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

"Who?!"

Manager Zhao felt a chill run down his spine and abruptly turned to look at the source of the sound.

The carved wooden window in the bedroom had been pushed open a crack at some point.

On the windowsill, a boy dressed in black, with most of his face hidden in the darkness, sat there with a half-smile on his face.

He was toying with an iron dagger in his hand, brazenly eyeing the woman whose cleavage was just beginning to reveal herself on the canopy bed, and he sneered.

"Brother Zhao is so lucky. Your wife is indeed quite voluptuous."

Manager Zhao gasped, his soul nearly leaving his body.

This was his most heavily guarded inner room.

Not only are there experts at the peak of Ming Jin stationed outside, but there are also two hidden sentries at the peak of Zheng Jin.

How did that scoundrel manage to sit on his windowsill without making a sound?!

"ah--"

The wife in bed only then realized there was a man in the room. She screamed and grabbed the quilt to cover her chest.

"Shut up."

Shopkeeper Zhao was so frightened that he covered his wife's mouth with his hand, fearing that the scream would anger the killing god in front of him and cause blood to splatter five steps away.

Lu Guan nimbly jumped down from the windowsill and walked to the bedside.

"Since Brother Zhao isn't in the mood tonight, why don't you ask your wife to go out and avoid the limelight? We men have some things to talk about from the heart."

Manager Zhao's face turned ashen, and he pushed his wife in his arms with trembling hands.

"Put on...put on your clothes and go to the side room. Without my orders, you are not allowed to make a sound, even if the sky falls, and you are not allowed to call the guards."

The woman was already terrified and completely lost her composure. She hastily wrapped herself in a silk nightgown and scrambled out of the main room, forgetting to even close the door properly.

Inside the room, only Lu Guan and Manager Zhao remained.

The atmosphere was oppressive.

Lu Guan pulled over a grand chair, sat down with an air of authority, and slammed the iron dagger he was holding into the table with a loud "thud," making Manager Zhao's eyelids twitch.

"Brother Zhao, how do you plan to explain the aphrodisiac in the medicine to me?" Lu Guan asked bluntly.

"thump!"

Manager Zhao didn't even think about making excuses. He rolled off the bed, kowtowed repeatedly, and told the whole story in detail.

"Brother Lu, Master Lu, it's all my fault, Old Zhao's fault!"

"Fox Clan, the Fox Clan from beyond the Great Wall. Their headquarters are very well hidden in the South City, and the leader is a young man wearing a moon-white silk shirt."

"More than half a month ago, his henchmen, 'Iron Claw,' found me, held a knife to my neck, and forced me to set a trap for you under the guise of selling medicine."

"The first few batches of medicine were indeed top-quality, but the last batch was mixed with the aphrodisiac left behind by the fox spirit when it shed its skin. They want to wait until you have reached the peak of your Ming Jin (vital energy) and your Qi and blood are at their strongest before ringing the 'Hu Men Dang Hu Ling' (Soul-Slaying Bell of the Fox Gate) to drain your essence and vital energy!"

Manager Zhao looked up at Lu Guan with a mournful face.

"Master Lu, I'm just a businessman. How could I dare offend those living gods who know evil magic?"

"But I really consider you a brother. I... I took good care of Blind Master on the day you killed Greyhound, didn't I? Please, for the sake of Blind Master being alive and well, just let me go like a fart."

Upon hearing this, Lu Guan coldly looked at Manager Zhao kneeling on the ground.

That old man is right. If he hadn't been so afraid of death and hadn't kept the news, the Fox Clan would probably have already killed the Fortune Gathering Class.

Moreover, Manager Zhao did indeed protect the old blind man that night, and Lu Guan acknowledged this favor.

But that doesn’t mean he can forgive betrayal and poisoning.

"You saved Blind Grandpa's life, so I won't kill you today."

"But this debt is far from being settled."

Manager Zhao felt as if he had been granted a pardon and kowtowed repeatedly: "Master Lu, please give your orders. If you want money, I still have two thousand silver dollars in my Juyinglou account. You can take it all. If you want people, I will immediately take my family and get out of Tianjin Gate Guard and never be an eyesore in front of you again."

"I don't want your money, and I don't want you to get out."

Lu Guan bent down, pulled out the iron dagger, and gently patted Manager Zhao's fat, jiggling face.

"I need you to do two things."

"First, I need to pick up that black iron waist token for the annual military examination in five days. Your Juyinglou is a century-old brand, so you'll be my first 'guarantor'."

Manager Zhao was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.

Although acting as a guarantor carries joint liability, in a place like Jinmenwei, as long as Lu Guan can be registered with the Military Affairs Department, it is a huge protective umbrella. He couldn't be more eager to cling to this powerful figure!

"No problem, absolutely no problem. I'll go to the Armed Forces Department first thing tomorrow morning to submit the guarantee."

"Don't be too happy yet, there's a second thing."

Lu Guan's voice suddenly turned cold, chilling Zhao the shopkeeper to the bone.

"Since the Fox Clan wants to use me as food, then this feud is now irreconcilable."

"Their 'Iron Claw' henchmen died in my yard tonight."

"hiss--"

Manager Zhao gasped sharply, looking at Lu Guan as if he were a real demon king.

Iron Claw, such a ruthless person, just killed him without warning?!

"They've lost men, so they'll definitely come after you, the middleman."

"I need you to help me keep them calm. Tell them I've taken medicine and am about to break through my cultivation barrier. My qi and blood are on the verge of going berserk, so let them come and 'close the net' themselves."

"You're in charge of luring out the leader behind them, the one in the moon-white silk robe, along with that disgusting fox fur."

"Let's set a trap and...kill them all!"

Manager Zhao slumped to the ground, his face ashen, his whole body trembling like a leaf.

The people from the Fishing Fox Sect? They're going to be killed all of them?!

That's the Hu Clan, ranked number one among the Five Immortals of the Northeast. They are evil cultivators who are skilled in bewitching, absorbing the essence of the dead, and killing people invisibly!

"Master Lu... Master Lu, this... this is a deal that could cost you your head and your entire family! That fox spirit's methods are incredibly wicked. How can we, mere mortals, possibly fight against her?" Manager Zhao pleaded desperately.

"That's what you think."

Lu Guan snorted coldly, and at this moment, a trace of the terrifying blood energy that had been suppressed by [Rat Concealment] was slightly leaked out.

"boom!"

A surge of powerful and domineering masculine energy instantly filled the bedroom.

Manager Zhao felt as if a ferocious tiger descending from the mountain was lying on the top of his head, ready to tear him to shreds if he dared to utter a single word of dissent.

Minor achievement in Ming Jin!

Moreover, the purity of this qi and blood is several times more terrifying than that of the guard outside who has reached the Great Perfection of Ming Jin.

Manager Zhao swallowed hard, his brain racing.

The three guards hired at great expense outside were like paper in front of this evil star. It would be easier for him to kill him than to crush an ant.

If you don't agree, you'll die right now.

I agreed. Following this tiger with unlimited potential, we might really be able to overthrow the Fox Clan.

"Let's do it!"

Manager Zhao bit his lip so hard it bled.

"Master Lu, I, Old Zhao, am now at your disposal. You can point me anywhere, and I'll go there."

"Words are meaningless; I only believe in contracts that are signed in death."

Lu Guan sneered and leaned forward.

Manager Zhao didn't see Lu Guan's movements clearly at all; he only felt his chin tighten as if it were being held firmly in place by a pair of iron pliers.

He was forced to open his mouth wide, and then felt a chill in his throat.

A small, foul-smelling black pill was flicked by Lu Guan's finger and shot directly into the depths of his throat.