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

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Lin Ji pulled the vermilion door of the martial arts hall, and the hinges made a soft rustling sound.

Lin Ji opened the door wide and slowly walked towards the outside.

In the distance, the goatee-bearded steward, who was stretching his muscles, saw Lin Ji and waved from afar.

"Old Lin, getting out of here?"

Lin Ji grinned and replied cheerfully, "Good morning, Steward Wang! I think the morning light is quite nice, so I'm thinking of going for a walk in the city."

"Go on, go on. As you get older, you should walk around more and keep your muscles and bones flexible."

Steward Wang stroked his goatee, winked at Lin Ji, and lowered his voice, carrying a tacit understanding between men:

"Remember to be back by noon. Those guys are all waiting for your witty jokes. Don't let them wait in vain."

After Lin Ji had walked a distance, Steward Wang turned around, smiled, shook his head, and walked deeper into the martial arts hall.

"Where did this old man Lin get all those strange and interesting stories? In just one month, he managed to become familiar with all the hundred or so people in the martial arts hall, except for the students."

Lin Ji walked along the road in front of the martial arts hall towards the small market in Jiangcheng.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, but many people had already set up stalls along the street.

Some of the vendors on this street are neighbors from Gouwei Lane, who come to the market to make a living by selling rotten vegetables and fruits.

Since Lin Ji stopped performing shadow puppet shows, the neighbors hadn't seen this "century-old relic" for a long time, and they all greeted him.

"Old Lin, long time no see. I heard you went to work as a doorman at the martial arts academy?"

"Wow, you're so lucky, you never lack food."

"Old man, you look younger lately."

Lin Ji greeted them with a smile and nodded in response to each one.

When I got to the butcher shop at the street corner, Zhang the butcher, shirtless, was chopping the few bones on the table with a cleaver. There was also less meat on the table than usual.

Seeing this, Lin Ji assumed that Butcher Zhang's business had improved considerably and asked:

"Butcher Zhang, you've sold most of your meat this early in the morning?"

When Butcher Zhang saw him coming, he stopped what he was doing, picked up a cloth and wiped the grease off his hands: "What's so good about it! A foreigner opened a trading company on the street, where is there any business left? I can only sell less pork every day."

"Hey, that's enough." Zhang the butcher said, glancing behind Lin Ji and casually asking, "Old Lin, how many pounds of meat are you getting today? I have some really good pork belly, lots of fat and little meat, guaranteed to keep that little girl looking fair and clean."

"A little girl? Where did this little girl come from!" Lin Ji asked, glaring at him.

"Hey, everyone in this alley knows that ever since Bai Yu'er's house burned down, she's been living in your place. Hehe, how's it going? That woman's not bad, is she?" Zhang the butcher grinned lewdly, his lips rubbing together involuntarily.

"You're lying through your teeth. Do you think I would hire Bai Yu'er to be the gatekeeper at the martial arts school?" Lin Ji spat out, giving Zhang the butcher a cold shoulder.

"Oh, right! I forgot you're a hundred years old and can't do that kind of thing anymore!" Zhang the butcher was afraid that Lin Ji would take advantage of him verbally, so he shifted his gaze to Lin Ji's lower body.

"That's still better than your three moves." Lin Ji said casually, hitting Zhang the butcher where it hurt.

Zhang the butcher wanted to say something more to get back at Lin Ji, but after a quick glance at him, the words he was about to say stuck in his throat. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Old Lin, you look much younger than I do?"

Lin Ji's heart tightened, but he quickly laughed it off:

"What's so strange about that? Wu Tang has no worries about food or drink, the food is good, he sleeps soundly, and most importantly, he doesn't have to worry about making a living. There's no wife nagging or exploiting him. Life is comfortable, so naturally he's energetic."

"Hey, I thought you'd taken some kind of magic pill."

Butcher Zhang slapped his thigh, then muttered to himself:

"I was wondering why I'd been feeling so listless these past few days; turns out it's because that woman's been exploiting me!"

The words had barely left his lips when Zhang the butcher suddenly froze, snapping back to his senses:

This old man in front of me has a loose tongue. If he complains about his wife to my face and it gets back home, I'll definitely get a beating.

"Cough cough"

He quickly coughed to stop talking and smoothly changed the subject.

"Old Lin, you haven't been in town lately. Things are really chaotic there. A lot of small gangs have been absorbed by the foreigners. Even the Haijiao Gang, which used to be in charge of this area, has been driven out and replaced by a gang called the Fengxi Gang."

"The foreigners not only opened trading companies, but also three new opium dens, and many other businesses."

At this point, the vegetable vendor next to him spat on the ground:

"And there's something even more outrageous: they say the government signed a treaty with the foreigners to give them half of Jiangcheng as a concession, and from then on, this land of ours will be under the control of the foreigners."

"Didn't you see?" For the past few days, there have been foreign gun squads patrolling the streets every day, and the common people only dare to walk close to the walls, for fear of getting into trouble.

Lin Ji frowned slightly, almost imperceptibly.

Foreign expansion, the establishment of concessions, and a reshuffling of gangs.

The foreigners acted much faster than he had expected.

The world in Jiangcheng has changed.

After chatting for a couple more minutes, he said goodbye to everyone.

Lin Ji digested the information he had just heard from the neighbors as he walked through the alleyway.

The foreigners are pressing in step by step, secretly manipulating gang conflicts, all in an attempt to completely infiltrate Jiangcheng with their influence.

It seems that these gangs are all having a hard time these days, and the Haijiao Gang is probably too busy taking care of itself.

As he passed the next street corner, Lin Ji stopped in his tracks.

A plaque painted in red was displayed above the gate of a large courtyard.

"Li's Car Dealership"

The once bustling traffic lanes were eerily silent.

A dozen or so rickshaws were leaning precariously against the wall in front of the rickshaw shop, but no one was renting them out.

In the shade of the street, several rickshaw pullers lay on their rickshaws or in the sheds, their faces covered with straw hats.

The remaining rickshaw pullers, huddled in the shady corner, chatted amongst themselves, heads drooping and sighing softly.

Not far away, a plump woman in a brocade cheongsam stood with her hands on her hips, pointing at a young, lame rickshaw driver, cursing loudly, her eyes full of contempt.

"You bunch of useless bastards! You've completely disgraced Jiangcheng. I think we should just close this car dealership down completely. Once the foreign concession is established, I'll ride in a Ford."

The woman's clothes were so form-fitting that, from a distance, Lin Ji looked exactly like a large, colorful python.

The driver, wearing a straw hat, stood up slightly, his neck veins bulging, and after a moment of stalemate, he fell back onto the cart.

In the corner, the squatting coachman didn't dare to utter a single word in rebuttal.

There was a pedestrian crossing at the street corner; people whispered and sighed softly.

"The entire city of Jiangcheng is concerned about that coachman from the Thirteen Protectors. Ever since he lost the last martial arts competition, he's been caught in the crossfire. The Li family's coaching business has suffered by 70%, and many coaches can't keep up. To make a living, they've all gone to the foreign docks to carry goods."

Lin Ji stood by the roadside, looking at the drivers, his eyes slightly somber.

There are probably foreigners involved behind the scenes in this matter.

"The world has deteriorated, and so have people's hearts."

Lin Ji lifted his foot to leave when a hoarse voice, tinged with drunkenness, rang out beside him.

Looking down, I saw a long-haired beggar lying in the shadows of the corner, his tattered clothes stained with mud, completely unaware of his surroundings.

The beggar held a ceramic pot in his hands, occasionally brushing aside the messy hair that covered most of his face, bringing the pot to his lips, and carefully taking a sip.

When his gaze fell on the beggar, Lin Ji instantly frowned and held his breath.

An extremely refined aura emanated from the beggar.

Like a knife hidden in its sheath, it holds its power but cannot conceal its true nature.

Lin Ji's pupils suddenly contracted.

He's a master!

With a thought, Lin Ji, his back hunched, walked slowly, like a passerby, and casually joined the conversation:

"When people's hearts are rotten, the country's borders cannot be guarded."

The beggar raised the earthenware pot, took a sip of wine, and chuckled, his voice muffled:

"If we can't hold it, so be it. What can a useless beggar like me do? It's like an ant trying to shake a tree."

Lin Ji looked at the beggar slumped against the wall, and without pressing further, changed his tone and asked a different question:

"You lie in front of the car dealership every day, what about the driver? Is he still alive?"

The beggar, like a drunkard, fell into a deep sleep. After a long while, he turned over, glanced at Lin Ji through his hair, and casually said:

"Half-dead, lying in bed unable to move, living must be more painful than being dead."

After saying that, he turned to face the wall, and gradually his cries began to rise.

Lin Ji stood up, glanced at the figure on the ground, and turned to walk towards the street corner.

What this world lacks are warriors like Li Jinsi who dare to stand up and confront foreigners. If Li Jinsi were to fall completely, how many others would be able to step forward and take the lead?

About 15 minutes.

Lin Ji circled around to a gambling den.

Two shrewish men with tattoos of ferocious dragons on their arms stood guard at the entrance of the gambling den. Their faces were bruised and swollen, and they were baring their teeth and looking around with their heads down.

"It's time for your shift to change. Where are you going to have some fun later?"

"Hey, still thinking about having fun? Go home and recover from your injury."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ji walked steadily around to an alley and found a shady spot to wait.

Not long after, a thug came out cursing. Lin Ji moved swiftly, lunged forward, and grabbed the man by the back of the neck.

"Forehead--"

"Don't make a sound, or I'll kill you."

The green-skinned man groaned in pain, but dared not utter a sound.

"I ask, you answer."

Lin Ji loosened his grip slightly and continued to ask:

"Has the Sea Dragon Gang been having some trouble lately?"

"Is someone causing you trouble?"

That young man, a newcomer to the Sea Dragon Gang, hadn't even received his monthly wages yet, and after being brutally beaten, he harbored deep resentment towards the gang, making no attempt to conceal anything.

"It's the Fengtian gang! They have foreign guns and they've wrecked a lot of our places."

A cold glint flashed in Lin Ji's eyes.

Evil will be punished by evildoers.

He then pressed further, asking, "What are their next moves?"

"I don't know, I just heard that they're coming to visit our gang tonight, saying they have something important to discuss."

Lin Ji's mind raced.

This negotiation presents an excellent opportunity.

This would allow them to find out the foreigners' true intentions and also to investigate the Haijiao Gang's background, so as to make plans for the next step.

Lin Ji loosened his grip and kicked the thug in the buttocks.

"Get out!"

"Ouch!"

The young man staggered forward in pain after being kicked, but he didn't look back as he hurried away, cursing under his breath.

"You old bastard, wait till I get back and gather my brothers, we'll tear your old bones apart!"

Seeing this, Lin Ji chuckled softly and shook his head.

Is this how young people navigate the world these days?

You actually dared to leave when I told you to?