Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 161 Planning
"What?!!!"

Lu Xiuyuan disregarded all previous politeness and suddenly stood up.

His face instantly turned ugly.

He had originally planned to head down the mountain with everyone in the rain after handing over the goods—the situation in Lizhou was getting worse and worse, and leaving a day earlier would help them avoid danger sooner—but who would have thought that someone would suddenly tell him that the road was gone?

Normally, missing a few days wouldn't be a big deal, but now...

What if, because of these few days, I end up running into the pursuers of the Tantric sect? Who can I complain to then?

Thinking of this, Lu Xiuyuan still wanted to struggle a little more.

"Well then, Abbot Liaochen, although this road has collapsed, Ci'en Temple is still a large temple. Is there any other way down the mountain?"

But the other person simply shook their head slightly.

“Chief镖鲁, you’ve been to our temple more than once, so you should know that there’s only one road. Now that it’s buried by earth and rocks, you’ll basically have to go through the forest to get down the mountain.”

Lu Xiuyuan's face instantly turned as long as a donkey's.

He glanced back at everyone—especially after seeing Lupin's youthful face—and finally gritted his teeth, abandoning the idea of ​​risking leaving.

He didn't know if the Tantric sect would come on time, but he risked crossing mountains and valleys in such heavy rain.
It seems the pursuers haven't arrived yet, but the person has already slipped and fallen to their death.

Lu Xiuyuan sighed resignedly.

Seeing this, Abbot Liaochen waved to the novice monk.

“Since the road has collapsed, please stay at the temple for a few days. According to the usual situation, the rainy season will be over in two or three days. After the weather clears up, I will take the monks to clear the road – at least to a point where you can pass through.”

Lu Xiuyuan could only reply with slumped shoulders.

"Then, I'll have to trouble you to host."
-
As the group of people walked away with the novice monk, Abbot Liaochen's expression gradually turned cold.

I wouldn't say they harbored malice, but they were no longer as friendly as before. If I had to describe it, I would say they had absolutely no feelings for me.

It felt like a man-made puppet, with a nose and eyes, but lacking the vitality that a human should have.

After a long while, he finally stood up from the prayer mat, staggered over to the statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and began chanting sutras.

But what came out of his mouth was not the common Mandarin, nor the dialect of Lizhou that always had a bangzi feel to it, but some kind of language that was difficult to identify.

"There is no one, no one, no one, no one, no life, no longevity."

The sound was like countless mosquitoes fluttering in your ear, or like greasy fat being squeezed into your ear; it was so disgusting it was maddening.

Fortunately, only Liao Chen was present in the lecture hall.

The candlelight flickered, casting a small amount of light on the frail body. Suddenly, a gust of wind carrying moisture blew in through the cracks in the doors and windows, causing the flames to sway.

The shadow of dust on the wall also became crooked, and suddenly it looked like a deformed ghost.

After a long while, the sound of the door being pushed open came again.

This time, it was another young novice monk who came in.

However, unlike before, although the age of the person who came this time is still not very high, there is a strange feeling about them.

...It's as if the person standing here isn't a child, but an adult.

The novice monk waited quietly until Liaochen finished reciting the last line of the sutra before speaking.

—It was a voice that was incongruous with his physique, incredibly powerful.

“I’ve already said that we should try to avoid any trouble right now, and the top priority should be capturing Zhengde. Why did you let a security escort agency get involved?” Liao Chen hunched over, gently rubbing the black Buddha statue with his thumb, and slowly spoke.

"—They came on their own. I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that they delivered the goods at just the right time."

The visitor frowned and said with great dissatisfaction.

"Why didn't you just kick them out after you got the goods? Why did you keep them here? Others may not know, but I know very well that over the years, your temple has built several secret passages down the mountain to prevent harassment from the Tantric sect."

Liao Chen raised his gray eyebrows, but his voice remained unchanged.

"I only saw that the wind and rain were too fierce, and that Chief Escort Lu seemed to want to go down the mountain in the rain. I couldn't persuade him for a while, and I was afraid that something might happen to them. So, out of compassion, I broke my vow and let them stay on the mountain for a few days."

However, the visitor let out a sneer.

"If you were that kind-hearted, you wouldn't have betrayed us back then. Never mind, I can't control what you think, but I have to warn you, based on my observation just now, the others in that escort agency are fine, but that short-haired Taoist priest is quite difficult to deal with."

Liao Chen casually replied.

"—He's just a Taoist priest from Baiyun Temple, what's so difficult about dealing with him?"

However, upon hearing this, the newcomer suddenly grinned, and the mocking expression on the face of a child who was no more than thirteen or fourteen years old was particularly chilling.

"Baiyun Temple? You must be joking. If they had such people, would they still be unable to even get a D grade every year?"

The man paused again, seemingly considering how to describe it, before speaking.

“That short-haired Taoist priest... I really can’t see through him. Killing Fu Wushuangzhi is nothing special. After all, although that thing is usually difficult to deal with, it also has a lot of weaknesses. I can kill it if I find the right opportunity. But this person... his abilities are definitely more than that. When I was around him, I even felt a little scared - it felt like when I was facing your master.”

Liao Chen said calmly.

"With your status, you'd be afraid of such a young brat?"

The visitor shook his head.

"...The past is the past, and the present is the present. Now I am nothing more than a lingering, dying soul. I should try to play it safe."

Liao Chen lowered his eyebrows, and after a long while, his voice rang out again.

"Understood, I will pay attention."

Knowing his personality well, the visitor could only sigh and stop trying to persuade him, instead changing the subject.

"Speaking of which, that bit of gold and silver must be the last bit of gold and silver your temple has left, right? Are you really willing to use it as payment for the escort?"

Upon hearing this, Liao Chen paused slightly in his rubbing of the Buddha statue.

"It's alright. If we succeed this time, money is nothing, let alone anything else."

"They can't possibly take this gold and silver with them, so what's wrong with me leaving it with them for a few days?"

The visitor could only shake his head and leave, closing the door behind him.

So only Abbot Liaochen remained in the room.

Some time later, the chanting of sutras began again.

The firelight gradually shifted, illuminating the head of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

—At this moment, the wrathful form had vanished without a trace.

Instead, a face filled with madness appeared.

(End of this chapter)