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

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

The vibrant morning light shone through the paper windows of the small courtyard house in the north of the city.

Xia Long'an had just buttoned up the last button on his collar when he heard his daughter's soft, sweet voice from the inner room:

"father."

He quickly got out of bed and went inside. He saw his youngest daughter leaning against the headboard, holding half a bowl of thin porridge in her hands, taking small sips.

Although she still looked a bit sick, she was much better than she had been yesterday, and her long, blinking eyes were brighter.

It works! The medicine the foreigner gave me works!

Xia Long'an quickly went over and touched his daughter's forehead with his rough hands; her temperature had completely dropped.

"Darling, how are you feeling today?"

The little girl nodded her head gently, her voice still weak:

"I don't feel unwell anymore, I'm just a little hungry."

Xia Long'an's tense heart relaxed slightly, and a smile had just appeared on his face when he heard a suppressed cough coming from the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Cough cough! Cough cough!"

Gouwa was curled up in the blanket, his little face flushed red. His cough made his shoulders twitch, and his chest rose and fell with it.

The daughter sat beside him, wiping her son's mouth with a handkerchief. Her brows were furrowed, and she said softly:

"The fever started in the middle of the night, and the cough didn't stop all night. I guess it's because I kicked off the blankets and caught a cold."

"It's probably just a cold, nothing serious." Xia Long'an didn't take it to heart and turned to remind him:

"I'll go to the pharmacy and get some herbs. You can brew them for the child to drink, and cover him with several blankets so he sweats it out and gets better."

As he spoke, a tickling sensation rose in his throat, and he couldn't help but turn his head and cough twice.

He didn't pay attention, assuming it was just from breathing in the cold air in the early morning.

Xia Long'an picked up the abacus by the door, turned around, and walked out of the house.

……

Inside the West City Alliance stronghold.

Compared to the usual quiet and cold atmosphere, today felt more lively and bustling.

Wearing a coarse cloth apron, Wang Erniang was stirring a large ladle by the stove, the aroma of cooking oil mixed with the fragrance of stewed cabbage and tofu filling the entire courtyard.

Butcher Zhang squatted to the side chopping wood, wielding his axe with the ferocity of slaughtering a pig, while still bickering with his wife:

"Put less salt in, last time it was so salty that everyone was speechless for a long time."

"You're such a picky eater! Take it or leave it!" Wang Erniang glared at him, her spatula shoveling into the pot.

Zhao Qiaosheng stood in the center of the courtyard, checking the information that had been spread out yesterday with several brothers.

"Before dawn, the news of the Hongmen's intervention and Li Shuwen's arrival in Jiangcheng spread throughout the streets and alleys."

"Both the governor's office and the foreigners have made moves, so we have achieved our goal."

Seeing Xia Long'an walk in, Zhao Qiaosheng waved to him: "Old Xia, you still need to check the accounts for settling the people yesterday."

"Okay, that's right." Xia Long'an responded and went into the house, opened the account book, and started tapping the abacus.

"Ahem!"

As he was calculating, a soft cough came from his throat, making his chest feel tight.

Zhao Qiaosheng walked in and glanced at Xia Long'an, who was clutching his chest: "What's wrong? Did you catch a cold? It's gotten cooler now that autumn has begun."

"It's nothing, just a minor problem." Xia Long'an waved his hand, suppressing the itch in his throat, and then lowered his head to calculate the accounts.

At lunchtime, the whole room was filled with people sitting around two tables, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

"Sister Wang's cooking is excellent. The brothers haven't had such a fragrant and hot meal in a long time."

"That's right, from now on, I'll leave the cooking to Sister Wang."

The members of the Tongmenghui gradually accepted this rugged woman.

Xia Long'an sat in the corner, looking at the food on the table with little appetite. He casually picked at the food a couple of times, and then a tickling sensation came from his throat.

"Ahem!"

His coughing was so severe that his ears turned red.

Zhao Qiaosheng, holding his bowl, frowned and said, "If you can't handle it, go back and rest for half a day. There's no rush to settle the score."

"No need, it'll be done this afternoon." Xia Long'an forced a smile, but a sense of unease lingered in his heart.

Why is this cough so strange?

On the open ground behind the stronghold of the Sea Dragon Gang in the west of the city.

Sunlight fell on the silver gun, causing it to gleam with a cold light.

Lin Ji stood in the center of the field, holding a gun in one hand, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Yesterday, after returning from the consulate, the image of Li Shuwen's unadorned shot kept replaying in his mind, and he couldn't help but frown slightly.

Body and gun in perfect harmony, gun and mind in perfect harmony, a perfect unity.

Lin Ji slightly moved his wrist, and the spear slowly rose.

The gun barrel trembled slightly, mimicking the shot fired last night.

A few breaths later, the frequency of the gun's vibrations subtly synchronized with the internal energy within him.

Lin Ji twisted the gun in his hand, and the tip of the gun cut through the air, tearing out a crisp, sharp sound.

The gun's power had decreased by a full 30% compared to yesterday.

Lin Ji holstered his gun and stood there, his fingers tracing the landscape patterns on the gun barrel as he pondered the matter.

Why did Li Shuwen step in to help yesterday?

I am an unknown person, and I have never met him before. How come he is one of the two heroes, a master who has entered the Transformation Realm, and he has come to Jiangcheng to get involved in this mess for no reason?

After thinking for a long time without finding a solution, Lin Ji simply stopped worrying about it.

Masters of the Transformation Realm have their own reasons for acting.

The most important thing right now is to thoroughly understand the essence of the Six Harmonies Spear.

More strength means more confidence to cope with changing circumstances.

far away.

On the tiled roof of the Sea Dragon Gang's stronghold.

Li Shuwen sat on the roof ridge, holding a heavy iron spear.

His gaze swept across the east of the city, then turned to the north. He frowned slightly, muttered a curse under his breath, and then his figure blurred, like a bird soaring over the rooftops, disappearing into the depths of the streets and alleys in the blink of an eye.

……

Inside the temporary reception room of the British Consulate.

The atmosphere was somber and oppressive.

Prouss's hands and arms were wrapped in thick bandages.

He was sitting on the sofa, panting heavily, his few remaining blond hair piled messily on top of his head, his face full of anger.

"This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! Twice now! The British consulate has been attacked twice in a row! We must have the provincial capital send troops immediately to arrest Lin Ji and Li Shuwen."

opposite.

Gao Ran held a teacup.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the rim of the glass, his expression calm and undisturbed.

"Mr. Prouss, please calm down. Li Shuwen is not Lin Ji, so we cannot take action against him for the time being."

"What? What's wrong with him? He's just a brute!" Prouss suddenly raised his eyes, his golden pupils glaring fiercely.

"He's more than just a martial artist." Gao Ran put down his teacup, his tone becoming somewhat serious.

"On the surface, he is the leader of martial arts in the north, but in secret, he has very close ties with high-ranking officials of the Beiping Military Governor's Office."

"His visit to Jiangcheng this time must be on the Northern side's orders. If we really take action against him, it's tantamount to directly breaking ties with the North. If that delays our plans, neither of us can afford the consequences."

Prouss's expression changed, and he swallowed back his anger, slamming his hand on the table in frustration.

"So, this is the end of it? What about that old man? Are we going to let him go too?"

"Lin Ji must be eliminated! But not now." Gao Ran narrowed his eyes, a calculating glint in them.