Chapter 91: Invincible Divine Fist, Number One in Jinmen! (Part 1)

"Are those the Sunlight Country dwarf thieves?"

Vaguely recognizing the origin of those soldiers, Li Junxian's gaze sharpened, and he immediately got off the carriage:

"How could they be here?"

Lu Yuan also gazed into the distance, discovering that those so-called Sunlight Country dwarf thieves really did match his impressions from his past life; that feeling of being short, fierce in appearance but cowardly in heart, and like a starving wolf was exceptionally familiar.

Xi Beichen waved the carriage driver away, walked over, and said with an indignant look:

"Master Uncle, you may not know, but telegram news arrived some time ago that the Jin Dynasty has already agreed to most of the Sunlight Country's conditions during negotiations and reached a peace treaty. Now, this entire area of the city has been ceded to the Sunlight Country as a Concession, and a large number of dwarf thieves have already moved in."

Gu Kanshan also said in a low voice:

"The Sha'e Empire, the Holy Roman Powers, the Sunlight Country dwarf thieves—nearly one-third of the vast Jinjin is now a foreign Concession. This level of incompetence and humiliation is surely the first of its kind throughout history. If there is anyone to blame, it is that our previous operation fell short of success and failed to kill that witch; otherwise, we might have been able to prevent all of this."

"Jin people and dogs are not allowed to enter—these animals..."

Staring at the large characters in the distance, Li Junxian's expression was uncertain, and in the end, he let out a long sigh:

"I had only heard of it while in the interior province, but now that I see the situation in Jinjin with my own eyes, it is no wonder you would spare no cost to assassinate the demon empress. With the nation's land being wantonly humiliated and ravaged by outsiders, such a country cannot possibly have hope. Anyone with a shred of spirit could not endure this."

Seeing that he was in a bad mood, Gu Yunsheng said softly:

"Brother Li, let it go. It's rare to come here, so don't keep looking at these places that make one feel miserable. Let's go somewhere else to look around."

Li Junxian did not want to let this affect his mood, so he nodded.

Immediately, everyone summoned the carriage drivers again, sat in the rickshaws, and continued forward along the main road.

After a period of travel.

They arrived at another famous historical site: the DrumTower, and climbed to the top of the several-zhang-high tower to overlook the appearance of most of Jinjin City;

Following that, at Gu Yunsheng's suggestion, the group headed to the nearby TiantaLake, boating and drinking tea on the shimmering little lake. Under the blowing breeze, the gloom in their hearts seemed to be swept away.

At the same time, as if to create an opportunity for Li Junxian and Gu Yunsheng to be alone, Gu Kanshan deliberately took Lu Yuan and Xi Beichen away for quite a while.

More than an hour later, the group reunited, and Lu Yuan noticed that the relationship between Li Junxian and Gu Yunsheng was clearly a bit closer than before; he did not know what the two of them had said to each other.

After visiting these few places.

The time had reached the afternoon, so the group headed back home, bought wine and food from outside, and set a table before Lin Xingchao's sickbed, which served as a farewell feast for Li Junxian and his disciple.

After the meal, it was already late at night, and everyone parted with reluctance, especially the look in Gu Yunsheng's eyes before she left, which almost made Li Junxian afraid to meet her gaze.

After seeing off Gu Yunsheng and her father.

Sending Li Junxian back into his room, Lu Yuan asked at the right moment:

"Master, I observed that Aunt Sheng has quite a bit of affection for you, and you are usually a bit lonely living by yourself. Why not...?"

"You brat, you even dare to tease your master now."

Li Junxian smiled helplessly:

"She and I haven't seen each other for more than ten years. Now that times have changed and we are both of a certain age, our states of mind are long different from before. How could I have the nerve to talk about romance?"

For him, his injuries had not fully healed, and he did not know if the damage to his kidney essence had been completely resolved, so naturally, he did not dare to rashly accept anything.

Lu Yuan chuckled: "It is said that love is not limited by age. If Master also has the intention, why limit yourself?"

"Go, go, go."

Clearly not wanting to discuss this issue with a young brat like Lu Yuan, Li Junxian waved his hands repeatedly:

"You brat, hurry up and go to sleep. We are leaving early tomorrow morning, don't delay the time!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan did not move, but instead, his expression suddenly became solemn, and he said:

"Master, there is one more thing I want to tell you."

Li Junxian's gaze was slightly startled: "What is it?"

"This disciple does not want to return to Fengyang Prefecture; I want to stay here."

Lu Yuan said solemnly:

"I have learned quite a few skills under Master's tutelage for such a long time, but I have always been thinking about what I can do with these skills. However, fame, wealth, and rising in the world are not what I desire. But today, after going to the Dagu Fort and passing through those Concessions occupied by foreigners, I feel that I should do something to contribute, otherwise, I would be failing the skills Master has passed on to me."

Hearing this, Li Junxian immediately fell silent.

His expression was quiet, and after a long while, he sighed softly: "Sure enough, I knew there would be such a day sooner or later..."

Lu Yuan's gaze flickered: "Master guessed that I wanted to stay?"

"Not exactly."

Li Junxian shook his head and said with infinite emotion:

"You child have a natural aptitude rarely seen in this world. Whether it is Boxiyuan or Fengyang Prefecture, they are both small ponds that cannot contain a true dragon or qilin like you. Now that the country is in turmoil, foreign enemies are ravaging the land, and the great edifice is about to collapse, you are a person born to do great things. It is truly a waste for you to keep following your master with your current abilities. Thinking about it, you should indeed come into contact with a broader world and do something for the country and the people."

This sentence undoubtedly represented his agreement, and Lu Yuan bowed deeply:

"This disciple thanks Master for your support!"

Li Junxian's gaze held both emotion and reluctance, as well as a question:

"It is no problem for you to stay, but have you thought about what you want to do and how you will do it? Or do you intend to join the alliance formed by your Master Uncle and the others and act together?"

"I haven't thought about it yet."

Lu Yuan said truthfully:

"This disciple intends to carefully understand the situation here in Jinjin first, and then make a decision."

"That is also fine."

Li Junxian nodded and exhorted:

"The internal situation of the remnants of the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom, to which your Master Uncle and the others belong, is quite complex. Not everyone inside is necessarily worried about the world, and there are many figures I would not want to be overly involved with, so it is fine even if you do not join them.

Of course, your Master Uncle and the others are completely trustworthy. You are unfamiliar with the people and places here in Jinjin, so no matter what problems you encounter, you can consult them. Whatever you do later, you must think thrice before acting; you must not be reckless or impulsive."

These exhortations were all out of concern, and Lu Yuan nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, Master, I understand."

"Good, go."

Li Junxian patted Lu Yuan's shoulder and said with some reluctant emotion:

"Remember, no matter when or where, your master—me—and your two senior brothers are your solid backing, and Fengyang Prefecture and Boxiyuan are also your eternal retreat."

In the blink of an eye, a night passed.

Early the next morning, Li Junxian packed his luggage and set off on his return journey.

Although Lin Xingchao was still not fit to get out of bed and move about, he naturally had his own disciple Xi Beichen, as well as Gu Kanshan and his daughter, to see them off outside the city.

And when they learned that Lu Yuan was actually going to stay in Jinjin instead of returning with Li Junxian, they were all astonished.

Of course, after learning the reason, they, like Li Junxian, immediately understood.

After all, with the Western Powers invading now, under the trampling of iron hooves, the national dignity of the Han people was almost non-existent; in recent years, many passionate youths and men of high ideals had been awakening step by step, aiming to lead reforms to strengthen the country, expel the powers, and change the shameful status quo.

In a place like Jinjin where foreign powers ran rampant, many scholars and martial artists wanted to save the country and the people with their capable bodies; Lu Yuan looked to be only in his early twenties, the very age of hot-bloodedness, so having such an intention was perfectly normal.

Afterwards.

Arriving outside the city gate, there was no melodramatic scene of lingering affection; after just one deep, steady gaze at Lu Yuan and Gu Yunsheng, Li Junxian cupped his hands and said goodbye in a crisp and decisive manner.

Amidst their reluctance to part, the group watched the back of the man and his horse quickly disappear into the distance.

A long time later, Li Junxian's figure vanished on the official road; Gu Yunsheng turned back with a sentimental look in her eyes and said gently to Lu Yuan:

"A Yuan, what do you want to do by staying in Jinjin?"

Xi Beichen, however, said excitedly:

"Junior Brother Lu, you should have stepped into the Thunder Sound Realm by now, right? Such cultivation is already a rare expert; why not join us and wait for the right moment, and then rise up together in the future?"

Gu Kanshan also chuckled and said:

"To step into the Martial Arts Four Realms at this age—what will you be like in another ten or eight years? Little Yuanzi, just stay with us from now on; if your master isn't here, I and your junior martial uncle will teach you martial arts. I guarantee your master will be shocked when he sees you next!"

"Many thanks, Old Gu, Auntie Sheng, Senior Brother Xi."

Lu Yuan replied:

"I plan to wander around Jinjin for a while first, and then consider what to do and how to do it."

Gu Yunsheng could not help but nod: "That makes sense, it should be so."

Xi Beichen was slightly disappointed, but still said:

"That works too; anyway, you'll be living with us, just tell me and Master whenever you have an idea."

Lu Yuan was now like a fish in the vast sea and a bird in the open sky; how could he possibly continue living with Lin Xingchao and the others? He immediately said:

"Senior Brother Xi, no need to trouble yourself. Master left me quite a bit of money before he left; I can just rent a courtyard outside."

Xi Beichen immediately said anxiously: "How can that be?"

However.

Although he urged him repeatedly, and even Gu Yunsheng persuaded him a couple of times, Lu Yuan still insisted on his own plan.

Seeing his firm attitude, the group had no choice, and after returning, they had Xi Beichen step forward to find an agency to locate a small courtyard for Lu Yuan on the next street over.

The courtyard was a single-entry, single-exit layout and not very large, but it was relatively quiet and away from the bustling market as Lu Yuan had requested, which made him quite satisfied.

With this, he had a place to settle down in Jinjin.

And after Xi Beichen left, he wasted no time in finding the agency again to arrange for craftsmen to renovate the kitchen, converting it into a crude version of a pill-refining fire room according to his needs.

When he set off from Fengyang Prefecture, his Pot Heaven Bag was with him, and he had been performing the Pot Heaven Art every seven days to maintain its storage capacity, carrying all his worldly possessions.

Inside the small Pot Heaven Bag, there was not only a pill furnace but also over a hundred thousand Silver Yuan in treasure; building a fire room was naturally a trivial matter.

At the same time, during the few days of building the fire room, he went out to purchase and collect materials needed for pill refining while inquiring about the situation of various forces in Jinjin City.

Not to mention the government side.

In a major city directly under the central government like Jinjin, the civilian forces were a mix of dragons and snakes and could not be underestimated. First, there was the QingGang, which claimed to have one hundred thousand members and was the largest gang in Jinjin and even the world.

The Green Gang was also called the Canal Gang.

Jinjin had both rivers and sea, and the Canal Gang was a gang that had been passed down from ancient times to the present with a history of nearly a thousand years; countless laborers and commoners made a living under them, and it was said that the livelihood of a million canal workers depended on them.

And at the beginning, this gang was actually founded by capable men and righteous scholars to open up water transport grain routes and complete the imperial court's grain transport tasks.

Later, as the Canal Gang expanded rapidly, it gradually became a giant that recruited disciples widely, had over ten thousand members, dominated the region, and had industries involving casinos, brothels, opium trafficking, kidnapping and extortion, and dividing spoils, becoming an extremely deformed behemoth.

Thus, this gang was the undisputed number one gang in Jinjin.

Secondly, the number two force was the Jinjin Martial Arts Association.

The coastal areas were prosperous and developed, and having been repeatedly trampled by the iron hooves of foreign powers for decades, the spirit of valuing martial arts was still strong.

In Jinjin, any local person whose martial arts cultivation reached the Thunder Sound Realm was qualified to open a martial arts school and recruit disciples, resulting in over a hundred martial arts schools of various sizes in the city.

And among these schools, there was no lack of large ones with lineages spanning decades or even a century, with experts sitting in command who were Five Realms Blood Refining Martial Artists, or even Martial Arts Masters who had reached the Six Realms Embracing Dan!

There were even GrandmasterRealm experts sitting in command within the Jinjin Martial Arts Association!

From this, one could see how prosperous the development of the martial arts scene was here.

And finally.

The third largest civilian force in Jinjin City was the newly risen militia in recent years, the Golden Blade Group.

This group was a militia organization that had developed from secret civilian societies; this group hated foreigners, unequal treaties, and everything Western the most.

They raised the slogan of "Support the Jin, Exterminate the Foreigners," specifically fighting against the foreigners in the Concession. The group rules were: do not covet wealth, do not be lustful, do not disobey parents' orders, do not violate imperial laws; kill foreigners, exterminate corrupt officials; when walking in the market, one must keep their head bowed, not look left or right, and when meeting fellow members, join palms.

The Golden Blade Group was not limited to Jinjin; it had developed in many large and important cities where foreigners had established concessions, such as Tianjing, Modu, and Jiangning, and its expansion was in full swing.

Although the Jin Dynasty was foolish and incompetent and repeatedly forced to bow to powers like the Shenluo and Sha'e, the princes and ministers in the imperial court actually hated them deeply as well, so they had been turning a blind eye to the development of the Golden Blade Group, which specifically opposed the foreigners, and even secretly supported them.

Like the Golden Blade Group in Jinjin, which had now grown to over ten thousand members, it could not have happened without the tacit approval of the government.

"Tsk tsk tsk, a single Jinjin has such complex forces just on the surface of the civilian sector; it truly lives up to its name as a major coastal city directly under the central government. It really is a place where winds and clouds gather, and crouching tigers and hidden dragons reside."

Spending several days to roughly understand the situation in all aspects, Lu Yuan could not help but marvel, his heart surging.

The Canal Gang, the Martial Arts Association, the Golden Blade Group.

No matter which of these three major forces were placed in Fengyang Prefecture, they would be existences capable of easily crushing the Qinglong Gang and even all other gangs.

But this was only on the surface; in the shadows, Jinjin also had the remnants of the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom represented by Lin Xingchao, the remnants of the Tianli Sect who had participated in the assassination in Tianjing, and the Iron-Blooded National Salvation Society founded by many patriotic men of high ideals.

These forces were hidden beneath the surface, and with the foreign powers in the Concession added to the mix, in the eyes of Lu Yuan, the vast city of Jinjin was like a giant powder keg; as long as the fuse was lit, an earth-shattering explosion could occur.

And there was no need for more words.

Possessing the Heavenly Book and mastering the supreme Daoist arts, he was fully qualified to light that fuse and stir the winds and clouds of Heaven!

(End of this chapter)