Chapter 110: Check-In

Pigsty City, located at the very edge of the Shanghai International Settlement, was technically no longer within the public concession area.

The people of Shanghai never described Pigsty City as a chaotic mix of good and bad, because in their eyes, there were no dragons here at all.

When Li Daniu followed Axing to Pigsty City, he was shocked by the harsh environment before him.

Compared to the Pigsty City depicted in the movies, this place was even more disorderly. Considering it was 1940, with the whole country engulfed in war, the bizarre prosperity of the Shanghai International Settlement had nothing to do with this marginalized corner.

“Master, are your sources reliable? How could your enemies possibly be here?” Axing looked at the scene and said, “Your enemies are supposed to be experts, right? Why would such masters live in a place like this? They could easily find a better spot and live in luxury.”

“You don’t understand these experts,” Li Daniu replied vaguely, though he didn’t truly understand them either.

If the movie’s portrayal was for the sake of the plot, then in reality, how could such masters choose to hide out in a place like this?

Setting aside national hatred and personal grudges, even from a standard of living perspective, this place was far from adequate.

Not to mention the internal martial artists like the Landlady and her husband, the three external martial arts experts living here must have had very high demands for their living conditions.

External martial arts differ from internal ones; simply put, external arts rely primarily on physical fitness, which is directly related to the nutritional intake of the body.

Just like ordinary people going to the gym—if you don’t eat enough or only consume plain steamed buns and pickled vegetables every day, won’t you feel dizzy from low blood sugar during workouts?

“Then... Master, should I go in first to gather intelligence on the enemy?” Axing asked.

“No need. You wouldn’t be able to recognize them anyway,” Li Daniu said confidently. He was sure this was the territory of the Landlady from the movie because the building before him was exactly the same as depicted on screen.

Entering Pigsty City with Axing, Li Daniu immediately spotted a middle-aged man frying youtiao.

To Li Daniu’s trained eye, every move of the youtiao fryer was precise and disciplined; his feet seemed rooted firmly to the ground, a stark contrast to the light-footedness of ordinary bystanders.

This had to be Ah Gui, the master of the Five Dragon Bagua Staff from the movie.

Li Daniu then turned to a nearby tailor shop, where a man in his fifties was measuring a customer’s shoulder and chest with delicate finger gestures.

Hong Family Iron Wire Fist?

It seemed comical in the film, but seeing the man in person, Li Daniu couldn’t quite understand how such a fierce martial art could be wielded by such a delicate-looking figure.

Apart from these two, there was also Kuli Qiang, the practitioner of the Twelve Roads Tan Leg technique.

Li Daniu scanned the area but failed to spot him; since Qiang made a living as a laborer, he was probably at the docks or the warehouse, not idling at home in broad daylight.

While Li Daniu observed these figures, Axing also scanned the surroundings but saw no one who looked like a true expert.

“Master, have you seen any of your enemies here?”

“Yes, I’ve spotted two, and there should be a third living here as well.”

“Already seen two?” Axing immediately tensed. Being considered an enemy by someone as skilled as Li Daniu meant they were formidable. Facing them would be no small matter.

“Don’t worry, they probably don’t recognize me anymore,” Li Daniu smiled. “I’ve changed a lot over the years.”

“You should’ve said so earlier, Master. You had me worried for a while.”

Those around them paid no attention to Li Daniu and Axing standing there for so long. In those times, people were too caught up in their own struggles to care about others.

“Landlady… the water’s cut off!” a man with suds all over his head shouted up to the building.

What followed was almost identical to the movie. Li Daniu not only witnessed the live portrayal of Jiang Bao but also saw the Landlady, a woman with unparalleled martial prowess.

Were these people fools? Could an ordinary person rush downstairs the way the Landlady did? Moreover, considering the Landlady’s physique...

When the Landlady’s roar echoed through the area, Li Daniu’s eyes lit up. This Lion’s Roar technique was immensely useful to him—he lacked an effective crowd-control skill.

If he could combine the supreme internal power of the Nine Yang Divine Skill to channel this technique, Li Daniu believed he could handle even a modern military siege.

“Damn, that Landlady sure is a shrew,” Axing said behind Li Daniu, loosening his hands from his ears.

“Who called me that?” The Landlady’s keen hearing, bolstered by her strong internal power, caught Axing’s words clearly.

“You brat, where do you think you’re causing trouble on my turf?” she growled.

“Hey, Landlady, do you know who I am? How dare you talk to me like that,” Axing retorted boldly. “I’m from the Axe Gang. Believe it or not, with one piercing arrow, my brothers and I could flatten this dump of yours.”

Posing as a member of the Axe Gang was Axing’s usual tactic, so he spoke without thinking. Afterwards, he regretted it—not because he feared the Axe Gang, but because his current backers were even more formidable. Why pretend to be from the Axe Gang?

“The Axe Gang?” The Landlady, hands on her hips and a cigarette dangling from her lips, swaggered up to Axing, ignoring Li Daniu who stood quietly aside.

“Slap!” She struck Axing’s head, staggering him.

“The Axe Gang, huh?”

Before Axing could recover, another slap landed.

“You want to call for backup?” she sneered.

Axing quickly stepped back, putting some distance between them.

“Hey, Landlady, enough! My master’s here. He can fight—he’s a real expert. Believe me, he can beat you to death.”

The Landlady turned to glance at Li Daniu, who was smiling quietly.

The internal power of the Nine Yang Divine Skill was deeply restrained. When Zhang Wuji first ascended Mount Bright Peak in the past, the many masters present initially didn’t realize he possessed unrivaled martial arts.

So, the Landlady couldn’t perceive it either.

“Expert?” She picked her nose without any dignity and squinted at him. “You the master? You can really fight?”

“Just so-so,” Li Daniu smiled. If it were only the Landlady, he wouldn’t fear her at all. But with her husband, a Tai Chi expert, involved, he wasn’t sure who would come out on top.

“So, you’re here to cause trouble?”

“Of course not. We’re here to rent a place,” Li Daniu’s goal was to learn the Lion’s Roar from the Landlady, so he naturally avoided provoking her.

“Rent a place?” The Landlady glanced at their decent clothes but didn’t pay much attention. In these times, many wore fine clothes but had nothing else.

“Fine, bring half a year’s rent upfront.”

“No problem,” Li Daniu whispered to Axing, who had quietly slipped behind him. “Get the money and pay the rent.”

“What? Master, we’re going to live here?” Axing couldn’t comprehend Li Daniu’s plan. Yesterday, they were aiming for the best hotel; now they were settling in a slum. The mindset of the wealthy was baffling.

“Yes, hurry up and pay the Landlady.”

Seeing Li Daniu wink at him, Axing instantly understood. This was a plan to infiltrate the enemy’s ranks. Clever. Without hesitation, he began negotiating rent with the Landlady.

Li Daniu ignored their bargaining and confidently went to Ah Gui’s stall, ordering youtiao and soy milk.

“Nice skills, Master,” Li Daniu complimented after biting into the youtiao. A kung fu expert’s dough was surely more elastic than an ordinary person’s.

“You flatter me. From now on, we’re neighbors. Come by often,” Ah Gui replied with a bright smile. He had clearly seen the earlier scene.

After Axing paid, he took the keys and led Li Daniu upstairs.

Actually, Axing was quite satisfied with the environment here; it was far better than where he had lived before.

For Li Daniu, as long as he could learn the Lion’s Roar and improve himself, staying here for a few months was no problem.

“Master, are you planning to stay here to gather intelligence on the enemy?”

“Something like that. You go out and find people, help buy some furniture and stuff.”

While Axing went out shopping, the Landlady returned to her room and spoke to her husband, the Landlord.

“That guy just now... I feel something’s off.”

“Off? What’s off about him?” The Landlord scratched his head. “He just looks like an ordinary person.”

“You were too far away,” the Landlady said thoughtfully. “I think he might be a master.”

“A master? How powerful?”

“About three or four stories high.” (To be continued.)