Republic of China era: A hundred-year-old still practicing martial arts? Is that right?

South of the city.

The headquarters of the Green Robe Gang.

Du Qingyi, dressed in black brocade, stood with his hands behind his back in front of the hall. His brows were lowered, and his eyes looked towards the distant firelight on the horizon.

"Is it the Tongmenghui (Revolutionary Alliance)?"

"It seems like their work." Liu Qingzhu, wearing a blue striped cotton-linen dress, stood not far behind Du Qingyi and responded.

She gazed at the lingering flames on the horizon, her brows expressionless and unreadable: "It's just that such a large amount of gunpowder is not something the Alliance could produce in a short time."

Du Qingyi turned around abruptly and asked in a deep voice, "You mean, they have someone helping them behind the scenes?"

Liu Qingzhu nodded slightly and spoke in a cool voice:

"Very likely. However, Chief, regardless of whether the Alliance suddenly intervenes or not, the situation in Jiangcheng will become more unpredictable tonight. If that Japanese prince doesn't die tonight, the city will definitely be in chaos tomorrow, and our previous plan will not be able to be executed smoothly."

Du Qingyi nodded slowly, his expression solemn. As he had predicted, two tigers cannot share one mountain. If the Japanese were to send people again this time and were indeed as ruthless as rumored, then the Japanese would inevitably clash with the Westerners and compete for the export of Jiangcheng's interests.

With the sudden increase in uncertainty, the main force of the Japanese will inevitably shift, and even Du Qingyi, who has dominated Jiangcheng for decades, has a look of worry on her face.

"The power of this explosion doesn't seem like something the Alliance would produce!"

"Besides the three major gangs in the city, even if the four major families had the power, they wouldn't secretly support the Tongmenghui. Who could it be? Could it be the Hongmen?" Liu Qingzhu pondered, looking again at the burning firelight in the distance.

Du Qingyi shook her head and pondered for a moment: "Impossible. Since the incident at the arena, the Hongmen has closed its doors and not come out. Besides, their businesses are not in the city, and they are not greatly influenced by Westerners or Japanese. Why would they cause trouble for no reason? It doesn't seem like them."

Du Qingyi paused, then her eyebrows shot up sharply: "It certainly sounds like the work of a powerful figure..."

"Who?" Liu Qingzhu asked, pressing for an answer.

"Report! Chief, the leader of the Sea Dragon Gang, Shen Jinluan, requests an audience, and she has brought an old man with her."

A member of the gang, dressed in black, entered the hall with light steps and announced the arrival.

"Uncle Lin?" Liu Qingzhu wondered to herself, "What's he doing here?"

Du Qingyi turned around and waved: "Let them in."

"yes!"

Led by Qingpi, Lin Ji and his companion walked towards the main hall of the Green Robe Gang's headquarters.

Lin Ji looked around.

This place is dozens of times more impressive than the Sea Dragon Gang.

After entering the courtyard three times, we finally reached the main hall.

"Jinluan greets Chief Du and Master Liu." Shen Jinluan bowed slightly, performing a traditional martial arts greeting.

Lin Ji followed behind without looking at Liu Qingzhu's cold face and chuckled lightly.

"Hmm... Chief Shen, what brings you here so late at night? And who is this gentleman?" Du Qingyi asked, one hand behind her back.

During the inquiry.

His gaze swept over the two of them.

He was greatly alarmed.

This person... isn't he the old man who rose to fame in Jiangcheng after coming here?

But the old man didn't look as aged as depicted in the portrait at all; he was at most a few years younger than him.

He narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the old man in front of him. He was even more shocked, as he could tell how deep the old man's martial arts skills were.

Shen Jinluan glanced at Lin Ji out of the corner of her eye with her peach blossom eyes, her eyes filled with joy, and replied, "For now, you can be my little husband."

The words had barely left his mouth.

Liu Qingzhu suddenly turned her head, and a clear look of surprise flashed in her usually calm and aloof eyes.

Husband? When did that happen? Was it after that night?

Liu Qingzhu recalled the scene that night when Shen Jinluan carried Lin Ji all the way back to the courtyard.

Suddenly, a wave of sorrow washed over me.

husband?

Lin Ji's pupils suddenly contracted.

Even with a thousand tricks, it's hard to guard against a thief in your own home.

Shen Jinluan is a woman who never fails to say something shocking.

Lin Ji raised his eyes slightly, and he unconsciously glanced at Liu Qingzhu.

exactly.

Their eyes met.

"Temporarily? Husband?" Du Qingyi was also taken aback. He couldn't help but raise his eyes to take a second look at the old man behind Shen Jinluan.

Is this old man really capable?

What makes Shen Jinluan willing to sell her body to curry favor with him?

Du Qingyi glanced again at Shen Jinluan's figure, which was still charming even though she deliberately concealed her seductive manners, and the things she had heard about Shen Jinluan in the past flashed through her mind.

She's just a woman who used someone else to climb the social ladder.

"Chief Shen, tell me, what urgent matter brings you here so late at night?"

"Chief Du, it is indeed impolite to disturb you so late at night, but the Sea Dragon Gang is in imminent danger, and I had no choice but to come."

Shen Jinluan spoke respectfully, her cheongsam hem fitting snugly over her legs, completely concealing her former elegance.

"Leaving aside the matter of the Gelaohui's intervention to suppress the Haijiao Gang, look at the firelight in the distance. It seems that before dawn tomorrow, the Japanese will launch a swift and decisive attack on Jiangcheng. You tell me, how can the Haijiao Gang possibly avoid a confrontation?"

Shen Jinluan's brows furrowed with worry. The Haijiao Gang was her greatest asset and the result of her painstaking efforts. She did not want the Haijiao Gang to be destroyed in an instant.

Du Qingyi stood with his hands behind his back in front of the hall, watching the distant firelight gradually die down. Faced with the current situation in Jiangcheng, even he, the leader of the largest gang in Jiangcheng, was struggling to make ends meet.

Before Du Qingyi could respond, Liu Qingzhu spoke first, his tone less cold than usual, patiently explaining, "Chief Shen, the Qingyi Gang has its own difficulties."

"As you know, most of the Tsing Yi Gang's businesses are located in the British concession in the south of the city. In the past few days, the concession has just been established, and the Gelaohui, with the support and instruction of the British, has been provoking us wildly. In just a few days, they have seized and swallowed up half of the Tsing Yi Gang's businesses in the south of the city."

Du Qingyi turned around in surprise, looking at Liu Qingzhu, whose expression remained aloof. Although her advisor didn't say it, she truly despised Shen Jinluan's behavior of using men to climb the social ladder.

Why is she now explaining the entire situation within the gang to me like a friendly neighbor patiently explaining things to me?

Could it be because of this old man?

Shen Jinluan knew that the Green Robe Gang was not doing well at the moment, but after hearing Liu Qingzhu's words, she realized that the Green Robe Gang had reached this point.

Liu Qingzhu looked at Lin Ji with cold eyes, her words seemingly carrying another meaning: "The gang originally planned to take advantage of the Japanese entering the city and the entanglement between the Japanese and the West to rebuild our strength, but no one could have predicted what happened tonight."

Lin Ji felt Liu Qingzhu's gaze and his mind raced.

Is this asking me if I've had any contact with Zhao Qiaosheng?

"Are we just going to watch the mighty Green Robe Gang decline?" Shen Jinluan turned her gaze to Du Qingyi, who was still looking up at the distance.

"What brilliant ideas does Chief Shen have? Please share them." Du Qingyi turned around abruptly, his brows furrowing. He wanted to see what Shen Jinluan was capable of that had impressed Liu Qingzhu.

Shen Jinluan reached around her waist and a booklet appeared in her hand.