Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 289 Mystery
Zhou You thought about it for a while, but still couldn't figure it out—but just then, suddenly, a talent that had been forgotten for a long time took effect.

—The eye that sees the cause.

In an instant, the scenery before my eyes shattered.

Zhou You witnessed the kidnapping in the dead of night, the horrific humiliation, the torture in despair, and the blade pointed at him as he lay dying. Finally, he saw a dark room with countless human skins hanging from it.

Finally, an extremely distorted voice rang in his ears.

"It's almost here, it's almost here. The highest art is about to be completed, and our Lord is about to descend upon the world. And I will step into eternity."

Wait, why does this sound so familiar?

Zhou You was instantly ejected from that illusion, but his brow remained furrowed.

He was certain he had heard that phrase before, but the question was...
However, just as he was deep in thought, the female ghost's form suddenly began to collapse and dissipate for some unknown reason.

"What kind of restriction has been violated?"

Zhou You acted swiftly, trying to stop the collapse, but the speed was far faster than he had imagined. In the blink of an eye, even the remaining few souls dissipated into nothingness.

But perhaps because of this, one of the shackles hidden within this female ghost was also released, and she 'looked' at Zhou You, her mouthless face twitching as if she wanted to say something.

Zhou You hurriedly stepped forward, but he could only make out a few words from the mumbled words.

"The lower is the higher; therefore, the king must reign."

—What is this talking about?
Zhou You wanted to ask more questions, but at that moment, the woman who had been in a daze since entering the house suddenly came to her senses. She ran over and hugged the female ghost, and began to cry bitterly.

"Xuan'er, my Xuan'er, what will I do now that you're gone!"

The female ghost stretched out a hand, seemingly wanting to cry as well, but in the end, she could only manage to utter a single sentence.

"Mother, it hurts!"

In the blink of an eye, everything turned to ashes.

Half an hour later.

Xu Jin saw Zhou You out the door.

"Thank you, Taoist priest. This is finally resolved. My wife and I will no longer be driven out of the village and become vagrants because of this."

As he spoke, Xu Jin pulled a small pocket out of his pocket.

"As for your rules, Daoist Master, I understand them. My family is not very wealthy, so this is all the reward we can offer. I hope you can understand."

Zhou You took the bag and glanced at it. He saw a piece of snow-white plum blossoms that was not particularly rich but very exquisite—it looked like something a girl would own. Then, when he opened the bag, he saw a few tiny gold beads inside.

This is not the kind of currency a farmer should have.

Seeing Zhou You's somewhat surprised look, Xu Jin said with a wry smile.

"I hope you know, Master. This was embroidered by my wife for my daughter. These gold coins are the dowry I've saved up for her over the years, working hard from dawn till dusk. But now that we don't need them, I'm giving them to you as payment."

Zhou You shook his head, about to throw the bag back—but then he remembered something, poured out the gold beans, and kept only the bag.

"Master, what do you mean by this?"

"It's nothing, just a necessary ritual. I'll accept the gifts, and I'll take care of the rest for you."

Zhou You's figure gradually disappeared into the night, leaving Xu Jin completely bewildered.

"When did I entrust the Taoist priest with anything?"
-
By the time Zhou You returned to the inn, it was already late at night. At this hour, the city gates would have been closed long ago, not to mention that with the recent incident of a thief brutally murdering women, the entire city was under martial law. So unless you had a token from the government office, you couldn't even get close without being hit by a barrage of arrows.

However, this is not a big problem for Zhou You.

In any case, ancient city walls weren't very high, and they were often pitted and uneven from wind and rain. Given Zhou You's skills, it wouldn't make much difference whether the seven or eight-meter-high city wall existed or not; at most, it would be as easy as a gecko climbing up it.

So while the night patrol soldiers were diligently watching the gate and thoroughly investigating all outsiders, Zhou You had already pushed open the shop door while picking his teeth.

Because it was so late, the proprietress and her daughter had already gone to rest. In the large front hall, there was only one figure dozing off in front of the oil lamp.

When Zhou You walked in, the first thing he saw was a face covered with white cloth.

Sure enough, it was Tao Le'an—who looked like he had been waiting here for quite some time.

Or perhaps they had already been asleep for a long time.

Seeing that the lazybones was almost blowing snot bubbles, Zhou You's somewhat gloomy mood improved a lot. He picked up a small stone from the ground and casually threw it over.

"Hey, the sun's already high in the sky, how long are you planning to sleep? Get up!"

But the pebble still didn't land on Tao Le'an's head.

A talisman suddenly ignited out of thin air, transforming into a wave-like barrier that blocked his way—the pebble, after entering, was crushed into dust by the surrounding pressure in less than a breath.

"The sun? I didn't sleep that long, and besides, where would the sun come from in the middle of darkness?"

It wasn't until he saw Zhou You that his dazed eyes finally focused.

"Master, you're teasing me again. And why are you back so late? I was almost asleep waiting here."

No, you're already asleep, aren't you?

However, after working together for so many days, Zhou You already knew what kind of person this guy was. He simply raised his hand and shook the several oil paper bags in his hand.

"Speaking of which, have you eaten yet? I passed by a restaurant and found they were still open, so I got some cooked food—shall we have a couple of drinks together?"

Before long, a pile of food was laid out on the table.

The killing of oxen for plowing is prohibited in this dynasty. Even if an ox dies of disease, it must be handed over to the government. Therefore, most of the food on the table is chicken, mixed with some pig's head meat, pig's ears and other similar items.

As for the taste...
The portion size was also quite good.

Zhou You, with an air of familiarity, took out two porcelain cups from the counter, filled them with the wine he had bought, and then raised them to Tao Le'an with a smile.

"This toast is on my behalf. We've been colleagues for so long, but we've barely drunk any wine together. Come on, let's fill this cup."

Tao Le'an took a sip and then sighed.

"It's from Li's Tavern, right? Only they could brew such terrible wine."

"That's the one with the best knowledge."

Zhou You also had a drink, then picked up his chopsticks and stuffed a few pieces of pork into his mouth before speaking.

What seemed casual and ordinary actually made Tao Le'an pause in his actions.

"Brother Tao, you've kept this from me for so long, it's time to confess now."

(End of this chapter)