Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 202 Reminiscing about the past
"Master, listen to me, I've improved a lot in the swordsmanship you taught me before. I'll demonstrate it for you sometime."

"Master, that bald guy... oh no, I mean Zhengde is really nice. His personality is like a lump of dough; you can joke around with him and he never gets angry..."

"Master, listen to me. I've taken down several enemies recently. My uncle told me that as long as you shed blood, you're a man. Don't you think I'm a real man now?"

Listening to the chattering, Zhou You sighed and put his hand to his forehead.

After some time apart, Lupin really does look more and more like his uncle—and of course, he's become more and more talkative.

Despite his complaints, he still smiled and watched Lu Ping frolic around him.

This kid is lucky he doesn't have a tail, otherwise he'd be spinning like a fan.

However, just as Lu Ping was about to stick closer, Zhou You gave him a light tap on the head.

"My disciple, you haven't forgotten how your uncle taught you back then, have you?"

“A true man should always be courteous in life,” Lu Ping said, rubbing his head and looking aggrieved. “Master, but I haven’t seen you for almost a month and a half!”

A month and a half? How come that's longer than what those Tantric practitioners said?

—No, did I sit in that toilet for that long?

However, seeing Lu Ping's blank expression, Zhou You didn't ask—after all, once they found the monk Zhengde, everything would be clear—and instead casually changed the subject.

"My disciple, what was that move you used to dodge my elbow strike? I don't think I taught it to you. Did Zhengde teach it to you?"

When this topic was mentioned, Lu Ping became animated again.

"How could that be? That monk is good in every way, except he talks too much. Although he doesn't mind teaching me, he just keeps talking about Buddhist scriptures. I got tired of it after a few days. So, Master, this trick is something I created myself. I call it the 'Eight Directions Arriving, Unparalleled in Heaven and Earth, Startling Ghosts and Gods, Soaring High Technique.' Master, what's wrong with you?"

"No, it's nothing. This name is really good. It's best not to change it after you come of age."

Zhou You shook his head speechlessly, but he quickly focused his gaze and looked directly at his disciple.

The rapid progress before was one thing, and I always thought it was due to the continuous consumption of Blood Ferocity Qi, but now, without any guidance, I can deduce a decent movement technique from my original swordsmanship.
Tsk, could I have actually stumbled upon a legendary genius?
"master?"

Seeing Zhou You staring at him intently, Lu Ping tilted his head in confusion.

Okay, even if he's a genius, he's still just a teenager right now.

Zhou You smiled and then spoke to Lu Ping.

"It's alright, just tell me briefly about what's happened to you lately."
-
After that, time passed little by little through conversation.

As Lupin finished speaking, the two arrived at the inn.

As Zhou You approached, he discovered that the building was far more dilapidated than it appeared from afar. The wood was so rotten that it was on the verge of collapse, and there were many holes eaten by termites. The entire building was on the verge of collapse, and one might even mistakenly think that if there was any slight disturbance, it would be reduced to a pile of rubble amidst the dust and smoke.

Lupin understood the situation. He stepped forward and knocked on the door with the lightest touch, his body tense, ready to escape at any moment.

Fortunately, the house appeared to be more sturdy than it looked and showed no signs of collapsing.
Lu Ping finally breathed a sigh of relief. Soon, footsteps could be heard inside the room.

"Young Master?"

"it's me."

Upon hearing this address, Lupin didn't react at all. Instead, Zhou You scratched his chin with interest.

No one used to call him that in the escort agency before. Everyone called him Little Lu, Ping'er, or simply "Little Rascal"—it seems Lu Ping's status has risen accordingly.

Upon hearing Lupin's voice, the person behind the door suddenly relaxed. Then, with a jarring creak, the bolted door slowly opened, revealing a weary face.

Zhou You vaguely remembered this person; he seemed to be a bodyguard surnamed Hu from the escort agency. Although his martial arts skills were just fancy moves, he was quite strong. Why hadn't he seen him for some time?
You look so haggard!

Upon seeing Lu Ping, the bodyguard couldn't help but show genuine respect. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then immediately noticed someone standing next to him.

The expression on his face froze instantly.

Zhou You raised his hand, intending to say hello.

"Long time no see, how have you been, my friend?"

Who would have guessed.

Suddenly, the bodyguard let out a loud shout, and then, disregarding the dilapidated house, he ran straight to the back.

"Head镖师 (镖头 is a nickname for a镖师, meaning镖师 is a person or bodyguard), Master Zhou, Master Zhou is back!!!"

Zhou You was left with his paw raised, looking embarrassed.

After a while, accompanied by hurried footsteps, Lu Xiuyuan rushed out from behind the hall.

Zhou You looked up and saw that the man was barefoot, wearing clothes, and had a stubble beard—clearly he had been forcibly pulled up during his rest. However, there was no weariness in his eyes, only utter ecstasy.

"What? The Taoist priest is back?! Where is he???"

The moment he saw Zhou You, his tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, and he even began to sway as he walked, making one fear that he might collapse. However, in the end, he managed to walk up to Zhou You, grabbed the blue hem of his robe, and knelt down.

Then, wailing began.

"Master, you're finally back!"

The voice was filled with the pain of tears, yet it also seemed as if a tremendous burden had been lifted.
-
A few minutes later, at the inn.

Inside a room that could barely be described as intact.

Lu Xiuyuan was recounting the hardships he had endured during this period.

"After escaping from that dark path, I originally intended to go straight back to my hometown to avoid trouble. But for some reason, those bastards from the Tantric sect chased after me as if they had smelled my scent. As a result, I couldn't leave and had no choice but to hide with Master Zhengde."

Lu, the镖头 (bodyguard), wiped his eyes and said with deep resentment.

"At first, things went quite smoothly. We fought when we could, and if we couldn't, we would retreat to the underworld. Who would have thought that those sons of bitches from the Tantric sect would not play by the rules at all and would actually use dirty tricks to block the underworld. At that time, Master Zhengde could have escaped alone, but in order to protect us, he forced himself to stay and has persisted until today. But it is clear that he can't hold on any longer."

At this point, he started howling again.

"Fortunately, Master, you're finally back!"

Zhou You pressed his hand down to stop Lu Xiuyuan from bursting into tears again, and then said.

"Alright, don't worry, I will definitely rescue you—but time is of the essence now. Let me ask you, where is Monk Zhengde right now?"

Lu Xiuyuan did not answer, but simply raised his head and looked behind him.

Behind Zhou You, a chant of Buddhist sutras began to rise.

"This humble monk, Zhengde, has been waiting for you, benefactor, for a long time."

(End of this chapter)