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

A bag of silver dollars landed, and the group entered the village.

The village chief personally led the group to an empty courtyard, and without asking any questions, settled them in.

The village is small, with only a dozen or so households, all of whom are farmers from the surrounding area. Surprisingly, all the farmers here own their own land.

The compound where everyone lived had high walls and a back gate leading to the back mountain, making it convenient to enter and exit.

No sooner had they settled in than Gu Yanzhao was eager to discuss matters again.

"Uncle Lin, Senior Li, when are we going into town?" His eyes were bloodshot; he hadn't slept well all night. "If we delay any longer, my father's situation..."

"We can't go in now." Li Shuwen shook his head, his voice weak but firm: "He Ze is keeping an eye on the Gu family, and the whole city is under tight surveillance. If we go in with just a few people, we'll be walking into a trap."

"What can we do? We can't just watch my father get tricked by them!" Gu Yanzhao's voice rose a few decibels.

"Wait five days," Lin Ji said. "Five days later, I'll go and test the waters, make an appearance to attract their attention, and you guys sneak in at night."

He glanced at everyone, his gaze finally settling on Su Wanning: "Wanning, stay in the village and wait for backup."

"I won't stay!" Su Wanning immediately looked up, her eyes wide: "I can bandage wounds, I can gather information, I'm just a little girl, I'm not a big target, I won't get in your way."

"Listen to me." Lin Ji's tone was not harsh, as if coaxing a child: "The city is in chaos. If you stay here and provide backup for us, we'll have a way out."

Su Wanning pursed her lips, wanting to argue, but looking at Lin Ji's eyes, she finally murmured "Mmm".

That's settled.

As for why he said five days later...

That's because it's been almost a month since the last page of "The Book of Reversal of Fate" was turned.

The Book of Reversing Fate is about to turn a page!

Five days were all spent making preparations.

Lin Ji kept refining the internal energy, but he was still just one step away from the Transcendent Realm.

In order to increase his chances of dealing with what would happen in seven days, Lin Ji had to look for other ways, and he eventually set his sights on the iron box behind Gu Xuan.

Gu Xuan didn't refuse and revealed all of the Gu family's trump cards.

Every day, he taught Lin Ji how to use the hook lock in the backyard.

Lin Ji possessed a true understanding of martial arts, and in three days, his comprehension of the hook and chain had reached the level of Gu Xuan's mastery. By using the Shadow Chaser combined with the hook and chain, his agility was incomparable to what it had been before.

On the afternoon of the third day, Lin Ji tried walking along the courtyard wall.

With his fingertips hooking the grappling hook, the hook shot out with a "whoosh" and embedded itself in a tree trunk two zhang away.

He used the momentum to swing, his body floating like a leaf. He touched the tree trunk with his toes, and another hook shot out, swinging him to the other side.

With a few leaps and bounds, he circled the courtyard, more than twice as fast as using light-body skills alone, and it also saved him energy.

"I am truly impressed by the old gentleman's comprehension," Gu Xuan said sincerely, standing below.

"Even a disciple of the Gu family might not be able to master this lock hook in half a year, yet you've already surpassed me in just three days."

The moment Lin Ji landed, he replied to Gu Xuan, "Brother Gu is joking. This old man is just imitating what others are doing."

Lin Ji trembled his wrist slightly, channeling his inner strength into the hook tip, and the hook shot out again.

With a "plop," the hook tip pierced half an inch into the earthen wall, causing the wall to tremble.

Lin Ji suddenly recalled the feeling of using Shen Jinluan's Crimson Sword. He pulled out the iron chain in his hand and used the Six Harmonies Spear technique with the hook and lock.

"You can do that?" Gu Xuan's eyes widened in astonishment. "I thought it was only for nailing wood..."

Lin Ji remained silent, pondering in his mind.

With this, it will be so much easier to scale walls and rooftops, chase people, and escape once we get into the city.

On the evening of the fifth day, as darkness fell, everyone was ready to set off.

Everyone was dressed in black short-sleeved clothing, their faces were covered, and even their knives and spears were coated with a layer of black oil, hidden in the darkness.

Gu Yanzhao couldn't wait any longer and paced back and forth at the door with his knife in hand.

Just then, the disciple who was on lookout at the village entrance scrambled in.

"Young Master! Something terrible has happened! Someone has broken in!"

"Who goes there?" Gu Hu immediately stepped forward with his knife.

"I...I don't know!" The disciple gasped, his words barely audible. "Two people were on lookout duty, and before they could even see what happened, they were taken down! The other side didn't try to kill them, and then...they just came this way!"

Everyone's expression changed.

This village is extremely well hidden; outsiders can't find it at all.

Anyone who manages to sneak in must be a master.

Lin Ji walked out carrying his spear and said in a deep voice, "Don't panic."

The crowd followed him to the courtyard gate.

A person was standing in the open space at the entrance of the village.

The man was dressed in a short gray cloth jacket, with a wide leather belt around his waist. He carried a large, black opium pipe on his back and a flintlock musket with intricate patterns in his hand.

He wasn't tall, but he had broad shoulders and a thick back, and his eyes shone like an eagle's as he slowly surveyed the yard.

Two sentry disciples lay sprawled at his feet, both unconscious, but there was no blood.

"Which gang are you from?" Gu Hu asked in a deep voice, brandishing his knife and preparing to charge.

Lin Ji reached out to stop him.

He could sense that the opponent possessed the strength of the peak of Dark Force, and that his aura was refined and highly practical, indicating that he was a ruthless character.

"Friend, if you're trespassing on the Gu family's territory, give them a heads-up." Lin Ji took two steps forward, his spear pointing diagonally at the ground.

The man smiled, revealing a set of white teeth.

"I heard there's an old man here who's really good with a gun." He raised the musket in his hand: "I'll give it a try."

Before he finished speaking, he swayed and pounced straight at him.

It was incredibly fast; the butt of the gun whistled through the air as it hurtled straight toward Lin Ji's face.

Lin Ji flicked his wrist, and his spear met the attack.

"clang!"

The clang of metal rang out, and sparks flew everywhere.

Lin Ji felt a slight numbness in his wrist, and his heart skipped a beat.

The opponent was using a gun butt, yet he managed to withstand a full-force shot from him?

The two passed each other and immediately resumed their fight.

Lin Ji's spear moves were wide and powerful, fierce and domineering, with each move following a straight line.

The opponent, however, was completely different. His marksmanship was agile and cunning, like a venomous snake, each move aimed at finding an opening.

The musket in his hand moved sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes striking with the butt of the gun, sometimes bumping with the barrel, his moves so fast it was dizzying.

After exchanging more than a dozen moves, Lin Ji became increasingly alarmed.

Both were at the peak of internal strength, but the opponent's combat experience was clearly superior, and his control over distance was precise to the millimeter.

After a few moves, he actually gained a slight advantage over him.

Moreover, this person's use of firearms is quite sophisticated, completely different from the Gu family's mechanical approach. The Gu family focuses on ingenious mechanisms and mass-produced military equipment, while this person uses modified traditional firearms, making him extremely lethal in one-on-one combat.

Lin Ji frowned, and the Yin and Yang energies within his dantian began to churn.

If we don't reveal our trump card soon, we're going to lose.

Just as Lin Ji was about to activate the Hidden Dragon Abyss, a deep shout came from behind him.

"stop!"

Li Shuwen walked over, leaning on his gun. His face was still pale, but his eyes were bright.

Both of them stopped their attacks at the same time.

The man turned to look at Li Shuwen, his eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter.

"Li Tieqiang! He really is here!" He slung his musket over his shoulder and strode over: "I thought he was just a charlatan."