Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 389 Abnormality
Zhou You glanced at Chen Xun and then spoke.

"Now that you're here, what about Brother Feng's side?"

The other person wiped the blood from their face and said casually.

"I've already taken care of Shang Jun's side, so don't worry, he'll definitely not encounter any danger—the problem now is to deal with your side first, preferably quickly."

Zhou You nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation, and took a step forward.

But in the very next instant...

He had already turned around and drawn his sword, slashing Chen Xun's neck without the slightest hesitation!

"What--"

The incredulous exclamations had barely begun when they abruptly ceased.

Chen Xun stared wide-eyed at the bull, then slowly collapsed to the ground.

—No blood was found.

Like the previous guy, he also seemed to deflate, his body rapidly shrinking until only an empty shell remained.

Only then did Zhou You sigh.

"You're being too fake. With Chen Xun's character, he would always put Brother Feng's safety first. How could he abandon Brother Feng and come all the way here to help me?"

"Besides, our relationship with him is far from that level."

The person inside the leather door in the fog did not respond, but the incantation became increasingly urgent.

"While state affairs are being discussed in the Silver Peace Palace, what is the reason for the commotion among the eunuchs?"

As the sound faded, several more figures emerged from the fog. Unlike the previous ones, these individuals wore red-tasseled helmets, solid iron armor, and cloud-patterned boots, clearly indicating they were officers. Their speed was also several times faster than before.

However, at this moment, Zhou You had already raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a confident smile.

It's simple, this guy's plan backfired this time.

He specially created a shadow puppet of Chen Xun, hoping to lure Zhou You into a trap, but the plan failed and instead exposed his own location.

Amidst the smoke, several faint threads of light appeared, extending into a deep, dark corner.

These shadow puppets are not the paper figures of their White Gate. Even if they create more through rituals, they still need someone to pull the strings and someone to perform!
His previously leisurely body suddenly accelerated. Caught off guard, the man in the leather gate could no longer hold back. With a sharp explosion, several puppets dressed in theatrical costumes rushed out of the thick fog in the blink of an eye—he actually disregarded the ritual that was almost ready and chose to block Zhou You's steps first.

That was a stupid decision.

Under normal circumstances, if he really went all out to finish his own piece, there might still be a glimmer of hope, but once he starts to play it safe...
That's how life-or-death battles are; in the end, it's nothing more than gambling with each other's lives.

In the end, the ruthless prevail.

The encirclement by those few bodies ultimately missed by a hair's breadth.

It was just that short distance, but it was enough for Zhou You to release the paper figure he had just cut out—it didn't have much magic power attached to it, but it was enough as bait.

"This is... something from a funeral? Wait, you're from the White Gate—"

Before the other person could even finish their exclamation, Zhou You seized the opportunity and plunged straight into the fog.

Then, as the longsword swept across and cleaved the last shadow puppet in two, the tip of the sword was already touching the opponent's neck.

At this moment, with the host gone, the lingering smoke finally dissipated—but it was no longer the bustling, crowded passenger compartment, but a warehouse piled high with goods.

A shifty-eyed man, probably around thirty years old, raised his hands, facing the sword that could pierce him at any moment, and knelt down with a 'thud'.

Then, a piercing howl rang out.

"Sir, spare my life!!!"

Are all you low-class people so shameless?
Faced with such a guy, Zhou You was too lazy to say anything more. He simply raised his sword and made a move to strike.

"Spare you? With so many lives you've taken, what right do I have to spare you? Using human skin to make shadow puppets, you really are capable of such a thing."

The shifty-eyed fellow was taken aback, then began to protest his innocence.

"Sir, sir, you can't slander me like that! When did I ever use human skin to make shadow puppets?"

"Those things on the ground..."

Before Zhou You could finish speaking, the man lay down on the ground and forcefully pulled up a ripped leather bag.

"Look, look! Is this human skin?! This is clearly pigskin!!!" The guy's voice grew increasingly aggrieved, eventually turning into a sob. "Poor me, the skin-making sect is inherently incapable of accumulating wealth. And with the world in such chaos lately, no one even listens to my opera performances. I painstakingly saved up a little silver from my meager savings to buy a few pigskins to make shadow puppets, but before I could even enjoy them, most of them were gone!!"

The voice was filled with deep sorrow, and even Zhou You couldn't help but feel a little guilty—but he quickly shook off that boring emotion and lowered his sword again.

He's not that saintly; he wouldn't let go of his murderous intent just because someone cried a few times.

This person is his enemy after all, and his shadow puppetry skills pose a significant threat. If it can be resolved here, it would be best to do so directly.

Seeing that his life was in danger, the man stopped speaking abruptly, and without even bothering to cry, he knelt down on the ground again with a 'plop' and begged for mercy.

"Sir, please spare my life! I was blinded by greed and so poor I couldn't even afford food, so I thought I'd take on some odd jobs. Who would have thought I'd run into you on my first try? I was blind to your greatness, I was blind to your worth, I didn't realize you were from the Bai family. Please, for the sake of us being from the same social class, spare me this time."

Zhou You didn't hesitate at all. He simply moved his hand down a little, intending to give the guy a less-than-pleasant death. Seeing that the sword was about to pierce him, the man shouted out with all his might in desperation.

“I know Li Xiangming, the head of the flagpole, and I even met him not long ago!”

As he finished speaking, the blade finally stopped at his neck.

"You know Master?"

The man noticed his crotch was wet, but he knew this was his only chance to survive, so he quickly said...

“That’s right. I happened to run into Old Master Li a few days ago, and I was fortunate enough to travel with him for a while—after all, our two families have always had a good relationship—he said he was going to the Ghost Market to meet up with his apprentice later. Could that apprentice be you, sir?”

Zhou You stared intently into those panicked eyes, as if trying to discern something from them.

However, after a dozen or so breaths, he simply shook his head.

This guy wasn't lying; in fact, in a life-or-death situation, what he said was probably more truthful than steel bars.

Zhou You was certainly not a saint; he would kill any enemy he could without hesitation, but when faced with someone he knew from his own master's side...
He pondered for a moment, and just as the person inside the leather door became increasingly fearful and uneasy, he suddenly spoke.

"What's your relationship with Yu Sanzhi like?"

"What's it like?"

The other party looked bewildered—clearly not feigning it. Zhou You also let out a soft breath and then put down his sword.

"So who hired you?"

"The local Spring Rain Pavilion. They say they're going to apprehend a wanted criminal. You wouldn't say that the King of the North is involved in this, would you?"

"What do you think?" The man's face suddenly turned extremely ugly, and he kept muttering to himself.

"This is terrible, damn it, this is really terrible! Getting involved with Yu Sanzhi means either death or serious injury. I just wanted to earn some money from making shadow puppets, how did I get dragged into this mess?"

Zhou You sighed and raised his sword again.

"What am I supposed to do with you now?"

The man in the leather gate glanced at him and said cautiously.

"You treated me like I was a fart?"

"What if you come looking for trouble with me again later?"

"I swear to God."

Zhou You suddenly laughed.

"Alright, you can swear a blood oath to your ancestor, guaranteeing that you have nothing to do with Yu Sanzhi in this matter, and that if you cause us any more trouble afterward, the curse will be deepened, and you will be condemned to eternal hell."

The man immediately fell silent.

He knelt there pitifully, muttering a few words as if he wanted to beg for mercy—but seeing the long sword that could strike at any moment, he helplessly swallowed his words.

The world in this script is not like reality; oaths are not treated like hot air. Perhaps he can make any kind of oath, but when it comes to blood oaths, they are truly meant to be fulfilled.

But in this situation, where he is at the mercy of others, he only has two paths to choose from.

If you give him a break, you can let him off the hook.

If we don't send it, we'll die here.

Zhou You wasn't in a hurry. He gripped the sword tightly and, seemingly unintentionally, pressed the blade inward little by little.

Feeling the faint stinging sensation, he finally couldn't bear it any longer and said with a mournful face.

"I, Cang Le, swear by my ancestor, I truly had no idea this matter was related to Yu Sanzhi. From now on, whenever the train reaches its stop, I will immediately get off and will never make things difficult for this person again."

"Travel around".

“This Zhou You and his employer and colleagues! If they disobey, they will be condemned to eternal hell, suffering the torment of being skinned and having their hearts ripped out for ten thousand years. Is that acceptable to you?”

Zhou You then put down his sword and said.

"I didn't ask you to say such harsh things."

"Master, you."

"Alright, alright, you can get lost now. Remember, when I see you again, I won't hold back at all, understand?"

"I understand!"

The man hurriedly packed his things, intending to make a run for it—but before leaving, he seemed to remember something and turned back to say something.

"Well, sir, since you spared my life, and for the sake of Old Master Li, let me give you a piece of advice."

".What?"

A member of the leather sect named Fang Xiaoyu, carrying large and small bags, spoke very earnestly.

"Well, the people I was hired with recently have been acting very strangely. At first, I thought they were trying to catch some major wanted criminal, which is why they were behaving so unusually. But once it involves Yu Sanzhi, then things will probably get serious."

Zhou You didn't answer, but he nodded seriously nonetheless.
-
Back in the carriage, Zhou You told Feng Qianlin about what had happened.

Chen Xun had a lot of complaints about him letting the Pi Men members go—in his words, any enemy like that should be killed outright, without any consideration for feelings. If they came looking for trouble, they should be prepared to pay the price.

As for Feng Qianlin, he didn't care at all, and even asked if he could help the other person if they were really short of money—but after hearing the last sentence, he also showed a heavy expression.

"It seems Chief Yu really doesn't intend to let me off so easily. Fine, let's see if anything unusual happens later. If it really doesn't work out, we won't take this train. In a few days, we should be at Chang Gung. That's a key point for smuggling, with plenty of foreign goods there, and the road conditions will be much better. I'll hire a car to take us there."

Zhou You breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but for some reason, he still felt uneasy, as if a layer of gloom was hanging over him.

In the blink of an eye, another two days passed.

Surprisingly, there were no major setbacks in the middle.

Fang Xiaoyu hurriedly got off the train at the next stop, taking several of his colleagues who were also kept in the dark with him. Yu Sanzhi's group didn't make any noteworthy moves.

Of course, the assassinations continued unabated, but Pi Men seemed to be one of the most important figures among them. Although the rest still had many strange skills and tricks, they did not cause much of a stir under the suppression of Zhou You and Chen Xun.

As they got closer to Chang Geng Town, which Feng Qianlin had mentioned, Zhou You's unease grew stronger for some reason, to the point that he even sped up the process of cutting paper and drawing talismans.

Fortunately, with such a big backer, at least the materials are plentiful—in these past few days of frantic work, even a funeral procession is almost complete.

On this unusual day, neither he nor Chen Xun went out on patrol, and Feng Qianlin no longer acted as leisurely as before, but stared out the window, seemingly lost in thought.

So in the carriage, only the sound of Zhou You drawing portraits remained—but soon, a knock on the door broke the silence.

Chen Xun glanced at Feng Qianlin and decided that he hadn't ordered any services. He then clenched his fist, slowly stood up, and walked to the door.

"Who?"

"Excuse me, is this Mr. Feng's carriage?"

".Who are you?"

"I work under the conductor. He asked me to inform you that there's been some trouble on the train, and you might need to stay out of the way."

There were no flaws in his speech, and the voice belonged to the person who usually came to inform him, but Chen Xun still gave Zhou You a wink and then, ready to attack at any moment, opened the door.

There was indeed a flight attendant outside, wearing the uniform from the train.

But behind him was an ordinary passenger.

Chen Xun was taken aback.

Normally, ordinary people wouldn't come to this first-class carriage—if they get caught, they'll be fined, and if they encounter someone unreasonable, they might even get a beating from the bodyguards and servants—but why are they here now?
But before Chen Xun could say anything, the flight attendant gave him a forced, almost tearful smile.

"Master Chen, help me—"

Before he could finish uttering that word, a line of blood suddenly appeared on his face.

then.

The body was split in two, and its internal organs and offal were scattered all over the ground in an instant.

—At the same time.

A sharp and piercing roar instantly resounded throughout the entire train!
(End of this chapter)