Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 294 Leather Goods
The next day.

It was still in front of the Song residence.

The day off had already passed, but as the highest-ranking official in the city, whether or not the prefect carried out the repairs was entirely up to his mood. Today, he happened to be in a good mood, so he emptied the government office and held a grand banquet at his home to welcome the two 'experts'.

Everyone in the city knows that the Prefect is usually frugal, but today he really splurged. At a glance, there was a table full of dishes, including steamed lamb, roast goose, braised eel, stewed turtle, and braised bear paw. They were all delicious and visually appealing.

Even if it doesn't contain anything like dragon liver or phoenix marrow, it's still considered very sincere for a family dinner.

Everything is ready, except for one problem.

Those who were supposed to attend the banquet did not show up.

It was already past noon, and the dishes on the table were getting cold. The clerk who was in charge of the banquet was extremely anxious. After pacing back and forth at the door for a long time, he finally couldn't hold back any longer, carefully went into the house, and reported to his master.

"Sir, it's been almost half an hour since the agreed time, and the food is getting cold. Why haven't these two arrived yet?"

Prefect Song tapped the table repeatedly with his index finger, his face darkening.

"Maybe something happened that caused the delay? Let's wait a little longer."

The advisor could only lower his head, but after a while, he couldn't help but speak again.

"Sir, do you think I should go and urge them?"

"Why are you rushing me? Do you even know where they live?"

"Then how about we use the city's constables to go look for it?"

In response, Prefect Song merely gave a cold glare.

"You're afraid this little thing won't get out, aren't you? Send the constables? With those guys' big mouths, they could search for me in less than half an hour, and the whole city would know!"

The advisor immediately fell silent, as if terrified.

The living room fell silent instantly, and time passed slowly in that silence.

Just as Prefect Song was starting to get impatient, a servant finally rushed in in a panic.

"Reporting, reporting to Your Excellency, it's me, it's me!"

"What kind of behavior is this? So impudent! It makes you think the Song family has no manners—stop talking nonsense and get to the point!"

The servant stammered for a while before managing to organize his thoughts and speak cautiously.

"My lord, there are two men outside requesting an audience. One of them is the very man who chopped off half the head of our stone lion. Should we send troops to reinforce them?"

"Mobilize him my ass! That's my honored guest, go and invite him right now!"

moment.

The two people from yesterday—Zhou You and Tao Le'an—went into the house.

Upon meeting, Tao Le'an repeatedly bowed and apologized.

“My lord, I am truly sorry. We had already set off more than half an hour earlier, but my brother fell ill on the way. We had no choice but to take him to see a doctor first and get his medicine before we arrived. As a result, we are late. I am willing to accept any punishment you may give me, my lord. I hope that you, the prefect, will be magnanimous and forgive us for our past mistakes.”

Upon hearing this, Prefect Song's gloomy expression softened somewhat.

“Since there is a reason for this, further punishment would only make me seem petty. Alright, sit down. The meal is ready and we are just waiting for the two of you.”

Tao Le'an first helped the pale-faced Zhou You to sit down, and then sat down himself.

However, neither of them touched their chopsticks.

Upon seeing this, Prefect Song frowned once again.

"Do you two find this feast too meager? Or is the food not to your liking? Why haven't you touched it at all?"

Tao Le'an gave a wry smile. "Reporting to you, sir, I also ate those dumplings yesterday. Although it wasn't to the extent that my brother was in, my stomach still felt a bit uncomfortable. Oh well, since the prefect is so kind, it would be rude of me not to accept. I can just take a few more doses of medicine later."

After saying that, Tao Le'an picked up his chopsticks, and even Zhou You, who was pale-faced, took a few bites.

Seeing this, Prefect Song's expression turned from anger to joy. He then called over several old servants to bring in a fine wine, opened it in front of them, and poured a full cup for Zhou You and his companion.

Then, he picked up his glass, stood up as the host, and offered a toast to the feast.

"You two, drink to victory!"

He raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, the liquor staining his beard and making his smile look rather comical.
-
Not long after.

After eating and drinking, the host and guests were very happy.

Prefect Song gestured to his servants to remove all the dishes, and then smiled.

"Now that the hospitality is over, let's get down to business. I've already arranged your assignments. On the surface, you'll be officials in the government office, but in reality, you'll be my personal bodyguards, protecting me."

Tao Le'an was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this.

"Sir, you should know our skills. Generally speaking, one bodyguard is enough. Why?"

Prefect Song smiled, but his eyes were full of bitterness.

"Two brave warriors, now that you have joined my ranks, you should know about my grudges with the Thick Earth Sect, right?"

"I've heard of it in general."

"Then you should also know that my wife died at their hands, and I have a blood feud with them, right?"

"I've heard about it."

"However, the Thick Earth Sect is rooted in Songzhou. As the prefect, I may seem to hold a high position, but in reality, I am walking on thin ice. To be honest, I have been assassinated several times in the past few days. I was only saved by my guards who risked their lives to save me. But as you can see, I don't have any capable people at my disposal right now, so I can only ask the two of you to protect me together, just in case."

Tao Le'an nodded and sat down again.

Seeing that there were no more questions, Prefect Song smiled and spoke again.

"However, this is not the place to talk. If you two are not in a hurry, shall we go somewhere else and discuss the arrangements later?"

Tao Le'an bowed slightly and replied.

"It's impossible."

So the Prefect Song dismissed the surrounding people and walked alone with the two men into the courtyard—he was quite bold, not minding at all being alone with two strangers he had just met.

The Song mansion was much larger and more expansive than I had imagined. After wandering around for a long time, I still hadn't reached the end. The red bricks and green tiles gradually faded away, replaced by a dense bamboo forest.

After an unknown amount of time, the bamboo forest gradually faded away, and finally, Prefect Song stopped in front of an old wooden building.

"This is another reception room in my residence, and also where I store my collection. There's a maze set up outside, so I don't have to worry about anyone eavesdropping—please come, gentlemen."

Zhou You and Tao Le'an exchanged a glance, and then obeyed Prefect Song's words and went into the house.

The scenery changed abruptly the next moment.

A strong smell of blood filled my nose and mouth.

Looking up, I saw dozens of beauties hanging from the roof. A gust of wind blew from somewhere, causing one of the beauties to turn her profile.

A beauty that could shame the moon and flowers, a bud waiting to bloom.

However.
Only the skin.

(End of this chapter)