Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 388 Shadow Puppetry
Feng Qianlin's eyes turned cold.

Honestly, Zhou You has spent quite a bit of time with him, and this is the first time he's seen him make such an expression.

It was as if they had seen something utterly disgusting, or as if they had seen a maggot in a latrine; all that remained in their eyes was loathing and contempt.

However, the man seemed completely unconcerned, simply tilting his head back with that comical face, and laughing as he spoke.

"Second Master Feng, it's been almost two and a half years since we last met, hasn't it? You seem to be doing well?"

Feng Qianlin gripped the pistol at his waist, seemingly wanting to fire a shot at the guy—but ultimately restrained himself and simply said coldly.

"Yes, it's been quite a long time. I remember you were already cursed when we last met. It's been so long, how come you're still alive?"

The other person's smile froze.

But then he continued.

"Thanks to Second Master Feng, we've managed to hold on for the past few years. But you, Second Master, it's been a while since we last met. I never expected you to have joined the revolutionaries. By the way, does your brother know about this?"

Upon hearing this word, Feng Qianlin's expression grew increasingly cold.

"As for my elder brother's situation, there's no need for you to worry about it, Chief Yu. But Chief Yu, aren't you afraid that if the Feng family gets angry, they'll cut off your smuggling supply?"

"I don't really care, although it is indeed a lot of money, but..."

Zhou You stood aside and watched Feng Qianlin and this 'Yu Sanzhi' engage in a war of words.

This was the first time he had seen this guy face-to-face, even though it was just a body he was attached to, but that was his first impression.

—A cunning and treacherous bastard.

Whether in his speech or manner of speaking, he seemed aggressive, but in reality, he was watertight. This guy had been talking for quite a while, and from beginning to end, he hadn't revealed a single useful piece of information.

Judging from his appearance, he really was just there to exchange pleasantries.

Feng Qianlin also realized the situation. He looked at the naked man's body, which had begun to twitch, and suddenly exhaled a breath of stale air.

"Chief Yu, you've come all this way to see me, there must be something you want to say. We're pressed for time, so let's not waste any more time. Just say what you have to say."

A smile suddenly appeared on his bluish-purple face.

"Master Feng speaks frankly—that's right, I deliberately took on this wretched body just to tell you something."

"What are you saying? Speak."

Yu San straightened his head, then bowed and paid his respects.

But what he said was extremely cold-blooded.

"I'm only here to tell Master Feng that the person who hired me is determined to have you. So, to avoid wasting time, I suggest you surrender now. I, Yu Sanzhi, can swear a blood oath that as long as you surrender, I can give you a quick death and will not torture you. Moreover, after taking your head, I will properly return your body to your family. As for your followers, I can also spare them all. What do you think?"

Feng Qianlin just stared at the other person in silence, then said coldly.

"Judging from your words, Chief Yu, you're certain I'm doomed?"

“It’s not that I’m certain you’ll die, but rather that you’ve been a dead man ever since you embarked on this path, Second Master.”

Feng Qianlin pursed his lips, and after a long while, he suddenly spoke again.

"Let me guess, the Qing court probably hired you, right? Besides the Empress Dowager, there's no one else so obsessed with destiny. And the Qing court's reward for you should include several treasures to suppress the curse. Now that they've lost the dragon vein, those things are useless to them, so they're perfect for you to suppress the curse—no wonder, after all, you're willing to sacrifice anything except your own life."

Yu Sanzhi fell into a brief silence.

After a moment, he suddenly burst into laughter.

"As expected of the Second Master Feng, hailed as a wise and talented man of our time, you've guessed almost everything based on just this few clues—but in that case, you should also understand me."

But before he could finish laughing, Feng Qianlin said something.

"Mr. Zhou."

"exist."

"Kill him."

"Ok."

The blade pressed down, and the head, as if made of paper, was severed.

Even so, Yu Sanzhi continued to laugh.

"Second Master Feng, I, Yu Sanzhi, will definitely kill you, I will!"

The ear-piercing laughter only stopped when Zhou You casually kicked the head out the door.

Looking back at Feng Qianlin, the leisurely expression on his face finally disappeared, and he spoke seriously.

“Mr. Zhou, I know Yu Sanzhi fairly well. Whenever he says something like that, he always means it. We probably need to be more careful in the next few days.”

Zhou You stared at the headless body that was spitting out foul blood and slowly collapsing. He remained silent for a long time before finally nodding.

"I understand."
-
Perhaps Feng Qianlin truly understood Yu Sanzhi's character, or perhaps the other party had finally stalled for time and started to take things seriously.

In just two days, all the fighting suddenly intensified.

Although the confrontations were still happening behind the scenes and nothing major had occurred, the number of extraordinary people and events that had managed to get on the bus was increasing, to the point that both Zhou You and Chen Xun felt somewhat overwhelmed.

But they still did not give up the train and chose to travel by land.

the reason is simple.

On the train, at least they could take turns resting and didn't have to worry about being surrounded and intercepted. Once they abandoned this mode of transportation and switched to a horse-drawn carriage, the enemy would have no scruples and could overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

While Zhou You was taking advantage of a brief break to work overtime to finish the paper figures.

—The carriage door was flung open.

Chen Xun, carrying half a severed head and covered in blood, slowly walked in.

This person not only practiced external martial arts, but also the wrathful form of the Immovable King, a lineage passed down from the Kuchan Temple. Now, stained with blood and flesh, his face was distorted, making him look like a demon from hell.

Neither Zhou You nor Feng Qianlin paid any attention. When Chen Xun came in, Feng Qianlin even stood up and greeted him.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Chen Xun nodded but didn't speak. Instead, he opened the window, threw the severed head out, dipped his finger in the blood, and touched his spiritual altar, spiritual core, and acupoints before letting out a long sigh.

As he exhaled, a sweet, metallic smell filled the entire carriage, but the ferocious and terrifying expression on Chen Xun's face subsided slightly—and then he said, "There are more and more people today. I just took a walk outside and killed several Brother Zhous who tried to sneak in. Next, it's your turn."

After spending the last few days together, his attitude has improved considerably; at least he's now addressing me as "Brother Zhou" instead of "Hey."

Zhou You nodded, put away the half-cut paper figure, hung his two swords at his waist, and walked out.

Bloodstains were still visible scattered inside the carriage, along with what appeared to be bursting internal organs and limbs. Chen Xun's method was very simple: he basically used his external martial arts skills to withstand all attacks, then rushed forward and crushed all resistance with immense force.

It's exhilarating, but it almost always leaves a mess.

Amidst the blood and gore, an old man with gray hair and beard was laboriously cleaning up the severed limbs and remains. When Zhou You came out, the man merely glanced up before continuing his work.

This person was the only cleaner in these carriages.

At first, Zhou You did want to investigate further, but Feng Qianlin immediately stopped him and guaranteed that this person was a professional cleaner who would never get involved in any disputes. After observing for a few days and seeing that he did not care about anything except cleaning, he gave up.

Zhou You casually greeted the old man, not caring whether he heard him or not, and then walked around the slippery, muddy ground into the next carriage.

The extended train imported by the Qing government was divided into several sections. In addition to the power section of the train itself, there were first-class carriages for high-ranking officials and nobles, passenger carriages for ordinary people, and freight carriages for cargo only. After the accident on the first day, Feng Qianlin booked all the first-class carriages. Under normal circumstances, Zhou You only needed to inspect these areas.

However, after inspecting the scattered flesh and blood, he did not turn back, but continued to walk forward with steady steps.

Although Feng Qianlin had indeed said that he would never attack so many people unless Yu Sanzhi sought death himself, Zhou You felt something was amiss these past few days.

I don't know where it came from, but something definitely felt off.

Compared to the first class, the passenger compartment was much more crowded, filled with people and haphazardly piled-up luggage—and of course, the ever-present smell of opium.

In those days, there were naturally no smoking bans, and there was nothing else to do on the train. Out of sheer boredom, these people started smoking opium. The smoke from burning opium, the stench of sweaty feet, and vomit coming from who-knows-where combined to create a smell that kept strangers away.

Zhou You didn't pay any attention. Instead, he used the Jing Shen Food Potion to block his sense of smell before stepping into the crowded throng.

Ever since he stepped into this place, he had a vague feeling.

—That's the feeling of being both a kindred spirit and an enemy.

The surrounding smoke grew thicker and thicker, obscuring most of the view. All that could be heard were the murmurs of the addicts, swirling and sighing, eventually turning into some strange melody.

Zhou You walked on, but his hand involuntarily gripped the hilt of his sword.

—Out of the blue.

A dagger sliced ​​through the smoke, emerging from a blind spot behind him, its aim aimed directly at Zhou You's back—

The emerald green color on the blade shimmered with a cold light, clearly indicating that it had been coated with a potent poison!

Otherwise.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Zhou You drew his sword, instantly turned to the side, and then slashed down.

A flash of cold light appeared, and an arm was severed instantly.

But no blood spurted out; the thing merely stirred up the smoke and retreated again.

The surrounding passengers seemed to have all vanished, leaving only murmurs chanting in unison—

Then, one of the sounds, deliberately drawn out, rang out.

"Wearing a royal hat adorned with red velvet, dressed in a python robe with carved dragons and qilin—"

Zhou You was taken aback—he vaguely felt that he had heard the word somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it for a moment.

But just then, another long sword slashed out from the side. Zhou You leaned back to dodge, and the sword's edge thrust out simultaneously.

It did hit something, but it didn't feel like flesh and blood.

The voice continued to call out slowly, and although the accent was quite heavy, Zhou You could barely make out what it was saying.

"The drums beat at dawn as the lonely king ascends the throne, and his civil and military officials pay homage to me."

At this point, Zhou You finally remembered where he had heard it before.

—This is from the novel *Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties*, specifically the section about Meng Haigong.

This word is used when casting spells. As far as Zhou You knows, there are very few instances of it.

In the blink of an eye, another broadsword slashed in, but this time Zhou You did not dodge. Instead, he gathered his strength and suddenly accelerated, rushing into the mist. Then, his sword blade went up from below and sent the thing flying before it could retreat.

The body fell to the ground, but it was as light as if it had no weight. When Zhou You looked up, he could only see an ancient costume and a skin that looked like it had leaked air.

Among the nine classes of people, there are indeed two who make a living by performing opera.

One school of opera involves immersing oneself in the performance, inviting gods and spirits, much like the legendary divine fighting techniques. The other school uses skin puppets to perform plays.

As the saying goes, first-rate scholars are second-rate doctors, third-rate painters, fourth-rate writers, fifth-rate singers, sixth-rate writers, seventh-rate monks, eighth-rate Taoists, and ninth-rate chess and zither players.

This is the leather gate of the Zhongjiuli!
Zhou You snorted coldly and spoke.

"Normally, shadow puppetry should be done with donkey hide. What, have you shadow puppetry practitioners fallen so low that you can't even afford donkey hide and have to use human skin instead?"

There was no response from the fog; only faint sounds could be heard.

"Shangyi is the name of this commander, and he assists my uncle, the King, in commanding the heavenly army."

The human skin, which had been split in two, rose from the ground and disappeared back into the hazy mist—but soon, the surrounding murmurs gradually faded away, and were replaced by the sounds of clashing gongs and the clanging of metal horses.

Although Zhou You's expression didn't change, his heart was in his throat.

This Pimen sect is unlike the small fry he encountered before; it's a legitimate, low-level sect. And now, he's clearly on their home turf. If he wanted to deal with them...
In any case, it is indeed a bit troublesome.

Then the sound of a gong rang out, and the hoarse, weak voice continued to whine and groan.

Meanwhile, dozens of shadowy figures were already faintly visible nearby.

That's the annoying thing about shadow puppetry; these guys divide the play into several acts, and each act has more people involved.

It was thanks to Zhou You's premonition that something was wrong; otherwise, if this guy had really unleashed his full power, even if he and Chen Xun had three heads and six arms, they probably wouldn't have been able to protect Feng Qianlin.

As he brandished his longsword, just as he was about to unleash his treasured killing intent, a punch suddenly slammed down from the side.

A newly formed shadow puppet immediately exploded into countless fragments, followed by another muffled sound.

"Shangjun sensed something was wrong and asked me to help you. I said, are you alright?"

(End of this chapter)