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

The evil wind of Tianjin guards blew all night.

Lu Guan, wrapped in a coat, climbed over the dilapidated gate of the Fuju Classroom.

The courtyard was pitch black.

Lu Guan pushed open the wooden door to the backstage area, and a warm smell of charcoal fire mixed with a faint smell of gun oil wafted out.

"Young Master?"

In the darkness, the old blind man huddled in his tattered quilt, clutching the Browning pistol in his arms. Only when he heard the familiar footsteps did the tension in his throat finally ease.

"It's me, Blind Grandpa."

Lu Guan stepped forward, casually draped his coat over the chair, and pulled an oil paper package from his pocket, tossing it onto the table.

"On the way, I passed by 'Guifaxiang' in the south of the city, where the freshly made 18th Street fried dough twists were still warm."

"Please have something to eat."

Hearing the sound of the oil paper package being placed on the table, the old blind man's blind eyes welled up with tears, and he shakily stuffed the gun back under his pillow.

"The young master has really stirred up a hornet's nest on this trip."

"Even if the sky falls, there's always someone tall enough to hold it up. We're currently under the protection of the Governor's Mansion, and the Military Affairs Department is there to bail us out."

Lu Guan didn't go into details about the bloodshed and carnage of that night. He simply walked to the old camphor wood opera box and sat down cross-legged.

"Old man, you can go back to sleep. I still have some fine work to do."

The old blind man responded.

He knew that his young master's current level of skill had long exceeded the comprehension of this blind old man, so he stopped asking questions, turned over, and fell into a deep sleep.

Lu Guan took two things out of his pocket.

A thread-bound tattered scroll reeking of a strong stench and resentment... "Huang Xian Asks for a Title".

Half a withered, yellowed skin, with the "Cross Heavenly Gate Seal" on the back, a remnant of a weasel skin.

The moment these two items were placed on the table, the temperature in the backstage area plummeted to freezing.

The charcoal fire in the clay stove hissed, and the flames were forced to turn green by this eerie energy.

"Buzz—"

Deep within Lu Guan's consciousness, the ancient and weathered [Stage of Creation] trembled violently!

The white banners around the stage fluttered wildly, as if they were smelling an exquisite delicacy.

In the void, lines of gilded ancient seal script characters appeared one after another:

[Core material detected: Spirit Skin (a remnant of a 300-year-old Yellow Immortal's skin)!]

[A compatible spirit scroll has been detected: Yinmo Secret Scroll "Huang Xian Asks for a Title"!]

Both originate from the same source and can be integrated to control the physical form.

[Can be used to create a miraculous appearance—[Yellow Immortal] (Superior Grade)!]

[Requirements for crafting: Use the Yinmo Ling Pian as a guide, the remnant skin of a spirit as the main material, supplemented with the host's essence and blood, carve seven-tenths of the image, and concentrate three-tenths of the mind on it.]

[Warning: The Yellow Immortal holds grudges; this skin carries the resentment of three hundred years of cultivation. When its appearance is created, it will inevitably suffer a backlash from the "Seal-Seeking" illusion. If one's mind is not strong, at best one will go mad, at worst one's soul will be scattered!]

Legend has it that when a weasel reaches a certain level of cultivation, it will have a skull on its head and will stop passersby on the night of the full moon to ask them a question.

Do I look like a man or a god to you?

If you say it's like a god, it will use your words to seal the deal, gain enlightenment and take form, but it will also steal all your luck in this life.

If you say it resembles a human, its centuries of cultivation will be destroyed in an instant, and it will relentlessly haunt you for all eternity, until it torments your entire family to death.

This is the most vicious aspect of Huang Xian; there's no way to escape this predicament!

"A superior grade, but incomplete?"

A glint of light flashed in Lu Guan's eyes.

The complete hundred-year-old fox pelt was only of medium grade before, but this half-ruined yellow pelt, along with a copy of the Yinmo Ling Chapter, has actually reached the threshold of high grade.

Fortune favors the bold, let's do it!

Without hesitation, Lu Guan picked up the leather pusher, squeezed out a drop of bright red blood from his fingertip, and flicked it onto the half-yellow leather.

"laugh!"

The peeler fell.

Just as the blade pierced the weasel's "Heavenly Gate Seal".

A sudden change has occurred!

With a loud crash, the opera box, brazier, and drafty walls in front of Lu Guan were smashed to pieces.

Heaven and earth turned upside down, and the sun and moon lost their light.

He found himself in a vast, snowy plain beyond the Great Wall.

The heavy snow felt like razor blades scraping against my face; all around was a vast expanse of white, and I couldn't find a way out.

Just then, a strange figure slowly walked out from the wind and snow ahead.

It was an old weasel that was more than half the height of a person, wearing a tattered child's shroud, with its two front paws gesturing like a human, and a pale human skull on its head.

Its eyes, no bigger than mung beans, gleamed with an eerie light as it stared at Lu Guan, and it even spoke in human language.

"Young man..."

"Do I look like a man, or like a god?!"

The moment that question was uttered, the entire snowfield seemed to come alive.

Countless echoes resounded in all directions around Lu Guan, like demonic sounds penetrating his mind.

"Say it, say I'm like a god..."

"Call me human if you want, but give me your stamina and vitality, and peel off your skin to wear..."

A terrifying pressure weighed on Lu Guan's heart like a mountain.

He felt yellow down growing on his limbs, and his spine involuntarily bent down, as if he were turning into an animal crawling in the snow.

This is the principle of pressing first!

The most vicious curse from the demon's resentment before its death was meant to crush his martial will.

"A beast who pretends to be a sage."

In this desperate situation, Lu Guan's eyes suddenly widened.

The strange image of the fox spirit trembled slightly at his heart.

Minor supernatural power... [Exquisite Heart]!

With seven orifices of exquisite wisdom, one can dispel miasma and enlighten the mind!

My previously groggy mind cleared instantly, and the hallucinations of growing yellow hair quickly dissipated.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Guan took a deep breath.

His "Dragon Tendons and Tiger Bones," refined to the extreme by top-grade old medicine and reaching the pinnacle of internal strength, erupted at this moment.

Do I look more like a man or a god to you?

"You look like... the Jade Emperor to me!"

"?"

Old Yellow Weasel was taken aback by what he heard.

In the darkness, a bolt of purple lightning struck its Niwan Palace, instantly shattering its demonic soul into pieces!

Roar!

Lu Guan took a sudden step forward, his entire body's energy transforming into a blazing sun.

The "Fierce Tiger Fist Intent" of Bajiquan, which has no retreat, soared from the top of his head and transformed into a striped blood tiger, letting out a roar that shattered the universe towards the weasel.

"die!"

Faced with Lu Guan's domineering and unparalleled pure Yang fist intent and killing intent, the old Huang Xian phantom who was seeking the title finally came to his senses, his eyes filled with panic.

"Click—"

The snowfield shattered, and the skull collapsed.

Illusion, shattered!

In the real-life backstage area.

Lu Guan was covered in sweat, but his hand holding the leather knife did not tremble in the slightest.

The blade moves like flowing water, scraping, grinding, washing, and carving.

Without the vengeful spirits haunting him, the outline of the half-skin was quickly revealed under Lu Guan's knife.

He didn't carve a weasel.

Since it's Wong Tai Sin, it has to have the pomp and circumstance of a deity!

Lu Guan used cinnabar and gold powder to sculpt a strange old man wearing a rich man's hat, a yellow jacket, squinting with narrow, slanted eyes, and holding a mourning stick.

When the last piece of aged beef tendon was threaded through the joint, Lu Guan let out a long breath.

"Buzz!"

The stage of creation was illuminated with golden light, more dazzling than ever before.

[Phase preparation complete!]

[Achieve the ultimate form—[Yellow Immortal] (Superior Grade)!]

[Because the host forcibly crushed the obsession of a three-hundred-year-old demon with the ultimate martial arts, elevating its innate talent and bestowing upon it a great fortune: the beginning of the Inner Three Harmonies... the unity of heart and will!]

"Inner Three Harmonies?"

Lu Guan's heart skipped a beat.

This is exactly what he needs right now!

During the day at the Armory, Feng Changshan had a deep conversation with him about the path of martial arts.

Ordinary martial artists believe that after mastering Ming Jin (manifest strength), they only need to accumulate Qi and blood step by step, and they will be able to step into An Jin (hidden strength) in a natural way, cultivating the power of the surface into the bone marrow and internal organs.

But Feng Changshan told him that that kind of training only produces top-tier masters.

To truly achieve the legendary status of a master of internal energy, where "not a feather can be added, nor a fly can land," requires...

One must hone each level of skill, both overt and covert, to the absolute pinnacle!

Between the realm of Ming Jin and An Jin, there lie three great mountains, known as the "Inner Three Harmonies".

That is: the mind and intention are in harmony, the intention and energy are in harmony, and the energy and strength are in harmony!

Only by completely opening up these three internal connections, and perfectly integrating the body, qi and blood, fist intent, and mind, can one condense the purest and most domineering internal force.

"Boom!"

Before Lu Guan could think it through, the rewards from the Creation Stage poured down like a sudden awakening.

Lu Guan felt as if his soul had been lifted up by a giant hand.

The ethereal [Tiger Fist Intent] in his mind, at this moment, perfectly merged with his beating heart and his spiritual will.

Hearts and minds in harmony!

Previously, his fist intent was a "momentum" forcibly generated by the Qi and blood of Dacheng Mingjin.

Now, with just a thought, he doesn't even need to put on airs.

That fierce, death-defying will of a tiger could be directed at him with ease, bursting forth from his eyes, his fingertips, and his breath at any moment!

At this moment, his Ming Jin (internal energy) was pushed to an extreme point where there was no way to advance further!

"call--"

Lu Guan slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes, which were originally bright and piercing, were now gentle and warm, like a bottomless ancient well.

Divine light is contained within, returning to simplicity and authenticity.

This is the essence of the extreme realm!

Immediately afterwards, the writing on the stage of creation flipped again, triggering the second stage of the advanced task.

[Triggering the second stage: Midnight Shadow Play.]

[Requirement: Huang Xian values ​​cause and effect. The host must, at midnight, find a place with extremely heavy yin energy, such as a mass grave or a crossroads, and set up a stage to perform three acts of the yin opera "Huang Xian Demands a Title."]

[Conditions: Each performance must attract wandering spirits and ghosts to linger, and the shadow puppets must be cleansed with yin energy; do not disturb the living.]

Current progress: 0/3

[Reward: Upon completing three Yin Plays, the host will completely tame this form and unlock the Weasel's exclusive divine power—[Sealing Technique]! (A rudimentary form of "Words Become Law," capable of hallucinating, seizing will, and disrupting the five senses!)]

"A technique to obtain a title?"

Lu Guan licked his chapped lips, his eyes burning with desire.

This is a legendary sorcery that can directly affect the mind of an enemy.

If a martial artist were to suddenly be given such a hallucinogenic effect during close combat, it would be an absolute trump card that would leave him with no chance of survival!

Half a month later, during the "Spring Hunt" at the Western Hills Imperial Mausoleum, a meat grinder teeming with monsters, his chances of survival increased significantly thanks to the [Seal-Seeking Technique].

……

On a morning in 1925, the streets of Nanshi gradually came alive with the sounds of daily life.

Lu Guan pushed open the courtyard gate, took a deep breath of the biting cold wind, and felt refreshed.

He touched the satchel that was tied tightly to his body.

Eighteen golden yellow croakers, plus more than three hundred silver dollars, and the fifteen dollars monthly salary just issued by the Military Affairs Department of the Governor's Office.

The huge sum of nearly a thousand silver dollars weighed heavily on his body.

"In these chaotic times, the ocean is the backbone."

Lu Guan looked at his dilapidated Fuju Ban, where even half of the courtyard wall had collapsed, and sighed.

"Now that it's under the protection of the Governor's Mansion, this theater should also change its appearance."

Without hesitation, Lu Guan headed straight for the largest brick and tile shop in Nanshi.

"Oh, sir, you want to hire a craftsman?"

The shopkeeper of the brick shop was about to give Lu Guan a perfunctory reply, seeing that he was wearing a tattered cotton-padded jacket, but when Lu Guan slammed ten gleaming silver dollars onto the counter with a loud "smack," the shopkeeper's back instantly bent at a ninety-degree angle.

"Find the best craftsmen in your line of work—bricklayers, carpenters, painters—I want them all."

Lu Guan's tone was crisp.

"Go to the four alleys in Nanshi and tear down all the walls of the Fujiu Ban compound. Replace them with three-foot-thick blue brick walls. Put caltrops on the top to keep out thieves."

"The main beams inside were replaced with good red pine wood, and the floor tiles were all paved with bluestone slabs that could support horse-drawn carriages."

"And that stage, they built it for me sturdily with solid wood."

"Also, have a three-zhang-tall old elm flagpole custom-made for me, and for the plaque above the door, find the best craftsman to gild the large characters... 'Fuju Class'!"

The shopkeeper was dumbfounded. This wasn't just renovating a dilapidated theater; it was clearly building a private residence for the Lu family.

"Sir... this is no small project. It might take at least half a month..."

"Clang, clang!"

Lu Guan threw out another thirty silver dollars, which slammed onto the counter. The crisp metallic clang made all the bricklayers envious.

"Money makes the world go round."

"I'll double your wages. I'm only giving you three days. Work day and night; do what you can, and if you can't, I'll find someone else."

"Yes, I can do it! You've got the job, sir!"

The shopkeeper had never seen such an arrogant customer before. He grabbed the silver dollar and shouted at the top of his lungs towards the backyard.

"Wake up, everyone! Bring all your gear. We're heading to four alleys for a big job!"

The next three days.

The entire neighborhood of Nanshi was dumbfounded.

The Fuju Classroom was originally dilapidated and anyone could step in and trample on it.

Suddenly, forty or fifty strong young men, shirtless, poured in.

Blue bricks, redwood, fine tiles, and tung oil were hauled into the alleyways, truckload after truckload.

The clanging and banging sounds never ceased, day and night.

The old blind man sat in a teahouse across from the courtyard, drinking the fine tea that Lu Guan had ordered for him, listening to the lively commotion across the way, his hands trembling with excitement.

"Old troupe leader... the talents you nurtured have made something of themselves."

"Our Fuju Class's name has been revived!"

three days later.

The snow has melted.

A magnificent new mansion with high walls and a grand courtyard stands deep in the Nanshi Fourth Alley.

The vermilion double doors had their door knockers polished to a shine.

The three-foot-thick blue brick courtyard wall exudes a sense of weight and solemnity.

In the very center of the courtyard, a three-zhang-tall flagpole pierces the sky.

A large black banner with gold lettering that read "Fuju Class" fluttered in the cold wind.