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

A slightly overweight man with unremarkable facial features stood in front of the two, a smile plastered on his face, blocking their way with ill intent.

"Gentlemen, please wait a moment."

Lin Ji and Bai Xiaonian were both taken aback, and various thoughts surfaced in their minds.

Lin Ji frowned slightly, looking at the ordinary man in front of him, and couldn't help but sigh.

Why do I keep encountering trouble?

Who did I offend this time?

Alarm bells rang in Bai Xiaonian's mind.

A shiver ran through Bai Xiaonian's bones, causing him to stop in his tracks. He didn't dare to look away from the man for even a moment.

This tremor, originating from the very bones, is the instinctive reaction of a low-level martial artist when encountering a powerful enemy.

Bai Xiaonian gritted his teeth to stop trembling, and turned to look at Lin Ji beside him, but Lin Ji did not make a move.

Bai Xiaonian gritted his teeth, stepped forward, stomped his foot hard, assumed the stance of the Chuishan Fist, his brows furrowed, and he shouted sharply at the man:

"Who are you, and why are you stopping us?"

Then he turned back to look, his anxious gaze landing on Lin Ji: "Grandpa Lin, you should leave quickly, it's dangerous here."

Lin Ji's gaze fell on Bai Xiaonian's anxious face. Bai Xiaonian's cheeks were taut with fear and trembled incessantly, but even so, Bai Xiaonian's eyes were full of sincere earnestness as he looked at Lin Ji, and he still stood in front of Lin Ji.

"I don't care who I am, just consider me someone who has come to take your lives."

The man looked at the old man and the young man with amusement; he really hadn't expected this mission to be so simple.

A poor young man who had just entered the ranks of the elite and an old man who was about to die could be worth twenty silver dollars. Such a good thing is hard to come by in Jiangcheng now.

"Hmph! Since that's the case, then don't blame me for being impolite."

Bai Xiaonian knew he was not strong enough, and as the other person stepped closer, the tremor that came from his bones grew stronger and stronger.

He gritted his teeth, slumped his waist, twisted his feet, leaving a white mark on the ground, and threw a punch at the other side.

Chuishanquan (垂山拳) is characterized by its powerful and forceful punches.

Bai Xiaonian's speed was extremely fast, comparable to that of ordinary meat refiners.

The punch arrived in the blink of an eye, just inches away from landing on the man. The man twisted his body slightly, and Bai Xiaonian's fist slid backward, glancing at the man's clothes.

Throughout the entire process, the man didn't even glance at Bai Xiaonian, a cruel and wicked smile playing on his lips as he walked towards Lin Ji.

Bai Xiaonian's all-out attack struck empty air, causing him to stagger and stumble a considerable distance away.

The man slowly approached Lin Ji, his gaze falling on Lin Ji's sagging skin, his expression sinister, as if he had already decided how to deal with the old man.

When the man was about ten feet away from Lin Ji, he stopped abruptly, twisted his white-soled black cloth shoes on the ground, leaving a shallow pit in the bluestone pavement, and then raised his leg to rush towards Lin Ji.

The man had just lifted his leg but hadn't taken a step when Lin Ji, who was looking at the man, suddenly raised an eyebrow.

An unexpected scene caught Lin Ji's eye.

Bai Xiaonian rushed up from behind the man, wrapping her arms around his waist. The surging blood and qi that the man had been holding back made Bai Xiaonian's face turn pale. The injuries that had just been treated in the medical room flared up again, and a mouthful of blood spurted from Bai Xiaonian's mouth.

The man's eyes sharpened, revealing a ruthless intent, and he raised his fist and swung it to the side.

"Bang!"

The fist was as heavy as a mountain, slamming into Bai Xiaonian's side like a drumbeat.

Bai Xiaonian's face flushed, veins bulged, and he instantly turned deathly pale, devoid of any color.

"puff!"

A mouthful of blood spurted from Bai Xiaonian's mouth, splattering around him.

even so.

Bai Xiaonian's arms around the man's waist remained tightly clasped, their grip turning white from the effort. His eyes were bloodshot, and he half-raised them, gritting his teeth as he growled:

"Grandpa Lin...you should leave quickly."

Lin Ji's gaze fell on Bai Xiaonian's contorted face, where blood mixed with saliva kept flowing from Bai Xiaonian's mouth onto the ground.

Seeing this scene made Lin Ji's temples throb, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.

Over the years, apart from Bai Xiaonian, it seems that no one else has ever cared about him.

Lin Ji raised his hand and flicked his clothes, disappearing from the spot into thin air.

When it reappeared, it was already close to the middle-aged man, leaving behind several afterimages due to its extremely fast speed. After the afterimages, a "whoosh" of an air explosion was heard.

"Money can't buy a single sound!"

A thought flashed through the man's mind as he stared blankly at the powerful fist opposite him, which was accompanied by the thunderous roar of tigers and leopards as it hurtled towards him.

"This is Ming Jin (a type of internal energy cultivation technique), who said it was just an ordinary old man...?"

Lin Ji unleashed a punch imbued with the fierce and domineering spirit of the Chuishan Fist, striking the middle-aged man in the face and sending out a tangible shockwave.

"boom!"

The man was thrown two meters away before crashing into a wall and coming to a stop.

"puff!"

The man coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.

"Cough cough."

Bai Xiaonian, lying on the ground, coughed and spat out bloody phlegm. He was completely dumbfounded by the way Lin Ji had smashed the man away.

Turning his gaze away, Bai Xiaonian felt that Lin Ji, who was standing not far in front of him, was incredibly tall in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Ignoring the man who had been thrown into the air, Lin Ji took two steps to Bai Xiaonian and reached out to help him up.

"Little New Year, get up quickly."

Lin Ji's gaze fell on Bai Xiaonian's swollen face and his chin stained with blood, and his heart couldn't help but ache.

The young boy was loyal and devoted, willing to risk his life to save himself.

Such affection is truly rare. How wonderful it would be if this were really his grandson.

Lin Ji's thoughts drifted, and he thought of his deceased grandson again.

If that kid were still alive, his great-grandson would be about the same age as Bai Xiaonian by now, right?

Lin Ji raised his hand and placed it on Bai Xiaonian's shoulder. He felt his energy circulating through Bai Xiaonian's body and found that Bai Xiaonian was not seriously injured. He had only aggravated the internal injuries he had sustained during the day. He would recover after a few days of rest. Lin Ji was relieved.

"Take him to the gatehouse."

Lin Ji looked at Bai Xiaonian, whose eyes were filled with doubt. Seeing that Bai Xiaonian first glanced at the person in the distance, he continued:

"Time is tight. I will answer your questions slowly when I have time later."

"Okay." Bai Xiaonian wiped the bloodstains from his mouth, nodded, and followed Lin Ji toward the wall.

The two dragged the man into the gatehouse.

Inside the gatehouse.

The man didn't wake up until a full hour later.

The man's nasal cavity had collapsed and his jaw was fractured, making him completely unrecognizable. The constant stimulation from the broken bone fragments under his skin caused him unbearable pain, making him feel like he was living a life worse than death. He unconsciously let out hissing moans of pain.

Lin Ji raised his hand and slapped the man's sunken cheek. The man's face twitched, and he barely opened his eyes a crack, seeing Lin Ji's aged face. Instantly, his eyes, filled with unconcealed pain, were filled with fear, and he weakly begged for mercy.

"Please... stop torturing me, just give me a quick death."

Lin Ji ignored him, his voice icy cold as he questioned:

"Who hired you?"

"I don't know... hiss."

The man let out a painful scream before continuing:

"I got the task from someone else, and I don't know who the specific employer is."

……

The man kept repeating the same few sentences, and Lin Ji knew he was determined to die, so he stopped asking questions.

Then, under Bai Xiaonian's astonished gaze, she suddenly raised her hand and chopped the man unconscious again.

"Grandpa Lin, when did you learn martial arts? We've lived in Dog Tail Alley for so many years, and we always thought you were just an old man pulling a shadow puppet show."

"Shh, don't speak too loudly, be careful not to aggravate your wound."

Lin Ji raised his hand and waved in acknowledgment. Bai Xiaonian lowered his voice and then replied:

"I really didn't know how back then, and I've only managed to get a little bit of the basics this time."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaonian became visibly excited and continued to press for answers:

"So, he can send such a powerful martial artist flying with a single punch?"

Lin Ji pondered for a moment, his face sincere and seemingly genuine: "This old man is exceptionally gifted. Even at a hundred years old, I will still be a chosen one of the emperor. You cannot compare."

Then, changing the subject, she countered, "Since you know that person is very powerful, you still want to protect me? Are you willing to risk your life? Aren't you afraid of being beaten to death?"

Bai Xiaonian clearly didn't believe the first half of Lin Ji's sentence and couldn't help but secretly roll his eyes.

When Lin Ji finished speaking, Bai Xiaonian's expression turned sincere:

"Grandpa Lin, I told you before, one is my sister, and the other is you. You are both my family, and you are my grandfather. If I can't even protect my family, what's the point of practicing martial arts?"

"Good lad."

Lin Ji was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and couldn't help but praise him.

People seek martial arts mostly out of ambition, whether for high-ranking positions and generous salaries or for immense wealth. The poor seek to change their fate, while the rich seek to consolidate their power.

But this is the first time I've heard of someone repaying a debt of gratitude to protect their family.

Moonlight streamed into the room through the window, and Lin Ji grew increasingly satisfied with Bai Xiaonian, a smile spreading across his face.

"You're a good kid. I've accepted you as my grandson. I won't drink the medicine you've been sending me all this time for nothing."

"Did you see that punch just now?"

"Let me give you some pointers."