Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 665 Strange Tales: Cat and Mouse Game
Since the Lost City began to fall, the once clear sky here has been shrouded in gloom ever since.

Along the mountain road, you can occasionally see some skeletons lying in the bushes.

Every now and then, a few crows would fly by in the woods.

Xiao Ran and her group moved very quickly, often covering more than ten meters in a single step, and in just a morning they covered nearly a hundred miles.

"I can't take it anymore, I can't hold on any longer."

Jin Chanzi called out to Xiao Ran first, then slowed down, revealing that his sneakers were almost coming unglued.

Dai Long, standing to the side, was flushed, his back already soaked with sweat. He tore two Swiftness Talismans from between his legs and threw them on the ground, panting heavily.

Clearly, the two of them had a tough time chasing each other.

Oh, that only applies to the two of them. As for Huang Le, this guy was carried on Qinghai Laomo's shoulder the whole way. Although he felt like he was about to throw up from being carried like that, fortunately he didn't fall behind.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran slowed down and took out several bottles of mineral water from her spatial storage and gave them to everyone.

"We're moving so fast, can Wu Man catch up?"

Huang Le jumped off the Green Skeleton Demon, rubbing his stomach and stretching his limbs as he asked Xiao Ran a question.

"You want to know how Wu Man will deal with these people from Geely, right?"

Having his thoughts exposed by Xiao Ran, Huang Le smiled shyly. Qinghai Old Demon grinned and said, "Why do you need to worry about him? Don't worry, among our group, he's the best at handling people. He can handle this kind of small matter with ease."

Upon hearing this, Huang Le immediately relaxed. Other things were easy to talk about, but they actually mentioned his family, which Huang Le couldn't tolerate.

"Dai Long".

On the way, Xiao Ran asked Dai Long beside her, "Your Xiushui Dai family and Longhu Mountain were originally from the same lineage, so why are you fighting to the death?"

During this battle to defend the city, Xiao Ran realized that Jin Chanzi and Dai Long were using the same tactics.

The only difference is that the two of them specialize in different areas.

Jin Chanzi is skilled at summoning gods and setting up formations, while Dai Long is skilled in the Five Thunder Orthodox Method.

Recalling what Jin Chanzi had said before about the Xiushui family, Xiao Ran couldn't help but feel curious.

Dai Long glanced at the golden toad.

“Don’t look at me like that, we’re not the same kind of people,” Jin Chanzi said, waving his hand.

"Sigh!" Dai Long sighed upon hearing this and said to Xiao Ran, "Brother Xiao, what do you think the martial arts world is like?"

Xiao Ran remained silent for a while, and his assessment of the martial arts world was summed up in one word: "dirty."

What talk of seeking revenge, of singing with a sword, of roaring when injustice is seen? In the end, it's nothing more than cheating, deceiving, swindling, stealing, killing, robbing, raping, and plundering—just nine words.

The so-called "rules of the underworld" are nothing more than an unspoken rule that everyone tacitly agrees on.

If you have the power, we'll follow the rules of the game. If you don't, well, who the hell cares about the rules?

A long time ago, Xiao Ran understood a saying: the martial arts world is a place where human relationships matter more than morality.

So when Dai Long asked himself about the martial arts world, Xiao Ran's summary was just one word: dirty.

Upon hearing Xiao Ran's swear word, Dai Long looked at Xiao Ran in surprise, then smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Xiao, you are a very insightful person. If my great-grandfather had understood this word back then, my Dai family would not have been suppressed for so many years."

Dai Long briefly recounted his family's story and his connection to Longhu Mountain.

The Dai family was once part of the Qingwei sect of Longhu Mountain. They separated from Longhu Mountain during the Guangxu era because their ancestor had comprehended another method of cultivation.

So far, the two families have maintained a fairly good relationship.

Later, the world fell into chaos, and Longhu Mountain was also ravaged. After a long struggle to unify the world, many precious things in Longhu Mountain were lost due to the changes of the times.

The most important of these are scriptures, records, rituals, and other materials.

At that time, the legal system was not perfect. Relying on its reputation, Longhu Mountain seized the Dai family's legal register under the guise of borrowing it. They then used the name of the Longhu lineage to accuse the Dai family of having their legal register as belonging to Longhu Mountain.

Dai Long's great-grandfather was so angry that he stormed up the mountain gate.

As a result, Longhu Mountain disregarded martial ethics and instead seriously injured the patriarch of the Dai family.

From that point on, the Dai family and Longhu Mountain became sworn enemies.

"Hehe!" Dai Long sneered at this moment: "Ironically, after Longhu Mountain stole our family's magic talismans, they discovered that those talismans were completely incompatible with their original set of things. This resulted in Longhu Mountain's Luotian Grand Ceremony being incomplete, and even inferior to Maoshan's."

Wherever there are people, there is a world of intrigue and power struggles, and these struggles are nothing more than fame and fortune.

Longhushan's actions were unethical, but due to his official position, the Xiushui Daijia practice could only be categorized as a folk belief.

However, every cause has its effect. The forced seizure of the Taoist talisman from the Dai family of Xiushui by Longhu Mountain also led to their lack of ambition, with countless members holding positions of power without contributing anything.

Now that the Lost City has descended, Zhang Taiping of Qingcheng Mountain, although old and no longer interested in adventure, has a successor, Qi Jinguang, who is capable of shouldering the great responsibility of Qingcheng Mountain in the future.

Both Maoshan and Quanzhen sects have their own successors who, through their own strength, stormed into the Lost City. In the future, they will inevitably rely on their immense good fortune to overcome the calamity.

As for Longhu Mountain... although there is a Golden Toad, the Golden Toad does not recognize the branch of Longhu Mountain in reality.

Moreover, Jin Chanzi himself is not responsible for restoring his sect; he has his own things to do.

Although the Dai family had suffered hardships, they are now reaping the rewards of their efforts. Dai Long becoming an employee of the company means that the country is beginning to consider recognizing the Dai family.

Longhu Mountain has only the name; it is destined to be abandoned by the times.

Although Huang Le couldn't get a word in edgewise, listening to Dai Long's stories felt like listening to a story.

As they were talking, a town appeared ahead.

The town doesn't look very big, but you can see living people there.

Xiao Ran's eyes gleamed with a fluorescent light as she carefully scanned the area. She saw that the town was shrouded in gloom, and wisps of evil energy were falling from the clouds.

"How about we go check it out? We can wait for Wu Man while we wait for her," Jin Chanzi suggested.

"Okay, everyone must be tired. Let's go inside and rest."

Xiao Ran nodded, and the group headed towards the town.

This town has no name. Unlike the city of all living beings, there are not many people in the town. The few pedestrians on the streets are mostly in a hurry, and no one lingers on the streets.

However, one thing is certain: these people are all alive.

"stop!!"

Not long after they left, several constables blocked Xiao Ran and his companions' path. The leading constable was probably in his early forties, with a goatee and piercing eyes. He placed one hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist and looked them over warily.

"Outsider? Where are you from, and where are you going?"

“Sir, we are bodyguards from Ruzhou, responsible for escorting goods to Chuzhou. Now that the goods have been delivered, we are about to turn back. We are tired from the journey and would like to rest in a town and find a place to eat some dried fruit.”

The identity of bodyguards is still quite suitable for them in the current environment.

After all, if you're talking about doing business, these people don't look like businessmen at all, and they're all traveling light, so they don't look like businessmen at all.

If you claim to be a martial arts practitioner, it will only attract unnecessary trouble. It's better to travel as a bodyguard. After all, compared to unemployed people like martial arts practitioners, being a bodyguard is not only a demonstration of strength but also a profession. At least with this profession, you won't be seen as a thief.

"A bodyguard?"

The lead constable squinted at Xiao Ran, then snorted coldly, "I don't care if you're bodyguards or just wandering the martial world, once you're in town, behave yourselves. Don't let me catch you having any ulterior motives. I'll be watching you the whole time!"

As he spoke, the taxi driver brandished the precious sword at his waist.

As the sword was drawn, a notification sound appeared in front of Xiao Ran and the others.

"Triggering the Ghost Story: Cat and Mouse Game"

"You need to complete three 'bad deeds' in the town without the officials noticing anything. If they do, you will be arrested and thrown into jail immediately!"

“You will not be able to leave the town until you have done more than three bad things.”

"For every day you're stranded, you have to accomplish one more bad deed!!"

Every "bad deed" must have a corresponding reward; the higher the reward, the greater the prize. However, high rewards also come with high risks!

Xiao Ran was taken aback and carefully examined the strange tale.

"It's really strange. I've never seen a bizarre story where someone is forced to commit crimes. No wonder it's called a cat-and-mouse game."

However, this strange story is quite interesting. Xiao Ran has done so many good deeds, and suddenly he is asked to be a bad guy... Hehe, it's quite novel.

"Gentlemen, please rest assured, we are all law-abiding citizens. I would never do anything to cheat or swindle. May I ask your honorable names, gentlemen..."

Xiao Ran stepped forward and discreetly handed over a sum of money for the dead.

Unexpectedly, the man pushed Xiao Ran away, his expression turned serious, his thick eyebrows furrowed, and he glared fiercely at Xiao Ran:
"My surname is Qi. Get your dirty money away from me! Who do you take me for? This is a warning. If you dare to do it again, I'll arrest you for bribing officials!"

"Yes Yes Yes."

Xiao Ran nodded repeatedly in apology.

Seeing that Xiao Ran's attitude was acceptable, the constable Qi didn't say anything more, snorted coldly, and then led his men away in a long stride.

"Why...why are we being asked to do bad things? I...I've never done anything bad in my life except for poking holes in condoms."

Huang Le looked at Xiao Ran with a troubled expression. As a generation that grew up under the red flag, he was taught from childhood not to do bad things. Suddenly being asked to do bad things was something Huang Le couldn't quite process for a while.

Xiao Ran glanced at him: "Use your brain more. What's so hard about doing a few bad things? The hard part is not getting caught, for example..."

He stretched out his hand, revealing a money pouch with a large "Qi" character embroidered on it...

(End of this chapter)