North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 34 Unwelcome Visitors

Poe was stunned!

In other places, an unwelcome visitor like him would be driven away as soon as possible.

And this young Chinese man in front of me seems to want to continue this disturbing conversation?

Out of courtesy, Poe sat down.

"So, Mr. Li, what do you want to ask?"

Azu poured two glasses of Jason's collection of Macallan whiskey and handed one to Edgar Allan Poe.

Poe took the glass but did not drink it.

Only after Zu took a sip did Poe take a cautious sip.

He was immediately attracted by the rich layers and balanced taste of Macallan whisky, as well as its pure and rich aroma.

Involuntarily, he picked up the wine glass, looked at it for a moment, took a deep sniff of the wine, and then took another sip!
After this bite, I can't stop!
Edgar Allan Poe was a serious alcoholic!
He didn't restrain himself until his physical condition worsened.

A Zu held up his wine glass and asked, "Dear Mr. Poe, do you have a grudge against the Cameron family?"

The wine glass that Edgar Allan Poe brought to his lips stopped there.

"Why do you ask that?"

A-Zu smiled faintly: "Every time you mention the name Cameron, your eyes and tone are filled with complex emotions! There is hatred, attachment, regret, and... disgust!"

Edgar Allan Poe was silent for a long time, then he picked up the wine glass and drank it in one gulp!
"Li, the question you asked has nothing to do with my visit today. I don't have to answer it, right?"

A-Zu nodded: "Of course! Mr. Poe, you don't have to answer!"

"But...!" A Zu changed the subject: "This is about your life. I think you'd better be honest with me!"

"My life?" Poe's expression tightened and his right hand immediately reached for his waist.

"No, no, no!" A-Zu stopped him with a smile: "Mr. Poe, you misunderstood!"

"Lee, what do you mean?" Poe did not pull his hands out of his waist.

"Mr. Poe, you are very ill, very ill!"

A-Zu looked at the amber whiskey in the glass and said slowly, "You have contracted a very serious pneumonia. If you don't get effective treatment, you only have a few months left to live!"

"Mr. Edgar Allan Poe, you are only forty years old. With your talent, you shouldn't die so early!"

"I will decide whether to save you or not based on everything you answer!"

"Li...what did you say?" Poe's right hand, which was tucked into his waist, was trembling slightly.

"Haha!" A-Zu smiled slightly. "Mr. Poe, you are very aware that your life is almost coming to an end, right?"

Edgar Allan Poe slowly withdrew his hands from his waist, despair appearing in his eyes.

The young Chinese man opposite is right!
I'm dying! My pneumonia is getting worse and worse, making me weaker and weaker day by day.

All the doctors were helpless and he could only walk towards death step by step!
But I'm only 40 years old! It's the peak of a man's career!
Edgar Allan Poe slowly closed his eyes and slumped down on the back of the sofa.

A-Zu's voice continued, "Mr. Poe, there is no doctor in this world who can cure your severe, long-standing pneumonia infection and save your life...except me!"

Poe opened his eyes and asked hesitantly, "Lee, are you a doctor?"

A-Zu shook his head: "Not really!"

"Do you know the mysterious witchcraft of the East?"

"Not really!" A-Zu continued to shake his head. "Haha!" Poe sneered, "Then what are you going to use to cure my stubborn disease?"

"A qualified detective has a rational and calm mind and will not believe anything that is illogical."

"So, of course you don't believe I can cure your disease!"

A-Zu continued to play with the wine glass in his hand: "Then just pretend you're about to die. Your story needs someone to listen. Perhaps... there will be unexpected gains, right?"

Edgar Allan Poe leaned back on the sofa and stared at the young Chinese man opposite him for a long time.

Finally, he raised his empty glass and said, "Give me another drink!"

A-Zu poured him wine until it was full!
Poe took another sip of the amber Macallan whiskey, closing his eyes and savoring it slowly.

"This glass of wine deserves a good story!"

Poe pondered this for a long time before he said self-deprecatingly, "I have been writing stories all my life, but I can only tell my own story to a young Chinese man whom I have never met!"

"Life is such a stupid, vulgar joke!"

"I first met Colonel Cameron twenty years ago... At that time, I had just graduated from West Point and joined the Arkansas Rangers. Colonel Cameron, uh, at that time, he was still a major. Major Cameron was my battalion commander!"

"Major Cameron is an ambitious, cunning, and ruthless man who will do anything to achieve his goals!"

"But because I was good at writing, old Cameron thought highly of me and treated me very well. He even saved my life several times."

"The last time, our Ranger camp was besieged by thousands of Indians. I was seriously injured, and it was Cameron who single-handedly saved me."

"Cameron even let me stay at his house while I was recovering from my injury!"

“There, I met Anne Cameron, his most cherished daughter, the apple of his eye…!”

Then, it was a rather melodramatic story of pure love and secret marriage. Anne Cameron became pregnant and could no longer hide it from old Cameron.

As a descendant of the Union Jack aristocracy of old London, old Cameron would never allow his daughter to have an affair with a poor boy like Edgar Allan Poe.

Cameron was furious and expelled Poe from the army, breaking up the ill-fated lovers.

Anne Cameron was so grief-stricken that she suffered a miscarriage and heavy bleeding, and died, leaving two people dead.

From then on, Edgar Allan Poe and the Cameron family had a complicated relationship of love and hatred.

Ten years ago, when Edgar Allan Poe was at his poorest, he fell ill in a hotel and was dying.

In the end, the one who came to his rescue was the old Cameron whom he hated the most!

From then on, Edgar Allan Poe, who had mixed feelings about the Cameron family, did some things for old Cameron.

Finding out the truth about his son's poisoning was the last thing Edgar Allan Poe did for old Cameron!

After telling this long story, Poe drank the last sip of wine in his glass.

"This is my story! If I don't find someone to talk to, I may never have the chance again!"

"Thank you for the wine and for listening!"

Edgar Allan Poe stood up, straightened his clothes, and turned to walk out.

When he reached the door, Poe stopped, without looking back, and just said something lightly.

"Lee, little Cameron, you were the one who killed him! Right?"

(End of this chapter)