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

The bullet passed between the two men, grazed the spot where Chen Zhan had just been standing, and struck the wooden wall deep inside the alley, sending splinters flying.

The man looked terrified; if Chen Zhan hadn't intervened, he would have been the one hit.

Chen Zhan flashed forward, grabbed the bewildered man still pressed against the wall, pulled him aside, and slammed open a half-closed shed door. The two of them tumbled into the shed.

The shack was dark and creaky, piled with broken and rubbish items, and smelled musty.

There was no second gunshot from the alley outside, but there were footsteps, and more than one person was approaching.

Chen Zhan pinned the man against the wall and lowered his voice: "Who exactly wants to kill you?"

The man leaned against the wall, his face ashen, his chest heaving violently. The old wound from being slapped against the wall earlier had aggravated his pain, and his breathing was heavy.

He looked at Chen Zhan with a complex expression in his eyes, a mixture of surprise, anger, and confusion.

I haven't had a chance to answer yet.

Hurried footsteps came from the alley outside; they weren't the people who had been chasing them, but were coming from another direction.

Two figures rushed over quickly, one tall and one short, their steps fast and hurried. They reached the door of the shed and suddenly stopped.

Chen Zhan recognized him.

They were those two young men from the boxing ring last night.

The two were stunned when they saw Chen Zhan in the shed.

"It's you?" the taller one spoke first, looking surprised. "What are you doing here?"

The shorter man didn't speak. He first glanced at the man leaning against the wall, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the man was alright. Then he turned to look at Chen Zhan, his eyes full of vigilance.

The man straightened up from the wall, coughed twice, and waved to the two young men.

"Uncle-Master!" The shorter man quickly stepped forward to help him up. "Are you alright? We ran this way as soon as we heard the gunshots."

"It's nothing." The man pushed his hand away, his gaze still fixed on Chen Zhan. His tone softened, but his doubts remained.

"Who exactly are you?"

The tall man glanced back at the alleyway to make sure no one was following him before turning back.

"Master, this guy fought several matches in the boxing ring last night. He's very skilled and beat the Green Dragon Gang members to a pulp." He then looked at Chen Zhan, "Are you with us?"

“I didn’t follow you.” Chen Zhan leaned against the doorframe. “I saw someone practicing Cheng-style Baguazhang as I was passing by, and I glanced at them a couple of times.”

The two young men exchanged a glance.

The tall one is named Fang Henian, and the short one is named Fang Heming. They are brothers and both disciples of the Cheng School of Bagua.

Ruan Liangshan, that's the name of the man from earlier.

"The Cheng School of Bagua, Cheng Yougong, Feng Junyi, and Li Wenbiao are all gone?" Chen Zhan asked again.

The three exchanged a glance, their expressions turning forlorn, but they remained silent.

"What about Ruan Zhi, Li Qingsu, and Ye Ningzhen?" Chen Zhan asked again. After so many years, mentioning Ye Ningzhen again filled him with emotion.

"How do you know so much about our Bagua Sect?" Ruan Liangshan asked.

"The true name of the Bagua Sect still belongs to the Gong family back then. Ye Ningzhen personally went to the Gong family and fought against Gong Er to reclaim the Bagua plaque. Almost twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye."

Chen Zhan looked nostalgic. Back then, when they went north to Fengtian, it was extremely dangerous. The two fought side by side and it was in Fengtian that they formed their friendship.

Neither Fang Henian nor Fang Heming had heard of this.

Was the Bagua lineage originally from the Gong family? And who is the Gong family?
The two were too young, only a few years old when this happened, but Ruan Liangshan knew about it, and his doubts vanished at that moment.

Someone knows about that incident, but to describe it so clearly, even vividly, is probably only possible for someone who experienced it back then.

"Were you also in Fengtian back then?" Ruan Liangshan asked.

"Yes, I was fortunate enough to experience it."

Ruan Liangshan believed that he was a master who went north to help fight the Japanese. At that time, many people from the north went to fight the Japanese, resulting in heavy casualties, but some people survived.

"Can you trust me now?"

Ruan Liangshan nodded, letting the two young men speak.

Fang Henian was impatient and quick-witted, and he quickly explained the situation in just a few words.

The three of them, along with a seriously injured elder, have been hiding in Sham Shui Po for over three months. They have been constantly hunted down by people, who come intermittently every few days, some with guns and others with fists and feet.

"The Cheng School of Baguazhang, your elders?" Chen Zhan asked.

Ruan Liangshan sighed.

"Yes, Junior Sister Ruan is seriously injured, alas..."

"Ruan Zhi?"

Chen Zhan suddenly spoke, his tone changing.

His tone had been relaxed and easy just moments before, but the two words that came out of his mouth carried a chill that the three people around him felt simultaneously.

That was murderous intent.

It was fleeting, but enough to send chills down your spine.

Fang Henian and Fang Heming unconsciously took a half step back, and Ruan Liangshan's breathing also paused for a moment.

"Take me to see her."

The three men looked at him, but none of them answered immediately.

The three pairs of eyes held vigilance and unease.

After being hunted for more than three months, constantly on the run and living in constant fear, trust has become a luxury for these people.

If we were to take a complete stranger to meet Uncle Ruan, what if we were inviting a wolf into our house?

Chen Zhan could tell that he wasn't making things difficult for them.

"Ruan Zhi and I are old friends. If you don't believe me, pass on a message to her."

Ruan Liangshan looked at him: "Please speak."

"Candlelight flickers in the Buddhist hall, blood splatters seven steps away; Bodhisattvas lower their brows, Vajras glare fiercely."

The sixteen characters were spoken plainly, like reciting an old poem.

Ruan Liangshan couldn't understand.

What is the candlelight in the Buddhist hall? What is blood splattered seven steps away?
But he remembered it.

"it is good."

Chen Zhan turned around, walked out of the shed, turned into the alley opposite and stopped, raised his right hand and pressed it against his face.

With fingertips pinching the skin and flesh of the cheekbone, the outer layer of disguise of the bone-changing technique is removed, the height of the cheekbone changes, the arch of the brow changes, and the lines of the nose, jaw, and lips are restored little by little.

The gray shirt hasn't changed, but the person has.

The unremarkable face disappeared, revealing a face that was unnaturally young.

He had a face that looked like he was in his early thirties, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and strong facial features.

The three people stood there stunned for a moment, exchanged a glance, and then turned and walked in the opposite direction.

The houses in Sham Shui Po are not as complicated as those in Kowloon Walled City, but the area is still quite chaotic.

The shacks were next to each other, the alleys were connected to alleys, and the tin roofs stretched as far as the eye could see, making it impossible to tell which way was which. An ordinary person would get lost within half an hour of entering.

The three of them walked for about half an incense stick's time, made more than a dozen turns, crossed an open space where clothes were drying, went up the external iron ladder of a two-story shed, and entered a room on the second floor.

Sandalwood incense was burning in the room.

Thin wisps of smoke drifted from a rough ceramic incense burner, dispersing into a thin mist beneath the low roof.

The sandalwood couldn't mask the medicinal smell; the bitter aroma of Chinese medicine mingled with the stench of blood, filling the room with a pungent, choking odor.

Behind the bamboo curtain, someone was coughing.

The cough was very light and faint, as if the person was trying to suppress their voice and not want others to hear it.

Each sound was squeezed out from deep within the chest, the last note accompanied by a short, labored breath.

Ruan Liangshan walked to the front of the bamboo curtain and stopped.

"Junior sister, I just met someone... who said they were an old acquaintance of yours."

The coughing behind the bamboo curtain stopped for a moment, then a woman's voice came through, hoarse, weak, and breathless.

"Hehe, don't worry about it, it's just a joke. I know a lot of people like that; it's probably just some new trick devised by those bastards from the Green Robe Society."

His tone was laced with weary sarcasm, as if this had happened more than once.

Ruan Liangshan hesitated for a moment. "But they also saved a few of us and asked me to pass on a message to you."

"Cough cough cough... What is it? Speak."

"The other party said—'In the Buddhist hall, candlelight flickers; blood splatters seven steps away; the Bodhisattva lowers his brows; the Vajra glares fiercely.'"

After those words were spoken, an eerie silence fell behind the bamboo curtain.

One breath. Two breaths.

With a snap, the bamboo curtain was suddenly ripped open from the inside.

A withered hand gripped the edge of the bamboo curtain, veins bulging and knuckles white.

The person behind the bamboo curtain propped himself up and sat up, leaning half his body against the wall. His face was sallow, his lips were chapped, his eyes were sunken, and most of his hair was gray.

Ruan Zhi.

She stared at Ruan Liangshan, the turbidity in her eyes dissipating in an instant, revealing a sharp and intense light beneath.

Say it again.

Ruan Liangshan was startled by her expression, but he repeated it anyway.

"In the Buddhist hall, candlelight flickers, blood splatters seven steps away..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ruan Zhi interrupted him.

"The candlelight in the Buddhist hall, the candlelight in the Buddhist hall..."

She repeated those four words to herself, her voice changing from hurried to dazed, and her gaze shifting from staring at Ruan Liangshan to looking at some non-existent place in the void.

Seventeen years ago.

Her older sister, Ye Ningzhen, insisted on assassinating someone in the Buddhist hall. She tried to dissuade her, but to no avail. Once Ye Ningzhen made up her mind, nothing could change it.

The candlelight flickered in the Buddhist hall, amidst the glint of swords and the shadows of blood; life and death were decided within seven steps.

Ye Ningzhen met that man.

That person changed my sister's life, altered the landscape of the Cheng School of Bagua, and even stirred up the entire martial arts world and the whole world.

If it weren't for that person, I don't know if I would be in this situation now.

Or perhaps, they died even earlier.

That matter was known almost exclusively to her eldest and second eldest sisters, who would never tease her about it.

The sixteen characters, "The candlelight in the Buddhist hall, blood splattered seven steps away, the Bodhisattva with lowered brows, the Vajra with wrathful eyes," were spoken by Ye Ningzhen herself back then.

Where is this person?

As Ruan Zhi spoke, she braced herself against the wall to move down, but her legs trembled as soon as they touched the ground, her knees buckled, and she almost fell.

Ruan Liangshan quickly stepped forward to help her up.

"Junior sister, your injuries..."

"Where did you see him? I'll go find him myself." Ruan Zhi didn't listen to him at all, gripping Ruan Liangshan's arm so tightly that her nails dug into his flesh.

"Is Junior Sister really an old acquaintance of this person?"

"Old acquaintances?" Ruan Zhi's voice rose, then was pulled back by the pain in her chest. She coughed twice. "More than just old acquaintances!"

Fang Henian and Fang Heming looked at each other in bewilderment.

They had never seen Uncle Ruan like this before.

Despite being on the run for more than three months, suffering such severe injuries, and having his pursuers blocking his doorway at the most dangerous moment, Uncle Ruan never panicked.

Now, after hearing just one sentence, I've completely changed.

"No need, Little Ruan Zhi, it's been a long time."

A voice came from the doorway, like an old friend bumping into someone on the street and casually greeting them.

Everyone turned their heads at the same time.

There was a person standing at the door.

It wasn't that ordinary face from before.

A young face, looking like he's in his early thirties, but his demeanor doesn't seem like that of someone his age. His features are distinct, and he has an indescribable, unique charm.

He wore a gray cardigan, coarse cloth trousers, cloth shoes, and his hair was pulled back.

He and Fang were the same person, yet they seemed like completely different people.

Ruan Zhi stared at the person at the door, her body stiffening.

The hand that was gripping Ruan Liangshan's arm loosened, and his hands hung down at his sides. He leaned against the wall, motionless.

Those eyes were fixed on the face at the door, the light in their pupils gradually brightening, from murky to clear, from clear to burning hot.

Her lips moved a few times, but no sound came out.

Chen Zhan walked in.

He walked slowly, step by step, from the doorway to the bedside.

Ruan Zhi just watched him walk over, as if she were looking at someone who had stepped out of a dream.

I was stunned for a long time.

It wasn't until Chen Zhan walked up to her that she was pulled back to consciousness by the churning pain in her abdomen. She bent over and coughed twice, the air tasting of blood.

She looked up, her face already streaked with tears.

"You're not dead, brother-in-law?"

As soon as she said this, she couldn't help but throw herself into Chen Zhan's arms and continue to weep silently.

Chen Zhan looked at her.

Back then, Ruan Zhi was agile, playful, lively, bold, and straightforward. She was decisive and her eyes were dark and bright, always radiating vitality.

Back then, she followed behind Ye Ningzhen, chattering away, sharp-tongued and fearless.

Seventeen years.

If you count by age, she's only in her thirties.

But the woman in front of me had half her hair turned white, and she was so thin that she was just a skeleton, looking emaciated.

"He's not dead."

Chen Zhan responded softly, his tone tinged with sadness.

He left without saying goodbye back then, leaving behind deep ties. Ruan Zhi's current state is most likely related to him.

Ruan Zhi cried silently for a while, her face buried in Chen Zhan's chest, her shoulders trembling, without making a sound, only tears.

After a while, she regained some composure, stepped away from Chen Zhan's embrace, wiped her face with her sleeve, and took a deep breath.

"Please go out for a moment."

The three people at the door came to their senses and were still wondering what the word "brother-in-law" meant.

"Um...oh, okay."

Ruan Liangshan led his two apprentices out the door and closed it behind them.

There were only two people left in the room.

Chen Zhan helped Ruan Zhi back to bed and placed his hand on her wrist.

Press your fingertips on the Cun, Guan, and Chi points to feel the Qi and blood flowing inward, and probe deeper along the pulse.

Her breathing was already very weak. She was so excited just now that her heart rate wasn't fast. It wasn't that she didn't want it to be fast, but that she couldn't.

The heart vessels are damaged, there is stagnation in the lungs and internal organs, and the kidneys are also injured.

He also had gunshot wounds, three bullet holes, and the bullets were still inside.

There are wounds from hidden weapons, such as caltrops or darts, with metallic rust on the edges of the wounds.

There are also some palm wounds where internal force penetrates the body and shocks the internal organs, leaving hidden injuries that are even more difficult to treat than gunshot wounds.

With all these injuries, an ordinary boxer would have died several times over.

Ruan Zhi was able to sit up and throw herself into his arms to cry, which shows her great strength and that she managed to hold on and not break down.

"It's been over a decade, and you've made considerable progress," Chen Zhan said, his tone softening as he took her pulse. "When did you break through to the Transformation Realm?" (End of Chapter)