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

"not good!"

Lin Ji gave a low shout, suddenly stood up, and looked at the dense forest behind him.

Everyone was startled by his shout and stood up, following his gaze.

But it was pitch black deep in the forest, with only the leaves rustling in the wind, and nothing could be seen.

Only Li Shuwen raised his eyebrows and stared straight into the depths of the dense forest.

"Sir, what's wrong?" Gu Hu, gripping his knife, strode over with his men. His face was tense, and he kept turning back.

Lin Ji stared intently into the depths of the dense forest, and he spoke in a low, deep voice:

"Something's following us! Let's go! Retreat into the woods!"

……

Inside the Gu residence in the provincial capital.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the Guanghua map on the study wall.

"Squeak!"

Gu Yanzhao pushed open the door, his gaze falling on the back of his father, who was standing in front of the map:

"Father, you called for me."

"Hmm." Gu Feng raised his fingertip and tapped the location of Xishan on the map: "He Ze has deployed troops into the mountains and also brought the artillery battalion there. They bombarded the abandoned mines of Xishan for half an hour."

"What?" Gu Yanzhao's eyebrows shot up. "Senior Li and his brothers are still there! No, I have to go save them."

He said this and turned to walk out.

"Stop!" Gu Feng shouted in a low voice, turning to look at him: "Zhao'er, I understand the impetuousness of young people. Now that you are twenty-seven, it's time to change your headstrong and impulsive nature."

Gu Feng stared at his son, his tone very calm:

"You're all in a panic, acting recklessly. Let alone saving others, you'll be lucky to even protect yourself. Since you've chosen your own path, I won't try to persuade you. But remember, in the future, when you encounter problems, you must first assess the situation, figure out a solution, and then take action."

Gu Yanzhao paused at the door, and after a long while, he slowly turned around, head bowed.

"Father, it was my fault for losing my composure."

Seeing that Gu Yanzhao had rarely yielded, Gu Feng's expression softened considerably. He pointed to the chair next to the desk and said, "Sit."

Gu Yanzhao hesitated for a moment, sighed, and walked to the chair to sit down.

After Gu Yanzhao sat down, Gu Feng slowly pointed to the map and began to analyze:

"The mountain pass of Xishan is rugged and the roads have been abandoned for many years, making it difficult for artillery to enter. Artillery can only bombard the general area randomly, and there is no guarantee that it will hit anyone."

Gu Feng moved his fingertip, pointing to the dense forest behind the Xishan mining area: "Our own brothers are familiar with the Xishan environment. As long as we go into the forest, He Ze's cannons will become useless."

"Father, are you saying that Senior Li and the others are safe for the time being?" Gu Yanzhao looked carefully at the map his father was pointing to and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Gu Feng shook his head instead, his words contradicting Gu Yanzhao's: "Not necessarily."

"Father..." Gu Yanzhao suddenly leaned forward, about to sit up from his chair.

Gu Feng raised his hand and pressed it down, saying in a deep voice, "So, I want you to leave the city."

He pointed to the map, moving his fingertip across it: "Don't go back to West Mountain. Go around to the south and wait at the abandoned temple behind the forest. There's only one path through the forest, and this is the only way."

He clapped his hands as he spoke.

As he spoke, he clapped his hands.

A person emerged from the shadows of the study.

The man was dressed in a black short jacket, had a tall and straight figure, carried a metal box about half his height on his back, and had a frighteningly cold look in his eyes.

"Gu Xuan," Gu Feng said.

The man bowed slightly, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper had been rubbed against his skin: "Master."

Gu Yanzhao's pupils suddenly contracted.

Gu Xuan!

He had heard of this person since he was a child. He was the Gu family's true trump card, capable of holding off a hundred men single-handedly. He was proficient in mechanisms, explosives, and close combat, and had taken more lives than any soldier he had ever seen.

Father actually assigned Gu Xuan to him?

"From today onwards, he will be at your command." Gu Feng looked at his son, his tone solemn: "This is the sharpest knife in the Gu family; you must use it well."

"Father!" Gu Yanzhao's voice trembled. "Father, if I leave, what will you do?"

"Me?" Gu Feng smiled, a hint of disdain in his eyes:

"I've been running this business in Guanghua for thirty years. This little storm won't capsize it. You take care of the people outside, and I'll take care of things in the city."

Gu Yanzhao felt a pang of sadness as he looked at the white hair at his father's temples.

He wanted to say something, but in the end, he nodded heavily:

"Father, don't worry, I will definitely come back safely."

He didn't say anything more, turned around and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Gu Xuan:

"Brother Gu Xuan, I'm in trouble."

Gu Xuan nodded slightly, said nothing, and simply stood silently behind him.

After exchanging a few more words about contact methods and the location of the secret location, Gu Yanzhao led Gu Xuan away from the old house through the secret passage.

The study fell silent again.

Gu Feng walked to the table and looked at the few remaining yellow leaves on the trees outside the window.

After a long while, he walked to the window, a cold smile slowly curling at the corner of his mouth.

Jiang Baichuan, Yan Songshan.

Do you really think that the Gu family has only this much wealth on the surface after decades of operation?

If you want to swallow the Gu family whole, you'd better see if you have the teeth to do so.

He wanted to see just how capable these two traitors really were.

Inside the governor's mansion, the lights were on.

Jiang Baichuan and Yan Songshan sat at the lower end of the table, bowing repeatedly to He Ze in the main seat, their faces full of fawning smiles.

"Commander He is brilliant! Tomorrow morning, our two families will cooperate with the city defense corps to seal off the Gu family's ironworks and shops!"

"The Gu family has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country; the evidence is irrefutable! When their family property is confiscated, won't you be the one to decide?"

He Ze sat in the main seat, touching his thumb ring, a smug smile on his face.

He could almost see the Gu family's downfall, his takeover of the Gu family's ironware business, his military strength taking another step forward, and his promotion to high office just around the corner.

"Tomorrow morning, I want the Gu family removed from Guanghua." He waved his hand, his tone arrogant: "Remember, you must act quickly and don't give Gu Feng a chance to react."

"yes!"

The two agreed in unison, their eyes gleaming with greed.

……

In the dense forests of the Western Hills.

Lin Ji and his group had been speeding south for over an hour.

But the eerie aura in his mind lingered like a persistent ghost, hanging slowly behind him.

Although he never showed himself, he seemed to be able to sense everyone's location, and no matter how they took detours, he could accurately catch up with them.

"Old sir, what exactly is this thing?" Gu Hu panted, gripping his knife and glancing back. The branches and leaves swayed in the dense forest, obscuring everything, yet he could still sense the chilling aura emanating from it.

"I can't shake him off no matter what I do?"

"I don't know!" Lin Ji kept walking. He couldn't say for sure what this thing was, but he could tell that it must be related to Southeast Asia: "I guess it's another product of Southeast Asia."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the Gu family members standing nearby all changed.

Heretical practices in Southeast Asia?

Li Shuwen lay on the stretcher, his brows still furrowed: "From Tie Muling's place, I sensed something was wrong, and then when I met Chiyoko... I suddenly remembered something I had heard in my younger days."

"What?" Lin Ji asked, turning his head.

"The legend of the Japanese Emperor..."