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

On the blue brick ground, the chaotic figures stirred up clouds of dust, sweat and blood were flung into fine mist, and the sounds of fighting assaulted the eardrums.

The bird, pale as a ghost, slowly moved backward, leaving a trail of blood on the ground, like a squashed worm still wriggling.

Song Beiyou spun around and kicked a warrior who was attacking from behind, sending him flying. He then arched his back and sprang forward, lunging towards Master Fei Niao.

Whoosh! A golden light shot through the air from the side. The timing was precise and ruthless, taking advantage of the moment when he was airborne and had nowhere to gain leverage.

The golden light arrived with lightning speed. By the time Song Beiyou heard the commotion, it was already right in front of him. In the blink of an eye, he raised his sword to block it.

The clang of metal on metal sent a jolt through him. He flipped over and landed with the force of the impact, but still took a step back.

Upon closer inspection, a jade hairpin had been shattered into several pieces by the blade.

Song Beiyou glanced around and saw a woman in a plain-colored kimono sitting in the room where Fei Niao had just come out. Her hair was tied up in a ribbon. She was gently sipping tea from a white porcelain cup, her gaze clear and serene.

Song Beiyou's heart skipped a beat; there really were experts in the Black Dragon Society. The golden hairpin from earlier must have been taken from this woman's head; just from the fact that she threw the hairpin and forced him back half a step from more than ten feet away, he knew how profound her skill was.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle rang out from outside the dojo, followed by a loud shout: "Got it!"

Song Beiyou stared at the woman inside the room, grinning to reveal his white teeth. He slowly retreated, gathering his strength to speak, his voice booming like thunder: "Withdraw!"

Upon hearing the order, the members of the Yiheshe Society immediately retreated towards the door.

Song Beiyou retreated more and more slowly. The woman inside put down her teacup and remained kneeling by the tatami mat, but Song Beiyou knew that this woman had become a venomous snake ready to attack; once bitten, she would die.

The pressure on him increased sharply; this woman was several times more terrifying than that bird.

"Fire! The shrine is on fire! Help! Help put out the fire!" A shout from the Japanese suddenly rang out in the backyard of the dojo.

Song Beiyou felt a sudden relief from the pressure as the kneeling woman stood up and walked away.

……

The group ran quickly and soon entered the alley they had come out of earlier. Two brothers who were guarding the bicycles immediately came to meet them.

Song Beiyou lagged behind, and seeing that no one was chasing him at either end of the long street, he disappeared into a dark alley. He glanced at the crowd and said, "Get in the car and count the number of people."

"Brother You, everyone's here! No serious injuries, just minor wounds!" Ah Zhong reported excitedly.

Song Beiyou raised an eyebrow slightly: "Brothers, you've worked hard. Let's all withdraw and go back to reward each other according to our merits."

Joy spread across everyone's faces. The mission, though seemingly dangerous, had gone remarkably smoothly, without even a single serious injury, which only increased their admiration for Song Beiyou. Immediately, the two men in the car sped away along the alleyway.

Song Beiyou walked over to Ding Qiang and gently stroked the wooden box wrapped in cloth on his back: "Brother He, you can go home now."

He patted Ding Qiang's arm: "Take Brother He back, then hurry home."

Ding Qiang nodded emphatically: "Brother You, take care." After saying that, he turned and disappeared into the darkness with the wooden box on his back.

Song Beiyou nodded: "Daguan, take Achun back with you."

Shen Daguan's face was flushed, his lips were chapped, and after the initial tension, he felt completely drained. He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine. I can't help you with the rest, and I won't hold you back."

Su Xiaowan turned around and climbed onto the back of the motorcycle: "I'll go with you."

Shen Daguan grinned: "Then I'll be going first." He had already witnessed Su Xiaowan's skills in Wangjiadu. She was no popular singer at all; she was clearly a Jade Rakshasa.

In the blink of an eye, only five people remained in the dimly lit alley.

Shi Feng stared at Su Xiaowan for a long time. He had thought her figure looked familiar when he saw her fight at the dojo, and now the more he looked, the more she resembled him. He couldn't help but ask, "Song Beiyou, is he really your cousin? To me, he looks like a woman."

Su Xiaowan's expression changed slightly.

Song Beiyou cursed inwardly: You must have Su Xiaowan etched into your bones, how could you even see that?

He said, "That's not important. There are still experts in the Black Dragon Society. If he catches up with us, none of us will survive."

Shi Feng was also fighting with the martial artists at the dojo at the time and did not notice the commotion on Song Beiyou's side. He was skeptical and said, "Don't exaggerate."

Song Beiyou sneered and got on his motorcycle: "I could have finished off that Asuka instructor with one strike, but a Japanese woman inside the house stopped me."

One of the three masked men reached out to stop Shi Feng, nodded slightly, and said in a deep voice, "Business is important. Leave immediately."

Song Beiyou glanced at his watch. "It's 9:25 now. I'll be waiting for you outside the temple at 10:00."

……

Night fell over the ancient temple halfway up the mountain. A few scattered lights shone through the clouds, casting a dim, cold silhouette that seemed to sink into the water.

A cold wind, carrying frost, rustled through the low pine forest at the foot of the mountain outside the temple.

Two figures were crouching low in the darkness beneath the tree.

Song Beiyou felt the warm, fragrant scent drawing ever closer and asked softly, "What are you doing?"

"I'm a little cold," Su Xiaowan said in a breathy voice. "If you don't want me to warm up, then take off your clothes and give them to me."

Song Beiyou said speechlessly, "Can't you wear an extra layer of clothing when you go out? Besides, you've received professional training, don't you know you can't wear perfume during operations?"

"Do you have a dog's nose? Where did I spray perfume?" Su Xiaowan met Song Beiyou's sharp gaze, her voice softening, "I only sprayed a tiny bit."

"That scoundrel Shi Feng probably smelled the fragrance on you, otherwise why would he suspect you?" Song Beiyou complained as he unbuttoned his shirt, took it off, and tossed it to Su Xiaowan.

Su Xiaowan took it and draped it over herself, burying her head in her knees, her shoulders trembling as she let out a soft laugh that only the two of them could hear.

Song Beiyou's teeth itched with rage, but suddenly his expression turned serious, and he warned, "Someone's coming."

Su Xiaowan immediately stopped laughing, and like a wary raccoon, peeked outside.

"It's Shi Feng and his group."

Five figures gathered in the shadows under the tree.

After confirming his identity, Song Beiyou asked, "When will the delivery person arrive?"

"Let's go up the mountain first."

Song Beiyou had originally intended to ask Shi Feng, but upon hearing this, he turned around—the speaker was that deep male voice: "Up the mountain?"

"Yes, we'll do it inside the temple."

Song Beiyou's eyes changed slightly: "The plan was agreed upon, we'll make our move at the foot of the mountain outside the temple."

"Hehe, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Wen Chou. I am in full command of this operation. You just need to follow orders."

Song Beiyou lowered his gaze and asked Shi Feng, "Is what he said true?"

Shi Feng nodded.

"I need a reason," Song Beiyou's voice deepened. "I've made an agreement with the actress."

"The organization doesn't want to offend the Oriental Zodiac Society right now, and that's the reason." The man wasn't tall, but his voice carried the authority of someone in a superior position. "This is the executive committee's decision, and even actors can't disobey it."

Song Beiyou took a light breath: "Does this temple have any experts?"

"There are no experts here. The temple is full of ordinary monks from the Nichiren sect of Japan. At most, they possess internal strength, which I can handle." The man's tone shifted, his voice turning cold and stern. "If you are unwilling, then the cooperation is canceled. Please leave now. However, you are forbidden from leaking information about this operation, otherwise the organization will hold you accountable."

Su Xiaowan's eyes flashed coldly as she turned to look at Song Beiyou.

Song Beiyou frowned. "The promised reward hasn't changed, has it?" I thought to myself, if it weren't for the serum, I would have turned around and left.

"Of course, we keep our word."

Song Beiyou coldly uttered two words: "Go up the mountain."

The group, like mandrills, silently climbed halfway up the mountain. Faintly, the rhythmic sounds of wooden fish drums and chanting could be heard drifting from the temple.

Suddenly, bright car headlights swept past from below the mountain, briefly illuminating the temple gate's eaves, roof tiles, and stone lions before quickly fading back into darkness.