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

After having lunch with the old man, Song Beiyou took his leave.

The sunlight was as pale as paper, the brick walls were mottled, and the power lines lay askew. Wheels sped across the cobblestones, their jingling startling a flock of sparrows. Song Beiyou pedaled his bicycle at breakneck speed. Zhang Feilong's legacy wasn't just the tens of thousands of gold and silver notes on the ship; now, the opium den, brothel, gambling den, and even a boxing club he once owned all belonged to him.

"Why don't we invite Uncle Wen to be our accountant and let Wen Yingxue be our assistant? If they have a stable livelihood, they won't have to suffer so much."

"Opium dens will definitely have to be closed, but we have to do it slowly. There are more than a dozen opium dens in Shisanzhai and Wutiaojie alone, and they are deeply entrenched and cannot be rushed."

"What position should we arrange for Shen Daguan? And Chen Kuan, I wonder if he'd be willing to come. After all, his parents are there, and he's getting married soon..."

Song Beiyou's thoughts were in turmoil as he headed straight for the Four Seasons Gambling Den on Datong Street—Zhang Feilong's lair.

As soon as he turned onto Datong Street, Song Beiyou slammed on the brakes, staring in astonishment at a man and a woman emerging from a clothing store. The man wore a fine silk long gown and a top hat; the woman was arm in arm with him, wearing a well-fitting cheongsam.

The man noticed the gaze, looked up, and jumped in fright like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He was completely flustered, unsure of what to do with his hands. The woman, on the other hand, simply released her grip, lowered her head to smooth her hair, and remained relatively calm.

"Ah You, we..."

"Ah Guan doesn't have any decent clothes, so I brought him here to buy some."

"Oh, right, Acui, I didn't... um, that's it."

Song Beiyou looked him up and down and said with a faint smile, "Sister Cui has good taste. You look much more energetic in this outfit."

He hooked his long arm around Shen Daguan's neck, pulled him aside, and lowered his voice: "Brother, are you fucking serious?"

Shen Daguan was pulled along by him and nodded vigorously upon hearing this: "I'm serious! I fell in love with her the first time I saw her three years ago. She was my first dream girl."

"Damn it!" Song Beiyou rolled his eyes, implying something, "So you're going to break your vow of virginity...?"

Shen Daguan winked, a little embarrassed: "Brother, I've taken a big step ahead of Master You in life. I've already thought it all out: I'll follow you, make a lot of money, help her redeem herself, and then marry her properly."

Song Beiyou glanced at Sister Cui, who was now looking down, somewhat restrained. Song Beiyou gave Shen Daguan a hard slap on the back and said in a low voice, "Since you've made up your mind, I'll support you as your brother. I have things to do, you two take your time."

Shen Daguan quickly asked, "What are you going to do? I've thought it all through. I'm willing to go through fire and water, so you can't leave me out, Master You!"

……

Four Seasons Casino

As soon as the two cars and three people arrived at the location, they sensed something was wrong. Several groups of people were guarding the entrance, each looking fierce and menacing.

Song Beiyou ignored everyone, stopped his bicycle in front of them, calmly got off, lifted the back of the bicycle, and set up the kickstand.

Ruan Yucui whispered a reminder: "These are all people from other streets. Something must have happened to Second Master."

Song Beiyou nodded slightly: "Daguan, you two stay outside."

"The gambling den is closed today. Come back another day!" a henchman in black shouted immediately.

Song Beiyou smiled and said, "You don't recognize me?"

The thug squinted and said, "Who the hell are you? Can't you understand human language? Get lost!"

Song Beiyou suddenly lunged forward and delivered a lightning-fast punch!

"Bang!"

The younger brother was sent flying backward, knocking over the two people behind him. They slid seven or eight meters like a rolling gourd, bent over, clutching their stomachs, and vomiting violently.

Song Beiyou's attack was ruthless and swift, catching everyone off guard. Those who were with the underling couldn't bear to see their brother suffer, and they rushed forward, baring their teeth and claws.

Song Beiyou strolled leisurely, his arms outstretched, his fists moving with lightning speed. With a series of muffled thuds, men and horses tumbled and flew through the air. In the time it took to catch his breath, a whole group lay dead on the ground. The remaining henchmen stared in disbelief, retreating hastily.

Shen Daguan had already witnessed Song Beiyou's abilities, but Ruan Yucui's voice trembled: "Ayou...when did you become so powerful?"

"Always this good!" Shen Daguan said with a smug look on his face, as if he were the most powerful person in the world.

Song Beiyou walked to the thick curtain, paused, and suddenly punched with both fists!

Two screams were heard from inside, followed by the clattering of tables, chairs, and billiard balls.

The heavy curtain was blasted with two holes by the force of the punch.

"Still dare to launch a sneak attack?" Song Beiyou sneered, revealing a set of cold white teeth, reached out and tore off the tattered curtain, and stepped inside.

The two men in black who had been trying to ambush him with axes were punched one after another, sending them flying through the air, smashing a table and chairs, and crashing into a wall several meters away. They collapsed to the ground, their fate unknown.

Such domineering and brutal methods were like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, terrifying everyone in the gambling den into shrinking back and not daring to step forward.

Song Beiyou looked around the entire gambling hall; not a single person recognized him. Almost all of Zhang Feilong's trusted followers were dead. He could vaguely hear arguing coming from upstairs. He had originally thought that with Zhang Feilong gone, the gambling den was in disarray and he could easily take over, but he hadn't expected to have to establish his authority first.

Finally, someone in the casino recognized him.

"Ayou, Second Master isn't here today, what are you doing here?"

Song Beiyou smiled: "Isn't this Brother Dong? You're still alive?"

Ah Dong, who was in the corner, swallowed hard and shouted, trying to sound fierce but actually weak, "The managers of Second Master's branch are all here today, so don't cause trouble!"

Song Beiyou sneered, "With Second Master not here, are they going to fight amongst themselves over the inheritance?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Who came from, you little brat, daring to cause trouble here? Attack him, chop him up!"

A man with a mustache and sinister eyes emerged from the second floor, looking at Song Beiyou as if he were a dead man.

Without hesitation, the black-clad thugs drew their axes and charged forward.

Song Beiyou raised an eyebrow, his body leaping out like a white ape, his ape arms outstretched, his fist clenched like a hammer. He punched the first person flying, dodged the axe to the side, and with a shoulder strike, sent the person next to him flying as well.

The wind whistled behind him. He sprang up his waist and legs, kicked backward in mid-air, and sent the attackers flying. He used the momentum to leap forward, throwing out both fists at the two men coming from the opposite direction. They coughed up blood and flew backward on the spot.

He used the momentum to land, lowered his hips, crouched down, pivoted on his left foot, and delivered a simple, sweeping kick with his right leg. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Immediately, everyone around him fell down like grass being cut down.

"Upstairs! Watch out!"

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out.

Song Beiyou reacted incredibly quickly. With a sway of his shoulder, he leaped two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) to the top of the stairs, pushed off the railing, and landed on a pillar.

"Bang bang bang!"

Bullets sent splinters of wood flying down the stairs.

He took two steps on the pillar, leaped up to the second floor, and landed in front of the shooter in the blink of an eye, reaching out to snatch the gun and disarm him!

The man with the mustache's right hand, which was holding the gun, went limp instantly, and he screamed in agony. However, the dark muzzle of the gun was pressed against his forehead, choking his scream back into his throat.

Song Beiyou smiled, but his eyes were icy cold: "May I ask who you are?"

"My surname is Sun. I manage all the opium dens under Second Master's control... Let's talk this over, let's talk this over..."

"Oh." Song Beiyou feigned realization. "With Second Master not here, you're all fighting amongst yourselves. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes, yes, that's outrageous, it shouldn't be like that..." Manager Sun's eyes darted around, his face all smiles.

"Bang!"

The muzzle flashed in his eyes.

Manager Sun's head jolted violently, and shattered bones, blood, and brain matter instantly splattered all over the wall.

The entire gambling den fell into a deathly silence in an instant.

All eyes were fixed on Song Beiyou—the Second Master's trusted confidant, who had just been shot dead by him?

Even those lying on the ground groaning in pain clenched their teeth tightly, daring not to make a sound.

How dare he!

Ruan Yucui was so shocked that she couldn't speak. She turned to look at Shen Daguan, but saw that he showed no sign of panic.

"Ayou, come here quickly! Help Second Master guard this place. When he returns, he won't blame you; in fact, he'll reward you!"

The speaker was Ah Zhong, who was leading a group of henchmen guarding the door of Zhang Feilong's office, preventing anyone from approaching.

Song Beiyou ignored him, took out a fist-sized brass token from his pocket, held it up to his eyes, and said calmly:

"You are all old brothers of the Boxer Rebellion, you should recognize this, right?"

He was already the center of attention, and as soon as the token was flashed, someone recognized him immediately.

Song Beiyou put away the token and bowed respectfully to the emperor.

"I am deeply grateful to the old master for taking me on as his last disciple. The old master has declared that Zhang Feilong is dishonest and has absconded with the money. From today onwards, there is no Second Master Zhang Feilong. I will take his place. Anyone who disagrees, step forward now."

These words were like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone stunned and speechless.

This young man before me, is he the old master's last disciple? He wants to take the second master's seat?!

Huh? Shen Daguan was completely stunned. He couldn't have heard wrong, could he?

Ruan Yucui's eyes widened in disbelief.

The managers upstairs unconsciously glanced at Manager Sun on the ground, a sudden thought of shared misfortune arising in their minds:

Old Sun died for nothing this time.