Su Minguan was weak after his injury and could only lean most of his weight on Lin Yuchan’s shoulder as they walked step by step through the gates of Haizhuang Temple.

Lin Yuchan immediately understood why Aunt Hong had said this temple was “rather strange.”

The mountain gate was tall, and the road spacious—during the day, it should be an ordinary temple with clouds of pilgrims, but at night, there were two burly men standing guard at the entrance. Even at midnight, their eyes were bright and alert, faces full of vigilance.

A giant eagle claw orchid rose from the ground, casting menacing shadows in the moonlight.

Su Minguan was breathing rapidly, too tired to speak much. He slightly raised his right hand and made three mysterious hand gestures.

The big men showed respectful salute and said in low voices: “Eight Immortals cross the sea, ancient trees meet spring, the nation prospers and people live in peace.”

Then they cupped their hands and stepped aside.

Lin Yuchan: “…You chose this meeting place—don’t the monks in the temple mind?”

“What monks are there here?” He couldn’t help but find it amusing, covering his wound and saying hoarsely, “Think about it… You’re a Ming dynasty loyalist, you don’t dare openly defy the hair-cutting decree, but you don’t want to keep that pig’s tail… what do you do?”

Lin Yuchan suddenly understood: “Amitabha, blessed be.”

Su Minguan: “You’re not a society member, so you shouldn’t come in normally. Like this… I’ll teach you some code words. Memorize them, and if anyone asks, just say… just say you’re a recruit I just developed. Haven’t had time to burn incense yet.”

Lin Yuchan said happily, “Then, do I have particularly high seniority?”

Wasn’t that how martial arts novels worked? The boss’s final disciple would start with a bunch of disciples and grand-disciples.

Young Master Xiao Bai gave her a white-eyed look: “The Heaven and Earth Society has been around for hundreds of years, and seniority has long been confused. Now we rank by age. If you joined, you’d be dead last.”

Lin Yuchan had nothing to say and could only cram at the last minute, learning several sets of signals from him. They were all quite catchy and not hard to remember.

Pushing open the door of a side hall, the lights inside were dim. The Buddha statues for show were covered in mold spots, looking kindly at the visitors outside the door.

Inside the hall, dozens of society members who had just escaped from the coolie barracks were resting in various positions.

Someone saw Su Minguan, jumped up, and shouted: “Jin Lan… Minguan is back!”

Everyone swarmed forward. The bearded uncle who had spoken with Lin Yuchan earlier had his right arm in a sling and laughed heartily: “I knew it, Minguan is young but clever, he has ways of dealing with soldiers and wouldn’t have problems! How are your injuries?”

Su Minguan glanced at Lin Yuchan from the corner of his eye, feeling embarrassed about being called “young but clever,” coughed once, and said flatly: “Uncle Cheng is joking. You all have injuries too, please sit.”

Everyone gave thumbs up, praising repeatedly: “This child is steady, so young yet truly has the old helmsman’s demeanor.”

After speaking, everyone sighed wistfully.

Su Minguan glanced at Lin Yuchan again, his lips twitching, deciding not to speak.

A monk suddenly called out, “Minguan, who is this young lady?”

Not calling her “female benefactor” when meeting a girl, a fake monk.

Su Minguan followed their previously agreed story, saying: “This is a new recruit joining the society…”

Before Lin Yuchan could figure out how to greet the various uncles and elders, several people started making a big fuss.

“Minguan, you’re being too casual! Haizhuang Temple isn’t a place where female members can come. You should have her go to the Tianhou Temple on the west bank of Shuzhu Creek first, worship the Earth Mother sisters, burn incense, and then come over. Otherwise, wouldn’t that ruin the feng shui?”

Lin Yuchan was suddenly startled to hear them discussing her.

How could there be discrimination even in this peasant uprising organization?

Su Minguan was also stunned, then laughed: “There’s such a rule? I’m young and haven’t heard of it.”

Seeing he wouldn’t take up this topic, everyone seemed to remember he was Jin Lanhe’s successor and laughed awkwardly: “The helmsman decides.”

Lin Yuchan wasn’t angry either. After all, she had truly returned to the Qing dynasty—equal rights for everyone would be ghostly.

Everyone sat on the ground. Lin Yuchan saw a pot of boiled water, impolitely drank a large bowl, then brought a bowl to Su Minguan. He drank it all in one go.

With the helmsman present, everyone chattered and asked: “The helmsman saved our lives—what do we do next?”

Having just escaped death from the coolie barracks, still bearing wounds and bloodstains, these fearless resisters began excitedly fantasizing.

The monk called out first: “Of course, we inherit the old helmsman’s will, go to the Guangzhou prefectural office, and kill more dog officials!”

This proposal didn’t get much support. The Heaven and Earth Society was loosely organized, and the backbone forces had all sacrificed themselves in the last Guangzhou uprising. Even the most optimistic people didn’t dare agree.

Everyone unanimously said: “Go north! Anyway, our family fortunes are already ruined, so why not join the Taiping Army? Minguan, when your injuries heal, let’s travel together, reassemble troops, and when we reach Nanjing, let them make you a general!”

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was currently conquering cities and territories in the Yangtze River valley. Not only did all the people know about it, but even foreign newspapers in the Shamian concession occasionally published editorials analyzing the situation in Nanjing.

The Heaven and Earth Society had long maintained communication with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The Guangzhou uprising had also received support from the Taiping Army. Unfortunately, it failed.

Therefore, everyone naturally thought that joining the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom might be the best way out.

Before Su Minguan could answer, Lin Yuchan blurted out: “No!”

Dozens of eyes immediately fell on her, many with dissatisfaction.

Lin Yuchan pressed her lips together. Could she say that if her history books weren’t mixed up, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom only had less than three years left, with 1864 being its deadline?

Now, there were no phones or internet, and news traveled slowly with extremely poor timeliness. These people’s impression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom might still be stuck in the glory days of a few years ago, when the great army conquered Tianjing.

But… Lin Yuchan’s heart suddenly stirred. If she really could spoil history, if she could slightly nudge the gears of history, would fate’s direction be different?

Su Minguan glanced at her lightly and said softly: “I agree. We shouldn’t go find the Taiping Army.”

Several people asked simultaneously: “Why?”

During the last Guangzhou uprising, the Taiping Army promised three hundred thousand troops to help, but then changed their minds, saying something about Tianjing being in crisis. So I have reason to suspect that the Taiping Army’s current situation isn’t as wonderful as we think.” Su Minguan’s wound was aching sharply. He covered it tightly with his clothes and gently rubbed the skin around the wound’s edge. “Moreover, even if we succeed in our cause in the future and overthrow the court, what will the new court be called? Have they consulted with us?”

Uncle Cheng, with the full beard, was stunned: “Naturally, it would be the Great Ming.”

Su Minguan gave a slight cold smile.

Uncle Cheng’s face darkened as he added, “We’re not stubborn people either. These things can all be discussed after success…”

Su Minguan suddenly asked: “Do you know about photography?”

Everyone nodded in confusion. Guangzhou had been open to foreign trade for a long time, with many strange foreign gadgets. Foreigners had set up big wooden frames to photograph city towers and residences, and nine times out of ten, they were chased away by the people.

Su Minguan: “Last year, Jardine Matheson & Co. received a French missionary. He had been to Taiping Army territory and even took photographs of Hong Xiuquan. I’ve seen those photographs. That man wore dragon robes, sat on a dragon throne, held an imperial seal, with countless beautiful women behind him, pearls and jade glittering so brightly they overexposed the edges of the negative.”

Everyone was silent, finding it hard to believe.

Most Heaven and Earth Society members were peddlers, boatmen, and villagers with limited horizons. Su Minguan moved into foreign trading houses with broad knowledge—when he spoke, everyone had to believe him.

Hearing words like “photograph” and “negative,” Lin Yuchan was confused about what year she had traveled to. She could only sigh that Young Master Su was fashionable.

She remembered from history class that in the later period of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Hong Xiuquan gradually became content with success, lost his drive for progress, became extravagant and corrupt, ultimately leading to failure…

She remembered that fat history teacher tapping the blackboard, saying, “Incomplete anti-feudalism—this is the inherent class limitation of small producers… take warning, students!”

The students laughed loudly, saying what warning should we take, teacher, are you going to lead us in rebellion?

…

Now comparing with Su Minguan’s description, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement had indeed entered its “later period,” with decline already set in—it was about to end.

Of course, this photograph also conveyed another message: regarding the great cause of “overthrowing Qing and restoring Ming,” the Taiping Army could probably only achieve the first two characters. Looking at this display, they might not even do that very well.

Now, everyone had nothing to say. Someone cursed softly: “Still maintaining three palaces and six courtyards, truly shameless.”

Suddenly, someone else suggested: “Last time we failed because we didn’t coordinate with the foreigners. This time let’s win over the foreigners, borrow their strong ships and powerful cannons, and we’ll succeed in one strike.”

Lin Yuchan was terrified and blurted out again: “No, no, even worse!”

Everyone looked at each other.

Everyone was a Heaven and Earth Society backbone, all uncles and elders by seniority. Su Minguan was young and injured, tired as if he could fall asleep at any moment. Everyone’s chattering “suggestions” were just showing respect for his status as Jin Lanhe’s successor, only waiting for him to nod and make decisions, not expecting him to command the heroes.

Who knew he not only wouldn’t nod, but repeatedly had this mysterious little girl beside him sing opposing tunes—this seemed very unreasonable.

The fake monk asked roughly: “Then you tell us, why not? Do you think foreigners can’t beat the Qing army’s Army of the Green Standard?”

Lin Yuchan thought this was obvious: “Of course we can’t rely on foreigners—wouldn’t that make us traitors?”

Everyone laughed contemptuously, refuting her high theory: “Borrowing knives to kill people, using barbarians to control barbarians, driving out the Manchu Tartars, restoring the Han Chinese empire—how does that make us traitors?”

Lin Yuchan: “…”

These simple masses completely lacked a rational understanding of Western capitalist aggressors.

She threw caution to the wind and said seriously, “The main contradiction in current society is between imperialism and the Chinese nation. The secondary contradiction is between feudalism and the masses. If you want to resist, the most important thing is to overthrow the feudal system and drive out imperialism, not change dynasties and support another semi-feudal, semi-colonial dynasty. That way, the people’s suffering will never end.”

Wasn’t it just exposing herself? She hadn’t signed any confidentiality agreement before crossing over. The sooner the Qing dynasty collapsed, the sooner everyone would be reborn—hurry up and revolt!

After speaking, she raised her head with the spirit of facing death, prepared to accept questions.

No one asked questions. Everyone frowned, completely unable to understand what she was saying.

Only Su Minguan finally realized she wasn’t speaking Hakka this time and guessed with interest: “Which country’s foreign scripture is this? Quite tongue-twisting—impressive that you memorized it all.”

Foreign missionaries often preached incomprehensible things on the streets, and Guangzhou residents were used to it.

Lin Yuchan steeled herself and answered: “…Germany.”

Su Minguan said “oh” indifferently.

Never heard of it.

(At that time, there was no Germany yet, only Prussia)

As for the others, they completely didn’t buy into “foreign scriptures.” Uncle Cheng asked Su Minguan with a dark face: “What exactly is this girl’s background?”

Without waiting for Su Minguan to answer, Uncle Cheng said again: “We don’t accept shamans in our Heaven and Earth Society! Little girl, sorry, you need to leave!”

This was still giving face to Su Minguan. If she were a stranger randomly barging into Haizhuang Temple spouting nonsense, they wouldn’t be so polite to her.

Lin Yuchan smiled bitterly. Voluntarily exposing herself only to be forced back into disguise by indigenous friends—she was probably unique in the transmigration world…

History’s clock couldn’t be forcibly moved forward. Even though she knew that in a few decades these theories would sweep the world, right now they were no different from gibberish.

People always hoped to foresee the future. But when you laid real historical spoilers before their eyes, they would still think it was all absurd nonsense.

You couldn’t blame them for ignorance. Take herself—when studying those political and historical texts in school, she rarely thought deeply about their meaning, just memorized them to pass exams. Without life experience in two worlds, she would never understand the mountains of suffering piled behind those dry terms.

And suffering was the necessary path to awakening.

In transmigration novels, when protagonists threw out some super-temporal advanced ideas, ancient people immediately treasured them like precious gems… too naive.

Going round and round, it seemed “lying low” was the real truth.

Her spirits were downcast as she said, “I should leave. I wish you success in your revolution and hope the soldiers never catch you.”

Just as she turned around, she suddenly heard Su Minguan gasping and struggling to stand up.

“I’ll leave with her.”

Everyone was shocked.

With great enemies pressing and personnel dwindling, how could this Jin Lanhe do the opposite of his predecessor, retreating when it came to overthrowing Qing and restoring Ming, deserting at the critical moment?

“Minguan,” Uncle Cheng quickly supported him, “you can’t act impulsively! Is the Heaven and Earth Society important, or is this… little friend of yours important?”

Su Minguan smiled lazily: “The Heaven and Earth Society is important.”

Everyone sighed with relief: “That’s good…”

“But I’m shallow in talent and learning, insufficient to be worthy of the position of Jin Lanhe, fearing I’d ruin the great plan of overthrowing Qing and restoring Ming. It has nothing to do with this A’Mei. I’ve long thought about it—after helping everyone escape, I’d immediately resign to avoid disgracing the position. Anyway, I haven’t burned incense yet, so I don’t count as a member. My carrying this foreign gun is also overstepping.”

He untied the slender foreign gun from his waist, wiped the barrel clean with his fingers, and held it in his hands.

“Uncle Cheng, you followed the old helmsman for many years with great merit and deserve this position. Whatever path everyone takes in the future, you can decide.”

Uncle Cheng jumped three feet high, leading a group of people backward, waving their hands repeatedly.

“What are you doing? We didn’t mean that…”

An unclear smile flashed across Su Minguan’s eyes: “Today, everyone owes me favors—why not repay them now to avoid worrying about it later?”

Lin Yuchan was also quite surprised. In her opinion, shouldn’t everyone be fighting tooth and nail for the position of “martial arts alliance leader”?

How did it seem like everyone was avoiding it, looking at that foreign gun like a hot potato, repeatedly telling Su Minguan “you can do it, you go ahead”?

…Not only was the Qing dynasty about to end, but this Heaven and Earth Society seemed finished too.

And even more ominously, once Su Minguan said this, everyone’s looks toward her suddenly became complex—clearly, they now saw her as a femme fatale.

A perfectly good little Minguan, young but clever with unlimited prospects, just saying he’d leave like that—it was hard not to suspect this was “flying into a rage for a beauty.” And this beauty was a rambling one who might even know foreign hypnotic techniques.

Of course, everyone minded their relationships and wouldn’t say this about him. Uncle Cheng grabbed his sleeve and said sternly: “You’ve drunk foreign ink for a few years and now look down on us old brothers? We shouldn’t have let you work at the foreign trading house!”

Others coaxed: “You’ve been greatly frightened today—being timid is normal. Let’s not plan anything big, just rest well and discuss later, okay? Don’t your injuries need care?”

Others advised: “After today’s trouble, you can’t return to Jardine Matheson & Co., so where else can you find shelter? If you wander randomly in the martial world and run into soldiers, how can you survive?”

Su Minguan felt deeply helpless. He bore the beautiful reputation of being “young but clever” but couldn’t answer any of these questions.

He moved his lips, about to say something, when suddenly a sharp whistle sounded outside the hall, making him shiver all over.

The whistle was one long, one short. Everyone’s faces changed: “Soldiers are attacking!”

Outside the temple gate, the sound of soldiers’ commands could already be faintly heard. The Qing army’s “bandit suppression” efficiency was extraordinarily high—in half a night, they had found traces of the escaped society members.

Su Minguan had been about to put down the gun in his hand, but now he gripped the handle again and gave a concise two-word command: “Retreat.”

He looked up, using his gaze to call Lin Yuchan back to his side.

“I warned you not to get involved.” He said tiredly, blinking his reddened eyes. “Now you have no choice—come help me.”