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

Upon hearing this, Lin Ji paused in his steps and slowly turned around.

Under the old locust tree.

The woman leaned lazily against the tree trunk.

The jade pipe twirled beautifully on her fingertip.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the locust tree leaves, casting dappled silver light on her hair.

The curves outlined by the red cheongsam rose and fell slightly with her breath.

She casually crossed her legs, the slit of her cheongsam sliding naturally with her movements, revealing skin that dazzled in the sunlight.

"Excuse me, sir," the woman said, her red lips curving slightly, her voice as soft as cotton, "was something happen in this alley the day before yesterday afternoon?"

Lin Ji's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm. He hunched over and said in a hoarse voice, "What is this young lady saying? This old man is old and hard of hearing, I can't hear you."

"Sir, stop pretending." The woman's lips curled up, her voice becoming even more alluring as she gently exhaled a smoke ring. "I am Shen Jinluan, the wife of the leader of the Haijiao Gang."

"The day before yesterday afternoon, a few of my ignorant underlings offended a distinguished person here. Today, I've come specifically to apologize."

The wife of the leader of the Sea Dragon Gang?

Lin Ji pondered for a moment.

No wonder this woman dared to dress so flamboyantly in public; she was the wife of the Sea Dragon Gang.

However, this woman's demeanor was not at all like that of someone who would depend on a man; rather, she seemed to be a master who held the power of life and death.

"So it's Madam Shen." Lin Ji cupped his hands and said calmly, "The day before yesterday, some brothers from the Sea Dragon Gang were indeed collecting money here, and they even smashed my stall. A clueless kid passing by stood up for me. Later, Miss Liu couldn't stand it anymore and taught those brothers a lesson."

Lin Ji deliberately downplayed Bai Xiaonian's presence and didn't mention the details of Liu Qingzhu's actions, glossing over them all.

He still understood the saying "trouble comes from the mouth" even at a hundred years old, and that it's better to avoid trouble.

As Shen Jinluan listened to Lin Ji's story, her gaze casually swept over her surroundings.

In the alley.

Many men stole glances at her exposed long legs, their eyes filled with lewdness.

Instead of showing any restraint, she deliberately adjusted to a more comfortable position, and the slit of her cheongsam slid up a little more with her movements, but she didn't care at all.

The men around him stared wide-eyed, swallowing hard.

Lin Ji shook his head inwardly; this woman understood men's thoughts perfectly.

The more unrestrained she is, the more it shows that she has nothing to fear.

In this chaotic world, how dare one be so ostentatious without strength?

"Oh, it's Miss Liu."

Shen Jinluan withdrew her gaze, her charming smile lingering, and looked at Lin Ji.

"I've been waiting for her here for half an hour, but she hasn't come. I don't have a formal invitation, so it's not appropriate for me to come and bother her. If it's convenient for you, sir, could you please pass on a message for me next time you see her? Tell her that Shen Jinluan has not disciplined her subordinates properly and has offended them. I will definitely come to apologize another day."

"Of course, of course." Lin Ji nodded in agreement, reaffirming his conviction in his heart.

Miss Liu's identity is definitely not simple. The wife of the Haijiao Gang leader came to apologize. How could she be an ordinary rich girl?

"Oh, right!"

Seeing Lin Ji agree, Shen Jinluan's eyes suddenly lit up, and she looked behind Lin Ji.

"Why don't I see the old man's shadow puppet box? I've heard that his shadow puppetry is quite unique, and the young master of the Liu family listens to it every day. Perhaps I could come and hear the old man's stories sometime? I wonder if the old man would welcome me?"

Lin Ji grinned and nodded, saying, "It is an honor for this old man to have you grace me with your presence, Madam."

Shen Jinluan chuckled, causing everyone around her to lose their composure, and even Lin Ji felt a flutter in his heart.

Shen Jinluan, however, was completely unaware. She tapped her jade pipe against the trunk of the locust tree to extinguish the fire, then turned and left, swaying her hips.

Her red cheongsam swayed with her steps, her long, snow-white legs peeking out from under the hem, captivating the men in the alley.

Lin Ji watched her departing figure, stroked the stubble on his chin, and sighed, "She's truly a beauty."

At this time.

Lin Ji caught a glimpse of the man who had spoken filthy words earlier, now sneaking around behind Shen Jinluan, his eyes filled with lust.

Lin Ji shook his head inwardly.

"You fool! This woman is so ostentatious, her eyes are full of seductive charm. Even prostitutes wouldn't dare to act like this. It's the rule of the underworld: don't approach a beautiful woman! Doesn't she understand this simple principle? She deserves to die."

Without looking any further, Lin Ji turned and headed towards Bai Yu'er's house.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw the two siblings hiding behind the door, peeking out.

Seeing Lin Ji return, Bai Yu'er quickly went to greet him, curiously peeking behind him: "Old Lin, what's all the commotion outside? What happened?"

"What could be wrong? A woman dressed up like this has arrived." Lin Ji waved his hand.

"A woman?" Bai Yu'er's eyes lit up. She grabbed her younger brother and peered out. The two of them craned their necks to look at the alley entrance, then quickly retreated.

Bai Yu'er patted her chest and exclaimed in amazement in a low voice.

"Good heavens, respectable women always cover themselves up completely when they go out. Even those of us in this line of work have to maintain a certain level of decorum in public. But this woman, she seems determined to show off her entire body. People like that are the most dangerous!"

"Oh, this little brat is lecturing her old man?" Lin Ji laughed and scolded. "This old man has eaten more salt than you've eaten rice, do you need to remind me? I can tell what kind of person she is at a glance."

Bai Yu'er gave Lin Ji a playful glare and pinched his arm.

"They're just concerned about you, aren't they? You heartless old man."

Seeing this, Bai Xiaonian coughed lightly, looking somewhat awkward.

Bai Yu'er then remembered the important matter, took out a coarse cloth bag containing copper coins and two silver dollars from her bosom, and stuffed it into Bai Xiaonian's hand.

"This is this month's tuition." Bai Yu'er continued gently, "When you get to the martial arts hall, listen to the instructors and don't fight with people. If you are bullied, bear with it for a while and come back to tell your sister, okay?"

"I understand, sis." Bai Xiaonian's eyes reddened, and she felt the money bag in her hand was burning hot.

"Alright, it's getting late, you should go now." Bai Yu'er gave Bai Xiaonian a push, "You can't be late for the meeting, you have to leave a good impression on the instructors."

Lin Ji responded and led Bai Xiaonian out of the courtyard.

I just got out of the hospital.

A panicked shout came from the alley.

"Murder! Murder!"

"Help! Someone's dead in the alley!"

The neighbors who had gathered in the alley had not yet dispersed, and upon hearing this, they all craned their necks to watch the excitement.

"No rush to leave, let's go take a look too."

Upon hearing the sound, Lin Ji stopped in his tracks, turned around, and led Bai Xiaonian to the alley entrance.

We stopped at the corner of the alley.

Lin Ji raised his eyes and looked down at the blue brick wall, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The lewd man who had been following Shen Jinluan was now lying on the ground, completely lifeless!