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

This sound, at first glance...

The woman cried out in pain, her voice a mixture of sobbing and gasping.

The word "Hehuan" immediately came to mind.

Lin Ji's heart sank again.

A centenarian awakening the ability to have sexual intercourse? That's ridiculous!

However, Lin Ji's ears twitched, and a smile crept across his face:

"The sounds this young vixen makes are so alluring, they're making this old man's bones melt."

The next second, a strange look flashed in his eyes.

"Um……"

Lin Ji pondered for a moment, then looked down and was shocked, then overjoyed!

"Ouch."

"I knew it! I've been reading your 'Book of Rebellion' since you were a kid, you're destined for greatness!"

"Old buddy, you're really awake!"

"When Yin and Yang interact, and harmony is achieved, a new page can be turned in the book."

Resurfaced, Lin Ji felt a sudden sense of relief; the Book of Rebellion could finally be turned!

Touching the skin on his arm, which had relaxed a bit, Lin Ji clenched his fist again, a long-lost feeling of strength emanating from it.

"Not bad, not bad."

Lin Ji grinned and nodded in satisfaction.

Just then, another scream came from Bai Yu'er's ear, and Lin Ji was about to listen carefully.

But the harshness in his voice made him frown.

"Hmm? Something's not right?"

Without dwelling on the changes in his body, Lin Ji got up and went out.

Not far away, a crowd had already gathered in front of Bai Yu'er's low house.

Inside the room, instead of Bai Yu'er's delicate moans, came real howls of pain, along with a woman's shrill curses and the crashing of overturned tables and chairs.

Lin Ji walked over quickly, his steps a few paces faster than when he had gone back.

"Old man Lin, you've come to watch the fun too?"

Among the onlookers, a thin, dark-skinned rickshaw puller with a sweaty sack draped around his neck craned his neck to peer into the house. He greeted Lin Ji with a grin.

"Heh heh! Zhang Tu's wife found out about him going out to see women.

Lin Ji pushed through the crowd and looked inside, which drew complaints from the onlookers.

"You old fool, at your age, you still have to join in the fun!"

Inside the house, a burly, overweight woman with her sleeves rolled up stood there, her large body even bigger than Zhang the butcher's. She was squinting and standing with her hands on her hips.

He stepped on Bai Yu'er's back, held a thick wooden stick in his hand, and cursed while spitting everywhere.

"You, surnamed Zhang! You're all spineless and useless at home, but you're so arrogant and domineering outside!"

"And you, you shameless woman! How dare you seduce my man!"

"I'll skin you alive and tear your tendons apart today!"

This woman was none other than Zhang the butcher's wife, Wang Erniang, a notorious shrew in Dog Tail Alley.

"Sister, what's there to talk about with a prostitute?"

"That's right, it's a worthless life, no one will care even if you beat it to death."

At the entrance, three burly men stood with their arms crossed, blocking the doorway with menacing expressions.

Lin Ji looked into the house.

Bai Yu'er was pinned to the ground, her hair disheveled, five finger marks burning on her face, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, her once pretty face swollen on one side, and she was trembling with pain.

Zhang the butcher was curled up on the ground, with a piece of mud-covered fatty pork lying in front of him.

"This is a deadly attack."

Having seen all walks of life, Lin Ji immediately saw through the fat woman's thoughts.

"This girl still owes me a favor."

"They really killed him! Who am I supposed to turn to now?"

As Wang Erniang raised the wooden stick in her hand, Lin Ji's aged yet powerful voice rang out from the crowd:

"stop!"

Wang Erniang's hand, holding the stick, froze in mid-air. She turned around fiercely, saw a thin, wiry old man, and immediately spat and cursed:

"Who the hell is this old codger, daring to meddle in my business?"

Too lazy to waste words, she twisted her wrist and was about to smash the wooden stick in her hand onto Bai Yu'er.

next second.

"Snapped!"

Lin Ji's withered hands firmly gripped the stick.

Everyone present, including Bai Yu'er, looked at Lin Ji.

Wang Erniang's eyes hardened, she kicked her legs and pulled her arm.

Even though his swollen, fat face turned a deep liver color, the wooden stick that Lin Ji was holding remained completely still.

"You old hag, where do you get such strength?" Wang Erniang's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

The surrounding crowd, eager for a good show, craned their necks to watch.

"Hey, old man Lin is over a hundred years old, where does he get all that strength from!"

Lin Ji ignored him, exerted a little force on his wrist, and pushed forward.

"Thump thump thump!"

Wang Erniang staggered backward, lost her balance, and fell to the ground, wincing in pain.

Seeing this, her brothers surrounded her, looking menacing and ready to attack. "You old hag, are you looking for death?"

"If I were ten years younger, I wouldn't have had that kind of strength!"

"Could it be that martial bone?"

Lin Ji instantly understood, his cloudy old eyes sweeping over the three men, and he said in a calm tone:

"Do you think this is still under the control of the imperial court? You think you can just kill someone and bury them however you want?"

"This is the Republic of China now, after all. The police station is just looking for cases to take credit for, and you guys have delivered yourselves right to our doorstep?"

"And you."

Lin Ji looked at Wang Erniang and sneered:

"You can't even control your own man, yet you have the nerve to come here and swagger around. Let me tell you this: you can kill him all you want, the police will arrest you, and Zhang the butcher can just take a concubine later."

Having lived to be a hundred years old, Lin Ji had seen all sorts of rogues and scoundrels, and could manipulate human nature at will.

The burly men were at a loss and could only look to Wang Erniang.

Wang Erniang, with her plump body, struggled to get up from the ground.

Pointing at Lin Ji, he cursed, "You old geezer, you're having an affair with this little whore, aren't you? You old bastard, I heard you're a hundred years old? You're about to be buried and you still won't behave!"

Lin Ji scoffed:

"So you know this old man is a hundred years old?"

Lin Ji's gaze swept over the curled-up Zhang the butcher on the ground, and his voice turned cold:

"From now on, Zhang the butcher, you'll only have those three seconds of skill. Don't embarrass yourself in public anymore."

Lin Ji's words drew laughter from the onlookers.

Zhang the butcher was even more humiliated by what he'd been told. Ignoring how Wang Erniang, that shrew, would treat him when she got home, he scrambled to his feet, grabbed Wang Erniang, and dragged her outside.

"Alright, alright, stop making a scene. I really didn't give her any money. Let's go home and talk about it."

Wang Erniang struggled and cursed, but was eventually dragged out of the door.

As she reached the door, Wang Erniang spat and uttered a polite remark:

"You little whore! Just you wait!"

When the commotion died down, the neighbors dispersed, muttering amongst themselves. Before leaving, they couldn't help but glance at the two people inside, gossiping amongst themselves.

"Speaking of which, Old Lin probably has his eye on one of the girls in that brothel."

"Judging from his appearance, he does look like one."

"At his age, with half his body buried in the ground, he still has those kinds of thoughts! Haha."

……

In the blink of an eye, only Lin Ji and Bai Yu'er, who was lying paralyzed on the ground, remained in the room.

Bai Yu'er covered her swollen face and struggled to get up.

Perhaps not wanting more outsiders to see her disheveled state, she turned around and gently closed the door.

"Old Lin, thank you for today. If it weren't for you... I might have really been crippled by her today."

"You still owe me a favor, and if you die, no one will be able to repay it," Lin Ji said casually, his gaze falling on her face. "Your face is so swollen, find some cooling cloth to put on it."

Bai Yu'er didn't move, but looked up at Lin Ji.

Sunlight streamed through the paper windows, reflecting the shimmering light in Bai Yu'er's peach blossom eyes.

Moving.

Embarrassing.

There was also a touch of resolute determination.

Bai Yu'er slowly raised her hand and placed it in front of her lapel. The buttons on her collar loosened, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin.

"What are you doing?" Lin Ji's brows furrowed suddenly.

"I have nothing else to thank you for." Bai Yu'er's voice was very soft, her fingertips trembling slightly as they touched the buttons, but her hands didn't stop moving:

"I keep my word."

"You've helped me twice, so I... I'll accompany you once, for free, just to repay the favor."

The sunlight shone on her thin shoulders and also reflected the stubbornness in her eyes.

In this chaotic world, the only reward she, a woman of the night, could offer was her body.

Lin Ji remained silent, while in his mind, the Book of Reversal of Fate shimmered with golden light, as if urging him on.

Turning a page of a book and looking back ten years is incredibly important to him, an old man who still longs to live.

Lin Ji's voice was low and deep: "Have you thought it through?"

Bai Yu'er bit her lip, nodded gently, and removed all her clothes.

"I just don't know if you're still capable..."

"Sizzle!"

The curtains on the bed were drawn, plunging the room into darkness.

The soft rustling of clothes inside the room carried a hint of warmth and absurdity.

Lin Ji felt the soft body nestled in his arms. The girl had a faint scent of soap and a subtle hint of rouge.

The martial bones in Lin Ji's body are slightly inscribed.

His life force, dormant for a century, slowly began to boil.

I don't know how much time passed.

At the very moment their breaths mingled.

In Lin Ji's mind, the Book of Reversing Fate suddenly rang out with a crisp sound of pages turning.

"Splash!"

"When Yin and Yang meet, they are in perfect harmony."

"The physical body regresses ten years."

"Read the first volume of 'The Book of Reversing Fate'—the first chapter of 'Warfare'."

"True Understanding of Martial Arts! It can dissect all the martial arts techniques in the world, see through the flaws and weaknesses of the techniques at a glance, and integrate them without any hindrance."

A surge of warmth exploded within Lin Ji's body.

Lin Ji could clearly feel his pulse quickening, his skin tightening again, and even his breathing becoming several times longer.

With a slight exertion of his arm, his muscles trembled slightly, the force far exceeding that before.

Lin Ji slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

Bai Yu'er breathed softly, her face still flushed. She looked at Lin Ji in the darkness with a puzzled expression, taking in the sunlight that streamed in through the crack.

There seems to be something different about this old man.

"You...you're a hundred years old and you can still..."

"I'm still very strong and healthy, old man. Don't underestimate me." His voice was a little clearer than before: "You should rest well."

"I remember the meeting."

Lin Ji put on his clothes and got up, just walking to the bedside.

Suddenly, footsteps came from outside.

Immediately following, a rapid knocking sounded on the door.

"Thump—thump—thump!"