The Republic of China: I, Xiangzi, a Hero in a Chaotic Era

Those who won erupted in ecstatic howls, eagerly hoisting their winnings in front of them.

The dealer, quick-witted and agile, used a specially made long-handled bamboo rake to distribute the winnings from all the bets placed in the "small" area, handing the commission to the casino manager. He then neatly rakeed the remaining amount into a sturdy wooden box under the table in front of him.

The box was half-open, and one could vaguely see that it was filled with a lot of silver coins.

Amidst the noise and curses, the gambler who had won money beamed with pride, grabbing a handful of his winnings and handing them to the waiter serving tea as a tip.

Those who lost everything looked ashen-faced. Some slumped on benches with vacant eyes, while others desperately fumbled for their last few coins or took off their outdated pocket watches, preparing to gamble everything.

The air was thick with desperate greed and fanatical wishful thinking.

The door to the slightly smaller east wing next door was tightly closed, isolating most of the noise from the outside.

This is the temporary tent and resting place for the "sea dog".

Few people know Hai Gouzi's real name anymore. He was in his early thirties, not tall but exceptionally strong and muscular. He was wearing a dark blue tight-fitting short-sleeved shirt and sat on a grand chair. His thick fingers were twisting a small pinch of tobacco and pressing it into a brass pipe.

His face was expressionless, except for the deep vertical line between his brows, which revealed a sinister look from years of licking blood from the edge of a knife.

A shifty-eyed henchman, also dressed in short-sleeved clothing, stood before him, rubbing his hands together, a fawning and eager smile plastered on his face.

"Brother Hai, we've been running this business for almost a month now. Let's do the math; we've netted at least three hundred silver dollars."

"But relying on this little bit of pumping water is too slow to make money. We just want to have a wider range of sources of income."

He took a step closer and lowered his voice.

"What do you think? How about we... hire a couple of skilled con artists to set up the scheme, and also get this loan business up and running?"

"Those who are blinded by greed are borrowing money right now, so the interest can snowball quickly! That's how you make money fast."

The sea lion didn't even lift its eyelids, slowly lit the tobacco in its pipe with a flint and steel, and took a deep drag.

Acrid smoke slowly escaped from his mouth and nose, spreading out under the dim light of the oil lamp.

After a long pause, the sea dog finally spoke, its voice low, carrying the characteristic hoarseness of the Tianjin dialect and an undeniable calmness:

"Hiring swindlers? Lending money at exorbitant interest rates? If you make a big fuss, are you afraid those guys in black won't catch a whiff of it?"

He looked up, his gaze sharp as a knife, slicing across his subordinate's face:

"The mud on the soles of our feet hasn't even settled properly in this area of ​​Xianmen yet."

"Officially, not even a single copper coin has been spent on offerings of incense and gifts."

"Right now, we can secretly run a gambling den, take a cut, and as long as we keep a close eye on things and keep the news down, we can still make a living while keeping a low profile."

"If we really do what you say and do those shady things, within three days, those black-skinned bastards will have our dilapidated yard surrounded like an iron barrel."

"If things turn out this way, you'll lose everything, both your money and your reputation, and everything will be ruined. Will you be responsible then?"

The subordinate felt a chill run down his spine and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead as the sea dog stared at him. His earlier enthusiasm instantly cooled down.

He lowered his head sheepishly and stammered:

"Yes...yes, Brother Hai, you've thought things through perfectly. It was me...I was too short-sighted, only thinking about making money quickly, without considering the bigger picture. I understand now."

"Good that you understand."

Hai Gouzi took another puff of his pipe, tapped it on the corner of the table, making a soft "tap-tap" sound, and a few sparks fell to the ground.

"In this world, to make money, you must first seek stability. Only with stability can you move forward."

He stood up, stretched his neck, and made a slight cracking sound.

"Go ahead and keep watch. Tell the lookouts to be on high alert, especially at the alley entrance and under the old locust tree by the courtyard wall. Keep their eyes open and their ears perked up."

"If there's any sign of trouble, immediately strike the clapper."

"Yes, Brother Hai! Don't worry, I'll go keep an eye on it right away!"

His subordinates, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, quickly responded, bowed, and retreated, gently closing the door behind them.

Hearing the faint commotion coming from outside, Hai Gouzi walked to the window, lifted a corner of the thick curtain, and cautiously peered into the dark courtyard.

The moonlight was dim, the shadows of the trees swayed, and the two figures responsible for keeping watch in the front yard and at the base of the back wall seemed to still be in the same place.

His tense nerves relaxed slightly, and the fatigue from the past few days came over him.

Haigouzi yawned, turned around and walked to the simple wooden bed in the inner room, lay down fully clothed, and prepared to take a nap.

The moment my eyelids closed, the faint chirping of insects in the courtyard and the incessant noise from the casino became hypnotic din.

Unbeknownst to him, at the very moment he lay down, a figure that blended into the night outside the courtyard wall moved like a ghost.

In the shadow of the front gate, the lookout man who was dozing against the wall felt a very faint footstep, almost drowned out by the wind, just as it reached his ears. Then, the back of his neck near the Fengchi acupoint felt as if it had been struck hard by a red-hot iron rod!

An irresistible, tingling, and excruciating pain exploded instantly, rushing straight to the brain. Everything went black before my eyes, and before I could even utter a sound, my body went limp and collapsed as if all my bones had been removed.

A foot wearing a black, thin-soled boot gently hooked his limp body before it hit the ground, absorbing most of the force and allowing him to silently slide into a deeper, darker corner.

After dealing with the lookout in the front yard, the black figure was revealed under the moonlight. It was none other than Liu Jiaxiang.

Then Liu Jiaxiang made a silent raid along the corner of the wall. Under the old locust tree with its gnarled branches at the base of the backyard wall, another lookout responsible for keeping an eye on the back alley was dozing off.

Liu Jiaxiang suddenly closed in, his five fingers pressed together like a bird's beak, and with a short, sharp whooshing sound, he precisely pecked at the lookout's Tianding acupoint on the side of his neck. This peck seemed light, but it contained enough force to penetrate flesh and go straight to the nerves!

The lookout felt half of his body go numb instantly, saw stars before his eyes, and felt a tightness in his chest, unable to even scream.

Immediately afterwards, a hand like an iron clamp covered his mouth and nose with lightning speed, while another hand gently pressed on his lower back, specifically the Mingmen acupoint.

A gentle yet powerful force penetrated his body, causing him to tremble and his consciousness to sink completely into darkness, whereupon he collapsed to the ground.

Liu Jiaxiang withdrew his hand, and like a weightless fallen leaf, he silently slid along the wall to the courtyard gate. He then whistled a very faint, short, sharp whistle, like the cry of an owl, towards the dark alley outside.

The patrol officers waiting outside knew that Liu Jiaxiang had dealt with the lookout, so they quickly went to the alley to report the news.

Soon after, the patrol officers arrived, and Liu Jiaxiang had already quietly opened the gate of the courtyard house.