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Chapter 419 News
It was Old Man Li who climbed down.

I hadn't seen him for a few months, and he looked much rounder, having gained weight all over. It seems he's doing really well.

He hadn't changed out of his tattered cotton-padded jacket, which was covered in oil stains, and his face was unkempt. Otherwise, he could really pass for a wealthy man in this godforsaken world.

When he saw Zhou You, he was also stunned, but before he could even open his mouth and say anything, angry shouts came from above.

"This is it. Damn it, weren't they saying there were three people who attacked? Now I only see two women?"

Old Man Li, upon hearing the sound, didn't have time to pay attention to Zhou You anymore, but instead raised his head in astonishment.

"Uncle Feng, didn't you say there was only one group? How come reinforcements have arrived?"

Feng Zhengye shrugged, still maintaining his indifferent, bystander demeanor.

"Who knows? Maybe they teamed up along the way. That's how these bandits are. They change groups every few days. Nobody knows how many they have in total."

Upon hearing this, Old Man Li was stunned for a moment, and then he also cursed.

"That's not what we agreed on. We clearly said I'd help you set up an ambush—and I'm telling you, this will cost you extra!"

Then Feng Zhengye laughed.

"Normally, I should indeed charge more, but I'm sorry, I just spent a full four thousand taels of silver on your apprentice."

"What? You couldn't even sell him for that much! The most famous 'male prostitute' in the capital only costs a little over two thousand taels to redeem him!"

Seeing that the two were arguing more and more outrageously, Zhou You was about to interject when suddenly, two more people fell off the roof.

One of them was a woman who was deeply in love with Old Man Li and was being exploited by him, while the other...
"Brother, why are you here?"

Well, today was truly a day where I had a slam of acquaintances.

With a casual wave of his hand, Zhou You picked up his sword, then used the overturned table and chairs to leap into the air.

There was only a thin membrane between the inside and outside of the roof. When I jumped out, the first thing I saw was a few surprised faces.

His appearance is nothing special, as for other things...
Never mind, there's no need to worry about it.

At the very least, Duanxie made the judgment that the person had committed numerous evils and was worthy of death, and also—

We have to at least make the four thousand taels of silver worthwhile.

Seeing a living person suddenly jump out, the group of guys were a little caught off guard, but Zhou You simply spun around, and as he missed a blade, he casually swung his sword out, piercing one of the men's throats with ease.

The others only came to their senses when the person collapsed, spitting blood.

"This guy is with that old scoundrel, kill him!"

Zhou You glanced at him casually, without making any fierce expression, but the man immediately fell silent.

Cold sweat instantly soaked through his lining. For some reason, he felt fear rise from the bottom of his heart and seep into his bones in the blink of an eye.

Finally, only a scream, born of pure instinct, remained.

"Wait, this guy—"

Otherwise.

The towering sword light was faster than his words.

A flash of cold light flashed.

All that fell was a head, its expression frozen, as if a wooden chicken had been struck down.

After a while, the sounds of fighting gradually subsided.

The remaining survivors were terrified and dropped their blades, turning to run away. Hanlu, who had rushed over, got up to chase after them, but Zhou You gently shook his head and then took out the Broken Moon Bow.

The gentle moonlight transforms into an arrow; after a brief aim, the bowstring is released.

A dazzling silver light streaked across the night. The man suddenly stopped, then slowly lowered his head to look at the hole in his chest. He seemed to want to take a step out, but in the end, he collapsed to the ground, lifeless in the blink of an eye.

A wisp of blood-red aura drifted out from the corpse and entered the ebony scabbard—the Blade of Evil then emitted a sharp, joyful cry.

Zhou You casually patted his waist to signal her to be quiet, then nodded to Han Lu, who seemed to want to say something, before jumping back into the house.

Feng Zhengye continued to sip his tea as if it were none of his business, while Lady Hua and the guard silently confronted each other in the shadows. As for Old Man Li...
Now this person is pulling Cang Le along, marveling at the sight of something as rare as if they've seen a rare object.

"What a rare sight! What have you poor bastards from the Pimen gotten yourselves here? I remember you guys were so poor, almost begging for food, ever since Old Man Zhang."

Cang Le was annoyed by the constant harassment, but couldn't say anything. When she saw Zhou You jump down, she ran to the side as if she had seen a savior.

The man looked at Old Man Li without saying a word.

After a long while, he suddenly burst into laughter.

"Long time no see, Master."

He repeated the same words, and Old Man Li stared at this 'cheap apprentice,' suddenly tugged at his beard, and then leaned closer.

Then, laughing again, he patted Zhou You on the back.

"Good lad, I know what you've done. You've really tarnished the reputation of the White Clan, especially that bastard Yu Sanzhi. I've disliked him for years, but I never had a chance to cause him any trouble. I never expected him to suffer such a crushing defeat at your hands."

—Does this person not care at all?
However, before Zhou You could speak, Feng Zhengye suddenly spoke up.

"Old Li, as far as I know, he's only been with your White Gate for less than half a year, right? To have such skills in such a short time, I truly admire him."

He said he admired her, but his words were full of barbs, and everyone understood what he meant.

The woman next to him immediately gave him a strange look, but Old Man Li seemed completely unconcerned and spat out a curse.

"Get lost, this is my disciple, my last disciple, Li Xiangming. Don't be sarcastic. No matter what, he is a disciple of my Bai Clan—the kind who has been included in the ancestral register."

Zhou You lowered his head, glanced at the lewd old face, and seemed to want to say something, but only gave a bitter laugh and shook his head.

On the other hand, Feng Zhengye raised his hand and readily admitted defeat.

"Alright, alright, I know you two have a deep bond, and I was just saying a few words out of habit—that's how it is when you've been in business for a long time. By the way, I've been busy for so long that I forgot. Hu San, what time is it now?"

Although there were no clocks or watches, the guard next to him immediately bowed his head and spoke.

"Manager, it is already three-quarters past 7 PM."

"It's so late? Well then, it's time for us to leave."

After saying that, Feng Zhengye stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute to the others.

"I'm sorry, I've finished what I needed to do here, and I have to catch the ferry the day after tomorrow, so I won't bother you any longer."

After saying that, he turned his head and specifically mentioned it to Old Man Li.

"Li Zhangfan, our score is settled. I don't want to, and have no right to, get involved in what happens next. I just wish you success in rebuilding your Soul-Summoning Banner and regaining your former glory, hahahahahaha!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the shadow transformed into a vortex, instantly engulfing the two figures.

Old Li's response was just one word.

"Pooh!"

After spitting out a mouthful of phlegm, he still seemed unsatisfied and muttered to himself.

"Damn it, even among the nine sons of the dragon, each is different. Feng's second son was such a good person, how did he have to end up with such a brother?"

Suddenly, the woman next to her interjected.

"Brother Xiangming."

"What's wrong?"

"This place is about to collapse."

Old Li was a bit confused. "Collapsed? It shouldn't be that bad. Although the Jing Shi room built by the Eight Great Families isn't particularly high-class, it shouldn't collapse from such a minor injury. Wait, will that swindler Feng Zhengye refund all the rent? That son of a bitch, is he really that petty?"

Old Li's expression changed drastically. Looking at the falling bricks and tiles, he grabbed Zhou You and shouted out a single word.

"run!"

By the time the group arrived at the watch market, looking disheveled and exhausted, night had already fallen.

Old Li and his family lived in another neighborhood, renting a small courtyard. The place wasn't big, but at least it was relatively quiet.

Cang Le was exhausted after a long day. After receiving confirmation that Zhou You would never abandon him, he found a room and fell asleep immediately. Hua Niangzi seemed to have something to say, but after Old Man Li gave her a look, she sighed helplessly and pulled Han Lu away.

So, in this simple courtyard, only the master and his apprentice remained.

Old Li was still in good spirits. He chuckled and found two stools, then pulled out some snacks from somewhere and laid them out on the table. Finally, he took out two cups.

"Sorry, I've been busy with important matters these past few days and haven't had time to buy wine, so we'll have to serve tea instead."

"It's alright, I still have some here."

Zhou You untied the wine gourd, poured a cup for Old Man Li first, and then filled his own cup.

Old Li sniffed, then suddenly his face lit up with surprise.

"Good wine! No offense, apprentice, but where did you get such strong wine? And you've kept it a secret from your master all this time. That's really not fair."

"These are just some personal collections. If you really like them, Master, we'll make sure you have plenty tonight."

"You said it yourself." Upon hearing this, Old Man Li quickly picked up his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp—then he looked longingly at the wine gourd.

Zhou You didn't hold back either, uncorking the glass and pouring himself another cup.

An old man and a young boy ate simple food and drank strong liquor.

This scene is remarkably similar to the meal I had with Yuan Shikai back then.

However, unlike that time, Zhou You no longer had that nonchalant composure.

After a long while, and after half a round of drinks, he finally spoke.

"I said, Master."

Old Li was stuffing a piece of pig's head meat into his mouth when he heard this, and he mumbled something indistinctly.

"What's the matter."

"Don't you have anything to ask?"

"what?"

"For example, my identity or something like that."

Old Li paused in his hand movements, then suddenly burst into laughter.

However, the laughter didn't last more than a few seconds before he choked on the meat in his mouth and had to drink several glasses of wine before he could barely swallow it.

His face was covered in wine and oil stains, but he didn't care and just smiled and said...

"What identity? Your identity is simply that of a disciple of our White Sect. What other identity could you possibly have?"

"But what I did..."

Old Li shook his head and replied nonchalantly.

“Listen, kid, I, Old Li, have heard some things, but I don’t care if you’re a chosen one or a man from the underworld. Just like what I said to the eldest brother of the Feng family before, all I know is that you are my apprentice, Li Xiangming, and that’s enough.”

Zhou You fell silent.

But looking at that lewd yet nonchalant old face, he suddenly laughed.

Old Li is still the same Old Li, and I am still myself.

So why be so fussy?

So Zhou You boldly picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of meat.

The taste is certainly not as good as the chef's cooking at Yuan Shikai's house, but it is much more satisfying to eat than it was back then.

After a while, Zhou You spoke again.

"master."

"What is it now?"

"How did you manage to hook up with that rich woman, Lady Hua?"

"It's been a long time, and this is the second question you asked?"

"Just curious."

Old Li rolled his eyes.

"What do you mean by 'bumping'? It means she wouldn't leave because she kept clinging to me, so I had no choice but to give her a ride."

"But she paid for all your purchases these past few days, didn't she?"

Old Li was speechless for a moment before finally managing to utter a single sentence.

"That was a loan, you understand? And in the end, it was Feng Zhengye who paid for it. Anyway, let's not talk about this anymore. How have you been coping these past few days?"

The topic was abruptly changed, but Zhou You didn't expose him; instead, he just smiled.

"What else could I do? I just fought my way here. I originally wanted to go straight to you, Master, but I ran into Cang Le from the Leather Gate as soon as I entered. I'm partly responsible for his downfall, so I gave him a hand. Then I entered the marketplace, and that's when I met you, Master."

During their casual conversation, Zhou You seemed to remember something and suddenly asked a question.

"By the way, Master, I heard from Cang Le that you want to reforge the Soul-Summoning Banner. Why all of a sudden?"

Old Li paused, his wine glass still full.

Then, he revealed the same look in Cang Le's eyes as if he were looking at a rare animal.

"You've come all this way, and you still don't know what to do next?"

“This place was chosen by you, Master, and you didn’t tell me about it.”

Upon hearing this, Old Man Li scratched his greasy hair.

"Didn't I tell you?"

"They definitely didn't tell me."

"That's strange, I shouldn't have forgotten something so important."

After pondering for a long time, Old Man Li finally spoke to Zhou You.

"Okay then, I'll tell you again."

"This ghost market, under normal circumstances, is indeed only used as a place to sell stolen goods, but whenever something big happens, it is also used as a council hall for all sorts of people."

"Originally, this time we were going to discuss how to deal with the increasing chaos and disorder in the world, but a few days ago it suddenly changed and we started discussing how to deal with the Qing government, that big problem."

"What's the trouble?"

Old Li gripped his wine glass, remained silent for a long while, and then spoke.

"You probably don't know yet, do you? About half a month ago, Yuan Chengwen sent news that the revolutionary army's offensive had been stalled, and..."

"—Beijing City, suddenly disappeared."

(End of this chapter)