Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 141 Small talk
But at that moment, Lu Xiuyuan hurriedly squeezed through and used his body to separate the two.

Before Zhou You could react, the soldier revealed a malicious smile.

"—What, are you trying to fight us and force your way through?"

Lu Xiuyuan quickly smiled and said.

"No, no, no, how could I dare, sir? You've misunderstood. Our immortal master has absolutely no connection with that murderous maniac. If you don't believe me, take another look."

Lu Xiuyuan then took out the ordination certificate and handed it over.

It seemed to be the same as usual, but Zhou You still noticed with his sharp eyes that this time there was a rather heavy pocket attached to the bottom of the certificate.

The soldier took the two items, first discreetly reaching into his pocket to check them, then revealing a satisfied smile.

"He's got a good eye. Alright, this guy seems fine, you guys go in!"

Seeing that they had finally gotten past the brat, Lu Xiuyuan breathed a sigh of relief before running back to lead the way. Zhou You shook his head and ignored him.

However, as he passed the soldier, he seemed to trip over the mud under his feet, stumbled, and bumped into the soldier.

The soldier looked up, as if about to explode in anger, but Zhou You had already stepped back, waving his hands repeatedly and apologizing.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't notice."

As the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face, so the soldier could only spit out a curse on the spot.

"Pah! What are your eyes for? Watch your eyes!"

After entering the city, Lu Xiuyuan was still afraid that Zhou You would get angry, so he kept explaining.

"Hey, Daoist Master, don't bother with them. In previous years, they wouldn't dare to cause trouble for you cultivators. It's just that there are Tantric monks giving sermons here today, and they're taking advantage of their master's power."

Zhou You seemed completely unconcerned, and simply smiled as he spoke.

"I'm fine with it, it's not a big deal, it's just a pity that you, the head镖师, have to spend so much money."

Hearing this, Lu Xiuyuan also looked somewhat distressed.

"Oh, what's this talk of spending money? We're used to it. From the county magistrate to the yamen runners and soldiers, anyone can squeeze a buck out of us."

Zhou You suddenly said.

"—Speaking of which, isn't Chief Lu's company a security escort agency? As far as I know, most people who can run one rely on connections, so how could you be ripped off like this?"

Lu Xiuyuan sighed even more.

"Escort agencies are escort agencies, but there are different sizes. Take the Shehu Escort Agency in the capital, for example. It has hundreds of people, and the head of the agency is even the son-in-law of Prince Duan. When they go on a mission, who doesn't give them some face? But what about us? The entire escort agency has only about ten people in total—and that's including the cooks and handymen. In such a tiny place, who would give us face?"

Looking at Lu Xiuyuan, who had a distressed expression and was constantly complaining, Zhou You tilted his head and thought for a moment before suddenly speaking.

"Hey, Chief Escort Lu, that bribe you just gave must have been quite a blow, right?"

Lu Xiuyuan's face showed a hint of bitterness.

"No, that's not the case. But after the escort mission, I will definitely get a smaller share of the money. Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?"

"It's actually nothing."

Zhou You rummaged in his pocket and then casually tossed two things over.

Lu Xiuyuan hurriedly caught it, only to be shocked to discover that one of the two items was the money bag he had handed over.

"Daoist, Daoist Master, how did you get this?" Zhou You smiled nonchalantly.

"It's nothing really. I just saw that the soldier wasn't holding it properly, so I just took it from him."

"."

Lu Xiuyuan was speechless for a moment, then turned his gaze to another cloth bag.

"Well, I think I only handed one over just now."

Zhou You answered with a smile.

"Oh, that? I noticed that the soldier's own money bag wasn't hanging very securely, so I brought it over to keep it safe for him."

"."

Lu Xiuyuan was completely speechless.

—He now understands Zhou You's personality a bit better. It's true that he's a chivalrous person who stands up for justice, but this guy is probably the kind of person who will definitely retaliate if you mess with him.

I should be more careful in the future.
-
This brief episode was quickly glossed over.

Jianhu County is neither very large nor very small. Generally speaking, it is a place where the surrounding villages and towns meet, and it usually serves as a market for the villagers to buy and sell goods.

But now, the entire city is shrouded in thick smog.

You don't notice it outside the county town, but as soon as you enter the town, you are immediately hit by a smoky smell – looking around, almost every household has an incense burner in front of their door, and behind the burner there is always a statue of a deity.

and.

The statue's appearance was extremely bizarre.

At first glance, it was simply a human skeleton, the withered body devoid of any flesh or blood, the three eyes on its head staring wide-open as if intently fixed on something. Its mouth was as large as a basin, it wore a skull crown, and its body was wrapped in a fluttering monk's belt. One hand held a staff made of human bone, while the other held a skull brimming with blood.

Zhou You had no knowledge of Tantric Buddhism and couldn't recognize what it was, but Lu Xiuyuan stepped forward to explain.

"This is the charnel ground deity of Esoteric Buddhism, also known as the tomb deity, and this sect primarily worships this deity. Their supernatural powers are basically all related to this."

Because it was too noisy around him, Zhou You didn't hear the rest of what was said, but those few sentences suddenly reminded him of something.

Master Du Xin had mentioned this thing to him before, saying that back then, almost half of Wuzhou was turned into a ghost town by it.
—Is the one worshipped by the esoteric sects today the same one that descended upon Wuzhou back then?
Zhou You really wanted to ask Lu Xiuyuan if he knew about the Wuzhou massacre back then, but thinking that his identity would be easily exposed, he ultimately chose to give up.

As the road came to an end, the government office came into view in the distance. Lu Xiuyuan spoke again.

"Well, Master, we'll need to change our travel permits and approvals later, which will probably take some time. You're new here, so don't waste your time doing these pointless things with us. Lu Ping, Lu Ping!"

Lu Xiuyuan called out a few times, then pushed the boy who had run up to him towards him.

"I'll have Lu Ping accompany you. You can take your time to explore the city and relax a bit—don't worry, any expenses will be on my tab, so just enjoy yourself!"

Zhou You understood the hidden meaning in Lu Xiuyuan's words. After what had just happened, he was afraid that Lu Xiuyuan would cause some trouble in the yamen.

No, do you really think I'm that much of a troublemaker?

However, Zhou You ultimately decided to accept the other party's kindness and prepare to join in the fun in the city.

After all... ever since he entered the world of literature, he has been constantly fighting and being fought, and now he really deserves a good rest.

(End of this chapter)