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

"The Tongmenghui claims responsibility for this!"

"Splash!"

A sheet of ink-stained paper floated down from the sky.

Gu Yanqiu raised his hand and grabbed it.

Front page of the newspaper.

It was a photo that took up half the page.

It was none other than Zhao Qiaosheng.

Below the photo.

Portraits of the other seven people were painted.

Gu Yanqiu scanned the seven portraits, and his eyes suddenly narrowed when his gaze fell on the last one.

Gu Yanqiu suddenly looked up at Lin Ji.

The portrait, drawn with just a few strokes, bears a striking resemblance to the old man before us!

"Could it be...?"

A thought arose in Gu Yanqiu's mind, but she dismissed it in an instant.

"How could an old gatekeeper possibly be one?"

However, Gu Yanqiu carefully examined Lin Ji.

A few strands of jet-black hair could be seen at Lin Ji's temples. Looking at his face, the wrinkles had smoothed out, and his complexion was much more radiant than when he first arrived. He seemed to have become more than ten years younger.

Lin Ji felt uneasy under Gu Yanqiu's gaze, his heart pounding with anxiety. He quickly spoke up:

"The food at the martial arts academy is nourishing."

With a chuckle, Lin Ji continued:

"When I was young, I made a living by talking. Now I've gotten along well with the cooks and staff in the canteen by using my words, and I can occasionally get a good meal."

Gu Yanqiu lowered her brows. She had heard a little of what Lin Ji had said, and although she had doubts, she didn't ask any further questions.

"What Uncle Lin is used to eating is the best."

After she finished speaking, she rolled up the newspaper and turned to walk deeper into the martial arts hall.

Lin Ji reached inside his clothes and found the amulet lying there quietly.

Watching Gu Yanqiu's retreating figure, a distracting thought arose in Lin Ji's mind:

"How can I reunite with this girl...?"

……

"Tap tap tap!"

A series of loud thuds from leather shoes echoed from not far from the entrance of the martial arts hall.

A group of foreigners in uniforms carried repeating rifles through the streets.

The shock caused many vendors and shops to close their doors one after another.

Many shops have once again put up signs saying "Temporarily Closed".

Lin Ji looked up into the distance.

At the head of the foreign-armed squad, a middle-aged man in his forties shouted at the top of his lungs:

"The rebels have wreaked havoc in Jiangcheng. In order to stabilize the security of Jiangcheng, the foreign-gunned troops will now take full control of the city's security."

"Anyone who provides accurate and valid leads about the Tongmenghui will be rewarded with one thousand silver dollars. Anyone who harbors or fails to report such individuals will be punished the same as the Tongmenghui members!"

In the streets and alleys, many residents peeked out from their windows and corners to watch the foreign gun team marching through the streets.

When the foreigners turned to look, they hurriedly lowered their heads again, fearing that the foreigners would mistake them for members of the Tongmenghui and arrest them.

Lin Ji withdrew his gaze, his eyes involuntarily furrowing slightly.

"Take over law enforcement?"

"The Tongmenghui's actions last night, while a great deed for the country and its people, also gave foreigners an opportunity to advance the establishment of concessions."

"But why would the Tongmenghui (Revolutionary Alliance) readily admit to what happened last night?"

"Is it to promote the Tongmenghui's achievements to the Chinese people, in order to recruit like-minded individuals to join?"

Lin Ji couldn't fathom Zhao Qiaosheng's thoughts and still felt that the Tongmenghui was acting somewhat recklessly.

"ha……"

Lin Ji raised his hand and yawned, then strolled back to the martial arts hall. Having not slept all night and using the Hidden Dragon Abyss twice, even with his Ming Jin strength, Lin Ji felt slightly fatigued. He shook his head and muttered to himself:

"The world is about to descend into chaos."

His gaze returned to the magnificent martial arts hall, from which the faint shouts of the youths could be heard. Lin Ji's heart sank slightly.

"No matter how chaotic things are outside, they won't disturb the martial arts hall for the time being. We need to take advantage of this time to improve our strength."

"ha……"

Lin Ji yawned again.

He quickened his pace and hurried back to the cabin, where he lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

……

I don't know how much time passed.

A commotion arose outside the cabin.

The shouts of the boys made Lin Ji's ears ring.

Lin Ji slowly opened his eyes.

Sounds drifted in from outside the small house.

"Why won't they let us out...?"

"That's right! Wutang Junior High School! We are also young people of the new China! Why can't we go!"

"Yes! The girls from the girls' school next door all went to the march! Why can't we go?"

"The Tongmenghui (Revolutionary Alliance) was right! A hundred years ago, foreigners used opium and tobacco to force open the Qing Dynasty's doors. Now, in this new China, there are still lackeys working for foreigners and poisoning the hearts of our Chinese compatriots!"

……

Lin Ji suddenly sat up in bed.

She rolled out of bed and went outside.

Hundreds of students gathered at the entrance of the martial arts hall.

They were all highly emotional, waving their fists and shouting.

Gu Yanqiu, Wang Meng... a group of instructors stood in front of the martial arts hall, their faces solemn.

"The Martial Arts Hall has its rules. If you can't go, you can't go. Why make up so many excuses!"

He tried to stop the students from getting agitated, but he couldn't calm them down.

Lin Ji looked around, his gaze falling with a hint of doubt on Goat-Bearded Steward Wang outside the crowd.

Manager Wang looked anxious but couldn't help, pacing back and forth.

Lin Ji walked around the crowd, stepped forward, and asked with a hint of doubt:

"Manager Wang, what's going on?"

Manager Wang's brows were furrowed, but upon seeing that the visitor was Lin Ji, his expression softened slightly, and he began to explain:

"Jiangcheng has gone mad!"

"The Tongmenghui, using some unknown method, mobilized all the students in Jiangcheng, and they are holding a 'Protect the country and the people, drive out the foreigners' march in the streets."

"Somehow the news reached the Martial Arts Hall, and the boys were all excited and wanted to go out and participate."

"But as you know, our Martial Arts Academy teaches martial arts. As soon as the parade started, the Governor's Office issued a strict order: if any Martial Arts Academy students were found to be involved, the academy's right to teach martial arts would be immediately revoked."

"At this moment, the Westerners are putting pressure on the military governor's office, and the military governor's office has already sent troops to suppress the student demonstrations."

Manager Wang relayed the information about the students' riot to Lin Ji in a rambling manner.

Lin Ji's eye twitched, and the sound of that morning's extra edition echoed in his mind.

"The Tongmenghui claims responsibility for this!"

Lin Ji's eyelids suddenly lifted:

This is the true purpose of the Tongmenghui.

Organize a march!

If the government uses drastic measures to suppress the protests, the Jiangcheng government will immediately become the target of public criticism and be branded as a sycophant to foreigners.

If we don't intervene to suppress it, it will strengthen the Tongmenghui's power and inspire more like-minded people to dedicate themselves to the great cause of serving the country and its people.

Regardless of the government's decision, the Tongmenghui will ultimately be the winner.

That was a truly brilliant move.

But it was also quite reckless.

If the military governor's office intervenes to suppress the unrest, then blood will surely be spilled in Jiangcheng today.

This is going to kill people!

Lin Ji could hear Zhao Qiaosheng's words from last night echoing in his ears once again.

"On the path of serving the country and its people, sacrifices are inevitable!"

"Old Lin?"

Manager Wang called out softly to Lin Ji, and when Lin Ji looked up, he spoke:

"Scared out of your wits?"

Lin Ji glanced at the restless crowd and gave an awkward smile:

"Yes, it's been so many years... I haven't seen a scene like this before."

Lin Ji was pondering Steward Wang's words and was about to ask a few more questions when a shout rang in his ears:

"Zhang Shijie!"

"Look for Zhang Shijie, he is the second young master of the Zhang family."

"His family was in the opium trade, so he can't escape involvement!"