Chapter 82

Belonging...

Dong Ku hesitated for a moment and asked, "Sir, I wonder who you are..."

Liu Baicheng laughed and said, "It's my fault for forgetting to introduce myself. I wonder what you think of the nickname 'Bai Xiaosheng'?"

Dong Ku smiled and said without reservation, "Sir, I guess the meaning of 'Bai Xiaosheng' is 'all-knowing.' As for the title 'Guiguzi,' it probably means you are good at strategizing and leading troops."

"Ah..." Liu Baicheng sighed and said, "The nickname 'Bai Xiaosheng' was given to me by my fellow martial artists. I do have some channels for gathering information and can indeed know some secrets. I'm also good at analysis and judgment, which fits the nickname. However, the title 'Guiguzi'..."

Liu Baicheng fell into a reverie, seemingly not holding back as he recounted everything from thirty-five years ago.

After listening for half an hour, Dong Ku finally understood. It turned out that Liu Baicheng's lineage was indeed related to Guiguzi, though whether it was a direct lineage, his master could not explain before passing away.

Liu Baicheng made his debut at the age of sixteen. Due to his analytical skills, strategic wisdom, and strong sense of justice, he quickly gained a reputation in the martial world and was called the reincarnation of Guiguzi. Subsequently, he was referred to as Guiguzi.

His early fame made him extremely proud, and he began to act arrogantly.

At the age of twenty, he could not resist the influence of his martial friends and joined the Boxer Rebellion, becoming a strategist under Ni Zanqing. Through his strategies, Ni Zanqing organized and led the Luanfang Massacre. However, due to the Qing government's lack of a clear program and the Boxers' superstitions and outdated weapons, they used children as the front line, followed by young adults. Despite the bravery of some martial heroes, the fall of Tianjin and Beijing could not be prevented.

After Tianjin fell, Liu Baicheng rushed to Beijing to fight. When Beijing fell, he was rescued by his martial friends. Unwilling to accept defeat, he went to Northeast China and joined the Zhongyi Army to resist the Russians. Although he won a few small victories, the Zhongyi Army was ultimately defeated due to the inferiority of their weapons compared to the Russians. Dozens of martial friends protected him and went into hiding in Qiqihar, later moving to Harbin.

Several failures deeply affected Liu Baicheng, and he became disheartened, no longer calling himself Guiguzi. However, his martial friends could not bear to see him fall into despair, so they established a secret organization. This allowed Liu Baicheng to use his analytical and organizational skills. Over the past thirty years, the organization grew from dozens to hundreds of members.

These members were disciples of the martial friends, forming the inner circle. They also had an outer circle with thousands of members, spread across the country and even in some Western powers. Due to the accuracy of the information, Liu Baicheng earned the nickname 'Bai Xiaosheng.'

From Liu Baicheng's story, Dong Ku learned that Liu Baicheng had witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties but found none that aligned with his worldview and values. This made him even more indifferent to fame and fortune, and he remained in seclusion, even during the times of Sun Yat-sen and Zhang Zuolin. If it weren't for the secret organization carrying the dream of a strong China, he would have long retired to the mountains and lived a life of seclusion.

"I am an old failure, and I have made a fool of myself in front of you," Liu Baicheng said with a desolate self-mockery.

"Sir, you take the responsibility of strengthening the country and do not bow to the powers. I deeply admire you. There is no reason to laugh. It's just that you cannot control the masses," Dong Ku said with respect, then asked directly, "Sir, can I know why you wanted to meet me? It can't just be for a chat."

"Little brother, there's no need to worry. One of my disciples happened to see Water Girl attacking the Japanese on the street. From her movements and the way she used her throwing knives, they recognized her as a descendant of the Yanzi School, which has a descendant in our inner circle," Liu Baicheng smiled and continued, "After meeting Water Girl, I learned that she is a junior sister of one of my disciples. Her master, Cao Ma, was one of the founders of our secret organization, so I called myself her uncle. Through her, I learned about your heroic deeds in Jiamusi, which deeply impressed me. Your willingness to sacrifice for the people and your bold actions, such as the Tian Nu incident, showed me that there is hope for the rise of our nation. Therefore, I gathered all recent information and, through the intelligence from Japanese sources, decrypted numerous Japanese communications. After analysis, I concluded that these actions were yours, and I was eager to meet you."

"Oh? You judged these actions were mine just from the communications?" Dong Ku asked, puzzled.

"Ha ha! I apologize for making a fool of myself. It's not a big deal. You left a message in Baoqing and a similar one in Jiamusi. Your attacks in Beifeng Mountain, Dahuishan, and Dayezhen were sharp and ruthless, leaving no survivors. The bodies were always mutilated to leave no trace. The methods were consistent and beyond the capabilities of any known armed group. With the connection between Jiamusi and Baoqing, I made a guess."

Liu Baicheng paused and continued, "There's another point. The information gathered shows that your methods and ability to set traps clearly surpass the Japanese, causing them significant damage. This indicates that you have an unpredictable strategic mind and combat style, making the Japanese unable to defend against you."

"The main reason I wanted to meet you is to find out if you have a backing force. If you do, your decisiveness and ability, along with your concern for the people and your desire to protect them from the war, show that this force can make our nation strong and free from foreign oppression. To see the rise of our nation in my lifetime, I am willing to contribute my efforts."

"Force..."

Dong Ku fell silent.

The Red Army was still on the Long March for survival. The Soviet returnees were brainwashed, and it would take another three to four years for the Shaanxi-Gansu base to grow. In the short term, they could not focus on the Japanese in Northeast China. Apart from Yang Jingyu, there were no formed anti-Japanese forces in Northeast China. Joining the First National Army was not suitable at this time, as the Soviet returnees would hinder his ambitions. He did not want to waste his energy on political movements, which would allow the Japanese to gain strength and invade the interior, something he did not want to see.

After a long moment of thought, Dong Ku said honestly, "Sir, the force is still young and needs four to five years to grow. Here, I am alone with a few dozen soldiers. It will be difficult to rely on the force's support within three years. However, this will not affect my determination to expel the Japanese. I will do my utmost to drive them out."

"Oh? With such abilities, how can the force be in its growth stage? Weren't your skills cultivated by the force behind you?" Liu Baicheng was puzzled after understanding Dong Ku's words.

Shaking his head, Dong Ku neither confirmed nor denied. He couldn't say that the force would cultivate him seventy years later.

"Since you are fighting alone without support, why don't you establish your own territory?"

"Ha ha, I don't have the talent to govern a country. I am just a soldier who knows how to kill the enemy. Besides, in a few years, when the force grows, it will surely make China strong. For now, I will fight alone."

Dong Ku's words left Liu Baicheng puzzled. Clearly, he could not rely on the force, yet he believed it would grow strong and make China rise. He had a grand strategic vision and formidable combat skills but no ambition to dominate. He was willing to fight and hand over the fruits of his labor, which seemed illogical and contrary to his ruthless and decisive nature.

After a moment of silence, Liu Baicheng summarized the information and said, "Your vision impresses me. I am fifty-five years old and have few years left. If you can use this old man, the secret organization can serve you as an intelligence network. However, the members of the organization can only gather information and carry out assassinations, not fight on the battlefield. What do you think?"

"Great!" Dong Ku sat up straight, his eyes shining with excitement.

Although Liu Baicheng had hinted at offering help, hearing it confirmed made him ecstatic.

"I thank you, Sir, for your great righteousness. I am in dire need of an intelligence source. As for your concern about the members not being able to fight, they are talented, and I wouldn't use them in combat even if they wanted to. If you don't mind, I have some insights on intelligence gathering, reconnaissance, and infiltration that I can share with your members."

"Oh? You have such insights?" Liu Baicheng was not a rigid person and was not worried about Dong Ku taking over his hard-earned secret organization. It was a martial force, and other forces found it difficult to infiltrate due to their unique code of conduct. He was also eager to hear Dong Ku's insights, knowing that a skilled infiltrator had exceptional abilities in these areas that were hard for ordinary martial artists to match.

"Since the secret organization will serve you, feel free to use it as you see fit."

Dong Ku, getting a clear answer, clasped his hands and said, "Good. I will prepare and come over in the morning. Please inform the inner circle members."

"That's easy. All the members can gather within five days," Liu Baicheng said, then added, "Water Girl knows the secret codes of the inner circle. Since you know each other, how about letting her stay with you to relay messages for the organization?"

Water Linglong, who had been silent, sat up straight, her hopeful eyes fixed on Dong Ku.

Dong Ku turned to look at Water Linglong. He did need a woman for some operations, as it would be more convenient. Moreover, the secret organization was something Liu Baicheng had built over decades, and he wouldn't hand it over to him. He also couldn't let the organization know everything about the Tiger Tooth team. After a moment's thought, he nodded and said, "That's even better, but our conflict with the Japanese is very dangerous."

Hearing Dong Ku's agreement, Water Linglong looked gratefully at Liu Baicheng and said with a pout, "Big Brother Dong, don't underestimate me. I've killed over forty Japanese on my own."

"Ha ha! That's true. Water Girl has been wandering the martial world for two years and can take care of herself," Liu Baicheng laughed and said, "She is alone and needs your care."

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