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Chapter 428 Uprising
The 25th day of the first lunar month.

The rains have passed, and it should be the season when spring returns to the earth. However, for some reason, the weather is still so cold. Not only in the north, but even in many places where it never snows, it is snowing heavily.

Coupled with the endless chaos and mischief, the world suddenly seemed like the end of the world.

Amidst these natural and man-made disasters, two pieces of news suddenly emerged.

First, Governor Yuan issued a public notice to the world, stating that this natural disaster was caused by Empress Dowager Cixi and calling on everyone else to abandon resistance and join forces to fight the enemy.

Of course, it would be difficult to move people's hearts with just these two sentences, but as the news of the disappearance of Beijing spread, coupled with the fact that the Empress Dowager never made any response, people were in a state of panic.

Even the most loyal ministers of the Qing Dynasty couldn't help but begin to have doubts.

—Could what Yuan Da Nao said be true?

But soon, another piece of news vaguely confirmed their suspicions.

Decades later, under the leadership of the Shangqing Sect, people from all walks of life discussed important matters and finally decided to join forces, with Zhou You, a disciple of the Baimen Sect, serving as the leader of the alliance.

His name is Wan Yuan, and his purpose is...
Slaying demons and eliminating evil.

On the same day, the eight prominent Shanxi merchants, who had received the emperor's favor, simultaneously raised the banner of rebellion. Their proclamation against the rebels was several thousand words long, demonstrating their exceptional literary talent. However, in essence, it could be summarized in just two sentences.

—If the Empress Dowager is unkind, then don't blame us for being unjust.

Meanwhile, the clan's businesses spanned the north and south, and the Feng family elder, who was said to be the reincarnation of Shen Wansan, also asked someone to speak on his behalf.

The first part of the sentence was not harsh; it simply expressed the hope that the Empress Dowager would provide an explanation for her brother's death.

However, the second half of the sentence revealed a murderous intent.

"If the Empress Dowager cannot give me an explanation, then I will choose to give you an explanation."

Together, they controlled nearly half of the Qing Dynasty's commercial lifeline, and the rewards they offered were unprecedentedly high.

In an instant, heroes from all over the land responded, and the already precarious Qing Dynasty seemed on the verge of collapse.

only.

As long as Beijing doesn't fall, this dynasty...
It could never be completely buried in the soil.

Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The old woman, who had been abandoned by everyone and become the target of everyone's hatred, was sitting on the dragon throne, behind a screen, staring blankly at the scene outside.

For some time now, she has been staring blankly outside.

However, since there was no longer any distinction between day and night in the city, all she could see was a hazy fog. But she still stared at it blankly, as if there was something incredibly attractive in the fog that she couldn't tear herself away from.

She only snapped out of her daze when she heard a 'snoring' sound coming from the bottom of the steps.

"Getting impatient? Sigh, there's nothing I can do. I've been appearing in your dreams more and more often lately, to the point that I'm always confused about who I am."

However, no one responded; the 'snoring' sound only grew louder.

Empress Dowager Cixi seemed to understand, and sighed again.

At this moment, she didn't seem like the last ruler of the Qing Dynasty, but rather like an ordinary elderly neighbor.

"Honestly, you just failed in your ambush. You could have simply come back. Do you think I'd kill you and display you to the public?"

The snoring grew softer, but soon the old lady shook her head again.

"Others are others, and you are you. I only have a few people I can use. If I kill you, who will I use?"

After saying this, the man on the dragon throne suddenly gave a bitter laugh—but his voice abruptly turned male.

"To think how prosperous our Qing Dynasty was back then, with its rivers stretching for thousands of miles, it's truly laughable that we can't even find a single trustworthy person now."

The audience paused for a few seconds before resuming their snoring.

"I know I personally clipped all their wings, but I had no choice. In His parable, as long as those people lived, whether loyal or treacherous, they could threaten the rule of our Great Qing Dynasty. In the end, I had no choice but to kill them one by one. What a pity."

She shook her head and spoke again in a female voice.

"I forgot the most crucial one. I never expected that he would abandon his family and ancestors, and even abandon his own surname to get involved in politics under a false name. But now it's too late to regret it."

The gurgling sound started again.

Empress Dowager Cixi responded as usual.

"Don't worry, even in this situation, I'm not in dire straits. As long as I can kill that chosen one later, I still have ways to turn the tide."

This time, a long silence fell over the area below the steps.

Empress Dowager Cixi also stopped speaking, and only after a long time did she speak.

"I know very well that you still harbor resentment towards me, and that if I hadn't pursued that chosen one, the dynasty wouldn't have collapsed to this extent, but..."

She paused for a moment, then spoke.

“Even if everything goes smoothly, the Qing Dynasty won’t last long. So I must take advantage of the strength I still have and make one last desperate attempt. Otherwise, if another Taiping Rebellion breaks out, I won’t even have a chance to fight.”

The thing below the stage still didn't respond, so Empress Dowager Cixi spoke again.

"Then you can tell me what the chosen one looks like?"

The thing was very unwilling, but it seemed to have no choice at the moment and could only respond with a series of gurgling sounds.

Empress Dowager Cixi understood as well, and she also lowered her voice.

"So that's how it is. Unlike Shi Dakai, he was resurrected in another body and then sneaked in alone. No wonder that person didn't point out any warnings, and no wonder I didn't find any trace of him in my dream. Oh well."

"Now that enough time has been spent and the magic is complete, as long as the sacrifice is sufficient, even if he has immense power, he won't be able to stop me."

This time, the thing below the stage struggled for a long time and actually managed to utter two sentences in human language.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

However, Empress Dowager Cixi showed no pity. She waved her hand, turning the thing back into mud, and then said...

"You don't need to worry. You've worked hard along the way, even if you haven't made any great contributions. You don't need to worry about anything after this. Just go to the gate and stand guard peacefully until you retire."

Upon hearing this, the creature struggled even more fiercely, but soon, two giant hands reached in from outside, grabbed its clothes, and dragged it back inside alive.

After a long while, the one on the dragon throne finally spoke slowly.

As if comforting the other person, and also as if comforting himself, he read the words again: "Rest assured, our Great Qing will never perish."

"forever."
-
Somewhere not far from Beijing.

Howard felt like he was an idiot.

Pure!

In his hometown dialect, he would be described as "hopelessly stupid." In the local proverb, he would be someone who has nothing better to do than to seek his own death!
He clearly had a lot of wealth at home, and his father had the title of knight—although he wasn't a great nobleman, he was still well-off and could occasionally flirt with young girls at pubs. So why the hell did he have to come to this foreign land and become some stupid reporter?
Being a reporter is one thing; Pudong is a glamorous place, and you can easily make a living there. You could write some tabloid articles and get by. But why did you have to be so stubborn and refuse to listen to advice, coming to this area near Beijing hoping to make a big news story?

Now look what's happened! He couldn't find the Eight-Nation Alliance he was looking for, nor could he see the Empress Dowager he really wanted to see. Instead, he's now practically a snack in the monster's mouth!

Howard took a few deep breaths, then turned his head away in fear.

as predicted.

The soldier who had been fleeing with him was now in the enemy's hands. The obese, tall man grinned and grabbed his arms, casually pulling them apart—

With a piercing scream, red, yellow, and green rubble was scattered all over the ground.

Howard felt like vomiting, but he hadn't eaten a single grain of rice since yesterday, and all he could come up with now was acid.

He had lived in this country for several years, and although he had never seen it with his own eyes, he knew that this thing was called "Sui Luan" and could be considered a "unique product" of this country.

Originally, he thought it was something similar to devils and witches. He even boasted to his colleagues while drinking that he had studied with a priest for several years and that if he ever met one, he could definitely show these bumpkins what a real exorcism was.

But now...
Howard glanced at it amidst his busy schedule.

On the fat man's shoulder hung a swaying, incomplete piece of wreckage.

That was the priest who had come with us on this trip; I vaguely remember him as the most likely successor to the next priest.

However, now this thing is just a piece of rotten flesh hanging on the monster's body, used as spare food.

The cross did not save him, nor did the Lord.

Unfortunately, it seems that this can't save me either.

Seeing the fat man stuff the two halves of the corpse into his mouth without even chewing them, Howard shuddered, then scrambled to his feet and continued his desperate escape.

As a foreigner, he was unfamiliar with the surrounding terrain and had no idea where he should run.

But all he could do was run, run until he was dead. Even if he died from exhaustion or a fall, he absolutely did not want to become food for that monster!
Time passed little by little.

Under the intense exertion, his breathing became increasingly rapid, and the scenery in front of him became increasingly blurry—yet the thing behind him seemed to be playing cat and mouse, simply following him slowly with unhurried steps.

Neither too far away nor too close.

Is this how you treat me as a leisurely time to digest after a meal?
Howard wanted to cry, but the words that came out of his mouth turned into a crooked smile.

pity.

This playful pursuit will eventually come to an end.

On the slope, Howard suddenly lost his footing and fell like a tumbling gourd. The intense pain rendered him unable to move. Although he was still trying to struggle, his hands and feet seemed to have no strength at all.

He could only listen in despair as the heavy footsteps drew closer and closer, until they finally reached him.

Since he was probably the last one, the thing didn't rush to make a move. Instead, it pinched his collar with two fingers and held it in front of its own eyes.

The obese man stared at him, his eyes filled with hungry mockery, his drooling and the stench emanating from his mouth practically tangible, a clear sign of his impending doom.

—If, if I were given another chance, I would never give up my family business for a girl. If I had more chances, I would never run to this godforsaken place on a whim.

Howard took a deep breath and began to pray with the most devout attitude he had ever had.

—God, no, Buddha, Allah, Bodhisattva, is there anyone who can show their power and save my life?

Unfortunately, he wasn't particularly devout in his faith, and now no deity responded. He could only watch as the gaping maw drew ever closer, clearly about to swallow his head whole.

Otherwise.

at this time.

Suddenly, a flash of cold light appeared right before his eyes.

Suddenly, the obese monster covered his eyes and screamed in agony—and only then did Howard see that an iron fan was stuck in his eye socket, seemingly piercing straight into his brain!
Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to observe carefully. In pain, the monster flung its hand aside, nearly killing Howard as it lunged forward towards the direction from which the fan had come!

But then, another fan flew out.

This time, the fan struck the monster's knee precisely, causing it to pause abruptly. Then, a graceful figure emerged from the snow, catching the falling fan and simultaneously unfurling it.

The blade-like sharpness sliced ​​through the monster's belly, accompanied by a spray of foul-smelling blood and large swaths of fat scattered on the ground.

Only then did Howard see the man's face.

--What a nice view.

This was his only thought at that moment.

Because of his background, he had been through many women, sleeping with hundreds, if not hundreds, of them, and had seen all sorts of beautiful women, but he had never seen a girl like this before.

To say she was stunning wouldn't be an exaggeration; her face was at best of average appearance.
For some reason, there's always a certain charm about her that makes people want to immerse themselves in her completely.

Before he could even react, the monster had already struggled to its feet, and its enormous hand, accompanied by a whooshing sound, swung down towards the woman!

In an instant, his body moved before his mind could react. His instincts even overcame the pain, and Howard rushed forward without regard for anything else, trying to block the attack with his own body.

He didn't know why he was doing this, he only knew that even if it cost him his life, he would never let this woman suffer even the slightest harm.

but.

He never reached the monster.

It wasn't that there wasn't enough time, but just as the palm touched the body, a sword light suddenly flashed over.

The sword light was so fast that it resembled a falling cold star, making it difficult to look directly at.

The monster paused for a moment, then collapsed slumped down.

Then came a string of curses.

"Holy crap, where have we ended up? I mean, Hanlu, my master... wait a minute, what's this foreign devil doing here?"

(End of this chapter)