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

The demon-faced demon, who had reached the threshold of "harmony between intention and qi" by taking advantage of the moon's radiance, was now lying like a pile of rotten flesh amidst the shattered granite tombstones on the ground.

Half of his head was blasted into a bloody mist by Lu Guan's "Tiger Climbing the Mountain".

Lu Guan slowly retracted his fist stance and exhaled a long, soft breath.

The audience was silent.

Zhao Linchuan's disciples from the Liuhe Martial Arts School were now slumped in the snowdrifts, their hands trembling as they struggled to hold their swords.

A centuries-old demon of great martial prowess was smashed to pieces with a single punch?

This isn't some beggar actor from under a bridge; he's clearly a living Yama who crawled out of the underworld!

"Cough cough..."

Iron Spear Han Dong, leaning against the pile of rubble, coughed twice and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

Han Dong was proud and arrogant, and in his life he only respected his own elder brother, who had honed Ming Jin to the extreme.

But today, he was completely convinced.

"What powerful fist intent...what domineering energy and blood."

"Brother Lu, I, Han, have never submitted to anyone in my life."

"I thought that last shot would amaze the younger generation of Tianjin guards... but compared to you, a tiger descending the mountain, my proud spear intent is simply like paper."

"With your profound strength, let alone me, even my brother who is in seclusion would probably have to admit defeat."

Lu Guan didn't turn around, he just raised his hand slightly.

"Brother Han, you're too kind. Your spear technique is not bad, it's just that this beast borrowed the moonlight, and his cultivation level is a step above yours."

"A warrior fights for his life, regardless of victory or defeat; whoever dares to draw his gun is a hero."

Upon hearing this, Han Dong forced a smile onto his pale face, nodded, and said no more.

Given time, such a person will surely become a true dragon who will turn the martial arts world of Tianjin upside down.

Lu Guan took out the sharp knife he usually used for skinning animals from his pocket and squatted down.

Although the demon-faced monster is dead, it was a true demon of the "unity of mind and energy" level.

Its invulnerable fur and bones were top-quality materials that even a small yellow croaker might not be able to buy on the black market in Tianjin.

"Sizzle—"

Lu Guan's technique was swift and skillful, the blade slicing along the edge of the demon's face covered in bone spurs.

The powerful Qi and blood of the Great Perfection Ming Jin were poured into the tip of the knife, peeling off the hard skin.

This leather is extremely heavy, exuding a chilling aura, and its toughness is no less than that of armor made of fine steel.

"nice one."

"Whether it's kept to create new forms for the Creation Stage or used to enhance Ah Da's appearance, this ghost mask is excellent material."

Lu Guan wrapped the piece of ghost noodles in a rag and put it in his pocket.

Then, he stood up and glanced at Zhao Linchuan, who was still in a daze.

"What are you all standing there for? Are you waiting for it to come back to life?"

"Come with me downstairs and get the Ganoderma lucidum."

Zhao Linchuan snapped out of his daze, jolted awake, and scrambled to his feet, nodding repeatedly.

"Yes, yes. Please go first, Mr. Lu!"

Holding lanterns, the group carefully made their way down into the huge burrow from which the demon-faced monster had emerged.

The cave was dark, damp, and intricate.

However, guided by the "spiritual sense" left behind by Lu Guan's [Hidden Rat] shadow puppet, that unique, extremely yin energy could not be hidden at all.

In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Beside a pre-Qing Dynasty stone coffin at the deepest part of the tomb passage, the group found the "Centennial Yin Lingzhi".

Lu Guan carefully uprooted the top-grade Yin medicine and put it into a jade box he always carried with him.

Zhao Linchuan looked at the life-saving medicine that was so close at hand, but did not reach out to take it.

His face turned bright red, and after gritting his teeth, he actually took half a step back.

"Master Lu..."

"We can't keep this medicine... or those 500 merit points."

"Just now up there, Senior Brother Han was seriously injured, and we disciples of Liuhe didn't even get close to that beast."

"You risked your life to kill that ferocious beast all by yourself. We are only alive today because of your kindness, Master Lu."

Seeing Zhao Linchuan's dejected appearance, Lu Guan gently shook his head.

Although Zhao Linchuan was worldly and shrewd, he did not completely lose his bottom line as a martial artist when faced with life-or-death situations and the pursuit of profit.

With a flick of his wrist, Lu Guan tossed the jade box into Zhao Linchuan's arms with a "thud".

Zhao Linchuan caught it in a fluster, his face full of astonishment.

"Mr. Lu, what's wrong...?"

"We agreed on a 50/50 split, so we'll split it exactly as we've agreed. As per the rules, half of those 500 merit points should go into my account."

Lu Guan tucked his hands into the sleeves of his tattered cotton-padded jacket and said calmly.

"As for this century-old Yinlingzhi, take it back to Su Ruoxue."

"Back then, under the overpass, I couldn't even get enough to eat. She threw three silver dollars at me as a reward and gave me some pointers, helping me to understand the intricacies of martial arts. I acknowledge that kindness."

"One medicinal herb saved her life; the debt is settled."

"Master Lu is truly righteous!"

Upon hearing this, Han Dong's eyes also flashed with a sharp light.

"Clear distinction between gratitude and resentment, decisive in killing. Brother Lu, I, Han, have truly seen something new today."

Zhao Linchuan hugged the jade box, his eyes slightly red, and nodded heavily.

Lu Guan waved his hand.

"Alright, take Brother Han back to the city quickly to treat his injuries. The yin energy in this mass grave is too heavy; it will harm the soul of the living if they stay here too long."

"Then you..."

"I want to stay and finish performing two more plays."

Zhao Linchuan and the others expressed their deepest gratitude, then carried the seriously injured Han Dong away hastily through the deep snow.

The figures of the group disappeared completely into the vast night.

Only the howling white wind weaved through the tombstones, emitting a mournful wail like the wailing of ghosts and wolves.

"Ah Da, guard the pass. Don't let a single live fly in."

Lu Guan coldly gave the order.

The two-meter-tall black-haired demon silently walked to the entrance of the ruined tomb and blocked the only passage.

Lu Guan turned around and walked back to the shadow puppet stage.

The flame of the tung oil lantern was forced by the yin energy to turn a ghastly green.

Lu Guan took off his coat, revealing his bare arms, and stood behind the curtain again.

He reached into his robes and placed the exquisitely crafted shadow puppet of the Yellow Immortal once more in his palm.

The second stage of the advanced mission for the Creation Stage.

At midnight, a stage was set up at the mass grave, and the song "Huang Xian Asks for a Title" was performed three times in a row!

The introduction of the demon-faced demon just now only counts as one performance.

Two more games to go!

"This abandoned tomb in the west of the city has buried the bones of the dead for hundreds of years. Tonight, the moonlight will be just right to cleanse and refine the appearance of this weasel!"

Lu Guan took a deep breath, and the Qi and blood of the Great Perfection Ming Jin surged through his body, forcing back the surrounding coldness.

He stomped his foot hard on the drum.

"Thump! Clang—"

The eerie tunes of the opera from beyond the Great Wall once again drifted eerily through the air above this mass grave.

"Three hundred years of arduous cultivation in the deep mountains, worshipping the moon, swallowing essence and borrowing qi—"

As Lu Guan's singing voice rose higher.

On the curtain, the old weasel-like man holding a mourning stick reappeared.

"Waaaaah..."

This time, there was no interference from the yang energy of living people, nor the threat of a malevolent creature like the Ghost-Faced Demon.

The wandering ghosts and spirits within a ten-mile radius were in complete uproar.