Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 184 Differential Treatment
To be honest, Zhou You had absolutely no desire to be swept away by the sea of ​​people.

A Bodhi Temple of unknown strength is difficult enough to deal with, but if you add to that an entire city of people who have been completely brainwashed...
...He felt it would be better to find a breakthrough from elsewhere.

So what should we do?

As Zhou You pondered, the drums and music on the street gradually subsided. The procession offering sacrifices to Buddha disappeared down the long street, leaving only scattered petals.

The woman was wrapped in burlap and taken back by her overjoyed husband—but judging from her barely breathing state, she was probably in grave danger.

Zhou You watched the crowd gradually disperse, then shook his head, quickly stuffed the bun into his mouth, and turned to leave.

However, just as he was leaving the steamed bun shop, he unexpectedly bumped into the owner.

When he went out again, he was carrying a heavy money bag.

Normally, given his personality, he would never steal money from the public unless he was starving to death—but this boss was a staunch follower of the Tantric sect, and he didn't seem innocent at all when he spoke.

Secondly, he only realized after finishing the bun that he had ordered a meat bun, but there wasn't a single piece of meat in the whole bun!
Damn, these unscrupulous merchants have gone this far. Who else would they steal from if not you?
-
The sun sets in the west.

Unexpectedly, the steamed bun shop owner was surprisingly wealthy. After booking a two-week stay at an inn, he still had a considerable surplus in his purse.

Zhou You wasn't the kind of person who was frugal by nature, so after paying the bill, he counted the remaining copper coins in his wallet and then, following the innkeeper's advice, headed straight for a famous restaurant in the city, intending to have a good meal first.

Shuanghe City itself is not a large city, and even this famous restaurant is not particularly luxurious in terms of decoration—but it is probably close to the Jialan Treasure Land, so it looks rather simple and elegant from the outside.

It's a pity.

Even the most elegant place can't withstand noise.

As soon as Zhou You entered and pulled back the curtain, the first thing he heard was an extremely unrestrained and noisy commotion.

Then, the smell of alcohol, sweat, and foul breath hit me.

Zhou You frowned, then looked up.

Without him.

They're just a bunch of drunks.

There were seven or eight bald men who had pushed the tables together to form one, and they were drinking merrily. Some were toasting each other, some were playing drinking games, and one man was even standing on a chair, spitting as he boasted about something.

Zhou You shook his head. He had originally planned to leave and find another place to eat—there were plenty of places to eat anyway, and there was no need to stay with this group of drunkards. But when he saw the face of the leader, he suddenly stopped.

...I had just seen that face not long ago.

—It was the burly man with a fierce face who was serving beside the sedan chair, but whose Buddhist name was Benshan.

See this.

Zhou You, on the other hand, wasn't in a hurry to leave. He strolled in with his hands behind his back.

The locals probably knew that these drunkards were not to be trifled with, so even though it was lunchtime and there was only one table in the entire restaurant, even the waiter was taken aback when he came in. But this guy had the professional manners; he draped a towel over his shoulder and greeted him with a big smile.

"Please come in, sir. Are you here for a meal or to stay the night?"

"To have a bite to eat."

"Alright, one person, please go upstairs—"

However, to everyone's surprise, Zhou You simply smiled and raised his chin, indicating something.

"I see there's still some space on this floor. I have trouble walking, so could you find me a table here?"

The waiter's smile froze for a moment. He glanced at the table of drunkards as if by chance before turning to Zhou You and offering his advice.

"Sir, our second floor is much quieter and more spacious, and the stairs aren't particularly steep either. What do you think?"

The implication should be clear to anyone, but today this guest seemed like a blockhead, simply laughing and saying, "With all this back and forth, does it mean this whole floor has been booked?"

No, not at all.

"That's settled then, if it's not booked out, it just means you can sit anywhere."

After saying that, Zhou You didn't say anything more and walked directly to a corner by the window.

The waiter tried to stop him twice but failed, and seeing this, he had no choice but to follow him.

"Oh, please bear with me, sir."

Upon seeing Zhou You sit down, the waiter pointed to the counter and asked.

"Then, sir, what would you like to order?"

Zhou You didn't want to try to decipher the menu from the pile of dialects and slang, so he just said it offhand.

"Bring me your signature dishes, but remember to order something meaty, and also bring me a pot of wine."

However, after he finished speaking, the waiter still didn't move.

Zhou You raised his eyes and asked in confusion.

"Is there anything else?"

At this moment, the waiter smiled and said.

"I'm sorry to inform you, sir, that our manager used to work at the Bodhi Temple, so he can only serve vegetarian dishes and we don't have any wine. However, if you would like, we can bring you a pot of tea."

Zhou You tilted his head, then glanced at the table where the bald man was sitting.

— There was no shortage of roast chicken, pork knuckle, beef, and fatty fish. There were also four wine jars piled up next to the table. Just by the smell, you could tell that these were definitely aged, fine wines. A bald man was walking unsteadily and was about to open a fifth jar.

"So you mean these guys eat vegetarian chicken and fish, and then drink well water and end up like this?"

The waiter's expression remained unchanged; he simply smiled and said...

"Sir, you must be joking. Even the imperial kitchen in the capital city couldn't make vegetarian dishes like this—the meat is indeed meat, the fish is indeed fish, and the wine is the finest wine that we specially sent to the winery."

Zhou You was immediately delighted.

"Then why can they eat and drink fine food, while I can only eat vegetarian food and drink plain tea?"

However, the waiter remained as polite as ever.

"Look at what you're saying, sir. Those people at that table are all living Buddhas from Bodhi Temple. Do you think they eat the same things as us? What we eat is just rice, but what the living Buddhas eat is offerings. What's that saying again? 'Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha sits in the heart.' These living Buddhas may eat wine and meat, but they are cultivating true enlightenment."

—No, I don't think they look like they've achieved anything at all.

Zhou You carefully examined the waiter's face, trying to discern whether it was sarcasm or sincerity—but all he could see was a commonplace devotion.

So he didn't bother to argue anymore, and just waved his hand and said.

"Okay then. Whatever vegetarian dishes you have that you have, bring me a few portions and make me a pot of tea."

The waiter agreed and left. Zhou You looked around and felt that it was too boring to just sit there. So he took out the book "Susiddhikara Sutra" from his pocket, intending to practice more.

Just as he turned to the first page, a faint, mosquito-like sound suddenly rang out.

"Excuse me, sir, would you like to hear a piece of music?"

(End of this chapter)