Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 361 Five Malpractices and Three Deficiencies
the other side.

Old Li's singing became increasingly high-pitched.

"I'm crying, I'm crying all the way to the seventh level, I've cried all the way to the sixth or seventh level."

This time, all the paper figures in the funeral procession began to sing together, and as the lyrics were sung, the coffin seemed to be subjected to some immense force, and it began to sink little by little.

However, it was also at this time.

The coffin lid suddenly opened.

Like a dying struggle, the red cloth suddenly floated out of the coffin, and at that moment, several paper figures in the funeral procession also began to burn!
But Old Man Li ignored him and continued singing loudly.

"The sixth and seventh passes are guarded by yamen runners. Their big sticks are stuck by the roadside. Your children will tear off a piece of cloth and drape it over your shoulder. You should spend money, not the cloth, to make him a garment to wear."

Just as the red cloth was about to touch his body, two water and fire sticks swept out from the paper figures. Although the cloth turned black and shattered as if corroded the moment it touched the cloth, they managed to forcefully knock it back.

Then, before the old man could sing the next line, the funeral director had already stepped forward.

He slammed his mourning stick down hard on the ground, and the entire hall seemed to tremble—in the power of this blow, even the illusion receded like a tide, revealing the withered graves and weeds below.

At the same time, the red cloth was suppressed, and the entire cloth was quickly pulled backward. At the same time, Old Man Li's funeral song finally entered its last line.

"Cry, cry, cry at the Seventh Pass, cry until the Seventh Pass, the Seventh Pass is the Yellow Springs Pass, the road to the Yellow Springs is long and winding, with a golden boy leading the way and a jade maiden by your side, you ride a horse and sit in a sedan chair, may you travel safely to the Western Paradise, you ride a horse and sit in a sedan chair, may you travel safely to the Western Paradise!"

As these words fell, the red cloth let out a defiant scream, but ultimately it was no match for the immense power in the dark, and was forcibly pulled back into the coffin, whereupon the coffin lid was slammed shut.

then.

The remaining funeral procession rushed in, some carrying sedan chairs, others carrying coffins, and even the dwarfs dressed as chickens and dogs were put on the coffin. Then one of them picked up a loudspeaker from the ground and started playing it loudly again.

The funeral director finally spoke.

The sound was indistinct, as if it came from the depths of an abyss.

But it only has two simple words.

"Funeral procession!"

The paper figures carried the coffin out in single file—but the moment they stepped out of the door, their figures began to fade, and something vaguely seemed to be connected to this world.

If Zhou You were here, he would definitely recognize it.

This is the path to the underworld!

The coffin shook more and more violently, but now that it was a fading fact, it was no use resisting. It could only watch helplessly as it faded away with the procession and eventually returned to nothingness.

Old Li didn't have time to rest. He first wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then bowed deeply to the funeral director.

"Thank you for your trouble. I will certainly send it over after the offering is made."

Mr. Bai nodded, then his body suddenly burst into flames and turned into ashes in the blink of an eye.

Old Li finally breathed a sigh of relief, and in his sudden relaxation, he almost fell to the ground—but soon he discovered a problem.

Where has my disciple gone?
Wait a minute, damn it, did this kid just get sent to the underworld along with us?
As Old Man Li anxiously looked around, he suddenly saw a small head pop out from the corner.

Seeing that grinning face, he was instantly furious and smacked the back of the head.

"You scared me to death! Where did you run off to?!"

Zhou You chuckled sheepishly and covered his head, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Master, I saw you were performing the ritual with great intensity, and I was afraid you'd get distracted, so I found a place to hide."

Old Li had originally intended to give them a few words of reprimand, but after hearing this, he thought it made sense and stopped being angry. Instead, he smacked his lips a couple of times, tilted his head back, and looked around.

As the coffin disappeared, the area quickly returned to its original state, and in the blink of an eye, it became another long-abandoned mass grave.

However, it was still eerily cold inside, as if something was lurking there, ready to devour anyone who might try to harm it.

"Back during the famine, my master told those bastards that there were too many bones buried in the wilderness, and no one had paid respects to them for years. Sooner or later, something bad would happen. But none of those corrupt officials listened to him. This is the umpteenth time. Oh well."

As he spoke, Old Man Li, with a pained expression, pulled out another stick of incense from his pocket.

He lit it, then stuck it into the ground, and bowed three times devoutly.

"This incense of resurrection should ensure three years of peace—it's just a pity that the materials we got from Liu Hao have been used up completely. I don't know if we've made a profit or a loss this time, disciple."

Zhou You responded from the side.

"Master, what's wrong?"

Old Li casually waved to him.

"Now that this matter is settled, we should head down the mountain."
-
About six or seven hours later.

Inside Liu Hao's mansion.

Although it was late at night, the whole house was filled with a festive atmosphere, with lanterns and decorations everywhere. Although there were no delicacies on the table, chickens, ducks, geese and sheep were continuously placed on the table. It was even said that in order to entertain the distinguished guests, they had specially gone to Xishanju in the county to buy several jars of aged wine.

At this moment, Liu Hao no longer cared about appearances. Holding a wine glass, he kept calling the old immortal.

No wonder he was so excited.

Originally, inviting these two was just a desperate attempt for him. Although he had put on a good show beforehand, he hadn't really held out much hope. But who would have thought...
This guy actually managed to make it work!

Thank God, his only son has finally survived!
"Come, come, old sage, let me toast you—you are truly a living sage, you saved our whole family's lives!"

Old Li was clearly a bit drunk, but he showed no humility whatsoever, just slurring his words with glee.

"No, no! Go ask around about my name, Paper Doll Li. Although there are so many people from all walks of life, only I can... only I can solve this so beautifully. I'm unique, you know!"

"Yes, yes, I could tell your abilities from the first glance," Liu Hao said with a smile, then personally poured Old Man Li a glass of wine. "By the way, old sage, if you don't mind, how about resting here for a few days? My wife also wants to properly thank you."

But Old Man Li just waved his hand.

"No, I can't stay in one place for too long. I'll leave tomorrow after tonight."

Seeing the old man's resolute expression and realizing he could no longer persuade him, Liu Hao stopped bringing it up and instead clapped his hands, ordering his servants to bring in a box.

Then, this person laughed.

"I'm sorry, sir, although my family is considered well-off in this area, we can't be called a wealthy family. We don't have much surplus. This is just a small token of my appreciation, please don't find it offensive."

That being said, judging from the box's heavy weight, it was definitely not a small amount of stuff inside.

Old Li sobered up instantly. He scanned the box with greedy eyes for a while, and judging from its appearance, he really wanted to touch it himself.

However, unexpectedly...

A few minutes later, Old Man Li still reluctantly declined the reward.

"I'm practically a monk now, so I don't need so much stuff. Ten taels of silver will suffice. If you're so inclined, Master Liu, please use this money to repair that mass grave, so that it won't cause any more disturbances and harm to others."

Seeing this scene, Zhou You was completely dumbfounded.

He hadn't spent a very long time with this old man Li, but it certainly wasn't short either, and he had a pretty good understanding of the man's personality.

To put it kindly, this guy is slick; to put it bluntly, he's the kind of bastard who wouldn't take advantage of a good deal. He's a complete scoundrel. How could he remain unmoved by such a large sum of money in front of him?

If this were to actually happen, it would be as if sows could climb trees.

However, nowadays, not only are sows climbing trees, but they're even playing the erhu (a two-stringed bowed instrument) in the trees!
However, despite Zhou You's surprised gaze and Liu Hao's repeated persuasion, Old Man Li remained steadfast in his stance, offering only one unwavering statement.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot accept that."

Seeing that the other party absolutely refused to accept the reward, Liu Hao had no choice but to raise his glass in resignation.

"Old sage, you are of noble character, I toast you!"

His response was to Old Man Li's slurred, reluctant voice.

"That's right, I am Gao Jie. Damn Gao Jie!"

Before long, the banquet ended.

Helping the drunken cheap driver back to the room, Zhou You was too lazy to take off the sheepskin coat that could be considered a bulletproof vest, and simply threw the old man Li onto the bed.

Old Li bent over as if he was about to vomit, but someone had already kicked the toilet in front of him, thus preventing him from splattering filth all over the floor.

However, after vomiting like that, Old Man Li sobered up quite a bit. He grumbled and glanced at Zhou You, then grumbled even more discontentedly.

"Hey kid, this is so disrespectful to your teacher! I'm your master, at least handle me with a little care."

“You’re not some fragile thing, I don’t think you need to handle this with care.” Zhou You picked up the kettle next to him and casually poured him a cup of hot water. “Here, drink this, it’ll make your stomach feel better.”

"That's more like it. You clearly drank more than me, how come you seem perfectly fine?"

After Old Man Li finished drinking, muttering to himself, Zhou You asked again.

"Master, please explain this to me."

What do you mean by "explain"?

"Why don't you accept any money from them? Are you planning to play the long game or are you up to some kind of scam?"

Old Man Li immediately began to complain.

"What do you mean by 'casting a long line to catch a big fish' or 'scheme and fraud'? Do you think I, your master, am some kind of paragon of virtue?"

However, Zhou You's only response was a big eye roll.

"Master, do you even believe what you're saying?"

"I don't believe it."

"That settles it then. Tell me, what's your real reason?"

This time, Old Man Li fell into a long silence. He just stared at Zhou You for a while before finally speaking.

“Disciple, I didn’t want to tell you this so soon. But now that you’ve personally experienced the exorcism, it won’t hurt to tell you. You should know that all the cultivation methods in this world are corrupted, right?”

To be honest, I'm currently suffering from amnesia. Should I know this or not?
After thinking for a while, Zhou You nodded.

"I seem to remember it vaguely."

Old Man Li didn't doubt it, and just continued talking to himself.

“In the past, some sages tried to purify the pollution in cultivation techniques, and some even succeeded. But for some reason, since the founding of this dynasty, no one has been able to purify any cultivation technique. Even those that were originally purified have been polluted again. As a result, countless famous sects and schools were destroyed overnight, and we lowly people were not spared either.”

"I've told you about the Dharma I practiced before. It's the White Sect, one of the lowest of the low. We do funeral work, and the pollution we carry is quite simple: the five deficiencies and three lacks."

Zhou You didn't respond; he just listened in silence.

Then Old Man Li's voice continued again.

"The so-called five disadvantages refer to widowhood, widowhood, loneliness, solitude, and disability. The three lacks are wealth, life, and power. If you want to join my sect, you must choose three of these. Your master has chosen widowhood, wealth, and power, which means I am destined to be without a wife, wealth, and power for the rest of my life. So, it's not that I don't want them; it's that I simply cannot have them."

Zhou You was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked.

"You can't even take something that's offered to you?"

Old Li gave a wry smile.

To be honest, after spending so much time together, Zhou You rarely sees him show such pure and genuine emotion.

“I can take it, but I will inevitably suffer retribution if I do. The last time, and the only time, I was greedy, and that was the result.”

However, at this point, Old Man Li shook his head again, refusing to say anything more, and simply covered his head with the blanket.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore, let's go to sleep!"
-
Liu Hao, being a hospitable host, naturally couldn't let the two of them squeeze into one room. Instead, he specially prepared two separate rooms for Zhou You and his apprentice to stay in.

Seeing that Zhou You was young, this person even subtly suggested sending a maid to warm his bed—but such a depraved request was naturally rejected by the person on a whim.

Back inside, Zhou You lit a candle and took out the Diancang Ring to examine it.

Since that incident in the mass grave, this thing has actually started to loosen up a bit, but unfortunately, the change is not significant. Judging from its appearance, at most a few talismans can be taken out from it.

"But it's a good thing overall. I've gotten used to having my own skills and abilities, and it's really hard to adjust to not having them at all."

Zhou You shook his head, put away the ring, and then lay down on the bed.

As night deepened, my consciousness gradually became hazy.

But just as his consciousness was about to drift off to sleep, he suddenly opened his eyes.

He could vaguely smell a scent.

He was very familiar with that taste.

It smells like blood.

—The stench of human blood.

(End of this chapter)