Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

Finally, Zhou Feng and his companions, now back in the modern world and dressed in ancient costumes, reappeared on the outskirts of Qiantang.

Along with them appeared an antique-style cart, on which were boxes containing their disassembled rifles and equipment.

Pan Shi Tie Jianguo and Zhong Pao Zhao Meng took turns pushing the cart. If it weren't for conserving their energy, they wouldn't even need to take turns pushing it.

However, Liu Xiaohai, the engine manufacturer, kept sighing to himself.

His specialty is various military combat vehicles, but he doesn't know how to drive a horse-drawn carriage in this ancient world!

He had no way to use his skills and was already bound to this transmigration quota, which he couldn't change.

"No need to sigh and complain. We're not here to play around. Once the higher-ups have decided on their stance, you won't have to worry about not having a vehicle to drive you."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of everyone around lit up.

If we were to bring those future weapons and equipment into this world, it would be a pure example of dimensional reduction.

Although they all enjoy challenges, a crushing victory can be quite exhilarating!

Following the roads within Qiantang, Zhou Feng led ten men to an inn to settle down. After storing and locking their equipment, they began to explore according to their pre-arranged division of labor.

Godfather Chen Xiao, Pan Shi Tie Jianguo, Poison Bee Su Xiaoya, Steel Cable Zhou Yuan, and Fang White Wolf followed behind Zhou Feng, carrying the map that Zhou Ming had analyzed, and headed towards Zhao Pan'er's teahouse.

Hummingbird Lin Yin, Heavy Artillery Zhao Meng, Scalpel Qin Ming, and Engine Liu Xiaohai, with drones, went outside the Qiantang River to conduct an environmental survey of the entire Qiantang River area.

Ghost Lu Ming, a two-time First-Class Merit Citation winner and all-around champion in reconnaissance, is responsible for solo operations and intelligence gathering.

After all, Dream of Splendor is just a historical drama set in the Northern Song Dynasty, and it doesn't feature any particularly excessive individual martial arts skills.

Even those high-ranking members of the Imperial Guard could be killed with a single shot using a pistol.

They are all elite soldiers from their respective units, and their basic pistol shooting accuracy is sufficient.

Such a large target is practically a sitting duck.

This world is completely different from the traditional courtyard house.

In the courtyard house, all the characters in the story live in one large courtyard, and their activity range does not exceed half of Beiping City.

However, the plot of Dream of Splendor involves changes between the two maps of Qiantang and Tokyo.

To upgrade the double-door system, it becomes very difficult to collect the required emotional value.

Zhou Feng wanted to determine whether only the emotional value generated by the main character and important supporting characters could "charge" the double-door system, or whether any character with a name could do so.

If it's the former, although the collection efficiency will be much lower, it's still relatively easier to control.

However, if it is the latter, then a more detailed plan needs to be developed.

The group sat down at the teahouse. Zhou Feng's gaze swept over Zhao Pan'er, and he couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

Although 20-year-old Qin Jingru, Bai Ling, and Tao Muyao from modern society can all be considered beauties, they are far inferior to 24-year-old Liu Yifei.

Even without makeup, this girl's looks are absolutely stunning. What's more, all three of her characters are Zhou Feng's ideal woman, making her even more captivating.

Zhao Pan'er didn't pay attention to Zhou Feng's gaze. She ran the Zhao Family Tea House in Qiantang, and countless tea drinkers came and went, all looking at her with the same expression. She was already used to it.

Zhou Feng thought his admiring gaze would, like in a novel, make Zhao Pan'er, the one being watched, nod in approval.

In reality, the way people look at women is pretty much the same; there's no difference between appreciation and lust. It's just that they look at different parts of the body, which gives them different feelings.

The affectionate gaze some people give when looking at dogs is a gifted trait and not included in this category.

"Stop running!"

As shouts rang out from outside, a group of thieves rushed in through the main entrance of the teahouse and headed straight for the tea room inside.

In an instant, the five people stood up at the same time and stood in front of Zhou Feng.

Godfather Chen Xiao stood in front, while Pan Shi Tie Jianguo protected Zhou Feng to the left. Poison Bee Su Xiaoya and Steel Cable Zhou Yuan were on the left and right respectively, while Fang White Wolf crouched behind Zhou Feng, his eyes scanning the area behind him.

This is a standard VIP escort formation. They began continuous training in coordination after learning about the escort mission.

Although I'm not quite proficient yet, I'm not particularly rusty either.

Although the male protagonist, the Imperial Guard, will step in to resolve this matter in the story, this is, after all, a real world, and no one can guarantee that things won't develop as they do in the TV series.

Zhou Feng, on the other hand, sat there calmly, holding a teacup in his hand, without even blinking.

It's not that he's bold, it's that the people around him are so reassuring.

These petty thieves in front of me would be nothing more than extras in a TV drama; they wouldn't last more than two moves.

Gu Qianfan, who was sitting in the corner, narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhou Feng and his group.

The five guards reacted quickly, positioned themselves precisely, and maintained a calm demeanor, not even faltering in the face of the knife-wielding assailant.

This is not the kind of quality that ordinary guards should have.

Gu Qianfan had worked for the Imperial City Guard for many years and had seen many experts, but he rarely saw anyone who could cooperate so well and obey orders so strictly.

More importantly, the young man being protected in the middle was calm and composed, and even had the leisure to drink tea.

He didn't know the other person. He wasn't a young master from Tokyo. Could this small place in Qiantang really be hiding a dragon and a tiger?

"Don't move! Don't move at all!"

The thieves' eyes swept across the entire tea room, and their attention was instantly focused on Zhou Feng.

These peasants wouldn't be of much use in making the pursuing constables hesitate to act.

Zhou Feng, however, had five guards, which shows that he was a young master of high status.

The guards were all unarmed and had no weapons.

At that moment, the long swords in their hands gave them immense confidence.

Seeing that his subordinate was about to make a move, Gu Qianfan reached out and pressed down, stopping him.

In his opinion, even unarmed, these thieves would be no match for the five guards, so it was a good opportunity to test their strength.

"We just want that young master, don't force me to kill someone!"

Just as the knife-wielding thief was about to grab Zhou Feng, Pan Shi stepped forward, blocking Zhou Feng completely.

The other four remained expressionless as they quickly approached the thief.

Seeing that these people were being unreasonable, the man flew into a rage. With constables chasing after him, he gritted his teeth and waved his hand, yelling, "Damn it, you won't listen to reason! Brothers, let's go!"

Seven or eight thieves, brandishing long knives, rushed up.

These elite soldiers, trained systematically in the modern military, are in a completely different league from these petty thieves.

The thief at the front raised his knife and slashed down.

Godfather Chen Xiao neither dodged nor avoided the attack. Only when the knife was about to fall on his head did he slightly turn his body, reach out with his left hand, and accurately grab the man's wrist.

With a "crack," it wasn't a fracture, but a dislocated joint.

The thief's wrist bent at an impossible angle, the knife clattered to the ground, and he let out a pig-like scream.

With another pull from Chen Xiao's hand, the man's body involuntarily lurched forward, his knee striking the man's elbow joint with another "crack," dislocating his other arm as well.

The whole process took less than two seconds, and a knife-wielding assailant was lying on the ground unable to move.

On the other side, Su Xiaoya, the Poison Bee, is even more ruthless.

She was incredibly swift and decisive when she made her move. A thief slashed at her from the side, and she ducked low, the knife whizzing past her head. She grabbed the man's arm, twisted her body, and used the momentum to dislocate his shoulder. He was thrown two meters away, crashing into a table.

Not to mention Fang White Wolf, a master of close combat.

He didn't even need to use a fraction of his strength to deal with this petty thief.

A thief lunged at him, and he feinted with his left hand. The man instinctively turned his head, and the white wolf's right hand was already on his elbow. With a gentle twist, the man howled and knelt down.

Although Zhou Yuan, the steel cable specialist, doesn't primarily focus on combat, everyone who makes it into this team is a top-tier soldier among top soldiers.

In no time at all, he took down one as well.

In less than ten seconds, the five or six thieves who rushed up were all lying on the ground, their hands and feet deformed, their joints dislocated, writhing in pain, crying out for their parents.

The teahouse was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was stunned.

The tea drinkers stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape enough to fit an egg.

Zhao Pan'er, who was hiding to the side, also peeked out, her eyes full of surprise.

She's been running a tea shop in Qiantang for years and has seen fights and brawls, but she's never seen a fight like this.

The way these people do things is too strange. They don't hit you or hurt you, they just dislocate your joints.

Those people were lying on the ground, their arms and legs twisted and crooked, looking even more frightening than if they had been slashed twice and were bleeding profusely.

In the corner, Gu Qianfan's pupils contracted continuously; these people's kung fu was too bizarre!

It's not those fancy tricks from the martial arts world, but real techniques for defeating enemies, emphasizing a single, decisive strike or a complete elimination of the enemy, without any unnecessary movements.

Even if he did it himself, he might not be as efficient as these people!

When he turned his gaze back to Zhou Feng, his eyes became even more profound.

Who exactly is this young man?

The leader of the thieves was the last to rush up, but before he even got close, he found that all the men he had brought with him had fallen to the ground.

His face turned green, and he didn't know whether to hold the knife up or put it down, and his legs began to tremble.

"You...you all..." He stammered, trying to say something harsh, but looking at his groaning brothers on the ground, he couldn't utter a single word.

Chen Xiao looked at him coldly and took a step forward.

The man was so frightened that he took three steps back, but then he noticed the constables who had rushed in, and his eyes suddenly turned fierce.

Even if he can't escape, he can't just die here.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

He suddenly turned around and slashed at the nearest tea drinker with his knife.

The man was still watching the commotion from the sidelines, completely caught off guard, when the knife came crashing down.

With a "thud," a deep, bone-revealing gash was slashed open on his shoulder, and blood spurted out with a "hiss."

"Ah—" the man screamed and fell to the ground.

A young man next to him tried to run away, but he grabbed him by the back of the neck and slashed him in the back with a knife, causing him to fall to the ground on the spot.

Another scream erupted in the teahouse.

After the man cut down the two men, he grabbed Zhao Pan'er, who was closest to him, and held the knife to her neck.

"Don't move!" he panted, glaring menacingly around. "Anyone who moves again, I'll slit this woman's throat first!"

The blade was pressed against Zhao Pan'er's neck, and the cold metallic sensation made her stiffen.

The blade trembled slightly with the thief's breathing, threatening to sever her skin at any moment.

Chen Xiao and the others exchanged glances. In the original story, although these people were also trapped in the teahouse, they were only somewhat flustered.

Unlike now that they've gotten involved, these people are somewhat panicked.

The constables standing nearby held iron rulers and chains, but with hostages being held, they were not able to move much.

"Put down the knife! Let's talk this out!" the constable shouted, but his voice clearly lacked conviction.

The man completely ignored him, held the knife to Zhao Pan'er's neck, and stared intently at the five people on Zhou Feng's side.

"Tell your men to back off! Back off! Or I'll really make my move!"

White Wolf looked at Chen Xiao, but Chen Xiao shook his head slightly.

They couldn't act rashly at this moment. The thief was already blinded by rage, and the knife was pressed against the hostage's neck. The slightest mistake could cost a life.

Most importantly, the person being held hostage is the absolute protagonist of this world, a key figure, and absolutely cannot be allowed to die.

The situation immediately reached a stalemate.

The thief's hands were trembling with nervousness, and the blade dangled near Zhao Pan'er's neck, each movement causing the onlookers to tense up.

Zhao Pan'er's heart was pounding, but her mind was racing.

This thief has gone mad; who knows what he'll do next?

She has to find a way to save herself!

She was still clutching the wooden tray she had used to serve tea; it wasn't heavy, but the edges were hard.

We need to find a way to distract this thief.

Zhao Pan'er took a deep breath, suddenly turned her gaze towards the teahouse entrance, her face showing a look of terror, and shouted loudly, "Be careful! There's an ambush outside!"

The shout was shrill and bright, and it was particularly jarring in the quiet teahouse.

The person who had taken her hostage instinctively turned to look at the door, and the other thieves also shifted their gaze at the same time.

It was in that very moment!

Zhao Pan'er suddenly turned her head, her neck clearing the blade, and at the same time, she gripped the tray tightly with both hands and swung it around to smash it down on the thief's forehead!

"Bang!"

The blow was so solid that her hand went numb.

The man let out a scream, his vision went black, and the grip on his hand loosened.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhao Pan'er turned and ran.

She ran not towards the door or the counter, but towards Zhou Feng.

Her intuition told her that that was the safest place!

Seeing Zhao Pan'er running over in a few quick steps, Chen Xiao gestured, and the others let her pass.

She ran up to Zhou Feng in one breath, her chest heaving and her hands trembling.

A faint red mark was left on my neck from the blade; it didn't break the skin, but it stung terribly.