Huangpu River, looking at the rolling water, he recalled the past, which was still vivid in his mind as if it had just happened yesterday!

Chapter 59: Playing Big

Bai Jiaxuan led Bai Xiaowu and Heiwa along a desolate street, with countless broken walls and ruins on both sides, a scene of utter chaos.

It was their first time in such a metropolis, and they were so shocked by the scenes before them that they became incredibly reserved.

Now, the Japanese have occupied Shanghai for more than two months. Even after two months, the surrounding streets are still devastated, with countless collapsed houses lying abandoned because they could not be repaired in time during winter.

Because the Lunar New Year of 38 was approaching, the Japanese had to resort to coercion to force local businesses to open for business in order to cover up the peace.

The streets were covered with Japanese flags, and some shops had various posters on their doors to cover up the gun holes in the walls. Ironically, the slogans on the posters read...

"The Japanese army has arrived, let's all live in peace and prosperity!"

Bai Jiaxuan led the two men to the street where the Jingwu School had been located. It was only when they arrived at the Jingwu School that Bai Jiaxuan came to his senses.

Looking up, one could see that the signboard was long gone, the front door was tightly shut, weeds grew rampant, and inside, one could vaguely see a dilapidated state, clearly indicating that the place had been abandoned for many days.

I just don't know if Huo Ting'en is still alive. Back then, I, Lu San, Zheng Mang, and I stayed here for a while.

Bai Jiaxuan shook his head helplessly. Time is merciless, and many people and things have long since changed beyond recognition.

Back then, he transformed into Chen Zhen and stirred up a bloody storm in Shanghai, but now things have returned to calm.

Chen Zhen's fame has spread all over the world over the years, but time can forget everything. Twenty-five years have passed, and even a legend has faded. Chen Zhen has become a symbol!

Chen Zhen has become a legend. The younger generation is quite unfamiliar with this name. Perhaps only the older generation still remembers this once-famous figure!

Bai Jiaxuan stared at the Jingwu School for a long time before being shaken by Bai Xiaowen next to him, which brought him back to his senses.

As people get older, they tend to reminisce about all sorts of messy things from the past. Bai Jiaxuan shook his head, put his hands behind his back, and turned to leave.

Bai Jiaxuan's place in Shanghai is a mansion in Hongkou District, a high-end hotel that combines leisure and accommodation. The former owner was a wealthy businessman from the Republic of China era, and the current owner is a small Japanese businessman.

Most of the guests who can stay here are either rich or noble. Two miles ahead is the headquarters of the Japanese army in Shanghai.

Bai Jiaxuan chose this place himself. He chose it simply because he thought it was convenient and would not easily arouse suspicion when infiltrating the enemy.

Of course, the real reason was that he came here to gather some information.

When Zhang Xiaopeng was arrested, the Japanese government kept the matter very secret and revealed almost no information.

Therefore, he had to find some help from within the enemy ranks.

This help came from the owner of the mansion.

The owner here appears to be a pure Japanese man, with a family background that is a well-known noble family in Japan. However, in reality, this owner is Zhang Xiaopeng's direct spy.

Seventeen years ago, a horrific family annihilation occurred in Shanghai. The victims were a wealthy Japanese family who had lived in the city for a long time. More than a dozen members of the family were killed, leaving only an eleven-year-old child who had inadvertently avoided the disaster by going out to play.

On the surface, the male head of the household is just a small-time Japanese businessman living in Shanghai. However, his family is actually a noble group in Japan. He came to China with his uncle more than ten years ago, settled down, married, and had children.

After that incident, the Japanese government also sent people to pick up the only surviving boy.

The boy was outstanding from a young age. After returning to Japan, he was deeply loved by his family elders. Later, he was admitted to the Ogawa Imperial University, ranking first in his grade. After graduating from university, he returned to work for his family.

From then on, his career took off. At the age of 26, he chose to come to Shanghai to develop the market. In just a few years, this man became a well-known and wealthy businessman in Shanghai.

In fact, all of his background and life arrangements were planned by Zhang Xiaopeng, including his seemingly miraculous career over the years.

Zhang Xiaopeng has five more top-notch secret agents like these, deeply embedded within the enemy ranks.

These people are the best talents selected from tens of thousands of beggars since childhood. They have been trained since childhood, just to become someone else's substitute one day.

These top-notch secret agents' ultimate goal is to climb the ranks and eventually become the true power holders of the families they infiltrate.

This kind of invasion, which allows them to control all the wealth and connections of an enemy family without firing a single shot, is a specialty of shadow organizations.

This plan, also known as the Honey Pill Plan, was orchestrated by Zhang Xiaopeng and secretly planned for several years. He has planned dozens of similar plans over the years.

Every mission objective is carefully selected and prepared for years, yet even with such thorough preparation, success is rare.

Zhang Xiaopeng would personally arrange for the handling of many infiltrators who posed a risk of exposure, preferring to kill the innocent rather than risk exposing the organization—a truly ruthless approach.

Over the years, only five top-notch secret agents have successfully established themselves in the field.

No more than ten people know about the Honey Pill Project, and only three people know all the personal information of these top agents: Zhang Xiaopeng, Bai Jiaxuan, and the top agent himself.

Bai Jiaxuan knew this because all the top-secret plans and information were archived in Wuzhishan. Forty meters underground in Wuzhishan, there was a top-secret data room made entirely of steel. Only the leader of the Shadow Organization could enter that data room.

These top-notch secret agents used aliases from a young age, and even those who trained them back then didn't know what missions they would be carrying out later.

Zhang Xiaopeng probably had this idea when he founded the Shadow organization, otherwise he wouldn't have named it Shadow.

After Zhang Xiaopeng and others were arrested, the Japanese government quickly blocked the news, making it difficult for outsiders to find out their current location.

At this point, Bai Jiaxuan had no choice but to use the top-notch secret agents left behind by Zhang Xiaopeng.

When the mansion owner named Inoue Saburo first met Bai Jiaxuan, he couldn't hide his surprise, because he didn't expect that anyone would know his identity.

His identity was told to him personally by the Great Leader Zhang Xiaopeng that only three people in the world knew his identity: you, me, and a Grandmaster.