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

Zhao Qiaosheng placed his fingertips on Lin Ji's arm, and after only half a breath, his expression suddenly changed.

A dense, ethereal energy surged from his fingertips, circulated through Lin Ji's eight extraordinary meridians and limbs, and finally returned to its original location.

His muscles and bones were taut and his qi and blood were solid, clearly indicating bone refinement, yet there was a natural circulation of qi. Zhao Qiaosheng withdrew his finger, his eyes revealing undisguised shock.

"Old man, your physique is that of a natural martial arts prodigy. Ordinary people can only touch the threshold of Qi feeling after mastering bone refining, but you have Qi feeling as soon as you entered bone refining. Once your bones are fully tempered, you will directly enter the realm of Ming Jin without any hindrance."

Lin Ji remained calm upon hearing this. He had already noticed the changes brought about by his martial bones, so there was no need for others to point them out.

"Old man, since that's the case, I, Zhao, have another method to pass on to you, which you can then teach to that young Brother Bai."

"Young man, you have backbone and spirit, you are a promising young man! Ten years from now, if we give our lives on the road of revolution, we will need young men like you to support the backbone of our nation."

Zhao Qiaosheng's words, full of patriotism, stirred Lin Ji's emotions, and he nodded in agreement: "Okay."

"To achieve bone refinement, we often need to rely on external forces to forcibly break the bones, then use external medicine to repair them, and repeat the process gradually."

"So, to put it simply, in Western medicine, bone refining is the process of creating bone fractures, then repairing them, and increasing bone density."

"The ancient method says that tendons and bones are of the same origin. Old man, you might as well give it a try, using twisting to support the bones and tendons to bind them."

"The path of tendons and bones, bone twisting and energy flowing through the membranes."

Lin Ji listened attentively and was already simulating the bone-tempering method in his mind.

Zhao Qiaosheng assumed that Lin Ji hadn't understood, and then explained:

"Sir, there's no need to listen to the Western medicine advice at the beginning; just follow the instructions at the end."

Lin Ji looked up at Zhao Qiaosheng and nodded in agreement: "Okay."

Western medicine?

The old man probably knows more than you.

"Then I won't disturb your rest any longer." Seeing that Lin Ji had agreed to the request, Zhao Qiaosheng prepared to leave.

As he pushed open the door, he couldn't help but turn back and reiterate, "Old man, your health is the most important thing. Don't be too aggressive in your bone training; it's easy to break bones."

Inside the room, Lin Ji picked up the white porcelain bottle on the table, uncorked it, and poured out a black pill the size of a soybean.

Looking at these tiny pills, Lin Ji couldn't help but wonder, "Do these little pills have several times the effect of a blood-nourishing soup?"

"Young Brother Zhao, you underestimate this old man. Now that you've mastered Bone Refinement and are at the level of Ming Jin, with my Martial Bone, I'm really going to take a bold step!"

He popped a blood-nourishing pill the size of a soybean into his mouth, and instantly a powerful surge of qi and blood coursed through his body, filling his eight extraordinary meridians and limbs with vigorous strength, even more potent than three pots of regular herbal decoction.

Lin Ji twisted his legs and began to use the bone-tempering method taught by Zhao Qiaosheng.

Huh?

Tendons and bones intertwined!

Halfway through the practice, Lin Ji had a sudden thought.

This is similar to the Tai Chi silk-reeling technique.

During his bone tempering process, Lin Ji attempted to add a trace of Tai Chi coiling energy.

pain!

pain!

A piercing pain spread from my legs throughout my body.

However, the blood and qi from the blood-nourishing pill quickly rushed into the legs, offsetting the pain.

Once the pain had completely subsided, Lin Ji twisted his leg bone once more.

Back and forth.

Each time, Lin Ji felt that the bones in his legs were more solid than before.

"Coo coo coo!"

A rooster's crow pierced the sky in the distance.

A white line lit up on the horizon.

The tempering process is complete.

The pills depleted the body's vital energy and blood.

A breath flowed between Lin Ji's legs.

I felt that feeling again.

Lin Ji was puzzled.

Is this what Qi sensation is?

Stepping out of the courtyard, Lin Ji gave it a quick test. With a burst of energy in his feet and a bend in his legs, he sprang forward silently for over ten feet, landing as lightly as a falling leaf without even stirring up any dust.

The combination of bone-winding method and Tai Chi silk-winding method makes bone tempering more than twice as fast as ordinary methods.

"Tap—tap—tap."

Three very polite knocks sounded at the door.

Lin Ji's expression showed a hint of doubt.

Foreigners?

Without making a sound, Lin Ji moved slightly and walked to the courtyard gate, peering through the crack in the door to see who had come.

In front of the courtyard gate, several figures stood, all dressed in dark long gowns, each with a refined and scholarly air.

They might be carrying a few books, or wearing glasses like Zhao Qiaosheng's.

Just as Lin Ji was about to open the door to ask, Zhao Qiaosheng came out of the woodshed.

Last night, Zhao Qiaosheng took the initiative to rest in the woodshed, and Lin Ji did not offer him any courtesy.

"You're here to see me? It's alright, old man, please open the door."

Lin Ji nodded upon hearing this and pulled open the door latch.

"Mr. Zhao."

"Lumberjack."

……

Several people at the door greeted Zhao Qiaosheng.

"Let's go." Zhao Qiaosheng took the new clothes handed to him by one of them, casually draped them over his body to cover his original clothes, and nodded to the group.

He then turned his head to look at Lin Ji, his eyes sincere: "Thank you again for saving my life. Farewell, I don't know when we will meet again. I hope you take care."

Lin Ji nodded and slightly clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Take care."

Just as Zhao Qiaosheng was about to leave, Bai Yu'er led Bai Xiaonian out of the courtyard gate. Upon seeing Bai Xiaonian, Zhao Qiaosheng's face lit up with joy: "Little classmate, keep up the good work."

"Okay! I will." Bai Xiaonian nodded vigorously and clenched his fist.

……

My vacation is over.

Bathed in the morning light, Lin Ji led Bai Xiaonian across the threshold of the martial arts hall.

As soon as Lin Ji stepped through the vermilion gate, he sensed something was amiss.

The shouts and punches that used to accompany morning training have completely disappeared, and the training ground is eerily quiet.

Looking up, one could see two groups of people facing each other across the training ground, clearly separated.

Although both groups were wearing martial arts school uniforms, the differences between them were immediately apparent.

On the left, a dozen or so teenagers stood backlit, their posture proper and well-mannered, but their glances toward the opposite side were full of disdain and arrogance.

On the right stood a group of sturdy teenagers with dirty, rough hands, a somewhat hesitant expression, and an indomitable spirit burning in their eyes.

"Grandpa Lin, I'm going now."

Seeing this, Bai Xiaonian greeted Lin Ji and ran towards one of the camps.

He squeezed into the crowd, and several familiar teenagers immediately turned their heads and whispered a few words in his ear.

Instantly! His eyes widened, and he glared angrily at the teenagers opposite him.

There was already an undercurrent of tension between the two sides, and now, as Bai Xiaonian's gaze fell upon them, many of the other side's youths simultaneously looked up.

Lin Ji did not leave, but stood quietly at a distance, listening intently to the tense atmosphere that was about to erupt.

After glancing at the shoulders and back of the rich young master, Lin Ji had a guess in his mind. He looked delicate and tender, but his breathing was steady. He had already touched the threshold of the Great Perfection of Bone Refinement. Among this group of poor children, none of them were his match.

"It's one thing for you country bumpkins to occupy the martial arts hall's resources normally, but now that the coachman has lost, and the martial arts ban will be issued in a year, are you confident that you can enter the ranks? If you're not confident, you're just wasting resources."

Si Tianhu hunched over and leaned close to a tall, thin boy, his chin held high, looking like a fox borrowing the tiger's might.

The tall, thin boy had fair and delicate skin. His school uniform collar was slightly open, revealing the lining of high-end brocade.

"Who do you think you are? Have you even joined the ranks of the elite? If you've got the guts, come and fight me!"

A short, stocky boy stepped forward from Bai Xiaonian's side, and their fists collided hard, producing a dull "thud".

"Fight? You think you're worthy?"

The tall, thin boy lazily lifted his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over the group of poor students. His eyes held barely suppressed disgust, as if he were looking at a pack of barking wild dogs. His words were extremely flat, yet laced with a sharp edge:

"A poor person should have the self-awareness of a poor person. You dull-witted, simple-minded fools were born to pull rickshaws or carry goods at the docks! You think you can turn your life around through martial arts? Let me tell you, it's impossible in this life and the next!"

"That's right! Young Master Zhang is right. Get out of the martial arts hall and hand over the resources!"

"A bunch of peasants dare to practice martial arts? Don't defile this martial arts hall! Get out of here!"