Republic of China: From Street Performer to War God in a Chaotic Era

Lu Guan's heart skipped a beat; this was precisely his most pressing weakness.

The money he had seized from the gangsters was only a few silver dollars, not enough to buy proper tiger bone wine or ginseng.

If we try to grind it out on our own, who knows how much longer it will take.

The "Grey Dog" of the Canal Gang and the sinister "Grey Fairy" could come knocking on their door again at any time.

But he remained expressionless, simply saying, "The poor are scholars, the rich are warriors. If you can't afford good medicine, you can only eat more coarse meat."

"If you trust me, brother, I, Old Zhao, can certainly help you make a connection."

Manager Zhao leaned closer and lowered his voice considerably.

"I have a distant cousin who works as a purchasing agent in a herbal medicine shop in the Japanese concession. Their business often receives hard currency that comes in by sea."

"If you need, tiger bone wine, deer antler slices, or even old ginseng roots from Changbai Mountain, I can have them delivered directly to your residence. The price... will be at least 30% lower than the market price."

"Furthermore, from now on, when you come to my Juyinglou restaurant, I'll charge you for all the meat and vegetables based on the kitchen's cost price. Consider it my way of making you my friend, and I'll never make a single penny off you."

After listening, Lu Guan narrowed his eyes and stared at Manager Zhao.

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Although Manager Zhao is a shrewd and capable businessman, why would he suddenly offer such large discounts? Not only would he not make a profit, but he would also lose money to help him obtain cheap medicinal herbs. What is he after?

Is it because he might become successful in the future?

But then I thought about it again, this is Nanshi, where martial arts schools are concentrated.

It's a common practice for restaurant owners to place bets on promising young martial artists in advance in order to find a powerful backer.

Moreover, he desperately needs these medicinal supplements to break through the barrier of opening the Ming Jin (a martial arts technique).

Lu Guan quickly weighed the options in his mind, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Regardless of whether Manager Zhao has other motives, if the medicine is genuine, he can use it to break the deadlock.

Even if we take a step back and say that in this chaotic world, as long as your fist is strong enough, all your schemes and tricks will be nothing but paper tigers.

"Since Manager Zhao is so kind,"

Lu Guan reached out and grabbed a piece from the plate of braised pig's tongue. "Then I, Lu Guan, will accept this favor."

……

Two days later.

In the dilapidated courtyard of Fujuban, the snow had melted into black mud and water all over the ground.

A young man dressed as a waiter, wearing a light blue vest, knocked on the courtyard gate.

He was carrying a black-glazed wine jar sealed with red clay in his hand, and had two oil paper packages tucked under his arm.

"Young Master Lu, this is what Manager Zhao ordered to be delivered. It's three-year-aged tiger bone infused liquor, and two pieces of top-quality deer antler slices from Northeast China. Please inspect the goods."

Lu Guan took the items and handed over a few silver dollars.

The man bowed and scraped as he took the money, then turned and ran off in a flash.

Lu Guan carried the wine jar and medicine packet back to the backstage area, where the old blind man was sitting by the fire pit warming himself.

"Young Master, what's that smell? It's a strong medicinal odor." The old blind man sniffed.

"The capital to prolong life."

Lu Guan walked to the table and unwrapped the oil paper package.

The deer antler slices inside are cut extremely thinly, with a reddish color and a strong, sweet and pungent aroma.

He then broke the mud seal on the wine jar, and a pungent yet mellow aroma of wine instantly filled the air.

Lu Guan did not rush to drink.

From the moment he took over the [Creation Stage], he knew that Tianjin was a place rife with strange and sinister things.

He dipped his finger into the wine jar, took a drop of wine, and gently touched it to the tip of his tongue.

"Buzz".

After undergoing the baptism of blood and marrow at the Creation Stage, his body became extremely sensitive to external stimuli.

The strong liquor went down my throat and turned into a ball of fire that went straight down my stomach down my esophagus.

Immediately afterwards, a surge of heat exploded within my internal organs, without any coldness, foul odor, or other strange sensations that would confuse my mind.

On the contrary, as soon as this heat appeared, the "Tiger Climbing the Mountain" fist intent that he had been practicing day and night in his mind became active instantly, like a beast that had smelled blood, greedily devouring the medicinal power.

it is true!

Not only is it non-toxic, but it also has excellent medicinal properties!

A sharp glint flashed in Lu Guan's eyes.

Without any further hesitation, he grabbed a handful of deer antler slices, stuffed them into his mouth, chewed them raw, and swallowed them. Then he picked up the wine jar and gulped down three large mouthfuls of tiger bone wine.

"boom."

The medicine had completely taken effect in his body, and Lu Guan felt his blood and qi boiling and surging through his meridians.

He suddenly assumed a fighting stance and plunged his feet into the mud.

"Slap, slap, slap."

Each punch was met with a crisp sonic boom.

With the help of this medicine, the single-target killing move "Tiger Climbing the Mountain" is undergoing a transformation towards perfection!

……

Meanwhile, in the southern part of the city, deep within a secluded mansion belonging to the Caobang (Grassland Gang) guild.

The room, which never sees sunlight, is filled with the scent of Tibetan incense, mixed with a strange, foxy odor.

A young man dressed in a moon-white silk robe leaned back in a grand chair, toying with two jade pebbles in his hands.

The man in blue with short sleeves who had been keeping watch outside Juyinglou was now standing respectfully at the bottom, reporting.

"Senior brother, Old Zhao from Juyinglou has already delivered the first batch of medicine to Fujiu Class."

"I sent someone to keep an eye on him from a distance. That kid was very cautious. He didn't dare to use the medicine immediately after receiving it. Instead, he tasted a little first and tried it for a long time. Only after confirming that there was no problem did he start to swallow it in large gulps."

The young man in the silk shirt nodded slightly upon hearing this.

"Being cautious is a good thing."

"An orphan struggling to survive in a cannibalistic place like Tianjin, if he didn't even have this much awareness, he would have died in a stinking ditch long ago. How could he be worthy of being the 'food' for the fairy?"

The young man sat up straight and placed a jade disc on the table.

"He's wary, so let's give him a taste of success first."

"The ingredients that Old Zhao from Juyinglou sent over were indeed rare and of high quality on the market."

"This is called 'to take, one must first give.' He urgently needs this medicine to break through to the Ming Jin realm. Once he tastes the sweetness of a leap in realm, he will become dependent on this channel of obtaining medicine at a low price."

The young man pulled out a delicate rosewood medicine bottle from his sleeve; it was the "Hundred Herbs Blood-Coagulating Powder" that contained the fox spirit's aphrodisiac.

"Once he has used up this batch of clean medicine and his guard has dropped to its lowest point, add this 'ingredient' to the second batch of medicine."

"This medicine is colorless and odorless. Not only will it not hinder his breakthrough, but it will also squeeze his potential to the extreme, like boiling oil over a raging fire."

"The moment he becomes complacent and thinks he has entered the Ming Jin realm, his qi and blood as strong as a furnace..."

"The fairy's aphrodisiac will travel along his meridians and completely lock down his mind."

"At that time, this perfect cauldron, which has cultivated true energy and whose primordial yang has not been depleted, will only be able to obediently kneel before the fairy maiden and be sucked into a dried-up corpse!"

The man in blue felt a chill run down his spine and quickly bowed his head in flattery.

"Senior brother's plans are flawless. Even if that kid is a fierce tiger descending the mountain, he'll only become a piece of rotten meat in the fairy's mouth this time!"

The young man in the silk shirt leaned back in his chair and said coldly.

"Keep a close eye on them, especially Greyhound's side."

"If that stupid dog dares to ruin my plans at this crucial moment, I'll skin him alive and use his skin as a cushion for the fairy."