Returning to the Mysterious Era

In an unusually dark, abandoned warehouse on the outskirts, the man in the suit was tied to the chair, his body trembling uncontrollably. His face was a mess of tears, saliva, and snot.

Beside him, Cassius placed a thumb-sized vial of medicine back into his coat. Getting an ordinary person to talk was easy enough, but forcing a trained and determined assassin to speak was a different matter. Fortunately, Li Wei had his methods.

A powerful hallucinogenic plant called the Bitter Bramble grew near the Ten Thousand Mountains. Its flowers could induce intense hallucinations, while the spiky roots produced toxins. Anyone who consumed or was pricked by it would experience unbearable pain. Even the pain from the smallest wound would be augmented a hundredfold.

Li Wei had created two different-colored pills from the plant, which, when combined, acted like a truth serum. However, too strong a stimulation and it could damage the user's brain, turning them into a drooling idiot.

It demanded careful dosing during interrogation but Cassius, hungry for faster results, used at least twice the recommended amount. Judging by the man's condition, he was probably ruined.

At least, he had extracted the crucial information. The man in the suit belonged to a group called the Shadow Organization, an organization that straddled both assassination and intelligence work.

It seemed to have the backing of mysterious forces and financial groups. The man had been following Cassius because of a commission the Shadow Organization had received. The client had provided a rough location and a target's picture, asking them to find that person near Beiliu City.

Those two shamans… They must have some means of tracking my exact location. Cassius's eyes flashed.

He had left the small wooden cabin in the forest not only to evade the two shamans from the Ten Thousand Mountains but also to make contact with other Covert Martial Arts sects in Beiliu County in the hopes they might have a way to resolve the concealed dangers in his body.

Li Wei's body was like a funnel riddled with holes. External wounds could heal, but his old ailments and injuries were still there, hidden but ever-present.

He needed something like the Wind Elephant Sect's Hundred Herbs Body Refining Paste or Wind Elephant Pill, which could completely heal wounds and even enhance potential and constitution. Unfortunately, Cassius didn't know the recipes and couldn't make them himself, otherwise, he would've tried it out. As the central city of Beiliu County, Beiliu City housed branches of all the major sects in the region, just like the Wind Elephant sect although all the branches had disappeared for a long time.

More than a decade ago, after the extermination of the Wind Elephant Sect, Li Wei had launched his own investigation, only to find a mysterious force hunting down and eliminating any remaining members. This was the reason why he had been wandering aimlessly.

Currently, there were at least three forces with branches in Beiliu City: Black Crane Sect, Golden Fist Sect, and Singing Water Sect. With Black Crane Sect's longstanding enmity with the Wind Elephant Sect, they weren't worth mentioning. The only remaining options were the Golden Fist Sect and Singing Water Sect.

Cassius's thoughts shifted, and he decided to give it a try. He walked slowly forward and placed his hands gently on the chin of the drooling man in the suit.

Crack.

Five minutes later, a man in a trench coat carrying a white bag on his shoulder left the abandoned warehouse and headed toward the woods.

In Baichuan City of Beiliu County, two tall men were making their way through the desolate wilderness. Each step they took covered five to six meters, their bodies flitting through the forest like phantoms.

They stopped at a clearing near a stream. Both wore strange, thick deer-hide armor-like garments. Around their necks hung grass rope necklaces, adorned with what appeared to be animal teeth.

They had dark complexions and vibrant patterns painted their faces, with hair that was tied into seventeen or eighteen small braids, most of them fastened with red and green strings. Black tattoos decorated their bare arms and the backs of their necks, seemingly pulsing as if the ink were alive, giving them a wild, primal appearance.

"He's moving too fast, Wolf. He's almost out of the Totem Stone's range!" the taller man said, pulling a palm-sized stone from his coat as he tried to feel out their target.

"Don't worry, Owl. We already gave the last known location to that group of Blood Race. They owe me so they'll handle it," replied the shaman. Bone earrings dangled from his ears. His eyebrows were so thick they nearly met in the middle.

As they talked, they quickened their pace as they made their way to Beiliu City. The dense forest around them gradually thinned out.

"Not only did the damn traitor break the oath and steal the Phoenix Totem, he also made us chase him so relentlessly! As soon as I catch him, I'm skinning him alive!" Wolf, drenched in sweat, stopped in his tracks again, his face twisted with rage.

"No, let him fulfill the oath." Owl stopped beside him. "We'll send him into the Ten Thousand Mountains as our shaman slave. He can poke around in there until the Totem King devours him."

"Wuu!"

Suddenly, a loud sound echoed from the edge of the forest. Wolf and Owl exchanged a wary glance.

Three minutes later, the two men stood at the top of a hill, peering into the distance. All they could see was a steel monster crashing through the mountains, its head spewing mist into the air.

"What is that?!" Owl's eyes widened in shock.

"I've never seen anything like it…" Wolf shook his head in confusion. "Such a long serpent! There's never been anything like it, even in the Ten Thousand Mountains."

"Let's make a detour. We don't want to provoke that thing," Owl said, a trace of fear in his eyes.

Wolf nodded, clearly relieved.

Meanwhile, at a police station in East Sea County, Police Chief Joseph stood in front of a mirror, smoothing out the wrinkles in his dark blue uniform and adjusting his appearance. Looking at his somewhat spirited reflection in the mirror, he nodded in satisfaction.

Yesterday, he had received a call from Martin Jimenez, Director of the Black Ops Agency in the 13th Division of the Federal Special Service Bureau.

It was a unique department, shrouded in mystery within the Federation's institutions and held considerable autonomous power. However, the Black Ops Agency did not interact with ordinary people, nor did it have any connection with other government agencies; it was an entity independent of the government.

Joseph had only learned this after the first call when a local councilman from East Sea County made a follow-up call to explain more. The secrecy level of the 13th Division was extraordinarily high because even as the Police Chief of East Sea County, Joseph had to get the information from someone else.

He got the specifics from the two phone calls: a group of Black Ops Agency members from the capital would arrive in East Sea County that day to carry out a special mission. Joseph was to receive them, assist with their operations, and ensure proper confidentiality measures were taken.

Joseph picked up his police cap from the desk, placed it firmly on his head, and hurried out of his office.

Half an hour later, at East Sea County train station, a black steam train slowly pulled into the station. The doors hissed open and a group of people in black uniforms stepped out silently, their movements disciplined and precise. They lined up on either side of the door, forming a passageway. Joseph adjusted his collar and looked down the passageway.

A gloved hand gripped the right door frame, the sunlight glinting off the surface and reflecting a metallic sheen.

***

At around 8:30 a.m. on June 6, the scent of hot milk drifted through the streets in Beiliu City as breakfast shops opened along the roadside, pulling in crowds. A few mobile vendors were also selling hot milk to passersby.

Several girls in light blue combat attire strolled down the street, stopping to buy breakfast and hot milk. One of the girls, the tallest among them at about 1.78 meters tall, had short hair and long and toned legs. She had a naturally aloof and striking face, with a tear-shaped mole at the corner of her left eye, giving her an unapproachable air. Passersby occasionally shot looks in their direction.

"Do you want hot milk, Senior Sister Mindy?" one of the girls, waiting in line at a vendor's stall, called over to the short-haired girl, who was busy buying breakfast inside the shop.

She turned around. "Buy five cups of hot milk, Laura. I'm getting five sets of breakfast here, too, to save us some time."

"Gotcha."

Five minutes later, five girls held a bag of food in their right hand and a cup of hot milk in their left, taking small bites and sips as they walked on the sidewalk of a gray street and headed toward the martial arts gym.

They were disciples of the Singing Water Martial Arts Hall, although they were still probationary members and hadn't officially joined yet. If they became formal disciples, Singing Water Martial Arts Hall would provide them with three meals a day and accommodation, all free of charge.

As they walked down the street, the number of pedestrians dwindled. Most of the passersby wore combat attire, some light blue, others white, and a few purple.

This was one of Beiliu City's three martial arts streets. In addition to the usual shops, each street was lined with martial arts gyms, creating a cluster effect. Singing Water Martial Arts Hall was located in the middle section of the street.

It was early morning, and many probationary disciples from the nearby neighborhoods were heading in the same direction. One scan around, and Mindy recognized at least a dozen familiar faces, all carrying some food.

Two minutes later, they arrived in front of the Singing Water Martial Arts Hall. The building resembled a gym, with a large bulletin board covered with notices at the entrance. The notices outlined the recruitment information for the Singing Water Martial Arts Hall.

"Hey, Senior Sister, there are so many people gathered at the entrance," Laura said curiously, glancing ahead. "They're not even from our school; they look like martial artists from the neighboring schools."

Mindy glanced over as well, intrigued. Without hesitation, the five girls pushed their way toward the entrance.

"Hey, what's everyone looking at?" a martial artist from another school squeezed in and asked.

"What else? It's a gym challenge," someone who had come earlier replied. "About half an hour ago, a man came to challenge the Singing Water Martial Arts Hall. They're still fighting inside."

"A challenge? At Singing Water Martial Arts Hall?" The newcomer shook his head. "Isn't the Singing Water Sect behind the Singing Water Martial Arts Hall? Don't underestimate them just because half their disciples are women. They're formidable in combat." His tone made it clear he didn't think much of the challenger.

"The guy might not just be here to spar with Singing Water Sect's disciples. The challenger inside seems to be pretty strong."

"Make way, make way. We're disciples of the Singing Water Martial Arts Hall. Let us through." Mindy and her group quickly shoved open the doors.

The spacious hall before them was where many disciples would normally be training with the gym equipment. However, it was now almost empty save for two disciples who were busy at the reception desk.

"Senior Sister Paris, Senior Sister Orphie, where is everyone?" Laura asked as soon as she stepped inside.

The woman with a ponytail on the left side of the reception desk looked up and replied, "Everyone went to the combat ring. There's a man challenging the gym."

"Let's go take a look." Laura glanced at Mindy. The five of them headed down the corridor and soon arrived at the combat ring. It was an open-air area with a running track around it and a raised platform in the center. The track was already packed with the school's disciples.

Mindy looked curiously at the ring. Two people stood on either side of the platform, facing each other. She recognized the man on the left as Simon Belmont.

The thirty-five-year-old deputy instructor of Singing Water Martial Arts Hall was incredibly strong; his strength was unfathomable, at least in Mindy's eyes. There was a vast gap between his abilities and those of the other instructors, the head instructor being the only one who could outmatch Simon in combat.

According to Instructor Alan, who taught Mindy and the others, Simon was a pillar of the younger generation within the Singing Water Sect and was considered a Covert Martial Arts expert within Beiliu County.

His fist technique had long reached the second stage of Void Water, and he had made some considerable advancements. Aside from probationary, formal, and inner disciples in the Singing Water Sect, there were only a few core disciples in each generation, and Simon had become the second core disciple's master, personally training them.

Not long ago, many core members of the Singing Water Sect participated in the martial arts exchange tournament held in East Sea County, achieving excellent rankings with Simon as the leader of his sect for that event.

On the right side of the ring stood a thin, middle-aged man dressed in black. His face was pale and wan, with an unkempt beard, and ugly knife scars marring his features. Coupled with the man's graying hair, he looked withered, like a piece of dried grass.

"He looks like a sickly old man… How could he possibly beat Instructor Simon?" Laura muttered to herself beside Mindy.

Before she even finished speaking, the two fighters in the ring moved. Two heavy thuds echoed as their feet struck the platform. Their shadows clashed in the center like lightning.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sound of their strikes reverberated like firecrackers exploding. Those with sharp eyes could see two black fists colliding wildly, like storm clouds swirling and merging together. They had been fighting for less than half a minute when…

Bang!

One figure was suddenly forced back from the point of impact.

Mindy stared intently. It was someone wearing light blue combat attire: Simon, the deputy instructor!

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