Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 121 Chores
"Hot News Roundup: Today's Highlights, focusing on recent food safety issues in the city."

Listening to the sounds coming from the TV, Zhou You hummed a song and leisurely cooked instant noodles.

Today is no different.

A pot of water, three bags of flour, two eggs, and a sausage—that makes for a very luxurious lunch.

Of course, with the previous income of 80,000 yuan, he wouldn't have needed to continue eating instant noodles every day.

Unfortunately, Zhou You had borrowed a lot of money to treat his own and his grandfather's illnesses, and he wasn't the kind of person who liked to default on his debts. So, as soon as he got the money, he paid off most of it to his creditors.

The remaining amount was enough for him to live on for a while, but it wasn't enough to support him eating out or ordering takeout every day.

Cooking for himself is fine, but unfortunately Zhou You's cooking skills are... well, let's just say they're not great. So he basically survives on instant noodles and fast food every day.

In the past, he might have been dissatisfied with this kind of life, but as mentioned before, ever since he experienced that Tai Sui incident...
—Anyway, these days even if you only give him pickled vegetables and cornbread, he can eat it like it's the most delicious food.

Before long, a pot of instant noodles was cooked. This time, Zhou You didn't bring the pot into the house. Instead, he divided the noodles into two bowls, one large and one small. Then, he took out a yellow talisman from his pocket, lit it with the still-burning fire in the stove, and sprinkled it evenly into the smaller bowl.

This is a method that Zhou You learned from the book "A Brief Explanation of the Xuanzang General Knowledge". Its effect is probably similar to consecrating offerings, both of which allow ghosts and spirits to enjoy human food.

However, due to the considerable amount of materials and effort required, Zhou You was only able to make a few sheets after earning some extra money.

Carrying two bowls of instant noodles, Zhou You walked back to the bedroom and called out to the female ghost who was hugging her legs and watching the midday news.

"Hey you, dinner's ready, come and eat."

Since they haven't been able to communicate with each other yet, and calling each other things like "Little White," "Little Black," or "Little Flower" is really inappropriate, Zhou You can only refer to them as "that person."

The female ghost glanced up at him, then floated over silently and expressionlessly.

Zhou You didn't prepare any tableware for her, but she didn't need chopsticks either. Qi Gui lay down in front of the bowl, hooked a few strands of noodles with her finger, and then slurped them down in one go.

Before long, the bowl of instant noodles lost all its aroma, as if all its essence and flavor had vanished. At this moment, a hint of happiness finally appeared on the female ghost's blank face, but she immediately remembered that this was her 'enemy,' so she forced a straight face and returned to the television.

Zhou You didn't seem to mind—to be honest, after spending this time together, he felt like he had gained a younger sister. So he simply picked up his instant noodle bowl and looked at the screen as well.

The midday news broadcast on television continued.

"The molestation case at Hanhai University was ultimately proven to be a false alarm, caused by the victim making a false police report. We would like to remind the public to move on to the next news item."

Peng Jiayan, president of Tenglong Construction Company, a well-known construction company in the city, passed away at home the day before yesterday.

Zhou You paused, his chopsticks still in his hand, but then continued eating noodles as if nothing had happened. "According to the report from his home security personnel, the deceased's death was extremely gruesome, as if he had suffered immense torture before death. However, the police autopsy results indicate that Mr. Peng Jiayan died from a sudden heart attack; there were no external injuries on his body. Homicide has been ruled out. We urge the public to rely on the police investigation and refrain from spreading rumors."

—As expected, this is the final result.

Zhou You shook his head, then slurped down his lunch.

However, he knew that, contrary to what was reported in the news, Peng Jiayan died on the third night after the meeting.

—They were scared to death.

Under his instructions, the vengeful spirits did not cause any physical injuries; however, the mental torture they inflicted became all the more cruel.

He wasn't entirely clear on the details of what happened, but as far as he knew, Peng Jiayan's supposedly gruesome death was an understatement; apparently, the person who discovered the body was so terrified he almost wet himself on the spot.

He himself had been summoned by the police several times because he had entered and exited the villa a few days earlier—but because Peng Jiayan knew that the matter was not something that could be brought to light, he only told the public that he had asked Zhou You to be his personal consultant—and in the end, nothing came of it.

After Peng Jiayan's autopsy results came out, there was no need for even a basic summons. Zhou You, who was cleared of suspicion, even found an opportunity to sneak into the funeral and took the chance to retrieve those vengeful ghosts.

However, unlike the one in his family, those vengeful ghosts, lacking a vessel to rely on and having vented their anger after taking their revenge, were on the verge of their souls being scattered. Zhou You, being completely ignorant of any soul-binding spells—which were not written in the skill book and neither the old Taoist nor Xuan Yuan had taught them—could only send them to the largest temple in the area and spend a sum of money to have the monks enshrine them.

Those monks may not have any real skills, but the incense and faith in the temple cannot be faked. After being worshipped for more than ten years, these people may be able to enter the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn.

then.

At this point, all practical matters have been resolved.

There were still a few days left before the game's deadline, but Zhou You was too lazy to wait any longer. He casually washed the dishes and then patted the female ghost's head.

"Hey you, I'm planning to go out for a while. Keep a close eye on the house. If you run into a thief or anything, scare him a little, but don't go overboard. Also, there are a few big bags of loose potato chips in the fridge, all mixed with the yellow talismans I drew. If you're really craving some, you can have a bite."

The brief instructions ended quickly. Seeing the little female ghost nod slightly, Zhou You smiled, then opened the black book and entered again.

After Zhou You's figure completely disappeared, a look of loneliness suddenly appeared on the female ghost's face, but she quickly composed herself and turned her gaze back to the television.

However, after the midday news ended, what appeared on the screen was not its favorite cartoon, but an emergency announcement.

"We have a breaking news report: another dismemberment murder has occurred near Zhanshui Road. The perpetrator's methods were extremely cruel. Police suspect a connection to a cult from many years ago. We urge all citizens to be vigilant, lock your doors and windows at night, avoid talking to strangers, and immediately call 110 if you encounter any suspicious individuals."

The female ghost stared blankly at the screen, a chilling, blood-red light suddenly flashing in her lifeless eyes.

(End of this chapter)