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

The car headlights illuminated the area ahead in a stark white light.

Inside the car's back seat, sparks flickered, and a voice said casually, "Sergei was my dog, and he cost me a lot of money. You killed him with one punch, so I'm a little unhappy."

Song Beiyou channeled his inner energy, his toes slowly grinding the ground, activating "Autumn Cicada's First Sense" once more. To catch the thief, first catch the king. He sneered, "Once you're on the arena, you're responsible for your own life. If I kill you, it's your own fault. You're a man of some standing, surely you can't afford to lose?"

"Haha, interesting. You're someone special. Let's not beat around the bush, you'll box for me, five hundred dollars a month, how about it?"

Song Beiyou lowered his head and asked, "You want me to be your dog?"

Inside the car, Young Master Chang seemed to chuckle softly, flicking off his cigarette ash. "The best factory in Jiangzuo, even the top technician, only earns fifty silver dollars a month." He paused, his voice carrying a matter-of-fact air, "Five hundred dollars for a month. You think that's too little?"

Just then, several muffled groans came from behind, followed by the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.

Almost simultaneously, a black light pierced the air, and with a crackling sound, the right headlight shattered, and the light immediately dimmed.

Song Beiyou's heart sank: "A-Kuan! Da-Guan! Uncle Chen! How are you?"

"No, it's nothing!"

Song Beiyou turned around in surprise. Shen Daguan and Chen Kuan were getting up from the ground, looking equally bewildered. Three or four thugs in black lay on the ground.

Only Manager Chen slowly and deliberately patted non-existent dust off his sleeves.

"Another expert?" The middle-aged man beside the hood of the car stood motionless, his feet seemingly nailed to the ground, only his neck moving his head. "Sir, is this kid your apprentice?"

Shopkeeper Chen shook his head and smiled, "I couldn't teach an apprentice like that. However, I've watched him grow up since he was a child, so of course I have to take care of his affairs."

Song Beiyou's heart was filled with shock: Uncle, if you had told me earlier that you knew kung fu, I would not have become your apprentice and inherited your tavern!

……

Two lanterns illuminated the road ahead, and the pedal wheels churned over mud and gravel, causing a bumpy ride.

"If I'm not mistaken, that young master Chang is the son of Chang Xiaolin, the third-ranking figure in the Green Gang. Also, how did he know your background? Someone must have informed on you. You must be very careful."

Song Beiyou sneered, "The only person in the boxing ring who knows my background is Zhang Feilong."

"Cough cough cough..." Manager Chen, sitting in the back seat, coughed repeatedly.

Song Beiyou asked worriedly, "Uncle Chen, are you alright? Should we go straight to the clinic?"

"No need, it's an old ailment. I aggravated an old injury just now when I exerted my strength." Manager Chen's voice was a little hoarse.

"What level of cultivation does that guy surnamed Zhou possess?"

"Old hidden strength, seems to be someone who practices Liuhequan (Six Harmonies Boxing)."

Chen Kuan said with lingering fear, "It was all thanks to Uncle Chen's help just now. That guy surnamed Zhou, Ayou didn't get the better of him at all."

Shen Daguan, who was pedaling the bicycle, said, "Uncle Chen, you kept this from us for so long. If I had known, I would have learned kung fu from you, and I wouldn't have gotten into such a bad fight with others."

Manager Chen chuckled and said, "My kung fu can't be learned without a certain level of determination."

Song Beiyou chimed in, "Was that Tai Chi that Uncle Chen was using just now? The changes in movement and stillness, the coiling and neutralizing of energy, it was simply exquisite."

"So you know about 'silk reeling and neutralizing force'? Hmph, tell me where you learned your Tongbei Quan from. Even if you started practicing from the womb, you still wouldn't reach this level, would you?"

Song Beiyou said, "Uncle Chen has discerning eyes. I really couldn't reach this level by practicing on my own. You probably won't believe me, but it was a deity who possessed me and taught me."

"You brat, talking nonsense. I haven't seen any immortals, but I certainly have seen demons—" Manager Chen stopped mid-sentence, then changed the subject, "My kung fu is called 'Longevity Tai Chi.' Want to learn it?"

Song Beiyou unconsciously gripped the handlebars tighter, his heart pounding. He had long wanted to learn internal cultivation techniques, so he nodded and said, "I want to learn. Let's see if Uncle Chen wants to teach me."

"My method emphasizes meaning and essence. Have you seen the 'Crane of Immortality' painting in my tavern? That's the essence. If you can comprehend even a tiny bit of it, I might consider passing it on to you."

Song Beiyou was taken aback: "Uncle Chen, are you saying that painting of cranes is a cultivation technique?"

Shen Daguan and Chen Kuan were also dumbfounded: "That painting has been hanging on the wall for more than ten years, hasn't it? How come we didn't notice it?"

"Hehe, of course ordinary eyes can't see it." Manager Chen chuckled, aggravating his shoulder injury, and frowned again. "Let's go back to the tavern together tonight, and go home tomorrow morning, just in case something happens."

Song Beiyou nodded: "Uncle Chen is right."

When the group returned to Taomi Street, it was almost midnight. Only a few gambling dens and cigarette stalls still had their lights on.

The door under the red lantern suddenly opened: "Daguan, you bought a new car?"

Shen Daguan turned his head and looked at her, feeling a little embarrassed. He grinned and said, "Sister Cui, I just bought it two days ago. I'll take you for a drive sometime."

"Okay, then it's settled."

Song Beiyou's gaze swept over the two of them, and he asked suspiciously, "Are you two having an affair?"

Shen Daguan shrank his neck and quickly shook his head: "There's no adultery involved, it's just neighbors exchanging greetings." He muttered to himself, "Even if there was adultery, it only happened in my dreams."

The group quickly returned to the small tavern on the street corner, lit oil lamps, and gathered around the table to take stock of their spoils.

Shen Daguan rubbed his head with his large hand from time to time, counting the gleaming silver dollars, his heart filled with joy.

Chen Kuan lowered his head, divided the silver dollars into several pieces, and his small eyes behind his glasses were filled with undisguised joy.

Song Beiyou watched all this with a smile playing on his lips. One silver dollar could now buy 120 catties of rice. If we compare it to the average price of rice in his previous life, which was 2.5 yuan per catty, one silver dollar was roughly equivalent to 300 yuan.

Both of them earned three or four hundred silver dollars, equivalent to over ten thousand yuan, which is like winning a second prize in the lottery. Chen Kuan had a job, while Shen Daguan was just a rickshaw puller, barely making ends meet.

He had already planned to use his 1,200 silver dollars: to buy a detached house in Zhabei, for between 500 and 1,000 yuan; and to set aside some money for Su Xiaowan to buy a gun.

His thoughts wandered, and he walked to the "Crane of Immortality" painting on the wall of the main hall, examining it closely by the dim light of the kerosene lamp. He had never really looked at it carefully before when he came to the tavern.

The paper is old and yellowed, the ink deep and rich. A gnarled pine leans against a stubborn rock, shrouded in light clouds, with a lingzhi mushroom standing tall and elegant. A crane with a red crown and white feathers stands with one foot on a pine tree and the other on a rock, its graceful posture leisurely and ethereal.

"How is it? Did you figure anything out?" Manager Chen asked as he walked over.

Song Beiyou's mind raced. "This is a test!" he thought for a moment. "The crane is the bone, the pine and rock are the foundation, and the flowing clouds and lingzhi are the supplement." He paused, then explained, "The crane is elegant, serene, and aloof, which represents the mindset for cultivation. The pine and rock are the foundation, so I guess one must first cultivate the pine's resilience in the wind and the rock's unwavering steadfastness."