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

The backyard, a secret room.

The three-foot-thick blue brick wall kept out the wind and snow of 1925 completely.

There was no brazier inside, yet the temperature was three degrees colder than outside, where water would freeze instantly.

A layer of white frost has formed on the bluestone slabs at the base of the wall.

Lu Guan sat cross-legged on the kang mat, his muscular upper body bare.

Before him stood three towering, terrifying, centuries-old monsters, lined up like three iron towers.

In the center was the black-haired demon "A-Da" in half-iron armor, his body covered with dark red "Zhu You Bi Yang Talisman".

On the left is Ah Er, the "White-haired Flying Demon" covered in white fur.

On the right is an Indian man, whose body is swollen and whose skin is pale, resembling a "drowning corpse."

"call--"

Lu Guan slowly exhaled a breath of white mist carrying the smell of blood, his brows furrowing into a deep frown.

He held the scroll of "The Remnant Scroll of Zhu You Qi Shi" soaked in black dog blood in his hand, a shadow of gloom flashing in his eyes.

"The writing on this fragment is quite elegant, mentioning the harmonious interaction of Heaven, Earth, and Man, and the ceaseless flow of vital energy..."

"Only when you actually start practicing do you realize why so few people can inherit the mantle of the patriarchs of the Xiangxi Zhuyou School!"

Lu Guan cursed under his breath.

It wasn't difficult for a corpse demon to forcefully suppress the contract, given its "blood and qi like a furnace" foundation from its Ming Jin mastery, coupled with the fierce tiger fist intent of Bajiquan.

But when three ferocious creatures are put together, it's like forcibly binding a powder keg and a detonator together!

Ah Da's black-haired evil spirit is a heavy evil energy that grows from the earth.

Ah Er's white-haired flying demon moves with a light, elusive, and extremely yin energy.

The drowned corpse of the Indian man was a manifestation of the lingering poison of the Haihe River, which had been present for centuries.

These three distinctly different yin and evil energies not only cannot blend together, but they also repel each other in the sealed room!

Just now, Lu Guan tried to forcefully draw the energy of the three elements using his own heart's blood, following the formation on the incomplete scroll.

As a result, his heart was almost ruptured by the three reverse-flowing streams of Yin energy!

If it weren't for his strong foundation of "dragon tendons and tiger bones" and the fact that his martial arts realm of "heart and mind in harmony" had locked his heart meridian, that backlash just now would have caused him to suffer a qi deviation and die on the spot, spitting blood.

"The Three Talents Corpse Formation emphasizes the unity of the three elements."

"But these three mindless, lifeless creatures, none of them submit to the other's yin energy, how can we fuse them together?"

Lu Guan stared intently at the three-headed corpse demon before him.

Close your eyes and try to find inspiration in the shadow puppet plays such as "Huang Xian Asks for a Title" or "The Warrior of Cangzhou".

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him!

"Scripts, shadow puppets..."

Lu Guan suddenly opened his eyes.

"I was so foolish! I had my family's ancestral skills to spare, and instead I insisted on obsessively working on these incomplete scrolls from western Hunan!"

There's an old saying passed down through generations in the shadow puppetry industry.

"Three bamboo sticks are used to operate one platform, with the main and auxiliary sticks working together to make a living person."

No matter how fierce or imposing a shadow puppet is carved, it all depends on the three sticks in the puppeteer's hand.

A main sign, fixed at the neck, governs the skeleton and direction.

Two secondary sticks, connected to both hands, dominate the moves and the killing!

"Isn't the key to this Three Talents Corpse Formation exactly the same principle as shadow puppetry?"

Lu Guan suddenly understood.

"The fragment depicts Heaven, Earth, and Man as equals, mutually influencing each other, treating them as a living army formation."

"But they are inanimate objects!"

"To deal with inanimate objects, you must use the rules of my shadow puppetry to distinguish between primary and secondary, superior and inferior!"

Lu Guan suddenly stood up.

He strode up to the three corpse demons and bit his right middle finger.

The blood of the most masculine and virile heart surged forth.

He pointed his fingers like a sword and first pressed hard on Ah Da's vital point between his eyebrows.

"Ah Da, with your thick skin and tough flesh, is practically in iron armor. You are the master of this Three Talents Formation!"

"The Central Palace, resisting all laws!"

Immediately afterwards, Lu Guan moved like lightning, his "Thirteen Shadow Steps" footwork leaving two afterimages in the narrow room.

With his fingers stained with semen, he touched the back of Ah Er's and Ah San's necks respectively!

"Ah Er, Ah San!"

"You two will serve as secondary poles, positioned to the left and right, transforming into blades of slaughter!"

"As long as the main rod stays upright, the auxiliary rods will keep going!"

"Give me...together."

Lu Guan roared and fiercely inserted his "heart and mind in perfect harmony" ultimate will into the nine orifice blood talisman of the three-headed corpse demon.

"Boom!"

Inside the sealed room, a strange change suddenly occurs.

This time, the three distinct streams of Yin energy no longer repelled each other.

Under Lu Guan's domineering and unparalleled logic of "shadow puppet master and slave," Ah Er's yin energy and Ah San's water poison obediently merged into Ah Da's heavy evil aura.

"hiss--"

In that instant, the temperature in the sealed room dropped below freezing.

The blue brick wall was covered with a layer of icicles at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The Three Talents Corpse Formation is now complete!

Lu Guan stood at the center of the formation, feeling the terrifying power fed back through the mental connection, and laughed loudly.

"It's done!"

"With this Three Talents Corpse Formation, A-Da can withstand the damage, while A-Er and A-San can launch the attack."

"Even if I encounter those old monsters who have reached the initial stage of the 'Power Harmony' realm in the Western Mountain Imperial Mausoleum, I would dare to go head-to-head with them."

……

Pushing open the heavy iron door of the secret room, one could see that the streetlights were already on outside.

The lively atmosphere of Nanshi drifted in through the high courtyard walls.

Lu Guan changed into a clean black cotton-padded jacket and strode into the main room in the front yard.

The underground heating system was warm and cozy, and on the octagonal table were freshly cooked stewed mutton and several steamed buns.

The old blind man was slowly sipping a cup of liquor, while Gouzi was wolfing down chunks of meat from a bowl bigger than his face.

"Young Master, you've emerged from seclusion?"

When the old blind man heard Lu Guan's steady footsteps, a smile appeared in his eyes.

"Hey, you blind man, you're eating."

Lu Guan stepped forward, and without any ceremony, grabbed a white steamed bun, tore it open, stuffed in a large piece of juicy mutton, and began to chew it heartily.

After several days of intense seclusion, his energy and blood were greatly depleted, and his stomach was burning with hunger.

Just as the father and his two children were enjoying a rare full meal in the chaos of war, they were having a good time.

"Knock knock knock!"

The brand-new vermilion gate was gently knocked on from the outside.

"Mr. Lu, are you there?"

The clever dog put down the large bowl and wiped the grease from its mouth: "Master Lu, I'll go take a look."

A moment later, the dog came running back and approached Lu Guan.

"Master Lu, a man dressed in shorts has arrived outside. He claims to be from the 'Liuhe Martial Arts School'."

"He said that his Miss Su Ruoxue would like to invite you over for a cup of tea, as she has something important to discuss with you."

Lu Guan swallowed the mutton in his mouth, drank a sip of hot soup, and his eyes flickered slightly.

"Liuhe Martial Arts School?"

Counting the days, it's been a few days since Zhao Linchuan brought that "Centennial Yin Lingzhi" back.

It seems that Su Ruoxue's demonic possession has been suppressed.

"The Su family is a money-making force that monopolizes half of the medicinal herb waterway in Tianjin. We need to get on their good side."

Lu Guan stood up and patted the crumbs off his hands.

"Grandpa, I'm going out for a bit. Ah Da and the others are in the backyard. Please take care of things at home."

The old blind man nodded.

"Young Master, just go ahead. Now that our Fuju Troupe is under the command of the Governor's Mansion, no one dares to cause trouble."

……

Liuhe Martial Arts School, inner hall and flower room.

The charcoal fire burned brightly, and a faint aroma of tea lingered in the room.

As soon as Lu Guan stepped across the threshold, his eyes lit up.

Today, Su Ruoxue changed into a moon-white fitted cheongsam, with a sable fur vest draped over it.

Her cheeks, which had been slightly pale due to the imbalance of blood and qi, were now not only rosy and jade-like, but also exuded a vigorous and inexhaustible vitality.

Lu Guan's perception was extremely sharp, and he saw through her true nature at a glance.

"Congratulations, Miss Su, you've turned misfortune into a blessing in disguise."

Lu Guan cupped his hands slightly, a half-smile on his face, "Not only have your injuries healed, but your Ming Jin cultivation has also been pushed into the 'Great Completion' realm thanks to the power of that extremely Yin medicine."