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

Chapter 39 Shakes the South City: Blind Date Fails

Before he could finish speaking...

Lu Cheng's chopsticks suddenly moved.

I wasn't going to pick up food.

Instead, he flicked his wrist.

"call out--!"

That ordinary bamboo chopstick transformed into a streak of black light, so fast that it was impossible to see it clearly.

"puff!"

A muffled thud.

This was followed by Wu Mazi's screams.

"ah!!!"

The chopstick, like a nail, pierced through Wu Mazi's right hand as he reached for his gun.

The tip of the chopstick even got stuck in the wooden chair back behind him!

They pinned his hands firmly to the chair!

Blood instantly stained the back of the chair.

"My hand, my hand!!"

Wu Mazi was in excruciating pain, his face contorted as he struggled desperately, but the chopsticks were deeply embedded in the wood and he couldn't pull them out at all.

The lackeys behind him were dumbfounded.

What... what kind of method is this?

Can a chopstick pierce a person's hand and even be driven into hardwood?

Is this something a human being could do?

Lu Cheng put down another chopstick, which was truly "calm and composed".

He stood up and walked over to Wu Mazi, who was screaming in agony.

Looking down from a high vantage point.

At that moment, the aura of a master, known for his loyalty and courage, was fully unleashed.

The air in the entire private room seemed to freeze.

"gun?"

Lu Cheng reached out and gently patted Wu Mazi's face, as if he were patting a disobedient dog.

"Seven paces away, the gun is fast."

"Within seven steps..."

Lu Cheng's voice turned cold.

"My punches are fast and accurate."

"besides."

Lu Cheng glanced at Wang Wan'er, who was hiding in the corner.

"I, Lu Cheng, don't fancy this girl."

"But since you're sitting here today, you're my guest."

"Anyone who dares to lay a finger on her"

"I then crippled his other hand."

……

Wu Mazi was carried out by his men.

In the end, it was Lu Cheng who pulled out that chopstick.

When it was pulled out, a cloud of blood mist came out, which frightened Liu the matchmaker so much that she fainted.

The blind date dinner naturally fell through.

Wang Wan'er kowtowed to Lu Cheng while crying, saying that her family was being pressured by Wu Mazi for debt, and she had no choice but to go on blind dates in hopes of finding someone to rely on.

Lu Cheng didn't blame her. He had Shunzi give her fifty silver dollars and told her to take her family to Tianjin to hide.

Lu Laogen sighed and lamented, feeling sorry for the meal and even more sorry for the failed wedding.

"Father, don't sigh."

On the way home, Shunzi pulled the rickshaw while Lu Cheng sat on it, smiling and comforting his father.

"This fate is ordained by heaven."

"It's better to avoid this troublesome kind of relationship."

"We'll see."

Lu Cheng looked at the folding fan in his hand.

"Our lives now are like dancing on a knife's edge. If we were to marry an ordinary girl, we would be ruining her life."

"When things are peaceful again, your son will definitely find you the best daughter-in-law."

Although Lu Laogen was unhappy, he knew that his son was right.

Today's events made him understand.

Beneath the glamorous surface lies a turbulent undercurrent.

Without their son's skills, they would have been devoured long ago, leaving not even bones.

……

Although the blind date fell through, Lu Cheng's reputation spread even further throughout Nancheng.

They even dared to cripple the sheriff with his gun, and they even pierced his palm with a chopstick.

Those brats who had originally been eyeing the Lu family have now completely given up on that idea.

As a result, the business of Qingyun Troupe also became incredibly popular.

The news seemed to have grown legs, and carried by the cold winter wind, it reached the ears of all the major powers in Beijing before dawn.

Some were surprised, some were afraid, and some... had other ideas.

Dongcheng, on the shore of Shichahai.

This place was originally the Prince Chun's Mansion of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, but now it has changed hands and become the headquarters of the Zhili warlord Ma Linyuan.

This Commander Ma was originally a bandit, but later he was recruited into the regular army. Although he was a rough man, he commanded two mixed brigades and was the only one in Beiping who dared to challenge Commander Zhang (Bai Feng's man), who was stationed in Fengtai.

At this moment, in the warm pavilion of the inner courtyard, the underfloor heating was burning brightly, making the room warm as spring and filled with a sweet, cloying fragrance of cosmetics.

"My lord, what do you think of my figure and singing voice? How do they compare to Sheng Yun's from the Qinghe Troupe?"

On a large couch covered with a tiger skin, General Ma lay sprawled out, toying with a German-made "mirror box" in his hand.

Before him stood a woman with a seductive figure, dressed in a theatrical costume that she had somehow acquired.

This woman is named Yao Hong. She is the fourth concubine that General Ma just took in. She is also a courtesan from a brothel and knows best how to manipulate men.

Today she's dressed as Yang Guifei from "The Drunken Beauty," but her neckline is so low and she's giving alluring glances. She doesn't have that noble air; she's just full of flirtatiousness.

"Well done, what a drunken empress!"

General Ma laughed heartily and slapped the woman's buttocks.

"I love your carefree spirit; it's so much better than Bai Feng, who's always putting on airs and pretending to be some kind of refined lady!"

The moment Bai Feng was mentioned, Yao Hong's meticulously made-up face instantly turned cold.

She leaned into Ma Dashuai's arms, tracing circles on his hairy chest with her fingers.

"General, are you still mentioning that vixen?"

Yao Hong pouted, looking aggrieved.

"Yesterday I went to Ruifuxiang to have clothes made and ran into that Bai Feng. That woman, relying on Commander Zhang's power, actually snatched the fabric I had my eye on and even cursed me... saying I was a low-class prostitute and didn't deserve to wear that satin."

"My lord, you must avenge me! Slapping me is slapping you too!"

Upon hearing this, Commander Ma's face immediately darkened.

"Damn it, that guy surnamed Zhang is getting more and more arrogant lately. Does he really think he owns Beiping all by himself?"

Just then, a report came from outside the door.

"General, Lieutenant Li Biao requests an audience; it's urgent."

"Get in here!"

Lieutenant Li pushed open the door, bringing with him a chill. Upon seeing the scene on the bed, he quickly lowered his head.

"General, something has happened in the south of the city."

"That patrol station's action captain, Wu Mazi, was crippled."

"Oh?"

General Ma sat up straight, a hint of interest in his eyes. "That bastard Wu Mazi may be a good-for-nothing, but he's still someone in the government. Who's got the guts to do this?"

"He's an opera singer named Lu Cheng."

Lieutenant Li reported truthfully, "It is said that a chopstick pierced through the palm and got stuck in the back of the chair, and it can't be pulled out."

"Snapped!"

General Ma slammed his hand on the table, his face contorted with rage.

"This is outrageous!"

"An actor dares to provoke the police? Is there no law anymore?!"

"Even though Wu Mazi isn't one of my men, if word gets out, where will we, the soldiers, put our faces?"

"Li Biao, you take a company, bring machine guns, and drag this kid back to me. I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget!"

Yao Hong, standing nearby, also fanned the flames.

"That's right, these actors are the most despicable. They take advantage of any kindness shown to them. Commander, you must teach them a lesson."