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

Everyone turned their heads at the sound.

The crowd parted, and a middle-aged man in a silk mandarin jacket strode over, followed by four bodyguards in tight-fitting clothes. Each of them stood upright with sharp eyes, clearly skilled in martial arts.

The middle-aged man, around forty years old, had a round face and a small mustache. A warm smile graced his face as he approached Lin Ji and bowed respectfully.

"Sir, please calm down! My name is Zhou Fu, and I am the ship's manager. It was my negligence that allowed this scoundrel to enter. I apologize to everyone!"

As he spoke, he turned and sternly ordered his men:

"What are you all standing there for! Drag this bastard down and lock him in the bottom hold. We'll deal with him when we get ashore!"

Two guards stepped forward, dragged the still screaming young master, and walked away.

The bloodstains on the ground stretched out in a long line, making the surrounding gamblers fall silent in fear.

Zhou Fu turned around again and smiled apologetically at Lin Ji:

"Sir, you see... we were in the wrong. How about this, I'll change you all to the best cabins, cover all boat fares, and even host a banquet to help the two ladies calm their nerves. Would you do me this favor?"

He spoke in a very humble manner, but his eyes kept glancing at Lin Ji.

He saw that move clearly just now.

He crippled Young Master Wang's wrist in one move, cleanly and swiftly, without even disturbing his breathing.

This is definitely a top-tier expert.

This ship belongs to the shipping guild and carries goods between the north and south. It carries all sorts of people, but such a skilled person should not be offended easily.

Lin Ji looked at him without saying a word.

Bai Yu'er quickly helped Su Wanning up and asked in a low voice, "Wanning, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Sister Yu'er." Su Wanning shook her head. Her palm was scraped and a little sore, but she was more afraid than anything else.

She didn't dare to imagine the consequences if Lin Ji and Bai Yu'er had arrived even a moment later.

Lin Ji remained silent for a moment before speaking calmly: "No need to change rooms. Keep your people in check and don't let any more troublemakers get in the way."

He didn't want to cause any more trouble.

The ship was a mixed bag; those heading north all had their own purposes, and making a scene would only cause more trouble.

"Yes, yes, you're right, sir." Zhou Fu nodded quickly. "I will definitely keep a close eye on them! From now on, these scoundrels will never be allowed into the casino on this ship."

He then handed over a small wooden plaque:

"Sir, this is our canal gang's token. With this, no one will dare to stop you on the ship, no matter where you go. It will work at any dock or inn along the way, as long as it is canal gang territory. Consider this a small token of my appreciation. Please don't find it offensive."

Lin Ji glanced at it; the token was made of wood and engraved with the ship patterns of the Grand Canal merchants.

He accepted it without hesitation, saying, "Thank you."

"Of course, of course." Zhou Fu smiled even more ingratiatingly: "Then I won't bother you any longer. If there's anything you need, just tell someone to find me."

After saying this, he bowed and left in a hurry with his men.

The people in the casino dispersed and returned to their gambling tables, but they all kept their voices down and glanced over from time to time. No one dared to approach them anymore.

Lin Ji turned to Su Wanning and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Grandpa Lin." Su Wanning lowered her head, feeling a little guilty. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have run around out of curiosity and caused you trouble."

"It's good that you're alright." Lin Ji shook his head: "Don't go to places like this next time. There are all sorts of people on the ship, be careful."

"Mmm." Su Wanning nodded, her eyes a little red.

Bai Yu'er held her hand and gently comforted her, "It's alright now, it's all in the past. That kind of scumbag, we just dealt with him and that was it."

The group turned and left the casino, heading up the stairs.

Back in the cabin, Bai Yu'er brought clean water to wash Su Wanning's hand wounds, applied wound medicine, and carefully wrapped them with strips of cloth.

"Hiss..." Su Wanning gasped in pain.

"Bear with it, don't let it get inflamed." Bai Yu'er softened her movements, still pouting.

"That bastard got off too easy. He should have had both legs broken, so he wouldn't dare to harass girls again."

Lin Ji sat down beside him, took a sip of tea, and slowly said, "That person must have some background, otherwise the people on the ship wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to protect him."

He had just spread his senses and had already gotten a general idea of ​​what was going on from the conversations of the people around him.

"So what?" Bai Yu'er pouted. "If you want to kill him, no one can stop you."

Lin Ji smiled but didn't say anything.

Now is not the time to cause trouble.

We don't know what the situation is like at Mount Hua yet, so there's no need to make more enemies unnecessarily.

The next three days passed smoothly.

The ship left the Yangtze River and entered the East China Sea. The sea opened up, and the water and sky met, a dazzling blue.

Su Wanning went to the deck to look at the sea every day, finding it fascinating. Bai Yu'er, however, rarely went out and mostly stayed in the cabin, either talking to Lin Ji or practicing her martial arts.

After what happened the day before yesterday, she seems to have figured it out. If she doesn't want to be a burden to Lin Ji, she needs to practice her skills diligently.

Gu Xuan spent most of his time in his small cabin, cleaning his mechanisms and hidden weapons, and rarely came out.

Three days later, the ship docked at the Beihekou Wharf on time.

As soon as I disembarked, a man dressed in shorts came up to me, holding a small bronze plaque with cloud patterns in his hand.

It was exactly the same as the keepsake that Feng Zhonglin gave to Lin Ji.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Lin?" the man asked, bowing.

"It's me," Lin Ji nodded.

"I was arranged by Mr. Feng to pick you up," the man said with a smile. "The carriage is ready. Let's rest at the inn ahead first, and then head to Mount Hua early tomorrow morning."

Thank you for your trouble.

The group followed the man out of the dock.

The docks were bustling with people—porters, merchants, and bodyguards—making a noisy scene even more lively than the docks in Jiangcheng.

The heavy northern accent, mixed with the sound of horse-drawn carriage bells, created a unique atmosphere.

Bai Yu'er looked around curiously, while Su Wanning remained quiet, though her eyes also held a sense of novelty.

After leaving the dock, two carriages were parked by the roadside. They were both spacious mule carts with thick curtains, looking very sturdy.

The group boarded the carriage, which slowly started moving, clattering along the stone-paved road.

Lin Ji lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked outside.

The streets were lined with shops, restaurants, inns, and pawnshops, their signs standing tall.

Pedestrians came and went, including martial arts masters with swords, scholars reading books, and people dressed as officials hurrying by.

The further north you go, the more people with swords appear on the streets. They all exude a powerful aura, and it seems that most of them are heading towards Mount Hua.

"It seems this Mount Hua Martial Arts Tournament is quite lively." Bai Yu'er also came over to take a look and whispered, "With so many people practicing martial arts, are they all going to compete?"

"Most likely." Lin Ji lowered the carriage curtain: "Some are just watching the show, some are looking for a way out, and some... are just going to their deaths."

The carriage fell silent for a moment.

Su Wanning gripped the hem of her clothes, looking a little nervous.

Bai Yu'er reached out and took her hand, then shook her head at her, indicating that she shouldn't be afraid.

Lin Ji closed his eyes, and his Qi spread out slightly in his sea of ​​consciousness, probing the surrounding movements.

The atmosphere on the street was chaotic, with martial artists of both internal and external strength everywhere.

It truly was a den of dragons and tigers.

He spoke slowly, his voice low but steady: "Be careful, everyone. Once you get to Mount Hua, don't act alone."

"Understood," they all replied in unison.

The carriage clattered forward, kicking up a cloud of dust.

In the distance, the dark green mountain shadows are faintly visible, stretching endlessly.

Mount Hua is not far away.