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

Upon hearing this, Su Ruoxue's beautiful eyes sparkled as she gave Lu Guan a deep look.

Without putting on any airs of a martial arts heroine, he stepped back properly and gave Lu Guan a deep bow.

"Lu Guan, I am deeply grateful and cannot express my thanks."

"If it weren't for you luring out the Ghost-Faced Demon at the abandoned tomb in the west of the city that night, and giving that 'Centennial Yin Lingzhi' to Senior Brother Zhao without asking for a single penny..."

Su Ruoxue said sincerely, "My martial arts career in this life is completely over."

"Miss Su, you're too kind."

Lu Guan accepted the greeting without hesitation and sat down in the guest seat.

"I've always remembered the kindness of that young lady who gave me those three silver dollars under the overpass. It's just a medicinal herb; let's call it even."

"What is a medicine to you is life to me."

Su Ruoxue personally poured Lu Guan a cup of hot tea.

"I heard from Senior Brother Zhao that you received the black iron waist token from the Armed Forces Department and are about to represent the Bureau of Extraordinary Things to participate in the 'Spring Hunt' at the Western Hills Imperial Mausoleum?"

Upon hearing the words "spring hunt," Su Ruoxue's smile vanished, and her expression turned serious.

Lu Guan picked up his teacup and gently blew away the foam.

"That's right. The warlord's office has given the order: if you take someone's money, you have to solve their problems."

"Lu Guan!"

Su Ruoxue suddenly lowered her voice and leaned closer.

"Do you know just how treacherous this spring hunt really is?"

"I would like to hear the details." Lu Guan raised his eyes.

Su Ruoxue took a deep breath and slowly recounted the secrets of the Tianjin Guard.

"The warlord's most beloved ninth concubine has recently contracted a strange illness."

"We tried all sorts of Western doctors' injections, but instead of getting better, he became increasingly emaciated. Even the several highly respected monks invited by the commander-in-chief were helpless."

"Later, a strange man from beyond the Great Wall examined Ninth Concubine's illness and diagnosed it as 'soul loss syndrome'."

"To prolong life and preserve youth, one must use a funerary object buried in the dragon coffin at the former Qing Dynasty Western Hills Imperial Mausoleum... the 'Soul-Stabilizing Pearl'!"

A hint of apprehension flashed in Su Ruoxue's eyes.

"This 'Soul-Stabilizing Pearl' can not only cure Ninth Concubine's illness, but it is also a legendary treasure that can transform a martial artist's blood and qi and prolong his life."

"The commander-in-chief offered a reward of fifty thousand silver dollars for this item and even promised a piece of land in the French Concession!"

"With such enormous profits at stake, both the legitimate and criminal underworld in the entire north have gone mad."

Su Ruoxue stretched out her slender white fingers, dipped them in tea, and drew a map of power on the table.

"It's not just the various factions within your military headquarters that are openly and covertly fighting each other."

"The bandits entrenched outside the pass, and those evil cultivators from those sects who worship the 'Five Immortals,' all infiltrated Tianjin like wolves smelling blood."

"That's not all..."

"Our Su family controls the waterways for medicinal herbs, so we are the most well-informed."

"It is said that there is another mysterious force, dressed in Japanese materials, who are also eyeing the contents of this imperial tomb."

"The Western Hills Imperial Mausoleum collapsed years ago due to an earthquake, leaving behind a stagnant pool of yin energy for over a century, containing countless blood-soaked corpses and hairy zombies. Add to that the fact that so many forces have been sabotaging it..."

Su Ruoxue stared at Lu Guan.

"This is a living meat grinder. No matter how fierce your fists are, you can't fight against four hands. If you go in, you'll probably only survive nine out of ten times."

Lu Guan was not afraid after hearing this.

Those centuries-old blood corpses and hairy zombies filled the pit and valley?

What kind of meat grinder is this?

In Lu Guan's eyes, this was simply a super treasure trove piled high with "Spiritual Skin" and countless bounty merit points!

Maybe they can even assemble a corpse-driving army from among them!

"Miss Su, thank you for your information."

Lu Guan drank the hot tea in his cup in one gulp.

"This water is murky enough."

"But only in such muddy waters can you catch the biggest fish!"

Upon hearing this, Su Ruoxue stared intently at Lu Guan sitting opposite her, and finally let out a soft sigh.

"Since you've already decided to get involved in the mess at the Western Hills Imperial Mausoleum, it would seem petty of me to try and stop you."

What kind of cannibalistic place is the Western Hills Imperial Mausoleum?

That's a bottomless pit where warlords, heretical cultivators, tomb raiders, and old corpse demons congregate.

A reward of 50,000 silver dollars for a piece of land in the French Concession.

Such astonishingly high profits would be enough to make the desperate criminals of the seven Beiyang provinces beat the dogs senseless.

"but……"

Su Ruoxue put down her teacup and straightened her expression.

"This spring hunt is not just an assignment for your military affairs department. The commander-in-chief has given the order, and all the martial arts schools in our southern city must also send people to participate."

"The Liuhe Martial Arts School will also be participating this time. However, it won't be me and Senior Brother Zhao Linchuan leading the team."

"They are our senior brothers from the previous year at Liuhe Martial Arts School."

"They are all veteran experts who have earned their reputation by fighting their way through piles of dead bodies. Their practical experience is far beyond what we Ming Jin disciples can match."

"The Western Hills Imperial Mausoleum is filled with gloomy energy, containing not only century-old blood corpses and hairy zombies, but also assassins sent in by various warlords. It's far too dangerous for you to go alone."

"I can help you contact the senior brother leading the group and ask them to take good care of you inside the imperial mausoleum."

"With the connection to the Liuhe Martial Arts School, anyone who wants to use underhanded tactics will have to think twice."

Hearing Su Ruoxue's earnest words, Lu Guan paused slightly in his hand holding the tea lid.

The true disciples of the previous generation of Liuhe Martial Arts School?

In Lu Guan's mind, the image of the burly man who had been wielding a white waxwood spear and exuding an overwhelming aura, only to be slapped away by the Ghost-Faced Demon, instantly flashed into his mind.

He raised his eyelids and asked a question with a half-smile.

"The true disciples of the previous generation? Han Tieqiang, Brother Han Dong... will they be going this time too?"

This statement came out.

Su Ruoxue looked at Lu Guan with a face full of astonishment.

"Senior Brother Han Dong, how do you know him?!"

In Su Ruoxue's memory, Lu Guan was begging for two copper coins under the overpass just half a month ago.

Senior Brother Han is a top disciple of the previous generation of the Liuhe Martial Arts School. He is usually arrogant and only sees high-ranking officials and nobles. How could these two possibly have any interaction?

Seeing Su Ruoxue's shocked expression, Lu Guan was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized what was going on.

It turned out to be the case.

Last night at the mass grave in the west of the city, Han Dong's invincible "Yihe" spear technique was defeated in one move by the great demon ghost masked by the moonlight, and he almost lost his life.

In the end, it was only through his own efforts and the help of "Ah Da" that the ferocious beast was blasted into a bloody pulp.

How could Han Dong, with his proud and arrogant nature, possibly publicize such a humiliating incident?

Zhao Linchuan's disciples from the Six Harmonies Sect witnessed firsthand the horrifying scene of him smashing a powerful martial artist with a single punch, leaving them utterly terrified.

To save face for the Liuhe Martial Arts School and Senior Brother Han, they will surely keep quiet about this earth-shattering reversal in the mass grave, keeping it a secret.

Therefore, Su Ruoxue is still in the dark and has no idea that she saved the life of the Liuhe Martial Arts School last night!

"hehe."

Lu Guan's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, but he didn't point it out and simply went along with it.

"In this area of ​​Nanshi, who hasn't heard of Han Tieqiang's formidable reputation?"

"A master of perfect harmony between mind and body, who single-handedly defeated eight instructors of the Zhili Army Commander with a single spear. Although I, Lu, come from a lowly background, such a renowned name is naturally well-known to all."

Upon hearing this, Su Ruoxue breathed a sigh of relief, a look of understanding appearing on her fair face.

"You scared me! I thought you'd offended Senior Brother Han sometime during your temper."

"Since you know of Senior Brother Han's reputation, you should know the profound heritage of the previous generation of true disciples of our Liuhe Martial Arts School."

"However, although Senior Brother Han Dong will be going this time, he will be led by his own elder brother... Han Feng!"

"Han Feng?" Lu Guan raised an eyebrow slightly.

"good."

Su Ruoxue lowered her voice.

"If Senior Brother Han Dong is a once-in-a-century genius in the art of spearmanship, then Senior Brother Han Feng is a true god of death!"

"He left the martial arts school early on and spent his time training in the outlaw world outside the Great Wall. Now, he has not only already entered the second stage of the Inner Three Harmonies... 'The Harmony of Intent and Qi'!"

"Furthermore, with just his bare hands, he made it onto the 'Hidden Dragons of Tianjin' list compiled by the Governor's Office last year!"

"Ranked seventeenth on the Hidden Dragon List!"

The Hidden Dragons of Tianjin!

Upon hearing these five words, Lu Guan's eyes finally showed a slight change.

As far as he knew, this was a kill list specially compiled by the Military Affairs Department of the Governor's Office in order to recruit extraordinary people from all over the world and gather experts from the seven provinces of Beiyang.

None of those who made the list are frauds or charlatans.

They were all monsters who had fought their way out of countless bones!

The top twenty are all top-notch martial artists who have honed their Ming Jin (manifest strength) to the extreme and entered the realm of "Yi He" (intentional harmony) and "Qi He" (spirit harmony).

Even the top five have terrifying records of being able to fight against masters of the Dark Force level who are above their level!

"A master of the Qi Harmony Realm, ranked seventeenth on the Hidden Dragon List..."

Lu Guan pondered to himself.

When intention and energy unite, internal energy circulates endlessly, creating a continuous cycle of life.

If he were to face a martial arts master of this caliber, it would be difficult for him to instantly kill him with just his "Tiger Fist Intent".

However, if we add the half-step Ironclad Fiend "A-Da" that I just subdued, and the two ferocious creatures that I took out from the water dungeon to make up the "Three Talents Corpse Array", then...

Furthermore, this is supplemented by the hallucinogenic techniques of "Thirteen Shadow Walkers" and "Fox Spirit"...

Killing a martial artist at the Qi Integration Realm is not necessarily a bad thing!