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

The samurai sword in the ronin's hand snapped in two.

The broken blade spun into the air, its cold light reflecting off Butcher Zhang's murderous face.

The cleaver he had used for over ten years was held steadily in front of him.

Only a shallow mark remained on the thick blade.

The usually honest and simple Zhang the butcher's face was now devoid of any smile.

His eyes, as big as copper bells, were wide open, and his fat body was taut, making him stand like an iron tower behind the meat stall.

"You Japanese scum, you don't know what's good for you."

Butcher Zhang spat, then suddenly flipped his wrist, spinning the cleaver in his palm before the back of the blade struck the cutting board with a crisp "clang".

This is no ordinary butcher's demeanor; it's clearly the work of a master who has immersed himself in martial arts for many years.

People in the surrounding streets and alleys cautiously peeked out, and the scene left them all dumbfounded.

"Is this still Butcher Zhang?"

"This is terrible! Wang Erniang used to curse him every day and he didn't dare to say a word. I thought he was just a butcher."

……

The leader of the ronin was both shocked and furious, and he roared a Japanese phrase.

The words fell.

The remaining four ronin drew their swords simultaneously, unleashing five flashes of cold light as they slashed at Butcher Zhang.

Butcher Zhang suddenly slumped down, his cleaver whirling through the air.

"Ding! Ding!"

A series of crisp sounds rang out.

He deflected all five samurai swords.

His knife skills weren't fancy; they were all ruthless techniques honed from slaughtering pigs and sheep.

"Open its belly!"

Zhang the butcher gave a low shout, and his knife slashed out diagonally, the blade sliding along the blade of a ronin's sword, the tip precisely piercing the man's abdomen.

"what!"

With a splatter, blood splattered on the spot, and the ronin screamed as he fell to the ground.

"good!"

Among the people hiding in the corner, someone couldn't help but shout out, then quickly covered their mouth, their eyes filled with relief.

The remaining four ronin were both shocked and frightened. They exchanged glances and simultaneously pulled out a dark blue syringe from their pockets, plunging it fiercely into their own necks.

The moment the medicine was injected, the muscles of the four people swelled wildly, and their wide kimonos were stretched to the point of tearing.

The whites of their eyes rolled back, leaving only crimson in their vision. A thick, bloody aura emanated from them, and their auras instantly surged to the peak of the Ming Jin realm.

"What...what kind of sorcery is this?" Wang Erniang was so frightened that her legs went weak, and she had to hold onto the chopping board to stand up.

Butcher Zhang's face darkened.

He recognized it; it was a foreigner's blood transfusion potion.

He gripped the cleaver tightly, his knuckles turning white. He knew he was only at the late stage of internal energy cultivation, and he was unlikely to fare well against four drug-addled lunatics.

"kill!"

Five ronin roared and charged forward, their speed more than twice as fast as before, their blades carrying a chilling killing intent.

Butcher Zhang gritted his teeth and brandished his cleaver, but his two fists were no match for four hands.

A cold glint flashed by.

With a hissing sound.

A deep gash was cut into his arm, exposing the bone, and blood instantly stained his sleeve.

He staggered backward, his back slamming heavily against the meat stall, scattering pork from the cutting board all over the floor.

"Master!"

Wang Erniang cried out and tried to rush forward, but was held back by neighbors who emerged from the side alley.

Just as a ronin raised his katana, the blade about to cleave down on Zhang the butcher's head...

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

A few soft sounds.

Several shards of porcelain flew through the air, accurately striking the ronin's wrist, elbow, and Jianjing acupoints.

"what!"

The ronin screamed, his katana slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, his arm drooping limply.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the old beggar who had been squatting in the corner slowly stand up.

He was dressed in tattered clothes, his hair and beard were matted, he was clutching half a half-eaten cornbread in his hand, and a polished wooden stick lay at his feet.

No one noticed when he sat down there.

"Zhang Laosan, you've been hiding for over a decade, can't you keep it up any longer?"

The old beggar grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. His voice was hoarse, yet tinged with a hint of mockery.

Zhang the butcher gave a bitter smile:

"Old beggar, aren't you just hanging around here freeloading too? Don't just stand there, lend a hand."

"good!"

The old beggar picked up his wooden stick, and with a swift movement, he darted over like a ghost.

His stick fighting technique was extremely tricky, targeting joints and acupoints, and the crowd hadn't even seen how he used the stick.

All that could be seen were streaks of afterimages in the air, followed by a few crisp "crackling" sounds.

The five ronin had their knees shattered and their wrists broken; they all collapsed to the ground, howling in pain, unable to get up.

In less than ten breaths, all five elite ronin who had been injected with the alien blood potion collapsed to the ground and could not get up.

The old beggar suddenly raised his stick and stabbed the leader of the ronin in the throat.

The sound of bones cracking rang out.

He ended the other person's life in an instant.

He clapped his hands, picked up the half-eaten cornbread that had fallen on the ground as if nothing had happened, and stuffed it into his mouth.

The surrounding people were completely silent, dumbfounded as they watched the butcher and the beggar.

Who would have thought that two masters were hiding in this run-down place, Dog Tail Alley?

Wang Erniang was also stunned. She stared blankly at her husband, her lips trembling, and it took her a long time to speak:

"Old Zhang...you...you actually know martial arts?"

Butcher Zhang scratched his head, a hint of embarrassment showing on his honest face.

Just as he was about to speak, the sound of neat leather boots came from afar.

The Japanese patrol team is coming this way.

"Let's go, let's hide first, this isn't over."

The old beggar's expression turned serious, and he tugged at Zhang the butcher. Zhang the butcher quickly pulled Wang Erniang along, and the three of them slipped into a nearby alley, winding their way through the streets and disappearing into the depths of the alleyway.

The people realized what was happening and rushed into their own yards, leaving behind only the corpses of five ronin and a mess on the ground.

Not long after, the Japanese patrol arrived. Seeing the horrific scene, the leading soldier roared in anger.

The doors and windows of every household in the alley were tightly shut, and no one dared to utter a single word.

……

In a secluded room in the backyard of the Juxian Teahouse in the west of the city, the dim candlelight illuminated several gloomy faces.

The five people sitting around the table were all prominent figures in Jiangcheng's martial arts circle.

Li Boyuan, head of the Li family; Su Wanqing, head of the Su family; Wei Hong, head of the Wei family; Zhou Tieshan, head of the Xingyi School; and Zhao Tan, head of the Tan Tui School.

These five men were arrested at a banquet held at a restaurant a few days ago, and their families had to scrape together 100,000 silver dollars to get them released.

But the money was spent, the person was released, but the seeds of disaster were sown.

"well……"

Li Boyuan was the first to sigh. He was wearing a brocade robe, but his face was sallow and his eyes were dim.

"Gentlemen, to be honest, my dantian is like it's been sealed off. I can't muster any internal energy at all, and I'm no different from a cripple."

Upon hearing this, the other four nodded in agreement, their expressions turning even worse.

"Me too."

Zhou Tieshan clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, but he couldn't muster any strength at all.

"That scoundrel Jingmei gave us some really weird injections. Not only did it seal off my internal energy, but these past few days I've felt weak all over, and even standing for a long time makes me tired."

Su Wanqing was a woman in her thirties, dressed in plain clothes, her brows and eyes filled with weariness.

"The Zhang family has fallen. Zhang Jichuan died in the restaurant. The Zhang family is leaderless, and most of its assets have been swallowed up by the Japanese. Although our three families have escaped, we are no different from cripples. If this continues, the four major families of Jiangcheng will probably be completely wiped out."

Wei Hong, the oldest among them, with half his beard white, hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice to speak:

"Gentlemen, now that things have come to this, we can't just sit here and wait to die. I've thought of a way, but I don't know if it's feasible."

"Brother Wei, please speak!" The group all looked at him.