Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 407 Surrounded
The exit, though only a stone's throw away, now feels like an eternity.

Before Yu Sanzhi could speak, Madam Li immediately launched into a tirade.

"You idiot, if you want to die, don't drag others down with you!"

Zhou You smiled brightly.

"Drag others down? You're joking. I was just stopping two dogs—as the saying goes, a good dog... wait, that sounds like an insult to me. So, it's like locking the door to beat the dog? That's quite a good idea."

Yu Sanzhi didn't speak, and didn't even pay attention to Zhou You's rambling. He just swept his stick horizontally, intending to force a way through.

However, Zhou You did not fight him head-on at this moment—the paper figures, talismans, swordsmanship, and baleful aura all served the same purpose.

That means forcibly stopping them!
Yu Sanzhi became increasingly anxious and uncomfortable as he continued to hit the ground.

Finally, he couldn't help but want to swear.

—You bastard, are you a general store owner?!

The cudgel echoed with the mournful cries of wronged souls, and the copper rings at the end of the cudgel clashed, producing a wail that sounded like the night cries of hundreds of infants. The paper figure in front of it was only slightly touched before it was immediately corroded clean by the billowing poisonous smoke. However, compared to them, Zhou You had also gone all out, squandering all his accumulated possessions without regard for the cost.

The paper figure is gone? No problem, there's still the paper bird. The paper bird is gone? No problem, there's still the talisman.

But when the talisman was gone, the mere presence of a ten-thousand-ren sword and a trace of bloodlust was ultimately insufficient to stop the two who were fighting for their lives.

With a flick of his wrist, Zhou You took advantage of the moment when the two men were blocked by the lightning to reach into his pocket again—but this time, he found nothing.

Upon seeing this scene, both Yu Sanzhi and Madam Li suddenly revealed expressions of surprise and delight.

Although the gate was on the verge of collapse, they would still be able to break through it eventually.

Although we lost all our manpower this time, and although we didn't gain any advantage and instead deepened the curse, what was that saying again?

Where there is life, there is hope!

As long as you escape with your life, you still have a chance to get revenge!

However, just as they were about to rush out, someone, seemingly at their wit's end, suddenly gave a cunning smile.

Then, a copper coin suddenly popped out of his hand.

In an instant, the two seemed to be in slow motion, and Zhou You also bent down, imitating a Western greeting in a very proper manner.

"Then Sir Vincent, I won't disturb you and your lover's intimacy any longer. I just wish you both a long and happy marriage, and that you stay together forever."

Then he retreated into the broken gap and never looked back.

The passage suddenly narrowed in the next moment.

The pure malice of the chaos behind them was already within reach—so much so that the door seemed infinitely distant, so far away that it was impossible to even touch it.

As he finally broke free of the copper coin, Yu Sanzhi suddenly grabbed Madam Li.

"Don't just stand there! Use all the secrets of your brothel, plus all the spells I have, there's still a glimmer of hope!"

However, Mrs. Li did not respond.

She simply uttered a sentence.

It still doesn't seem very full.

The next moment, Yu Sanzhi suddenly lost all sensation in his arm, and even in his entire body.

He looked down and saw plum blossoms spreading everywhere. In the blink of an eye, his arm seemed to have turned into a treetop—with countless flowers blooming on it.

But he didn't panic; he simply questioned her sternly.

"I haven't abandoned you, yet you want to abandon me first?"

Madam Li gave a charming smile.

"As the saying goes, husband and wife are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately. Not to mention we're not even husband and wife yet. So goodbye, Chief Yu."

She floated down, watching the stiff body fall into the gaping maw of the monster—

Otherwise.

There was no scene of swallowing.

Countless ghost faces drifted by, and after taking a bite of the empty creature, the evil spirit paused for a moment, then flew into a rage.

At the same time, a cold voice reached Madam Li's ears.

"Yes, when disaster strikes, everyone flies away. Goodbye, Li Huanzhu."

Before Madam Li could react, the stick had already pierced straight into her heart—and then she fell backward like a kite with a broken string, the chaos engulfing her beautiful body in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, the passageway was finally approaching once again.

However, it has been reduced to the size of a fist.

Yu Sanzhi took a deep breath, then, as if he had made up his mind, suddenly threw away the stick, took out a short knife, and then swiftly brought it to his own neck!
Amidst the splattering of foul blood, his body collapsed limply, but at the same time, a ghastly green mist, carrying countless ghostly faces, rushed out from the passage!
—The next moment, the space instantly closed, and the entire city shrank along with it.

outside the city.

It was still that same snowy field.

Zhou You craned his neck to watch the green mist rise into the sky and couldn't help but sigh.

"That bastard is really hard to kill, how did he manage to get away?"

Feng Qianlin looked at it as well, then shook his head and said softly.

"This is his most trump card. Anyone who uses this move will be crippled or killed, and with all the manpower lost, he can retire from the title of King of the North from now on."

"Really?" Zhou You paused, then laughed. "Well, since you put it that way, Brother Feng, let's just ignore him. Now that we've dealt with those pursuers, how are we going to get to the Ghost Market? Should we rent some horses, or find a car like you said? To be honest, I've never seen a car from this era before; I'm really curious."

however.

Feng Qianlin suddenly spoke.

"Brother Zhou, let's not go to the ghost market."

".What's the meaning?"

Feng Qianlin had no expression—or rather, at this moment, his face only showed a calm expression.

Zhou You was stunned.

He suddenly remembered that he seemed to have seen this appearance before.

That was the same expression that Du Xin showed when he was in the cloud landscape, when Zhengde carried the corpse up the mountain, and when Maoshan Taoist Yu went to plead for the people.

Similarly, it is the final, resolute expression revealed by someone about to die.

A bad feeling suddenly welled up in Zhou You's heart, and he spoke up, questioning him once again.

"Brother Shangjun, what are you planning to do!"

But Feng Qianlin still didn't look at him, and instead said calmly.

"Or rather, the only ones going to the Ghost Market are you and this girl from the Peach Clan. I'm sorry, Brother Zhou, I lied to you this time."

After it retreated, the city finally shrank to its last bit, and then, like a bubble, it suddenly burst.

Zhou You also saw the true scene outside.

That's a person.

The entire area is now surrounded by people, making it feel like an iron barrel!
Zhou You's first thought was: —Is this support from the revolutionaries?
But he quickly saw the robes and recognized the identities of these people.

Uniform, long whip, and black cloth boots from the bottom of the mountain.

These are soldiers from the Qing Dynasty, and the most elite of them!
At this moment, countless spearheads were raised, countless longbows were nocked, and there were also muskets, crossbows, and even cannons.

And this was only enough to deal with the three of them.

Zhou You was momentarily stunned.

What exactly happened?
But at that moment, a small path suddenly parted among the soldiers, and a man who looked like a merchant rode out from it on a tall horse.

His appearance seemed somewhat familiar, but his voice was even more so.

"Second Master Feng?"

Feng Qianlin cupped his hands in greeting—although he was in a sorry state, he was as proud as when they first met.

"Indeed, if I am not mistaken, you are the head of the imperial guards, aren't you?"

The man on horseback nodded slightly.

"Chahara, Second Master, you can just call me Horn."

Although the two sides were surrounded by a large army, there was no tense atmosphere between them. They were just chatting casually, like two old friends.

Feng Qianlin glanced around and suddenly laughed.

"It's truly an honor. How many people have been mobilized to hunt down a mere Feng? Did you bring in all the battalions from the surrounding area?"

The man who identified himself as a Horn man replied calmly, his face expressionless.

"It's not just nearby; all the troops the entire court can mobilize in the north are here—thanks to Yu Sanzhi's desperate delay, I was given the opportunity to mobilize them."

Feng Qianlin's response consisted of only one sentence.

"Is it worth it?"

The man paused.

"If the Empress Dowager says it's worth it, then it's worth it."

"But I..."

However, at that moment, Zhou You suddenly frowned and spoke up from the side.

"Brother Feng, can you give me an explanation?"

Feng Qianlin shook his head, then smiled.

"As I just said, this was my original intention—I won't go to the ghost market. If you see Chen Xun, please apologize to him for me."

However, Zhou You suddenly grabbed his collar—but just as Feng Qianlin thought he was about to curse, someone suddenly lowered his head and quickly whispered in his ear.

“Brother Feng, listen to me. I don’t care if you’re lying to me or what your plans are—even if you’ve already planned this dumpling-making—there’s clearly still a way out. I can still use the copper coins I have. These soldiers are having trouble moving on the snow, but with the roe deer’s mobility, we can definitely try to break through them.”

Feng Qianlin, however, continued to smile.

He laughed nonchalantly, and with complete satisfaction.

"How confident are you?"

"Twenty percent, no, thirty percent, but thirty percent is enough, at least—"

Feng Qianlin shook his head.

“Thirty percent is too low. I’ve already said, this is my goal. You don’t need to accompany me.”

"you--"

Zhou You really wanted to curse out loud this time, but at this moment, Horn, who was riding on horseback, suddenly spoke.

"Are you discussing how to escape? Let me give you a piece of advice: forget it. Since the Empress Dowager has given a strict order, I will not give you any chance. In addition to these, there are even more troops blocking the roads on the outskirts—Second Master Feng, you really have nowhere to escape."

Feng Qianlin nodded in agreement.

“Indeed, I might try if someone else came, but you came in person. Although I have never met you, I have at least heard of the name of the last Baturu of the Qing Dynasty. This place should indeed be as you said, a net from heaven and earth, from which there is no escape.”

Looking at that calm face, Horn remained silent for a long time before speaking again.

"Judging from your appearance, all of this was part of your plan?"

Feng Qianlin answered with a smile.

"It wasn't exactly part of my plan. I only know that the Empress Dowager hates the Prince of the Wing to the core, to the point of being obsessive. And in this chaotic world, as long as a chosen one appears, she will stop at nothing and without regard for the consequences to eliminate him."

"—As for me, all I need to do is reveal my identity, then find a way to stall, and then until things turn out this way, that's all."

Horn fell silent again, but this time the silence lasted exceptionally long. Finally, surrounded by countless people, he spoke.

"I can give you a chance. Surrender now and I will take you to see the Empress Dowager and explain everything. Although you will not escape death, I can guarantee that you will at least be spared any torture."

Feng Qianlin smiled and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but the Qing government's credibility is so poor that I can't trust it at all."

Horn looked at him coldly and then offered some advice.

"Then don't you think about your elder brother, your family? Since I can mobilize so many troops today, I can deal with them in the same way."

"Before preparing to do this, I had already persuaded my elder brother's entire family to leave. After all, the world is not peaceful these days, and it would be a good choice to go overseas to avoid trouble. As for me, Feng, I am all alone and have nothing to use as leverage."

"Don't you think about your two companions? Are you really willing to send them to their deaths with you?"

This time, Feng Qianlin finally paused, then drew out a long syllable: "This."

But at this moment, Zhou You interrupted again in a hurry.

"Brother Feng, the encirclement is getting tighter and tighter. There should still be a chance, so hurry!"

But Feng Qianlin didn't reply. Instead, he imitated Zhou You's earlier action and patted him on the back somewhat awkwardly.

However, the words were spoken to Horn.

"Normally, that's true, but for people who don't belong to this era, it's not a problem for them to escape from this world."

Zhou You and Horn were both taken aback.

Horn had no idea what he was talking about, while Zhou You was astonished that Feng Qianlin knew where he came from—but before he could ask, he felt something hard slide into his pocket.

Immediately afterwards, I heard a notification.

That was none other than the female voice that had given the system notification!
"Warning, warning! Due to external intervention, the player will be temporarily forced out of this scenario. This is a temporary escape, and the player needs to quickly find the key clues."

Then, Feng Qianlin suddenly put his arm around Zhou You's shoulder, like a good buddy, and chuckled softly in a voice that Horn couldn't hear.

"I'm sorry for borrowing your identity and taking so long to return it. So let's say goodbye here. Oh, by the way, I asked Chen Xun to leave you a letter. It will probably be buried in my grave. Remember to visit it."

"Brother Feng, you—"

However, before he could finish speaking, the black book in his arms suddenly burst into light, pulling his entire figure into it.

Until the image freezes, this is the last thing he saw.

It was as if Feng Qianlin had unloaded a heavy burden, or perhaps entrusted with a hope, that her radiant smile shone through.

　My computer broke down today, and while getting it fixed, I sprained my ankle badly after getting off the bus. I wrote this chapter while holding an ice pack to soothe the pain. It's truly a case of misfortunes never coming singly. Given how tragic my day is, dear readers, please give me a vote!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)