Republic of China era: Actor? Please call me Martial Arts Master!

Chapter 94 The Severing of Meridians and the Extinction of Family Lines: Nalan Yuanshu's Show o

Chapter 95 The Art of Cutting Off Meridians and Severing Off Offspring: Nalan Yuanshu's Show of Force! (5k-word chapter)

The sky over Beiping is like a child's face, changing in an instant.

Just a few days ago it was snowing heavily, but these past two days a bit of warmth has suddenly arrived. The ice on Shichahai Lake is starting to melt, and tender green buds are sprouting on the old locust trees in the alleyways.

But this warmth didn't reach people's hearts.

Throughout Beijing, martial arts performers, opera performers, and even men of all ages with a bit of spirit were on tenterhooks.

Three days.

There are only two days left until the life-or-death battle of the so-called "China-Japan Exchange Conference".

Outside Qianmen, at Deyun Tea Garden.

This land is now incredibly valuable.

Even though Lu Cheng has been announcing to the public that he is "fasting" and closing his doors to visitors and no longer performing, the business of the Qingyun Troupe is still booming.

Everyone wanted to see what kind of disciples this master, who dared to challenge the Japanese, had taught.

On the second floor, the most elegant "Top Class" private room.

The curtain was half-rolled up, revealing an extremely delicate face.

He was a young man, who looked no more than twenty-three or twenty-four years old.

She was dressed in a moon-white Suzhou embroidered long gown with silver trim on the collar and cuffs. Instead of holding a folding fan, she was holding a string of blood-red coral beads.

He's so good-looking.

Her face was as fair as jade, her lips as red as cinnabar, and her eyebrows and eyes even carried a touch of feminine softness.

If she were to change into a theatrical costume, she would be a "male lead" who could steal a man's soul.

But he sat there, his back ramrod straight like a spear.

Although they didn't say anything, the tea servers around them didn't dare to breathe loudly, and their hands were trembling slightly as they poured the tea.

Because this person has no trace of femininity.

It's all blood and energy.

"it is good."

The young man uttered a single word softly, his voice gentle and clear, like the shattering of jade from Kunshan.

He stared intently at Shunzi and Xiaodouzi performing on stage, as if he were looking at some rare treasure.

"That spear is planted firmly, quite interesting. That somersault was light and landed silently, he must have mastered the technique."

Beside him, a burly man with prominent temples bowed respectfully.

"Your Highness, if you like, I'll go and call those actors up to kowtow to you right now?"

"Snapped!"

The young man tapped the coral beads in his hand lightly on the table.

No force was used.

But the big man seemed to have been struck by lightning; his whole body trembled, and he knelt down with a thud, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

"vulgar."

The young man glanced at him, his eyes indifferent.

"This is art."

"That guy named Lu Cheng, he can train a bunch of beggar cubs into this, he must have a lot of wisdom and strategy."

"You think you're worthy to come up here and kowtow?"

"Yes, yes, yes, this servant has a foul mouth, this servant deserves to die." The big man raised his hand and slapped himself twice, causing blood to flow from the corner of his mouth.

The young man ignored him and took out an envelope and a silver note from his pocket.

"reward."

"Give each of those kids on stage ten silver dollars."

"Give this letter to the person in charge backstage and have him pass it on to Lu Cheng."

"Take Nalan Yuanshu for example, he's also a theater enthusiast. Watching his performances these past few days has been like drinking fine wine; I regret not having met him sooner."

Nalan Yuanshu!

If the martial arts practitioners outside heard these four words, they would be terrified and collapse in fear.

Who is this?

This is the heir of the Nalan family outside the Great Wall, and also a ruthless character ranked seventh on this year's "Hidden Dragon List".

Just yesterday afternoon, in Xicheng.

Huo Ziping, the senior disciple of the Simin Martial Arts Club, who was defeated by Lu Cheng with a single blow, refused to believe in evil and stopped the Prince of Nalan on the street, insisting on a duel.

The results of it?

Three tricks.

Just three moves.

Huo Ziping's prized Huo family spear was broken in two by Nalan Yuanshu's bare hands.

It really was broken by a shot.

Bajiquan — A fierce tiger climbing a mountain!

That strike was incredibly powerful and fierce, like Mount Tai pressing down.

Huo Ziping vomited blood and fell into a coma on the spot, and has not woken up yet.

Who would have thought that someone as pretty as a young woman would practice Bajiquan, the most powerful and domineering martial art in the world?

"Your Highness—"

The burly man got up from the ground, took the letter, and asked cautiously.

"Our trip to the capital this time is precisely to meet the masters of Beiping, isn't it? Lu Cheng has the most famous reputation right now, why don't you just go directly—"

"No rush."

Nalan Yuanshu looked back at the stage, his gaze wistful.

"He accepted the invitation from the Japanese."

"This is a national war, a war of righteousness."

"Although I, Nalan Yuanshu, am a martial arts fanatic, I can still distinguish between what is important and what is not. To go looking for trouble with him at this time would be taking advantage of his vulnerability and would also bring shame to the Chinese people."

"Wait until he finishes fighting the Japanese."

"If he hadn't died—"

Nalan Yuanshu sneered and gently twirled the coral bead between his fingers.

"Then I will personally send him on his way."

"It would be a real shame if such a good opponent died at the hands of the Japanese."

Backstage.

Shunzi held the letter and the thick wad of reward money in his hand, looking completely bewildered.

"Nalan Yuanshu, who is this? So generous?"

Little Bean was removing her makeup when she peeked over and said, "Who cares who it is? Money talks! Hey, this handwriting is so beautiful, it's like a painting."

The envelope contained only eight characters, written in a slender, elegant style, exuding sharp brilliance.

-

With this small gift, I respectfully await your good news.

Zhou Daikui sat beside him, holding a pipe, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

He's a seasoned veteran, well-informed.

"Nalan—this surname is no ordinary one; it belongs to the Manchu nobility."

"Moreover, I've heard people in the teahouse say these past few days that a young master from beyond the Great Wall has taken down the Simin Martial Arts Club."

"Could it be...this gentleman?"

Zhou Daikui felt uneasy.

The city of Beiping is getting more and more chaotic. The Japanese haven't been driven away yet, and now another dragon from beyond the Great Wall has arrived, and it looks even more ferocious than the last one.

"What's there to be afraid of?"

A cold, hard voice came from behind.

Lu Feng walked in.

He had just finished practicing his skills, and his whole body was steaming hot, like a freshly forged iron ingot.

Since hearing Lu Cheng's teachings that day, this wolf cub has completely tucked away his ferocity, making him appear more profound and dangerous.

He took the letter, glanced at it, and sneered.

"Awaiting good news?"

"This is a challenge."

"but----"

Lu Feng slammed the letter on the table.

"If you want to challenge my master, you'll have to get past me first."

"I'll go on stage tomorrow too. I want to see if this Nalan Yuanshu has three heads and six arms."

The following day, evening performance.

The Deyun Tea Garden was still bustling with activity.

The steam rising from the tall teapot spout mingled with the tobacco smell emanating from the onlookers' mouths, creating a thin mist under the roof beams.

Lu Cheng is still in seclusion, fasting and refining his character, but this does not affect the business of Qingyun Troupe.

Although the plaque that read "The Light of Chinese Martial Arts" was hung crookedly, it acted like a magnet, drawing in the curiosity of half of Beiping.

Today's grand finale is Lu Feng.

He was performing in a play called "The Chain of Strikes: Stealing the Imperial Horse," and he played the role of "Blue-faced Erdun," who claimed to be a chivalrous outlaw but was actually arrogant and fierce.

This was also arranged by Lu Cheng.

The character of Dou Erdun is bold and unrestrained, which is perfect for tempering Lu Feng's overly ruthless "wolf-like" nature and teaching him what "the demeanor of a great general" and "the domineering spirit of the common people" are.

Second-floor private rooms.

Nalan Yuanshu remained seated in the same spot, with a pot of tea and a string of coral beads.

Today, however, there was a hint of anticipation in his eyes as his slender fingers gently caressed the crimson bead.

"Young Master, it's that boy."

The attendant next to him pointed to Lu Feng, who had just appeared on the stage.

"I heard he's Lu Cheng's most prized apprentice. He's a wolf cub picked up from the human market. He's extremely ruthless. The other day at Guanghe Tower, he almost tore off that guy from the Fengtian Troupe's thigh."

"Um."

Nalan Yuanshu nodded, his gaze passing over the railing and landing on Lu Feng, who had just appeared.

At this moment, Lu Feng on the stage, with his face painted with a striking "blue floral" mask that showed off his martial arts skills, had two vertical lines between his eyebrows that looked like they could pierce the sky.

He had a long, black beard with three tufts, wore a soft coat, had two swords strapped to his back, and carried a pair of gleaming hand hooks in his hands.

"I, Dou Erdun——!!"

A spoken monologue.

Although it was a voice from puberty, slightly hoarse and not as mellow as that of an older male singer, this sound wasn't squeezed out of the throat, but rather "burst out" from the diaphragm like a thunderclap.

The voice carried a wildness that defied the rule of the Celestial Empire, making the eardrums of the audience in the front row buzz, and even the sunflower seed shells on the table jumped.

"good!!"

In the largest "luxury room" on the other side, Jin Ye, the local tyrant, was half-reclining in a grand chair when he suddenly stopped holding a pair of shiny lion's head walnuts.

"That voice is interesting."

Jin slapped his thigh, causing his fat to jiggle, and his face, full of fat, broke into a wide grin.

"Don't let his young age fool you, this stubbornness comes from his very bones. Unlike some of those 'drama actors' who just know how to shout and make a scene, this kid has a real tiger inside him."

"Guards, bestow the reward!"

"Give Boss Lu's apprentice a red ribbon and a reward of one hundred silver dollars!"

At Master Jin's shout, the waiters below immediately cried out, "Master Jin is rewarding Boss Lu Feng with one hundred silver dollars!"

The sound of silver coins falling onto the tray instantly ignited the atmosphere in the room.

As Nalan Yuanshu listened to the commotion, a slight smile appeared on his lips, but his gaze became increasingly focused.

"What a skeletal frame."

"His spine is like a dragon's, his tendons are incredibly strong. He's not just cut out for martial arts; he's a born killer."

"Lu Cheng—he has a good eye."

On stage, the play was about to begin with the scene of "stealing the horse".

This section is the core of the entire play, requiring the most skillful combination of movement and strength. It demands the performance of taming a wild horse and leaping across it without a real horse.

Lu Feng was incredibly fierce on stage.

He did not use the traditional opera stage steps, but incorporated the "stepping" and "mud-treading" steps of Xingyi Quan.

"Clang, clang, clang—Tch!"

As the rapid drumbeats began, Lu Feng started to "walk along the edge".

He kept his body extremely low, holding the hook in both hands, maneuvering and weaving in that small space.

With each step he took, the floor made a "thump-thump" sound, as if he were stepping on rocks rather than wooden planks.

His eyes darted left and right, not out of feigned alertness, but from the instinct he developed while fighting for food in the human market, a defense against wild dogs that might pounce at any moment.

Just then.

Lu Feng performed an extremely difficult move—"descending from a high position".

That was a simulation of jumping down from the high wall of the imperial stables.

He took two running steps and then flipped and jumped off the platform made of two stacked tables.

Suspended in mid-air, with nowhere to grab hold of.

But suddenly he felt that the blood and qi that had been suppressed in his body, nourished day and night by the Tiger Bone and Dragon Marrow Soup and repeatedly washed by Lu Cheng's true qi, were like a flood that had found an outlet.

"boom!"

A muffled thud, audible only to himself, exploded inside his body.

That was the sound of the vertebrae dislocating, and also the sound of blood and qi rushing through the bone marrow.

That feeling was like a dragon trapped in shallow waters, finally encountering wind and rain, about to transform into a dragon and ascend to the sky!

Lu Feng felt a buzzing sound in his head.

The world before my eyes suddenly became crystal clear.

At this moment, Jin Ye's oily face and even the dust floating in the air could be clearly seen from below the stage.

"This is----"

Lu Feng was overjoyed.

He didn't land.

In mid-air, with this sudden burst of strength, he actually twisted his waist and his body paused incredibly for half a second.

What was originally a single-foot landing turned into a heavy stomp of both feet at the same time.

"Bang!!!"

A loud bang.

It was louder and crisper than ever before.

His foot actually stomped on the thick, century-old elm wood stage floor, creating two deep cracks.

Wood chips flew everywhere, even kicking up dust half a foot high.

A single sound is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold.

That is—Ming Jin!

Moreover, it is extremely powerful and penetrates very deeply.

"A breakthrough?!"

Backstage, Tong Sanjin, who was holding the fort, was so shocked that he dropped his large palm-leaf fan and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"This kid...broke through on stage?"

"What kind of luck is this? What kind of talent is this? To be able to perfectly sing the Ming Jin opera?"

at the same time.

Lu Cheng, who was resting with his eyes closed in the study in the backyard, suddenly opened his eyes.

[Current Performance: The Linked Rings - Stealing the Imperial Horse]

Starring: Lu Feng (his personal disciple)

[Character: Dou Erdun]

[Commentary: "The blue-faced hero, a master horse thief. That high kick," like a god descending to earth, shattered the stage, the force penetrating his spine. His wolfish ambition transformed into the bearing of a great general; his breakthrough in battle was a once-in-a-lifetime feat. Theatrical and martial arts merged seamlessly; a young master's brilliance was beginning to emerge!"]

[Overall Rating: Top Grade (Understanding the Dao on the spot, astonishing everyone with his skill)]

[Reward Received: Hidden Strength Initiation (Ten Years)!]

boom!

Another massive and pure surge of heat appeared out of nowhere within Lu Cheng's body.

This time, it was even more intense than the last.

That hidden force, like countless tiny dragons, instantly burrowed into Lu Cheng's internal organs and even deep into his bone marrow.

The "Inner Three Harmonies" realm, which is a skill that requires meticulous cultivation and patient nurturing, was propelled by this force, instantly breaking through the extremely difficult shackles and directly reaching the ultimate state, with no possibility of further progress.

Lu Cheng felt a jolt run through his body.

His skin surface shimmered with a faint jade-like luster.

Between breaths, one could faintly hear the sounds of wind and thunder.

In the theater.

Lu Feng cracked the floorboards with his footsteps, but he didn't stop.

Using this newfound energy, he wielded his double hooks with impenetrable precision, like a blue vortex—

wind.

That momentum was more than twice as strong as before.

"good!!!"

"Wow, that's some serious skill! They even cracked the floorboards with their stomping!"

Although the audience below the stage did not understand what "manifest strength" or "hidden strength" meant, they could see the excitement and the exhilarating sense of power.

The cheers almost blew the roof off.

Second-floor private rooms.

Nalan Yuanshu put down his teacup.

His eyes became somewhat playful, and also somewhat—dangerous.

"interesting."

"At such a young age, he was able to break through on stage and develop the Ming Jin skill that can penetrate three-tenths of an inch of wood."

"With this talent and comprehension—if he were to practice my Bajiquan, he would surely become a grandmaster within twenty years."

"What a pity—"

Nalan Yuanshu sighed, his fingers gently stroking the string of red coral.

"The wolfishness in this child's eyes is too strong."

"What is rigid is easily broken."

"If no one keeps him in check, this wildness will eventually ruin him and turn him into a monster who only knows how to kill."

"Since Lu Cheng is unwilling to discipline them—"

"Then I, as his 'confidant,' will take care of it for him."

Nalan Yuanshu stood up and straightened his moon-white long robe.

"Walk."

"Go backstage."

"I'm going to meet this little wolf cub."

The show is over.

The backstage area was bustling with activity.

Lu Feng was surrounded by a group of fellow disciples. He still had makeup on his face, and he couldn't hide the excitement he had just felt on stage.

"Feng'er, that kick you just made was amazing! The floor cracked!" Little Bean said with admiration, gesturing with his hand.

"Hehe, I don't know what happened, I just feel like... it's all clear now."

Lu Feng touched the back of his head. The feeling of being filled with explosive power made him want to find someone to fight right now and release the surging heat within him.

Just then.

The heavy cotton curtain was gently lifted by a slender, fair hand, as white as mutton fat jade.

A faint yet intensely potent sandalwood scent, mingled with the biting cold wind outside, drifted in.

That was "ambergris," a material only the most aristocratic families could afford. In this backstage area filled with the smells of sweat and paint, it seemed out of place, yet also high and mighty.

Nalan Yuanshu walked in.

Behind him still followed only the burly man with bulging temples.

But the menacing aura emanating from that burly man, combined with Nalan Yuanshu's pristine white robe, created an extremely eerie contrast, instantly silencing the previously noisy backstage area, as if an invisible hand had gripped their necks.

"Who are you?"

As the eldest disciple, Shunzi instinctively became alert. He took a step forward, his broad body blocking his junior disciples, still clutching the red-tasseled spear he hadn't had time to put down.

Nalan Yuanshu ignored Shunzi completely, not even sparing him a glance.

His gaze pierced through the crowd and the messy stage props, locking onto Lu Feng directly.

His gaze was like that of a top connoisseur who had discovered a priceless gem in the ruins.

It's like a skilled hunter spotting a wolf king with unlimited potential in the wilderness.

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