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

"Ouch."

The apprentice felt a sharp pain in his wrist and was so jolted back three steps that he landed hard on his backside in the snow.

"What's going on? How dare you cause trouble at the Liuhe Martial Arts School!" Upon seeing this, another apprentice immediately assumed a fighting stance.

"stop."

Just then, a clear and crisp voice came from inside the tall, vermilion gate of the martial arts school.

Su Ruoxue, dressed in a well-tailored moon-white training uniform and a black fox fur cloak, strode in from the doorway.

The training clothes clung to her body, outlining her full curves. Her long legs and slender waist, honed by years of martial arts training, combined with her bright and heroic face, gave her an imposing and dashing presence.

"Senior Sister Su!" The two apprentices quickly bowed their heads in greeting.

Su Ruoxue glanced at them: "Go back to your stances, you're making a fool of yourself."

After reprimanding her apprentice, she turned to look at Lu Guan, a hint of surprise flashing in her beautiful eyes.

"Why are you here?"

"A few days ago at Tianqiao and Juyinglou, I was honored by Miss Su's righteous words. Today, I have specially prepared some small gifts to come and acknowledge her and express my gratitude." Lu Guan handed over the paper package in his hand.

Su Ruoxue didn't answer, but instead gave Lu Guan a deep look.

"This isn't the place to talk. There's a teahouse across the street, let's go sit down."

The two crossed the street and sat down in a private booth by the window on the second floor of the teahouse.

She ordered a pot of Gao Sui (a type of tea), and amidst the rising steam, Su Ruoxue's gaze remained fixed on Lu Guan.

Today marks only a few days since she left Juyinglou. Yet, the feeling she has for this young man has undergone a complete transformation.

If Lu Guan was a scattered wildfire before, he is now like a deep well that is completely covered.

Although the surface is calm, you can feel the undercurrents pressing down deep at the bottom of the well if you get a little closer.

"You... broke through the barrier?" Su Ruoxue asked tentatively.

"By sheer luck."

Lu Guan nodded in agreement and then took the initiative to ask for advice.

"Miss Su, my sect's lineage is incomplete, and I've always had a question. How many thresholds are there in the Ming Jin path? I hope you can enlighten me."

Su Ruoxue held the hot tea, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said.

"According to the rules of the martial arts world, we shouldn't reveal these secrets to outsiders. But since you've asked, I might as well tell you."

"The whole force is just the foundation; only when you step into the realm of manifest force can you be considered to have truly entered the door of martial arts."

"Ming Jin (a type of martial arts technique) is divided into three stages: initial stage, minor achievement, and major achievement."

"When you first enter the Ming Jin stage, the key is to 'make your muscles and bones resonate together, and feel as if a thousand pounds have fallen to the ground.'"

"The body's vital energy begins to nourish the flesh. When a punch is thrown, you can hear the joints cracking and the fist producing a sonic boom. The force is immense, and a dozen strong men cannot get close to it."

"When one achieves minor mastery of Ming Jin, one must have skin as smooth as leather and qi and blood forming a network."

"The blood and qi weave a large net beneath the skin and flesh, making the skin extremely tough. Ordinary blunt weapons or dull swords will hardly leave a fatal wound on you."

"Only when you reach this point do you have the resources to fight in chaotic times."

"As for the mastery of Ming Jin..."

A hint of emotion appeared in Su Ruoxue's eyes.

"That's 'Qi and blood like a furnace, supreme Yang generating power'! The Qi and blood throughout the body are like a blazing Bagua furnace, with inexhaustible physical strength. Not only is the strength boundless, but it also naturally restrains those Yin winds and evil Qi."

"Some evil spirits and ghosts with shallow cultivation dare not even approach within three steps of a martial artist who has achieved the Great Perfection of Ming Jin."

Lu Guan listened attentively, but secretly compared the two in his mind.

After consuming tiger bone wine and deer antler slices, he relied on the power of fate to accelerate his progress, not only entering the initial stage of Ming Jin, but also obtaining the top-grade root bone of "Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone".

In terms of physical strength and explosive power alone, he has probably already touched the threshold of "minor achievement".

The extremely powerful and yang-like intent of Bajiquan gave him the power to ward off evil that only "master" martial artists possessed at a young age!

"Thank you for clearing up my doubts, Miss Su." Lu Guan bowed and expressed his gratitude.

Su Ruoxue put down her teacup, but her brows furrowed slightly.

Her gaze was sharp as she stared at Lu Guan's chest.

At this moment, Lu Guan had the shadow puppet "Mouse Hiding" made of gray fairy skin tucked close to his body.

In order to conceal his terrifyingly powerful fluctuations in qi and blood, he deliberately activated a trace of the shadow puppet's "concealment" power to lock his qi and blood within his body.

But to Su Ruoxue, a martial arts prodigy who was extremely sensitive to qi, this became a flaw.

She sensed that although Lu Guan's qi and blood were immense, they exuded an unnatural obscurity and coldness, as if they had been forcibly suppressed or stimulated by some evil force.

"Lu Guan, I don't know what you've been through these past few days."

Su Ruoxue's voice became serious.

"The people guarding this city of Tianjin are from all walks of life, and strange things are rampant among them."

"Many unorthodox practices, or even heretical cultivation, use potent drugs that damage lifespan and drain potential, or even worship evil spirits to forcibly elevate one's cultivation level."

"The way of the martial artist emphasizes uprightness of spirit and unwavering determination!"

"If you rely on external things, or even get tainted by those unclean things, you may indeed greatly increase your power in a short period of time, but that is trading your own life and the foundation of your martial arts."

"Once your foundation is emptied, or you are devoured by evil spirits, even death will become a luxury."

Su Ruoxue's words were extremely harsh; she truly cherished talent and couldn't bear to see this young man, who displayed the spirit of Bajiquan on the overpass, go astray.

Lu Guan felt a warmth in his heart.

He knew that Su Ruoxue had misunderstood the aura of the [Hidden Rat] shadow puppet, but he could not explain the existence of the [Creation Stage].

"Lu Guan will always remember Miss Su's good intentions."

Lu Guan stood up and solemnly performed a salute befitting a peer in the martial arts world.

"My fists, Lu Guan's fists, only recognize reason, not evil. Don't worry, young lady, the path I walk is very steadfast."

After saying that, he left the money for the tea, turned around, and strode away.

Watching Lu Guan's figure disappear at the top of the stairs, a man wearing a dark blue cotton-padded jacket walked out from behind the screen of the private room. It was Zhao Linchuan.

"Senior Brother Linchuan." Su Ruoxue did not turn around.

Zhao Linchuan watched Lu Guan's figure disappear into the wind and snow on the street, a condescending smile curving his lips, and shook his head with a sigh.

"Ruoxue, you're just too kind-hearted."

"These folk practitioners, who lack a complete lineage, can't even afford to eat. How can they care about martial arts foundations or going astray? Finding some unorthodox methods to take shortcuts is already a great fortune for them."

"All they want is to make a living in this chaotic world, why do you have to point it out?"

"His pseudo-Ming Jin, which is developed through external forces, will only go so far in his life; he won't be able to cause any big waves."

Su Ruoxue did not refute, but simply picked up the cup of half-cooled broken tea, took a small sip, and a trace of regret flashed in her eyes.

……

After saying goodbye to Su Ruoxue, Lu Guan went straight into some of the most bustling streets in Nanshi.

Now, with two gold bars and a huge sum of money—dozens of silver dollars—his first act was to go to the underground black market on the edge of the Japanese concession and exchange one of his gold bars for thirty-six silver dollars and a bunch of loose silver coins.

Money gives people courage, and it also gives a warrior his life.

He did not go to Manager Zhao of Juyinglou to buy medicine.

Since the "wildcat" behind Manager Zhao wanted to control him and accelerate his growth with medicinal herbs, now that he has broken the stalemate and killed Grey Dog, the other party will eventually realize what's happening.

At this point, trying to disrupt their drug distribution channels would be tantamount to walking into a trap.

Lu Guan spent a lot of money to buy a batch of high-quality, genuine medicines from several reputable, century-old traditional Chinese medicine shops.

I'll buy 100-year-old wild ginseng rootlets from Changbai Mountain!

I'll buy these top-quality deer antler slices that have been aged for ten years!

Buy this premium medicinal wine made with genuine black tiger bones from outside the Great Wall!

After a round of shopping, fifty silver dollars were spent like water, and what they got in return were two heavy packages.

Standing on the streets of Nanshi, Lu Guan gazed into the distance at the dilapidated and leaning signboard of Fuju Ban.

They still had enough money to hire craftsmen to renovate the theater, and even to raise the flagpole again and recruit soldiers.

But Lu Guan resisted the temptation.

"No, now is definitely not the time to show off."

Greyhound's death was shrouded in mystery. Although the Canal Gang temporarily focused their attention on the fictitious "Baoding Insect King," given Master Pan's abilities, it was only a matter of time before they traced it back to the Fuju Gang.

Moreover, there's a mysterious force lurking in the shadows, using drugs to "raise pigs" and keeping a watchful eye on things.

Renovating the theater at this time is tantamount to telling the whole world: I, Lu Guan, have made a fortune, and I have a big secret!

"Build high walls, store up plenty of grain, and delay declaring yourself king."

Lu Guan tightened his tattered cotton-padded coat, carried the expensive medicinal herbs, and climbed back into the Fuju Opera House through the back alley.