You promised steampunk martial arts, but you've got an internal combustion engine in your chest

"Chunlan, going to the market to buy groceries?"

At the muddy street corner of the slum, an elderly woman carrying a vegetable basket waved to Zhao Chunlan from afar.

Zhao Chunlan's facial muscles stiffened slightly, and she forced a smile, nodding in response, "Ah...yes, Aunt Li, just out for a stroll."

However, soon, Aunt Li's gaze passed over Zhao Chunlan and landed on the three people behind her.

All that could be seen were Baili Jing, Baili Jie, and the four-year-old dog, all wearing the most common rough theatrical masks found on the streets.

The two brothers were carrying small windmills and candied hawthorns they had bought for their child. They chatted and laughed all the way, looking like three brothers going out to play.

Bai Lijing's wounds were still throbbing, but after being covered by coarse cloth clothes, no one could tell anything was wrong from the outside.

Besides, he ate some meat from Old Qian's house in the morning, which restored his basic strength. As long as he gritted his teeth and endured the pain, walking normally wouldn't be a big problem.

As for Baili Jie, he held the puppy in his arms the whole time, sometimes shaking the windmill, sometimes feeding it a candied hawthorn, and the two played together very well.

Seeing the curious gazes of the neighbors sweeping over her, Zhao Chunlan quickly explained:

"Oh, these are my husband's two distant cousins. They just came to the city to visit relatives this morning. This little dog... was making a fuss and wanted his two cousins ​​to take him for a walk, so they came out together."

Aunt Li glanced at them; the two masked teenagers were playing enthusiastically with the puppy, so she didn't suspect anything. Before leaving, she whispered mysteriously:

"Oh dear, you'd better keep a close eye on the children. I heard there was a bloodbath at the big dock last night, the Blackwater Gang suffered a terrible fate, and the city is in chaos right now..."

Seeing the neighbors walk away, Zhao Chunlan suddenly turned around and looked at the Baili Jing brothers.

Her eyes were full of pleading, and her voice trembled with a hint of a sob:

"You...you promised you wouldn't lie to me. As long as I honestly did what I was told and acted out this charade well, you would give the puppy back to me, right?"

Bailijie was teasing the puppy with a piece of dry grass, making it giggle.

Hearing this, the boy raised his head, his eyes behind the mask curving into a smile, his tone exceptionally gentle:

"Sister-in-law, when have we ever taken your child? It's just that the puppy likes to play with me, its cousin... Isn't that right, puppy?"

A four-year-old child has no idea about sword fights. He holds onto his Sun Wukong mask, waves his whirring little windmill, and shouts gleefully:

"Yes! I love playing with my cousin! I want to eat candied hawthorns with him!!"

Looking at her son's innocent and carefree appearance, Zhao Chunlan's eyes were filled with extremely complex emotions.

At this moment, Baili Jing slowly walked over to her side.

"Sister-in-law, don't worry. Uncle Qian saved my life. I, Baili Jing, will remember this kindness for the rest of my life and will never harm a single hair on Xiaogou's head."

He said softly, "We're just trying to protect ourselves. As long as you cooperate and don't give anything away, this will be over after today, and it won't be your problem anymore."

Zhao Chunlan's face turned deathly pale, and in the end, she could only take a deep breath:

"Okay...okay, I understand."

The group continued walking slowly, still hidden behind their masks, and soon left the slums.

Turning right, the view suddenly opened up, and not far away was the grand wharf of Shanghai.

After a bloody battle last night, the entire dock should have been left in ruins and devastation.

But at this moment, when Baili Jing looked around, he found that countless laborers were already working hard on the dock like worker ants.

Moreover, a large number of overturned containers are being quickly cleared, and damaged areas are being repaired in an orderly manner.

To Baili Jing's astonishment, the canal gang members repairing the ruins at the dock were not wearing their usual black clothes...

Instead, they were all dressed in striking white.

That's strange.

Baili Jing stared at the busy white-clad men, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. He lowered his voice and said, "Don't the Canal Gang usually wear black? How come they're all dressed in white overnight?"

Baili Jie, holding the puppy, tilted his head and answered softly in a low voice:

"Brother, you don't understand. These people in white are from the White Flower Hall."

"White Flower Hall?"

Baili Jing was taken aback, still somewhat bewildered.

Baili Jie chuckled and said:

"Our Shanghai canal gang has three branches: Green Frost, White Flower, and Black Water, each with its own responsibilities."

"Qingshuang Hall is mainly responsible for the sale of steam engine parts and gear parts, and the disciples all wear blue robes; Baihua Hall mainly deals in salt and rice, and the disciples wear white robes; while the Heishui Hall, which you are familiar with, is responsible for dock water transport and laborers pumping water, and the disciples wear black robes."

Baili Jing was stunned for a moment, then glanced at his younger brother with some curiosity:

"You're just a scholar, where did you hear all this from? How come you don't even know about it?"

Baili Jie smiled:

"Thanks to you, brother, for spending money to send me to the best academy. Many of my classmates are children of wealthy merchants and gentry. They love to brag about these things when they get together. I've heard it so many times that I've naturally remembered it."

Baili Jing proudly patted his younger brother's head:

"Good lad, it wasn't for nothing that I supported you all this time, but..."

His gaze returned to the white-robed disciples.

This dock was Blackwater Hall's territory yesterday, but how did it fall into White Flower Hall's hands overnight?

What exactly happened inside the canal gang and in the prefectural government office after that night?

The two brothers suppressed their doubts and, with the puppy in tow, continued to follow Zhao Chunlan through the streets at a distance.

They tried their best to keep a low profile throughout the journey, while secretly observing the movements around them.

There were indeed several times more constables patrolling the streets than usual, but strangely, there were no arrest warrants posted on the city's notice boards, and even the thugs of the Blackwater Gang had disappeared.

The entire city of Shanghai was eerily quiet, except for the fact that the dockworkers had changed to white-clad supervisors.

Baili Jing felt increasingly uneasy, and leaned close to his younger brother's ear:

"Xiao Jie, what do you think is going on here?"

Baili Jie sighed helplessly:

"Brother, I'm just smart, not omniscient. We don't have enough clues right now, so I'm not sure."

"That's true, then let's stick to the original plan and go first..."

Before Baili Jing could finish speaking, a rapid and high-pitched sound of gongs and drums suddenly came from afar.

Clang!

Accompanied by the sound of gongs, more people emerged, shouting something at the top of their lungs.

The once peaceful street suddenly became like a pot of boiling water, with a large number of strolling people crowding around. After asking around, they all showed excited expressions and surged towards the direction from which the gong sounded, making quite a commotion.

At this critical juncture, no unusual movement, however slight, should be ignored.

But the two brothers can't go to crowded places right now, so...

Baili Jing pulled Zhao Chunlan aside and said in a deep voice:

"Sister-in-law, could you please go over there and find out what happened over there? Why is there such a commotion?"

Zhao Chunlan shrank back somewhat uncomfortably and whispered:

"No, didn't we agree to go directly to the vicinity of the government office to inquire about information?"

Baili Jing shook his head:

"Plans can't keep up with changes, so please ask about this for us first. We'll wait for you here with the puppy. Don't worry, it won't get lost."

Zhao Chunlan glanced at her son, who was being held in Baili Jie's arms and happily chewing on a candied hawthorn, and could only grit her teeth and nod in agreement:

"Alright! I...I'll go right now, but please don't move!"

The young woman turned around and hurriedly squeezed into the crowd.

Less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zhao Chunlan came running back, panting, with a strange and complicated expression on her face.

She swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and stammered:

"We've found out! It's Jiangshan Fengyu Tower... A grand opera is about to be performed inside Jiangshan Fengyu Tower!"

Jiangshan Fengyu Tower.

Baili Jing narrowed his eyes; of course he knew this place.

That was the largest restaurant in the entire city of Shanghai. On ordinary days, only the rich and powerful could enter and leave. Even a commoner would be kicked out if he dared to peek at the door for too long.

Baili Jing asked in confusion:

"That place is just a rich man's place to drink and listen to music. How come so many people are crowding here for a big opera performance today?"

Zhao Chunlan glanced at Baili Jing with some nervousness:

"Because...because the restaurant said they're putting on a big show today, and everyone in the city can go in for free, plus they'll give away melon seeds and tea! And, I heard that today's show...the show is about...it's about..."

The woman lowered her voice to a minimum:

"...The song you sang was about your rampage at the Shanghai docks last night!"

"What?!"

Bai Lijing's eyes behind the mask widened instantly, becoming as big as copper bells.

Baili Jie, who was standing to the side, was also taken aback and stared blankly at Zhao Chunlan.

Only the puppy clapped its little hands excitedly and jumped for joy:

"Oh! We're going to see a grand opera! I want to go see a grand opera too!!"