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Chapter 20: Returning

Lu Li woke up at 4 AM.

His mind had grown even stronger. Even with less than five hours of sleep, he felt completely refreshed and brimming with boundless energy.

Lu Li took the pistol from under his pillow and tucked it into his waistband before walking outside.

There were two faint bloodstains in the yard, a reminder of what had happened yesterday.

At this moment, Lu Li suddenly felt that the two worlds were very similar.

Of course, he was referring to Mexico and the Great Jin Dynasty.

They were equally turbulent, and human lives were equally worthless.

"And... the same opium epidemic."

Lu Li took a deep breath and assumed the stance for the Dragon Unwinding Stance, swinging his arms in a wide circle.

His movements were skilled, but his body was still very "stiff," indicating that his "tendons" hadn't stretched at all.

"For me, practicing martial arts is truly a thankless and arduous task."

Lu Li frowned, but his movements didn't slow. At the same time, a thought crossed his mind, and he entered the Concentrating Spirit state.

Everything around him slowed down, as if even the morning breeze had frozen.

Lu Li continued to practice the Dragon Unwinding Stance until he reached his limit. The Concentrating Spirit state then ended, and time resumed its normal flow.

"I can maintain it for two minutes now! In three days, the strength of my mind has doubled!"

Thanks to the Benign Internal Cycle, his Spirit Refining cultivation was proceeding incredibly smoothly!

He was on the verge of reaching the limit of the Spirit Refining Realm and becoming qualified to break through to Entering Samadhi.

But Lu Li still couldn't quite grasp the concept of "belief."

"Belief... is it a wish? I want my father to be laid to rest in his homeland; I want to change my own destiny and make something of myself..."

Finding one's belief wasn't easy; many people died without ever truly understanding themselves.

After a while of aimless thinking, Lu Li still had no clarity.

His left knee ached faintly, so Lu Li stopped training and sat in the yard, gazing up at the sky.

Just then, the door to the east wing opened, and Xiao Cha emerged, looking lively.

"Oh, you're so diligent, practicing so early in the morning~"

"It's alright."

Lu Li was sitting on the ground, lost in thought, with a gun conspicuously bulging in his waistband.

Xiao Cha's eyes lit up, and she pleaded in a sweet voice, "Hey, can you show me your gun~ I've never touched one before~"

The M1911 in Lu Li's hand, its prototype was born in 1896, and it was adopted as a standard weapon by the military in 1911.

This was precisely a weapon of this era. Lu Li took it out generously and even asked, "Don't Patrol Officers carry guns?"

"Only the Captain can carry a 'box cannon'; I don't have the qualifications. Hurry up and let me play with it~"

"This thing is very dangerous. I'll teach you how to use it first. You have to hold it like this, and this is the safety switch..."

Lu Li taught her hand-in-hand. Xiao Cha learned diligently and quickly grasped it. She then pushed her luck further and said, "Can I try shooting it a couple of times~"

"You can, but you must remember—never point the muzzle at a target you don't intend to shoot!"

Xiao Cha nodded repeatedly, then raised the gun, aimed at the climbing ivy on the courtyard wall, and pulled the trigger, emptying the seven rounds in the magazine.

"Awesome! I've wanted to try this for so long!"

Her excited face flushed red. She was clearly very interested in firearms, truly preferring arms over adornments.

Lu Li took back the empty gun, took out a new magazine, and reloaded it with a click. He suddenly asked an unrelated question:

"Xiao Cha, do you have a belief?"

"Huh? Of course, I do!" Xiao Cha raised her head and chest proudly, saying, "My belief is—to become a great hero with the ambition to pacify the nation and eliminate injustice~"

Lu Li nodded. "A good belief. I wish you success."

Xiao Cha retorted, "Then what's your belief?"

Lu Li fell silent for a long moment. "I'm still looking for it..."

"Looking?" Xiao Cha asked, confused. "Where would you look for your own belief?"

Hearing this, Lu Li was stunned on the spot. "That's right. My own ideals and pursuits, the path I'd never regret even if I died a hundred times, how can it be called 'looking'? It should be called 'establishing'."

"But what exactly is my belief?"

Lu Li had been pondering this question constantly, even while training or eating.

But some things couldn't be figured out just by thinking.

In the blink of an eye, two days passed, and Lu Li still had no clue.

The Tooth Brokerage also hadn't come seeking revenge.

Perhaps they didn't care about the deaths of the Wang brothers, or perhaps Chief Constable Chen's influence had worked, but these past few days had been calm.

Everyone had slightly relaxed their guard, as a more important issue had arisen—the Calming Incense was running out.

~~~~~~~~~

As night fell, the three of them gathered in the main hall as usual, preparing to burn the incense.

Lu Li lit one and took a look; only three sticks were left in the box.

300 dollars wouldn't even last 10 days. Cultivation truly tested one's financial strength.

While the incense's aroma took effect, Lu Li said, "I need to leave for a few days to take care of some things."

Wan Qing vaguely guessed he was going to get money, and said softly:

"Young Master Lu, burning a stick of Calming Incense every day is too extravagant. We could do it once every three days, or once a week. That would save a lot of money."

Lu Li said gently, "Don't worry, a little bit of money is nothing to me. Just wait until I get back."

Xiao Cha asked curiously, "Where are you going?"

"Home," Lu Li replied casually. Just then, the aroma of the Calming Incense filled the air and began to take effect.

Everyone fell silent, focusing on their cultivation.

Actually, despite how easily Lu Li spoke, he had no idea how to get money.

And there was another troublesome matter—the Decapitation Gang likely already knew Toby was in trouble, and he needed to guard against them showing up.

~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, in Tijuana, inside a nightclub called "Light."

Amidst the deafening music, countless young men and women danced freely on the dance floor, pouring out their youth.

But they had no idea that in the basement beneath their feet, several large dog cages were set up, with many young girls chained inside.

This nightclub was an important enterprise of the Decapitation Gang.

Like all criminal organizations, the pornography and escort service industry was a significant source of income.

However, not all girls would obediently follow orders, hence the need for specialized personnel and locations to tame the "wild horses."

At this moment, Heidi, the middle-aged woman who had caused trouble at the hospital, was in this basement.

She was holding a lit cigar and, with a sizzle, burned it into a girl's eye.

Amidst the piercing screams, Heidi's expression seemed somewhat frenzied.

At this moment, someone spoke up to stop her, "Wow, my dear sister, what are you doing~"

A refined man dressed like he was wearing a silver suit walked down. He looked at the scene in front of him with a regretful expression:

"You shouldn't have burned her eyes out. Now... she can only be sold for organs."

As soon as he finished speaking, several burly men dragged the screaming girl away.

Heidi said distractedly, "Antonio, help me! My son must be in trouble, I can feel it..."

Antonio gently patted Heidi's back and said softly:

"Don't worry, he might just be having too