Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 420 Coming
Zhou You was stunned for a full ten seconds before bursting into laughter.

"Beijing is gone? Sir, are you drunk? Do you know what you're saying?"

However, Old Man Li showed no sign of joking or laughing; in fact, his expression was unusually serious.

"I'm not joking, nor am I talking drunk. Beijing is indeed gone."

Zhou You stopped smiling, stared into those aged eyes, and after a while, spoke seriously.

"What do you mean?"

"Literally, the vast city of Beijing simply vanished."

Old Li took Zhou You's wine gourd, and without any hesitation, poured himself a cup. Then he let out a long breath and said...

"How can I explain this to you? Li Qian, oh no, he's changed his surname back to Yuan now—you should have seen Yuan Da Nao before. A few days ago, his revolutionary army was advancing triumphantly, directly reaching Anyang. It seemed like they would force that old lady to abdicate in just a few days. But then, Beijing just vanished in a flash."

"No, could you explain in more detail?"

Old Li sighed, then dipped his brush in some wine and began to write on the table.

"You should know that once you pass Baoding, you'll reach the capital, right?"

"know."

"So you also know that the first stop after the capital is Shunyi, right?"

"Never heard of it, but it should be like this?"

"That's the situation now." Old Li drew three points from south to north. "A few days ago, Yuan Da Nao's spies passed through Baoding, intending to sneak into Beijing to check the situation, but guess what happened?"

"what happened?"

"—When he arrived at his destination, he didn't see the capital city at all; the first thing he saw was the county monument of Shunyi."

Old Li paused for a moment, then erased the dot in the middle.

"It's as if Beijing was wiped off the map, along with the hundreds of thousands of people who lived there, who just disappeared without a trace."

Zhou You also fell silent, but after a while, he said with great certainty.

"Even gods descending to earth couldn't possess such supernatural powers as moving mountains and overturning seas, so it's even more impossible for that old lady. Is it an illusion or something else?"

Old Li shook his head.

“Yuan Da Nao Nao also has capable people around him. His first thought was the same as yours, but after exploring for a long time, he couldn’t find even the slightest trace of illusion. On the contrary, the chaos in that area inexplicably increased, and he himself was almost beaten half to death.”

"Speaking of which, what does that have to do with this meeting at the ghost market?"

This time, Old Man Li stopped speaking. After a long while, he suddenly sighed.

"Because this has happened in history—it happened during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. After Gao Wei, the last emperor of the Northern Qi, was defeated at Pingyang, he knew he was powerless to reverse the situation, so he sacrificed all the living beings in Jinyang to invoke some indescribable god, turning the area within a thousand miles into a true hell."

Zhou You frowned upon hearing this.

Do you think that old lady in Beijing is in the same situation?

"I can't decide, but I can't take that risk either."

Old Man Li paused for a moment, then continued.

“That Empress Dowager is not just Gao Wei, and the power she can wield is far beyond what Northern Qi can match. If she really intends to gamble everything, then the entire Han land will probably fall into the abyss—and this conference is to discuss this matter.”

"—Should we unite and try to stop that old lady, or stay out of it and follow the example of those famous mountains and sects, closing the mountains to avoid disaster, or even flee overseas?"

Zhou You looked at Old Man Li and suddenly said.

"Master, is it for this reason that you want to reforge the Soul-Summoning Banner?"

“That’s right. It’s called a discussion, but in reality, it’s all about who has the bigger fist. Eighty percent of the skills of our White Clan come from our various magical artifacts. If we have this Soul-Summoning Banner, I’ll have more confidence in what I say.”

"I see." Zhou You nodded, then casually asked, "Master, your choice is naturally to obstruct, right?"

"Of course."

"But unfortunately, I imagine many people will choose to stay out of it rather than try to stop it."

Old Li shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"The quantity is greater than you think, nearly 90% of them are."

"Then," Zhou You suddenly stood up, his expression turning cold for some reason, "there must be others who want to deal with you before the plate is even on the table, right?"

As the word "ba" was uttered, Wan Ren had already pulled it out, and then thrust it into the ground with his other hand!

The seemingly ordinary soil beneath their feet suddenly surged and churned, as if it had come to life. A hand struggled to extend from it, but before it could put up any resistance, the blood demon erupted from within, instantly engulfing it without leaving a trace!

Meanwhile, more distorted shadows squeezed in from the outside through the walls and cracks in the door, making the small courtyard seem like a ghostly place.

Zhou You had seen this thing before.

That was at the very beginning of the script, right after Old Man Li had dealt with the coffin. It was something that suddenly appeared at night, trying to assassinate him—but since it only appeared once, Zhou You didn't pay much attention to it.

Who would have thought that we'd run into each other again today!

Old Li didn't seem surprised at all. He looked at the mud splattered in the cup, shook his head, and splashed all the stained wine out.

"The Soul Refining Kiln of the Ghost Gate, I didn't expect it wasn't completely cleaned up back then. Is someone still thinking about me, or is someone seeking revenge for what happened back then?"

No one answered, and the sticky, muddy shadows had already slipped into the courtyard—at first glance, the slimy bodies were layered upon layered, seemingly numbering in the dozens.

Otherwise.

Old Li smiled casually, stopped Zhou You from making a move, and then used his hand to keep the rhythm, suddenly humming a hoarse tune.

"A sigh escapes the departed souls, leaving no warm clothes at the Bridge of Helplessness."

The candlelight inside and outside the room suddenly went out, and then came back on.

This time, however, the light was no longer orange-red, but a ghastly green, like will-o'-the-wisp.

"A second sigh for the departed souls leaving their homes; the stove is cold, the chimney is closed."

This time, all the shadows sensed something was wrong and began to rush towards Old Man Li at an accelerated pace.

But at that moment, a sword suddenly appeared from the side, as swift as a gust of wind and lightning, instantly shredding the people in front of it.

Zhou You flicked his sword, but instead of striking out, he turned to look at Old Man Li.

As if he had expected it, he continued clapping and singing a funeral song.

"Thrice I sigh at the souls of the departed, their clothes too thin; the garments made in July have yet to be worn."

In the blink of an eye, the ground turned into blood plasma, from which grotesque faces appeared and arms stretched out.

Finally, there's the tone at the end of the note.

"Four sighs for the wandering souls, for the hungry ghosts fight over the toll for their journey!"

So all those shadows were caught, then slowly pulled into the abyss, and finally closed in, leaving no trace.

At the same time, Old Man Li snorted coldly. "A bunch of idiots, trying to fight a positional war with our White Gate, they're really courting death!"

Zhou You casually sheathed his sword, completely unconcerned about this 'minor incident,' and spoke to the old man Li, who seemed quite unfamiliar with him.

"Master, judging from your expression, did you anticipate this all along?"

Old Li shook his head and said casually.

"I've been coming here every few days lately, so even if you're not used to it, you should get used to it eventually. By the way, apprentice, you've seen the situation, so let me ask you, what are your plans for the future?"

Zhou You casually asked a question in return.

"What do you mean?"

Old Li pointed to the mess on the ground, then pointed to himself.

"As you can see, your master is now being condemned by everyone. If you want to leave, you'd better leave now. If you don't want to leave..."

However, before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by someone's voice.

"I said, Master."

"What's the matter."

"I don't think I've told you yet what my purpose is this time, have I?"

Old Li paused for a moment, then laughed.

"You didn't say that, but I remember... when you were still a refugee, didn't you say you wanted to save some money and then find a peaceful place to marry a wife? — What, has that changed?"

"That's it? No, the original owner of this body was incredibly unambitious."

".What did you say?"

“No, it’s nothing.” Zhou You shook his head, then said seriously, “Now I’ve changed my target, and this target isn’t very big, it’s to bury this Qing Dynasty.”

Old Li looked at Zhou You as if he were crazy, but in the end he couldn't help but laugh.

"This target is bigger than my balls—but come to think of it, are we, master and apprentice, on the same path?"

"Yes."

Old Li raised his wine glass in a toast.

"Shall we travel together tomorrow?"

Zhou You raised his glass in return and laughed heartily.

"—Of course, let's go together first."

The night passed in the blink of an eye.

After Hua Niangzi and her companion emerged from the inner room, they looked at the mess in the courtyard, seemingly used to it, and didn't say a word. Cang Le, who was sleeping like a log, was speechless for a while after seeing the scene, but after Zhou You gave him a 'don't ask questions' look, he shut his mouth tightly.

Breakfast was prepared by Hua Niangzi and her apprentice. Their cooking skills weren't particularly exquisite, but they were more than enough to surpass those of chefs in ordinary restaurants. However, most of the dishes were rather bland, except for Old Man Li's, which had a salted fish added separately.

Then, Lady Hua, holding her rice bowl, sat down opposite Old Man Li and began to eat with a smile.

"I said they were definitely having an affair."

Cang Le slurped down the porridge like a starving ghost, but still kept glancing at the two people chatting and whispered to Zhou You.

"Just eat your food, why all this gossip!"

Zhou You gave him a light kick, then looked at the few bland side dishes in front of him and couldn't help but sigh.

He grew up in a place famous for its chili peppers, and from a young age he developed a habit of not being able to stand such bland food.

He was probably trying to steal Old Man Li's salted fish. With so many people watching, he was really a little embarrassed.

However, at that moment, a weak voice suddenly came from the side.

"Senior brother, look!"

Glancing aside, I saw Hanlu holding a plate of freshly cooked Mu Shu Pork, and she said softly.

"I know you prefer strong flavors, so I cooked a special portion for you. My cooking skills might not be the best, but would you like to try it?"

Zhou You looked at Han Lu, who seemed somewhat at a loss, hesitated for a few seconds, and then sighed.

"Thank you, just leave it here for now, I'll try it later."

Hanlu nodded at the little head, then turned and left.

Seeing this scene, Cang Le even stopped his actions, which were as if he were starving, looked up at Zhou You, then at Han Lu, and suddenly showed a look of astonishment.

"I think you two are having an affair. Absolutely not, Uncle Zhou. How did you manage to hook up with such a beautiful girl?"

"I'll rape you my ass!"

When it came to himself, Zhou You showed no mercy in punishing Tie Quan this time, but looking at the little girl's back, he also fell into deep thought.

He didn't think the girl would fall for him—after all, they hadn't spent much time together, and the feeling was more like infatuation than love.
Is it more like some kind of inexplicable reverence?

I did save her a few times, but it doesn't have to be like this, does it?
Zhou You scratched his head for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out.

However, he has one good point: if he can't figure something out, he won't think about it and will simply give up without hesitation. Then he picked up a piece of scrambled eggs with his chopsticks.

—To be fair, although it's not as good as the Little Ghost Girl, the taste is still quite good.

After finishing breakfast, Old Man Li led the group to the other side of the ghost market.

Unlike the bustling places elsewhere, this place was unusually quiet. There were no vendors hawking their wares along the street, and hardly anyone could be seen. Only shadowy darkness permeated the buildings, creating a chilling atmosphere.

Everyone else, including Cang Le, was already familiar with this kind of scene, so this time Old Man Li explained it to Zhou You separately.

"When this ghost market was built, people from all walks of life contributed a lot of effort. So when the eight major families were setting up this ghost market, they set aside a separate area for us to use. However, because it has been neglected for many years, many of the local magic arrays have become ineffective. If there is no one to guide you, it is easy to wander into the underworld and never be able to return."

As they were talking, Old Man Li had already led the way around a corner—several distorted ghost faces suddenly appeared before them. The sudden appearance of these faces would have scared most people half to death, but Old Man Li simply waved his hand, and those things vanished like dust.

Beyond that is a rustic, lead-gray wooden door.

Old Man Li took a deep breath, but didn't rush inside. Instead, he took off the greasy leather coat that he had never taken off before, pulled out the lining, untied a wooden pole from behind, rolled it up, and in the blink of an eye, it became a tattered white banner.

Then he pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Unlike the outside, the space here is incredibly spacious, and it's also packed with people.

In an instant, dozens of eyes turned to look at them.

There was curiosity, disdain, ridicule, and fear in it.

But what it had the most of all was utter malice.

It was obvious that almost everyone in the room wanted to eat them.

Yes, skin and bones, completely devoured.

(End of this chapter)