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

"Young Master."

Su Ruoxue walked to Lu Guan's table and gave a crisp and decisive bow.

"I haven't properly thanked you since we parted ways at the overpass the other day. Now that we've run into each other, please do me the honor of coming over and sitting down with me."

Lu Guan looked up, still holding half a steamed bun soaked in mutton soup in his hand.

He recognized Su Ruoxue and also the bond formed by those three silver dollars.

"Miss Su, you're too kind. It was just a performance."

"What do you mean, 'a scene'? That scene helped me a lot. Come, come, sit down and let's chat."

Su Ruoxue is a straightforward person and doesn't give people a chance to refuse.

She had the waiter bring all the bowls and dishes from Lu Guan and the old blind man's table to her and her senior brother Linchuan's large table.

Lu Guan didn't hesitate and helped the old blind man to a seat.

"Lu Guan, this is my senior brother from the Liuhe Martial Arts School, Zhao Linchuan. Senior Brother Zhao is a master of Ming Jin, and he is a well-known figure in the martial arts world of Nanshi."

Zhao Linchuan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, his gaze sweeping over Lu Guan.

"Junior Sister Su said she was inspired by your shadow puppetry, and I thought she was joking. I didn't expect her to be so young."

Lu Guan nodded politely and continued eating.

Zhao Linchuan didn't take it to heart and turned back to chat with Su Ruoxue about the annual examination that would take place in half a month.

"This year's annual examination is being conducted by the Military Affairs Department of the Governor's Office, and the rules are different from previous years. Not only will we have to spar and counter each other, but we will also have to demonstrate our power generation techniques on the spot. Ruoxue, the examiners will definitely ask you about the opportunity that led you to break through to the Ming Jin level this time."

Su Ruoxue picked up a piece of braised beef with her chopsticks and chewed it as she spoke.

"It's strange, but I've been stuck on the 'Three Points of Yama' move for more than half a year. I just can't find that unwavering determination to advance or retreat."

She glanced at Lu Guan.

"It wasn't until that day when I saw his performance of 'The Warrior of Cangzhou' at Tianqiao, and the tiger-skin shadow puppet made that move, that I suddenly understood."

"That kind of energy doesn't come from your fists, it comes from your very bones."

Zhao Linchuan paused, holding the teacup, smiled, and remained noncommittal.

Can a simple, unofficial shadow puppet show help people break through the bottleneck of enlightenment?

In his view, Su Ruoxue was already extremely talented and had exceptional comprehension. Her bottleneck had long since been broken; all she needed was a catalyst.

Whether the opening scene is a shadow puppet show or a fight between stray dogs on the roadside, it doesn't really matter.

However, he didn't say it aloud; he just smiled and nodded.

"Then just tell the truth. The examiners are looking at your fundamentals and won't get hung up on these trivial details."

Su Ruoxue responded, her gaze suddenly falling on the pile of bowls and plates in front of Lu Guan.

Five bowls of mutton soup, three jin of steamed buns, and nearly two jin of meat.

Her eyebrows twitched slightly.

Su Ruoxue herself was a martial arts practitioner, and she knew what such a terrifying appetite meant. Her vital energy was being consumed in large quantities, and her body was rapidly rebuilding its muscles and bones.

"You've broken through the barrier of integrated strength?"

Even Zhao Linchuan was taken aback when he uttered those words.

Lu Guan stopped eating, raised his head, and looked calmly.

He didn't deny it, nor did he need to. It's easy to hide one's lack of skill in front of a martial arts practitioner, but difficult to hide one's appetite.

"I guess so. I just barely got started a couple of days ago."

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

The day before yesterday on the overpass, she felt that although the young man's blood and energy were unusually vigorous, he obviously hadn't developed full strength and was just relying on brute force to hold on.

In just two days, he broke through the whole strength barrier?

"Who is your teacher, and what style do you practice?" Su Ruoxue pressed.

Lu Guan finished gnawing on the last piece of braised pig's trotter and wiped his mouth with a coarse cloth.

"My master was the former head of the Fuju Martial Arts Troupe. He was a master of full-strength martial arts, but he never showed off his skills. I trained with my master for over ten years, so my foundation is quite solid. My breakthrough now is a natural progression and nothing to mention."

That's half true and half false.

The old master did teach him basic stance training and stretching techniques, but he was by no means a master of whole-body strength.

However, in this chaotic world, the words of the dead cannot be used to verify anything, so this reason is not unreasonable.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Linchuan nodded dismissively.

"Breaking through the whole-body strength barrier at eighteen years old, while not top-tier in Tianjin, is still quite good. Every year, there are always a few disciples in each martial arts school who have passed the whole-body strength barrier at seventeen or eighteen years old."

These words were spoken politely, but the underlying meaning was quite clear.

Your results would only be considered above average in a reputable martial arts school; there's nothing to be surprised about.

Su Ruoxue ignored Zhao Linchuan's subtext and looked at Lu Guan seriously.

"Lu Guan, let me speak from the bottom of my heart, please don't think I'm meddling."

"You've just passed the initial stage of strengthening your body, and this is the most crucial time to build a solid foundation. You need to nourish your muscles and bones, and strengthen your qi and blood; both of these require medicine."

"I'm not talking about those quack remedies sold by charlatans, but legitimate things like tiger bone wine, deer antler blood, and ginseng soup."

"These medicines cost at least ten or twenty silver dollars a month. If you're out there all by yourself, without the medicine supplements from the martial arts school, you can only last a year or two by eating meat and drinking soup."

"Once you're over twenty-five, your bones and muscles are fully formed, and your blood and energy begin to decline. At that point, breaking through the Ming Jin (a type of internal strength) will be as difficult as climbing to heaven."

"So I advise you to take advantage of your youth and quickly find a reliable martial arts school to become an apprentice. Even if you're just a nominal disciple, at least you'll have some medicine and guidance."

When Su Ruoxue said this, her expression was serious, without the slightest hint of perfunctoriness.

After listening, Lu Guan pondered to himself.

He knew Su Ruoxue meant well.

In this era, martial arts schools are not just places to teach martial arts, but also a support system.

Formal disciples receive medicinal supplements, guidance from masters, and support from fellow disciples. Some large martial arts schools even have cooperative relationships with the military governor's mansion, allowing disciples to receive government salaries upon completion of their training.

But he had his reasons.

First, I don't have money.

The tuition for joining a martial arts school ranged from ten to several tens of dollars, and he now only had that little bit of money he had captured to survive.

Secondly, and most importantly, he doesn't need it.

The inheritance given by the Creation Stage is the true teaching from the Bajiquan Grandmaster, which is hundreds of times better than any martial arts school master's method of holding back half of the secret.

His path of cultivating Ming Jin (a martial arts technique) was clearly written on the stage in his mind.

As for the issue of medicinal supplements, it is indeed important, but martial arts schools are not the only option.

These things can be obtained in pharmacies, foreign firms, and even the black market in Tianjin, only at higher prices.

I'll figure out how to make money slowly later.

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Su."

Lu Guan shook his head, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.

"There are still some things to settle right now, so I'll consider the matter of becoming an apprentice another day."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Su Ruoxue stopped trying to persuade him and just sighed softly.

Zhao Linchuan listened to the whole thing from the side, shook his head, and stood up.

"Ruoxue, it's getting late. We need to go back to the restaurant to practice this afternoon. Let's go."

"it is good."

Su Ruoxue stood up and glanced at Lu Guan one last time before leaving.

"Lu Guan, the annual martial arts examination is in two weeks. Each martial arts school will send disciples to participate. If you are interested, you can go and take a look at the training ground outside Changqing Temple. Perhaps you can find a suitable master there."

Lu Guan nodded and watched the two leave.

As Zhao Linchuan walked out of Juyinglou, he glanced back at Lu Guan, who was still engrossed in drinking his soup. He pursed his lips slightly but said nothing.

In his view, a self-taught martial artist with no teacher, no medicinal supplements, and no connections, no matter how vigorous his blood and energy, could not cause any great trouble.

The waters of Tianjin's martial arts world run deep.

……

Once Su Ruoxue and Zhao Linchuan's footsteps had completely disappeared into the snow, Lu Guan put down his soup bowl and wiped his mouth.

He turned to look at the old blind man next to him who was dozing off while holding his erhu.

"Blind Grandpa".

"Hmm?" the old blind man mumbled in response.

"Besides this play, 'The Warrior of Cangzhou,' do you have any other plays in our Fuju Troupe's repertoire?"

Lu Guan asked casually.

After performing "The Warrior of Cangzhou" ten times, he has thoroughly mastered every "appearance" and every "shadow walk" in the play.

If this continues, the audience will get tired of it.

Upon hearing this, the old blind man's cloudy eyes shifted slightly, as if recalling something from a long time ago.

"The script..."

The old blind man remained silent for a long while before slowly speaking.

"Yes, there is. Underneath your master's old camphor wood chest, there's a hidden compartment. Inside are several old opera scripts passed down from your master's master, and they're quite old."

"but……"

The old blind man's voice suddenly lowered, his tone carrying a hint of inexplicable apprehension.

"There are a few plays that your master instructed you not to touch lightly."

"Especially that one with the black leather cover, riveted with copper studs..."

"Your master said that play is unlucky for its master."