I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 876 Finally, the master and disciple hold hands! [4500]

"Grandpa is just like my father. He is a strong man who does what he says and never hesitates once he makes up his mind."

"The first thing he did was to look for accomplices."

"Finally, he found Miss Leroy."

"Miss Leroy was born an orphan and has no relatives. She has been working as a maid in our family since she was a child."

"Just like my grandfather, she sympathized with my situation and couldn't stand my father's abuse of me."

"So, taking advantage of a rainy night, they worked together from inside and outside to secretly pry open my door, and then, using the cover of darkness and heavy rain, they successfully took me out of the 'birdcage'."

“That night was really thrilling.”

“There were several times when we almost failed.”

“In fact, our success is inseparable from my father’s carelessness.”

"He probably never imagined that his biological father would actually 'betray' him."

"Grandpa knew that my father was very powerful and that there was no way to escape his control unless we left Europe."

"So, after escaping from the mansion, we headed straight to the nearest port and boarded a merchant ship that had already been prepared for Japan."

"Just like that, after many twists and turns, our group of three successfully arrived in Japan, thousands of miles away."

At this point, Elodie seemed to recall some interesting memories and smiled:
“It’s been a messy ride.”

"Before this, the only thing I knew about Japan was that it was far away, separated from France by the entire Eurasian continent."

"We don't speak a word of Japanese and we don't have any relatives or connections in Japan."

“I’m really unfamiliar with the place.”

"Grandpa is a typical aristocrat, living a life of luxury and not knowing how to survive."

"The only thing he was good at was eating and using his tongue to tell the freshness of the ingredients."

As she spoke, she placed her hands in front of her belly and made a "shake off the fat" gesture.

Seeing this, Qing Deng nodded in agreement - although France has now entered the industrial age and productivity has achieved leaps and bounds, it is not easy to grow such a big belly.

"After arriving at our destination and stepping off the deck, the three of us looked at each other in bewilderment."

"There is no place to go, no one to find, and the future is uncertain."

“People coming in and out of the port gave us unfriendly looks.”

"Although Osaka is one of the most open towns in Japan, there are still many people who have deep hostility towards Westerners."

"Maybe this is fate's arrangement."

"Just when we were at a loss, Miss Lin came."

Miss Lin, that is Kinoshita Lin.

"The port where we landed that day was Osaka Port."

"At that time, Kinoshita Lin happened to visit Osaka Port for business."

"Miss Lin discovered us and came to ask about our situation out of curiosity."

"After learning about our plight, they were very kind to take us in."

“So, by chance, we became connected with Calabash House.”

"At first, Miss Lin's attitude towards us was not very enthusiastic."

"Giving some dried fish to the stray cats on the roadside - that's probably how she treats us."

"But, somehow, after learning about my experience, her attitude suddenly changed."

"Especially after she knew that I had a father with a paranoid personality who was obsessed with restoring the July Monarchy, her attitude towards me... how should I put it... became much gentler."

"She usually has a stern face."

"After that, she would smile gently every time she saw me."

“Not only that, she began to go out of her way to help us.”

"First, they arranged better accommodation for us."

"Then I started to teach my grandfather, who was not very active, how to do some simple business to make a living."

"It was during that time that I met Miss Mai."

When she said the word "Dancing Miss", Elodie unconsciously curled up the corners of her mouth, revealing a warm and joyful smile.

“Although I have escaped from the ‘bird cage’, the loneliness caused by the unfamiliar environment and the embarrassment of not having any friends still troubles me.”

"On a summer day when cicadas were chirping non-stop, I sat alone on the veranda, staring at the sky in a daze."

"Suddenly, a small shadow appeared in front of me - a girl in red hiding behind a tree not far away, watching me carefully."

"She thought she was hiding well, but she didn't know that half of her body was already exposed outside the tree trunk."

"It was not until several years later that I learned the truth about that day from Miss Mai."

"At that time, she heard that there was a little girl from France in the family."

"She thought that as a new girl like me, I would definitely feel lonely because I had no friends of the same age."

"In order to prevent me from being lonely, she came to play with me."

"Really... She obviously doesn't have any friends herself, but she's worried about my friendship situation."

"She is so shy. It's hard for her to come to see a stranger like me alone."

Although Elodie was complaining, the joy on her cheeks became more and more intense, and she looked quite happy.

"She said she came to play with me, but she just stood behind the tree without moving."

"At one point I suspected she was a suspicious person with ulterior motives, and I almost shouted 'help'."

"After several minutes, she finally left the tree trunk, took one step forward, took two steps back, and walked towards me tremblingly."

"Even though it was several years ago, I still remember what she said to me then."

"She said, 'Would you like to play 'Shuang Liu' together?'

【Note: Shuangliu: A classic board game from the Edo period, similar to Monopoly. 】

“Her words became the catalyst for us to get to know each other and then become close friends.”

"Thanks to that box of Sugoroku, and thanks to Miss Mai who didn't want me to be alone, we became each other's first friends."

"In short, with the help of Miss Lin, our group has successfully taken root in Japan."

"I don't need to elaborate on what happened next."

"After going through various changes, we moved from Osaka to Edo, and then from Edo to Kyoto. We lived in all three cities."

“Although I haven’t lived the chivalrous life of Robin Hood that I dreamed of, this harmonious and stable life has made me very satisfied.”

"If possible, I sincerely hope that days like this can last forever."

"What a pity... Father will never let this go."

"We all know our father's character very well."

“My mother unfortunately passed away from diphtheria not long after I was born.”

"Therefore, I am my father's only child and the only heir to his 'kingdom'."

"Neither I, nor Grandpa, nor Miss Leroy, thought that my father would be indifferent to my escape."

"His determination to 'never give up until he achieves his goal' will not be stopped by any obstacles."

“So after escaping France, we never let our guard down.”

"The reason why we moved from Edo to Kyoto is because we found that there were suddenly many suspicious people around the mansion."

"Grandpa suspected that these people were detectives hired by father."

"Although this is just speculation without any evidence, we decided to move out of Edo and relocate to Kyoto out of caution."

"I know my father won't give up easily."

"It's just... I never expected that he would go to Japan just to find me."

"Haha... Does this mean that my father cares about me a lot?"

"To be honest, I'm a bit confused... I don't know whether I should be happy or scared..."

Elodie finished.

As she finished speaking, she lowered her head with a dejected look on her face.

From Qing Deng's perspective, the looming shadow just covered his face, making it impossible for Qing Deng to see his expression clearly.

Qing Deng stared straight at Elodie with a calm expression.

Soon, he slowly said: "...I know the specific reasons. Elodie, do you want to go back to your father?"

"Eh?"

Elodie raised her eyes and looked at Qing Deng in surprise.

The overly direct question caught her off guard.

"Elody, do you want to go back to your father?"

Qing Deng repeated the question again.

His expression and tone were very calm, neither sad nor happy, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking at the moment.

Facing Qing Deng's gaze, Elodie unconsciously looked away, her eyes wandering in the air.

After hesitating for a long time, she stammered:
"Well... no matter what, he is my father... I am very afraid of him, but..."

Before she finished her words, Qing Deng interrupted her and said:
"Elody, you are obviously very smart, why are you so confused now?"

Qing Deng shrugged his shoulders and looked helpless.

"My question shouldn't be that profound, right?"

"It's just 'want' or 'don't want'."

"But you have been answering questions irrelevantly since just now, and have not given a direct answer yet."

"You don't need to say so much irrelevant things."

"You just need to tell me whether it's 'yes' or 'no'?"

After saying this, Qing Deng's face turned stern and his expression became extremely serious and solemn.

Elodie's gaze began to evade again.

"I...I...I..."

It's amazing that as time passed, every time she said the word "I", the confusion in her eyes faded a little, her tone became more determined, and her gaze no longer wandered around.

"I...I...I don't want to go back to my father!"

At the end of her words, her tone suddenly rose, with an alarming momentum.

“I’m having a great time here!”

"I have precious friends, a career I love, and a peaceful life."

"There is more... there is more... there is more..."

Somehow, she got stuck.

While repeating "yes", she carefully raised her eyes and looked at Qingdeng quietly, a faint blush flying onto her cheeks.

"I have it...I have a respected teacher!"

“My life is a thousand times better now than it was before!”

"No matter what happens, no matter what my father says or does, I will not go back with him!"

Looking at the blonde girl who had made up her mind and no longer hesitated, Qing Deng curled up the corners of his mouth and revealed a hearty smile.

"Okay, I understand your wish!"

After he finished speaking, Qing Deng breathed a sigh of relief.

"Elodie, to be honest, I don't care about your past identity."

"Whether you are an ordinary woman or a noble princess, in my eyes, you only have one identity, and that is my beloved disciple."

"I am glad to hear the answer 'I don't want to' from your mouth."

"Elody, I can't bear to leave you."

"No matter what, I don't want you to leave me."

As soon as Qingdeng finished speaking, Elodie was stunned on the spot.

"I can't bear to part with you", "I don't want you to leave me" ... these two sentences echoed in his mind again and again.

The blush that she had just barely suppressed now returned to her cheeks.

In a panic, she quickly lowered her head and acted like an ostrich, so as not to let Qing Deng notice the color on her cheeks.

Qing Deng, who was making an impassioned speech to himself, did not notice the other party's abnormality at this time.

"Well, now that we have reached a common agreement, let's go and meet your father!"

"Tell him clearly and directly: your daughter doesn't want to go with you, please go back on your own!"

"I don't care who your father is."

"Even if your father is the true King of France, don't even think about snatching someone away from the King!"

After saying that, Qing Deng stood up suddenly.

Seeing this, although there was still a slight blush on her face, Elodie stood up resolutely and responded to Qingdeng with the same high spirits.

Then, the two of them left the courtyard, walked into the corridor one after the other, and headed straight to the room where their father was.
However... after walking a few steps, Elodie's facial expression was gradually filled with fear.

The psychological weaknesses that have accumulated since childhood will not disappear easily with just a few words.

Her emotions were faithfully conveyed in her footsteps.

Qing Deng heard the footsteps behind him becoming weaker and weaker, so he turned his head to look back.

After noticing that Elodie was a little nervous, he smiled:
"Don't worry, Elodie. I'm here."

"I will be by your side throughout the meeting with your father."

"So you don't have to be afraid."

Hearing Qing Deng's encouragement, Elodie's expression became a little better.

Then, the two continued to move forward.

"..."

Elodi, who was half a body length behind Qingdeng, had been secretly observing Qingdeng's naturally swinging right hand.

At first, it was just ordinary observation.

But gradually, her expression and behavior became strange.

He pursed his lips, swallowed his saliva, and his expression showed a bit of struggle, as if he was saying to himself: "No" and "No".

Finally, she seemed to have made up her mind, took a deep breath, then suddenly stretched out her left palm and held Qingdeng's right hand tightly.

"Hmm? Elodie?"

Qing Deng was stunned, stopped, turned his head and looked at Elodie in surprise.

Elodie lowered her head to avoid Qing Deng's gaze, and hesitantly explained:
"Um, well... I'm a little scared... So... Master, can I hold your hand?"

Qing Deng burst out laughing when he heard this:
"If this makes you feel at ease, then I am happy to do so."

Qing Deng did not doubt it, but instead increased his strength and held Elodie's hand tightly.

The two of them moved forward again.

Elodie stared at her and Qingdeng's hands holding each other, her expression a little dull.

To her, Qing Deng's hands were huge.

Her hand was wrapped in the other person's big palm, which gave her an indescribable sense of security.

In the blink of an eye, the "fear" on his cheeks gradually dissipated, replaced by "stability" and "happiness".

Suddenly, Qing Deng, who was walking in front, asked:
"Ah, by the way, Elodie, I haven't asked you your real name yet."

"Since you are a French noble, then 'Elody Angoulême' is not your real name, right?"

"As far as I know, all French nobles have the word 'De' in their names."

"Elodie, what's your real name?"

Qing Deng's question brought Elodie back to her senses.

Now that things have come to this, there is no need to hide it any longer.

She shook her head hastily to get rid of the chaotic thoughts in her mind, and then answered seriously:
"Yes, I do. Elodie Angoulême is indeed my pseudonym."

"My real name is 'Alice de Orleans'."

Instantly, Qing Deng's body shook violently.

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First half of chapter: "Miss Wu is my best friend!"

Second half of the chapter: Holding Miss Wu’s husband’s hand tightly.