Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 272 Reward
Zhou You silently picked up some food, while the fat merchant became polite to the other party.

"No problem, no problem. My surname is Xun, and my ancestral home is Cangzhou. I don't know you gentlemen."

Since the other party was just there to say hello, they exchanged a few polite words and left their seats. It was the fat merchant who, after seeing that the two people were far away, lowered his voice and spoke to Zhou You.

"Hey young man, I think there's something fishy about those two."

Zhou You, with a piece of cured meat in his mouth, laughed as he spoke.

"They're all here to work, what's wrong with that?"

Upon hearing this, the fat businessman's expression became even more mysterious.

“Brother, you’re wrong about that—let me tell you, I’ve traveled all over the country and seen a lot of people. These two claim to be traveling thugs, but what they do is definitely not a respectable job.”

"Then what do you think they did?"

At this point, the fat businessman scratched his head.

"Like robbery or something?"

Zhou You simply smiled and shook his head, without replying.

Robbers?
The stench of blood emanating from these two men was almost tangible; the combined number of lives they had taken was estimated to be no less than a hundred.

But then a question arises—what is this ruthless killer doing in this place?
For a few coins? You must be joking.

Thinking back to that night traveler from last night, this Changsheng Temple...
It's going to be much more lively than I imagined.
-
After the meal, Zhou You, yawning, strolled leisurely toward the servants' quarters.

Unexpectedly, they were stopped by a young Taoist boy halfway through their journey.

"—I'm talking to you, yes, yes, it's you, where are you looking? Right here."

At this point, Zhou You also became somewhat curious.

Where did this Thick Earth Cult get so many kids around ten years old? And how did it manage to raise them all to the point where their noses are bigger than their eyes?

Faced with this arrogant young man who didn't know his place, Zhou You didn't bother arguing with him and just smiled and said...

"Young master, is there anything I can help you with?"

The young Taoist replied with an arrogant expression.

Where are you planning to go?

"Am I not a menial laborer who moves goods?"

The young Taoist immediately curled his lip and then pointed to one side.

"Yesterday I gave you some light tasks because you were new here. Now that you're familiar with the place, you can go report for duty over there."

Which side?

"Where else could it be?" The young Taoist rolled his eyes dramatically. "The kitchen!"
-
The so-called fire room is a place specifically for supplying fire to the alchemy room. Because it is built underground, it is stuffy and hot. In addition, the ventilation system in this era is not very good, and if you are unlucky, there is a risk of suffocation and poisoning. Therefore, none of the formal employees of the Thick Earth Sect—that is, the group of Daoist boys—are willing to come.

What if the regular employees don't want to come?
It's simple, just have a temporary worker fill in.

This has always been the case throughout history.

Zhou You is now standing in this small room, looking around.

The place was very simple, with only a stove full of coal and a pile of black firewood.

The only problem is that this stove is a bit too big, isn't it?

Zhou You looked at the stove that took up almost half the room and scratched his head in dismay.

—Are you practicing alchemy or fucking taking a sauna?
"But since we're already here, we still have to do it."

Zhou You shook his head and picked up a piece of firewood.

But when he got his hands on it, he was taken aback again.

This piece of wood is ridiculously heavy. Upon closer inspection, it's engraved with French characters, which seem to be used to condense the evil fire. Although it's not some profound spell, this kind of thing would cost at least half a tael of silver on the market, but here...
It was placed haphazardly in a corner, like a stack of firewood.

Although I knew these guys were arrogant, this level is already outrageous, okay?

Zhou You sighed at the group of nouveau riche, picked up a piece of wood, looked at it, and then casually threw it into the stove.

As instructed by the young Taoist, this stuff needed to be constantly added to the furnace to ensure output. If it burned well, there would be extra reward money later.

"However, judging by this weight, I reckon most people would be exhausted after throwing it for a while."

Thinking of this, Zhou You yawned, feeling increasingly sleepy. But just as he was drifting off to sleep, a question suddenly occurred to him.

Speaking of which, this stove is started by relying on evil energy, so...
Someone glanced at the broken effigy hanging in front of the door, lost in thought.
-
Inside the alchemy room, Wang Chengen was pacing back and forth.

The previous excitement had vanished without a trace, leaving only utter anxiety and restlessness.

"No, this can't be right! This formula is clearly the most promising, so why hasn't it produced any pills yet?"

Wang Chengen bit his finger until it bled profusely, but he was still completely unaware. Several times he wanted to enter the inner room where the alchemy furnace was located, but each time he couldn't help but stop.

"No rush, absolutely no rush. Going in now will only ruin everything."

However, though he said he wasn't in a hurry, his eyes seemed to be blazing with fire. He walked faster and faster, and finally couldn't hold back his anger any longer. He overturned the medicine cabinet next to him.

Numerous herbs fluttered to the ground—including many priceless treasures—but Wang Chengen seemed completely unconcerned, trampling them all under his feet.

He only stopped when a head rolled down beside him.

Wang Chengen lowered his head and looked at it. He vaguely remembered that this was a boy he quite liked, which was why he had specially saved it. He just couldn't remember what his name was.
Forget it, it doesn't matter.

With a single stomp, the still intact blood and brain matter exploded.

After venting his frustrations, he finally calmed down a bit. After hesitating for a while, he decided to go into the alchemy room first to check the situation. Even if the furnace exploded, he would accept it. After all, he would definitely miss the deadline this time, so he might as well see what happened first and prepare for the next time.
however.

Just as he pushed open the wooden door, a wave of heat suddenly rushed towards him, so strong that even with his cultivation level, he couldn't help but take a few steps back.

Why is the fire so big today?
The thought swirled in my mind, then transformed into utter rage.

—What are these idiots doing? Are they planning to burn the whole furnace dry?!
Just as Wang Chengen was filled with rage and was about to go down and kill that idiot, he suddenly smelled a strange fragrance.

The fragrance was hard to describe; it was like the incense and candles offered in a temple, yet for some reason it also carried a slightly sweet, honey-like scent.

The expression of anger froze on his face, but quickly turned into ecstasy.

Is Dan about to succeed?

"—Yes, yes, I understand now, so that's how it is! These materials are almost ready to be fused together; they need a burst of intense heat to fully integrate them. Qiao Li!"

Hearing the shout, the man who had been at the entrance of the Taoist temple rushed in. Faced with the mess on the ground, he didn't dare to say a word. He just hung his hands, lowered his head, and asked respectfully.

"Master geomancer, what are your instructions?"

"Whoever tended the fire today, tell the people below, there will be a great reward—also, the pill is ready, it just needs to be added with ingredients and nurtured for a few more days before it can be taken out of the furnace. You take good care of those rats, and when the furnace is opened, make sure they all come over, don't let a single one escape." "...I will obey the geomancer's orders."
-
After this.

Zhou You was awakened by a loud knocking on the door.

He instinctively reached for his phone, but then remembered that he couldn't bring any real-world objects into the script. He looked up to check the sky, but then remembered that he was currently trapped underground, where he couldn't see the sky or even the sunlight.

However, he didn't rush to open the door, but instead turned his head to look to the side.

Duan Xie was still diligently absorbing and exhaling evil energy, and the fire in the furnace was blazing, showing no sign of slacking off.

So I didn't cheat or try to cheat, what the hell am I doing, rushing around like this?

Zhou You shook his head, first went to the corner and used his ring to collect some firewood—which was also a magical item—to create the illusion that it had been used. Then he went back, intending to retrieve Duan Xie.

However, when Duan Xie touched the hilt of the sword, he trembled twice and refused to return to Diancang Ring.

Zhou You paused for a moment, then immediately understood.

—Well, it seems she's holding a grudge.

However, he couldn't refute it, after all, he had made others work for so long for nothing—not to mention that he had gone to sleep while others were working—so he could only listen to the 'bang bang' of the door, lower his head, and try to negotiate in a gentle and polite manner.

"I know you're unhappy, but there's nothing I can do about it. I need to find some time to catch up on my sleep, so how about this? I'll make it up to you like before. I'll kill a couple of villains to appease you sometime. What do you think?"

Duan Xie trembled again, though he didn't say anything, his meaning was clear.

—Who were you trying to fool with this little bit of money last time?
Zhou You had no choice but to keep raising the stakes.

"Those three?"

ignore.

"Four?"

Still ignore.

"Alright, alright, that's enough for now. Eight should be enough. I can't do anything more than that. There are a lot of bad people in this world, but it's hard to find someone who meets your requirements and suits your taste."

This time, Duanxie finally stopped trembling, and Zhou You was able to take it back without any trouble.

Then, upon opening the bolted door, the first thing you see is an angry face.

"Are you deaf?! I've been knocking for ages, why are you only opening the door now?!"

Zhou You simply scratched his head and laughed.

"I'm so sorry, I was so focused on my work that I didn't notice what was going on outside. I wonder what brings you here at this hour, young master?"

Faced with this cotton-like attitude, the young Taoist felt powerless and could only raise his head and speak in a condescending manner.

"Did you do the work of starting the fire today?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"Nothing much," the young Taoist priest said reluctantly, glaring at Zhou You with envy. "It's just that the geomancer saw you did a good job and gave you a reward. Be grateful and take it!"

Holy crap, you get paid for slacking off?

Zhou You caught the silver coins thrown by the young Taoist priest, but upon weighing them, he suddenly realized something was amiss.

"Hey little master, I remember the reward was ten taels of silver, right? But I feel like this is less than eight taels?"

"Pah! Do you think I don't charge you for running errands for you? Do you think I don't charge you for introducing you here? Don't you even know the rules? You country bumpkin!"

After saying that, the young Taoist spat on the ground and then strode away.

Zhou You didn't seem to care. He simply watched the other person leave and shrugged.

—Judging from the vibrant energy emanating from him, I reckon this is the one who will be entering the alchemy room today. I was originally going to kindly remind him, but now…
...Never mind, let's just pretend we didn't see it.

……

Stepping out of the fire room, I realized that it was already close to dusk.

The glow of the setting sun spread across the ground, enveloping the entire back mountain in a golden light—and, thankfully, the lingering mist finally dissipated somewhat, opening up a suddenly wider view.

However, this also led Zhou You to see some things he shouldn't have seen.

In a corner not far away, several thirteen or fourteen-year-old boys were beating up a child. They weren't hitting him very hard, but they were targeting his weak points and vulnerable areas. The child was curled up, trying to minimize the number of places he was being hit.

Upon seeing someone approaching, the leader didn't even try to avoid them, and even kicked the child again before speaking to him.

"You just wait and see! If you slander the Holy Church again, I'll beat you up the next time I see you!"

Having said that, the man raised his head and left with the rest of his men.

Without a doubt, the child being beaten was the one whose parents died at the hands of the Houtu Cult and who was forcibly taken up the mountain by his fellow villagers.

Zhou You sighed softly and reached out to help the other person up, but the moment the child saw him, he took several steps back and then bared his teeth and roared angrily.

"You lackeys of the Thick Earth Cult, stop pretending to be kind. I don't need your help!"

In the blink of an eye, the child darted into the alley and disappeared without a trace.

Zhou You was left looking at his hands, thinking for a while, and finally shaking his head.

What a trivial matter this is.
-
Nothing more was said until late at night.

After a full day of catching up on sleep, Zhou You, finally feeling more comfortable, was ready to set off again.

It was the same route as last time, and I was still spying from the shadows on the rooftop.

Soon, a group of Daoist disciples entered the alchemy room, and when they came out again, sure enough, one of them was missing.

This time, however, he simply climbed over the wall and followed from a distance until he saw the young Taoists carrying huge food boxes, passing through the residence, then the dining hall, and finally arriving at a place where the weeds were waist-high and the trees were overgrown with dead branches.

The young Taoist priest, who was leading the group, groped around on the ground for a while, then suddenly turned over a patch of weeds, revealing a very well-hidden secret door. He then pulled it open forcefully and led the others inside.

Zhou You didn't follow, but hid in the shadows and waited quietly.

About fifteen minutes later, the Taoist boys came out again—although they were still carrying the huge food box, it was clearly much lighter.

It was obvious that the inside was completely empty.

After everyone left, Zhou You found the place where they had been, located the hidden door, and pulled it open forcefully.

In an instant, an extremely putrid stench filled my nostrils.

How to describe it...

It felt like compost being fermented during the hottest days of summer, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.

(End of this chapter)