Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 311 Massacre
(Revised and expanded to include 400 extra words for free. More for the same price, I'm really sorry.)
Unfortunately, Fu Yu was also unable to provide him with any answers.

He still seemed to be in shock from the scene he had just witnessed, his face still showing a look of horror, until Zhou You called out to him a few times before he came to his senses.

"Daoist Master, what are you saying?"

Zhou You sighed.

Previously, Master Yu had given him three options. The first was to bury it in the ground—but now that the town monument has become ineffective, burying it again would obviously be useless. The second was to destroy it directly, but...
The evil-infused blade, brimming with malevolent energy, cleaved down, but not even a scratch appeared on it.

Therefore, the only option left is to implement the third plan.

“Then I’ll go meet up with Brother Yu first,” Zhou You had just given the order when he saw Fu Yu’s extremely panicked expression, so he could only shake his head and change his mind. “Never mind, you go first. It’ll be easier for you to talk to him as his disciple. You can ride this roe deer for now. After you go back and find your master, tell him what happened here, and then tell him to be prepared to send this strange creature back to Maoshan at any time.”

Before Fu Yu could offer any opinion, Zhou You directly swung his sword—

This ghost village has lost its core that forms its foundation. Although the blood moon still hangs high in the sky, the entire village is like a thin sheet of cloth, which can be easily torn open with a single tug, leaving a long gash.

With a few sword strikes, the village was reduced to rubble, and the two returned to the mountains and forests.

however.

...But it was not daytime at this moment.

Although we have returned to the mountains and forests, it is already night. We can only hear the faint chirping of insects and birds, and from time to time, a cry from some unknown animal can be heard from the depths, sounding like a lament or a sob.

Fu Yu shuddered instantly.

"Taoist priest, we've only been in that ghost village for a few hours, haven't we? How come..."

Zhou You didn't answer. Instead, he summoned his own roe deer, helped Fu Yu up, and then patted the deer's rump, sending it galloping away with a thud.

Zhou You stared at the wild donkey that had been left behind for a long time, and in the end, he could only frown and sigh.

"Well, I have to tell that girl the news anyway, so it's okay if it's slow."

Although it was just a wild donkey, if you really look at it, its pace wasn't that slow.

Especially under such a hurried situation, Zhou You was able to leave the mountain forest in just two days.

However, for some reason, as time went by, he felt increasingly uneasy—an unease that had nothing to do with the ghost village, but rather a kind of warning from the depths of his heart.

By the time he arrived at the mountain village, his emotions had reached their peak, making his steps even more hurried.

The first thing you see is still the statue of the Earth God.

However, compared to a few days ago, the statue appeared even more dilapidated, with even its originally blurry face now covered in a layer of grayish color.

Zhou You tapped it lightly with his finger, and sure enough, the last bit of its spiritual essence had disappeared, and now it was just a stillborn clay statue.

Look up and glance at the village.

This time, there wasn't even a wisp of smoke from the chimneys.

Zhou You frowned and led the donkey into the village.

however.

They did not see any human voices wherever they went.

Following the path that Master Yu had led him along, he saw no pedestrians at all—it was as if the entire village had vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

In this vast village, only the sound of the wind howls and echoes.

The unease grew stronger and stronger, to the point that even his complexion became increasingly pale.

As Zhou You trudged along the muddy road, for the first time in a long time, he had a fleeting thought of good fortune.

—Perhaps these people were conscripted for labor, and with my merit in eliminating the ghost village this time, I can get them back with just a word.

Perhaps overwhelmed by the burden, everyone fled. Although the mission was not accomplished, it was ultimately a good ending.
--perhaps.
Unfortunately, all ideas ended at the end of the village.

—The moment he stepped inside, he felt a strange smell hit him.

It was a smell that was a mixture of stench and fishiness, yet also extremely sweet.

Zhou You is very familiar with this taste.

Bloody smell.

Looking up, all I could see was a crooked tower.

The tower looked ordinary, and the builders were clearly novices—but the problem was that the entire tower was made of human heads.

He had never seen this thing before, but he had heard of it to some extent.

—As the saying goes: After a victory, corpses are displayed, and a mound of corpses is built.

Generally speaking, these are things that the victorious side used to show off their military prowess in ancient wars.

This is a tower made from corpses!

But the problem is, the whole village is made up of ordinary people, so what do they have to boast about?
Zhou You pursed his lips, his face cold. He glanced at the pile of corpses and first saw the village chief's aged face, his white beard stained with blood. Then he saw the old woman he had met when he entered the village, her mouth wide open, but no longer able to utter any warm words.

...The few dozen remaining villagers have all perished here.

All the faces were so grotesque, all the expressions clearly showed that they had suffered greatly before their deaths.

Then, looking down.

...and then he saw a familiar pigtail.

And it was tied with a red string—nowadays it looks even glaringly red.

Zhou You reached out, seemingly wanting to pull out the mutilated head, but the moment he touched it, he lowered his hand and gave up.

"."

The silence lasted for a long time.

Finally, he could only sigh, bend down, and place the colorful stone necklace in front of the grave mound.

To be honest, he didn't consider himself a saint, nor a saint in troubled times—but the problem was…

These people were all acquaintances of his, even though he had only met them once. He had at least seen them before.

But now all of these people are dead.

They died a horrific death, and their bodies were even cast into a mound of corpses.

...In chaotic times, are the lives of ordinary people so cheap?
He vaguely remembered that he had promised this little girl two things in exchange for a piece of candy.

One thing was to find her mother, and that has already been accomplished.

And another one.
Zhou You took out the malt candy, which was now stained black, from his pocket and casually tossed it into his mouth.

Next, chew it up.

While savoring the nauseatingly sweet taste, he touched a piece of wreckage on the ground. After trying more than ten times, he finally triggered his talent, the ability to glimpse the cause.

Fear, welcoming, crying, begging for mercy, and then being driven to the back village, where they looked in despair at the raised butcher's knife.

Finally, what I saw was a grinning face.

As expected, it was just as he had anticipated. He shook his head, mounted his mount, and rode away—but before turning around, he still swung his sword.

The malevolent energy swept across the land like a tidal wave, turning the earth upside down and swallowing up the mound of human heads.

Then, faintly, the sound of somewhat unskilled chanting could be heard.

"By the Supreme Decree, your lonely soul transcends, all ghosts and demons, and all living beings receive grace."

—This is a scripture about rebirth in the Pure Land.

Two days later, at the stationed military camp.

Looking around, the entire camp was still as disorganized as ever. There were all sorts of people in the camp: alcoholics, prostitutes, gamblers, and more. Not a single one of them was doing anything productive.

Zhou You walked to the door as usual, woke up the dozing soldier, and asked him to announce his arrival. Then, amidst the filthy curses, he was quickly ushered into the Left General's main tent.

The mountain of food still piled high on the table; the only change was that a few of the huge, fat pigs in the corner were gone.

Upon seeing Zhou You enter, the obese General Zuo even stood up this time, enthusiastically helped Zhou You to a chair next to him, and then burst into laughter.

"Master, I just heard from the gatekeeper that your skill is indeed extraordinary. Those two good-for-nothings are no match for you. You took care of that eyesore with a single move. By the way, Master, you must be hungry after traveling for so long. Here, have a bite to eat. These things may not be delicacies, but they are rare treats in this desolate wilderness."

Compared to their first meeting, General Zuo was now much more enthusiastic, even personally getting up to pour Zhou You a cup of wine.

pity.

After taking a light sniff, someone shook their head and poured it away.

General Zuo's fat face froze for a moment—but miraculously, he didn't get angry, but instead managed a weak smile.

"Master, is there something you're unhappy about with me?"

Zhou You stared at the chubby face for a while, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"General, you flatter me. You have shown me such respect, how could I possibly have any complaints? It's just that I can't drink much wine, so I had to pour it out."

Upon hearing this, General Zuo's expression finally brightened—but he also became somewhat curious.

“I say, Master, this is a fine wine that I bought at a high price. Normally, it would be priceless. If you think this is bad, then may I ask what kind of wine you consider good?”

Zhou You remained silent, but simply took the Wine Immortal Gourd from his waist and poured a cup for each of them.

—In the blink of an eye, the unique aroma of strong liquor filled the entire tent, even overshadowing the flavors of the many delicacies.

General Zuo's eyes widened instantly. He watched eagerly as Zhou You handed him the wine cup, and the moment he took it, he couldn't wait to drink it all in one gulp.

"Good wine, indeed good wine! Daoist, you're right. Compared to this wine, what I just drank was like horse piss—men, drag the quartermaster who bought this batch of wine out and whip him to death—damn it, what was that bastard thinking, making me drink this stuff!"

Zhou You didn't stop him, but instead cupped his hands and smiled at General Zuo.

"General, now that we've finished our casual conversation, shouldn't we get down to business?"

General Zuo was taken aback, then slapped his forehead.

"Look at my memory—oh right, the invitation to the Prince's birthday banquet, isn't it?"

He bent down and rummaged through his clothes for a long time before finally pulling out two white jade pendants.

—The jade pendant was clearly made of expensive materials, without the slightest flaw. At first glance, it was pure white like snow, with a gold thread forming an eye-like shape in the very center.

Zhou You looked into his eyes, and his eyes looked back at him.

Then, his eyes suddenly blinked.

Zhou You's expression changed immediately, but just before he could throw it out, General Zuo beside him stopped him with a smile.

"Daoist Master, don't worry. This is something created by the Hou Tu Sect. It looks a bit evil, but it's not harmful in itself. And this is the only invitation to the Prince's birthday banquet. I'll give you one and your master one—here, I, Old Zuo, have done more than enough, haven't I?"

Zhou You stared at the eerie jade pendant for a long time, his face showing a lot of inner conflict, but in the end he chose to put it away and bowed to General Zuo.

"Then I thank you very much, General—matters of my sect should be addressed as soon as possible, please excuse me for taking my leave now."

As they spoke, Zhou You didn't mention anything else. He immediately stood up, dusted himself off, and prepared to leave.

However, the Left General suddenly called out to him again.

"Fellow Daoist, why are you in such a hurry? There are still more than ten days until the Prince's birthday banquet, and I remember you came with those two good-for-nothings, right? Aren't you going to wait for them?"

Zhou You gently shook his head.

"I also want the general to know that I only met those two by chance. I happened to help them out at the time, which is how they introduced me. As for whether we are familiar or not, at most it's better to be on good terms with strangers. So there's no need to wait for them."

Who would have guessed.

Upon hearing this, General Zuo laughed even more heartily and then revealed his true purpose.

"Since we're not waiting for them, would you like to come with us? I won't hide it from you, the Prince has always liked recruiting talented young men like you. Since you were able to solve that 'ghost village,' you're quite capable. If I recommend you, perhaps the Prince will praise you."

Zhou You seemed hesitant, and seeing this, General Zuo added another straw to break the camel's back.

"You should know that I am one of the people who have influence with the Prince. If you are willing to help me this time, I will reward you accordingly. At the very least, your sect will benefit."

The implication is already quite clear.

Zhou You remained silent for a few seconds before finally raising his hand in a bow.

"Then I shall accept it without hesitation."

General Zuo burst into laughter.

"Alright, alright, I knew a smart person like you would know when to back down, and that old devil—" He suddenly realized something and quickly changed his words, "Right, since you've agreed, Master, I should treat you well—Guards, find a fat pig and drag it out to slaughter it."

But soon, Zhou You quietly refused.

"Thank you for your kindness, General, but I am currently observing abstinence and cannot eat greasy food."

"Then I'll arrange a superior room for you at the camp."

"Those who live outside the secular world need to constantly absorb the essence of heaven and earth; I, on the other hand, can simply sleep in the open."

Seeing Zhou You's resolute attitude, General Zuo had no choice but to have his personal guards escort it out—but before leaving, Zhou You asked a question as if it were unintentional.

"By the way, General, when I wiped out the Ghost Village, I didn't see any of the rebels you mentioned. Is that alright with you?"

"Really? Then they were probably all eaten?" General Zuo scratched his bald head, but quickly waved his hand. "That doesn't matter. I've already completed my mission, so you don't need to worry about it. You just need to think about how to please the prince afterwards."

Zhou You didn't say anything more, just bowed and then took his leave.

Long after someone left, the smile on General Zuo's face gradually disappeared. He looked in the direction Zhou You had left and curled his lip in disdain.

"Pah! Who do you think you are? You're nothing but a licker of the prince's stinky shoes. Once the prince gets tired of you, just wait and see how I deal with you."

Before he could finish speaking, a report came from outside the door, and then a soldier walked in, whispered something in the left general's ear.

General Zuo's expression changed several times in an instant. Then he slammed his hand on the table, causing all the bowls and basins to fall to the ground.

"What? The little one still hasn't been found? Then keep looking! Search every inch of the earth! I did this behind the Prince's back. If it gets out, I'll fucking kill you all first!"

(End of this chapter)