Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 343 Cat Problems
Zhou You's first thought was to revive the Black Book, and then he shamelessly dragged himself into the script.

But he soon realized something was wrong.

The Black Book creates a completely real world where everything truly exists. Here, although pain is still felt, everything around is shrouded in a fog, making it difficult to see clearly.

Stepping outside, this feeling intensified—the noise outside was indeed bustling, but upon closer inspection, one could see that everyone's behavior was uniformly rigid and inflexible.

The vendor carrying candied hawthorns walked back and forth countless times; the vendor selling jujube cakes shouted his wares at the top of his lungs, but no one came to buy; and the merchant walked from one end of the street to the other, and although he could no longer be seen, he reappeared at the starting point in the blink of an eye.

If I had to put it in words, this group of people were like performing a poorly made puppet show, only acting according to a predetermined script, and nothing more.

And
Zhou You stretched out his hand and tapped on the air.

The existence of this world is extremely weak, like a fragile barrier that can be easily broken with just a little effort.

But.

Zhou You glanced at the bustling street and then withdrew his hand.

Although I have no idea what kind of place this is, it's a rare clue, so why rush it?

After wandering around for a while, Zhou You had learned some of the details.

First of all, this place is still called Shengyuan Town—it looks like the same town in reality. Secondly, his current identity has also been found out. His surname is Cang and his given name is Chuan. He is an abandoned orphan who was adopted by an elderly couple a few years ago. However, due to an epidemic a few years ago, both his parents died. Now he basically makes a living by doing odd jobs everywhere.

However, compared to his tragic background, Cangchuan seems to be quite popular. He can be greeted wherever he goes. Although the whole town is busy with some kind of mountain god worship ceremony, no one cares about his blatant laziness.

At best, we might exchange a few words with friends when we meet.

For example.

—When will you get married?

That's right,

Cangchuan also has a childhood sweetheart, someone he grew up with since childhood, and their feelings for each other are extremely deep. At this time, it is customary for men to marry when they are of age and women to marry when they are of age, so although there is still a layer of unspoken understanding between them, the people in the town have already tacitly accepted that they are a couple.

The further Zhou You went, the more confused he became.

This is just an extremely normal ancient town, and it seems that life here is quite prosperous—there are no monsters, no evil gods, no filth, and also no bandits.

So, after all that effort to get yourself involved, what exactly are you trying to do?
However, just when Zhou You was at his wit's end, wondering if he should use some violent methods to get out of there first...

A gentle and considerate voice sounded from behind.

"Changyuan, you've been slacking off again."

Changyuan was a name given to Cangchuan by his adoptive parents when they were still alive. They spent a lot of money to ask the schoolteacher to give it to him. Over the years, even he himself has almost forgotten it. Nowadays, there is only one person who knows how to use this name.

That was his childhood sweetheart, Ruan Yuanqing.

The body seemed to turn its head instinctively, as if about to let out a long sigh.

However, all movement suddenly stopped.

He looked at the man.

The man was also looking at him.

She is indeed very beautiful.

However.
What appeared before him was the face of the little female ghost.

Moreover, it's the face of the little ghost girl after she grew up.

In an instant, the whole world shattered.

When I opened my eyes again, I was still on the hotel ceiling.

A faint musty smell permeated the surroundings. It was just dawn, and the hazy sunlight streamed through the window and onto the bed.

My roommate was lying on the edge of the bed, seemingly just woken up and still a little drowsy. His face still looked like he was about ten years old, not grown up, and there was nothing unusual about him.

So, what exactly happened just now?

Zhou You poked at the other person's face, but the little ghost seemed to be in a bad mood when she woke up and bit his finger.

Seeing that he was alright, Zhou You was relieved. He patted the other person on the head and then looked up at the window.

I initially thought this was just a casual errand, but now it seems...
He suddenly smiled.

This is getting really interesting, huh?

People in these villages and towns usually get up very early.

Like the shop owner, who came knocking on the door before dawn to say he needed to clean—Zhou You glanced at the moldy room, then at the owner's cold face, and too lazy to argue with him, so he put on his coat and went out.

The sweltering heat of summer seemed to have long passed, and although it was not yet late autumn, the mountain climate made it feel as if one's breath was turning into mist.

The surroundings were completely silent. Although he had some guesses when he arrived, it seemed that there were even fewer residents here than he had imagined. The bluestone road stretched into the distance, but he could not see a single person.

Because few people live there, and most of the surrounding houses are abandoned, the wind blowing through the broken windows makes a sound that is somewhat like a sob.

At first glance, it looks like a ghost town.

However, the town did have some infrastructure, and after searching for a while, Zhou You actually found a restaurant that was still open.

That's not the main point. The main point is that he's not the only one who would specifically travel to this godforsaken place!
Just ten minutes later.

Sitting at the obviously old long table in the restaurant, Zhou You carefully observed the people in front of him.

This was the first time he had seen a place with any signs of life since he entered the town.

The man on the left is probably in his forties, wearing black-rimmed glasses. His clothes aren't particularly fancy, but they are very appropriate overall, making him look like a refined intellectual. Next to him sit two young people who look like students.

The two on the right are clearly a married couple. The woman keeps complaining about something, as if she's saying that going on a honeymoon is a terrible idea, while the man keeps quiet with his head down, just shoveling food into his mouth.

Noticing Zhou You's gaze, the refined-looking middle-aged man spoke first with a smile.

"I never expected to run into other people here, and two groups at that—let me introduce myself first. My surname is Zhang, and I'm a professor at Central South University. These two are my students, and we're here to conduct research on historical mythology. And may I ask how this gentleman is addressed?"

Zhou You laughed.

"Um, you can just call me Zhou You. I'm only here because I'm interested in the ancient architectural complex, so..."

Who would have expected.

Upon hearing this excuse, the man in the couple suddenly looked up, as if he had seen a kindred spirit, and said excitedly.

"You like this too? Oh, me too." However, before he could finish speaking, his wife slapped him back onto the table.

"What are you yelling about, you little brat? You scared the old lady half to death! And because of this little hobby of yours, I've suffered so much with you, and you still have the nerve to complain?"

Ignoring the scolding voice, Zhou You continued to ask the professor surnamed Zhang questions.

"That's quite a coincidence. I have a friend who also studies this subject. I wonder what area you research, Professor?"

When it came to his professional knowledge, Professor Zhang became interested—or perhaps there weren't many people here who could really talk—and so he spoke calmly.

"Since you've come to this town, you must know about the local sacrificial traditions."

And so, amidst the clinking of breakfast bowls and chopsticks, a legend was slowly told.

It was probably six or seven hundred years ago, before Shengyuan Town fell into such a state of decline. There used to be a fairly prosperous mine in the nearby mountains and forests, and the people who lived there at first were just hired civilians and government officials.

But soon, as time went by, people gradually settled here, got married and had children, and the expanding population brought more vitality, and the village gradually turned into a town—however, just when everything was getting better.

Disaster struck unexpectedly.

—They dug this mine pit way too deep.

It went so deep that it even disturbed a demon that had been sleeping here for countless years.

On the first day of digging through the ground, everyone who went down into the mine developed swollen blisters all over their bodies.

The next day, the wound began to fester, and the disease spread like a plague, rendering any treatment futile.

On the third day, there was no more pleas for help, no more crying; only painful howls became the only sound in the town.

On the fourth day, countless mosquitoes and flies gathered together, turning into dark clouds that filled the sky, replacing the heavens and blocking all escape routes.

The people in the town weren't without thoughts of resistance.

On the first day they realized something was wrong, the officials called on the nearby Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries—but when the Taoists arrived, they were eaten; when the Buddhist monks arrived, they were skinned alive.

All hope had vanished; the evil's power was beyond human control, and the entire town was about to be plunged into hell.

Suddenly.

—A mountain god offered a helping hand.

Normally, deities don't interfere in the mortal world, but the reason this one intervened is quite simple.

He had fallen in love with a woman in the town.

The story is quite cliché: the mountain god once disguised himself as a mortal to play in the human world, and when he passed through this town, he saw a beautiful girl and fell in love with her from then on.

But He had other matters to attend to at the time, so He could only leave the girl a token of their love and make a promise—however, when He finally returned, all He saw was a world about to be swallowed by the demonic tide, and
The mutilated corpse of his betrothed wife.

"In short, that's how it is. In his rage, the mountain god used all his magic to finally suppress the demon. However, he was also too heartbroken and went into seclusion in the mountains, no longer concerning himself with worldly affairs. This is how the unique belief and sacrificial system of this place came about."

Professor Zhang slurped up a mouthful of porridge, just about to summarize the story.

Who would have expected.

Suddenly, a dark, black thing jumped onto the table.

Upon closer inspection, the group realized it was a large, fat black rat, almost the size of a cat. They had no idea where it had come from, and it was in a panic, scurrying around the table and knocking over many bowls and chopsticks.

A moment later, several pitiful screams rang out.

The two students were the first to shout, seemingly terrified of the rodent. They frantically banged on everything on the table. The couple, though slightly better—but not much better—just haphazardly tried to hide behind the rat. The rat didn't avoid them; instead, it knocked over quite a few things in the process.

In the end, Zhou You couldn't stand it anymore and swept the rat away with a broom, thus ending the farce.

Professor Zhang looked at the soup splattered on his coat, then at his two unruly students. He opened his mouth as if to scold them, but in the end, he could only sigh helplessly, abandoning the story, and silently took out a tissue to wipe it off.

Instead, Zhou You put down his broom, watched the mouse run away, and couldn't help but sigh.

"There are so many rats here! I almost got bitten last night, and then today something even worse happened. With things like this, can't they at least get two cats?"

Unexpectedly, the moment those words were spoken, the air suddenly fell silent.

Professor Zhang, the two students, and the couple all stopped what they were doing at the same time and stared straight at Zhou You.

Soon, a voice rang out.

"Was it you who mentioned that word just now?"

It was the owner of this restaurant; I don't know when he arrived.

Faced with that cold gaze, Professor Zhang was the first to come to his senses, and he quickly offered a fawning smile and explained.

"I'm so sorry, this young man is new here and doesn't know your rules. I got so into the conversation that I forgot to remind him. I'm really sorry, this will definitely not happen again."

The boss didn't reply, but instead swept his indifferent gaze over everyone before nodding and coldly uttering a sentence.

"It won't happen again."

What are you doing?
Seeing that person leave, Professor Zhang grabbed Zhou You and said in a low voice.

"Don't you do any research before you travel? You can't just use those words like that!"

"What word?"

"Cat!"

Zhou You seemed even more inexplicable.

"Wait, when did 'cat' become a banned word?"

Professor Zhang looked around and, seeing that the boss wasn't looking in their direction, whispered.

"I'm not trying to be mean, but even these two people next to me know that they have to do their research before going to a place, for fear of breaking some taboo. Otherwise, it would be pointless to die in such a remote place if they were beaten to death. Let me give you a friendly reminder: you can talk about anything in this town, except cats."

Why?

"It's very simple."

Professor Zhang sighed and then said.

"Because the evil spirit that almost wiped out this entire town was in the form of a cat."

(End of this chapter)