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

Song Beiyou's finger suddenly stopped on another section:

News from this newspaper

The Central Martial Arts Association recently decided to appoint Mr. Yuan Zongjing as a standing director, effective immediately. Mr. Yuan is a disciple of Grandmaster Yuan of the Liuhe Xinyi School, possessing both high moral character and exceptional skill…

Next to it was a photo of a young man in a crisp Zhongshan suit. It was him! The young man who rescued him from the police station, the expert who knocked back the green pickup truck with a single palm strike.

He truly is a remarkable figure.

Song Beiyou gathered his thoughts, glanced at the ceiling, lightly touched the tabletop with his toes, used the momentum to rise again, and with a swift movement of his long arms, precisely grabbed the copper frame of the chandelier. His right hand reached upwards, directly touching the plaster groove he remembered.

His expression slowly froze, and he dropped to the ground, holding only a slip of paper in his hand. On one side was his message: "I saved your life, the serum is mine." On the other side was: "77 Xianghua Lane, I'll be waiting for you."

The handwriting was delicate, but the meaning was provocative. "You, Su Xiaowan," Song Beiyou thought, his teeth itching, his fiery passion suddenly cooled. He lightly slammed his fist on the table. "Fine, I'll come find you and see what tricks you have up your sleeve."

Slipping the piece of paper into his suit pocket, Song Beiyou didn't rush off immediately, waiting for Qiu Chan to experience the side effects first. These side effects were a significant limitation, but they should lessen as the inheritance awakens.

The night outside the window was deep, and lights shone sporadically from the shadowy buildings.

Song Beiyou recalled the mystery of room 618 upstairs. Now everything related to Su Xiaowan had changed; room 618 should just be an ordinary room. The Shi Feng he had encountered before shouldn't have appeared anymore.

He glanced at his watch; it was 9:50 PM. With nothing to do, he decided to go out. Song Beiyou stepped outside. His tall figure was reflected in the smooth marble floor; his footsteps were light and silent.

Although he didn't choose the Swallow Technique, he still vaguely remembered the power generation techniques and footwork of this lightness skill, only lacking the muscle reflexes developed through long-term training. Just like the butcher Ding carving up an ox, even after removing the mask, he still knew the butcher Ding's methods—splitting, guiding, and dissecting—but he couldn't reach that subtle state of perfect harmony with nature.

Just as he was about to push open the glass corridor door and go upstairs, Song Beiyou suddenly recoiled as if he had been electrocuted, his back pressed against the wall behind the door, his breath held, and he became alert and wary.

A dry, rustling sound, like tree bark rubbing together, forced its way into the crack in the door.

"Master needs it urgently, and you've failed on your end too?"

"Please forgive me, Mr. Liu..."

"Yeah, things aren't going well for me either. I went to the hospital, but before I could even get started, I ran into a tough girl who beat me up. Cough cough cough..."

The sound of their footsteps gradually faded away as they went downstairs, and they stopped talking.

Only then did Song Beiyou dare to breathe a sigh of relief. He walked to the end of the corridor, gently pushed open the window, and looked down. He saw two people walking out of the hotel. He recognized the withered, black figure all too well—Liu Dazhu, the mentally ill patient who had smashed the caregiver's head with a stick.

How did he get downstairs?! What he just said meant that the church hospital was indeed connected to the serum. And Scarlett, she hired me as her assistant—was she planning to use me as a guinea pig?

After the two figures got into the rickshaws and left, Song Beiyou pushed open the glass door.

Looking up at the stairs leading upstairs, he dared not take another step. He felt that a great terror awaited him upstairs. The cold light from upstairs shone through the glass into the stairwell, like clusters of wriggling insects.

A chill ran down Song Beiyou's spine. After a moment's consideration, he decisively went downstairs. He not only felt that there were demons and monsters waiting for him on the sixth floor, but the entire Fugui Hotel was also eerie and sinister. It was best to leave as soon as possible. When he became stronger in the future, he would unravel these mysteries one by one and slay all the demons and monsters.

Stepping out of the hotel, the oppressive atmosphere immediately eased. Song Beiyou looked around and saw the dim streetlights casting long, slanted shadows of the trees.

"rickshaw!"

A slightly worn rickshaw quickly pulled up from the corner. "Where are you going, sir?"

Song Beiyou got into the car and said, "No. 77, Xianghua Lane."

The driver agreed, took off pulling the cart.

He leaned back against the cushion, his face calm. At first, small cars passed by, then various rickshaws, but gradually, all that could be heard was the sound of wheels rolling.

"Sir, we've arrived." The rickshaw stopped. "It will cost you forty copper coins, but it'll be more expensive at night."

Song Beiyou peeked out and pulled out a silver coin. "Keep the change." As a man with a system, he had to maintain a certain level of dignity.

The driver was extremely grateful and happily pulled the rickshaw away. You see, if he could net more than eight silver dollars a month after paying the rental fees, that was considered a very good business.

Song Beiyou stepped onto the bluestone slabs. Most of the surrounding alleyways were already dark, except for this one house, which still had its lights on.

He glanced at his watch; it was 11:10. He then knocked on the gate.

After a moment, the door creaked open, and a woman in her forties or fifties stood inside. "Sir, who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Miss Su."

The woman lifted her eyelids. "Excuse me, sir, are you looking for something from Miss Su?"

Song Beiyou hunched his shoulders slightly and nodded: "Is she in there?"

The woman smiled and stepped aside to open the courtyard gate. "Please come in. Miss Su instructed that if any gentleman comes to her for something, he should be asked to come upstairs."

The courtyard wasn't large, with green moss growing in the cracks of the walls, and several large jars placed against the wall. The air was thick with the smells of coal smoke and wood. Song Beiyou glanced around and saw that only one room on the first floor had its door half-open and a light on inside; it must be the old lady's room. The rest of the rooms were dark.

The woman led him to the top of the stairs. "Sir, please go up yourself. Miss Su is inside."

Song Beiyou looked up and saw a blurry silhouette projected onto the window of the lit second floor.

"Okay, thank you."

He climbed the wooden stairs to the second floor. A few rays of light shone through the gaps in the louvered doors, making the steps appear as if covered in soft snow and silver, with a subtle fragrance lingering around the beams.

Song Beiyou reached out and kowtowed.

"Who is it?" The voice was clear and melodious; it was her. A strange feeling welled up in Song Beiyou's heart.

"I."

"Is it you?"

"It's me," Song Beiyou replied. Although Su Xiaowan tried her best to suppress her voice, he could sense the turmoil in her heart.

"Are you a human or a ghost?"

"Of course it's a person," Song Beiyou said with a smile. "You called me over, but then turned me away. What's the meaning of that?"

"Let me guess what kind of person you are. You're a man, a young man."

"Isn't that obvious?" Song Beiyou suppressed his thoughts and listened quietly.

"Ruthless, cruel, and perverted. You must be someone who is ugly on the outside and even uglier on the inside."