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

Located in the most prosperous area in the south of the city.

The vermilion gate of the Gu family's new house had just been painted with a glossy finish.

The two pairs of stone lions at the entrance were also newly added, sitting majestically in front of the door.

People came and went in front of the courtyard gate, and the old steward of the Gu family directed the servants to move boxes and arrange furniture.

He would occasionally shout something at the top of his lungs.

They were afraid that the newly purchased furniture would get bumped or damaged.

Gu Feng stood on the steps of the main hall, wearing a thick dark blue long gown with the cuffs slightly rolled up, watching the people below busily working with a light smile.

He was very satisfied with the favor that Du Qingyi had done for him.

This three-courtyard mansion, though not as grand as the provincial government's residence, is still quite adequate.

Moreover, they also gave him half a shop in the south of the city that specialized in ironware, as well as three warehouses.

Du Qingyi spoke very well.

It's convenient for families to settle down and do business.

But Gu Feng couldn't see it at all.

Then came the olive branch.

Using this house and land as a gift, this old fellow has his eye on the Gu family's arms forging business.

but.

He did not dislike Du Qingyi's behavior.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Gu Jia needed to establish himself in Jiangcheng, and this would save him a lot of trouble.

He was generous and immediately had the accountant bring out a roll of blueprints.

A diagram of the rifling of an improved rapid-fire rifle.

This picture is considered top-tier on the market; ordinary martial arts masters and gangs would fight tooth and nail to get their hands on it.

But in the eyes of a century-old forging family like the Gu family, it was only a below-average skill, not something to be proud of.

"Send this to Chief Du." Gu Feng closed the blueprints again, handed them to the butler, and instructed, "Tell him that we appreciate Chief Du's help. These are just some small gadgets to give the brothers some equipment."

"Okay, sure."

The butler responded and left.

……

"Du Qingyi's eyes lit up when she received the blueprints."

Less than an hour had passed.

Liu Qingzhu then relayed the message to Lin Ji.

He sat at the table, holding a cup of tea, and said in a calm voice, "Say it to my face: if we modify it according to this design, the Green Robe Gang's firearms will be upgraded to a whole new level."

Shen Jinluan sat to the side, a jade pipe dangling from her lips, and scoffed, "He certainly got what he wanted. What's that saying again? You reap what you sow?"

Lin Ji leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table. He just smiled and didn't say anything.

"Old man, aren't you worried at all?" Shen Jinluan glanced at Liu Qingzhu, then turned to Lin Ji and teased, "Du Qingyi's weaponry has been greatly upgraded; his power is definitely stronger than ours. Aren't you afraid he'll turn around and bite us back?"

"Don't worry." Lin Ji took a sip of hot tea and said, "Chief Du just wants to increase his fighting strength so that he can handle things when chaos breaks out in the city."

Shen Jinluan raised an eyebrow but didn't ask any more questions.

She could understand the meaning behind Lin Ji's words.

Lin Ji didn't take Du Qingyi seriously.

……

The next morning, Lin Ji went to the Gu family's new residence.

A clan meeting is being held in the courtyard.

Gu Feng stood on a stone platform in the courtyard, with twenty or thirty members of the Gu family and their employees standing below him.

"Gentlemen, once we arrive in Jiangcheng, we won't mention the name 'Gu Family' anymore." Gu Feng gripped a new token.

"The matter of Guanghua is in the past. Now we are just craftsmen doing business. Our business name is 'Da Duantangzai,' specializing in ironware, such as hoes, rakes, boat nails, and kitchen knives. We make whatever is useful."

After saying that, Du Qingyi handed out the tokens and distributed them to everyone present.

The crowd below echoed in unison.

Everyone present was a long-time member of the Gu family, and they all knew the rules and were aware of the Gu family's current situation.

If you want to survive in Jiangcheng under He Ze's nose, you have to hide your identity, survive first, and then plan for future development.

Seeing Lin Ji enter through the door, Gu Feng quickly stepped down from the stone platform and strode forward to greet him: "Mr. Lin, what brings you here? Please come in."

"I won't go in." Lin Ji waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the people in the courtyard: "I've come over to tell you something."

The two walked to the old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard, their shadows dappling their bodies.

"I want you to help me build a batch of ships." Lin Ji got straight to the point, pulling out rolled-up gunboat blueprints from his pocket and handing them over.

"It's for river defense, not very big, a little over two zhang long. See if you can build it."

Gu Feng took the blueprint with a puzzled look, unfolded it, and his eyes narrowed as soon as he glanced at the first few lines of dimensions.

The further he looked down, the more his brows furrowed, his fingers slowly tracing the riveting patterns of the armor on the blueprints, even his breathing became softer.

He stared for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea before suddenly raising his head, his eyes filled with shock:

"Mr. Lin, this...this ship's design is unlike anything I've ever seen before! The riveting technique used on the thin iron armor, and the curvature of the ram—even the major shipyards in the provincial capital might not be able to produce something so exquisite!"

The way he looked at Lin Ji changed.

I thought this old gentleman was just a skilled martial artist with a sense of responsibility, a true hero.

Unexpectedly, they even possessed such secret shipbuilding techniques.

Just how many cards does this person still have up their sleeve?

"Just tell me if it can be built," Lin Ji asked casually, without explaining the origin of the blueprints.

"Yes!" Gu Feng nodded without hesitation, his tone resolute.

"There's an old boat shop by the river in the west of the city. I inquired about it a few days ago and was planning to take it over to do blacksmithing. They have furnaces and racks ready, and I also have manpower."

He paused for a moment, then spoke:

"Give me a day, and I'll assemble a prototype ship for a sea trial! If there are no problems, we'll start mass production."

"Okay." Lin Ji nodded, his eyes showing more approval.

The Gu family truly lives up to its reputation as a century-old forging family; they possess both skill and decisiveness, and they don't mince words.

He knew in his heart that Gu Feng was working so hard not just for business.

When Guanghua fell, Lin Ji single-handedly rescued their entire family and helped them settle in Jiangcheng.

Gu Feng kept this kindness in his heart and sincerely wanted to repay it.

"Tell me how much the boatyard will cost and whether we have enough manpower," Lin Ji ordered in a deep voice. "This needs to be done quickly. The people in the north and the situation in the south can't wait."

"Understood!" Gu Feng nodded emphatically, carefully rolled up the blueprints, and clutched them in his hand. "I'll go to Panchuanfang right now! We'll start construction today!"

Lin Ji didn't stay at the Gu family's house any longer. The Gu family was in dire need of rebuilding, and if he stayed, he would only be an idle person. He turned around and left the courtyard.

Inside the blacksmith shop of the Qingyi Gang in the south of the city.

The blacksmith who forged the Mountain and River Stabilizing Spear for Lin Ji held the blueprints above his head.

The autumn sun shone through the cracks in the paper onto his face.

"Good stuff..." He put down the blueprints, turned his head and clicked his tongue, looking at Du Qingyi: "But it's still not quite as good as this."

The blacksmith unfolded a rubbing of the blueprint for the Mountain and River Stabilizing Spear and handed it to Du Qingyi.

Du Qingyi's eyebrows shot up suddenly at this sight.

"Good, good, good, I knew you old codger had a backup plan." Du Qingyi smiled, looking at the blacksmith with satisfaction.

"It's a pity... we didn't have the materials to forge this weapon."