Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 415 Reversal
At this very moment, on the other side, along a secluded path.

The two of them walked along, their feet sinking into the deep water.

From a distance, the two men appeared to be in a terrible state, their faces covered in dirt and dust, their clothes tattered and torn, with numerous marks from being cut and burned.

Furthermore, both of them were injured.

One of them had thick bandages wrapped around his chest and abdomen, looking as if he had been nearly ripped open. Even in the dead of winter, deep red blood still seeped out, and a stench of decay could be smelled from afar.

The other person looked somewhat better, but his face was still as pale as porcelain, and he walked with a limp, yet he still tried his best to support his companion.

The footsteps landed heavily on the snow, making a 'crunching' sound—and after an unknown amount of time, the person wrapped in bandages suddenly spoke.

But it wasn't a painful groan; it was intermittent laughter.

The person supporting him paused, then spoke in a hoarse voice.

"why are you laughing?"

The person with the bandages just smiled for a while before answering in an extremely weak voice.

"I'm just laughing. That's life. Just a few days ago we were so proud and had tens of thousands of troops at our command, but now we've fallen so low that we can't even get a sip of hot water."

The person supporting him remained silent for a few seconds, then laboriously took out a water bag from their bag and handed it to him.

"There's no water left, but there's still some strong liquor left to warm you up. You can drink it."

However, the person with the bandage didn't take it; they just kept chuckling.

"This is completely reversed from a few days ago. We were chasing Feng Qianlin like a dog, but in just a few days, we've become the dogs."

—It is obvious that these are Huo En and Meng Hao, who mobilized a large army to surround and kill Zhou You and his party.

However, they don't seem to be in a very good state since that crushing defeat.

Horn ignored Meng Hao's sarcasm, forcefully pulled out the stopper, and then forced it into Meng Hao's mouth.

But the other person still didn't swallow, letting the precious wine flow from the corner of their mouth and soak the white cloth around their waist.

Horn took a deep breath and finally became angry.

"Meng Hao, do you have a death wish?!"

Meng Hao remained unchanged, neither confirming nor denying, and continued speaking to himself.

"I've thought about this for a very long time, a really long time. I feel that this is retribution, retribution for all the heinous things we've done."

Amidst the murmured words, Horn suddenly sensed something was wrong. He quickly pulled his gloves off and touched Meng Hao's forehead.

It was scalding hot, like burning coals.

Horn took a deep breath and suddenly said in a low voice.

"This is bad. Do you have any solutions?"

These words were not spoken to Meng Hao, nor to anyone else—but for some reason, Horn quickly seemed to receive a reply, and his brows furrowed deeply.

"No, I absolutely will not do that. Never mind."

Horn strained his shoulders and lifted the heavy body with all his might.

"Hang in there a little longer, we'll be in town soon, then I'll find you a doctor."

However, Meng Hao just stared at him, the smile on his lips growing wider and wider.

"Commander Huo."

"what?"

"Tell me, how did we end up like this?"

Horn suddenly stopped moving.

Meng Hao's voice continued.

"I've really thought about this for a long time, Commander Huo. Your plan is indeed correct. Let's use Yu Sanzhi and the others as cannon fodder first."

—A cold snort came from somewhere, but Meng Hao ignored it and continued talking to himself.

"Then, using the same method as hunting rabbits, we gradually drove them to their doom—and not only that, we could also use this opportunity to uproot the entire revolutionary party in the North. It was clearly a brilliant move, so why did it turn out this way?"

Horn's expression grew increasingly grim, but he still whispered words of comfort.

"Stop for now and save your energy. Once we get to town, I'll do everything I can to save your life."

however.

Just then, Meng Hao suddenly became excited.

Despite his frail and sickly body, he somehow mustered the strength to grab Horn's collar.

"Commander! Stop pretending to be confused. Even Yu Sanzhi can see that we've fallen to this state entirely because of that old lady!"

"Meng Hao, you're delirious from the fever, I won't hold it against you."

Meng Hao struggled even more fiercely, and his already badly healed wounds reopened, staining the cloth with deep red blood in the blink of an eye—but he seemed completely unaware, staring with bloodshot eyes as he spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I'm perfectly clear-headed now! If it weren't for that Empress Dowager's insistence on going her own way, would we have changed all our plans halfway through? If it weren't for that Empress Dowager's relentless urging, would we have fallen into Feng Qianlin's trap? If it weren't for the Grand Eunuch in charge of the palace insisting on advancing the troops, would we have been completely wiped out by a traitor?"

Horn finally rebuked him sternly.

"Meng Hao, you have overstepped your bounds!"

"I did not overstep my bounds!"

Meng Hao was going all out, shouting like a madman.

"She single-handedly ruined the entire Qing Dynasty! Commander Huo, I know you are loyal, but you can't be so blindly loyal! If that old woman continues to cause trouble, our Qing Dynasty's hundreds of years of history will be lost!"

However, before he could finish speaking, Horn chopped Meng Hao in the neck with a chop.

Seeing the body slump to the ground, Horn took a few labored breaths, then bent down and tightened the bandages again.

but.

Just then, a mocking voice suddenly came from his baggage.

"Let him keep talking. I think he makes a lot of sense. The one on the dragon throne is at least 80% responsible for the state of the three of us."

Horn ignored him, instead fastening the last knot and then forcefully lifting Meng Hao's body.

Normally, this weight might not have been a problem for him, but now he was exhausted and swayed a few times before finally regaining his balance. The person inside the bag was still relentless, continuing to speak in a sarcastic tone.

"He's an idiot, you're an idiot, and of course, I'm an idiot for believing you. But we've all been tricked into this state, even the most idiotic person should realize it by now. Why do you still blindly believe in that Empress Dowager Cixi?"

Horn picked up the water pouch, drank the last of the wine inside, then casually tossed it aside before speaking.

"Shut up, no one will think you're mute if you don't speak."

The voice paused, then, as if deliberately being sarcastic, continued speaking with a laugh.

"Alright, alright, I know you're a hero of the Qing Dynasty, a loyal subject in this chaotic world. But here's the problem: with your pathetic, stray dog-like appearance, how can you possibly be loyal to that old lady? If we return to the capital now, I think the first thing we should do is behead you and display your head to the public."

Horn was silent for a few seconds before finally responding.

“Feng Qianlin is not a man of destiny. No matter how much he resembles Shi Dakai, he is not a man of destiny. I must find the real one now and then find a way to get rid of this scourge for the court.”

"Tsk, this loyalty almost brought me to tears. So, how do you plan to carry it out?"

"Let's settle Meng Hao first; he's probably not of much use now. Then I'll use the few remaining hidden pieces, plus your remaining forces, and we should be able to gather some men."

"and then?"

"Let's go to the ghost market."

Horn looked up and seemed to see a figure standing behind Feng Qianlin, sword in hand.

“Kill the true chosen one.”
-
"Hello!"

In a small restaurant in the east of the town, Zhou You suddenly sneezed.

He raised his head and looked around, trying to see who was talking about him—but in the end he didn't see anyone suspicious, and could only rub his nose and resign himself to his bad luck.

The guy across from me, who was wolfing down his food, glanced at it briefly and then mumbled something indistinctly.

"What's wrong with you? (Sound of swallowing) Have you caught a cold?" (Sound of chewing)

The soup splattered all over the table, and even a slovenly person like Zhou You couldn't help but move aside.

"It's nothing, I just feel like someone's talking about me behind my back. By the way, you've almost finished eating, how about I get you two more plates?"

A voice filled with delight came from the other end.

"Really? Then I'll have to trouble you!"

Zhou You shook his head and beckoned to the waiter who was staring in disbelief.

"Give him two more roast chickens, and five more steamed buns... never mind, eight will do. Oh, and bring him a pot of warm water, in case he chokes."

As they were talking, Zhou You had already handed over a few more pieces of silver.

Although he still carries the curse of the Five Deficiencies and Three Shortcomings, unlike Old Man Li's situation where he would get into trouble as soon as he took money, his curse takes effect slowly—meaning that any excess wealth will only be lost little by little.

Earlier on the train, Feng Qianlin had already advanced his wages—the amount was very generous, and even with the curse, he still had a considerable amount left.

Putting everything else aside, I could at least cover the stall fee for them and treat them to a few meals.

After giving his instructions, he looked at the man in the leather door who looked like a starving ghost reincarnated, hesitated for a few seconds, and then spoke.

"Um, this one..."

“.(chewing) Cang Le”.

“Alright, Brother Cang.” Zhou You sat up straight and then asked, “Let me ask you first, how did you end up in this state?”

This is something that he finds quite puzzling.

He had seen Cang Le's methods before. Although he couldn't compare to Yu Sanzhi and that great shaman, he was still a formidable figure. Even if he messed up a job, he shouldn't have almost starved to death.

Cang Le didn't seem to care—or rather, all his attention was focused on the food in front of him—he just mumbled something while tearing into a chicken leg.

"Our sect is different from your White Sect. You can use white paper for your rituals, or even make do with straw paper if you can't find white paper. But we can't. Our sect's performances require shadow puppets for the entire show. Without shadow puppets, I'm useless. But you destroyed all my supplies on that train, and I refused to use those evil methods, so I suddenly turned back into an ordinary person."

This guy must be starving to death to even reveal such confidential information.

—And also, it seems like I'm the one who caused this guy to end up like this?
Something called conscience was subtly touched. Zhou You coughed lightly and asked again.

"Even without shadow puppetry, you should at least have some savings, right?"

"Gone! It's all been stolen!" Cang Le swallowed a piece of meat with difficulty, then replied without looking up, "I guess I walked for too long. When I finally got back to my lodgings, I found that all my belongings had been taken. Not only were my travel money gone, but even the materials I had for making shadow puppets were gone."

"So how did you get here?"

"What else can I do? Just like I said before, I'll beg for food like the Beggars' Sect. Unfortunately, there are just too many beggars now, and the competition is too fierce. I've been going hungry for days, and I almost lost my life just to get to this Ghost Market. Then, thanks to my old connections, I managed to get a stall on credit. I was planning to sell off the last of my stuff and make a comeback, but who knew that the Ghost Market is not what it used to be? Scammers are everywhere. What's that saying again? It's called... something like that?"

"The amount of counterfeit money increases daily, while the amount of legitimate money disappears daily."

"Yes, as expected of you cultured people, that's exactly what I mean. Surrounded by a bunch of swindlers, my honest stuff can't be sold, and as a result, I can't even afford to eat. I can only scavenge for rotten cornbread in the garbage dump—and even that's not always easy to find. If I hadn't met you today, I probably would have starved to death."

At this point, Cang Le lifted his head from the pile of rice, reached into his pocket with his greasy hands, and pulled out a small figure.

"Here, this is something I made from scraps. It can be used to house spirits, and even if you don't need it, it can be a toy for your kids. If you don't mind, take one."

Zhou You silently accepted it, gazing at the exquisite lady's appearance. All his words ultimately boiled down to one sentence.

"Waiter, give him two more plates!"

After a while, the gluttonous beast gradually stopped devouring.

Watching Cang Le slump contentedly in his chair, clutching his bulging belly, Zhou You shook his head and then stood up.

"Since you've had your fill, Brother Cang, I won't bother you any longer. Anyway, your stall fee has already been renewed, so you can focus on selling your goods for the next few days."

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Cang Le suddenly stood up and grabbed his sleeve.

"You can't go."

Zhou You sighed helplessly.

"Brother Cang, I admit it's my fault that you ended up like this, but we were fighting to the death back then, so I couldn't have shown any mercy."

However, before he could finish speaking, Cang Le revealed a cunning smile.

"Dude, I know that, but..."

"If I'm not mistaken, you came to this ghost market to find your master, right?"

(End of this chapter)