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

Chen Zhan didn't speak, but listened to her continue.

"Later, during the War of Resistance against Japan, the two sides even cooperated to some extent. After all, fighting the Japanese was a shared goal; regardless of faction, it's unacceptable to attack one's own people first and then ignore outsiders. So, although the two sides maintained a facade of harmony while harboring underlying animosity for those few years, at least they didn't resort to violence."

"But many elderly people died during the War of Resistance against Japan."

Ruan Zhi's tone turned somber. "Those who died on the battlefield, those who died in the line of duty, those who were captured and tortured to death by the Japanese—one by one, they passed away. Too many had gone. When the Japanese surrendered, and both sides took attendance, more than half of the older generation were gone."

"The pro-unification faction underwent a major reshuffle, and a young expert was thrust into the limelight, employing extremely forceful methods. Several frictions occurred during the cooperation, but the older generation suppressed them. However, after the victory against Japan, the older generation was gone, and no one could control them anymore; their true colors were revealed."

The rest has already been explained.

As the Qingyi Society grew in power, it relentlessly hunted down members of the Su faction. Cheng Yougong and Feng Junyi were killed one after another, Ruan Zhi was seriously injured and fled to Hong Kong, while Ye Ningzhen stayed in Shenghai to hold things together.

Ruan Zhi did not repeat it.

Chen Zhan remained silent for a few moments before asking.

"Those who survived, didn't they speak up? Did they just let you be hunted down?"

The people he asked about who were still alive were not from any particular faction, but rather the veterans who did not die in the war, regardless of whether they were pro-unification or Soviet.

The Chinese Alliance has been established for more than a decade, and some of the first members are still alive. They can't just stand by and watch the two sides fight like this without saying a word.

Ruan Zhi looked at him and nodded.

"It's no use. The two sides are irreconcilable enemies; any encounter will only result in slaughter. There's no chance for peace talks anymore. At first, my sister thought about negotiating with the pro-unification faction, but she was ambushed and almost seriously injured, so she lost that idea."

"Some of the elders sided with the pro-unification faction, some with the Soviet faction, and some remained neutral. But those who remained neutral either went into hiding or were being watched by the Green Robe Society; they were struggling to protect themselves and had no say in the matter."

Chen Zhan's expression changed.

His tone, which had been relaxed, easygoing, and even a little sad just moments before, gradually turned cold.

"That makes things simpler."

The voice was very soft, as if talking to oneself.

Ruan Zhi sensed the change in his attitude; a chill emanated from him, and in the small room, even the sandalwood smoke seemed to be suppressed, no longer rising.

"Brother-in-law, what did you say?"

"I said, this matter is easily resolved."

Chen Zhan stood up, took the gold bar out of his pocket, and placed it in Ruan Zhi's hand.

The gold bar was heavy, about two fingers wide and four inches long, its dark yellow luster shimmering briefly in the dim room.

"Leave Sham Shui Po and find a clean place to stay. Find a doctor to check on the injuries of those people outside. Be careful. I'll come see you again tomorrow."

Ruan Zhi clutched the gold bar, wanting to say something, but Chen Zhan had already turned and walked towards the door.

"Brother-in-law."

Chen Zhan paused for a moment, but did not turn around.

What are you going to do?

"I need to take care of something."

He said just three words, then pushed open the door and walked out.

The three people standing at the door straightened up when they saw him come out.

Ruan Liangshan looked at his face, his lips moved as if he wanted to ask something, but he didn't say it.

Chen Zhan nodded to the three of them, said nothing more, and walked straight to the stairwell.

The sound of footsteps on the external iron ladder rang out a few times, then stopped.

Ruan Liangshan pushed open the door and entered the house.

Seeing Ruan Zhi leaning against the headboard, her complexion was much better than it had been a few hours ago.

His sallow skin regained some color, his breathing became steady, and his eyes brightened. Although he was still weak, he no longer looked like he might die at any moment.

He breathed a sigh of relief and went to the bedside.

"Junior sister, this person..."

Ruan Zhi glanced at him.

"With him here, we're definitely safe."

She handed the gold bars to Ruan Liangshan.

"Take this money to treat your injuries first. Don't worry about my wounds."

Ruan Liangshan was also injured; the blood clots in his lungs hadn't been cleared. Although it wasn't as serious as Ruan Zhi's, leaving it untreated wasn't a solution.

Ruan Zhi had already given up on her injury.

She didn't even ask Fang Henian and Fang Heming to raise money for her treatment. She only wanted to cure Ruan Liangshan first, so that Ruan Liangshan could survive in Hong Kong with the two young people and wait for news from Ye Ningzhen.

But she did not tell Ruan Liangshan Chen Zhan's identity.

-

Chen Zhan left the shack and walked outside.

His steps were slow, and his divine perception was fully unleashed.

The Way of Sincerity pervades all directions, and all movements within a hundred paces are perceived.

Every detail—where people are walking, where people are talking, where there is breathing, where there is a heartbeat—is clearly visible.

He felt it after walking about several hundred steps.

A person was hiding on the tin roof of the shed on the left, lying face down, breathing shallowly, with a heartbeat slower than normal, indicating that he had been trained.

more than one.

There was another one around the corner of the alley ahead, crouching in the shadows, breathing the same rhythm.

Further away, at the other end of the alley, two people stood side by side, one of them holding a cigarette, the red dot of the cigarette glowing and dimming in the shadows.

Four.

They were all secretly watching him, keeping an eye on the building he had just entered and exited.

Chen Zhan's figure flashed and disappeared from the spot.

The gunman on the metal roof felt a chill.

Before I could react, a hand had already grabbed my neck, with five fingers gripping both sides of my throat, like an iron clamp locking my neck shut.

My fingers wouldn't obey me; the index finger on the trigger couldn't be fired at all.

The gunman's eyes widened, and he tried to shout, but couldn't.

Chen Zhan gripped his neck, his figure flashed again, and disappeared from the metal roof.

Before the second person at the alley corner could react, a hand reached out from the shadows and grabbed the back of his neck.

The third one, the one with the cigarette between his fingers in the alley, hadn't even finished smoking when he was lifted up.

The fourth one had only taken two steps, and before he could even step out of the alley, someone patted him on the shoulder, and he went limp and collapsed to the ground.

Four people, less than twenty breaths in total.

Chen Zhan carried the four people to an abandoned shed.

Four people knelt on the ground side by side. Three of them were already lifeless, their neck bones broken, dead without a trace.

The fourth one is still alive; he's the last one who tried to run away.

He collapsed to the ground, trembling all over, muttering incoherently, whether he was begging for mercy or cursing.

Chen Zhan squatted down in front of him.

"Go back and tell your people not to come to Sham Shui Po again."

The one who was still alive nodded frantically and ran away, tumbling and crawling.

Chen Zhan stood up and dusted off his hands.

It was completely dark.

The streetlights in Sham Shui Po are sparse, and the shantytown is pitch black, with only a few lights on the distant streets.

He didn't return to Sham Shui Po. He headed east, towards Kowloon Walled City.

I originally didn't plan to keep my appointment with Han Shouyi.

Before meeting Ruan Zhi, his plan was to take it slow, first understand the situation in Hong Kong, figure out the distribution of power among all parties, and then decide what to do.

Meeting with Han Shouyi was just to inquire about some old stories of the Chinese Alliance; there was no rush, we could wait.

But it's different now.

I never imagined that so much would have changed in just over a decade; some people have become increasingly audacious.

With all these things piling up, he no longer had the patience to deal with them slowly.

At least in Hong Kong, things need to be cleaned up first.

The entrance to Kowloon Walled City appeared ahead. The dark gap resembled an open mouth, swallowing those who walked in from the outside.

Chen Zhan walked in, passed through several familiar narrow alleys, turned two corners, and arrived at the tin warehouse where the boxing ring was located.

He pushed open the door, went up the wooden stairs to the second floor, passed through the attic, and arrived at the narrow corridor at the back.

At the end of the narrow corridor, there was that wooden door.

Chen Zhan knocked twice.

The door opened.

Wu Jianglong stood behind the door, still holding the unlit cigar in his hand, a smile on his lips. But when he saw who it was, his smile froze on his face.

"Who are you?"

He looked Chen Zhan up and down, his gaze lingering on his face for a few seconds, but he didn't recognize him at all.

The person standing on the ring yesterday wore a gray cardigan, had an ordinary face, and plain features—the kind of face you wouldn't recognize in a crowd.

The person in front of me was also wearing a gray cardigan, but his face was completely different.

His features were distinct, his contours were strong, and there was an indescribable air about him; he was completely different from the face he had last night.

"How did you find this place?" Wu Jianglong's hand unconsciously reached for his waist.

Chen Zhan glanced at him.

"I saw you yesterday, don't you recognize me?"

Wu Jianglong was stunned for a moment, his mind raced, and then he suddenly realized what was happening.

"You are... Mr. Chen Zhan?"

Chen Zhan didn't answer, and pushed the door open and entered in the instant he was stunned.

The elegant room was exactly the same as yesterday, with a long huanghuali wood table, a purple clay teapot and white porcelain cups, and the sandalwood incense in the bronze censer had been replaced, with thin wisps of smoke drifting upwards.

Yesterday, someone else was sitting in Wu Jianglong's seat.

The middle-aged man, in his forties, had wide eyes, a long face, high cheekbones, and heavy brow bones. His face was angular and well-defined. He sat there upright, drinking tea with his back straight. His posture exuded the composure characteristic of someone who practiced martial arts.

Han Shouyi.

He heard the noise at the door, looked up, and still held the teacup in his hand.

The moment his gaze fell on Chen Zhan's face, his hand stopped.

The teacup hung in mid-air, neither brought to the lips nor put down; it simply remained there.

His expression faltered for a moment.

The person who walked in looked very familiar.

So familiar it's hard to believe.

It felt so familiar that I thought I was dreaming.

Han Shouyi paused for a moment, shook his head, rubbed his eyes with one hand, and looked again.

It's still the same face.

Nothing has changed.

Chen Zhan had already walked to the table, sat down opposite him, and picked up the purple clay teapot to pour himself a cup of tea.

"Your name is Han Shouyi, right?"

The voice was flat, as if calling the name of an old acquaintance.

"I remember you. Back in Fengtian, Xiong Hanshan introduced you, but you were only in your early twenties then, and had only recently become Xiong Hanshan's disciple."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down.

"Besides, you came with a master, right? You have some family-inherited skills, and Xiong Hanshan took you in because he saw you had good potential."

Han Shouyi remained frozen in place.

The teacup was still held in mid-air, my fingers trembled slightly, and the tea swayed twice, almost spilling out.

He listened to Chen Zhan's words, one by one, and every single one of them was correct, every single detail was correct.

Fengtian, Xiong Hanshan, bringing a master to teach, family-inherited kung fu—these are things that few people know, and even fewer of the living know them.

Behind him, Wu Jianglong stood at the door, looking bewildered.

He didn't know what had happened to his elder brother more than ten years ago, nor did he know why the person in front of him could tell Han Shouyi's background in one breath.

"This...you...you...you..."

Han Shouyi stood up abruptly.

The teacup hit the table, splashing tea everywhere.

He couldn't speak clearly, his lips trembled, and his eyes were fixed on Chen Zhan's face.

He didn't even dare to imagine that the person in front of him was really the same Chen Zhan from back then.

He saw it with his own eyes.

Throughout history, he has been the number one martial artist in both the North and South.

On the Fengtian arena, Chen Zhan killed Japanese martial artists as easily as slaughtering chickens and dogs, one punch after another, leaving his opponents with no chance to fight back.

In two years, he integrated the martial arts circles of the North and South, established the Chinese Martial Arts Alliance, ascended to the position of leader, and even gained the recognition of the then Nationalist government.

Every single one of these events was earth-shattering.

But it doesn't stop there.

Later, he even went east to Japan, causing a huge uproar. Even now, people in the martial arts world have to keep their voices down when they mention that incident.

That's a living legend.

There was no news of him for more than a decade, and everyone thought he was dead.

"No way..." Han Shouyi's voice trembled.

"It's me. Okay, sit down and let's talk."

Chen Zhan pressed his right hand down into the air.

Han Shouyi sat down without thinking.

My body sank uncontrollably, my buttocks landed on the chair, my back pressed against the chair back, as if I were being pressed into the chair by an invisible force.

He believed most of it.

Even if an ordinary person can impersonate another, and their appearance is exactly the same, their skills, demeanor, tone of voice, and expression are completely impossible to imitate.

Is that person someone that ordinary people can imitate?
Han Shouyi swallowed hard, unconsciously placing his hands on his knees and straightening his posture.

"How...how did you find your way here?"

He took a long time to calm down before he could utter a complete sentence.

Chen Zhan did not answer the question.

"I heard you withdrew from the Chinese Alliance, remaining neutral, is that right?"

"What did your master say?"

The master Chen Zhan was referring to was naturally Xiong Hanshan.

Han Shouyi's knees buckled, and with a thud, he slid off the chair and knelt on the ground.

He knelt on the ground, his back straight, and spoke each word slowly and deliberately.

"Leader, this matter was approved by my master. He agreed to my development in Hong Kong, leaving a way out for our Su School."

Chen Zhan held his teacup, looking at Han Shouyi kneeling on the ground, but did not tell him to get up.

"Oh? He agreed to let you develop your career in Hong Kong? You're doing quite well."

He paused for a moment.

"But what did Wu Jianglong say yesterday? He said you had withdrawn from the Chinese Alliance and would remain neutral."

Sweat beaded on Han Shouyi's forehead.

Hearing his name called from behind, Wu Jianglong opened his mouth to explain.

"My older brother—"

Snapped.

Han Shouyi suddenly turned around and slapped Wu Jianglong in the chest.

Wu Jianglong stumbled backward several steps, his back slamming against the door with a loud crash. The door shook, and he bent over, clutching his chest, staring at Han Shouyi in disbelief.

"Who do you think you are to speak here? Get out of here!"

Han Shouyi knew all too well the ruthlessness of the man before him; if Wu Jianglong were to utter another word he shouldn't, he'd likely lose his life. (End of Chapter)