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

"Boom!"

Just as everyone finished getting ready, a muffled thud came from outside the mountain.

The ground shook violently, the mud walls of the adobe shacks crumbled, and gravel rolled down the slope.

The artillery opened fire.

The first shot landed at the entrance to the mountain pass, almost blocking the retreat.

"Go! Quickly!"

Lin Ji gave a low shout and grabbed his spear to cover the rear.

The Gu family members carried Li Shuwen, while Su Wanning clutched the medicine bag and followed in the middle of the group. The group crouched down and made their way into the old forest on the south side.

"Boom!"

Just as we entered the dense forest, the second blast went off.

The shell struck the center of the shack, and flames shot into the sky, engulfing the dust. The courtyard, which had been emitting smoke just moments before, was instantly reduced to ruins.

Su Wanning glanced back, her face pale, and bit her lip without making a sound.

The old forest was so dense that the sun was blocked out, with towering trees huddled together, and sunlight could only filter through the gaps in the branches and leaves to cast dappled patterns of light.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of decaying leaves, which felt soft underfoot, and you could easily twist your ankle if you weren't careful.

Li Shuwen's injury couldn't withstand the bumpy ride, so the team didn't dare to walk too fast.

Several more cannon shots rang out behind them.

Then, in Lin Ji's perception, there was only a burst of noise before the commotion subsided.

The group dared not stop and continued deeper into the territory.

After walking for about two hours, the Gu family disciples who had gone to investigate returned:

"Old sir, there are about ten people following behind. They are very fast and are the elite of the Japanese ronin."

"The artillery couldn't get in, so they sent a suicide squad to chase us in." Li Shuwen leaned against the stretcher and coughed twice. "Yamamoto has a good plan; he wants to wear us down in this forest."

Lin Ji stopped and looked back.

As the Heavenly Evolution Note spread out, more than a dozen figures were rapidly approaching from three miles behind, each with a long breath and light steps.

"We can't go any further," Lin Ji said in a deep voice.

"We're carrying the wounded and can't shake them off. There's a rocky area ahead, narrow and suitable for an ambush. Let's finish them off here."

The Gu family disciples looked at each other in bewilderment.

The enemy is an elite force, and there are quite a few of them. Among their dozen or so men, there are also wounded. Can they win?

But recalling Lin Ji's murderous appearance at the courtyard gate just now, no one dared to raise any objections.

"We'll listen to Mr. Lin," Li Shuwen said calmly, completely reassuring everyone.

The rocky hill is located on both sides of a narrow mountain stream, with jagged rocks that can only allow two people to pass side by side.

"They know we have wounded, so even if they don't underestimate us, they'll be a little careless." Lin Ji pointed to the narrowest part of the ravine: "Let half of them in first, then you guys block their retreat. We'll attack from both sides and trap them like turtles in a jar."

He himself stood on a boulder at the deepest part of the ravine, holding a gun, like an immovable stone Buddha.

Before an incense stick could burn, the sound of light footsteps came from nearby.

A dozen or so black-clad ronin carrying Japanese swords rushed into the mountain stream at great speed. The leader was a one-eyed ronin with two swords at his waist, who was at the very front of the group.

Seeing that the ravine was empty, they didn't think much of it and assumed that the people in front had panicked, so they rushed in headfirst.

"superior!"

Lin Ji gave a low shout.

Gunfire erupted instantly from behind the rocks on both sides, bullets striking the rock face and sending sparks flying.

The first few ronin were shot on the spot, screaming in agony.

The remaining people reacted very quickly, immediately sticking to the rock wall to avoid it and firing their guns in return.

Gunshots rang out one after another.

Two Gu family disciples, who had no time to hide, groaned as they were shot multiple times and fell off the rocks.

"Form ranks! Charge!"

The one-eyed ronin roared, and the remaining eight or nine ronin huddled together, their katana flashing like a curtain of blades as they charged into the ravine, braving the bullets.

The Gu family members raised their shield wall and immediately charged forward, the sound of weapons clashing instantly exploding.

The improved mechanical dagger was still sharp, but these ronin were too unpredictable. They moved close to the ground, targeting the gaps in the shields to strike. In just a few moves, two shield bearers were slashed in the legs and staggered backward.

Seeing that the shield wall was about to be breached, Lin Ji jumped down from the boulder.

The spear aimed straight at the one-eyed ronin.

"clang!"

The one-eyed ronin crossed his twin swords to block the gun barrel, his expression suddenly changing.

An extremely powerful force slammed down along the blade, causing his feet to slide two deep furrows in the ground before he could barely regain his balance.

"Peak of Internal Strength?"

He was both shocked and furious.

The consulate's intelligence only mentioned an old man with a gun, but it turns out he was a master of the peak of internal energy!

Without wasting words, Lin Ji twisted his wrist, and the tip of the spear slid into the crease of the knife, aiming straight for the opponent's throat.

The one-eyed ronin dodged to the side, his left sword slashing at the spear shaft, while his right sword slashed diagonally at Lin Ji's waist and abdomen—his moves were vicious and cunning.

The two men were locked in combat, sending rocks flying everywhere.

The ronin's swordsmanship was unpredictable and swift, but Lin Ji's spear remained as steady as a mountain. His unified force penetrated the spear shaft, and each collision caused the opponent's blood and qi to surge.

After a few moves, the one-eyed ronin was at a disadvantage.

He panicked and bit his tongue hard, spitting a mouthful of black blood onto the sword. The Japanese sword instantly glowed with an evil dark green light, and its speed suddenly doubled.

It's evil magic!

Lin Ji frowned and dodged the blade, but the wound on his shoulder was pulled, and he felt a pain.

As his blood and qi surged, the heat deep within his dantian rose again, and he heard soft, fragmented female voices in his ears, a tangled mess of sweet nothings.

For a moment, he couldn't tell whether the sound was coming from his earplugs or his own hallucination.

Oops.

His eyes glazed over for a fleeting moment.

In that moment of hesitation, the one-eyed ronin seized the opportunity and slashed his uninjured right arm with his left sword!

"Be careful!"

Su Wanning, hiding behind a rock, watched with her heart pounding so hard she almost cried out.

The blade was within reach.

Lin Ji gritted his teeth and forcefully circulated his internal energy to suppress the heat. He shifted his feet and moved his body half an inch to the side.

The blade grazed his ribs, tearing his clothes but not breaking his skin.

He spun around and slammed the gun barrel into the one-eyed ronin's back.

"Snap!"

The crisp sound of the one-eyed ronin's spine breaking was clearly audible.

He suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood, fell forward, convulsed twice, and then remained still.

The remaining ronin panicked when they saw that their leader was dead.

The Gu family members seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack, and the group attacked from both sides.

In a short while, the remaining ronin were all killed.

In the mountain stream.

Quiet returned.

Only the heavy stench of blood lingered in the air.

Lin Ji leaned against the stone wall, breathing slightly heavily.

He glanced down at his right arm; his clothes were torn, and his skin stung. Fortunately, it had only irritated his skin.

However, what's more troublesome is that the heat in my dantian is even more intense than last time, like a ball of fire is burning inside, and even my vision is a little blurry.

"Grandpa Lin..."

Su Wanning jogged over and squatted down to lift Lin Ji's sleeve.

"It's nothing, just a scrape." Lin Ji held her hand, his voice a little hoarse.

The warmth of the girl's fingertips, transmitted through the fabric, only intensified the heat.

He immediately withdrew his hand and turned his face away: "Go check on the wounded brothers."

Su Wanning said "Oh" and without thinking much, she picked up the medicine bag and ran to bandage the injured Gu family disciple.

But as she turned her head, she gently bit her lip, as if she understood Lin Ji's heart and made a decision.