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

Everyone turned around.

In front of the stove.

Wang Erniang turned her head away and covered her face with her hands, afraid that her cough would splash into the pot.

moment.

Zhao Qiaosheng and Zhang Shihao both gasped in shock.

A strong sense of unease rose in Zhao Qiaosheng's heart, and he immediately shouted, "Ziyi, go to the Sea Dragon Gang and ask Uncle Lin to come over. Something's not right!"

Chen Ziyi's face was solemn. He nodded and quickly ran out.

……

Gunshots rang out in the open space behind the Sea Dragon Gang's stronghold.

Lin Ji's spear flew through the air, each move exuding the domineering and steady power of the Six Harmonies Spear.

A night of arduous practice.

He had mastered the basic moves of the Six Harmonies Spear to perfection.

The spear intent was so condensed as to be almost tangible, and when it was used, it faintly carried some of the overwhelming momentum of Li Shuwen.

"Buzz—"

The spear pierced the air.

It was driven into a wooden stake as thick as a bowl.

The wooden stake snapped instantly, leaving a smooth, clean cut.

Lin Ji twisted his wrist, creating a flourish with the spear, and then sheathed the Mountain and River Stabilizing Spear behind his back, slowly exhaling a breath of turbid air.

With his cultivation at the late stage of Dark Force completely stabilized, and combined with the Six Harmonies Spear, he could even fight against martial artists stronger than those at the Half-Step Transformation Realm.

"Master Lin! Master Lin!"

A member of the gang rushed over, his face filled with anxiety:

"Master Lin, a man claiming to be from the Tongmenghui has arrived. He says something has happened in the north of the city, and many people have died."

Lin Ji's eyes narrowed, and his heart skipped a beat.

He immediately recalled the effeminate aura emanating from the north of the city.

"lead the way."

Lin Ji picked up his rifle and strode outside.

Seeing Lin Ji hurrying over, Chen Ziyi called out from afar, "Uncle Lin, you should go to the association quickly. There's something urgent that needs your discussion."

Lin Ji nodded and walked towards the Tongmenghui without saying anything more.

On the way, Chen Ziyi parted ways with him and quickened his pace, heading towards the south of the city.

Lin Ji narrowed his eyes, making a guess in his mind.

They must have gone to the governor's mansion!

When I arrived at the Tongmenghui, the atmosphere in the courtyard was as oppressive as if a stone were pressing on my chest.

Just entered the door.

Lin Ji then heard a violent coughing sound.

Wang Erniang leaned against the wall, bent over, coughing so hard it was heart-wrenching, and even the fat on her body trembled.

Her face turned purplish-red, and she couldn't straighten up from her bent-over position.

Zhang the butcher stood to the side, patting her back with one hand and clutching a handkerchief in the other, which was stained with faint red bloodstains.

"How are you? Wife, why are you still coughing?" Butcher Zhang's voice was hoarse, and his honest face was full of anxiety.

"I told you to rest, but you insisted on working. Now look what happened, you've gotten sick."

Just as Wang Erniang was about to retort and open her mouth, another cough rose from her throat, silencing her.

Seeing Lin Ji enter, Butcher Zhang seemed to have found his pillar of support, and greeted him with a smile, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke:

"Old Lin, you've lived here the longest, can you help me take a look and see what's wrong with my wife..."

Lin Ji strode up to Wang Erniang, reached out and placed his hand on her wrist. The moment his qi touched her skin, he felt a familiar chill, exactly the same feeling he had that night at the Gelaohui.

"Is there any hope...?" Zhang the butcher asked, a glimmer of expectation in his eyes.

Lin Ji glanced at him, his heart sinking, before speaking, "It's hard to say. I have to go to the north of the city to take a look myself."

"Uncle...I need to find my mother..."

In the corner of the courtyard.

Zhang Shih-hao held the little girl in his arms. The little girl's eyes were still blank, and she kept calling out "Mother."

Zhao Qiaosheng glanced at her and explained, "It's the Xia family's daughter."

"His entire family of three was wiped out this morning..."

He rattled off all the information he'd gathered in the north of the city that morning: "In just two days, seventeen families have died in the north of the city, from the elderly to children, without exception..."

He glanced at the anxious Zhang the butcher and lowered his voice: "Without exception, they all coughed first, then developed a fever, and finally vomited blood and died. The onset of the disease was frighteningly fast. The whole of the northern city was in a state of panic, and the wealthy had already begun to flee out of the city."

Lin Ji's tone grew increasingly somber, his brows furrowed deeply: "I'll go take a look in the north of the city."

He turned and added, "Place Wang Erniang in a separate room and prevent her from contacting anyone else."

Lin Ji turned and left the Tongmenghui stronghold, walking quickly towards the north of the city.

His figure disappeared into the streets and alleys.

At the corner of the welcoming building, a burly figure emerged, carrying a heavy iron spear.

……

The streets in the north of the city were eerily deserted.

Every household kept their doors and windows closed.

Occasionally, faint coughing could be heard coming from some of the courtyards.

The voice was weak and desperate.

Hidden against the wall by the roadside were straw mats that hadn't been tidied up yet. Lin Ji looked up and vaguely saw a human figure wrapped inside.

Lin Ji tightened his grip on the Mountain and River Stabilizing Spear before taking a few steps.

The jade pendant in his mind suddenly began to spin wildly.

He sensed a cold, sticky aura surging in from the depths of the alley like a tide.

The dense aura carried a hint of death, pressing down on Lin Ji's chest.

A glint appeared in Lin Ji's eyes as he looked up.

The entire street was shrouded in an invisible gray haze, which was seeping into the houses at the ends of the street.

Lin Ji stopped in his tracks and urged his Qi-gazing ability to look towards the end of the alley.

On the rooftops of every house, one could see white light symbolizing fate, entwined with wisps of gray-black death energy.

The deathly energy, like maggots, twisted, bent, and coiled, constantly trying to burrow into the white light.

The dimmer the white light, the more violent the coughing sound reached Lin Ji's ears.

The white light on the roofs of some houses has been completely swallowed up by the black mist, and they are about to collapse.

Lin Ji slowed his pace and continued walking along the area with the strongest scent.

Lin Ji turned a corner. This street was not very bustling, and most of the shops were already closed.

At sunset.

A shop suddenly opened its door.

A young man sat inside the door, dressed in a white suit, his black leather boots gleaming in the afterglow of the setting sun.

The young man was handsome, and his exotic appearance was particularly eye-catching.

He was engrossed in reading a medical classic, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Lin Jicai then saw this person.

A chill suddenly ran down my spine.

It's him!

Before Lin Ji could continue deeper into the area...

The young man didn't even look up.

A clear, crisp voice rang out through the streets and alleys:

"Oh, you found us so quickly?"

Lin Ji didn't stop walking, his grip on the gun tightened even more, and the aura of the gun on his body continued to gather behind him as he moved forward.

Tie Muling frowned slightly, slowly raised her head, and looked at Lin Ji with a serious expression: "The Six Harmonies Spear?"

"What is your relationship with Li Shuwen?"

Lin Ji didn't reply, holding the gun horizontally in front of him, the tip pointing at the other person:

"Did you spread the plague in the north of the city?"

Tie Muling's lips curled slightly, a smile appearing on his handsome face:

"Plague? It's just a small experiment."