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

The Gu family's shop?

Lin Ji's gaze fell on that seal character.

He subtly traced the heavy iron plaque in his pocket with his fingertips, silently memorizing the location of the Gu family's shop.

There has been no news of Li Shuwen. If he really encounters difficulties in the future, the Gu family may be his only way out.

……

The three continued on their way and turned into a narrow alley.

"arrive."

Su Mingyuan stopped in front of a black lacquered wooden door, took out a brass key, and clicked open the lock.

The courtyard is not big.

A few fallen leaves still remain in the courtyard.

There was a main room on the north side, with a side room on each side. In the corner, there were a few chrysanthemums that had died of drought, exuding a dilapidated scholarly elegance.

Su Mingyuan chuckled awkwardly and explained:

"No one has been to the courtyard for three months, so it's bound to be dusty. We'll have to trouble the old gentleman and Miss Su to clean it up themselves."

Su Mingyuan led the two into the courtyard. Through the glass window, they could see the furnishings inside the house. The items were neither too new nor too old.

"It's alright." Lin Ji didn't say anything more.

"Of course," Su Wanning replied simply.

……

After settling in.

Life in the provincial capital was quieter than in Jiangcheng.

The courtyard is no longer as noisy as it used to be; the only sound you hear every day is the chirping of birds peeking out from the willow branches inside.

Su Mingyuan would leave the courtyard before dawn every day and return in the dark late at night.

He explained to the two that he was visiting an old friend and gathering information.

But every time he came back, Lin Ji could always see a hint of seriousness on his face.

The afternoon sun shone through the treetops, casting dappled shadows on the courtyard.

Su Wanning carried a wooden basin and sprinkled water in the courtyard, the water splashing and spreading on the bluestone floor.

Lin Ji sat on a bamboo chair, looking up at two orioles on the treetops.

Seeing his dazed expression, Su Wanning covered her mouth and chuckled softly, then flicked a drop of water from her fingertip near Lin Ji's ear.

Lin Ji did not move.

He kept the car on, making sure he could clearly hear the footsteps and voices coming from the alleys outside the courtyard.

Seeing that he didn't react, Su Wanning, feeling slightly bored, moved closer:

"Grandpa Lin, are we just going to wait like this? It's been almost ten days since Brother Li arrived."

Lin Ji put away his ability to discern subtle clues and his gaze suddenly sharpened.

On the treetop, the two orioles looked as if they had been pricked by something.

Two orioles chirped and flew away into the distance.

"Let's wait and see," Lin Ji replied simply, without saying anything more.

"Boring!" Su Wanning said, turning and walking away.

Lin Ji squinted slightly as he looked into the sunlight, pondering his future plans.

Su Mingyuan's identity is definitely more than what Wan Ning said.

I'll go with him tomorrow and see what this provincial capital is really like.

……

The next morning.

Lin Ji woke up before dawn.

courtyard.

Su Mingyuan, who usually invites the two of them to breakfast, quietly left the house before dawn, his steps more hurried than the previous two days.

Lin Ji stood behind the window of the east wing, sensing Su Mingyuan's figure disappear at the alley entrance, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Something is wrong!

The fact that they're rushing out like that means something must have happened.

After a moment's thought, Lin Ji put on a long robe, maintaining his aged appearance, and followed him out the door, leaning on his "cane".

Su Mingyuan pulled down the brim of his hat and walked along the street towards the other end of the city, hanging there at a distance behind him.

Su Yuanming walked until dawn before finally stopping and walking to a breakfast stall.

"Two fried dough sticks, a bowl of soy milk, and a vegetarian steamed bun."

Su Yuanming kept his hat down and called out to the stall owner in a low voice.

"Hey, you've eaten so much this early in the morning, you have quite the appetite." The stall owner wiped the water off his hands with a rag as he greeted Su Yuanming and poured him a bowl of hot water.

Su Yuanming didn't say anything, but took out a few copper coins and pushed them in front of the stall owner.

The stall owner took it and happily went to serve the food.

Lin Ji hesitated in the distance.

A man in a dark-colored short-sleeved shirt walked over, sat down with his back to Su Mingyuan, and ordered a bowl of soy milk and two fried dough sticks.

The two were standing back to back.

At first, they seemed like two completely unrelated diners, swallowing their food.

I ate half a bowl of soy milk.

A sound, accompanied by the chewing of food, reached Lin Ji's ears.

It came from the mouth of the man in shorts:

Something's happened.

"The 'Iron Spear' has been exposed."

"I was surrounded by foreigners on the west side of the city and was seriously injured. I just escaped out of the city yesterday and my whereabouts are currently unknown."

Su Mingyuan tightened his chopsticks, which were holding the fried dough stick, causing it to fall into the bowl of soy milk. He didn't turn around for a moment. His voice was also very low:

"How could you have been exposed?"

"I don't know, it's probably an internal problem." The man in the short jacket sighed softly.

"The higher-ups said to cut off the 'Iron Spear' line first, and to temporarily stop all the informants he had recruited."

Su Mingyuan was silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice:

"And what about me?"

"Stop too." The man's tone was very firm, then he changed the subject:

"We've been ordered to cooperate with the 'miracle doctor' to evacuate Guanghua at all costs. If we're too late, it might be too late. The city authorities and foreigners have already started casting their nets."

"What about the blueprints? We haven't received them yet!" Su Mingyuan asked urgently.

"Is your life more important, or the blueprints?" The man's tone turned serious: "Stop everything, be careful, lie low and wait. Once things calm down, the higher-ups will restart the Guanghua line."

The man picked up the bowl and drank all the soy milk, then wiped his mouth.

"If you need assistance, go to Yixing Pawnshop in the west of the city and give them the password. But try not to show your face. Your identity is very special. Even if you don't expose yourself, many people will be watching you."

"I understand." Su Mingyuan brought the last piece of fried dough stick to his mouth.

"Okay, I'm leaving." The man put down two copper coins, got up and left, without ever looking back at Su Mingyuan.

Su Mingyuan carefully chewed the fried dough stick before slowly getting up, pulling his hat brim down, and walking back the way he came.

Lin Ji stood on the street corner, gazing at his retreating figure, lost in thought.

A miracle doctor? An iron spear?

It seems that this Mr. Su is not only a bookish person who understands machines, but also has another identity.

Which faction do Li Shuwen and Li Shuwen belong to?

Li Shuwen?

Iron spear?

Lin Ji's heart skipped a beat.

Could the iron spear be Li Shuwen?

Did something happen to him?

It's probably true!

Lin Ji did not linger.

Get up and leave first.

Small courtyard.

Lin Ji remained seated in the bamboo chair.

The door opened softly.

Su Mingyuan pushed open the door and walked in.

He looked terrible, with dark circles under his eyes, but his gaze changed from dull to bright.

Su Wanning handed the water to Lin Ji, who was sitting on the bamboo chair. Noticing Su Mingyuan's unusual behavior, she asked:

"Mr. Su, what's wrong?"

Su Mingyuan snapped out of his daze and forced a smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

"It's nothing... it's just that a few old friends aren't doing too well."

He gazed at the willow branches in the sky and murmured to himself:

"I just don't know where to go next. Guanghua Provincial Capital looks big, but who knows, we might be targeted again someday..."

He spoke vaguely, and Su Wanning only vaguely understood what he was saying, but she knew he had something on his mind, so she didn't ask any more questions.