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

Lin Ji suppressed his anxiety and asked:

"Does the gang have any cars?"

"Yes!" the thug at the door answered.

"Take me there," Lin Ji said.

Qingpi looked troubled.

"What?" Lin Ji pressed.

"Master Lin, the key is in the gang leader's hands, and none of us brothers can touch it," Qingpi said, revealing his predicament.

Lin Ji lowered his brows and pondered for a moment before speaking again: "Take me there."

"it is good."

Qingpi dared not be negligent.

We have no choice but to do as instructed.

Lin Ji arrived at the back of the stronghold.

The thugs opened the warehouse door.

A brand-new black Ford appeared in front of Lin Ji.

Without saying a word, Lin Ji jumped up and shook his head regretfully.

"Why doesn't Shen Jinluan use such a good thing?"

That's all.

He reached under the steering wheel and pulled hard, pulling out two wires.

The two lines then collided.

The car suddenly started.

Outside the warehouse.

He was trying to stop Lin Ji from causing trouble.

The roar of an engine suddenly filled his ears, and his hand, which was raised in mid-air, froze in place.

He was utterly astonished: "This works? This car can actually be started like this?"

Lin Ji ignored the group and drove straight towards the south of the city.

……

The Buick slowly pulled up in front of a restaurant. The five-story building, built of gray and white stone bricks, had sharp corners and Western-style arched windows embedded in the walls, making it particularly eye-catching in the southern part of the city, where all the buildings had Chinese-style eaves.

Seeing the surprise on Shen Jinluan's face, the green-clad gangster who had delivered the message explained:

"Chief Shen, our chief has invited the Jiangcheng families and some martial arts schools to discuss the matter of eradicating Japanese martial arts, which is why we chose this place for the discussion."

"Okay." Shen Jinluan looked up at the five-story restaurant.

Shen Jinluan got out of the car, her peach blossom eyes sweeping over the restaurant sign, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Chief Shen, this way please." The Green Robe Gang leader bowed and led the way, pushing open the carved glass door. A smell of coffee and cigars wafted out.

The two climbed the steps and went straight to the innermost private room on the top floor.

Qingpi raised his hand and knocked on the door, then pushed it open and entered.

The private room was filled with smoke. Seven or eight armchairs were arranged in a half-circle, occupied by the heads of prominent martial arts families in Jiangcheng, as well as the owners of three or four martial arts schools. Each of them had a solemn expression, with cigarettes between their fingers, and they were discussing the matter of the martial arts cleanup list in hushed tones.

"The list includes half of Jiangcheng's martial arts practitioners; the Japanese are trying to wipe them out completely!"

"Our days are probably going to be tough from now on."

Shen Jinluan glanced around but didn't see Du Qingyi, and a hint of doubt immediately arose in her heart.

She wasn't intimidated at all. She walked over to an empty seat on the side and sat down, twirling her pipe between her fingers. She said calmly, "Has Chief Du not arrived yet?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man in a brocade mandarin jacket sitting next to the head of the table smiled, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"Chief Du is busy with affairs and sent word that he will arrive shortly. He asked us to discuss things first. I am Zhang Jichuan, the head of the Zhang family."

Shen Jinluan nodded slightly, not taking it to heart.

Having lived in the Sea Dragon Gang for a long time, she wasn't very familiar with the affairs of the prominent families in the city, but she had heard of the reputation of the four major families.

However, no one noticed the sinister glint that flashed in Zhang Jichuan's lowered eyes.

A moment later, the door to the private room was pushed open again.

Liu Qingzhu walked in dressed in a blue Western-style dress, her cool and aloof eyes sweeping across the room before she went straight to Shen Jinluan's side.

"Chief Shen." She nodded slightly and explained in a low voice:

"The gang leader has contacted several martial arts schools in the west of the city that are unwilling to attend, and asked me to attend in their place."

Shen Jinluan nodded slightly, her doubts dissipating somewhat.

As soon as Liu Qingzhu sat down, a servant at the table poured her a cup of hot tea and pushed it in front of her.

Without thinking much, she touched the glass with her fingertips, took a sip, and her expression changed drastically the next second.

A tingling, numb sensation shot up his throat and through his limbs, causing his internal energy to stagnate instantly, and his previously freely circulating internal energy could not be mustered at all.

"The tea is poisoned!"

Liu Qingzhu slammed down her teacup, her voice cold and sharp. She flicked her wrist to reach for the short sword at her waist, but her arm went limp halfway up.

She staggered and grabbed the edge of the table, her forehead beaded with cold sweat.

Shen Jinluan was startled and instantly realized what had happened. The jade pipe in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud," indicating that she had also been poisoned.

The people in the private room were in an uproar, their faces changing drastically as if they had been poisoned.

Zhang Jichuan slowly stood up, clapped his hands, and a sinister smile appeared on his face.

"Splash!"

A sudden, sharp metallic clang came from downstairs, mixed with the rhythmic thud of leather boots on the ground, heavy and muffled, making the floorboards tremble slightly.

Immediately afterwards, a voice came through the doors and windows, carrying undisguised arrogance:

"Listen up, you inside! The remnants of Jiangcheng martial arts are colluding with rebels. By order of the Sixth Prince, arrest them all! Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"

It's the voice of the Japanese!

Chaos erupted instantly inside the private room. The heads of powerful families turned pale, and the martial arts school owners clenched their fists.

Shen Jinluan's heart sank, and she struggled to stand up, supporting herself on the edge of the table.

This was no joint meeting at all; it was a trap set by the Japanese and Westerners, who were doing the opposite of what Du Qingyi was planning, and had already set up a trap for them.

There were spies within the Green Robe Gang too!

Du Qingyi didn't attend the meeting; she probably fell into this trap too.

Zhang Jichuan walked smugly to the window, lifted the curtain, and glanced down:

"Colonel Zacks and Prince Jingmei are personally leading the team, and heavy machine guns are set up downstairs. You won't be able to escape this time."

Just then, in the shadows of the alley behind the restaurant.

Lin Ji turned off the Ford and hid it behind a pile of junk at the alley entrance, his brows furrowed tightly.

He followed the tire tracks all the way here and saw from afar that the restaurant was surrounded by Japanese soldiers and Western police officers. Dark machine gun muzzles were set up at the entrance, and Jingmei and Zack stood side by side on the steps. The scene was frighteningly large.

Forcing our way through is definitely not an option; even a master of internal energy cannot withstand the concentrated firepower of heavy weapons.

Lin Ji's gaze swept quickly across the exterior wall of the restaurant, landing on a row of protruding window sills on the back wall.

He crouched low, quickly gliding along the base of the wall to the back of the building. His fingertips gripped the cracks in the brickwork, and he climbed upwards with the agility of a monkey. In a few leaps, he reached the third-floor window.

The sounds from the top-floor VIP box could be clearly heard.

A cold glint flashed in Lin Ji's eyes as he gripped the window frame with his fingertips, applying slight pressure.

Inside the private room, Zhang Jichuan was walking towards Liu Qingzhu, his gaze greedily sweeping over the short sword at her waist before landing on Shen Jinluan's face, a lewd smile spreading across his face.

"Why are you two ladies putting on such a show? Just surrender obediently, and I, Zhang, will have no reason to..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

"Bang!"

The rear window suddenly shattered!

A figure in a gray shirt burst through the window, and the strong wind made the cups and saucers on the table rattle.

Lin Ji landed silently, his figure flashing as he blocked the two women's path. With a casual wave of his withered hand, the two Zhang family guards who rushed up were struck as if by a heavy blow, flying backward and crashing into the wall, losing consciousness.

Zhang Jichuan's pupils contracted sharply, and the color drained completely from his face in an instant.

Why is that persistent old man here again?!