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

"Whoosh—" The engine roared, and the headlights illuminated the mountain forests along the winding mountain road. The two cars, one in front of the other, soon reached the mountainside and braked suddenly at the temple entrance, the tires screeching as they rubbed against the ground.

The truck bed side panel popped open with a bang, and soldiers in khaki uniforms leaped down with a series of thuds. They immediately scattered, shouldering their rifles, bolts snapping back, muzzles pointing outwards in a fan-shaped defensive formation.

Hidden in the pine forest, Song Beiyou's pupils contracted slightly. A menacing machine gun was mounted on the front of the green train, its muzzle pointed directly at them.

Immediately afterward, the door of the black sedan behind them opened, and two men in black suits stepped out. Song Beiyou's gaze quickly locked onto them; each of them carried a silver box about a foot square, containing four vials of serum!

If the operation were to take place at the foot of the mountain, given his marksmanship, he could take out the machine gunner with a single shot once he got close enough to fire, and the rest would be done effortlessly.

According to Lian Yunxiao's intelligence, the two men in suits who transported the serum were at most at the initial stage of Dark Force. With the added boost from the three masks, and the ability to switch between them, they were practically invincible within their own realm.

The soldiers were highly elite, maintaining strict security and operating in an orderly manner. The two men in suits quickly knocked on the temple gate and, led by a monk in brown robes, disappeared.

Wen Chou made a gesture, indicating that everyone should follow him along the temple wall towards the side gate.

Song Beiyou lagged behind, observing secretly. This guy named Wen Chou, who claimed to be able to deal with hidden force, should also be a master of hidden force; the other one, who had been silent all along, was of unknown strength.

The group moved with the lightness of cats and quickly reached the side door. Wen Chou stepped forward and gently knocked on the wooden door in a rhythmic manner.

The door creaked open almost silently, like a breeze rustling through a windowpane. A pair of eyes peeked out from inside, and after confirming who it was, quickly pulled the door open.

Song Beiyou immediately followed them in single file.

The gray-robed monk quietly closed the door behind him, nodded to Wen Chou without saying a word, and led the way. The group followed him, ghost-like, through the garden gate along the corner of the wall, and crept towards the east wing of the temple.

Song Beiyou looked around. It was already late at night, and many buildings had become dark shadows. Only one hall was still lit, with the sounds of wooden fish and chanting coming from it.

Su Xiaowan lagged a few steps behind and whispered, "Something's not right. Wen Chou was prepared all along; he even had an inside man."

Song Beiyou nodded slightly: "We'll see how things go. If things don't go well, you can leave now."

Su Xiaowan raised an eyebrow: "Don't worry, I'll definitely run faster than you."

Shi Feng slowed his pace slightly, wanting to hear what the two were saying.

Su Xiaowan glared at him with displeasure and quickened her pace to catch up. Song Beiyou also quickened his pace, leaving Shi Feng at the back.

Wen Chou turned around, his gaze dark and gloomy.

The group walked through a dense, dark canopy of pine trees, when their eyes were suddenly opened to a bright light.

The dark clouds had dispersed, the bright moon hung high in the sky, its light poured down, and the ground was covered in white frost.

The gray-robed monk stopped and pointed to the opposite side of the lotus pond. Chong Wenchou nodded slightly, then turned and walked away.

Ahead were the side rooms, and four yellow-skinned Japanese soldiers stood guard in the courtyard, holding guns. The rooms were brightly lit, and hazy shadows were cast on the window paper.

……

"Lord Inoue, the goods have been delivered. Please inspect them."

"Yes, you must be tired from your journey. Please have a cup of tea." The man's voice sounded somewhat aged.

"Thank you, Mr. Inoue. We have important matters to attend to, so we won't bother you any longer."

"Then I will send a telegram to the Silver State headquarters as soon as possible to inform Mr. Puli."

"Hi! Mr. Inoue, please wait a moment. We'll take our leave now."

With a bang, the door was suddenly pushed open, and an old man with white temples and a tall stature strode out. He was dressed in hemp clothing, and his eyes shone like torches, like two sharp swords drawn from their sheaths.

"An uninvited guest has arrived."

The four soldiers on guard in the courtyard were taken aback and hurriedly raised their guns to search the area.

The two men in suits immediately went outside, looked around, and exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Inoue, where is the other person?"

"Gentlemen, do you doubt my abilities?" The young man asked in an annoyed tone, handing the old man a Japanese sword with a hilt bound with hemp rope. "Grandfather, here is your sword."

The old man in hemp robes reached out and took it, his short, white beard twitching as he chuckled, "Since you're here, why not show yourself? Or do you want me to force you out?"

The words fell silent. An invisible wind swirled through the courtyard, and the pine branches rustled and collided.

"Over there!" The young man in black pointed in the direction the old man was looking.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Gunfire erupted.

Bullets whizzed past my ears, sending bark and sawdust flying everywhere.

For a moment, the people hiding behind the tree dared not show their faces.

"This old guy is really something!" the taciturn man muttered.

Song Beiyou felt a chill in his heart. The old man could sense them even though they were nearly ten feet apart. He was definitely a master! Moreover, the young man in black was none other than Inoue Goshinro, the one who cut off Ding Qiang's little finger in the teahouse.

He furrowed his brows, his sharp eyes fixed on Wen Chou, his gaze questioning.

Wen Chou pretended not to see it and ordered, "Go and distract the others. We'll deal with Inoue Zhai."

Inoue Sai? He really has another purpose! A cold glint flashed in Song Beiyou's eyes as he glanced at Wen Chou and the silent, taciturn man, and mouthed something to Su Xiaowan without making a sound.

Su Xiaowan immediately understood that she was to take advantage of the chaos to obtain the serum, and nodded gently.

As soon as the gunfire subsided, Song Beiyou leaped out from behind the tree.

"They're out! There they are!" Four soldiers turned their rifles, cocked them, and fired—bang bang bang bang—

Bullets followed his footsteps, thudding and sending dirt flying. For an ordinary person to have such marksmanship was truly impressive. In a flash, Song Beiyou leaped behind a tree, simultaneously drawing his gun, extending his arm, twisting his wrist, and firing—all in one fluid motion.

Bang bang bang bang, scalding hot brass cartridge cases were thrown into the air.

Screams filled the air as four gunmen were shot between the eyebrows and fell to the ground almost simultaneously.

"Baka! How dare you kill a member of the Zodiac Society!" A shout rang out, followed by two sets of footsteps approaching rapidly.

Bang bang bang bang! On the other side, Su Xiaowan also opened fire, bullets drawing beautiful streaks of fire in the night.

As Song Beiyou emerged from behind the tree, the figures of two men in suits leaping and running rapidly came into view. They closed in quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the two men were only a few feet apart. The cold blades in their hands gleamed brightly in the moonlight.

With his shoes treading on mud and stones, Song Beiyou retreated rapidly, his thoughts shifting slightly. He switched from "Internal Cultivation Tai Chi" to "Frosty Cold Qi".

With a slight turn of the muzzle, a burst of muzzle flash erupted, and spent cartridges were ejected.

Bang bang bang! The bullets left behind not a trail of fire, but a chilling aura in the air!

The two men in suits staggered as they lunged forward, bullets grazing their chests and scalps, narrowly avoiding them. Yet, they were still chilled by the frost and cold air, their eyes filled with disbelief and incredulity.