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Chapter 429 Meeting
Zhou You felt like he was an idiot.

Pure!

"I knew these guys were disorganized and undisciplined, but I never imagined they'd get this chaotic."

The story begins a few days ago.

Originally, their allied forces were to set off in two groups. Those with more disciples would go first to gather their followers, while those with fewer disciples or who were alone would set off with Zhou You and the others, heading straight to the heart of the enemy's lair.

Who would have thought that once they were on the road, Zhou You would realize just how undisciplined they were—in other words, even elementary school students on a school trip were better than this bunch of scum!

The term "three religions and nine streams" is used to describe all sorts of strange and unorthodox people. These guys do have real skills, but they are all used to being free and basically don't listen to any orders. How they fight and what they do is entirely up to their own ideas.

As a result, just as they were about to reach their destination, they were suddenly attacked by a group of monsters. The threat itself wasn't great, but because it was so sudden, and several of them were skilled at changing the terrain, the entire group was thrown into disarray.

Zhou You, however, somehow stepped into a trap. After a dizzying spin, when he opened his eyes again, all he could see was Han Lu's little face.

Fortunately, the place we arrived at wasn't too far away, and we were able to find our way with a little observation.

The rest is quite simple.

Just follow your own habits and fight your way through!
As for Old Man Li's safety, he didn't care much. Not to mention that the main force was following behind them, he was ashamed of his own skills in escaping.

Instead of worrying about them, we should think about when we can break out of here.

Wiping the blood off his sword, Zhou You looked at the terrified foreigner, thought for a moment, then put on a kind face and squatted down.

Judging from his appearance, this person didn't seem to be a soldier, and I should also ask about the situation in this area.

But what if he really is a member of the Eight-Nation Alliance?
The sword is in my own hand; I can cut it whenever I want.

Zhou You patted the guy's face with the back of his hand and said.

"hello?"

There was no response, as if he were dead.

"Tsk, aren't you British? Let me think how to say 'hello' in French. Bonjour?"

There was still no reply.

"Not French either? Could it be Russian or Austro-Hungarian? But wait, you don't look like one of those people."

Before he could finish thinking about it, the foreigner suddenly spoke up.

"God"

"what?"

"Amazing!!"

He spoke with the authentic Beijing accent, so genuine!

The silly roe deer strolled across the snow, looking at the mess without much fear. Instead, it looked at the severed hand, sniffed its wet nose, and seemed to want to take a bite or two to try it out.

Soon, a hand reached out, grabbed its head, and forcibly straightened it.

"—So you're saying you risked your life and family to come all the way from Pudong to Beijing just to interview people about the current situation because of a bet you made with a girl?"

"I prefer to call it a romantic adventure. Okay, okay, that's true."

Zhou You glanced at Howard for a long time, and finally uttered a sentence.

"Are you stupid?"

"...It seems so, but..." Howard glanced at Hanlu, who was perched on his robe, his eyes filled with infatuation. "I feel this foolish act was worthwhile—madam, may I ask your name?"

—Why is this guy acting like a lecher?
Zhou You looked at Han Lu, his lips moved, and he asked a question without saying a word.

—Did you use charm magic?

Hanlu seemed quite uncomfortable with this enthusiasm, frowning as she moved aside, and then silently replied.

--No.

That's strange, how did it turn out like this?

Seeing that the guy was getting closer and closer, seemingly wanting to give a hand kiss as a greeting—damn, we don't know about foreign countries, but in China these days, this is completely considered lewd behavior—just before Hanlu couldn't help but make a move, Zhou You quickly pulled him away.

"Slow down. First, tell me how you ended up like this, and what's the situation around here?"

"Me?" Howard scratched his head, not pressing Hanlu any further. "Well, I knew this area wasn't safe, so before leaving camp, I always hired a team of soldiers familiar with the route. This time, I was just out for some sightseeing, but I didn't expect the disturbances to be so close."

Zhou You frowned.

"You're now under Yuan Shikai's command? What about Beijing? Have you seen it?"

"It's still the same. Beijing is still nowhere to be seen. On the contrary, due to the chaos, the battle lines are retreating further and further. And just like the armies of the several countries before, several companies under General Yuan's command have mysteriously disappeared."

Zhou You listened carefully at first, but soon realized something was wrong.

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"Several people have mysteriously disappeared?"

"No, the sentence before that."

"...The armies of several countries are gone?"

"Why isn't it here?"

Howard shook his head blankly.

"I don't know, I'm just a reporter. All I know is that their last news was: they encountered no resistance along the way and are now heading straight for Beijing. The embassies are in a panic, they don't understand what's going on—"

Zhou You frowned upon hearing this.

Based on what I heard while I was in the concession, this multinational coalition, although not as large as in official history, still numbered several thousand. So many people just vanished into thin air.
Goodness, what exactly did the Empress Dowager manage to summon?
Speechless all the way.

Howard was, after all, a journalist. Although he seemed a bit dim-witted, he knew his way around. With his guidance, Zhou You quickly arrived at the nearby county town.

However, it has now been converted into a military base.

The county wall was urgently heightened and widened, and a complete moat was dug around its perimeter. Additional earthen buildings were also temporarily erected, with more than a dozen foreign cannons placed on top, their dark muzzles seemingly ready to devour anyone.

On the outermost edge, there were rings of barbed wire, with something hanging on them—Zhou You picked it up casually and took a look, only to find that it was a talisman used to ward off evil spirits.

What's this? A hybrid of Chinese and Western exorcism?
Zhou You shook his head, casually tossed the talisman aside, then gestured for Hanlu to wait before getting up and heading towards the county town.

The barbed wire had been laid more than a hundred meters away, and it was dusk, so the light was poor. That's why he wasn't discovered until he was almost at the city wall.

But just as they got close, dozens of guns were pointed at them, along with an angry shout.

"who!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou You stopped in his tracks.

Now that his strength has recovered to 80%, he is not afraid of these dozens of flintlock muskets. However, he is ultimately looking for someone to do him a favor, so he cupped his hands and said politely.

"Excuse me, is Governor Yuan here? I mean, I'm used to saying it this way. Is Governor Yuan here? My name is Zhou You, and I am an old friend of his. Please inform him that I have something to discuss with him."

However, the soldiers did not move, their guns still pointed at Zhou You. After a while, a voice spoke.

"The governor does not receive guests, especially those of unknown origin. Please leave."

Why is this all so suspicious, like seeing a snake in a cup? Zhou You frowned and took a step forward.

Unexpectedly, this one step provoked a terrified and furious rebuke.

"Stand still, or we'll shoot!"

So Zhou You could only sigh.

"Excuse me, I don't need you to let me in. Just have someone report to Yuan Chengwen, and he'll let me in once he hears my name."

just.

Whether it was due to excessive nervousness or some other reason, one of the soldiers suddenly trembled and then pulled the trigger.

Gunpowder exploded instantly, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, and the lead bullet flew towards Zhou You in an instant!

But before he could move, the long sword at his waist moved on its own.

It wasn't Wan Ren, but Duan Xie, who had been offline for a long time.

The sword was drawn naturally, blocking the bullet precisely—with a crisp 'clang,' the lead pellet was deflected to the side.

Then, bloodlust seeped out, transforming into a hazy mist that swept straight towards the person who had fired the shot—

However, before it could commit the murder, Zhou You had already forcibly suppressed the blade and forcefully pressed it back into its sheath.

After consuming the last material, Duanxie, who had been offline for a long time, was finally almost fully repaired. However, for some reason, after being resurrected, this thing seemed to be on steroids, always wanting to kill anyone it saw.

That's strange. Could it be because I've been holding it in for too long?

However, Zhou You's side did not want to cause trouble, so the soldiers guarding the city shouted first.

"He's not even afraid of guns. He's definitely not human!"

"Aim the cannons over there, and while you're at it, notify the Taoist priest in the city that the monster that tried to assassinate the commander-in-chief is back!"

Seeing the neatly arrayed firearms aimed at him, Zhou You could only sigh silently.

—After all, he came to the Alliance, and he didn't want to cause a scene, but now it seems...
Is there no other way but to force my way through?

however.

Just as tensions were rising, Howard suddenly poked his head out from behind him.

"Immortal, Miss Hanlu sent me here, didn't she? What happened to you?"

Seeing that the two were about to fight, Howard showed no sign of tension. Instead, he casually waved towards the city gate.

"Hey, isn't that Brother Zhao? It's me, Howard. I just headed out this morning. We had drinks yesterday, don't you remember me?"

Unexpectedly, the tension on the city wall gradually eased, and after a while, someone finally spoke up.

"Howard? Didn't you go out with Captain Li to get some fresh air, as ordered by the Commander? Why are you the only one who came back? Where are Captain Li and the others?"

Howard remained silent for a long time, then sighed.

"We encountered chaos along the way, and everyone else perished. Only I was saved by a wise man and escaped alive."

The man on the city wall showed no anger; he simply shook his head as if it were a habit.

"This is the fourth time in the past few days. Is this guy next to me, who claims to be an acquaintance of the commander, the expert you're talking about?"

"That's right, it was this deity who killed the evil spirit and saved me."

This time, a long silence fell over the city walls.

After a while, the person spoke again.

"The chaos won't kill each other, and since you know Howard, go and inform the commander first."

Soon, the three of them entered the city.

However, Yuan Chengwen said that there was an emergency and he couldn't come back immediately, so he didn't send anyone to welcome Zhou You directly. He just expressed his deep apologies and asked Howard to receive them first.

"Brother Huo, you really have some influence. I spent so much time trying to persuade you without success, but you just said a few words and you were convinced."

"Brother Huo? What's that? Wait, I'm not surnamed Huo."

Sitting in a house facing the street, Howard first made a cup of tea and placed it in front of Zhou You. Then, he rummaged through the cabinet for a while, took out a small bag, rinsed it with hot water, and then happily took it to Han Lu.

"Miss Hanlu, please try this. It's hot coffee I brought from my hometown; it's a rare find here these days. The ladies back home really love this drink, and I hope you will too."

Hanlu was quite annoyed along the way, but out of politeness, she still took a small sip.

But then she frowned deeply.

"It tastes so bitter. What kind of medicine is this?"

"Miss, this isn't medicine, this thing..."

However, before he could finish speaking, the roe deer leaned its head over and picked up the cup.

"Wait a minute, you beast, do you even know how much this gram costs? Even I don't know..."

Before he could finish speaking, the roe deer expertly downed the drink in one gulp.

Then, as if she was very annoyed, she sneezed, spraying him all over.

Howard, covered in saliva and coffee, stood there looking pitiful with his handsome face, like a golden retriever who had fallen into the water. In the end, Zhou You couldn't stand it anymore, so he threw a rag at him and changed the subject.

"If I'm not mistaken, that should be a camera? I didn't expect you to be so good at filming, Brother Huo?"

"I've already said, my surname isn't Huo."

Howard sighed heavily, but his gaze followed Zhou You's movements.

"You mean this? This belongs to my friend. He originally wanted to open a photo studio in Beijing, but before he could even start, this happened. He hurriedly fled back to Pudong, but the photography equipment was too bulky, so he left it with me."

"Oh?"

Zhou You seemed quite interested in the old object. He casually touched it and then said something.

"Do you know how to use this?"

“It can be used, but…” Just then, Howard suddenly remembered something and said to Zhou You, “Immortal, you saved me, and I have nothing to repay you with. How about I take a picture of you as a souvenir?”

That being said, one could tell from his eyes, which were constantly glancing at the cold dew, that this man's true intentions lay elsewhere.

Zhou You, however, didn't care. He patted himself and stood up casually.

"Then I'll gladly accept—it's not my own face anyway, so taking a picture won't hurt."

The second half of the sentence was spoken so softly that Howard didn't hear it at first.

"God, what did you say?"

"No, it's nothing."

Zhou You stood up and straightened his collar.

"Then please."

(End of this chapter)