Only Got My Martial Arts Modifier in My Old Age

After a moment, Gong Ning seemed to recall something. She shot a look with a clear directive to a trusted subordinate at her table.

The subordinate understood immediately. He glanced at the next table and gave a slight nod.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

At the next table, two exceptionally burly men with bulging muscles shot to their feet almost in unison.

Their faces were cold and hard as they marched with great strides toward the restaurant’s counter.

Behind the counter, the restaurant owner was looking down, checking his accounts and clacking away on an abacus.

He suddenly felt the light dim in front of him, and an oppressive feeling washed over him.

When the stunned restaurant owner looked up, he saw two menacing brutes planted in front of the counter.

Before he could even ask what they wanted, one of them shot out a large, calloused hand, grabbed the collar of his well-pressed suit, and yanked him out from behind the counter as if lifting a chick.

The restaurant owner was scared out of his wits, his face instantly turning pale. He hurriedly clasped his hands together in a gesture of supplication.

"Whoa! Gentlemen... brave sirs! Let’s talk this out! We can discuss this calmly! No need to get physical!"

His Lide Restaurant was quite well-known in Yun Port City, and his clientele was mostly respectable guests. When had he ever seen a situation where someone would grab him by the collar at the drop of a hat?

One of the hulking men looked down at him and asked in a booming voice, "Hey! Boss! Got a question for you! Who’s the best fighter in Yun Port City?"

"Huh?"

The restaurant owner was stunned by the blunt, almost brutish question, and his mind couldn’t quite process it.

’The best fighter? They did all this just to ask that?’

He had assumed they were here for revenge, to collect protection money, or to dine and dash. After all this fuss, they were just here to ask a question!

The restaurant owner instantly breathed a sigh of relief, which was quickly followed by a surge of anger from having been frightened.

He composed himself and forcefully pushed away the hand of the man still clutching his collar.

Then, he straightened his expensive, wrinkled suit and crooked tie, his face reassuming the arrogance befitting one of Yun Port City’s "upper class."

"Hmph! You... you country bumpkins from who knows where, don’t you know any manners? Huh?"

"This is Yun Port City! A civilized and lawful place! Not some backwater village where you can run wild and act like thugs!"

"You lay a hand on me again, and see if I don’t call the Security Bureau to come and throw you all in jail!"

He hadn’t been posturing for long before the man who had grabbed his collar’s face darkened. A menacing glint appeared in his eyes as he clenched his fist, his knuckles letting out a sharp CRACK.

"Hn?"

That single sound was enough to make the pitiful bit of "courage" the restaurant owner had just mustered instantly evaporate.

’A wise man doesn’t fight when the odds are against him!’

The restaurant owner quickly dropped his arrogant facade. He decided to just get rid of these country bumpkins first.

"You’re asking who the best fighter in Yun Port City is?"

"Is there even a need to ask? Of course, it’s the four esteemed advisors of our Yun Port City Divine Land Martial Arts Demonstration!"

"It’s not going to be a businessman like me who only knows how to use an abacus, is it?"

"Those four advisors are all Huajin Grandmasters of our Yun Port City! They’re like Immortals!"

"If you two have the guts, why don’t you go cause trouble with them?" As he finished, he couldn’t help but add a little taunt.

Hearing this, the other brute flew into a rage. His eyes bulged like bronze bells, and he suddenly raised his fist, looking as if he was about to smash it into the restaurant owner’s well-maintained face.

"You! Believe it or not, I’ll flatten you with one punch right now!"

Seeing this, the restaurant owner’s soul nearly left his body. He ducked his head, covered it with his hands, and begged for his life, "Don’t, don’t, don’t! Spare me, brave sir! Spare me!"

The brute roared, spittle flying onto the owner’s face, "Cut the damn crap! You think I don’t know a Huajin Grandmaster can fight? Do I need you to tell me that?"

"I’m asking you which of these four Huajin Grandmasters is the best fighter! Now, you’re going to tell me about each of them, in detail!"

"If you dare to utter a single lie, I’ll tear this dump of a restaurant down today!"

"Yes, yes, yes! I’ll talk, I’ll talk! I wouldn’t dare hide anything! The four advisors... the first is the Sect Leader of the White Cloud Sect, Bai Longfei. He was the first to make his name."

"It’s said he’s been immersed in the Huajin Realm for over twenty years, so his power is unfathomable. His ’Floating Life Cyan Cloud Palm Technique’ is masterfully executed; his palms strike like clouds, ever-changing and unpredictable."

"The Martial Arts World of Yun Port City recognizes him as the one with the deepest and greatest strength!"

"The second is..."

Before long, after the two brutes had heard everything, they exchanged a look, a satisfied expression on their faces.

Returning to the main table where Gong Ning was seated, the two immediately bowed and reported their findings in a low voice.

"Sect Leader, we’ve found out. Among the four advisors of the Yun Port City Martial Arts Demonstration, the one currently acknowledged as the strongest and most senior is the Sect Leader of the White Cloud Sect, Bai Longfei."

"And the weakest, we hear, is the Patriarch of the Lu Family, Lu Yun, who only recently broke through to become a Huajin Grandmaster at the ripe old age of sixty."

After listening, the corners of Gong Ning’s mouth curved into a slight smile. "It seems the heavens are truly helping our Gong Family."

"As long as I can successfully withstand one hundred moves from this Lu Family Patriarch, our Gong Family will have a legitimate reason to open a martial arts hall in Yun Port City and become a member of the Martial Arts Demonstration!"

Her tone shifted. "But before that, our Gong Family must first deal with that traitor!"

"We’ll move to kill Ma Sanlie tonight, and then tomorrow, we’ll formally issue the hundred-move challenge to Grandmaster Lu Yun!"

"This way, our Gong Family can clean house and take revenge, while also establishing our might and gaining a foothold in Yun Port City. We’ll kill two birds with one stone!"

「Five days later. Linjiang City, the provincial capital of Yifeng Province.」

After a two-day journey upriver, Lu Yun’s party had now been in Linjiang City for three days.

During these three days, Lu Yun spent nearly all his time going between the city’s various apothecaries, with Lu Fu and a dozen capable gunmen following closely behind him.

Their objective was clear: to procure any potent tonics that were old enough and rich in medicinal energy.

They acquired a full twenty stalks of hundred-year-old wild ginseng alone, and the other various rare medicinal herbs they bought piled up like a mountain.

Lu Yun was decisive in his purchases, and he specifically chose only the highest quality goods. He had already swept up more than half of the premium supply before the local apothecaries could even fully register the market shift.

The remaining stock was either not old enough or the prices had soared to ridiculous heights due to his buying spree, so Lu Yun simply stopped purchasing.

Watching the prices in Linjiang City’s medicinal herb market skyrocket because of his actions, Lu Yun calmly instructed Lu Fu, "Alright, we have what we need. We’ll set off for Yun Port City first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Master."

Lu Fu then directed the gunmen to move the wooden crates filled with herbs they had just purchased from the apothecary in front of them.

Just as the group was preparing to head to the docks, they saw a squad of soldiers in blue uniforms posting notices along the street.

One of the notices was pasted right onto the main door of the apothecary next to Lu Yun.

Lu Yun’s gaze swept over it casually. The gist of it was: the son of Vice Military Governor Cao Shaozheng had suddenly fallen ill with a strange disease three days ago. The Cao Family was offering a large reward to recruit capable individuals, gifted experts, and master physicians to come to their residence for a diagnosis.

The apothecary owner, seeing that his most important customer seemed interested in the notice, quickly sidled up and said in a hushed voice, "Mr. Lu, you should just have a look and leave it at that. This whole affair is very strange."

He glanced left and right, then lowered his voice even further. "To tell you the truth, the rumors flying around town about Young Master Cao’s condition... it doesn’t sound like any ordinary illness."

"Elder Huang from Bao Lin Studio over on the next street, he’s a renowned master doctor here in Linjiang. He was the first to volunteer to go have a look... Well, he went in on his own two feet, but this morning, his family started preparing for a funeral."

"According to the people who helped set up the mourning hall, Elder Huang’s passing wasn’t peaceful. His appearance was... rather frightening."

’Possessed? The Military Governor’s son is possessed? Now *this* has my attention!’

A subtle flicker passed through the depths of Lu Yun’s calm eyes.

He had originally intended to ignore such trivial matters, but the apothecary owner’s words "afflicted by evil" made Lu Yun’s heart stir.

’Could it be those ghostly things causing trouble again?’

He then masked his expression, merely nodding slightly and saying directly to Lu Fu, "Thank you for the advice, shopkeeper. Ah Fu, let’s go once the goods are loaded."

A massive cargo ship was moored quietly in the muddy river water. Lu Fu directed the gunmen as they carefully loaded the last few crates of medicinal herbs onto the vessel.

Once everything was ready, Lu Yun said to Lu Fu, who was standing by respectfully, "Ah Fu, you and the others stay here on the ship and guard the cargo. I have a small matter to attend to ashore. I’ll be back soon."

Before Lu Fu could respond, he turned and disembarked alone, hailing a rickshaw by the docks.

"To Governor Cao’s Mansion."

The rickshaw puller, a wiry man in his thirties, was taken aback. "You’re not from around here, are you, sir? In the past two days, plenty of monks, Daoists, and travelling doctors have gone to Governor Cao’s Mansion."

"There are several rings of soldiers surrounding the mansion. At your age, why get involved in this mess?"

Lu Yun couldn’t be bothered to explain. He simply took a gleaming silver dollar from his robes and handed it over.

The puller fumbled to catch it. He trembled, his face instantly breaking into a wide grin. He bowed hastily. "Right away! Sit tight, old sir. I’ll get you there right now, guaranteed to be fast and steady!"

The rickshaw eventually stopped outside a large, high-walled compound—Governor Cao’s Mansion.

The mansion’s gatehouse was tall, its black lacquered gates shut tight. Majestic stone lions stood guard on either side, and numerous armed soldiers patrolled under the portico and along the walls.

Lu Yun walked unhurriedly toward the main gate. A soldier who looked like a squad leader stepped forward from under the portico, holding out a hand to stop him. "Halt! The Governor’s Mansion is a restricted area. Unauthorized personnel are forbidden! What business do you have here, old sir?"

Lu Yun calmly handed over a copy of the notice. After taking it, the squad leader looked up and sized up the vigorous-looking old man before him.

The soldier’s tone softened slightly. "Old sir, are you here to...?"

Lu Yun met his gaze. "I have some knowledge of medicine and martial arts. I saw this notice and came to try my hand."

Hearing this, the squad leader paused for a moment. He looked at Lu Yun carefully once more, then quickly stepped aside to clear the way. "I see," he said politely. "Please, come in, old sir!"

"The Lord Governor is in the front hall hosting a banquet for the heroes who have come today. Please, follow me."