Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

That night.

Dark clouds covered the moon, and all was silent.

The third floor of Simen Inn.

Chen Zhan lay diagonally on the bed, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing even and long, as if he were already asleep.

On the ground in the corner, Yinmian Liu was curled up, his breath weak, barely breathing in and out, looking half-dead. The bandages on his wounds were already soaked with blood, and his face was as pale as paper.

Midnight arrived quietly.

The night sky was dark and devoid of light; the bright moonlight was completely obscured by thick, dark clouds, making it difficult for even a sliver of light to penetrate.
The entire city of Tianjin was plunged into boundless darkness, with only the river below the inn shimmering with a faint light.

A tiny ripple suddenly appeared on the river's surface. There was no sound of wind or water; the ripples just gently moved.

Like a tattered piece of coarse cloth, it wrinkles for a moment, then returns to its smooth state.

Just as the ripples subsided, Chen Zhan on the bed suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in them, showing no sign of sleepiness.

He sleeps with the window open, not out of carelessness, but intentionally.

Waiting for those who lurk in the shadows, coveting Liu's life, and also coveting his life.

Now, the people have arrived.

Yinmian Liu wasn't stupid. The reason he was willing to be captured and remain silent was mainly because he hoped that foreigners would come to his rescue.

He understands foreigners better than Yinmian Liu.

Foreigners have always only cared about their own interests, and Liu, the man with the dark side, was never an indispensable pawn in their eyes.

When he dies, there will naturally be another Li San or Zhang San to take his place, continue to collude with foreigners, work for them, and divide up the interests of Tianjin.

As long as there are enough benefits, there will never be a shortage of sycophants and those who will collude with the powerful.

Whether foreigners will come or not remains to be seen.

But the Iron-Mouthed Ma Liu will definitely come.

Liu Neng, the man behind the scenes, firmly controls all the gray market transactions in Tianjin. This is partly due to the protection of foreigners, but more importantly, he holds too many people's secrets. By using these secrets to restrain various forces, he can maintain his position.

Iron-Tongu Ma Liu was one of the people he controlled.

Three years ago, Tie Zui Ma Liu got into a jealous argument with someone. In a fit of anger, he secretly poisoned the other person while they were visiting a brothel, killing them.

The person he killed was the third son of the Jinmen garrison commander.

The Commander of the Tianjin Garrison was a fourth-rank official who commanded thousands of elite soldiers and wielded immense power in the Tianjin area.

His third son was a notorious villain with many enemies, so after his death, the military commissioner investigated for a long time but never found out who the real culprit was.

However, this matter was discovered by the cunning Liu, who then seized upon it.

Relying on this leverage, Yinmian Liu arbitrarily manipulated Tiezui Ma Liu, intending to live off it for the rest of his life.

Now, Yinmian Liu has been captured alive by Chen Zhan, and his fate is unknown.

Iron-Mouthed Ma Liu was filled with fear and unease. He didn't know if Yin-Face Liu would expose this matter in order to save his own life.

Once the truth came out, he had nowhere to stand and could only flee to the south, never daring to set foot back in Tianjin.

Although the Qing government was weak, it would have been incredibly easy for a high-ranking official of the fourth rank to kill a gang leader who had risen from humble beginnings.

His third uncle, who was the commander of the guards in the Prince's mansion, was utterly insignificant in the face of true power.

Therefore, he had to kill Yinmian Liu, and he also had to kill Chen Zhan.

Only when both of them are dead can he rest easy and continue to run rampant in Tianjin.

The night was as still as flowing water, eerily quiet; even the sound of the wind outside the inn seemed to have vanished.

In chaotic times, there are always people who are not afraid of death.

"Whoosh-!"

A faint whooshing sound came from outside the window, and a bamboo tube flew straight into the room.

The moment it hit the ground, the bamboo tube cracked, and a plume of black smoke instantly spread out, filling the entire room.

It wasn't the usual white smoke, but black smoke with an eerie sheen, emitting a pungent, fishy odor. It was clearly poisonous smoke, or a sedative with a paralyzing effect.

Chen Zhan remained calm, slowly concentrating and holding his breath, seemingly oblivious to the billowing black smoke.

Liu, hiding in the corner, wasn't so lucky. The black smoke choked him, making his nose and eyes water, and he coughed violently. His whole body convulsed, but he didn't even have the strength to struggle.

Fortunately, the windows were kept open, and although the black smoke was thick, it kept dissipating outside.

Before the black smoke had dissipated much, five cold lights, accompanied by a faint whooshing sound, shot straight in from outside the window, their target precise, aimed directly at Liu in the shadowy corner.

Five four-leaf plum blossom darts, their sharp blades gleaming with a cold light, clearly poisoned.

Chen Zhan's eyes narrowed slightly. With a casual squeeze of his right hand, a burst of energy erupted from his palm, and a piece of porcelain he had picked up was instantly crushed into five tiny fragments.

With a flick of his wrist, five fragments shot out like arrows, striking the five four-leaf plum blossom darts with perfect accuracy.

"Ding ding ding ding ding—!"

Five crisp sounds rang out in succession. The plum blossom dart was hit by the fragments and instantly changed direction. With a few "thuds", it embedded itself in the wall next to it, and the tail of the dart trembled slightly.

"If Sixth Master wants to take your dog lives, don't blame us for disregarding chivalry!"

A chilling shout, accompanied by three figures, burst in through the window.

With agile movements and swift actions, carrying a sharp blade in his hand, he went straight for Chen Zhan and Yinmian Liu as soon as he entered the room.

One person, two people, three people—three men in black.

They were all tall and strong, with a sharp aura, clearly skilled in martial arts, and possessed some real skill.

The leader, dressed in black, held a knife in each hand—a long knife in his left and a short knife in his right—these were unusual weapons.

Sun and Moon Qiankun Blade.

The long sword represents the sun, and the short sword represents the moon, symbolizing the sun and moon shining together and the balance of yin and yang. It integrates five techniques: chopping, slashing, entangling, spinning, and combining. The moves are fierce, emphasizing the coordination of both wrists and agile body movements. It combines offense and defense, making it difficult to break.

Chen Zhan had heard of this strange weapon before, but had never seen it in person. Now that he had seen it, he was quite interested.

The two men in black behind him were empty-handed, without any weapons, standing firmly with restrained power, clearly masters of unarmed combat.

The leader of the men in black had barely finished speaking when he stopped talking and charged at them with his sword.

The moves were ruthless, without the slightest hesitation, and gave Chen Zhan no chance to speak.

He was clearly aware of Chen Zhan's reputation and dared not be careless in the slightest, so he used all his strength from the start.

The long sword thrust straight forward with the force of thunder, aiming directly at Chen Zhan's heart. The short sword was held in front of him to guard against Chen Zhan's sudden counterattack. His wrists rotated, and the sword shadows flew. The sharp wind made the surrounding black smoke sway slightly.

Chen Zhan subtly shifted his body to the side, his movements calm and unhurried, easily dodging the thrusting long blade.

The leader of the men in black reacted extremely quickly. Seeing that his long knife had missed its mark, he did not hesitate at all. With a flick of his wrist, he changed the thrust into a slash.

The longsword slashed horizontally, its sharp edge carrying a whistling wind, aiming straight for Chen Zhan's neck. The moves were fluid and seamless, without the slightest hesitation, clearly demonstrating the user's mastery of the Sun and Moon Universe Blade.

This move, transforming a thrust into a slash, was clean and decisive.

The timing was perfect, causing a hint of surprise to flash in Chen Zhan's eyes, and he uttered a soft "interesting."

The blade arrived in an instant. This time, Chen Zhan did not dodge. Instead, he slowly raised his left arm and casually blocked the blade.

Upon seeing this, a flash of wild joy appeared in the eyes of the leader of the men in black.

Using your arm to block a blade? Isn't that just courting death?
Chen Zhan has recently become famous in Tianjin for catching a musket with his bare hands and killing three powerful warriors in an instant. He originally thought Chen Zhan was an invincible master.

That's why they disregarded martial ethics and launched a sneak attack with a smokescreen beforehand. The three of them joined forces to besiege him, but they never expected that this person would be so foolish as to use his own flesh and blood to block their fine steel longsword.

Overjoyed, he increased the force of his longsword by three points, determined to sever Chen Zhan's arm with one strike and make a great contribution.

But as he swung the longsword halfway through, he suddenly sensed something was wrong, and his heart sank as he realized something was amiss.

But by then, it was too late.

Amidst the billowing black smoke, Chen Zhan's left arm sank slightly, and his five fingers suddenly clenched down.

What started as blocking the knife with his arm instantly transformed into grabbing the knife with all five fingers. The movement was fluid and lightning-fast, giving the leader in black no chance to react.

"Heh, you want to grab my Qiankun Blade with your bare hands? You're practically courting death!" The leader of the men in black was both shocked and furious. He had originally thought that Chen Zhan had hidden weapons or sharp objects in his sleeves, which was why he dared to block the blade so easily.

Unexpectedly, Chen Zhan changed his hand into a claw and tried to grab his steel longsword with his bare hands.

They completely looked down on him.

A surge of overwhelming rage welled up in his heart. He swung his longsword faster and with greater force, while keeping his short sword in front of him to guard against Chen Zhan's sudden attack. He dared not be careless in the slightest.

Chen Zhan simply smiled faintly, offering no response whatsoever.

The moment his fingers touched the blade, he didn't try to grab it. Instead, he followed the force of the blade and continued to fall, his fingers gently landing on the side of the blade.

The next second, he flicked his fingers and smacked them repeatedly.

"Ding ding ding ding—!"

Four crisp, melodious sounds rang out in succession, their sharp tones clearly audible throughout the entire Four Gates Inn.

The long sword made of fine steel in the hand of the leader of the men in black was instantly covered with dense cracks after Chen Zhan flicked his fingers repeatedly, and then shattered completely with a "crack".

The shattered fragments of the longsword, carrying a sharp gust of wind, flew towards the leader of the men in black.

He had no time to dodge; the shards struck his body instantly. Four or five sharp blades pierced his chest and arms, and blood gushed out immediately.

"hiss--!"

The leader of the men in black gasped in pain, his face turning deathly pale, and he nearly dropped the dagger from his hand.

He endured the excruciating pain and shouted at the two men in black behind him, "Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother, these guys are tough. Kill Yinmian Liu first!"

The two exchanged blows in a mere instant.

The two men in black who were originally following behind him wanted to step forward to help, but before they could make a move, their third brother was already seriously injured, and the situation was instantly reversed.

Chen Zhan stood still, neither chasing after the injured leader in black nor stopping the other two.

The value of Yinmian Liu lies in the incriminating evidence he holds and his ability to lure out people like Tiezui Ma Liu.

Now that Iron-Tongu Ma Liu has made his move, Yinmian Liu's usefulness has been almost exhausted, so he's going to die.

After a loud shout, the leader of the men in black casually threw away the hilt of his long sword, gripped his short sword tightly, and charged towards Chen Zhan. His short sword thrust straight at Chen Zhan with ruthless moves. He did not seek to injure his enemy, but only to buy some time for his two junior brothers behind him so that they could kill Yinmian Liu.

Chen Zhan stood amidst the billowing black smoke, his right hand gently fanning himself—a gesture even more effective than a palm-leaf fan.

He instantly fanned the surrounding black smoke, which spread towards the leader of the men in black, obscuring his vision.

At the same time, Chen Zhan flashed forward like a ghost, grazing the incoming dagger. His movements were light and agile, and the dagger gently passed by his waist without harming him in the slightest.

In the blink of an eye, he was already close to the leader of the men in black.

Chen Zhan extended his right hand, gathering his palm energy, and slowly unleashed the Azure Dragon Overturning Water move.

This palm strike, though slow, was powerful, like an evil dragon slowly emerging from the billowing black smoke. Seemingly slow, it precisely struck the chest of the leader in black.

"Your swordsmanship is alright. If it weren't for this smoke, you might have died a little slower."

Chen Zhan's voice was calm and even, yet it clearly reached the ears of the leader in black.

The smoke had no effect on him whatsoever; relying solely on his divine sense, he could accurately determine the opponent's location and movements, and respond with composure.

On the contrary, for the three men in black, the billowing black smoke obscured their vision, affected their movements and judgment, and became an obstacle.

As soon as he finished speaking, his palm strike suddenly erupted.

"Oh!"

With a loud bang, the leader of the men in black was sent flying backward as if hit by a cannonball, crashing heavily through the wooden door of the room and flying straight out from the third floor.

It landed in the lobby of the inn with a heavy thud, covered in blood, its fate unknown.

Meanwhile, the other two men in black had already seized the opportunity to commit their crime.

The two men moved with lightning speed, rushing to the corner. One threw a punch, the other a kick, their moves ruthless and powerful. The punch landed on Yinmian Liu's heart, and the kick landed on his neck.

Yinmian Liu was already half-dead and had no strength to resist. He couldn't even let out a scream before he instantly stopped breathing and died completely.

Although they successfully killed Yinmian Liu and completed their primary mission.

But seeing their third brother being sent flying by Chen Zhan, his fate unknown, both of them felt a chill in their hearts.

They exchanged a glance, and without the slightest hesitation, a ruthless glint flashed in their eyes. With perfect coordination, they attacked Chen Zhan simultaneously.

The two men unleashed four punches simultaneously.

They clenched their fists together, striking with the force of hammers and cannons, their punches sharp and accompanied by a whistling wind, their momentum astonishing.

One of them unleashed a powerful punch, aiming straight for Chen Zhan's heart.

One of them unleashed a powerful punch, a heavy blow with the force to split a mountain, aimed directly at Chen Zhan's head.

The two punches worked in perfect unison, one above and one below, sealing off all of Chen Zhan's room to dodge.

Chen Zhan's gaze sharpened, but instead of showing any seriousness, a smile appeared on his lips.

Only now did he realize the fighting style the two men were using.

He had never actually practiced this style of boxing; he had only heard of it.

"Great punch! Great cannon punch!"

Chen Zhan praised, but his movements were not slow at all. He quickly turned his palms upward and used the Double Palm Exchange technique from Baguazhang, one palm against two cannons.

Respond calmly and without panic.

The two men in black also exerted all their strength, gritting their teeth so hard they made a 'bang bang' sound, and poured all their energy into their fists, slamming them hard into Chen Zhan's palms.

"Bam—!"

The fists collided with a loud bang, unleashing a burst of energy and a powerful impact that spread out instantly.

The tables and chairs in the room shook violently, and most of the black smoke was blown away by the force.

Chen Zhan staggered back three steps, his back slamming heavily against the wall by the window. The wall trembled slightly, and a layer of dust fell.

He raised an eyebrow slightly and exclaimed again, "Imperial Dao Technique! Impressive, truly deserving of its reputation."

He took three steps back, and the two men in black opposite him were also in trouble.

Chen Zhan's palm strike, seemingly ordinary, contained a long and domineering force. The two men felt a tremendous force coming from their fists, flowing down their arms, and surging into their bodies, causing their blood and qi to surge and their internal organs to feel as if they had shifted.

But the two were also formidable characters. Instead of resisting the immense force, they used the momentum to their advantage and retreat backward.

At the same time, he spat out a mouthful of blood, his face instantly turned ashen, and his breath became weak.

They braced themselves, grabbed the handrail on the inn's stairs to steady themselves, and without pausing, quickly ran down the stairs, leaping to the lobby on the first floor in a few bounds.

In the lobby on the first floor, their third brother was lying on the floor, with a wooden table crushed beneath him.

Covered in blood and barely breathing, he was still alive, though it was unknown how long he would live.

"Third Brother, let's go!"

The two men didn't dare to delay and rushed over quickly, one on each side, to lift up the leader of the men in black on the ground.

He turned around and kicked open the inn's door. He was disheveled, but incredibly fast, rushing into the night. In an instant, he disappeared into the darkness and was never seen again.

The entire assassination was swift as lightning, taking only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Inside the inn, the staff and manager of the four-door cart gang all hid in their rooms, watching quietly. No one dared to come out or step forward to stop them.

It wasn't that they didn't care about their own business, nor that they were afraid of Tie Zui Ma Liu, but rather that Chen Zhan had given them instructions beforehand.

No matter who causes trouble.

No matter what happens.

You don't need to worry about it or ask anything. If anything is broken, he will compensate you. He will never implicate anyone in the Four Doors Car Gang.

After the three men in black disappeared into the night.

Chen Zhan slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over the corpse of Yinmian Liu in the corner. He watched the three men in black flee, a faint smile playing on his lips. (End of Chapter)