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

late at night.

The reception room was empty.

Only occasionally could one hear the crisp clinking of teacups.

He Ze frowned, thinking about the conversation between the people in the reception room just now.

"Tap, tap, tap!"

There was a gentle knock on the open door of the reception room.

He Ze looked up.

A figure stood there holding a black pipe, thick smoke billowing from it.

He Ze could smell the opium from a distance, and he raised his hand to cover his nose.

Just as he was about to yell at him, the other man turned his pipe around, and his hand, which was holding the pipe, reached to his waist and grabbed an intricately patterned pistol, pointing it directly at He Ze.

"I heard what you just said. I wonder what He thinks?" The man asked in a low voice.

He looked at He Ze, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"In times of chaos, Commander He held a large army and controlled a province. Even if he went further up, even if he went to the capital, all he would gain would be empty fame."

"Think about it carefully. Was it really the emergence of the National Salvation Association that made the southern provinces so rebellious? It was just a pretext." The man's gun didn't fall; it was still pointed at He Ze.

"The five southern provinces are protected by the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. No matter how strong the authorities' forces are, they cannot cross it in a short time. Commander He, don't you have any other ideas?"

"How about I put it this way? In addition to Guangbei, the three provinces of Nanyue, Cangwu, and Yunnan will pay Guanghua two million silver dollars annually. After the matter is completed, all five southern provinces will respectfully address you as Governor-General. What do you think of these conditions?"

He Ze gripped the teacup tightly.

He remained silent for a long while before slowly speaking:

"Let me think about it."

The man smiled again, put away his gun, and without asking any further questions, turned to the side and disappeared into the night.

He Ze was left alone in the reception room once again.

He stared blankly for a moment, then gripped the teacup tightly again.

Night was falling.

In the mountain valley outside the city, the campfire crackled, and sparks kept drifting into the air.

Everyone rested.

In the distance, Gu Xuan was still keeping watch with two members of the Gu family.

Su Wanning sat by the fire, hugging her knees. She turned her head to look at Lin Ji, who was leaning against a tree with his gun and dozing off, looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

As if sensing her reaction, Lin Ji lowered his voice and spoke softly:

"What's wrong?"

Su Wanning got up and walked to Lin Ji's side, then sat down against the big tree.

"Grandpa Lin... do you think we're really going to go to war?"

Lin Ji nodded, then shook his head:

"Perhaps..."

The girl lowered her head and moved closer to Lin Ji:

"You mean... if there really is a war, when will we be able to go back to Jiangcheng...?"

"Jiangcheng is by the sea. If a war really breaks out, it will definitely be like before, with countless powerful ships and cannons coming in. Will my sister be in trouble then?"

Lin Ji felt a slight tightness in his heart as he listened.

Jiangcheng is located at a key waterway.

If a war really breaks out...

It is absolutely impossible for Jiangcheng to remain in a corner of the world.

Seeing that Lin Ji did not speak.

Su Wanning lowered her head to her knees and whispered:

I miss my sister.

Lin Ji's heart skipped a beat.

He certainly wanted to stay in Jiangcheng.

But he had already promised Li Shuwen that he would head north once the matter in Guanghua was settled.

But if a war really breaks out,

Jiangcheng is the front line, should he still go?

Heading north is the path to saving the nation.

Jiangcheng is the road to guarding our home.

On one hand, there is the greater national interest; on the other, there is the family member beside you.

For the first time, Lin Ji felt that the spear in his hand was a little heavy.

Lin Ji raised his hand and touched the top of Su Wanning's head:

"We don't know what's going on yet. If war really breaks out, the old man will take you back."

Lin Ji's words, whether true or false, reached Su Wanning's ears, and Su Wanning nodded emphatically in response.

"Um."

The flames in the campfire dimmed a little, and Su Wanning leaned on his shoulder and fell into a deep sleep.

Lin Ji, holding his gun, was sorting out his chaotic thoughts when the communication plug in his ear vibrated slightly.

"It's the old man! How many days has it been since you've spoken properly? Have you been fooling around with other women again?" Bai Yu'er's voice rang out loudly.

Lin Ji's lips twitched, and he lowered his voice to speak into the earpiece:

"Stop fooling around."

"Who's making a scene?" Bai Yu'er's voice betrayed a hint of reluctance.

"It's been more than twenty days since you left, and I haven't even heard from you. I'll tell you quietly, Sister Shen is so worried that she can't sleep."

Immediately afterwards, Shen Jinluan's languid yet alluring voice rang out, tinged with a hint of reproach:

"Yu'er, don't talk nonsense. The old man is going to do important business."

She changed the subject and asked, "Old man, how's the provincial capital? Is it better than Jiangcheng? Are there any troublesome matters in the martial arts world? If so, we can gather some brothers from home to go over."

Hearing their concern, Lin Ji felt a warmth in his heart, and his previously chaotic thoughts subsided.

"It's fine here, nothing major has happened. Once things have settled down completely, I'll bring you to Guanghua to stay for a while."

"Really?" Bai Yu'er immediately jumped for joy.

"I want to visit the silk shops in the provincial capital and try the local specialties."

"Okay." Lin Ji smiled and then asked:

"Where's Qingzhu? Is she resting?"

"Not yet..." Liu Qingzhu's voice remained icy. She stammered, "Is it alright? Have you made any connections with the Gu family? Yanqiu asked me to pass on a message."

"I've made contact. He's with the young master of the Gu family right now," Lin Ji replied in a low voice.

"Young Master Gu?" Liu Qingzhu repeated the four words, her voice lowering, and she didn't ask any more questions.

"It's late, everyone should get some rest." Lin Ji paused, as if realizing he had said the wrong thing. Liu Qingzhu was naturally intelligent and had obviously understood something from his words.

Late at night? With the young master of the Gu family?

Something must have happened.

"Hmm... okay." Everyone responded softly and said no more.

The other end of the microphone went completely silent.

Lin Ji looked up at the moon in the sky, his fingertips tracing the landscape patterns on the cool gun.

The world is getting more and more chaotic.

He also needs to improve his strength quickly so that he can advance to the next level and have the ability to do what he wants and protect the people he wants to protect.

the next day.

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

Gu Xuan woke up the Gu family members one by one.

After they had cleared away all the traces on the ground, Gu Hu walked to Lin Ji's side:

"Sir, we discussed it yesterday. Today, the team will go to Lijia'ao Village, which is not far away. It's close to the city and there's a small market there, enough for our group to stay for a while."

"We'll just treat them as a small family from southern Yunnan who have fled here. They shouldn't suspect anything." He paused for a moment, then slowly continued.

"Okay," Lin Ji nodded in response.

The group had been walking through the dense forest for many days, and their clothes were no better than those of refugees fleeing famine.

A dozen or so people walked into the outskirts of the village, which really frightened the villagers, who surrounded them one by one, holding up their farm tools.

"Who is it?"

"From southern Yunnan, we fled here..."

"I want to rest in the village for a while."

"The village is too small to keep anyone here, hurry up and go." The old man at the village entrance waved his hand and turned to go back into the village.

At this time.

Gu Yanzhao reached into his robes and tossed out a brocade pouch.

"Splash!"

The heavy brocade pouch fell to the ground.