During the Republic of China era, I achieved unparalleled success by returning to the past.

As soon as A-Dong turned around, he suddenly froze.

Song Beiyou was twirling a bull-ear-shaped dagger in his hand, and asked calmly, "Did you kill my two brothers?"

Ah Dong stared at the knife—the one he'd hidden at his waist! He swallowed hard, a fierce smile creeping across his face. "I hit him, so what? You want to use the knife again?"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. The landlord, frightened, quickly backed away, while the two men blocking the door exchanged glances and reached for the axe handles at their backs.

Shen Daguan, standing outside the door, his chest heaving, stared nervously at the knife in Song Beiyou's hand. Ever since Ayou's accident a year ago, he seemed like a different person, and Shen Daguan had come to regard Ayou as a god, obeying his every word. If Ayou were to make a move today, Shen Daguan was prepared to risk everything.

Suddenly, Song Beiyou, the center of everyone's attention, chuckled, revealing his gleaming white teeth: "Don't be nervous, Brother Dong. Weren't you just asking to see my special skill? I'll show you one now."

The bull-ear dagger in his hand was like a bluefish, and it pierced towards A Dong's wide-open eyes with lightning speed. Just as everyone's screams were stuck in their throats, the tip of the dagger suddenly turned, grazing his scalp and passing by his temple.

In an instant, blades flashed through the air with a sharp, whistling sound. The shadowy hand and razor-sharp blades swirled and danced around Ah Dong's head! Like an invisible cage, it held his head firmly within its confines.

Just now, a stab to the eye almost scared him to death. A-Dong's whole body was stiff, too afraid to move, only his eyes darting wildly, following the trembling glint of the blade. Each cold glint grazed his scalp, sharp and icy—

He had no doubt that if he moved even slightly, something would be missing from his head. Ah Dong felt his lips were dry, but he didn't even dare to lick them.

It felt like an eternity, yet also like only a few breaths. The glint of the blade vanished, and he swallowed hard.

The others' wide-eyed eyes darted around for a moment—Ah Dong seemed fine; he was just looking at all that fancy stuff. But as soon as that thought crossed their minds, they froze again.

Ah Dong simply lowered his head slightly, and a large tuft of hair fell from his head, revealing a smooth, bluish scalp in the center—a style exactly like the "chonmage" hairstyle of the Japanese ronin from Hongkou! Upon closer inspection, even eyebrows and a beard were nowhere to be seen. Only two sparse patches of hair remained above his ears, like a bald potato with two withered yellow leaves casually stuck on it.

A-Dong belatedly realized what was happening, reached up and touched his head. Seeing the stunned expressions on everyone's faces, he suddenly flew into a rage: "You son of a bitch, you dare to play me!" He clenched his fist and viciously punched Song Beiyou in the stomach!

His fist was caught firmly by a hand. At the same time, a gleaming, sharp knife flashed towards his chest!

"Ah—!" Everyone screamed in alarm. It's over, someone's dead!

Ah Dong was terrified. His breath stopped, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He was sent flying backward, crashing into the wooden door with a thud before slowly sliding to the ground. Only one thought occupied his mind: He was going to die! He clutched his chest, letting out a pig-like scream. He could no longer hold back his urge to urinate, and his groin felt hot.

Upon seeing Dong Ge fall to the ground and Song Beiyou brandishing a sharp knife with a menacing expression, the two burly gatekeepers turned and fled in terror. But two iron-like hands had already gripped the back of their necks, forcefully turning their heads back and slamming them together!

The two poor souls, their noses still red and swollen, collided solidly again. With a strange cry, a mix of emotions surged through them, tears, snot, and blood mingling together.

Song Beiyou, like a ferocious tiger unleashing its power, looked down at the newly-born "Moonlight Leader" Dong Ge and sneered, "Stop howling, you're not going to die yet."

Ah Dong finally snapped out of his daze, looked down, and saw there was no blood on his chest. Like a fish out of water finally returning to the surface, he almost wept with joy. But when he looked up again and saw Song Beiyou's gaze, a chill ran down his spine—this guy had definitely killed someone!

"Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. You injured my brother, how are we going to settle this score?" Song Beiyou asked, leaning down with a sharp knife in hand, causing A Dong to shrink back.

"This...this is for medical expenses. This is all I have on me." Ah Dong rummaged through his pockets and pulled out five silver dollars. He added, "I'll give the remaining thirty dollars to Second Master."

Song Beiyou took the silver dollars, his eyes like deep, cold pools: "Five silver dollars?"

Ah Dong's face turned ashen. He lunged forward and pulled five more coins from the two burly men who were groaning and covering their noses. "Here you go, they're all here."

"Apologize." These four simple words speak volumes.

A Dong glanced at the gleaming knife in Song Beiyou's hand, gritted his teeth, bowed to Shen Daguan, and said, "Brother Guan, I was wrong. I apologize to you."

"I, Song Beiyou, also have my rules. Go back and tell Second Master I'll go find him in a bit. Get out."

Ah Dong clutched his chest and hurried downstairs with his two staggering underlings, cursing inwardly: "Damn his ancestors! Why are Song Beiyou's eyes exactly the same as Ding Qiang's? This is weird!"

Shen Daguan's stick clattered to the ground. He wiped his eyes with both hands, saying, "Damn it, Ayou... when did you learn this skill?" Tears welled up in his eyes, and he wiped them again. "I want to learn too! You have to teach me!"

Song Beiyou put his arm around his shoulder: "If you want to learn, no problem. But let's go have breakfast first." He turned to look at the dumbfounded landlord and called out, "Find someone to fix my door, and pay me when you get back."

The two walked downstairs arm in arm. Shen Daguan looked smug and grinned broadly.

"Ah You, you're back?" An older woman came out from the first floor to pour water and greeted him.

Song Beiyou nodded and said, "Aunt Wang."

Before the two had gone far, whispers arose behind them.

"I heard he got into trouble at the foreign hospital..."

"Really? Ayou seems like such an honest person."

"Really! He was just released from the police station. A couple of days ago, several officers came over to ask about him. You'd better keep a close eye on your daughter..."

Shen Daguan's four eyebrows furrowed together at the same time.

"Don't explain, they won't believe you," Song Beiyou said calmly.

Just then, a voice called out from outside the alley: "Ah Fei, hurry up, we're going to be late!"

"Coming!" A silvery voice and light footsteps rang out.

She was a girl dressed in a church school uniform, carrying a schoolbag, who ran past the two like a gust of wind. When she reached the alley entrance, she suddenly turned around, made a playful face at Song Beiyou, and then jumped into her brother's rickshaw.

Shen Daguan's eyebrows, which had just relaxed, furrowed again: "What a pity, such a beautiful flower is going to be stuck in cow dung again."

Song Beiyou delivered an elbow strike, making him grimace.

……

The cold rain fell like silk threads.

Datong Street. As they approached the "Four Seasons Casino," Shen Daguan slowed the rickshaw's pace, licking his lips repeatedly: "Ah You, are you really going to see Second Master? Second Master is surrounded by ruthless thugs."

Song Beiyou patted the vehicle frame: "Stop."

Shen Daguan quickly stopped the car and asked with delight, "Should we... figure something out when we get back?"

Song Beiyou had already jumped out of the car. Seeing that he was sweating profusely with nervousness, he smiled slightly and said, "Wait for me here."

After saying that, he opened his curved parasol and strode towards the Four Seasons Casino.