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

Liu Yuanbao's loud voice rang out in the alley like a firecracker.

The kids surrounding Lin Ji immediately became lively again. Gou Sheng, the little brat who had given the bad advice earlier, felt he might get a beating and immediately took a small step back from the crowd.

"It's Brother Yuanbao!"

Lin Ji also looked up.

The chubby boy walked ahead, reaching out to grab a graceful woman.

Lin Ji's gaze was involuntarily drawn to it.

The woman was wearing a moon-white high-waisted collared dress.

The small lapel is adorned with three matte mother-of-pearl buttons, without any unnecessary embellishments, and the natural waistline is perfectly cinched at the narrowest part of the waist.

As the woman moved, the delicate pleats of her skirt fluttered slightly, revealing a glimpse of her fair calves.

The woman wore a pair of black leather high heels, which made a crisp "clack-clack" sound as they stepped on the bluestone path in the alley.

The woman had shoulder-length curly hair and minimal makeup, yet her skin was as white as snow.

Before the woman could get close...

Lin Ji's martial bones trembled.

Ok?

Lin Ji couldn't help but glance at the woman again.

They then discovered that the woman possessed an extremely abundant flow of qi and blood, far surpassing that of Zhou Jin, the Red Flower Staff member of the Sea Dragon Gang, whom they had met that morning.

"A master!"

Lin Ji was certain in his heart.

"Sister, look! It's him! This is Old Man Lin, who's a hundred years old and still alive!"

Liu Yuanbao grabbed Liu Qingzhu and, with his face upturned, shouted innocently.

"His portrayal of Sun Wukong is amazing! It's completely different from how actors and storytellers describe him; it's so captivating!"

After saying that, Liu Yuanbao put his hands on his hips, glared at his underlings who were sweeping over him, and then locked his gaze on the shifty-looking Gou Sheng, and berated him.

"Han Gousheng, you were the one who egged me on, weren't you?! You're not getting a turn to see the shadow puppet show today. Pay for it yourself if you want to!"

"Brother Yuanbao, I was wrong." Gousheng immediately cried and wailed.

Liu Yuanbao turned his head away, his chubby cheeks jiggling, clearly unconvinced.

Seeing this, Gou Sheng's eyes lit up, and he continued to plead softly, "Brother Yuanbao, didn't you want to see the little picture book my dad hid in the stove last time? I'll steal it for you later, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuanbao's face immediately flushed an unnatural red, and she awkwardly waved her hand, "Who cares to see that? Stop talking nonsense!"

After saying that, she secretly glanced at her older sister with her big, beady eyes, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that her sister's attention was not on her.

At this moment, Liu Qingzhu did not pay attention to the two children's fight.

A pair of indifferent, beautiful eyes swept over Lin Ji and the broken box, her tone cold and detached.

"One silver dollar to see a shadow puppet show? Sir, isn't it a bit inappropriate to use such methods to fool children?"

Lin Ji was not angry upon hearing this; instead, he grinned.

"Miss, you're joking. My shadow puppet show is unique. You get what you pay for, and I guarantee honesty and fair dealing."

"Honest and trustworthy, young and old?"

Liu Qingzhu's lips curled slightly, but her tone remained cold and distant.

"Then I'll have to take a good look."

Actually, she wasn't interested in the amazing shadow puppet show that Liu Yuanbao described as incredibly entertaining.

However, her younger brother had almost stolen money this morning after failing to get silver coins to watch the shadow puppet show, which naturally made her, as the older sister, give the old man a very cold look.

You dare to ask for a whole silver dollar for this piece of junk?

"Sister, hurry up and give the money to Old Man Lin so he can start performing! We can't wait!"

Liu Yuanbao shook Liu Qingzhu's arm and said coquettishly.

Liu Qingzhu turned to look at her younger brother, her icy expression instantly melting away, her eyes curving slightly with tenderness.

"Okay, okay."

Unable to refuse Liu Yuanbao's offer, Liu Qingzhu handed over a silver dollar.

Lin Ji smiled shamelessly, immediately reached out and took the silver dollar, blew on it, and then put it to his ear.

"Ding—!" A crisp sound rang out.

Lin Ji was satisfied, and then slowly began to make preparations for the shadow puppet show.

He squatted down and lifted the tattered wooden box that had been coated with tung oil. Although the box was old, it was neatly tidied up inside, containing all the household items he relied on to survive.

First, take out two small copper gongs and one flat drum, tie them to the wooden frames on both sides of the box with thin ropes, place a pair of gongs next to the feet, and connect them to the ankles with a hemp thread.

With a stomp of the foot, the gong clanged loudly—that was the background sound.

He then fiddled with the huge convex lens on the front. He deliberately didn't let the lens tube fit tightly, but left a gap about a palm's width. Even without squeezing it close, it still had depth when viewed from half a foot away, giving it a feel of a 3D movie from the Republican era.

Lin Ji moved slowly but methodically, continuing to tear open a piece of black velvet cloth to cover the box, making it look like a dark room.

My most treasured possession was that stack of picture cards.

Lin Ji gently took out an oil paper package from the bottom of the box, untied it, and laid out twelve thick paper paintings, each eight inches square.

Zixia Fairy battles Erlang Shen!

Supreme Treasure draws the Azure Cloud Sword!

The Bull Demon King's Wedding!

He arrives on a cloud, wearing a golden headband!

The Golden-Armored Monkey King battles the Bull Demon King!

……

……

Warriors in the sunset on the city wall!

On his journey west, he looked like a dog.

It was Lin Ji who personally drew "A Chinese Odyssey Part Two: Cinderella".

Holes were punched along the edges of the paintings, which were then strung together in a loop with thin hemp rope. He cranked a wheel by hand to calibrate the position of each painting one by one until the light shone on them, and the colors on the paintings appeared three-dimensional and raised through the convex lens.

Finally, I tested the sound; when I stepped on it, the gong rang out with a "clang."

With a shake of the hand, the little gong rang out again.

Lin Ji hummed a couple of lines of a song to set the tone.

"A sea of ​​suffering—rising with love and hate; in this world, fate is inescapable..."

Lin Ji sang in Cantonese, which the children suddenly found unappealing, but Liu Qingzhu's eyes lit up slightly.

hiss.

This tune is quite novel.

In just two short sentences, an indescribable sense of tragic desolation and intertwined fate bursts forth.

With everything in order, Lin Ji straightened up, dusted off his knees, and grinned at the children and Liu Qingzhu who were watching.

"My friends, let's continue our discussion of the finale of 'A Chinese Odyssey' today."

"Speaking of Supreme Treasure, in order to save Bai Jingjing, he used the Moonlight Box time and time again. Who would have thought that he would accidentally travel back five hundred years and bump into Fairy Zixia, who wanted to give him three moles."

"At this moment, this Fairy Zixia, having cooked and eaten the Celestial Hound, attracted the attention of Erlang Shen and the Four Heavenly Kings who were chasing her..."

As Lin Ji spoke, he turned the wheel in his hand. The children fell silent, their eyes wide as they peered at the box, becoming increasingly engrossed.

Liu Qingzhu remained standing with her arms crossed.

He glanced at Lin Ji's box of shadow puppets with indifference.

But as she listened, she became lost in thought and mesmerized.

Before I knew it, I was drawn to this incredibly novel story.

It seems... kind of delicious.

Meanwhile, not far away.

In front of Bai Yu'er's house.

Bai Xiaonian, who looked like a door god, also turned his head to look at Lin Ji's stall.

At the age of fourteen or fifteen, people feel they have grown up and look down on children's toys.

But Lin Ji's voice seemed to have a magical power, leading him into a novel world he had never seen before.

"There was once a sincere love placed before me, but I didn't cherish it. Only when I lost it did I realize my regret. Nothing in this world is more painful than this. If God could give me another chance, I would say three words to that girl: I love you. If I had to put a time limit on this love, I hope it would be... ten thousand years!"

Lin Ji's voice was low and tinged with sadness, as if he had experienced it firsthand.

The children in front of the box wiped away their tears, as if they truly understood the unforgettable taste of love.

Lin Qingzhuo's gaze towards Lin Ji changed, and even his aloof demeanor seemed to have faded somewhat.

She stared blankly at the old shadow puppet box in front of Lin Ji, a ripple appearing in her usually cold eyes.

She watched countless plays in the provincial capital.

She listened to countless operas while abroad.

But no story has ever touched people's hearts like the one told by this old man.

Just when everyone was immersed in the story of "A Chinese Odyssey".

A burst of arrogant cursing suddenly came from the alley entrance.

At the same time, someone exclaimed in surprise.

"Run! The Green Robe Gang is coming this way again!"