Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 170 The Heart Sutra (4000-word long chapter)
At this moment, Lu Ping was bending over to add firewood, completely unaware of Zheng Sandan's unusual behavior.

The faint firelight rekindled, dissipating some of the cold and damp feeling in the surroundings. Seeing the slightly brighter firelight, Lu Ping raised his head and complained to the person sitting there.

“Uncle Zheng, you should check the fire. In this kind of weather, once the campfire goes out, it will be very difficult to light it again.”

At this moment, Zheng Sandan's appearance had returned to normal. He looked at Lu Ping's youthful face and smiled.

"I'm sorry, I fell asleep just now and didn't pay attention to my surroundings. I didn't even notice the campfire. I'm sorry to trouble you with this."

Lupin tilted his head back, looking somewhat puzzled.

It wasn't surprising that Zheng Sandan fell asleep while keeping watch, since that's how the guy had always been. What surprised him was the way this guy spoke.
Why does it feel so strange?

However, being a child at heart, Lu Ping didn't pay much attention. He simply patted the sawdust and dust off his hands and then spoke to Zheng Sandan.

"Uncle Zheng, the fire is lit now, you should go back first, I'll take care of the rest."

However, Zheng Sandan did not move the object.

He stared at Lupin with overly bright eyes for a long while before speaking.

"...No rush, we don't have anything else to do right now, let's chat for a while."

Lupin tilted his head.

"We can chat, but what's there to talk about? Uncle Zheng, are you going to praise your fiancée again? Please spare me, that's nothing, it's not even close to happening yet, you haven't even met your widow. I'm just listening to you praising her."

Seeing Lu Ping's sudden pained expression, Zheng Sandan just smiled and continued.

"Let's not talk about that today, let's talk about your master instead."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ping's bitter expression vanished instantly, replaced by a beaming smile.

"Okay, okay, okay, but I don't know what you want to talk about, Uncle Zheng? Oh, right, my master recently taught me a new sword move. Would you like me to show it to you, Uncle Zheng?"

However, Zheng Sandan did not answer; he remained motionless, maintaining that smile. It wasn't until Lu Ping had picked up a twig, intending to demonstrate, that he seemed to finally come to his senses and slowly spoke again.

"No need, no need, we'll talk about that later. Let's talk about something else first."

Seeing that he couldn't show off, Lupin's shoulders slumped.

"Okay, Uncle Zheng, what are you trying to say?"

Zheng Sandan said with a light laugh.

"Actually, it's nothing. I just wanted to ask Master Zhou what abilities he has?"

Lupin scratched his head in confusion.

"Uncle Zheng, haven't you seen them all too? Master's skills are nothing more than swordsmanship and the Jing Shen Bait Song. He usually only uses these two things..."

Zheng Sandan's expression remained unchanged as he continued to ask.

"Besides that, as his disciple, you must have seen some of his hidden techniques, right?"

"Apart from these, there are some, but..."

Lupin suddenly stopped speaking.

He suddenly frowned, then cautiously stood up and looked Zheng Sandan up and down for a moment.

"Uncle Zheng, why are you asking this?"

Zheng Sandan's answer remained as ordinary as ever.

"It's nothing really, it's just... I was a little curious."

At this moment, Lu Ping also sensed something was wrong. Driven by an instinctive unease, he cautiously took a step back. Although he had no sword in his hand, he quietly gripped the short knife his uncle had given him for self-defense, and then said coldly.

"I'm sorry, I can't talk about these things without my master's permission. If you're curious, Uncle Zheng, you can ask my master yourself."

Surprisingly, after he refused, Zheng Sandan simply chose to give up.

He shook his head, then smiled and said...
"Alright, alright, if you don't want to talk about it, then forget it. It's almost my turn to take over anyway, so I'll head back now."

Then, with a push from his legs, he stood up and walked towards the courtyard where he was staying.

Seeing his perfectly normal back view, Lu Ping felt that he might have overreacted. He hesitated for a moment and decided to apologize first.

"Uncle Zheng."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the person a few steps away turned around.

Lupin's body immediately froze.

Zheng Sandan did indeed turn his head.

But it's just the head.

His body was forward, and his legs had even stepped out, but his head was turned completely, as if he had no spine, facing him directly.

And at this moment, this person seemed oblivious, still asking with that unchanging smile.

"what happened?"

Lupin did not answer.

In that instant, he felt every hair on his body stand on end, and his mind was a complete mess.

—What is this thing?!
How could Uncle Zheng have become like this!

What should I do now?

A jumble of thoughts flashed through my mind, ultimately turning into a subconscious action.

Lu Ping drew his short sword and, following Zhou You's instructions, held it horizontally in front of him.

—Whether we can win or not, let's fight first!

But just as Lupin was about to rush out, a hand gently patted his shoulder.

Lupin instinctively turned and swung his knife, but it was gently grasped by a hand.

"Asshole, you-"

After saying that, he abruptly stopped.

He saw a very familiar and comforting face.

—His master, Zhou You.

Someone said this with a smile.

"You did a good job. You didn't wet your pants when faced with something strange. Instead, you thought about giving it your all. You have this kind of mentality at such a young age. It seems that I made the right choice in taking you as my apprentice."

Lupin's mind still hadn't processed it, and in the end he could only manage to utter two words.

"master?"

Zhou You smiled, then lightly removed the dagger, put it back in Lu Ping's arms, and then patted the man on the shoulder.

"While your temperament is commendable, you're still too reckless. It's not a life-or-death struggle; facing something you likely can't defeat, you'd better run away first."

Hearing those calm words, Lu Ping nodded subconsciously.

After reprimanding him, Zhou You looked up at Zheng Sandan.

The other person maintained the same 180-degree head-turned posture, but judging from his facial expression, he didn't feel that he was any different.

Even his words were as ordinary as ever.

"Isn't this Master Zhou? Why are you still up so late?"

Zhou You simply smiled in a very ordinary manner.

"It's nothing, I just felt my heart was pounding a little, so I wanted to go for a walk." —Even though the situation was so strange, the two acted as if they were chatting about everyday matters.

“Then I won’t disturb you any longer,” Zheng Sandan said slowly. “Master Zhou, please keep watch with Lu Ping for the night. I’ll head back now.”

After saying that, his twisted neck gradually turned back, and Zheng Sandan, looking like a ghost, walked steadily into the courtyard.

At this moment, Lu Ping finally came to his senses. He grabbed Zhou You's sleeve and said urgently.

"Master, Master Zheng... he... he... he seems to have turned into a demon!"

Zhou You nodded steadily.

"Yes I know."

"Master, he's heading towards the security company's courtyard!"

Zhou You spoke in the same voice as before.

"Yes, I know that too."

Lupin was so anxious he was about to jump up.

"Master, since you know everything, you should stop him quickly, otherwise everyone in the escort agency will be in trouble."

But Zhou You reached out and grabbed Lu Ping, who was about to rush out.

"Disciple, we've been together for so long, do you trust your master?"

Lupin was taken aback.

"Of course I believe my master, but this demon..."

Zhou You simply said with a gentle smile.

“Since you trust your master, then don’t make a move. This thing can’t be cut—at least not now, since it’s crucial to whether your escort agency can safely descend the mountain. And don’t tell anyone else either, since we need to maintain a facade of calm to avoid alerting others.”

Zheng Sandan, who was walking away, also heard this, and saw him turn his head again—

however.

This time, however, his smile wasn't the mechanical kind; instead, it was a much kinder, more amiable smile, as if he had become a different person.

His mouth was slightly open, but only Zhou You could hear his voice.

"Judging from what Master Zhou is saying, you agree with my previous suggestion?"

Zhou You didn't answer directly, but instead grinned and revealed a playful smile.

"Well, that depends on your performance."

The thing cloaked in Zheng San's skin was silent for a moment, then said nothing more, simply turned around again, and quickly disappeared into the darkness.
-
a few days later.

At Zhou You's request, Lu Ping actually didn't mention what happened that night to anyone.

However, correspondingly, he held a short knife every day, hiding in the shadows at all times, watching Zheng Sandan, and guarding against any unusual movements.

After all, in his view, his master was absolutely trustworthy, and since he had made a promise, he had to keep it—but the problem was the same: he also had to be responsible for the safety of his family.

So after agonizing over it all night, he finally made up his mind.

—If this person doesn't make any moves, then listen to your master to avoid alerting the mastermind. If this person intends to harm the rest of the escort agency, then Lu Ping will kill this guy first.

Zhou You had glimpsed his thoughts a few times, but he always just smiled and shook his head, without doing anything to stop him.

Lu Ping was on guard against this thing, and he was also on guard against other things, but Lu Ping was only on guard against 'Zheng Sandan', while he was on guard against the person behind the scenes.

And so time has passed peacefully—or rather, seemingly peacefully—until today.

Abbot Liaochen had notified them well in advance, saying that after several days of work by the monks in the temple, the road down the mountain had finally been completely cleared. However, before going down the mountain, there were some things he needed to entrust to the people of the escort agency, and he hoped they could come over.

Feeling indebted to many people, Lu Xiuyuan readily agreed. After thoroughly packing his belongings, he carried the large and small bags and headed towards the lecture hall.

Soon, everyone arrived at the destination.

But as he entered, Lu Xiuyuan was taken aback.

Previously, whenever he came here, it was usually dark and dimly lit, and he could only see Monk Chen in the room, with at most one or two novice monks attending him. But now the lecture hall was brightly lit, and the things burning were no longer cheap candles, but expensive and bright lamp oil.

Moreover, under this light, dozens of novices were seated on both sides, all with their hands clasped together, looking at the people who entered the room with compassionate and peaceful smiles.

Faced with this situation, Lu Xiuyuan was truly startled. He first took a step back, glanced at the sign above his head to make sure he hadn't gone to the wrong place, and then cautiously asked.

"Um...did I come at the wrong time? It seems all the masters are still in meditation. Should I wait outside for a while until you're all finished?"

However, a voice came from deep within the lecture hall.

"Please come in, Chief Escort Lu. It's no trouble at all."

—That was the voice of Liao Chen, the host.

Only then did Lu Xiuyuan breathe a sigh of relief, step through the door, and bow to the novice monks.

"Excuse me, excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you. The host has something to say to me, and will leave after he's finished. He won't disturb the masters' evening prayers."

No one answered.

All the novices maintained the same smiles as they slowly chanted the scriptures.

"When Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva was practicing the profound Prajnaparamita, he perceived that the five aggregates are empty, and thus transcended all suffering and distress."

The chanting was perfectly synchronized, as if it were being recited by a single person.

For some reason, Lu Xiuyuan suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

He swallowed hard, slowed his pace, and tiptoed into the room like a thief.

however.

Soon, he discovered another problem.

The novice monks' smiling gazes were fixed on him. They remained seated cross-legged on the prayer mat, but their eyes and heads followed his every move.

—Strange, were these monks always this creepy?
Now, Lu Xiuyuan only hopes to find Chen as soon as possible. He doesn't care about being overwhelmed with gratitude. After exchanging a few polite words, he leads everyone down the mountain to leave this godforsaken place completely.

But his expression finally relaxed a little when he reached the very end of the lecture hall.

Just as before, Monk Liaochen was now sitting beneath the image of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, holding the black Buddha statue in his hands, his face still as kind as ever.

Seeing this, Lu Xiuyuan hurriedly stepped forward and said with a polite smile.

"Abbot, we've come to say goodbye. We've troubled you and the monks at the temple during this time. We promise to make offerings to you several times in the future, but time is of the essence, and I must hurry down the mountain with the people from the escort agency. We ask that you continue our efforts."

However, before he could finish speaking, the monk Liaochen suddenly waved his hand, stopping him from saying anything more.

"Chief镖师 Lu, there's no need to be in such a hurry. I've called you here today to discuss some important matters."

Lu Xiuyuan was taken aback.

"Um, what business do you have with me? I'm just a lowly镖头 (bodyguard/escort) – do you have some goods you'd like us to smuggle along? That's no problem, after all, you've been so kind to me."

But as soon as he finished speaking, Liao Chen interrupted him softly, his smile becoming even more amiable.

"Chief镖师 Lu, I have only one matter to discuss with you this time."

"do not know"

"Do you wish to become a Buddha, benefactor?"

　Thank you to Luojiaxuecheng for the 500-point donation.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)