The Republic of China: From Storyteller to God

From the outside, the clean-clothed beggars are no different from ordinary people.

However, their modus operandi still reveals some clues.

Lin Juesheng's fan caused Fang Shengdong to retaliate with a backhand strike, a move unique to the sixth-rank "Clean-Clothed Beggar" – the "Flower-Slapping" skill.

The "Clean-Clothed Beggar" is skilled in hallucinations and mind control.

The unique skill of "flower slapping" can even control the mind of the person being touched, turning them into a puppet at their mercy.

However, if the opponent is also a skilled martial artist and is on guard, the control of [Slapping Flowers] will be weakened, or even ineffective.

Therefore, a "clean-clothed beggar" often conceals his identity, uses a "pleasing" manner to approach his opponent, lowers their guard, and then strikes secretly.

However, Fang Shengdong definitely knew Lin Juesheng's identity, but when he made his move unconsciously, he still managed to control one of Lin Juesheng's hands.

More importantly, Liu Che also noticed that Lin Juesheng did not directly touch Fang Shengdong, but instead used a folding fan to fan himself, thus performing the "flower-slapping" technique.

This represents two possibilities.

One possibility is that Lin Juesheng's strength surpassed the sixth rank, and his mastery of the [Flower Slapping] technique was perfect, which enabled him to achieve the effect of casting it remotely.

Another possibility is that the folding fan in his hand is unusual.

It is very likely a rare object.

The term "rare objects" refers to extremely special items.

They are different from [Secret Treasures].

【Secret Treasures】are items created by nature, born of the earth and beyond human capabilities.

However, [rare items] are all ordinary objects, but they often develop certain unique effects because they have been used by high-ranking professionals for too long.

For example, there are abacuses that can temporarily improve one's fortune.

There's also the ruler that keeps you alert and immune to hallucinations.

A butcher's knife that can dismember and separate flesh and bone in an instant, a pipa that can be used as an aphrodisiac or to break the heart, and so on.

Liu Che did know of one such "strange object"—a folding fan.

It was a peculiar old folding fan called "Madman," with a human face carved on each of its ribs.

It is said to have been made by the legendary master of opera, and is a supreme artifact no less than a secret treasure.

Unfortunately, over the years, it lost its fan surface and the fan ribs were dismantled and scattered throughout the world, their whereabouts unknown.

In his previous life, Liu Che had seen a fake Madman Fan made from the ribs of a Madman Fan in the hands of a famous opera singer.

But even a fake fan is still incredibly powerful.

In that battle, a fourth-rank actor managed to trap two third-rank martial artists for half an incense stick's time.

Could this folding fan be a fake "Madman Fan"?

It should not be.

If it were the Madman Fan, even if it only had one fan rib, Fang Shengdong would have already twisted his own head off by now.

Despite the swirling thoughts in his mind, Liu Che remained completely unaffected in his speech.

"It is said that Shi Song used his soft whip faster and faster, but he could not do anything to Mao Shiba."

Suddenly, he unleashed a move called "White Snake Spits Venom," the tip of his whip striking Mao Shiba's right shoulder.

Mao Shiba raised his knife to block, but Shi Song's move was a feint.

With a flick of his wrist, he first switched to a feint attack, then to a jade belt around his waist, the black dragon whip lashing out to the left before circling around from left to right, encircling Mao Shiba's waist from afar...

Liu Che spoke much faster.

One purpose is to create a sense of crisis during the fight.

On the one hand, the depletion of his vital energy and blood is almost too much for him to handle.

However, no one below noticed, as they were all engrossed in listening.

Even the guests in the back rows were captivated by the storyline, temporarily forgetting their worries and immersing themselves in the illusion.

Upon hearing that Mao Shiba was unable to walk, he was tied to a tree by officer Shi Song.

The guests below all hissed and gasped, feeling a chill for Mao Shiba.

Fang Shengdong, who was listening most intently, clenched his fists and stared wide-eyed, wishing he could jump into the story and rescue Mao Shiba.

Seeing that Wu Dapeng and Wang Tan had not yet been subdued, Shi Song was eager to take down the Black Dragon Whip and use it.

So he immediately bent down and picked up a single-edged sword that had been discarded on the ground, intending to cut off Mao Shiba's right arm.

He picked up the knife and had just stood up when suddenly a white shadow flashed, and countless powders rushed into his eyes, nose, and mouth, making him choke on his breath. Then, his eyes were in excruciating pain, as if pierced by ten thousand steel needles at the same time.

He tried to shout, but his mouth was full of powder, which even blocked his throat, so he couldn't make a sound.

This sudden turn of events was so abrupt that even a seasoned veteran like him was thrown into a panic. He involuntarily loosened his grip, dropping the single-edged sword, and hurriedly rubbed his eyes with both hands.

It wasn't until he wiped it clean that he suddenly realized what had happened.

"Ouch! The enemy threw lime into my eyes!"

The quicklime boiled upon contact with water, directly burning his eyes.

Just then, he felt a chill in his abdomen; a single-edged sword had been plunged into his stomach…

This scene depicts Wei Xiaobao taking advantage of the chaos to scatter lime, blinding Shi Song, picking up a knife to kill him, and saving Mao Shiba.

But the crowd below erupted in uproar upon hearing this.

Fang Shengdong slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That little thief! How could he resort to such despicable tactics?"

As is typical in traditional storytelling, a great hero should appear at this point to defeat the enemy.

At the very least, Mao Shiba should have gone berserk, trading blows and dying together with his opponent.

But he was saved by a scoundrel who used the shameless tactic of sprinkling lime.

This made Fang Shengdong, who valued his reputation highly, feel as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.

Huang Feihong's expression was also somewhat strange.

He came from a military background and believed in real, direct combat.

They don't think much of such underhanded methods.

Instead, Aunt Thirteen couldn't help but speak up, saying, "I don't think there's a problem. They're already coming to kill you, what's a little lime?"

"When you're about to die, do you still care about saving face?"

Fang Shengdong was in a bad mood. Upon hearing this, he turned around and glared at him.

Just as he was about to speak, he heard Huang Zhen agree: "In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken."

This Wei Xiaobao is indeed a man who can assess the situation and act accordingly.

Fang Shengdong swallowed his words before he could finish.

After holding back for a while, he couldn't help but retort, "It's one thing for the court's lackeys to use such despicable tactics, but how can we be as shameless as those lackeys?"

His words made Wong Fei-hung frown slightly.

Although Huang Feihong had no further connection with the imperial court, he was indeed a former instructor of the Black Flag Army, so he naturally felt a little awkward upon hearing this.

Upon hearing Fang Shengdong's words, Huang Zhen fell into deep thought.

Fang Shengdong's thoughts do not represent only his own.

Within the Hongmen, there are many people who share the same attitude as Fang Shengdong.

They pursue integrity and uprightness, demanding that they be morally upright in everything they do.

Huang Zhen also agrees with this idea, but sometimes feels that we should be more flexible.

For example, he hoped to plan more assassinations against high-ranking officials of the imperial court, to achieve the greatest effect with the least cost.

However, the other members of the Hongmen found assassination extremely distasteful.

They would rather charge directly at the imperial troops and exchange their lives for theirs than resort to stealth and burglary.

This sometimes caused Huang Zhen great distress, yet he was helpless to do anything about it.

Faced with Fang Shengdong's rebuttal, he didn't respond, but simply smoothed things over: "This is just a story, why take it so seriously? Let's continue listening!"

Fang Shengdong did not continue to refute, and fell silent, looking back at the stage, but still with a frown.