Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 300 Parting
Actually, it's quite simple to explain this.

It was nothing more than Tao Le being disguised as a respectable woman, Zhou You using the only mirage pearl to transform into a fat cat, and then, through the local bully Bai Lu, being arranged to be a relative of a recently deceased old lady.

In this way, Bai Lu, being a weak woman, doesn't have to risk her life, Tao Le'an can smoothly approach the target Celestial Master, and Zhou You can both advance his mission and get revenge for taking care of this lazybones along the way—it's a win-win-win situation!

Song Hu also understood the situation in an instant. Under the threat to his life, he stopped trying to activate the mechanism and slowly raised his hand, letting Zhou You force him back to the bedside.

At this moment, Tao Le'an had removed all the miscellaneous decorations from her body. Although she still looked like a stunning beauty, her voice had returned to that of a man.

"Prefect Song, we meet again."

Song Huzai looked closely at Tao Le'an's face, but instead of the usual villain's plea for mercy, he suddenly laughed.

"Yes, you really went to great lengths. I thought you would definitely flee the city after being discovered, but I didn't expect you to go around in circles and launch a surprise attack, even pretending to be such a beauty. To be honest, even if I knew you were a man, I couldn't help but be tempted."

Zhou You was quite amused and even wanted to stir things up, but Tao Le'an, as if she had foreseen it, sighed softly.

"Taoist Master."

Zhou You's shoulders slumped immediately.

"I haven't said anything yet. Okay, okay, leave me alone, you two continue."

Seeing that Zhou You had calmed down, Tao Le'an continued speaking to Song Hu.

“Prefect Song, my purpose this time is actually very simple, I just want to ask you a question.”

Tao Le'an did not mention the invitation letter, but instead raised another question.

"Your Highness, how exactly do you intend to achieve this so-called immortality?"

Song Hu suddenly burst into laughter, his mouth opening outwards to reveal his pale white teeth.

"It's all over the place now, it's all about refining elixirs and taking pills, isn't it?"

Tao Le'an lowered his eyes and said softly.

“Prefect Song, you should know that such talk is a complete waste of time. Although our Dao Cavalry was almost completely wiped out in Songzhou, we also know that the Hou Tu Sect’s so-called ‘alchemy’ is not so simple. So I just want to know one thing: what is your ultimate goal?”

But Song Hu just smiled.

"I say, my lady—no, I mean the head of the Suppressing Evil Division—do you really think I'm some kind of naive fool who's just entered the world? All you want from me right now is this one thing. If I were to tell you everything, wouldn't I immediately die by the sword of my colleague?"

Tao Le'an remained silent for a while before answering.

I will let you go.

Upon hearing this, Zhou You, who was standing to the side, was immediately quite dissatisfied.

"I said, Commander-in-Chief Tao, if we let him go..."

Tao Le'an interrupted him directly.

"His news may concern the lives of millions of people in Cangzhou. Compared to him, those women who were skinned alive were indeed tragic, but please understand that the matter is of greater importance."

Even with Tao Le'an's performance, Song Hu still disagreed.

"No, anyone can make a verbal promise, and anyone can go back on their word. What if you turn your back on me and kill me?"

"How are you doing?"

At that moment, Song Hu suddenly broke into an exaggerated smile.

“I need you to swear an oath—an oath made in the blood of your Exorcism Bureau.”

Upon hearing this, Tao Le'an's face immediately turned ashen.

"How did you know? Yes, the Daoist rider you captured."

Song Hu laughed even more arrogantly.

"Speaking of which, that girl's death was truly tragic. I only used about twenty torture instruments in my underground prison, and she confessed to everything. Unfortunately, she was crippled by then. Apart from her face, which I couldn't bear to touch, almost half of her lower body was gone. Oh, by the way, I say, Commander-in-Chief, for the sake of the people of Cangzhou, you shouldn't care about such a small matter, right?"

Tao Le'an's expression was cold, revealing no emotion.

After a moment, he raised one hand and said indifferently.

"I, Tao Le'an, hereby swear a blood oath to the people in the department that as long as the person before me is willing to tell me everything, we in the department will never harm him in the slightest. If I break this oath, may I be devoured by ten thousand demons and never be reincarnated."

The moment the last sentence fell, Zhou You suddenly frowned.

He felt that an invisible power was descending upon him, like a thin film covering Tao Le'an's body—even though he had never seen it before, he knew in his heart that if Tao Le'an dared to break his oath, everything he said would come true.

Song Hu also saw this scene and chuckled.

"As expected of the leader of a department, this kind of courage is not something ordinary people can do - alright, alright, to avoid being affected by the oath, I will tell you what exactly happened."

Song Hu coughed lightly and then said.

"—Including my stronghold, all thirty-six alchemy workshops of the Hou Tu Sect in Songzhou refine elixirs for only one purpose."

"That is turning death into life."

Tao Le'an, who had just sworn a blood oath, was pale, but still immediately asked.

"What do you mean?"

But Song Hu was in no hurry—now that his life was no longer in danger, he even seemed quite relaxed.

"It's very simple. You should know that our prince is already over two hundred years old, right?"

".That's right."

Song Hu suddenly burst into exaggerated laughter.

"—That's right? You have to understand that he's two hundred years old. Think about it, for a normal person, eighty is considered a long life, and over a hundred is considered a longevity star. People who live past one hundred and fifty are basically only seen in legends. But the prince has lived for over two hundred years. How is that possible?"

The laughter grew louder and louder; if it weren't for the barrier, it would have already reached outside the door.

"Over the years, the prince has spent countless resources, not only plundering all seventy-two prefectures of Han territory, but also the snowy mountains, Penglai overseas, and even foreign countries thousands of miles away. He sent people to search for them all, and in doing so, he obtained countless rare treasures, elixirs and medicines, which barely allowed him to maintain his life."

"But no matter how much you try to prolong your life, this age is the limit. If Your Highness wants to live any longer, there are only three options: one is to be worshipped by humans and ascend to a divine position; the other is to discard your physical body and become a ghost; and the third is to find a way to integrate the blood of a different race into yourself, so that you can be reborn and live another hundred years."

At this point, Tao Le'an finally interrupted.

"But in this world, ascending to godhood is bound to be corrupted. Even if you live, it's better to be dead. Becoming a ghost is almost the same. As for merging with the blood of other races, due to the innate repulsion between human and alien beings, I have never heard of anyone succeeding so far."

Song Hu immediately laughed.

"That's right, Your Highness tried it, and even offended the Dongting Dragon Clan and the Bashu Snake Clan for it, but in the end it was all for nothing. However, just when Your Highness was in despair, our leader suddenly appeared and put forward a whimsical suggestion."

"That is to die first and then be born."

".What's the meaning?"

“It means exactly what it says,” Song Hu stated with utmost respect. “You should know that once a person’s lifespan is completely exhausted, any method to prolong life is futile. So our leader devised a plan: first, let the prince die peacefully in his sleep, then solidify his soul in the underworld to deceive the heavens. After everything has passed, reconstruct his physical body in the mortal realm and bring the prince’s soul back—thus, he will have a brand new life.”

At this moment, Zhou You suddenly interrupted.

"It sounds like the steps to putting an elephant in a refrigerator."

Both of them frowned simultaneously.

"—Taoist Master, what are you talking about?"

Seeing the two of them turn their heads and look at him with inexplicable curiosity, Zhou You quickly raised his hands and took a step back.

"No, it's nothing, you can continue, continue."

However, after his interruption, both of them forgot what to say next. After a while, Tao Le'an spoke first.

"But the problem is that once a person's soul enters the underworld, it will no longer be under its own control. The better ones are directly drawn to reincarnation, while the worse ones are transformed into monsters, wandering there for eternity. What power does your prince have to resist the remaining might of the underworld?"

Even after all that, Song Hu was still smiling.

"That's the direction of our research over the years—it's not actually that complicated. It's just about finding a way to inject a massive amount of vital energy into a person's body and then maintain them in a state of being alive even though they're dead, through various means. Although you might think that's similar to a zombie, as they do look dead, they are still living people. Unfortunately, it's easier said than done—we only made a breakthrough recently."

"So how does your prince plan to implement this?" Song Hu asked smugly.

"On his birthday, he would take the elixir formed from the condensation of countless lives, then sacrifice the entire population of the state, using countless lives as a sacrifice to deceive the Heavenly Dao. Then the leader of the sect would offer a young, handsome, and vigorous body, still bearing royal blood, for the prince to be reborn."

"But now the royal bloodline is dwindling, and there aren't many who possess all three qualities. Whom do you intend to offer?"

Song Hu revealed a mocking expression.

"Who else could it be but the current Crown Prince?"

Tao Le'an sighed.

"No wonder the Crown Prince claimed illness and stayed home at the beginning of the year, and no wonder the Emperor, who has always disliked the Evil Suppression Division, is now so supportive of our actions."

At this point, Tao Le'an sighed and continued.

"So, can you get an invitation to a birthday banquet?"

Song Hu simply shook his head.

"You think too highly of me. Although I am a prefect of a region and a Taoist master, in the eyes of the prince I am nothing. I am not even qualified to attend this birthday banquet, so where am I supposed to get an invitation for you?"

"Do you know who can send out this invitation?"

Song Hu finally fell silent. He seemed reluctant to speak, but thinking of his previous vow, he sighed.

"...I can't be sure either, but as the prince's confidant, General Zuo, and as the steward in charge of the prince's residence, they probably have some extra invitations."

After a few moments of silence, Tao Le'an asked his last question.

"Then what is your cult leader's purpose?"

The other person shook their head again.

"I don't know about that. I only know that the leader is obsessed with the Goddess of the Earth and wants her to descend into this world so that they can be together forever. Of course, I can understand that. After all, I have seen the Goddess of the Earth's physical form once, and her appearance was beyond imagination—even more beautiful than when she dressed as a woman."

After speaking, before Tao Le'an could speak again, Song Hu raised his eyes and asked.

"That's basically all I know. May I ask if you two have any further questions?"

Tao Le'an did not answer, but instead cast a spell to trap Song Hu, and then led Zhou You toward the window.

At first, Song Hu was somewhat incredulous, then he suddenly burst into laughter.

"As expected of your Demon Suppression Division's blood oath, even if you hate me to the core, you can't lay a hand on me—look at you, what's the difference between you and a dog running away with its tail between its legs? Let me tell you, after you leave, I will continue to skin me alive, and I will skin me even more, and sooner or later I will piece together a woman as beautiful as your skin."

Tao Le settled down for a moment, but did not stop walking.

Just as they were about to climb out the window, Zhou You, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.

"Hey Lao Tao, I just remembered something."

".What?"

"The oath you just made should have been that only the people of the Evil Suppression Division could not harm him, right?"

"Yes."

"But here's the problem: when did I join your Evil Suppression Division?"

Tao Le'an shook his head.

"You flatter me, Taoist priest. You've only ever cooperated with us. When did you join our company?"

"Oh, so that means I'm just an outsider now."

Song Hu's loud laughter suddenly stopped.

A look of terror suddenly appeared on his face as he watched someone stop, turn around, and walk towards him.

One step, two steps, three steps, four steps, until they were almost upon him.

The evil spirit is drawn from its sheath, its malevolent aura overflowing.

Song Hu was stunned for a moment, then roared, "You...you're lying to me!"

This time it was Zhou You's turn to laugh.

"How can you call it deception when it involves monks? Besides, we were just playing with words a little bit."

"Wait, we can still talk. What do you want? Money, power, or do you want me to betray the prince as an informant? I'll do any of those things, but please don't kill me."

Seeing the sword blade about to reach his neck, Song Hu finally panicked.

But all he saw was Zhou You's smiling face.

"Sigh, I want all of those things you mentioned, but unfortunately I've already accepted a commission—you know, in our line of work, reputation is the most important thing."

"What commission?"

"Here it is." Zhou You smiled and took out the purse he had received from Xu Jin, waving it around. "You may have forgotten this person, perhaps you don't even remember her name, but..."

Zhou You sighed softly.

"This girl originally had a bright future ahead of her. She could have grown up peacefully, gotten married, and perhaps even had a young man she secretly loved. But because of your crazy idea, her family was destroyed. Speaking of which, how many girls like her have there been over the years?"

"I don't want to say any of those platitudes about upholding justice. I just think that people like you shouldn't even be living in this world, that's all."

Looking at that face, which showed no anger and could even be described as kind, Song Hu felt a chill of fear for some reason. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but all he could see in the end was a flash of blood-red sword light.

"pity."

"There wasn't enough time; you died too easily."
-
About an hour later, at the crossroads outside Zhongtai City.

Tao Le'an patted the horse's neck and then smiled at Zhou You.

"Then, Master, we've arrived here and obtained the intelligence. Let's take our leave for now. You take the identity I've arranged for you and go find General Zuo, while I'll see if I can get an invitation from Steward Ming."

Seeing the face become lazy again, Zhou You didn't say anything—after all, it wasn't a matter of life and death—he simply cupped his hands and smiled, then mounted his roe deer, intending to drive it away.

But just as he turned around, Tao Le'an suddenly called out to him again.

"Taoist Master."

"what?"

"then."

Something emerged from the darkness, and Zhou You instinctively took it. He opened it and found it was a booklet—but it was completely blank.

“I see that although you call yourself a monk, you don’t even have proper identification, which makes you even worse than a wild Taoist. So you can keep this thing for now; at least it will give you some face.”

At that moment, the long-awaited system notification sounded.

You have obtained the item "The Unknown Book".

"The Unknown Book"

"Special item".

Quality: Unknown.

"Effect: This item can create a completely matching identity for you based on the era and current situation you are in. This identity is verifiable, verifiable, and entirely true."

It's a pretty good item. Although it doesn't have much combat ability, it's extremely useful to me.

Zhou You cupped his hands in greeting and smiled.

"Thank you, then I'll take my leave."

"Taoist Master, farewell."

Under the moonlight, the two pulled on their reins and sped off in opposite directions.

(End of this chapter)