Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 304 Master and Disciple
the next morning,

A certain inn.

Residences along official roads like these are usually extremely simple, with a thatched shed in front, a few dilapidated houses in the middle, and a stable made of a few pieces of wood in the back.

In such an environment, the service was naturally not very good. In addition, there was only one table of customers at noon, so the restaurant staff basically ignored them. They just reported the order to the kitchen and then went to rest in the back room while yawning.

So only the three of them, weary from their journey, remained under the teahouse.

Looking at the master and apprentice who had narrowly escaped death but still had fear on their faces, Zhou You shook his head and said nothing.

During their conversation some time ago, he also learned that the master and disciple came from Maoshan and had come down the mountain to find something important. However, the master and disciple were really outnumbered and outmatched, so they temporarily stayed under the command of this General Zuo as payment for helping them find the item, and served as his guest ministers to do some things for him.

However, the rest of the Xuanzheng Daoist kept his mouth shut. He refused to say what he was looking for, and he also didn't mention how he and his master had fallen to such a state. In the end, he only said that as a reward for his righteous help, he would introduce Zhou You to the Left General.

However, Zhou You didn't have the leisure to investigate other people's backgrounds—but he was rather curious about the two of them.

The older one, well, he seems to be a seasoned veteran. His skills are average, but he speaks very smoothly, and seems to be someone who has been around the block for a long time.

As for the younger one, he was just a greenhorn, acting rashly and impulsively. Although he was older than Lupin, he was inferior to Lupin in some ways.

What's gotten into Maoshan? Why send such a group to carry out a secret mission?

But just as Zhou You was wondering what was going on, a casual voice suddenly came to his ear.

"Sir, your dishes are here!"

Several plates were slammed onto the table with a 'thud,' and when we looked again, the waiter, cleaner, and shopkeeper was already yawning and walking towards the inner room.

This lazy look is so familiar; it reminds me of an old friend.

The master and apprentice didn't seem to care about the strength at all. As if they were already used to it, they directly put their own dishes in front of them, then took out two naan breads from their packs. Without even picking up chopsticks, they stuffed them into their mouths as if they were starving.

We enjoyed the food, but the problem was...

There was only a plate of stir-fried meat and vegetables in front of the two of them.

Whether it was the shopkeeper being lazy or it was just like that, there were only a handful of shredded meat in this dish. Even so, the Taoist priest surnamed Yu still picked out the few shredded meats and put them all over his apprentice's side before picking up a pancake, wrapping some vegetables in it, and wolfing it down.

“Master, with Master Zhou here, what kind of behavior is this?”

Fu Yu shook his head as if he couldn't bear to watch, but he didn't touch the few shredded meats. Instead, he pushed them to his master's plate and started eating the pancake with the vegetables—at least his eating manners were somewhat refined.

What a harmonious scene of master and apprentice! But...
Zhou You looked down at his plate.

Half a roast chicken, three ounces of pork head meat, a pot of hot wine, and two freshly steamed buns—he's never been one to be frugal; as long as he has the means, he'll order as much meat as possible, even at a small country inn like this.

Although it wasn't anything special, compared to the master and apprentice...
Ugh, how can anyone eat this?

Watching Yu Daoren devour the food like a whirlwind, Zhou You pushed the plate forward and then said.

"Brother Dao, I've ordered a bit too much stuff. If you don't mind, why don't you take it and order some more?"

Seeing this, Fu Yu, who had always been very respectful to him, quickly declined.

"No, no, no, Master Zhou, we appreciate your kindness, but you already saved our lives, how could we accept this?" But before he could finish speaking, a dark claw reached out.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist! To be honest, my son and I haven't had a decent meal in a long time. Disciple, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and thank them properly!"

Fu Yu looked at his master with a conflicted gaze for a long time, and finally let out a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry, Master Zhou, you must have made me laugh."

"It's alright, I'm just a sentimental person."

Zhou You smiled and waved his hand, picking up his wine glass as if to take a sip—but after sniffing it, he shook his head and poured it away.

It wasn't poisonous, but probably due to the brewing process, a layer of mud and sand settled at the bottom. The smell of it was nauseating, let alone the taste.

Fortunately, he had brought his own drinks.

He untied the wine gourd from his waist, uncorked it, and poured a cup into it.

In an instant, the rich aroma of wine filled the entire room. Even the chicken butt in Yu Daoren's mouth no longer tasted good, and he looked longingly at Zhou You.

"Um, fellow Daoist, I'm really sorry, but... well..."

"It's alright, good wine is meant to be shared with others."

As if sensing what Daoist Yu was about to say, Zhou You smiled and poured him a cup as well.

The old man was overjoyed. He first picked up the wine glass and took a deep, intoxicating breath—but instead of drinking it down immediately, he took a small sip, savored it for a while, and then took another sip. After drinking all the wine, he even licked the glass clean with lingering reluctance.

"Excellent wine. Truly excellent wine! The quality of this brew is probably almost on par with the sect leader's private collection."

Seeing his behavior, Fu Yu moved his stool far away with a look of disgust, as if afraid that people would misunderstand that he had some kind of relationship with him.

Zhou You smiled and picked up the wine pot, wanting to refill it, but was immediately refused by the Taoist Yu.

"That's enough, that's enough. One drink is enough; any more would be overstepping your bounds."

Seeing the man's resolute attitude, Zhou You could only sit back down and then asked with some curiosity.

"Brother Dao, your Maoshan sect is a famous sect, right? You are a legitimate disciple, how did you fall to such a state?"

Master Yu picked up the chicken butt again, sucking on it carefully while speaking indistinctly.

“Fellow Daoist, you are unaware of this. Our ancestors of Maoshan established a rule: as long as you are on the mountain, all your food, clothing, and daily necessities are provided by the mountain, and you also receive a fixed monthly allowance. But once you go down the mountain, whether you are on a business trip or whatever, you have to earn all your own expenses. This is supposedly to temper the disciples’ character. However, my master and I had already spent all our money on the road, and General Zuo is not generous at all. Now we rely entirely on performing rituals to exorcise ghosts and catch demons to earn money.”

"Even so, with your status as a Taoist priest who has received ordination, surely you shouldn't be unable to afford food?"

This time, it was Master Yu's turn to remain silent for a long time before speaking.

But it's a completely unrelated question.

"Fellow Daoist, what do you think of Songzhou?"

(End of this chapter)