Republic of China Era: Entering the Dao through Divine Strike

Chapter 16 Heroic Spirit, Turning the Tables

"What happened? Tell me about it."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jingya almost jumped up.

"I heard that the three siblings were having a bowl of mutton soup at Fu Kee at the time."

In a single turn, one of the girls was kidnapped. The two brothers immediately flew into a rage.

The smaller one was particularly formidable, closely following behind the long-legged Deng Qiang and charging in from the front.

Within ten breaths, they had killed all nine men.

It is worth mentioning that three of them were killed by sticks, and six were killed by gunshots.

This young man is proficient in all weapons and firearms, and his movements are as elusive as a ghost.

He was just a child of about ten years old, yet he displayed the spirit of a thousand troops. How magnificent!

When Junior Brother Qiu talked about this, he trembled all over, wishing he could take his place.

Imagine how impressive it would be to smash through a branch of the Yuanqing Society like that.

Unfortunately, since they're open for business, there are some things they can't do without restraint.

My master often said one thing: "rules".

Mutual support is the rule, being kind to others is the rule, harmony brings wealth is the rule, and forbearance is for the sake of the country...

I heard that back then, my master's rule was to kill as many people as possible in the world.

When people reach middle age, they become overly cautious and hesitant, ultimately ending up associating too closely with scholars.

"I told you Brother Tang was extraordinary, Uncle Ming. You yourself said your 'Hundred-Fold Grappling Hand' is said to be able to grab anything, yet you couldn't even touch his clothes. How could that old snake ghost possibly hurt him?"

She suddenly looked up: "Father, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Don't regret it if someone snatches this junior brother away."

"This child certainly has heroic spirit and is extraordinary." Wang Wu pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice, "Now that they have offended not only the foreigners, but also local bullies like the Yuanqing Society, they probably can't hide anymore."

Xiaoya, if you find him, you can bring him here. Such courage and spirit are what we should all be like; we mustn't let him be harmed.

When he said this, Wang Zhengyi did not explicitly say that he wanted to take on disciples.

But his tone was powerful, and his admiration was evident.

Wang Jingya knew immediately that her father's old habit had resurfaced... He was too embarrassed to swallow what he had just said, so he could only beat around the bush, which was a way of showing weakness.

"Hmph, of course, I had a very good chat with Brother Tang."

Wang Jingya gave a wink, called her junior brother Qiu to the door, and whispered, "I'll go to the east end, you investigate the west end. Especially send more people to the Fire God Temple and Garden Entrance areas, as well as the Vegetable Market area. Report to me immediately when you get any news."

"Why these specific locations?"

"Are you stupid? They offended the foreigners, dare not approach the embassy district, and killed the head of the Qing family's gang. Where else can they go if not to find shelter from the wind and rain?"

"Senior sister is amazing, truly amazing."

Junior Brother Qiu gave a thumbs up and flattered him with a fawning expression.

……

Li Xin and his group knocked on the door of the Wu residence.

It was still daytime, but the doors and windows of this household were tightly shut.

The small shop on the left was boarded up, so you couldn't tell what they sold inside.

"Who are you looking for? My master does not receive guests."

After knocking for two or three minutes, the mahogany door finally opened a crack.

The elderly man with gray hair poked half his head out and replied.

Li Xin glanced at Hongxiu and gestured for his elder brother, Li Cheng, to stand a little further away with his younger sister in his arms, so as not to put pressure on others.

After all, this family seemed a bit overly cautious, and having too many people might frighten them.

Zhuang Hongxiu smiled before speaking, her bright and generous demeanor evident. She stepped forward and curtsied, saying, "Elder sir, I've heard that your family is looking to sell the property. My young master has just arrived in the capital and is currently lacking a place to stay. Would you be interested in discussing this?"

The old man's eyes lit up, but he quickly covered it up, clearing his throat and saying, "Let me first inform the master."

As he spoke, he hurriedly ran inside through the door.

After a while, they came again to lead the way, passing through the courtyard and into the central hall.

A well-off middle-aged man sat upright beside a table. When he saw the group of people approaching, he gave a slight bow.

Before she could even speak, Zhuang Hongxiu had already shaken her head and sighed.

"This courtyard is really nice, what a pity, what a pity. Young master, it's not suitable, why don't you go and take a look at the room at the east end? Sorry to bother you."

After saying that, he turned and left.

The middle-aged man, who was stroking his beard with composure, looked completely bewildered and almost lost his composure.

"Wait, what makes you say that, miss?"

"I am not worthy of being called 'Miss.' I am traveling with the young master and must take good care of him. Otherwise, it will be difficult to get past the master and mistress."

Your courtyard is quite exquisite, sir; it is truly excellent.

Unfortunately, its exquisite and elegant design made it an ideal residence for hosting a "Gospel Church."

"this……"

The middle-aged man's heart skipped a beat, and his expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

His expression became more serious, and he cupped his hands in greeting: "I am ignorant and do not know the honorable name of this young master."

"My surname is Li, and my family are merchants, not worth mentioning."

Li Xin smiled and said, "If Lord Wu goes to the south, he can inquire about Li of Huacheng."

Upon hearing this, Patriarch Wu's eyes flickered slightly, as if he had guessed something, and his attitude became even more gentle.

"Come, come, please take a seat."

The Wu family head instructed the old steward to pour him a cup of tea, and said sincerely:

"Actually, those foreigners are very easy to fool; all they need to do is verbally promise to follow their religion."

Not only will they not target you, they will protect and support you at every turn. Whatever you do for a living, you'll have a smooth and successful life.

"That makes sense, but the foreigners run churches, not charity halls."

They expect a tenfold return for every bit of effort they put in. This should never be done except in critical situations.

Li Xin shook his head, looking completely uninterested.

Zhuang Hongxiu, however, stood behind her, touching the vase on the low table next to her, her eyes showing a look of fondness.

A single word spoken speaks volumes.

"From a business perspective, if Young Master Li truly intends to settle in the capital, there is no courtyard more affordable and exquisite than this."

Moreover, the location is on a street, so the shop has some value.

Mr. Wu did not lie; he said the money could be transferred for only 150 taels of silver.

They were also able to send someone to complete all the contracts for Young Master Li before nightfall.

"This isn't about money."

Zhuang Hongxiu showed a hint of anger on her face and stopped looking at the vase.

"One hundred and twenty taels, any less would be inappropriate. I would rather have nothing than suffer such a loss, otherwise people will laugh at me."

Zhuang Hongxiu narrowed her eyes, as if she was about to say something.

Li Xin raised his hand to stop her from speaking, and said with a smile, "Lord Wu is indeed straightforward. I'll grant your request. We can keep in touch more often in the future."

"That's natural, that's natural."

The middle-aged fat man hurriedly instructed the old steward to assist Zhuang Hongxiu in going to the yamen to complete the transfer procedures.

In less than half an hour, all the formalities were completed.

The man surnamed Wu seemed to have gotten a good deal, as he left from the inner room with a graceful woman and a steward in a carriage.

When they left, they only packed their valuables and took a few packages; they didn't touch any of the furniture or furnishings.

This is our home.

Xiaoyue's mouth dropped open in surprise, and she giggled, running from the front room to the back room, and back and forth in the yard.

Sometimes he would touch the clean, solid wooden furniture, and sometimes he would smack his lips in front of the flowerbed in the yard.

The blooming forsythia flowers made my face look radiant.

The eldest brother, Li Cheng, also couldn't believe his eyes.

After a long silence, I finally pinched my thigh hard and came to my senses that this was not a dream.

Previously, when Li Xin brought back a beautiful and charming girl, he could hardly believe it.

Because the girl who was rescued actually volunteered to be his servant...

She comes from a wealthy family, how could I possibly accept this?

In previous years, things would have been different.

Neither of the two brothers dared to glance at such a young lady from a wealthy family. If they saw her, they would have to move to the side of the road and bow respectfully.

These days, his second brother is putting on such a spoiled young master act that it's almost giving him the illusion that...

Does my family really have some impressive family background?

Could it be that the Li family of Yanshan had some extraordinary ancestors?

My second brother has regressed to his ancestral ways.

The most outrageous thing is that the middle-aged man surnamed Wu was clearly an official, so why did he practically sell the courtyard to his family, begging them to do so?

It only cost one hundred and twenty taels of silver.

Even if Li Cheng is not very sensitive to prices.

He also knew that at this price, you couldn't buy such a good house, not even in Yanshan County, Cangzhou, let alone in the capital.

Back then, the Wang family in the village became wealthy and spent two hundred taels of silver to buy a house in Yanshan City.

He went to take a look when he was helping with the move, and it was nothing compared to this yard.

"Why was that person so friendly? Aren't they saying that all officials are corrupt?"

Li Cheng was completely baffled.

Fortunately, he has one advantage: knowing that he's not very bright, he asks questions when he doesn't understand something.

"He thought we were reformers, or even red-gate merchants."

Li Xin gave Zhuang Hongxiu an approving look.

He thought to himself that this girl was truly clever and quick-witted.

They hadn't discussed it much beforehand; with just a few words, they had put that official surnamed Wu in a cage.

Thus, the roles of host and guest are reversed.

It's not that I want to buy it, but that I'm begging myself to buy it.

I bought it and also gained a favor.

No wonder that fat Wu misunderstood...

Let alone ordinary people, even ordinary officials and gentry might not be able to understand what the foreigners are planning.

They delivered food, opened hospitals and built schools, helped people with lawsuits, and repaired roads.

It's as if they were benevolent people who fell from the sky, sent to help this old country prosper.

Those who can articulate the idea that the world is a game of chess, with the Gospel Church paving the way, gradually encroaching and conquering, are truly remarkable individuals who have an open mind and a keen eye for the world.

The official surnamed Wu, having grasped the situation in the capital, wanted to withdraw his troops ahead of time.

Then he should be able to see through the foreigners' scheme and know that the house would not be saved sooner or later...

Li Xin and Zhuang Hongxiu's back-and-forth banter had already scratched the itch in the heart of the man surnamed Wu, and he was almost considered a confidant.

In that case, what is the point of valuing mere silver coins?

Having lived two lives, Li Xin knew exactly what was going to happen in the capital and was fully aware of the foreigners' schemes.

However, Zhuang Hongxiu understood the secret just by relying on some common information.

All I can say is that this girl was born into the wrong family and was reborn into the wrong family.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Brother, pick a room, and tomorrow we'll go to Master Cheng's Martial Arts School in the flower market next door to put on a show."

so so, so so...

Li Xin plotted with his elder brother for a long time, and then went to the market to buy some bedding, vegetables, and meat.

The group cooked a meal and gathered around the table for a delicious housewarming feast.

……

"It also increases agility."

In the afternoon, Zhuang Hongxiu contributed a little more credibility.

Li Xin waited until late at night before carefully adding it.

After moving around the spacious bedroom for a while, I felt extremely satisfied.

His agility of 13 points made his movement and attack speed even faster.

The body appears lighter and more ethereal.

More importantly, when he tried to visualize the other two images on the Divine Strike Manual, he found that the image of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven remained completely unresponsive.

However, the mental image of Erlang Shen's divine intentions became much clearer.

Although it is still not finished, it has made great progress.

"It should be right. Every time my agility improves, I make progress in visualizing the second image..."

Initially, my spirit level reached 20, which allowed me to visualize the Third Prince's divine intentions and activate the first level of the secret technique.

If all goes as expected, once Agility reaches 20, I should be able to activate Erlang Shen's first level of divine will and obtain another secret technique.

After figuring out how to activate the second image of the Divine Strike Secret Manual, Li Xin was excited for a moment.

He punched and kicked, activating the Divine Will of the Third Prince, and punched for ten minutes, exhausting his energy. Only when he was mentally exhausted did he wash up and go to bed.

This is a great start.

Tomorrow, we'll see if the plan succeeds and if we can get on the fast track to improving our skills.

Thinking about becoming an apprentice, Li Xin felt a growing sense of anticipation.

I need to find a way to continue gaining faith, and I also need to learn martial arts.

Walking on two legs is the only way to be stable.

……

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