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

"Extra number! Extra number!"

"The Japanese dungeon massacre exposed! The Jiangcheng consulate is a living hell!"

In the early morning in Jiangcheng, the morning light has just lifted the morning mist.

The innocent voices of children broke the silence of the past, and the shouts spread through the streets and alleys.

Newspapers with ink not yet completely dry were scattered on the street.

The front page of the newspaper featured photographs taken in the dungeon as evidence of the crime.

The internal organs in the glass jars, the remains strapped to the operating table, and page after page of experimental records—every photograph was horrifying.

Inside the teahouse, the patrons clutched their newspapers, trembling all over.

"Damn it! These Japanese are really experimenting on living people!" The tea drinkers slammed their fists on the table, making a loud bang, and teacups were knocked over.

"I knew it! How did this plague break out in the perfectly good North City? Turns out it was these damned bastards who deliberately released the poison!"

"By the way, have you heard? It was the Haijiao Gang's old man Lin who led a group to storm the consulate and exposed all the crimes committed by these Japanese dogs. Otherwise, we would still be in the dark."

"Old Man Lin? Is that Lin Ji who was all over the news before and was even wanted? My goodness, I used to think he was just a ruthless guy in the martial arts world, I never imagined he'd done something so serious for the people of Jiangcheng?"

In the east of the city, a group of rickshaw pullers gathered in front of the Li family's rickshaw shop. The pullers could not hide their excitement and their eyes peered intently into the alley.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, a figure, leaning on a cane, walked shakily out of the alley.

"Master Li!"

Everyone clasped their hands in greeting and bowed in unison.

Li Jinsi is thinner than when he was fighting in the ring; he looks like an old man.

He looked at the crowd outside the alley, his voice trembling: "Finally, someone has stepped forward to carry on the legacy of Chinese martial arts! My legs, Li Jinsi, haven't been crippled in vain!"

……

In less than half a day.

Newspapers from Jiangcheng were disseminated along official roads and waterways under Chen Tianze's deliberate influence.

The news spread rapidly throughout Guanghua Province, and by the afternoon, even the newspapers in Beiping and Tianjin were urgently reprinting the Jiangcheng report.

In a short time.

The Japanese had a bad reputation that spread throughout China. The foreigners in the foreign concessions, who used to be arrogant and domineering, became much more restrained. The police officers who used to dare to commit violence in the streets became timid and afraid of provoking public anger and doing the same thing as Jiang Cheng.

afternoon.

Soldiers from the Governor's Mansion patrolled the streets, and notices with red paper and black characters were posted all over the streets and alleys.

The notice was no longer a cold, impersonal wanted poster, but instead carried a message that all the people of Jiangcheng should celebrate.

"The Japanese and British are ordered to close their consulates in Jiangcheng immediately. The Jiangcheng Military Governor's Office shall reclaim its extrajudicial powers over the concession. All foreign personnel in Jiangcheng shall evacuate within three days. After three days, all illegal properties within the concession shall be confiscated."

The announcement caused a city-wide uproar.

People on the street spread the news, and many elderly people secretly wiped away tears in front of the notice board.

"We've finally made it through."

In the alley, the woman looked at the child's hand and pointed to the notice:

"Kid, remember this: it was Old Master Lin Ji who led the men and drove the foreigners away."

The child looked up, nodding as if he understood, and muttered softly, pointing at the notice on the wall:

"Lin Ji".

Inside the Sea Dragon Gang's stronghold.

Shen Jinluan walked in carrying a stack of newspapers, her peach blossom eyes filled with a smile, her willow-leaf eyebrows beautifully arched.

"Old man, you've become a hero of Jiangcheng now."

She placed the newspaper on the table and pushed it towards Lin Ji.

"Everyone in the neighborhood is talking about how good you are. Even the other three major families besides the Zhang family have sent people to give you gifts, saying that you were the one who led the raid on the consulate."

Bai Yu'er, carrying a fruit, followed behind Shen Jinluan, picked up a fruit, and offered it to Lin Ji's lips:

"Just now, the Green Robe Gang sent a message saying that many people on the street are asking about our Sea Dragon Gang."

She glanced at Shen Jinluan and a smile played on her lips.

"They say that the people who were bullied by the Sea Dragon Gang in the past have stopped clamoring for trouble with us and are even sending us banners of appreciation."

Shen Jinluan rolled her eyes and took the pipe she had just been holding to her lips away.

"You're so glib. Watch out, I'll send you back to Dogtail Alley tomorrow, and in a couple of days, I'll have my brothers come to your house to collect protection money!"

Bai Yu'er pouted slightly, clung to Lin Ji, gently shook his arm, and said coquettishly:

"Oh dear, look at her."

Lin Ji closed the newspaper on the table, smiled faintly, and let the two of them play and joke around.

He reached into his robes and pulled out two booklets.

The two booklets were obtained from Tie Muling. The cover was dark and did not resemble martial arts manuals. Instead, it looked more like a thin notebook with something written in Japanese on the cover. The other booklet was found on Jingmei. The cover had the two words "Chasing Shadows" written on it.

"Did you get this from the Japanese dogs?" Shen Jinluan and Bai Yu'er asked.

"Hmm." Lin Ji nodded, then opened the thin notebook: "Let's take a look at the Japanese stuff first."

Lin Ji opened the thin notebook; the paper was covered with dense English writing.

"Fortunately, I watched countless movies in my past life... so I can barely recognize a few words."

The name of the booklet was written on the first page of the thin notebook.

"On the Prevention and Control Methods and Effective Transmission Routes of Transmitted Diseases"

It was followed by a line of smaller print: "Miscellaneous Discussions on the Realm of Transformation".

Shen Jinluan and Bai Yu'er frowned as they looked at the crooked and messy writing in the notebook.

"Old man, can you understand it?!" Shen Jinluan asked.

"I can probably make out one or two things." Lin Ji traced the characters with his fingertips, deciphering the content through a combination of guesswork and deduction:

"This is not just a simple poison technique; half of it describes how to enhance the penetration of qi after reaching the Transcendent Realm, and how to injure people from a distance."

Lin Ji continued flipping through the pages, his brows furrowing. He quickly turned a few more pages, his gaze slightly narrowed.

"This section contains experimental records of various infectious diseases, from culture methods to transmission routes, and even treatment methods and targeted drugs."

Lin Ji continued flipping through the pages.

The last few pages of the notebook were filled with densely packed data.

"On July 21, the seventh day of the Black Death infection, the death toll was eight and the number of survivors was twelve. Among them, the number of survivors without medication was zero, the number of survivors with medication was eleven, and the number of survivors after receiving the injection was one."

"Survival status: The entire body is ulcerated, with no signs of reversal."

……

Below are experimental records of dozens of infectious diseases, including plague, malaria, and cholera.

Among these records, the few names of the experimental subjects are all Chinese.

Lin Ji clenched his fists tightly.

These conclusions were all drawn at the cost of the lives of ordinary Chinese people.

This ironwood bell combines the cultivation of pathogens with its own transformed internal energy, and then mixes it with a different blood potion, which is why it has the ability to create plagues.

Listening to Lin Ji's interpretation, Bai Yu'er bit her lip lightly:

"This thing is extremely harmful."

Lin Ji closed the booklet, tapped the cover with his fingertip, and pondered for a moment: "The ones that harm others are the people they use, but the methods for preventing infectious diseases here are real, all experiences gained at the cost of human lives."

"We should keep this; it might come in handy later." Lin Ji glanced out the window, looking north, where the autumn colors were even more pronounced.

In an era when China was in dire need of rebuilding, these methods of preventing disease were more valuable than any martial arts skill.