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

Li Shuwen looked at him, his brows furrowing slightly: "Big Gun?"

Gu Yanzhao paused, then whispered to Gu Xuan beside him, "Is this the Great Spear from the Thirteen Protectors?"

Gu Xuan nodded, his expression also somewhat solemn.

Jiang Yunhe, the Great Spear of the Thirteen Protectors, is a lone master of spearmanship in the martial arts world. He wields both a musket and a spear with unparalleled skill and is a notorious ruthless figure in the southern underworld.

"If I hadn't come, you would have been doomed at Guanghua." Jiang Yunhe curled his lip and glanced at the people in the courtyard: "The actor said you were tricked by the Japanese and asked me to come and lend a hand."

"Did the actor send you?" Li Shuwen's eyes flickered slightly.

The actor was the old manager of that lousy opera troupe in the city.

"Otherwise what?" Jiang Yunhe shrugged. "Otherwise I wouldn't bother with all this nonsense. But this time it's different from before; things have moved up north."

He stopped laughing and his tone became serious:

"The authorities have dispatched three divisions south; they should arrive in about two weeks."

"They want to wipe out the autonomous forces in the five southern provinces, weakening them one by one. He Ze has already made contact with them tonight."

The courtyard fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

Is war really going to break out?

"Is this what you came for?" Li Shuwen asked.

"Half of it." Jiang Yunhe scratched his head. "I'm now a member of the National Salvation Association. The association sent me to find you, hoping to build a bridge with the organization behind you so that we can join forces to resist the authorities. After it's done, I'll personally escort you safely north."

He looked at Gu Yanzhao and added, "Besides, I'll help you resolve the Gu family's issues. As for He Ze's troops, I don't even consider them a threat."

The people in the courtyard looked at each other in bewilderment.

National Salvation Association?

A secret anti-government alliance in five southern provinces?

This is a capital offense.

Gu Yanzhao took a step forward and said urgently:

"Forget about alliances! Save my dad first, okay? As long as you can save my dad, the Gu family is willing to provide weapons and money!"

Jiang Yunhe glanced at him, but didn't say anything, only looking at Li Shuwen.

Li Shuwen hesitated for a moment, then did not immediately agree.

He knew that the organization had always wanted to unite with anti-government forces in the south, but the south had always been a mixed bag, with all sorts of people, and its reputation had never been good.

Rushing into cooperation can easily lead to being taken advantage of.

However, given the current situation, He Ze has a strong and well-equipped army, and with the help of the Japanese, it would be extremely difficult for them to enter the city and rescue people with just a few people.

With the help of a top expert like Jiang Yunhe, the chances of success are much greater.

Moreover, if the news of the authorities heading south is true, that would be far more important than Gu Jia's situation.

Lin Ji stood to the side without saying a word, his mind racing with calculations.

Jiang Yunhe's strength is several points stronger than his, based on their previous encounter, without him using his trump cards.

With his help, the chances of getting into the city to rescue people increase by at least 30%.

However, the exact situation in the five southern provinces is unclear, and if it turns out to be a trap, the entire army will be wiped out.

"Did you come alone?" Lin Ji suddenly asked.

Jiang Yunhe turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow: "You're that old man with the gun? The actor said you're pretty good."

He glanced at the large gun in Lin Ji's hand and said with a smile, "Not bad."

He then added, "I'm here first to scout ahead; there are others coming later, arriving in three days."

"Who is it?"

"A few brothers, and a batch of weapons." Jiang Yunhe said casually, "That'll be enough to give He Ze a hard time."

Li Shuwen raised his head and finally spoke: "I can't make the decision about the cooperation, but I can report this to my superiors for you. However, you have to help me with saving the Gu family."

"Alright." Jiang Yunhe readily agreed. "I knew you wouldn't just stand by and watch me die. When are we going to make our move?"

"Tonight," Lin Ji replied, "is dark and windy, perfect for getting things done."

"Sure." Jiang Yunhe weighed the musket in his hand and smiled. "It's been a long time since I've had any meat. This is a good opportunity to stretch my muscles."

……

It was the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) at night.

The lanterns patrolling the city at night moved slowly along the city wall, flashing past only every half-cup of tea's time, their beams of light sweeping across the walls and leaving long shadows.

Several dark figures clung to the shadows at the base of the city wall, their breathing barely audible.

The iron box on Gu Xuan's back scraped against the brick seam, making a slight clicking sound. He quickly reached out and pressed it down, listening to the sounds from the city wall. Seeing no reaction, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Ji made a gesture with his fingertip.

The grappling hook in his hand shot out from his sleeve with a "whoosh" and accurately nailed to the three-zhang-high wall.

He tugged at it to make sure the grappling hook was firmly in place before leaping up the rope.

He crouched down on the city wall, glanced in the direction of the patrol, and waved his hand down.

Gu Yanzhao went up second. He glanced in the direction of the Gu residence, where all he could see were dark rooftops in the night.

Gu Xuan came up last and nodded to Lin Ji.

The three slid down the drainage channel inside the city wall.

"Split up." Lin Ji said in a low voice, pointing his finger in three directions:

"Gu Xuan, the gunpowder depot is in the west courtyard of the governor's mansion. After you've blown it up, head south. Don't linger in the battle. Yan Zhao, go back to the mansion and inform the Gu family head."

"And what about you?" Gu Yanzhao asked in a low voice.

"This brother and I will walk down the main street and distract the patrol team." Lin Ji glanced at Jiang Yunhe.

Jiang Yunhe, with a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his lips, raised an eyebrow at him, which was taken as an affirmation.

Gu Xuan nodded, swayed the iron box on his back, and crouched down to slip into the narrow alley beside him. He moved quickly and disappeared into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

Gu Yanzhao took a deep breath and headed towards the back street of the Gu residence.

Lin Ji and Jiang Yunhe were left in the alley. The two leaned against the mottled earthen wall, half a foot apart, without saying a word, just staring at the patrol team on the street.

The lanterns cast a dim yellow light, and the soldiers' footsteps clattered. I counted twelve men, the leader of whom was carrying a Mauser pistol.

"You're even better at using that lock hook than that kid from the Gu family." Jiang Yunhe took the cigarette away, his voice low and tinged with amusement.

"I thought martial arts practitioners looked down on these unorthodox methods."

"Those who can survive are all good things," Lin Ji replied casually, pulling out a tinderbox from his fingertips and handing it over.

Jiang Yunhe paused for a moment, then took the cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled white smoke through his nostrils, dispersing in the wind.

"That's right, these days, survival is more important than anything else."

He exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "I've always heard people on the southern road say that there's an old man in Guanghua who uses a gun and can defeat a Transcendent Realm expert at the peak of Dark Force. I thought it was just hype, but after fighting him today, he seems pretty good."

Lin Ji didn't reply, his eyes fixed on the tail of the patrol team.

He only looked away after the last soldier's figure turned the corner. Just as he was about to speak, a muffled sound came from afar.

"Boom—"

The sound exploded from the direction of the governor's mansion, muffled, like muffled thunder rolling underground.

Immediately afterward, the ground trembled slightly, half of the night sky was instantly turned crimson, flames shot into the sky, and black and gray smoke billowed upward, followed by a series of crackling explosions, one after another, like firecrackers exploding.

The smell of gunpowder and burnt metal instantly filled the air.