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Chapter 438: Peaceful and Prosperous Times
—It was a face filled with terror and despair.

His entire face was contorted in a grimace, resembling a wrinkled oyster. His eyes were wide open, almost bursting out of their sockets. His face, covered in tears, snot, and saliva, had a strangely comical and horrifying appearance.

This is a foreigner.

Moreover, he was a foreign soldier.

The first thing Zhou You saw when he opened his eyes was this.

He was dressed in a crisp military uniform, with a command knife hanging at his waist and two eye-catching badges pinned to his chest, suggesting that he was a high-ranking officer.

Okay, the missing Eight-Nation Alliance has now been found.

However, at this moment, this person was frozen in mid-air, neither touching the sky nor the ground, like a specimen of an insect, its only purpose being appreciation.
Warning to unauthorized intruders.

Zhou You poked it with his finger.

The skin was still soft and warm, and the person still appeared to be alive, but for some reason, they were unable to make any movements.

But there was still emotion in his eyes, and the moment he saw Zhou You, a look of longing suddenly appeared in them.

Help me, or rather
Kill me!

Zhou You didn't respond. Instead, he circled around again to make sure there were no traps. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly drew his sword, Wan Ren.

Then, a flash of silver light appeared, and the foreigner's head and body suddenly separated.

Logically, such a move should have killed the person, but the foreigner's eyes grew increasingly terrified. Suddenly, countless thin, blood-red threads sprouted from his neck, forcibly pulling his head back.

Next, the skin and flesh were stitched together to restore the skin.

"So... he's become immortal?"

Zhou You tried using the flames of the talisman and even the evil energy, but no matter what method he used, even if the guy's flesh was charred and his body was ground into powder, he could not be truly killed.

Zhou You rested his chin on his hand and muttered to himself.

"No, it's not like immortality, but rather like freezing life in this instant. No matter how injured, the body can recover in the blink of an eye. If Xiao Dushui were here, he might be able to help, but I..."

But soon he shook his head.

"Forget it, they're just a bunch of invaders who burn, kill, and loot. They have nothing to do with me. I have important business to attend to now, and this isn't the time to waste time."

He cast a pitying glance at the foreigner, and amidst the foreigner's terrified and pleading gaze, Zhou You walked out of the room.

Outside, the sky remained gloomy.

As for the scenery along the streets, it was similar to the late Qing Dynasty documentaries I had seen before: dirty dirt roads, garbage piled up at the base of walls, low and crowded houses, and all kinds of shops.

But there is still something unusual.

No, it's not that there was no one there—if there really was no one, it wouldn't be a problem, since that was exactly what Zhou You expected. Rather, it was...
The streets were bustling with people!
Peddlers and laborers, bustling traffic, the scene was just like a peaceful and prosperous era.

If Zhou You hadn't just seen that terrifying foreigner, he would have even doubted whether Xiao Dushui had sent him to the wrong place.

Just as he was frowning in confusion, a hand suddenly reached out and pulled him into the shadows.

Upon closer inspection, a lewd face appeared before my eyes.

"Cang Le? You were also teleported here?"

However, the other person simply raised a finger to make a 'shh' gesture, and then pulled her back.

Before long, Zhou You was dragged into a small alley—where there were already seven or eight people.

Considering the number of people who had previously participated in the oath-taking ceremony, it wasn't a small number. But unfortunately, apart from Cang Le, everyone else was a complete stranger; there wasn't a single familiar face among them.

Upon seeing Zhou You, the chaotic group of people seemed to have finally found their leader and hurriedly gathered around him in a panic.

"Alliance Leader, you've finally arrived!"

The voice was filled with a mixture of grief and ecstatic joy, each word seemingly uttered with a tear.

Zhou You frowned, somewhat puzzled.

"We should have come in around the same time, why are you acting like we haven't seen each other for ages?"

Before the man could answer, Cang Le interrupted.

"Master Zhou, you probably don't know, but time seems to be out of control in this godforsaken place. Those who arrived earlier have already been here for over an hour, and you, the Alliance Leader, are probably the last one."

Zhou You paused for a few seconds before continuing.

"Now that you've been here for so long, have you found anything?"

The group looked at each other, then shook their heads and smiled bitterly.

"So that the Alliance Leader may know, we had someone scout ahead of us, but that person never returned after walking into the crowd."

"Not even a single word?"

"No, it's as if a living person has vanished into thin air."

Zhou You's face was somewhat gloomy.

How to put it? He felt like he had switched places with Yu Sanzhi, and now he was the one who needed to be careful of traps.

Silence fell over the crowd once again, but Zhou You soon spoke again.

Do you know where we are right now?

This time, it was Cang Le who spoke.

"It's probably around the orphanage? I've been here a few times before, but I'm not too sure about the specifics."

"Damn, this news has really traveled far."

Zhou You leaned out of the alley and looked up.

The scene was still bustling with activity, but unlike the ghost town, everyone here was a living, breathing person, and even Duanxie didn't give any warning.

"Time is tight, and I don't know how things are going with Master and Hanlu. Well, let's find out first."

Zhou You gave him a wink, and Cang Le immediately understood and followed. The remaining few unfamiliar faces exchanged glances and chose to silently trail behind.

After all, a person's reputation precedes them. Given Zhou You's reputation for escorting Master Feng Er to break through the Qing army and killing all the evil masters in the north, they have no choice but to believe him in this situation.

Stepping out of the alley, the ground was covered in black snow, just like pure black coal ash, piled up everywhere.

But the locals seemed completely unconcerned, and a few young boys even started making snowballs and having a snowball fight.

Zhou You and his group had all witnessed the power of snow before, and each of them was on tenterhooks. When a snowball flew towards them, one of them even nervously drew his knife—

Just before he swung down, Zhou You had already stopped him with his sword sheath and then shook his head.

The snowball was surrounded by malevolent energy while still in mid-air, and vanished into nothingness.

However, faced with such an illogical scene, the people continued with their own business, and no one even glanced in their direction. Only a few children ran past with screams, ignoring everyone else, and disappeared into another crowd in the blink of an eye.

"The situation is still unknown, so don't rush into action, or it could easily cause trouble."

The man realized he had overreacted and awkwardly put the knife away—but then, with a grim expression, he asked.

"Leader, the enemy is currently in the shadows while we are in the open. With so many of us, what if they launch a sneak attack from among us?"

The meaning was already quite clear—Zhou You also fell into deep thought, but fortunately, Cang Le spoke up at this moment.

"My master and I came to Beijing a couple of years ago, but we weren't very well-off then, so we stole... oops, I mean, we borrowed two steamed buns. We passed by here when we were being chased, so we know there are a lot of winding paths around this orphanage. Even though it's a detour, at least we can avoid being seen. How about we go that way?"

How do you always manage to jump out at just the right time?

Zhou You thought for a while, then nodded.

Upon receiving affirmation, Cang Le immediately revealed a smug smile. "Alright, just watch me!"

Cangleton led the group, avoiding the crowd, and eventually found their way into a tavern.

"My master and I escaped from here back then. Don't let its unassuming appearance fool you; it actually connects to Han Zeng Hutong behind it. From here, we can head towards Chongwenmen."

However, just as he crawled inside, he suddenly froze.

Without him.

The tavern was now packed with people!

"That's strange. I remember this place was about to go out of business, so how come it's doing so well now?"

Just as Cang Le was scratching his head, the waiter saw Zhou You and his group, and immediately smiled happily and hurried over to greet them.

"How many guests are there? Are you here for a banquet, to see a play, or just for a meal or to stay overnight?"

Zhou You remained calm and showed no discomfort, replying as if it were a casual conversation.

"Excuse me, we're in a bit of a hurry and just need to pass through."

Upon hearing this, the waiter showed a hint of disappointment, but still tossed the towel over his shoulder and continued speaking.

"Then please go that way, gentlemen—it's a pity, there's a large troupe performing today, but since you're in such a hurry, you probably won't be able to hear it."

This matter was supposed to have passed, but unexpectedly, someone with a sharp tongue asked a question out of the blue.

What kind of opera are they performing?

Upon hearing this, everyone, including Cang Le, glared at him angrily.

—You've been a big monster before, don't you know that when facing such beings, you have to be careful with your words and actions at all times? Otherwise, if you accidentally break those rules, it's fine if you die, but don't drag everyone else down with you, okay?

The man realized he had made a foolish mistake, cold sweat poured down his face, and he immediately shut his mouth tightly.

Fortunately, the waiter was probably just an ordinary person; unlike the man in Ghost City, he didn't immediately kill anyone. Instead, he smiled and said...

"That's naturally a 'Song of Prosperity' praising our great Qing Dynasty! Look, it's been performed for half a month now, and every show is still packed."

Zhou You was taken aback.

"You said you were praising the Qing Dynasty?"

"Yes?"

"The Qing Dynasty has brought such disaster upon you, and you're still praising it?"

Cang Le, standing beside him, tried to wink at Zhou You, but Zhou You ignored him and just kept looking at the waiter.

The waiter was also taken aback, but still habitually smiled apologetically.

"What are you saying, sir? Under the Empress Dowager's rule, the world is at peace, the seas are calm and the rivers are clear, and she is awe-inspiring to the four barbarians. Shouldn't we, as ordinary people, be grateful and praise her?"

At that moment, on the stage not far away, as if in response to him, a song suddenly began to play.

"The golden palace bell tolls, shaking the nine heavens."

The Eight Banners cavalry swept across the land like a rainbow.

Emperor Kangxi, who established and expanded the territory, bringing peace to the world.
A magnificent illustrated map of the imperial empire.

Looking up, I realized that a theatrical troupe had already appeared on stage without my noticing.

The singer was an amateur, not exactly a professional, but as soon as the last line was sung, the audience erupted in cheers.

"Beautifully sung!"

"A few more lines!"

"Waiter, here's your reward!"

This time, not only Zhou You, but everyone else stopped what they were doing and just stared blankly at the noisy crowd.

The people were indeed alive, and there was still no trace of magic, let alone a trap to lure people. But for some reason, looking at the lively atmosphere, everyone suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.

It wasn't fear, but rather a chilling feeling at something that didn't belong to reality, something so terribly incongruous.

Soon, the female lead started singing again.

"The Hanlin Academy compiled the Siku Quanshu, which encompasses all knowledge."

The Manchu and Han peoples share a common cultural heritage.

The meeting place at the Summer Palace
Mongolian princes worshipped the Yellow Dragon.

The lyrics were very ordinary, far from being written by any great artist, yet they captivated the people, leaving them completely enthralled.

—Next up is the senior student.

The painted actors stepped onto the stage, first bowing in all directions, and then, accompanied by shrill drumbeats, shouted as if they were being yelled at the top of their lungs.

"During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, the poll tax was converted into a land tax, thus reforming old practices."
The Grand Council's orders were delivered swiftly and effectively.

Emperor Qianlong's Ten Great Military Campaigns Unified the Hui Region

The Yili River basin, with its garrisoned farms and border defenses, boasts abundant granaries.

This time, not only people inside the tavern, but also those outside began to crowd in, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a modern-day idol concert, with everyone scrambling to listen to the opera.

By now, Zhou You had a general idea of ​​what had happened.

He simply stared coldly at the crowd, his hand involuntarily touching Duanxie.

However, he ultimately did not make the cut.

Finally, they all stood on the stage and concluded with an extremely nauseatingly sycophantic speech.

"With the imperial seal in place, the land is secure, and barbarians from all directions come to pay homage."
Splendid chapters, flourishing rites and music, illuminating Confucianism and Taoism.

Phoenix Soars, the Forbidden City is shrouded in auspicious clouds.

"Praise be to the Empress Dowager, who assisted the state and whose achievements rivaled those of Emperor Yao!"

Finally, there was a burst of applause from the entire hall.

While others listened with goosebumps, the people inside seemed oblivious, raising their glasses, offering toasts, and throwing large sums of money onto the stage, all singing praises to the 'peaceful and prosperous age' of the Qing Dynasty.

Cang Le was completely stunned.

"Damn, I've only been singing for a short while, and I've already received so many tips! That must be at least a hundred taels of silver, right? Maybe I should switch careers and sing to praise good deeds from now on."

Only Zhou You lowered his eyebrows and said in a low voice.

"Ha, is this what they call whitewashing the truth?"

Unexpectedly.

The moment those words were spoken.

The once bustling tavern suddenly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The waiter turned his head with a creaking sound and looked at Zhou You.

Then, with a forced smile, he revealed an absurd expression that was neither a smile nor a frown.

"Sir, what are you saying? The court is now stable and secure, and the years are peaceful and bountiful. The country is prosperous and the people are at peace, with all nations paying tribute. What need is there to embellish this peaceful situation?"

(End of this chapter)