Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 169 The Last Class

Shortly after.

Lu Xiuyuan returned to his post with absolute joy.

As soon as he entered, he eagerly greeted Lu Ping.

"Ping'er, you don't need to look anymore. Old Zheng is back and everything's fine. Also, there's good news today. Go and get out the cured meat you secretly hid. We'll make a pot of meat porridge tonight to treat everyone!"

Lu Ping was quite happy when he heard the first half of the sentence, but when he heard the second half, his face immediately fell.

"No, Uncle, I hid it so well. I originally intended to give it to Master as a token of my respect. How did you find out?"

Lu Xiuyuan immediately burst into laughter.

"Who do you think I am? I'm your uncle! I've watched you grow up with your bare bottom showing since you were a kid, do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Go, go, hurry up, I'll buy you double the amount after we come down the mountain in a few days!"

Lu Ping ran away reluctantly, while Lu Xiuyuan turned around with a smile, cupped his hands in greeting to Zhou You, and said...

"Then please wait a moment, Master Zhou. I will go and find the other two masters. If you need anything, just ask Ping'er."

Zhou You smiled and agreed.

but.

Just as that figure completely disappeared from sight, he shook his head and suddenly sighed softly.

—Lu Xiuyuan is clever and knows how to navigate social situations, but because he hasn't experienced many big events, he tends to be careless and overlooks certain things when it really matters.

For example, right now, in the blink of an eye, he completely forgot about all the strange things he had just mentioned.

—Could it be that he thinks the Zheng Sandan who came back this time is really the real person?
Zhou You scratched his face, then suddenly looked at Zheng Sandan with a smile that remained unchanged.

Just then, Zheng Sandan also turned around and looked at him.

"Master, is there anything I can help you with?"

His words, actions, and behavior seemed no different from those of ordinary people.

...No wonder Lu Xiuyuan didn't see the problem.

But the problem is...
Zhou You recalled that this rough man never said "excuse me." Although he respected him, he always spoke directly and without any embellishment or honorifics.

and.

At this moment, he had no 'human scent' about him.

He was breathing and his chest was throbbing, but he didn't have the subtle movements that a normal person would have.

Even though he was covered in mud from head to toe, Zhou You never saw him scratch or rub it on the way back.

Like the other novice monks, Zheng Sandan was like a puppet being manipulated.

Zhou You gently grasped Duan Xie.

—Or, why don't we just kill him right here?

But then he shook his head slightly.

No, we have to wait.

Killing one now would cause chaos, and since the other镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) haven't returned yet, it would be easy for the mastermind to pick them off one by one. Secondly, they don't know what state Master Zheng is in. If he can still be saved, then they would be killing an innocent person by mistake—even if they don't consider their own conscience, Duan Xie might curse them.

so……

Zhou You slowly lowered his hand.

—Let's keep an eye on it for now, find an opportunity to control it tonight, and then interrogate it thoroughly to find out what happened. It'll also be good time to investigate the problems at this temple.

"Master Zhou, why are you staring at me? Is there something I need to ask?"

Zheng Sandan tilted his head, seemingly puzzled, and asked.

Zhou You just smiled and then gestured to his face. "It's nothing, Master Zheng. You have some mud on your face that's blocking your eyes. You'd better take it off as soon as possible."

"Uh... I really didn't notice. Thank you very much, Master Zhou."

Seeing that Zheng Sandan finally began to clear the mud from his eyes, Zhou You silently released a bit of evil energy from Duanxie, locking the energy onto this person before turning around and going back into the house to prepare for tonight.

But just as he grasped the doorknob, his movements suddenly stopped.

Someone has been inside his house.

Before leaving with the novice monk that morning, to prevent any accidents, he carried the two of them on his back and tied a strand of his hair to the door. And now...
But that hair had already broken off.

So, who got in?

Is Lupin, one of the other镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) in the caravan, or is some unknown enemy planning to coordinate an attack from within with the one behind him?
Zhou You glanced back and saw that Zheng Sandan was still cleaning the mud off his face and showed no sign of aggression, but he still prepared to be free at any moment.

Then, he gently pushed open the door.

There was no one in the room.

There were no ambushes.

All his luggage was neatly placed in its original spot, without being moved an inch.

The only problem is that there are two more things in the room.

—Those were two pieces of paper on the bedside table, one new and one old, and the materials were obviously different.

Zhou You activated his Jing Shen Bait Song Technique, sensed the area again, and only after confirming that no enemies were hiding did he step forward and pick up the two pieces of paper.

The first sheet of paper was covered with a lot of writing, while the second sheet contained only a few short paragraphs.

As Zhou You read, his expression changed from surprise and seriousness to complete amusement.

"This is really interesting."

He rubbed his chin, then carefully tore the two pieces of paper apart and placed them in the safest place available at the moment.

That is, inside his stomach.

"It seems the plan needs to be changed."
-
That night.

The celebratory noise gradually faded, the bonfire was about to go out, and the small courtyard fell silent once again.

Lupin yawned and struggled to get out of bed.

Even after several hours, he still harbored resentment towards his uncle.

Heaven knows how much effort he put into hiding those few sausages. He originally planned to find an opportunity to curry favor with his master. Just imagine, Zhou You, who had been eating grain bricks for several days, was looking worried. Suddenly, someone brought him a fragrant sausage and mixed grain porridge. How much goodwill could that have earned him?
If you gain their favor, they might teach you a few more tricks!
"That bastard of an uncle, why can't he understand my good intentions? But I did expose him for secretly hiding a few bottles of wine, so it wasn't too bad of a loss."

Recalling his uncle's expression, which looked like he'd eaten shit, Lupin chuckled, feeling much better.

Looking at the sky, Lu Ping saw that the moon was already half-set and it was almost time for his night watch. He straightened his clothes, splashed his face with cold water to dispel the last bit of sleepiness, and then pushed open the door and walked outside.

By this time, the campfire on the ground had mostly died down, leaving only a few embers illuminating the surroundings. A hunched figure sat on a stool, staring blankly at the fire, making no other movement.

Lupin recognized the man.

It was Zheng Sandan who had suddenly disappeared today and was then suddenly brought back.

Being forcibly dragged out of bed in the morning and wasted half a day, it would be a lie to say he wasn't resentful—and because Zheng Sandan used to often cheat and shirk his duties, Lu Ping didn't particularly like him either—but as the youngest junior in the escort agency, he still stepped forward and politely said.

"Uncle Zheng, your time is up. I'm here to take over your shift."

However, Zheng Sandan did not move at all until Lu Ping urged him again, at which point he slowly raised his head.

In the firelight, he grinned, revealing an extremely bizarre smile.

　The background dialogue is over; time to get ready for the killing!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)