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

Su Mingyuan crouched down and walked forward, holding onto the wall of the secret passage.

The stone wall was slippery and covered with moss; when you touched it with your fingertips, you were filled with a fishy, ​​damp smell.

Five servants followed behind him, all of them wounded, their heavy breathing echoing in the narrow passage.

Su Mingyuan was clutching an oilcloth bag tightly in his hand.

The bag contained an inventory of military equipment and land deeds, representing the Gu family's last remaining assets in Guanghua.

After walking for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a faint light finally appeared ahead.

A low shout came from not far away: "Who goes there?"

"It's from the Gu family's villa!" Su Mingyuan quickly replied.

Two men emerged from the bushes, both dressed in short-sleeved shirts and carrying rifles. They breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Su Mingyuan.

"Mr. Su? The young master told us to wait for you here. Come with us, the main force is waiting over there in the valley."

Su Mingyuan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally felt half relieved.

The group walked westward through the wild grass. It was just dawn, and the dew on the mountain path was heavy. Their trouser legs were quickly soaked through, and the grass clippings stuck to their chafed knees, making them feel painfully rough.

After walking for about half an hour, we finally saw smoke rising from the mountain valley.

"stop!"

Gu Xuan emerged from behind the tree, holding a gun in his hand, pointing the muzzle at the crowd, his eyes wary.

"One of us." The person leading the way whistled, and then... (a series of three short, two long whistles)

Gu Xuan holstered his gun and stepped aside: "Come in, I've been waiting for you for ages."

"Master Gu." Su Mingyuan handed over the oilcloth package with both hands: "The villa fell, 70% of the weapons were brought out, a box of 30,000 silver dollars was lost, and three brothers were killed."

Gu Feng jumped down, reached out to help him up, and patted him on the shoulder:

"You must be the Mr. Su that Yan Zhao was talking about. It's good that you're alright. Money can be earned back, but if you lose your life, you lose everything."

Madam Gu pursed her lips, wanting to say something, but seeing Gu Feng's gaze, she swallowed her words.

Su Wanning came over with a medicine bag, asked Su Mingyuan to sit down, and bent down to treat the injury on his knee.

The girl's fingers were very steady. When she used the liquor to disinfect the wound, Su Mingyuan shuddered in pain.

Jiang Yunhe squatted on the doorstep smoking, glanced at the gun in Su Mingyuan's hand, and chuckled:

"Not bad, you dare to take on a whole company of soldiers with just a few guys, you've got some backbone."

Su Mingyuan didn't say anything, but simply cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to him.

After resting for half an hour, it was completely light.

Gu Xuan selected two people to stay in the ravine to meet up with the rest of the brothers and the weapons, and they agreed on a secret signal.

The remaining people packed their things and prepared to continue towards the river mouth.

"Any news from Yan Zhao?" Gu Feng asked.

"The young master has already entered the northern part of the city and found a place to stay. He will make his move once the follow-up weapons arrive," Gu Xuan said in a low voice. "He told the master not to worry, nothing serious will happen."

Gu Feng nodded and said nothing more.

After leaving the dilapidated temple, the group headed west along the mountain path.

The procession wasn't long. Gu Hu led a few brothers to scout ahead, while Lin Ji and Jiang Yunhe flanked them on either side. Li Shuwen accompanied Gu Feng's family in the middle.

The mountain path was rugged, and Madam Gu was not used to walking it, so she walked slowly and the housekeeper had to stop and help her from time to time.

The group couldn't move fast. The midday sun made their backs sweat, and there wasn't a breath of wind in the forest, making it feel like a steam room.

Lin Ji walked along the side of the group, his eyes occasionally sweeping over the surrounding mountains and forests.

The communication plug in my ear had been vibrating intermittently for a while; it was Bai Yu'er's voice, loud and boisterous.

He didn't respond; there were too many people around, and it wasn't convenient.

They walked until the moon was setting in the west, then found a shady spot in the mountains to rest, have a bite to eat, and drink water.

Lin Ji used the excuse of checking the sentries to walk deeper into the woods. After confirming that no one was around, he touched the communication plug with his fingertip and whispered, "You can speak now."

"You old codger! You've finally said something!"

Bai Yu'er's voice immediately exploded, tinged with anger: "What were you doing in the provincial capital? Why is there such a commotion in the city?"

Lin Ji leaned against the tree trunk, rubbing his temples with his fingertips: "Nothing."

"Didn't you do anything?" Bai Yu'er became even more anxious:

"Sister Shen said the authorities have dispatched three divisions south, supposedly to suppress some rebels. I think it's aimed at you! You should hurry back to Jiangcheng and hide for a while!"

Shen Jinluan's voice came from the side, much steadyer than Bai Yu'er's, with a hint of contemplation:

"Old man, what Yu'er said is true. I asked a friend in the foreign firm to check, and troops have indeed been mobilized in Kyoto. Three full divisions are heading south by water, and they should be able to reach Guanghua in about half a month. A friend in the provincial capital also said that He Ze has been frequently in contact with the Japanese consulate recently, probably to use the pretext of suppressing bandits to completely eliminate the opposition forces in Guanghua."

She paused, then softened her voice:

"Things are getting stricter here in Jiangcheng too. The docks are being checked closely, and the governor's patrol boats are on the river every day. If you come back, you'll have to go through clandestine means. I'll arrange for a fishing boat to pick you up."

Liu Qingzhu's voice broke in, still cool and clear, but with a hint of concern:

"That's not all. He Ze has issued arrest warrants, which have been posted in several surrounding provinces. Even though you're disguised, you still need to be careful. There are martial arts experts in the military who might be able to see through your disguise."

Lin Ji remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Now that things are settled, I might not return to Jiangcheng, but head north."

The other end went silent instantly.

After a long while, Bai Yu'er raised her voice, her tone tinged with disbelief:

"What did you say? North? What are you going north for? They're mobilizing troops and fighting there! Are you crazy?"

"The north is too dangerous." Shen Jinluan's voice deepened. "The authorities are arresting Xinghua Society members everywhere. If you go north, you'll be walking into a trap."

"I have something to take care of," Lin Ji said briefly.

"What could be more important than life itself!" Bai Yu'er was so anxious she was almost crying.

Liu Qingzhu spoke, her voice soft yet precise: "You're going to Kyoto?"

Lin Ji neither admitted nor denied it, but simply replied, "Let's talk about it after things are settled here. The three of you are in Jiangcheng, so be careful."

"You..." Bai Yu'er wanted to say something, but Shen Jinluan stopped her.

"The old man knows what he's doing," Shen Jinluan said softly. "We're waiting for you. Take care."

The other end of the microphone went quiet.

Lin Ji stood in the woods and looked up at the sky.

The moon was setting in the west, and the thick clouds made one feel a tightness in their chest.

He also wanted to return to Jiangcheng, stay with his three women, and live a peaceful life.

But some things just have to be done by someone.

He sighed and turned to walk back.

Meanwhile, at the provincial capital's military governor's office.

"Bang!"

A white porcelain teacup slammed hard onto the blue brick floor, scattering shards everywhere. Tea water seeped into the cracks between the bricks, leaving dark stains.

He Ze stood in the center of the hall, his face ashen, his chest heaving violently.

"Useless! All of you are useless! Dozens of men couldn't even surround one courtyard, and the whole Gu family ran away! They couldn't even keep an old woman in her late twenties in check!" He pointed at his adjutant's nose and cursed, spitting all over the man's face.

The adjutant kept his head down, not daring to even breathe loudly.