Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 321 Birthday Gift
That foot was as white as warm jade, and it wasn't wearing any shoes. The round toes just touched the carpet, but without feeling any force, it immediately seemed to take flight and leaped up again.

In the blink of an eye, it landed lightly again, without even making a sound.

Just those two feet alone made many people with weak willpower secretly swallow hard.

Logically speaking, this shouldn't be the case. Who among us hasn't seen the world? What kind of beautiful women haven't we seen? But for some reason, we're all captivated by those legs.

Looking further up, there was a gauze dress over her legs, different from the one she had worn in the carriage and the one she had enjoyed over the past few days. The gauze dress was not transparent and was even quite covering, but its allure was no less. Above that was an extremely charming face, which revealed a stunning beauty involuntarily with every frown and smile.

Aside from her slightly flat chest, this woman was practically the legendary goddess descended to earth, the embodiment of all beauty and tenderness in the world.

As several musicians played, the woman began to dance in the corridor—and in that instant, everything else paled in comparison, leaving only her swaying and graceful dance in the world.

It wasn't until a round of applause broke everyone's reverie.

"Ladies and gentlemen, while beauties are indeed delightful, haven't you forgotten something?"

Only then did some people realize the truth.

The first to react were still the officials who were slated for the position of one of the Three Dukes and were about to ascend to the top of the court.

He hadn't even sat back down for a few minutes when he suddenly knelt down again, then raised a box high with both hands and respectfully reported.

"Your humble servant Yuanlu presents this gift to Your Highness, wishing you a long and prosperous life!"

The leader of the Thick Earth Sect calmly took it from his hand, then presented it to the prince and opened it.

It was a vibrant green peach.

The peach was carved from a single piece of jade, without a single flaw from bottom to top. What was even more remarkable was that this longevity peach was perfectly round and seamless, with the emerald green leaves and the pink peach body connected together without any visible seams.

Despite the sight of such a treasure, the prince remained silent and even began to snore.

Seeing the official's embarrassed expression, Xie Anming tried to smooth things over.

"It's all thanks to this guest's thoughtfulness. Although this item can't compare to the treasures in the Prince's treasury, it's still a rare find. With your original salary as a third-rank official, you must have saved up for many years to acquire it, right?"

However, while it was meant to be a conciliatory remark, it was full of veiled barbs, clearly implying that he had embezzled and accepted bribes so much that even the obsequious smile on the Yuan official's face froze.

Hearing the faint jeers around him, the official could only grit his teeth in silence.

—Damn it, you're just a poor, failed exam candidate. Back in the day, killing you was as easy as killing an ant for me.
However, he would never dare to say such a thing, so he could only lower his head and speak even more humbly.

"It is indeed something I've saved up over many years. Although Your Highness may not appreciate it, it's still a token of my appreciation."

Seeing the man descend with trepidation, a man dressed in foreign attire glanced at him disdainfully and then spoke loudly.

"The King of Bosheng Kingdom, Siduan'en, presents a gift to the Prince!"

Several of his close associates stood silently behind him, lifted a large gift box from behind, and then placed it with great effort in the middle of the aisle.

A deafening roar erupted—even the dancers performing their routines stopped in their tracks and turned to look in their direction.

But when the lid was opened, all that was revealed to everyone was a charred, dead tree.

Those with sharp tongues and a penchant for gossips laughed on the spot.

"As expected of those barbarians from overseas, their vision is truly limited; they treat a mere piece of rotten wood as a treasure."

But before he could finish speaking, Xie Anming stared at the blockhead for a while and then interrupted.

"Is the person below the stage Wuhunmu?"

The man laughed on the spot.

"Exactly!"

Xie Anming, on the other hand, looked at the unremarkable withered tree and kept praising it.

"What a wonderful thing! This item is most effective in calming the spirit and protecting the soul. When ground into powder and made into incense, it also has the effect of warding off calamities. Normally, even a piece of it is hard to find. Now, to have such a complete piece is truly a great gift."

The foreign man raised his head and said proudly.

"So that the Lord may know, this thing was dug out of the deepest valley by us. Just this one thing cost the lives of hundreds of people, young and old. Since we got it, I haven't dared to use a single piece. When I heard that the Prince was celebrating his birthday, I transported it all the way here, hoping that the Prince would like it."

Xie Anming whispered a few words in the old man's ear, and the old man groggily opened his eyes again.

"That's really thoughtful of you. Tell him if you need anything else."

However, this simple sentence made the man feel as if he had received some supreme honor. He suddenly knelt on the ground and kowtowed several times with great force. Only after the prince closed his eyes did he turn around and return to his seat.

However, as he passed by that talkative man, he spat a mouthful of phlegm into the man's bowl without hesitation. The man was also a high-ranking official, and his face turned pale and then red. But in the end, he didn't dare to say a word to this man who had received praise from the prince.

After the man walked away, another person immediately stepped forward. This person was also dressed in a third-rank official's robe and had a mustache. As he passed the dancer, he tried to grope her.

But before the groping hand could even touch the hem of her dress, the dancer naturally avoided it, without even faltering in her dance.

"Tsk, young lady, why are you so shy?"

The man with the mustache glanced greedily at the slender waist, but still thinking about the important matter at hand, he quickly took a few steps and respectfully presented a square box.

"Bao Lehe, a third-rank official and Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, comes to offer his birthday greetings to the Prince!"

Xie Anming accepted the gift box with a smile, but his expression suddenly turned cold when he opened it.

One of the items on the table is a large, golden Buddha statue with exquisite carvings, even the smile is lifelike, clearly the work of a master craftsman.

But looking at this glittering golden object, Xie Anming gently shook his head and then said.

"The item is indeed made of pure gold. If I'm not mistaken, it should be from the Nuo family of Anyuan, but it's too vulgar."

The man with the mustache was still grinning and waiting for a reward—but upon hearing these words, his face froze, and he immediately cried out that he was wronged.

"No offense, Your Excellency, but you can't say that. This tiny Buddha statue cost me a whole thousand taels of gold."

But the only response he received was an even colder one.

"Is a thousand taels of gold a lot for Your Highness?"

With Xie Anming's wave of his hand, two armored soldiers quickly entered and, amidst screams and pleas for mercy, dragged the man with the mustache out. Soon, intermittent screams came from outside, along with a faint but distinct smell of blood.

All of this was done without any attempt to hide it from others, and in some way, it even amplified the situation, making everyone feel the devastation outside more acutely. Xie Anming let out a breath and once again put on that polite smile.

"I'd like to add something here—you all already know from the invitations that His Highness dislikes being looked down upon. This serves as a lesson from the past, so please don't repeat the same mistake."

The silence lasted only a short while before a series of responses rang out.

"It should, it should."

"That person brought this humiliation upon himself; no wonder it was Master Xie."

"We all know what's going on, and we would never do that."

Seeing that things were back on track, more people came forward, accompanied by music and an increasingly intense dance.

"Minister Luo Kai presents a copy of the San Tong Hua engraving, wishing His Highness a long and prosperous life."

"The Prime Minister of the Southern River Kingdom presents a piece of cold jade stalactite, wishing His Highness a long and prosperous life."

"Grand Protector Cui said, 'I offer a piece of mountain spirit bone as a gift to Your Highness.'"

As gifts were presented, the large hall quickly became glittering with jewels. During this time, the Hidden King opened his eyes a few times, and all those who received gifts were moved to tears of gratitude. However, there were also a few people who were dragged out with screams and wails.

Now, the stench of blood wafts in on the wind, mingling with the aroma of the delicacies on the table, leaving one unsure whether to feel craving or nauseous.

Meanwhile, the fat Xun beside him offered a mermaid pearl the size of a fist. Although it didn't make the prince open his eyes, at least he wasn't keeping company with those people outside. Now, listening to the still-unstoppable screams, the prince was filled with fear and kept wiping the sweat from his face with a handkerchief.

It seems... he finally regrets coming to this place.

Now, only two people remain who did not offer birthday wishes.

One is the leader of the Maoshan Sect, and the other...

That is, to travel around.

At this moment, Headmaster He of Maoshan just looked at Xie Anming, and Xie Anming just looked at him.

After a long pause, Xie Anming could only shake his head with a wry smile, first avoiding his gaze, and then looking at another person.

—That is, someone.

However, Xie Anming was genuinely taken aback when he saw that face, but quickly nodded with a gentle smile.

"My friend, we meet again. I wonder what birthday gift you brought for the Prince this time?"

Ignoring the wink from Fatty Xun beside him and the other bead that was secretly handed to him, Zhou You stood up, smiling as he picked up the coarse cloth bag.

"This is what Zhou You, a wandering hermit, has brought to offer as a birthday gift to His Highness."

He glanced at the glittering corner, then sighed and shook his head.

"Unlike these vulgar trinkets, what I present is a rare treasure, something that you would rarely see even if you came here."

A burst of snickers immediately came from below the stage, but given the precedent of the Black Soul Wood, no one dared to mock him this time—but the way they looked at Zhou You was somewhat strange.

Several of them recognized him as the one who had mistakenly sat in the main seat earlier. Their expressions were quite amused, and they were basically gloating, ready to watch him be dragged away.

But no matter what kind of gaze he faced, Zhou You's expression didn't change at all. He carried the package, walked up the stage step by step, and then threw the package down.

The force wasn't great, but the coarse cloth, which wasn't tied very tightly to begin with, came undone, revealing a box inside.

A few breaths later, the snickers from below the stage grew louder and louder, and no one even bothered to be discreet anymore.

No matter how unremarkable the blackwood was before, the box containing it was gilded and silvered, and quite valuable. But this one...
To put it nicely, it's a gift box; to put it bluntly, it's just a tattered box picked up from a junkyard—it's even covered in grease, and you have no idea what it contained before.

But the laughter lasted only a few seconds before the people suddenly shut their mouths tightly.

Very simple.

This time, the prince opened his eyes again.

The old man, whose skin was as white as tree bark, looked Zhou You up and down with great interest for a long time before laughing.

"It's been a long time since I've met such an interesting person. Alright, I was listening too. Since you say this thing is extremely rare and unique, then show it to me."

Zhou You didn't prostrate himself like the others, nor did he say anything respectfully. He simply bowed and then opened the box.

The contents are very simple, extremely simple.

It was nothing more than a pile of coarse salt for preservation and a head that had dried up like a mummy.

The audience fell silent for a moment upon seeing this, then some people gasped in shock.

It's not that none of the people present have ever seen a dead person before, but rather that they dare to so brazenly place a dead person's head in front of the prince.
What deep-seated hatred does this person have for their own family? Why are they so eager to create a "nine generations of relatives elimination game" for themselves?
The fat Xun who had been sitting next to Zhou You suddenly convulsed, almost passing out. Among all the people, only Master He of Maoshan maintained his usual smile, even clapping.

"Good lad, you've really got guts! You're the first person in the last hundred years to dare to do something like this! No matter what happens afterward, I, Old He, will protect you!"

Amidst the commotion, only the three individuals involved remained silent.

Zhou You still wore that nonchalant smile. The Hidden King leaned back in his chair listlessly, his eyes cloudy and lifeless. Only Xie Anming stared at the head, his gaze shifting from calm to doubt, before finally lifting his head to gaze intently at Zhou You, his brows furrowing deeply.

—But just then, another voice suddenly came from below the stage.

"That head seems familiar..."

His companion was immediately alarmed, pinched him hard, and then scolded him in a low voice.

"No one will think you're mute if you don't speak. Are you bored and looking for death? Why do you have to get involved?"

However, the man ignored him and instead scratched his head, carefully thinking through his memories, trying to match the mummified corpse with a certain image.

Immediately, his face turned extremely terrified.

As if he had seen something incredible, something completely beyond imagination, he stared blankly at the head and murmured a sentence.

I'm looking at that.

"It seems to be our Left General!"

(End of this chapter)