Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 270 Exploration
Who?
Zhou You puffed out his cheeks and looked up.

—We don't know anyone in this church, who is it?
However, upon closer inspection...

...And you know what, it really was someone I knew.

The merchant from the temple fair was looking at him with a bewildered expression.

Zhou You was genuinely taken aback.

What's this? You searched high and low without finding it, and then it came to you effortlessly.
Before he could even swallow the food in his mouth and say hello, the merchant cupped his hands and smiled.

"My apologies, my apologies. I just didn't expect to run into an acquaintance here—by the way, young man, what brings you here?"

Zhou You swallowed his food, glanced at the fat merchant's similar attire, and immediately laughed.

"Brother, why did you come here? I'm probably here for the same reason."

……

Let's leave the rest of the conversation short.

During their conversation, Zhou You learned that the merchant's surname was Xun, and his ancestral home was in Youzhou. He had come here for two reasons: first, to do business, and second, because he had heard that there were many powerful and influential people in Songzhou and was wondering if he could spend some money to find a powerful backer for his family.

Hearing this, Zhou You munched on the salted fish in his hand and casually replied.

"Brother Xun, if you're going to curry favor with the powerful, fine, but what are you doing here? The rewards offered by the Thick Earth Sect are generous, but with your wealth, you probably wouldn't even look at them. Could it be that the 'backer' you're talking about is this sect?"

The fat businessman immediately burst into laughter.

"The Thick Earth Sect is indeed powerful, but its influence doesn't extend beyond Songzhou, let alone my home, which is thousands of miles away. Why would I want to curry favor with them? By the way, young brother, can you guess why I fled in such a hurry earlier?"

Zhou You had originally intended to ask this question, so he immediately followed up with it.

"Why?"

The fat businessman was a show-off, and since there were few people around, he began to speak in a low voice.

"The cause was simple: I saw several government officials in the crowd."

"Brother, have you gotten into trouble? Are you that afraid of the police?"

"Young man, you're joking. How could I, a respectable businessman, possibly commit a crime?"

Hearing this, Zhou You became somewhat curious.

"...Why do they avoid government officials like the plague?"

"The reason is actually very simple, but if the police had overheard what I was about to say, I would have been in big trouble."

At this point, the fat businessman didn't rush to answer, but instead kept everyone in suspense.

"—Young man, do you know who's behind the Thick Earth Sect?"

Zhou You pondered for a moment, then answered.

"To be able to protect and nurture a religion within a single state, Prefect?"

"No, no."

"That governor?"

"No, no."

"Then let me guess on a grander scale, perhaps the Three Dukes of the Imperial Court?"

However, the fat merchant simply shook his finger.

"No, no."

Seeing this, Zhou You could only spread his hands.

"If even the Three Dukes are not qualified, then are you suggesting the current emperor?"

The fat businessman sighed.

“Young brother, if the current emperor wanted to support this Thick Earth Sect, how could the sect be confined to just one continent? It would have spread everywhere long ago. Let me tell you the truth, brother, although the one supporting this sect is not the emperor, he is still related to the emperor.” Zhou You pondered for a moment and understood.

"A relative of the emperor? But who exactly?"

But even after all that, the fat businessman shook his head.

"I don't know who it is, but based on my sources, I'm certain that a member of the royal family is standing behind them."

At this point, the fat businessman's face was full of longing.

"But whoever it is, as long as they can climb onto this coattails, my future will be bright. To be honest, the reason I gave up a good life to come here and suffer like this is all for this reason—business is a lowly profession. Don't be fooled by my meager assets; when it comes to serious business, I'm basically someone anyone can bully."

Seeing the fat merchant constantly complaining, Zhou You wanted to say a few words of comfort, but before he could even open his mouth, his attention was drawn to something else.

A few more people came in from outside the door. One of them was the child we had seen on the mountain road before, but now his face was covered in bruises. However, the wounds were old, and it seemed that he had been severely beaten after being taken away yesterday.

The other two were of different heights; the taller one had a cold expression, while the shorter one looked distressed. However, the two walked with a measured pace, suggesting they were both江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) practitioners.

The child was still shouting at that moment.

"I don't need you to pull me away. I've already said I don't want to eat. Who wants to eat this dog sect's food? That so-called Master Wang, if you have the guts, kill me, otherwise..."

However, before he could finish speaking, the child suddenly caught sight of Zhou You and immediately became angry.

"Hey you, didn't I tell you this sect is harmful? Why did you still come up the mountain! You—"

Before he could finish speaking, he was covered by two thin men and dragged away, the shorter one apologizing profusely before leaving.

"I'm so sorry, so sorry. The geomancer just instructed us to keep an eye on this kid, but who knew he'd be as slippery as an eel? I'm really sorry, both of you."

The noise gradually faded away.

However, after this incident, the fat merchant lost his appetite for conversation. Zhou You also found it inconvenient to start a conversation, so the two quickly finished their meal and went about their respective business.

The fat merchant had some shrewdness, so he was assigned to the relatively easy tasks of accounting and writing, while Zhou You, because of his strength, was assigned to the more arduous tasks of carrying things.

However, it doesn't matter to him whether he travels around or not.

After all, he didn't come here to join this religion.
-
That night.

After a busy day and dinner, everyone was ushered inside.

With a 'click', the door was locked again.

This time, Zhou You waited for a long time, and only after confirming that the Taoist boy had left and there was no more scratching sound did he stand up and open his luggage.

With a gentle swipe of the fingertip, a hidden lining was revealed at the bottom of the package, inside which was another set of clothes—night clothes that had been specially prepared before heading up the mountain.

He dressed quietly and then looked up at the basin of water in the room.

Wow, you know what—

They really do look like bank robbers.

"Fine, bank robbers it is. After all, there are handsome ones among the robbers."

Zhou You shook his head, walked to the door, listened carefully to make sure there was nothing there, and then flicked his fingertip, releasing a wisp of malevolent energy.

Under his control, the malevolent energy seeped through the door, into the lock, and found a certain spring clip.

Then, give it a gentle twist.

With a 'click', the large lock opened—but before it could fall to the ground, Zhou You reached out from inside the door and caught it.

The moonlight outside was cold and clear. The large mansion was silent, with only a thin mist still lingering, bringing a cold and eerie atmosphere.

Zhou You turned around and re-locked the door without any mistakes. Then, he smiled slightly at the moonlight.

"—And so, Zhou You's joyful adventure is about to begin."

(End of this chapter)