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

The armor plates look thick and heavy, but they are actually very light.

Su Wanning fastened the armor plating to her body following the method Lin Ji had taught her.

The armor plates unfolded perfectly, protecting her shoulders, back, waist, and abdomen. She moved around a bit, and her joints remained flexible.

The cool metal against her skin gave Su Wanning a strange sense of security.

"At our current pace, we should be able to reach the provincial capital in three more days." Lin Ji glanced at the sky.

"Once they entered the city, with so many people around, these evil cultivators dared not be too presumptuous."

Su Wanning nodded, hugged her knees and sat on the rock, feeling sleepy in waves, but dared not actually fall asleep.

Lin Ji leaned against the cave entrance, holding his gun, his gaze fixed intently on the depths of the forest.

The aura lurking in the shadows is still there.

The other party was very patient and didn't show up, just keeping them hanging.

It seemed they were waiting for an opportunity, or for reinforcements. A cold smile curled at the corner of Lin Ji's lips.

Want to wait? Then wait.

He wanted to see how long these cowardly cowards could hold out.

……

As dawn broke, a thin mist rose in the woods.

Su Wanning took a nap and felt much better when she woke up.

"Grandpa Lin, are the people behind still there?" she asked softly.

Lin Ji frowned slightly. He spread his senses again that night, but still couldn't find any trace of the other party.

"There's no movement for now, let's keep going."

The two packed their things and continued on their way.

They hadn't walked more than two miles when suddenly a series of orderly footsteps came from ahead, along with a string of Japanese chatter.

Lin Ji's expression changed, and he grabbed Su Wanning, quickly hiding in the bushes by the roadside: "Crouch down and don't make a sound."

Su Wanning immediately held her breath and peered out through the gaps in the branches and leaves.

A group of Japanese soldiers, about twenty in number, marched over in orderly steps. Each of them carried a Type 38 rifle with its bayonet gleaming coldly.

In the middle of the procession, a stretcher was being carried by two Japanese soldiers, with a person lying on it whose hands and feet were bound with thick hemp ropes and whose mouth was stuffed with a wad of cloth.

The man was around fifty years old, wearing a faded long gown and round-framed glasses. He had a thin face and looked like a schoolteacher.

His face was pale, clearly he had suffered a lot, but he still held his neck straight, his eyes full of stubbornness, showing no sign of giving in.

Beside the stretcher followed a fat man in a suit with slicked-back hair. He was bowing and scraping, sometimes whispering a few words of advice to the stretcher, and sometimes nodding and bowing to the Japanese officer next to him, looking like a servile lackey.

He is a translator.

"Mr. Su, please relent."

The portly translator smiled obsequiously and earnestly spoke to the person on the stretcher:

"The Japanese officer said that as long as you're willing to help at the arsenal in the provincial capital, all past issues will be overlooked. You can have a house if you want, and money if you want. Isn't that better than you hiding in this mountain valley?"

The person on the stretcher glanced at him coldly, turned their head away, and ignored him completely.

The portly translator, having been rebuffed, sheepishly touched his nose and turned to the Japanese officer, forcing a smile.

"Colonel, don't worry, he's just having a moment of weakness. I'll try to persuade him again, and he'll definitely agree."

The Japanese officer was wearing a loose kimono and had a samurai sword at his waist; he looked very fierce.

He snorted and said in broken Mandarin:

"If he doesn't agree within three days, he'll die."

"Yes, yes, I understand."

The chubby translator nodded repeatedly, bending even lower.

The group moved forward slowly, their leather boots kicking up dust.

In the bushes, Su Wanning clenched her fists in anger:

"How dare these Japanese so brazenly arrest people on our territory? Don't their commanders and generals care?"

"In this chaotic world, officials only care about themselves. Who will care about these common people?" Lin Ji's eyes turned cold. "Local officials are terrified of foreigners. Even if they run into them, they'll just pretend they didn't see them."

Su Wanning bit her lip, feeling both angry and frustrated.

She looked at the frail-looking man on the stretcher, and the more she looked, the more familiar he seemed, as if she had seen him somewhere before.

where is it?

She frowned and thought for a long time, then suddenly an idea struck her.

A letter from her sister! Before leaving, her sister Su Wanqing gave her a letter of introduction, telling her to take the letter to a Mr. Su Mingyuan in the provincial capital. He said that they were old friends and that Mr. Su could help her arrange her studies or become a martial arts apprentice.

"Grandpa Lin, I think... I know this person." Su Wanning's voice trembled as she hurriedly pulled out a cloth bag from her bosom, unfolding it layer by layer. Inside was a letter with a small, yellowed photograph tucked inside.

She took a closer look in the morning light, and her hand suddenly trembled.

The person in the photo, wearing round-framed glasses and with gentle features, is the gentleman strapped to the stretcher!

"It really is him..." Su Wanning's mind went blank.

"It's Mr. Su Mingyuan! He's the one my sister asked me to go to the provincial capital to seek refuge with!"

Lin Ji turned his head and glanced at the photo.

The person in the photo is refined and elegant, and the disheveled yet stubborn figure on the stretcher is indeed the same person.

"How could he have been captured by the Japanese?" Su Wanning's eyes reddened with anxiety. "My sister said he was involved in Western affairs, knew about machinery, could build guns and cannons, and was a very learned man..."

Lin Ji's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Does he understand machines and know how to build guns and cannons?

No wonder the Japanese wanted to capture him.

This is an attempt to kidnap people, make them work for them, and then turn around and attack the Chinese.

The Japanese contingent marched further and further away, and it looked like they were about to disappear around the bend in the mountain pass.

Su Wanning grabbed Lin Ji's arm anxiously, her voice trembling with tears:

"Grandpa Lin, what should we do? We can't just stand by and watch him get captured by the Japanese! If he falls into their hands, he'll definitely suffer a terrible fate..."

Lin Ji remained silent, his gaze fixed on the backs of the group of Japanese soldiers, his fingers lightly tapping the barrel of his gun.

Twenty armed Japanese soldiers, one officer, and one translator.

The enemy has long spears and a considerable number of people. As long as they are not masters of internal energy, we have a chance to fight them.

Lin Ji withdrew his gaze and looked at Su Wanning, his tone as steady as a mountain:

"I can save you, but you have to follow my instructions."

Su Wanning's eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded vigorously, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes:

"I'll do whatever you say! Grandpa Lin, whatever you say goes!"

"Stay here and don't move. No matter what noise you hear, don't come out." Lin Ji pointed to the depths of the bushes:

"I went around to the front ravine and intercepted them. These guys have guns, and it's too dangerous to charge straight at them. I had to catch them off guard."

"Then be careful." Su Wanning clutched the hem of his clothes, her face full of worry.

"Don't worry." Lin Ji patted her hand. "They're just a few Japanese soldiers; they can't stop me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he darted out silently, like a pale gray shadow, using tree trunks for leverage, and disappeared into the forest mist in a few leaps.

Su Wanning hid obediently deep in the bushes, holding her breath, her heart pounding.

She clutched the old photo tightly, feeling both nervous and resolute.

Grandpa Lin will definitely be able to save Mr. Su.

She firmly believes it.