Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 394 Escape
Niubeipo has always been a peaceful place.

This place is hardly a transportation hub, being more than forty miles from the nearest county town. It is surrounded by dense forests. Although it is not exactly isolated from the world, it is generally forgotten except by those who collect taxes from the imperial court.

But who would have thought?

Even in a place with little profit, a group of powerful people still managed to set their sights on it.

—What was that saying again?

Even lying at home, I still got into trouble!

Bao Jie bent down, added several bundles of firewood to the stove, and then picked up the kettle and laboriously placed it on the stove.

He was already quite old, and the illness he suffered during the major epidemic a few years ago left him unable to work for very long, but now...
I had no choice in the matter.

Everyone in the village, young and old, who could run away had run away, leaving only this lonely old man. So he had to be at everyone's beck and call.

Hearing the noisy sounds of drinking and drinking games coming from the outer room, Bao Jie sighed.

This group of strongmen arrived about ten days ago. They claimed to be subordinates of Master Chen of Rusha Mountain and came specifically to take down a bounty poster in search of a treasure.

Of course, Bao Jie scoffed at this reason.

—Are you kidding me? Bao Jie has lived here for over fifty years. What kind of treasure could this godforsaken place possibly have?
However, since the knife was in their hands, Bao Jie could only smile and admit defeat—fortunately, these people didn't force him to search for any treasure, but unfortunately...
This group of people eat 'rice meat'.

In this world, it's not uncommon for bandits to eat people. Under the strict orders of the chief of the Northern Lands, if an ordinary person wants to pay homage to the leader, the first thing they must do is eat a piece of rice and meat. It is said that this is to cut themselves off from the world and ensure that they will never have anything to do with ordinary people again.

But yeah.

He was the only elderly man left in the village who was unable to move around easily.

As far as he knew, the group didn't have much 'rations' and he didn't know when they would run out.

Bao Jie knew that he wouldn't last much longer in this isolated village—but the problem was that he could die of thirst, hunger, cold, or disease, but he really didn't want to end up in someone else's stomach.

If someone is eaten like rice or meat, they won't even be allowed to enter their ancestral grave!

Bao Jie watched the water slowly boil with a worried expression until steam began to rise, and then he hunched over and took the kettle down.

The sounds of finger-guessing games outside grew louder, accompanied by the aroma of meat.

These guys seem to have started grilling meat right there on the spot.

Smelling the fragrance he hadn't experienced in so long, Bao Jie involuntarily swallowed—but he quickly shook his head vigorously.

Putting aside the fact that those big shots would never give him, a mere 'servant,' even a tiny bit of flesh star, he himself simply couldn't accept that thing.

But my stomach is really growling with hunger.

After cautiously looking around, Bao Jie first put down the kettle, then tapped the corner of the wall and took out a small jar.

Inside was some pickled vegetables, which he had found in an empty room in his neighbor's house. Although it wasn't anything special, it was enough to fill his stomach a little.

Bao Jie carefully picked up a piece of pickled vegetable, intending to put it in his mouth cautiously—but suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted him.

The shouts of those playing rock-paper-scissors suddenly stopped, and then a voice came from outside the door.

"Excuse me, is anyone here? We're a few people passing through here, and we just went through a blizzard. We're exhausted and would like to ask if we could rest here for a bit?"

The voice was very young, sounding like someone in their early twenties. Bao Jie was stunned for a good ten seconds before he suddenly realized what was happening.

—How could anyone still be passing by at this time?

—And are you crazy? Do you really want to become someone else's meal?
Bao Jie opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to remind him, but under some inexplicable fear, he just stood there, unable to utter a single word.

Then, the young man seemed to receive a response and pushed open the door.

Finished!

Bao Jie could already foresee the outcome: those thugs would swarm in and turn the young man into their meal.

However, things did not develop as he had imagined.

At first, the bandits were indeed very excited, with laughter and jeers filling the air—then, as if they had discovered something, they shouted, "This is the man!" and cheered loudly as if they had hit the jackpot.

But soon, the shouts turned into roars.

The roar turned into a howl, the howl into a scream, and the scream into a pleas for mercy.
Finally, all fell silent.

In the end what happened?
Bao Jie huddled up, trembling—yet he didn't even have the courage to look at her.

Soon, the faint sound of conversation could be heard outside the door.

"We can finally rest for a while now that we're here."

"Why...kill them all?"

"These guys are just lackeys. We won't get anything out of them. Besides, we've already expended a lot of energy on the way here, so we couldn't stop just in case."

It seemed that those people hadn't noticed them. Bao Jie carefully moved his feet, trying to slip out through the back door.

However, at that moment, he accidentally bumped into the kettle.

After half a day, it wasn't too hot anymore, but the 'clang' sound was so jarring at that moment. Looking at the splashed water, Bao Jie's only thought was...

Finished!

Sure enough, upon hearing this voice, the conversation abruptly stopped, and then the door was suddenly flung open.

But what appeared before him was not the fierce and menacing face Bao Jie had imagined.

Instead, it is a short, round object with large eyes, wide ears, and short horns.

Bao Jie recognizes this thing.

Commonly known as roe deer.

Just as Bao Jie was staring blankly at the roe deer, a figure turned around, patted the roe deer's head reassuringly, and then looked at Bao Jie with a gentle smile.

"Brother Feng, it seems we don't need to trouble ourselves. There's an ordinary person here."
-
Bao Jie poured the freshly boiled water into a bowl, then looked up and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

The bodies of those strongmen were still piled up around them, their once arrogant faces now filled with terror—but there wasn't much blood spilled. All of them had been killed with a single, precise blow, and in the dead of winter, their bodies were now somewhat frozen solid.

Bao Jie only glanced at them once, then dared not look again, instead looking at the people in front of him with a cautious gaze.

Honestly, this is a very strange combination.

The first person he saw was a young man, whose appearance was not particularly remarkable, but he always had a certain faint smile on his face. The next person was a middle-aged man who was about forty years old. Although he was only wearing a simple cotton-padded jacket, his demeanor always reminded Bao Jie of the officials he had met before. Finally, there was a roe deer carrying a tall, strong man who was unconscious on its back. It was hard to imagine how that small body could bear it.

However, they all had one thing in common: they all looked exhausted, as if they hadn't had a proper rest in a long time.

But Bao Jie didn't dare to say much, he just asked in a low voice.

"Gentlemen, is there anything else you need?" Upon hearing this address, the young man and the middle-aged man exchanged a glance.

Then, they all gave a wry smile.

—Without a doubt, this is naturally a trip around the country.

They began their escape after the train was bombed.

Yes, that's right, it's about fleeing.

Yu Sanzhi's power was far greater than they had imagined—or rather, having become unscrupulous, he had mobilized all the outlaws and gangsters in the North, issuing bounties for the three of them.

The reward is also very simple.

The person who kills either Zhou You or Chen Xun will be rewarded with five hundred taels of silver and a pill that can suppress the erosion.

Whoever kills both of them will be rewarded with one thousand taels of gold, plus five equivalent pills.

The one who kills Feng will be rewarded with two thousand taels of gold and two pills made by the master craftsman of Changchun Hall, which are said to extend one's life by five years.

Whoever kills all three will receive double the reward, in addition to the above-mentioned bounty. Furthermore, Yu Sanzhi is willing to offer up half of his entire estate and swear a blood oath for it!
Previously, that man's disciple had also said that Feng Qianlin's family was indeed wealthy. If it was just gold, it wouldn't be much; in fact, he said he could easily have offered a bounty on the other side.

However, he could not offer anything else.

The hope of extending one's life by a full twenty years is enough to drive many people into utter madness.

Under this almost frantic pursuit, they had no choice but to flee.

To avoid being seen, the chosen routes were all deep in the mountains and forests. To make the journey easier, Zhou You even replaced his last chance to retrieve the animal with a roe deer.

Now this guy is rubbing his wet nose against his waist and ribs, as if he's being affectionate, and he's making humming noises.

"You glutton!"

Zhou You had no choice but to casually cut open his own finger and drip two drops of blood onto it.

However, perhaps because it wasn't its true form, the roe deer licked it and seemed to taste something was off. It tried to bury its head in Zhou You's arms again, but this time Zhou You pushed it away forcefully.

"Alright, alright, I'm already really weak, I can't give you any more—there's still some grass under the snow outside, go eat it yourself."

The roe deer snorted a few times in grievance, but could only lift its bristling white rump and waddle away unhappily, while Zhou You looked up at Bao Jie.

"Sir, excuse me, I have a few questions for you."

Bao Jie hurriedly bent down.

"Sir, you don't need to be so polite. Just ask me whatever you want, and I'll answer everything I know!"

But Zhou You didn't ask directly. Instead, he picked up the broken bowl, poured himself a mouthful of hot water, and then said.

"Then let me ask you this—old man, I don't think your village is deserted, so why are you the only villager here?"

The tone was perfectly normal, but it clearly carried a hint of wariness.

Bao Jie paused for a moment, then his smile became increasingly bitter.

"So that the old man may know—you should know that the harvest has been poor in recent years, right?"

"know."

“We didn’t have much land to grow crops, and after several disasters, we couldn’t even keep up with the food and clothing. The children could eat some coarse rice and other grains, but the adults could only dig up some wild vegetables in the mountains to fill their stomachs. Even so, the government’s taxes did not decrease at all, and were even 30% higher than in previous years. Even if we sat at home and starved to death, we still couldn’t afford to pay the taxes, so we had no choice but to abandon our land and take our whole family south to escape the disaster.”

"Then, old man, you..."

"My health is poor, and I don't know where to go if I flee famine. In addition, my wife and children all died from the great plague a few years ago, so I simply decided not to flee anymore. That way, at least I can die in my hometown."

Zhou You fell silent for a moment, but still continued to ask.

"Then may I ask you, sir, when did these bandits arrive? Could you please tell me?"

Bao Jie scratched his head.

"About eleven or twelve days ago? But I don't remember the exact date."

Zhou You frowned upon hearing this and looked at Feng Qianlin.

Feng Qianlin was writing something quickly on a piece of paper with a pen in hand. Sensing Zhou You's gaze, he raised his head and opened and closed his mouth slightly.

Although no sound came out, Zhou You had already figured out what it meant.

"It's a spy; someone has figured out this route."

Upon hearing this, Zhou You frowned even more deeply.

—Right now he felt like Guan Yu after his defeat at Maicheng, with enemies everywhere, all around him!
But just then, Bao Jie suddenly whispered something.

"Gentlemen, judging from your appearance, do you have a grudge against these bandits?"

—We had no grudge against each other, but these bastards really wanted to kill us both.

Seeing that Zhou You did not answer, Bao Jie spoke again.

"Well... let me explain. If you gentlemen are willing to listen, great; if not, that's fine too—there's a secluded path on the east side of our village that hasn't been used for many years, so not many people know about it. If you two gentlemen really have a grudge against them, you can certainly take that route—but it's getting dark now, so if you two gentlemen aren't in a hurry, you can rest here for a while."

Is this the only way?
Zhou You glanced at Feng Qianlin, who pondered for a few seconds before silently nodding.

So Zhou You picked up his sword, called over the silly roe deer outside, and stood up abruptly.

"Thank you, but you can stay overnight. We have urgent business to attend to, so we won't bother you any longer."

Seeing that he was about to leave, Bao Jie wanted to call out to stop him, but at that moment Feng Qianlin also stood up and tossed him a small bag.

"I've drunk two bowls of water, old man, consider this payment for the tea. Also, the snow has lessened considerably now, and those bandits' accomplices could come at any time. Please leave this village as soon as possible, old man. Their target is us. As long as you go far away, they won't bother you."

Seeing the two walk out quickly, Bao Jie was a little confused, but when he opened the wallet, he was really stunned.

It contained silver.

Although a single ingot is not large, it is enough for him to escape this isolated village and settle down in the county town!

Bao Jie stood there stunned for a long while, then suddenly realized something and looked up to express his gratitude.

—But there was no trace of him outside, only a few sets of footprints extending outwards.

After a long while, he finally uttered a sentence.

"Good heavens, have I really encountered a deity?"

(End of this chapter)