Republic of China Era: Entering the Dao through Divine Strike.

"What's wrong with Uncle Tan?"

Cheng Feiyan was at a loss for words.

Zhuang Hongxiu answered for her, saying softly, "Uncle Tan did a good deed, but he was captured by bad guys."

Xiaoyue thought for a moment and asked, "Will Second Brother go to save him?"

Everyone at the table fell silent for a moment.

Cheng Feiyan lowered her eyes to look at the rice in her bowl, leaving her chopsticks on the rim without moving them.

Cheng Yuanhua picked up his teacup and took a sip. The bottom of the cup tapped on the table, making a very soft, crisp sound.

His tone softened slightly when he spoke: "Your second brother knows what he's doing."

Xiaoyue didn't quite understand.

But he didn't ask anymore.

The second brother knew what he was doing...

She pushed the osmanthus cake towards Li Xin, smiled with her eyes narrowed, and then quieted down.

Cheng Feiyan put down her chopsticks, her voice becoming somber.

"The emperor has been imprisoned by the empress dowager and is not allowed to see anyone."

Mr. Kang escaped, Mr. Liang escaped too… Mr. Tan and the other five were imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice jail. A notice was posted at Caishikou execution grounds, saying they would be executed in three days.

She paused, her fingers unconsciously fiddling with the anti-slip hemp rope wrapped around the hilt of the knife—a subconscious action she took when nervous. "The capital is in chaos right now, with soldiers everywhere, supposedly to apprehend rebels."

Now on the streets, some people are taking advantage of the chaos to loot, while others are taking revenge.

The embassy district, however, was unusually quiet. Double guards had been added to the embassy entrances, presumably because they knew something was about to happen.

"What about the other side of the Great Snow Mountain?" Li Xin asked.

"The gates of the Wuchang Temple are closed again. That monk Mingxin came by last time, saying he wanted to invite you to a banquet at the palace. Since you weren't there, he left."

Before leaving, he left a message saying that Uncle Wuchang had told Benefactor Li that if he wanted a share of the profits, he could come to Wuchang Temple at any time.

Li Xin placed his chopsticks on the bowl, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his eyes turned slightly cold.

"That old monk was quite shrewd; he guessed what I was going to do."

"But am I that stupid?"

He went to the palace to see the old monk, but instead stepped into the enemy's stronghold and walked into the formation. The enemy was just trying to fool him.

Cheng Yuanhua didn't look at anyone on the table, but only at the bamboo shadows outside the window.

The bamboo leaves swayed gently in the night breeze. He picked up the teacup, twirled it twice in his palm, and spoke in a very calm tone, as if he were talking to himself.

"I had advised Wang Wu about the reform before."

Those scholars were too naive, thinking that a single edict from the young emperor could transform the court.

They forgot that the reason this court was so corrupt was not because it lacked good emperors, but because good people couldn't survive within its walls.

He didn't ask, "Will you save her or not?" He simply placed the teacup on the table, the bottom of which made a very soft, crisp sound, as if putting a period to this conversation.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a guard came in and reported, "Master Li, Chief Escort Wang has arrived."

"Please invite him in. Wait a moment, I'll go and greet him."

Li Xin and his master Cheng Yuanhua went out to greet them.

Wang Wu was dressed in a plain gray cloth robe, but he didn't bring his signature nine-ringed broadsword.

He had lost weight, his eyes were sunken, and his cheekbones were prominent, but he seemed to be in good spirits.

He laughs heartily as soon as we meet, his voice booming like a bell.

"It's good that Brother Xin is back. I heard about what happened in Guangping. Well done."

Li Xin invited him to sit down, and Zhuang Hongxiu brought over a cup of tea.

Wang Wu took the teacup but didn't drink it. He just held it in his hand, turned it around twice, and then put it on the table.

He was silent for a while, and when he spoke, his voice was not loud, but every word seemed to be squeezed out from his bones, carrying an indomitable spirit.

"Brother Xin, I'm a rough man, I don't beat around the bush, so I'll just say it straight."

The Tan brothers and their six accomplices will be executed at Caishikou in three days. I have already contacted my brothers in the border regions and Zhili (Hebei) to prepare for a prison break.

"What happened after the prison break?" Li Xin asked calmly.

"Escort them out of the capital, through Shanxi, into Tongguan, and wait for the right opportunity... As long as the Emperor is still alive, the Qing Dynasty can still be saved."

He looked at Li Xin and said, "Brother Tan and I are kindred spirits and have a deep friendship. The Reform Movement of 1898 is the most visionary plan I have ever seen in my life."

He wanted to make the country strong, and he wanted the Qing Dynasty to no longer be bullied by foreigners. He was patriotic and selfless; such a person should not die.

Li Xin picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Zhuang Hongxiu brewed Biluochun tea, which had a clear and bright liquor with a long-lasting sweet aftertaste.

After drinking it, there was a slight bitter taste in my mouth.

"Master Wang, whether Mr. Tan dies or not depends not on whether you save him or not, but on whether he wants to live or not."

If he wanted to live, he would have run away with Mr. Kang when the Empress Dowager launched her attack.

He didn't run away because he felt he would be more useful dead than alive...

Only when a head falls can the blood seep into the earth. And what will grow from that blood that has seeped into the earth—no one can say for sure.

He put the teacup on the table. "The reform has come to this point not because the Empress Dowager alone is dissatisfied with him, but because of the issue of the distribution of benefits. Many people are dissatisfied with him."

If the reforms succeed, no one will be satisfied except for foreigners.

Therefore, if we don't completely eliminate the foreigners' influence, even if we try ten different methods, the result will be the same.

Wang Wu sat upright in the chair, his hands resting on his knees, his knuckles thick and covered with calluses.

Those were hands that had held knives their entire lives; those hands had slashed corrupt officials, bandits, foreigners, and all the beasts who bullied ordinary people.

But these hands can't chop off everything.

He couldn't even see where the enemy was.

He remained silent for a long time, then looked up at Li Xin. There was no anger or disappointment in his eyes, only a calm that came from finally accepting his fate after being suppressed for a long time.

"Brother Xin, be more accommodating to Er Ya in the future."

Li Xin did not answer immediately.

He stared at the cup of tea on the table, which had gone cold, and remained silent for a long while before speaking, his voice softer than before.

"That's your daughter."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then added a sentence in a very soft voice, so soft that Wang Wu almost couldn't hear it.

“Master Wang, your knife should be used for something more useful.”

Wang Wu was stunned.

He stared at Li Xin for a long time, something churning in his eyes, roughened by the elements, but he forcefully suppressed it.

He suddenly laughed.

"My sword won't break. If it does, it'll break on the battlefield."

He stood up and strode across the threshold.

As I was leaving, I paused, glanced at the screen wall, and seemed about to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

This time he's really gone; his back is straighter than when he came.

It wasn't because he was ready to die, but because he knew there were people who didn't want him to die.

Wang Jingya emerged from behind the screen wall.

She held her chipped goose-feather knife in her hand, watching her father's figure disappear into the alleyway, her fingers gently stroking the hilt of the knife.

She knew that once her father made up his mind to do something, nothing could change it.

Moreover, the more people try to persuade him, the more enthusiastic he becomes.

So she didn't try to persuade her, and she didn't even want to say a word.

When you do things, do you ever think about your family? This old man...

Wang Jingya swung the knife heavily, her lips tightly pursed, and her eyes misting over.

She raised her arm and wiped her eyes.

He let out a long sigh.

He turned around, slung the goose-feather knife over his shoulder, and walked toward Li Xin.

"Brother Xin, I beg you, I don't want Father to die."

Li Xin chuckled and said, "This is not the attitude of asking for favors."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

Wang Jingya's eyes had a dangerous look in them.

"Come on, give me a back massage..."

This is what Li Xin said.

The next moment, he jumped up and exclaimed, "Are you drumming? Is this what you call a back massage?"

Wang Jingya laughed heartily, "With this level of skill, take it or leave it. Or, should I go and learn from Hongxiu first?"

After saying that, he ran away in a flash.

"This girl is amazing."

Li Xin shook his head and chuckled.

After Wang Wu left, Cheng Yuanhua put his teacup on the table, stood up, walked to the door, and stood gazing in the direction Wang Wu had disappeared for a while. Then he turned around and said to Li Xin, "Wang Wu's trip is likely to end badly."

Li Xin said yes.

Character determines fate.

Some people never even considered turning back.

Knowing that there is a dead end ahead, but still not wanting to change direction.

They believe that there are things more important than simply living.

Cheng Yuanhua paused for a moment, his tone calm, as if he were talking about something that had already been arranged. "I still have some disciples at the Bagua Martial Arts School. Their skills aren't top-notch, but they're more than capable of guarding a house."

If you need to go out, leave Li Garden to your teacher.

He didn't ask Li Xin if he would get involved, but simply told Li Xin not to worry about his family.

"Thank you, Master."

Cheng Yuanhua nodded and returned to his guest room in the east wing with his hands behind his back.

He hasn't gone back to the Bagua Boxing gym these days.

I've always been at Li Garden.

Cheng Feiyan stood beside the door frame, fiddling with the hemp rope on the knife handle for a long time.

Wang Wu's figure had long since disappeared, but she was still staring in that direction, lost in thought.

Suddenly she spoke, her voice a little soft:

“Junior brother, Mr. Tan is very knowledgeable and a good person. He has taught us a few classes.”

"Are you trying to see him off?"

"No, he made his own choices. He probably wouldn't want his students to see him meet his tragic end."

Besides, I have my own things to do. Tomorrow, I'll go out and recruit a group of junior disciples for Li Yuan.

Teach them to use swords, teach them to read...

"Senior sister, go ahead and do it."

Li Xin understood what Senior Sister Feiyan meant.