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

"That's it? Your strength has improved quite a bit." The door to the main room opened, and Lin Ji walked out, followed by Bai Yu'er and Su Wanning, who were wearing outer robes.

Su Wanning looked at the corpse on the ground and her face turned pale.

"Hmm." Liu Qingzhu nodded: "They're all just thugs, the highest they're at is only in the late stage of Ming Jin."

Gu Xuan squatted down, felt around in the leader's arms, and pulled out a letter and a bronze plaque engraved with the words "Ma Mansion".

He handed the letter to Lin Ji.

Lin Ji unfolded the letter in the moonlight; the handwriting was messy, it was a secret letter.

"The deal for the fast guns and machine guns from the foreign merchants has been finalized. They will be shipped to Tianjin Port next month. All seven members of the alliance have given their approval. We are just waiting for Governor Wang's approval. Once the Huashan Martial Arts Tournament is over and the civilian forces in the north are cleared out, business will be much easier."

There was no signature, but a small cloud-shaped mark was drawn at the end.

"An alliance?" Bai Yu'er leaned closer, frowning. "What alliance? Doing business with foreigners?"

"It must be a powerful family from the north who sided with the foreigners, forming an alliance." Lin Ji folded the letter, his fingertips tracing the paper, his tone becoming more somber:

"It seems that the government has long been hollowed out. What kind of ban on weapons is this? It's not for suppressing rebellions and keeping the people at ease. It's to help foreigners get rid of disobedient gangsters so that these big families can do business with foreigners freely."

"The north is their stronghold. The ban on weapons was first implemented in the north. Jiangcheng is separated from the Yangtze River, and it can still experience such big storms. Let alone this side."

Su Wanning whispered, "Then... is there some connection between Young Master Wang and that Commander Wang mentioned in the letter?"

"Most likely." Lin Ji nodded. "The fact that the letter is waiting for Governor Wang to nod means he's still observing. This Mount Hua Martial Arts Tournament might just be where they negotiate terms."

Gu Xuan raised his head, looked at Lin Ji, and asked in a hoarse voice, "What do we do next?"

"Let's wait and see," Lin Ji said calmly. "Let's go up the mountain first and see what kind of rules this martial arts tournament has, what kind of shady characters are involved, find out the details, and then make a plan."

He pointed to the corpse on the ground: "Get rid of it, don't leave any trace."

"Hmm." Gu Xuan nodded, took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, uncorked it, poured out some pale yellow powder, and sprinkled it evenly on the corpses.

He then took out a tinderbox, blew on it, and sparks landed on the powder.

With a soft "boom," pale blue flames shot up. There was little smoke or odor, and the corpse quickly melted away, burning away even the bloodstains, leaving only a little bit of ash.

Gu Xuan was an expert in gunpowder mechanisms, so handling this small matter was a piece of cake for him.

In no time, the yard was spotless, as if nothing had happened.

Only the faint smell of burning in the air and a few charred leaves on the old locust tree served as reminders of the danger that had just occurred.

……

The most magnificent Wangyue Tower in the county town was still lit up in the middle of the night.

In the private room on the third floor, the sounds of traditional Chinese string and wind instruments filled the air, accompanied by soft, gentle whispers.

Several dancers, dressed in sheer gauze, swayed their hips to the beat of the drums, their gauze billowing and revealing their snow-white arms and ankles.

The table was laden with delicacies from land and sea, including bear paws, deer tendons, and Yellow River carp. The wine jugs were made of silver and polished to a shine.

Young Master Wang sat in the main seat, his left hand still in a sling, leaning back in the chair, his face gloomy.

His eyes were fixed on the dancing girls, but he showed no interest whatsoever, waving his hand impatiently every now and then, as if shooing away flies.

Sitting next to him was Ma Jinbiao, a local tyrant in the county.

He smiled broadly, holding a silver wine pot to refill the young master's cup; his fat was all bunched up.

"Young Master Wang, have a drink to calm your temper. A few country bumpkins are not worth getting so worked up about."

Young Master Wang snorted and didn't pick up his wine cup.

Ma Jinbiao knew exactly what was going on.

He had already sent people to find out what happened on the ship.

This nephew of Governor Wang lost his right hand in a fight with a gray-bearded old man on a large passenger ship belonging to the Grand Canal Gang, all because of his attempt to steal a woman.

This young master Wang was the ladder he used to climb up to Governor Wang. He was also hoping to rely on the Wang family's connections to monopolize the firearms smuggling business in the west.

This is a perfect opportunity to curry favor with them.

"Don't worry, Young Master Wang." Ma Jinbiao lowered his voice, a sinister smile on his face.

"I've already sent people over. They're all ruthless characters with blood on their hands. They'll sneak over in the middle of the night and bring that old bastard's head back. As for those two beauties, they'll be delivered to Young Master Wang smoothly. Then Young Master Wang can do whatever he wants with them."

Young Master Wang's eyes lit up, and he sat up abruptly: "Oh? Is that so?"

"Absolutely," Ma Jinbiao said proudly, patting his chest.

"In this county, no one dares to disrespect me, Ma. Young Master Wang, just wait for good news. I guarantee the person will be delivered to your residence before dawn."

Young Master Wang nodded, his expression finally softening.

He picked up his wine glass, holding it with his left hand. Although the movement was awkward, it carried a hint of arrogance: "Sure, once the matter is settled, I'll tell my uncle, and you can use the official road to the west."

"Oh! Thank you so much, Young Master Wang!" Ma Jinbiao was overjoyed and quickly raised his glass: "I'd like to toast Young Master Wang! May all your wishes come true!"

The two clinked glasses, tilted their heads back and drank it all in one gulp, then burst into laughter.

Seeing this, the dancers danced even more joyfully, and the music became even more melodious.

Just then, the door to the private room was kicked open with a bang.

A henchman stumbled in, his face deathly pale, as if he'd seen a ghost, and his head covered in cold sweat.

"Boss! NEET! Something terrible has happened!"

Ma Jinbiao frowned, slammed his wine glass on the table, and cursed:

"What's all the rush about? Can't you see Young Master Wang is here? What kind of behavior is this!"

The younger brother knelt on the ground with a thud, his voice trembling and his teeth chattering: "The four people you sent...none of them have come back!"

Ma Jinbiao was taken aback: "Didn't come back? Where did they go?"

"N-I don't know!" the younger brother stammered.

"Our men kept watch at the alley entrance for half the night, but no one came out, and we didn't hear any fighting. We just mustered up the courage to climb in and check... The courtyard was spotless, not a soul in sight! There wasn't even a trace of blood on the ground, it was like... like they had never been there at all!"

"What?!"

Ma Jinbiao suddenly stood up, his large body causing the table to shake and spilling food and wine all over it.

"Impossible! Four people! All formidable figures in the late Ming Jin stage! How could they just disappear like that?!"

His face was filled with disbelief.

Four people, even if they couldn't accomplish anything, should have made some noise. How could they not have left any trace?

Young Master Wang's expression changed, and the wine glass in his hand fell to the table with a "clatter," spilling wine all over himself without him noticing.

He had personally witnessed the old man's methods.

One move, just one move, and his right hand was crippled, leaving him no time to react.

He was startled and looked up at Ma Jinbiao: "What level of skill did the people you sent have?"

"Late stage of Ming Jin... what's wrong?" Ma Jinbiao asked instinctively.