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

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Lu Guan's eyes.

A century-old Yin Lingzhi mushroom, worth 500 merit points?

This is an incredibly good deal, one you couldn't find even with a lantern!

What he lacks most right now is "merit points," the hard currency in the Jiyi Department's treasury.

The black-haired demon in the water dungeon, who was half-armored, cost him a full thousand points.

Now his waist tag is empty.

If he could get those 500 points, it would be just enough for him to go back to the water dungeon and bring out two ordinary "White-haired Fiends" or "Black Fiends".

The spring hunt at the Western Hills Imperial Mausoleum was extremely dangerous, and he was ultimately outnumbered by the black-haired demon.

If we can gather three corpse demons and form the "Three Talents Corpse Array" recorded in the "Remnant Scroll of Zhu You Resurrecting Corpses", that would be the real trump card to dominate the meat grinder!

Moreover, rescuing Su Ruoxue not only repays the favor of those three silver dollars under the overpass, but also secures the "Su's Pharmacy" as a powerful ally.

Warriors in chaotic times cannot do without rare and precious materials.

He must keep the Su family's monopoly on the waterway supplying medicinal herbs outside the Great Wall firmly in his grasp.

"I'll accept the bounty."

Lu Guan dusted off his sleeves, his tone indifferent.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Linchuan's expression froze, and his hand, which was about to pour tea, froze in mid-air.

His original intention was simply to use this opportunity to pour out his grievances to Lu Guan and play the victim.

But he never expected that this humanoid tyrannosaurus, which had just slaughtered a bloodbath in Qinglong Village, would actually try to put its hand into their pot!

"Brother Lu, this..."

Zhao Linchuan looked troubled, then chuckled twice. "Our Liuhe Martial Arts School has actually already taken on the case of the mysterious abandoned tomb in the west of the city."

"To ensure everything goes smoothly, not only me, but also the other three junior brothers from the martial arts school who have reached the Great Perfection of Ming Jin have all come out this time."

Zhao Linchuan gritted his teeth and lowered his voice.

"We even managed to get one of our senior disciples from previous years, my eldest brother, Brother Han Tieqiang, to come out of seclusion and provide support!"

"Senior Brother Han, that's a top-tier master who has truly entered the first stage of the Inner Three Harmonies... the ultimate master of 'Mind and Intent in Harmony'."

"His Six Harmonies Spear once defeated eight instructors who had reached the Great Perfection of Ming Jin in succession at the Zhili Army Commander's training ground. His killing prowess was unparalleled, his spear intent like a dragon!"

Zhao Linchuan emphasized the words "master of Yihe" very much.

The meaning is clear: Our Liuhe Martial Arts School has mobilized its entire force this time, even inviting a killing god at the Yihe Realm. Our lineup is top-notch, and we're almost certain of victory. So don't bother trying to get a share of these 500 merit points.

After all, it cost a full three hundred silver dollars to get that arrogant senior brother Han to come.

If Lu Guan gets involved again, they won't even be able to recoup their investment in those 500 merit points!

Lu Guan listened quietly, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

A master whose mind and will are in harmony?

A few days ago, when he crushed the remnant soul of the three-hundred-year-old Yellow Immortal, he had already received the reward of the stage of creation and stepped into the ultimate state of "heart and mind in harmony"!

Moreover, he also possesses the Fierce Tiger Fist Intent and the Black-haired Demon he had just subdued.

"Since Brother Zhao is so confident, then go ahead and do it."

Lu Guan made a move to turn around, "However, the evil spirits that emerge from the mass graves in the west of the city are the most cunning. They don't care about martial arts rules or how their spears move like dragons."

"Once they burrow into that century-old Yin soil, not to mention experts of the Yihe realm, even grandmasters of the Huajin realm would be helpless outside."

Lu Guan's words were like a sharp knife, piercing Zhao Linchuan's Achilles' heel!

Zhao Linchuan's expression changed instantly.

Lu Guan is right!

According to the records of the Bureau of Mysteries, the strange creature in the ruined tomb in the west of the city was a "ghost-faced demon" that had become a spirit.

This beast's immense strength is secondary; what's most disgusting is its exceptional skill in using earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of escaping technique) to hide itself.

Upon smelling the strong yang energy of a living person, it immediately shrank into the ancient tomb maze dozens of meters deep, refusing to show its face no matter what.

No matter how good Han's marksmanship is, he can't possibly overturn the entire mass grave!

This is also the fundamental reason why the Bureau of Investigation and Explanation has been offering a 500-point reward, yet no one has been able to close the case for so long.

I can't find it, and I can't lure it out!

The scene on the frozen surface of the Haihe River flashed through Zhao Linchuan's mind.

Lu Guan's impromptu shadow puppet show managed to "fish" the water monkeys out of the deep water.

This kid has a secret Yin-style technique that can bewitch demons and lure monsters out of their caves!

"Wait, Brother Lu, please wait!"

Zhao Linchuan took a deep breath, a fleeting look of pain crossing his face.

We spent three hundred dollars to ask Senior Brother Han for help. If we return empty-handed, not only will we fail to save Su Ruoxue, but we will also completely lose face as the leader.

As long as we can lure out and kill that demon-faced monster, and share some of the broth, it's better than having the pot smashed.

"I have witnessed Brother Lu's skill of 'using play to lure the devil.' This abandoned tomb is unfathomable, and we certainly need Brother Lu's help."

Zhao Linchuan put on a smiling face and cupped his hands in greeting.

"As long as Brother Lu can lure that beast out of the tomb, the rest of the fight can be left to my Senior Brother Han and us Liuhe disciples."

"After it's done, we'll split the 500 merit points 20/80. Brother Lu will take 20%, consider it a reward for his hard work, how about that?"

"Fifty-five."

Lu Guan didn't even lift his eyelids, and immediately refused.

"you……"

Zhao Linchuan was furious. Two-tenths was already a hundred merit points, and this kid was still not satisfied.

"We'll split the profits fifty-fifty, plus the 'century-old Yin Lingzhi' is yours. If you're short a penny, you can go dig your own graves."

Lu Guan's tone left no room for negotiation.

In the chaotic world of Tianjin, morality and righteousness are worthless; self-interest is the only true currency.

Without his intervention, their chances of solving this bizarre case are less than 10%. He's absolutely certain of that!

Zhao Linchuan's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty, his teeth clenched tightly.

It took him a full half-incense stick's time to finally squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth.

"Okay, fifty-fifty it is!"

"Meet me tonight at midnight, under the crooked willow tree three miles outside the mortuary in the west of the city. Don't be late."

It's a deal.

Lu Guan nodded in satisfaction, turned around, and led the burly, towering "dumb laborer" A-Da out of the Liuhe Martial Arts Hall.

……

As he left the martial arts school, a cold wind blew, but Lu Guan's heart was burning with passion.

The mass grave in the west of the city!

For him, this was like a pillow delivered just when he was sleepy.

Last night, he used the remnants of a three-hundred-year-old weasel skin and the Yinmo Ling Pian to create a superior-grade extraordinary appearance in the [Creation Stage]... [Huang Xian].

The second stage of the advanced quest requires him to find a place with extremely heavy yin energy, such as a mass grave, at midnight, and set up a stage to perform three acts of the yin opera "Huang Xian Asks for a Title".

"The abandoned mausoleum in the west of the city, a place where corpses have accumulated for a century."

"Singing ghostly plays there attracts wandering spirits and ghosts, who use the extreme yin energy to refine the shadow puppets. Not only can you complete the progress bar, but you can also unlock the heaven-defying minor supernatural power, the [Seal-Slaying Technique]."

"It also allows me to lure out that 'Ghost-Faced Demon,' earning me 250 merit points and a favor from the Su family for free."

"Killing three birds with one stone, how satisfying!"

Lu Guan patted Ah Da on the shoulder behind him.

This half-step Ironclad Demon, covered in "Zhu You Bi Yang Talismans," had its ferocity suppressed during the day, but the chilling aura emanating from its very bones still caused stray dogs on the street to tuck their tails and whimper as they fled.

"Let's go back to Fuju Class and get our gear ready. Tonight, we'll go and meet that master of the Yihe Realm."

……

Night, 3:45 PM.

The city gates of Jinmenwei had long been locked, and outside the city was a desolate wilderness where one could not see their own hand in front of their face.

The blizzard whipped up the snow on the ground, stinging our faces like knives.

In this era of warlord conflicts, the wilderness outside the city was more terrifying than hell.

From time to time, you can see the corpses of refugees lying dead by the roadside, frozen stiff, gnawed by wild dogs until only the skeletons remain.

Several wild crows perched on the branches of a dead tree, emitting strange cries.

Three miles outside the mortuary in the west of the city, under a crooked old willow tree.

Four windproof lanterns swayed in the wind and snow, emitting a dim yellow glow.

Zhao Linchuan, accompanied by three Ming Jin Da Cheng disciples from the Liuhe Martial Arts School, had been waiting for some time.

In the very center of them stood an extremely burly man.

The man was at least eight feet tall, wearing a short, coarse cloth shirt without buttons. The snow fell heavily on his muscular chest, instantly turning into white vapor from his terrifying body temperature.

He had his eyes closed, his hands resting on a thick, black, waxwood-handled spear, as thick as a child's arm.

Under the light of the lantern, the spear blade did not reflect any light, but instead exuded a dark aura as if it had drunk its fill of blood.

This is the true successor of the previous generation of the Liuhe Martial Arts School, a top-tier killing god who has entered the realm of "unity of mind and will"... Iron Spear, Han Dong!