Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 293 Abnormality
moment.

In the reception room of the mansion.

As Zhou You sipped the tea served by the servant, he looked around.

After demonstrating his skill, the servant respectfully invited them in, then, sweating profusely, said he wouldn't disturb them any longer and would go find his master.

As for the living room, it's not much different from the outside. It's not exactly shabby, but it's not particularly luxurious either. If you had to describe it, it's like the decor of a middle-class home—it's presentable, but that's about it.

However, despite this, there is still something special about it.

—There are many animal decorations in this room.

The wolf's head, severed and specially made into decoration; a huge tiger skin; deer antlers specially made into the shape of a calligraphy brush; and sharp, curved wild boar tusks.
Even the corners of the chairs were specially wrapped with rabbit skin—which shows that the owner of this house is definitely an extremely passionate hunting enthusiast, but the consequence is that the whole house is filled with a faint smell of leather.

Just as he was looking around, a voice suddenly rang out from the side.

"Young friend, it seems you're quite interested in my collection."

Turning around, I saw a middle-aged man in a long robe with a clear and handsome face looking at me with a smile.

It was the same middle-aged man I had seen at the funeral before.

When he turned his head, the man said with a smile.

"I am the prefect you two are looking for. My name is Song Hu, courtesy name Yuanzhi. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Only now did Zhou You have the chance to take a good look at this person's face.

His appearance wasn't particularly striking, but there was always a serious look deep in his eyes. At this moment, his smile was kind and gentle, as if an elder were questioning a younger person.

After listening to the other person's question for a while, Zhou Yousi finally answered.

"I was just curious. Most people think that displaying prey in the living room is unlucky, so it is quite rare in Han areas."

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

“Young friend, you certainly know your stuff. That’s right, this is a custom from the Western Regions. It’s basically my only hobby since my wife died: hunting everywhere and then decorating my catch.”

As he spoke, he caught a glimpse of Tao Le'an beside him.

He seemed taken aback when he saw the head wrapped in white cloth, but still smiled.

"Who is this?"

Tao Le'an cupped his hands in greeting.

"My surname is Fan, you can call me Fan Wu. This gentleman next to me is my elder brother, Fan Xian," Tao Le'an said, lying without batting an eye. "My brother and I originally roamed the Songshan Road, but due to the harsh times, we wanted to find a master to rely on. We also heard that the Prefect is currently recruiting brave men from all directions, so we thought we'd come and see if we could find some work."

"Songshan Road? I've heard there are guys called the Fan Family Two Devils there. One of them is incredibly skilled with a fast sword. Could it be you two?"

"I wouldn't call it superhuman, but my brother does have some skill, so..."

Watching the two people exchanging pleasantries so familiarly, Zhou You couldn't join the conversation for a moment. He could only turn his attention to the surrounding decorations—but for some reason, he suddenly smelled a foul odor.

At first, he thought it was just his imagination. After all, the room was full of various fur specimens, and ancient technology hadn't reached that level, so it was normal for it to have a bit of a smell.

But here's the thing.

He soon realized that the stench wasn't coming from the living room, but from somewhere further away.

Moreover, the taste always has a vague sense of familiarity.

Zhou You frowned, then suddenly interrupted between the two.

"Excuse me, but I need to pee. Could you tell me where the restroom is?"

Both of them were taken aback.

But Tao Le'an quickly realized what was happening. He first glared at Zhou You with extreme annoyance and dissatisfaction, then turned to the prefect with a forced smile and said, "Sir, I'm sorry, my brother here is a bit of a simpleton, not very bright. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten into such a fight at the gate just now. And you, are you in such a hurry? Hold it in until we get back!"

Prefect Song didn't care at all, since it was rare to find someone with real talent under his command, so he just waved his hand and laughed.

"It's alright, it's alright. The outhouse is at the far east end, at the very back. You can go there yourself."

Zhou You chuckled awkwardly and agreed, then hurriedly left the room.

But instead of heading towards the outhouse, he looked around, saw no one nearby, turned his head, and headed towards the direction from which the smell was coming from.

At this point, he finally remembered where the taste came from.

The 'elixir of immortality' carried that lingering stench.

—Are there members of the Thick Earth Cult lurking in this house?
Zhou You frowned and carefully searched for a side room.

There was a lock on the door, but it made no difference to him; the moment the evil energy seeped in, the lock spring would immediately engage.

He caught the lock gently, avoiding the sound of it hitting the ground, and then quietly went inside.

But once inside, he was suddenly taken aback.

This is just an ordinary bedroom, and somehow the original scent has dissipated, leaving only the musky smell of insect repellent.

Looking around, the decorations in the room were quite ordinary, but like the living room, everything was covered in various leathers: calfskin, sheepskin, and even a black and white striped carpet underfoot. I won't go into that.

Zhou You looked around but saw nothing unusual, so he could only guess that someone from the Hou Tu Sect had infiltrated the mansion before—after all, the guards of Prefect Song were really incompetent; even if he were here, they could just wander around like a public toilet.

After searching for a long time without success, Zhou You could only plop down on the chair, but just as he sat down, his brows suddenly furrowed.

Then, he unfolded the lambskin wrapped around the armrest, and after carefully stroking it, his expression finally turned extremely ugly.

In the living room, Tao Le'an was still arguing with the prefect.

The two chatted about their family backgrounds, their lives, and then about the yellow dog at the door. Just as Tao Le'an felt he had touched it enough and was about to have a deeper conversation, Zhou You suddenly limped in.

"No, what happened to you? Did you fall into the latrine? How come your leg is lame in such a short time?"

Zhou You's expression was as white as paper. He bent down and said in a low voice.

"The meat at that wonton stall this morning seemed a bit off; my stomach suddenly started hurting terribly, I'll probably have to get some medicine."

Tao Le'an suddenly became extremely embarrassed. He glanced at Prefect Song, who had a half-smile on his face, and said helplessly.

"I'm sorry, sir, my brother is really not up to the task, so we'll have to take our leave today—hey, why did you have to do this at a time when it's important?"

Prefect Song waved his hand dismissively.

"It's alright, then we'll do as we agreed before. You two can report to me tomorrow. As for the reward, it'll be eighty taels of gold per person per year. If you can deal with those bastards from the Thick Earth Sect, then the price will double!"

"Thank you, sir, thank you, sir!"

Tao Le'an, while bowing with his hands clasped, pulled Zhou You out of the mansion as if afraid of losing face again.

Tao Le'an's expression only calmed down when he was far away from the house and had reached a secluded corner.

"Master, what happened to you? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Zhou You stopped clutching his stomach, straightened up, and sighed.

"Actually, it's nothing, it's just that Brother Tao, I'm afraid we two..."

"It's time to run."

(End of this chapter)