Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 373 Peace
At that moment, Hanlu sat there, holding a cup of tea, smiling peacefully.

Her face was still the same, neither beautiful nor pretty, and her clothes were equally unfashionable, with nothing particularly outstanding about them.

But it's completely different from before.

To be honest, it can be summed up in just two words.

'temperament.'

If she was a village girl who had just come out of the mountains before, she is now a noble lady of noble birth. Just by changing her temperament, she seems to have become a completely different person.

Seeing that Lady Hua had fallen silent again, Hanlu smiled and brought up the topic once more.

"To be honest, I find it quite strange. What happened between you and that old man? I don't really understand human relationships, but judging from your appearance and age, it should be him pursuing you, right?"

Hua Niangzi hadn't intended to answer, but seeing Hanlu's determined expression, she could only drag her head and reply listlessly.

"Xiang Ming wasn't like this before. The reason he became like this is because he was deeply hurt years ago, and due to some misunderstandings, he has always kept in touch with me. Forget it, why am I telling you all this?"

As the old wounds were reopened, Hua Niangzi's expression grew increasingly listless. In the end, she slumped onto the table, her eyes lifeless, listlessly fiddling with her teacup.

Seeing this stark contrast, Hanlu couldn't help but chuckle.

"Alright, alright, I won't ask anymore—I originally thought they were helpers you specially found through connections."

"How could that be?" Lady Hua rolled her eyes. "This time it was purely a coincidence, not even a matter of having no other choice. I didn't even want to drag them both down with me. And I almost forgot to ask, which fragment was recovered this time?"

Hanlu's expression finally became more serious. She took a box out of her package, placed it on the table, and then solemnly opened it.

However, all that was inside was an unremarkable skeleton.

It looks like a finger bone, but for some reason the outer layer has been burned black, and you can even feel a burning heat when you touch it.

Looking at that thing, Flower Lady sighed softly.

"After the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was destroyed, only the Wing King was reduced to ashes by those guys, and they even used the method of burning him in hellfire. As long as his remains are not collected, the Wing King will never be reincarnated. It must have been really tough for you remnants. It must have been really difficult to collect them all these years."

However, Hanlu's expression remained unchanged.

"It's just to fulfill the Wing King's grand ambition. Besides, we've collected almost everything over the years. This pot contains the last piece that was lost. The rest we'll probably have to find in the Jingguan (a mound of stones) in the Forbidden City."

Looking at that face, Hua Niangzi sighed again.

"To be honest, there's something I don't know if I should tell you."

"What?"

"Although I didn't experience it, I know how powerful the Heavenly King and Wing King's army was back then. He even persuaded the entire Zhenxie Division to rebel, but they still couldn't take down the Qing Dynasty. Now, all that's left are you few big cats and small cats. What ability do you have to accomplish what he couldn't do back then?"

However, after a few seconds of silence, Hanlu simply answered softly.

“We know that, of course, but if even we don’t resist, then who in this world will? We’ll do our best and leave the rest to fate—besides, the Wing King has sacrificed so much for the people of this land, how could we possibly watch him suffer so much after his death?”

Lady Hua was speechless for a moment.

However, Hanlu quickly added.

"Moreover, it's not that we have no chance at all. The Qing Dynasty today is not the same as it was decades ago. Beset by internal and external troubles, it's only maintaining its existence through the inertia of the Empress Dowager's methods, not to mention..."

Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she took off her hairpin.

As her long hair was disheveled, it was as if something else had shattered along with it.

In the blink of an eye, the person across the table had changed.

Upon closer inspection, traces of the previous appearance can still be seen, but the overall look has changed completely—the face is like the reincarnation of the goddess Luo in the songs, or like the legendary Yao Ji of Wushan; the beauty is beyond words.

and.

Behind her grew three fox tails as red as ribbons.

as predicted.

This Cold Dew is not a woman from a brothel.
—In fact, they weren't even human.

Hanlu breathed a sigh of relief as if she had been freed from a restraint, and then tapped the hairpin lightly in the air a few times.

An ordinary face, yet always wearing a smile, appears here.

Without a doubt, that was someone's face.

But soon, she gently wiped the face away.

—And in that instant, in the darkness, a certain thread of cause and effect broke.

Then, Hanlu smiled again.

"The successor of the Wing King has reappeared. If what he said back then is true, this person will surely lead us out of this sea of ​​suffering and shatter this distorted world."

"After all, he is the last chosen one."

at the same time.

Another victim in this incident.

When Meng Hao walked out of the yamen, he felt as if a layer of his skin had been peeled off.

These constables had no ability to expel evil spirits or appease refugees, but they were certainly not lacking in ways to make money. For some reason, even though he was the victim and almost got eaten by the evil spirit, he was still falsely accused of "causing trouble" by the government. If he didn't want to go to jail, he had to pay a so-called "compensation fee".

Meng Hao had no desire to go to jail. As someone in the know, he was aware of the state of the government's prisons—people usually went in unscathed and rarely came out unscathed. So he had no choice but to grit his teeth, pay a considerable sum, and be released.

Meanwhile, his companion had been waiting at the street corner for quite some time.

Upon seeing him come out, the guy simply patted him on the shoulder, without saying a word of comfort, and then dragged him away from the place.

The road became increasingly remote, and fewer and fewer people could be seen. Looking at his companion's familiar face, Meng Hao suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Wait a minute, is this bastard thinking he lost too much this time and trying to make up for it by cheating on him?

In his terror, Meng Hao immediately tried to break free from the hand holding him—but for some reason, despite the guy's seemingly frail appearance, the hand was like an iron clamp, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge it an inch.

However, just as Meng Hao was about to shout for help, his companion suddenly stopped.

Then came a calm, unassuming remark.

"Shulu, haven't you remembered yet?"

Shulu? Who are you talking about?
Meng Hao was taken aback.

I clearly don't have that name, and what do you mean I didn't remember? I distinctly remember my hometown is in Huguang (Hubei and Hunan provinces), my family has been merchants for generations, and I have an elderly mother living with me, a virtuous wife, and two children. My name is...
strangeness.

What was it called again?

Meng Hao racked his brains to recall, but he still couldn't remember what his wife and children looked like. He felt his memories getting fainter and fainter, until finally a huge stream of information exploded in his mind.

He stood there, stunned, for a full cup of tea's time, before suddenly snapping out of it and kneeling on the ground.

"Your subordinate, Shulu, the captain of the Shanglin Army, greets Lord Chahara. What are your orders?"

The person opposite did not react at all. After a while, he slowly said, "No need for formalities. And when we're out, please try not to call me by my full name. Just call me Horn."

"Yes, Horn, no, Manager Horn."

Seeing that Shulu immediately changed his tune, Horn nodded.

"The things you're asked to do aren't urgent. You've just taken over the assignment; do you sense anything is amiss?"

Shu Lu or Meng Hao frowned and pondered for a while before answering.

"Aside from some memory loss, I feel fine—but this time it was really too dangerous. No, sir, I've always been curious, when we're on a mission, why do we always have to erase our memories first and then put on a human skin?"

It was a very presumptuous question, but Horn didn't seem to care and answered calmly.

“In the past, we wouldn’t have needed to do this, but you know the situation in the Qing Dynasty now. There are too many people watching us. To avoid trouble, we have no choice but to do it this way.”

As he spoke, Horn scratched his face vigorously, as if it were extremely itchy. What was torn off was a piece of flesh, dripping with blood.

The outer face twitched, as if it wanted to scream in pain, but Horn merely frowned and stuck the piece of skin back on.

With a wriggling motion, he transformed back into the kind-faced businessman.

"It's a pity that the Mirage Pearls of those guys from the Evil Suppression Division can only be used by themselves, otherwise they wouldn't have to grab a few people to go into every mission. By the way, I have something to ask you."

"Sir, please speak."

Horn suddenly frowned, and then asked.

"My memory is a bit fuzzy too. Do you remember who saved us in that chaotic place?"

"We were both half-conscious at the time. I only remember an old man attending a funeral, and two disciples from a brothel, who seemed to be registered. What happened?"

Hearing Horn frown, he thought about it carefully for a while, but finally shook his head.

"I have a feeling that something is not right. Never mind, the Empress Dowager's instructions are more important. Please come with me first."
-
The city of Zhangping had some planning problems from the beginning. Other places were fine, but the northern part of the city was built up in layers, resulting in shacks built by the authorities everywhere. There were walls connected to walls and alleys connected to alleys, making it easy for even locals to get lost.

As one ventures deeper into the alley, it becomes increasingly secluded, almost like a maze.

Meng Hao followed Huo En around in circles, and finally couldn't help but ask.

"Sir, where are we headed?"

Horn answered casually.

"Meng Hao, do you still remember the task the Empress Dowager gave us?"

"Find a way to locate that chosen one?"

"Exactly. Then let me ask you, with hundreds of millions of people in our Great Qing Dynasty, finding a specific person among them is like finding a needle in a haystack—even if that person is confined to just a few prefectures—where would you even begin to search?"

"Please enlighten me, sir."

"It's simple, just let someone else do it—in the past we would have transferred local officials or even had the local prefect assist us, but now we can only find some local strongmen first."

As they were talking, the two of them rounded another bend.

Suddenly, the view opened up before them—and at the same time, dozens of eyes turned to look.

Those were a bunch of beggars.

Of course, beggars are very common in this city, but unlike ordinary beggars, these people all reek of blood. Although their clothes are tattered, their eyes are like those of hungry wild dogs.

Upon seeing Horn and his companion, the group paused for a moment, then exchanged glances before spontaneously breaking into smiles.

Meng Hao was a seasoned veteran, otherwise he wouldn't have been chosen as Horn's bodyguard. The moment he saw that smile, he instinctively wanted to grip the short knife at his waist.

This is not my own thought, but rather a human instinct.

—If you slow down even a little, you will be torn to pieces by this group of people.

But before he could draw his blade, Horn had already gently placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't panic, this is the person I'm looking for."

Despite the lustful gazes of those around him, Horn walked forward calmly and then politely bowed his head to ask.

"Is Chief Yu here?"

One of the beggars glanced at Horn a few times, then grinned.

"I thought you were some fat sheep who had wandered off. What, do you need to see our leader?"

Unlike ordinary people, this person's teeth are like saw teeth—and not only on the outside, but even inside the palate, they are covered with sharp teeth.

At first glance, it is exceptionally creepy.

Horn didn't seem to mind, and instead spoke politely.

"Yes, I made an appointment with Chief Yu a few days ago, saying that I would come to visit soon."

The beggar, still wearing that eerie smile, turned back and asked his companion.

"Did the gang leader mention that someone was coming to visit? I don't recall."

However, his companion scratched his head.

"I think he did mention it, but that was about six days ago. We waited for ages and didn't see anyone. I vaguely remember his surname being something like Huo. Could this be the guy?"

After hearing this, the beggar turned back to Horn and said with ill intent.

"You arrived six days ago, why are you only here today?"

Horn said in a low voice.

"I'm really sorry, I had a little accident along the way. I will apologize to Chief Yu later."

The beggar chuckled.

"An apology to the gang leader is enough? That won't do. We brothers have waited for you for days for nothing. You have to give us some compensation, right?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Hao sighed softly and reached for the money pouch.

The saying "It's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings" is exactly what it means—but for people like them, anything that can be solved with money is basically not a problem.

However, Horn held him down again this time.

“Meng Hao, you don’t need to go to that trouble—the compensation these guys are talking about usually doesn’t refer to money.”

The beggar laughed even more heartily.

"It seems this guy knows the rules—I won't waste any more words."

"Please choose one of these: heart, liver, spleen, lungs, intestines, stomach, gallbladder, and kidneys."

(End of this chapter)