Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 421 Meeting
All eyes were focused on Old Man Li, and then on the white banner.

Immediately, someone exclaimed in surprise.

"The White Gate's Soul-Summoning Banner? It was finished so quickly?"

But someone next to this person immediately sneered.

“Li Xiangming isn’t a god, how could he have completed the cultivation in such a short time? He’s just putting on a show and fooling people.”

"But."

But no matter how chaotic the sounds were, no matter how deep the malice was, Old Man Li still maintained that smiling expression.

"Speaking of which, you all arrived quite early. It's not even time for discussion yet, and almost everyone is already here. Or am I, this old man, mistaken about the time and a little late?"

Upon hearing that, someone immediately retorted.

"You are indeed a little late, Banner Master—but we can understand. After all, if we had such a beauty by our side, we certainly wouldn't get up until the sun was high in the sky."

There was a few seconds of silence in the audience, followed by a burst of laughter.

This was a blatant insult. Hua Niangzi's face was frosty, and she seemed about to make a move, but she was immediately stopped by Old Man Li.

Soon after, someone else saw Zhou You and Cang Le following behind—and those two masks they were wearing—the laughter paused, but the words remained just as disdainful.

"The Pi Men? Good heavens, Li Zhangfan, you've brought in some more people in just one day. But what good can these two scoundrels do? Unless you bring your cheap apprentice..."

Otherwise.

The moment those two words were uttered, the room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a while, a voice rang out again.

"What are you all afraid of? Governor Yuan has already made it known that he has enlisted that young man from the White Gate for help. Beijing is far away from us, and there's rampant chaos there. Even if he could get here in time, he wouldn't be able to."

And so, the atmosphere became lively again.

Only Zhou You, listening from the back, was completely baffled.

When did I become employed by that big-headed Yuan?
Moreover, I clearly revealed my identity several times yesterday. Even an idiot should know that I came. Why do these people seem to have no idea that I came?
"Could it be that the Eight Great Merchants deliberately blocked the news? But why would they do that?"

Just as Zhou You was getting a little confused, Old Man Li had already found an empty seat, pulled him down to sit, and then continued to speak with a smile.

"I think we've gathered almost everyone, so shall we begin?"

Someone in that group of scum let out a cold laugh.

"Speaking of Li Zhangfan, you really have a lot of influence. You just say you'll start, so you start now. Do you really think you're still the same as before?"

However, before he could finish speaking, someone suddenly coughed lightly.

The sound wasn't loud, especially in this noisy environment—but for some reason, the soft cough seemed to resonate in everyone's ears, making it incredibly clear.

Looking up, I saw a simply dressed Taoist priest sitting at the end of the long table.

He wasn't particularly old, probably in his forties, and was wearing a Taoist robe with his hair starched. He was holding a simple longsword in his arms, and behind him stood two people who seemed to be his disciples—they didn't look particularly unusual.

But this ordinary Taoist priest silenced everyone else, even those who had been making the most noise earlier bowed and spoke ingratiatingly.

"Master Xiao, what are your instructions?"

But the man was very polite. After glancing around—or perhaps it was just his imagination, Zhou You felt as if he was being looked at with particular attention—he then spoke softly.

But it wasn't a scolding or criticism; he just said it calmly.

"Normally, according to custom, this place should be presided over by a fellow Daoist from Longhu Mountain, but due to well-known reasons, none of them are here right now, so I will temporarily take their place. I wonder if any of you have any objections?"

The group of miscellaneous fish all clasped their hands in a polite gesture.

"Don't dare."

"With Master Xiao in person, this is already quite significant."

"We trust your family's reputation, and no one has any objection to you being the first."

"If anyone dares to disagree, I, Old Sun, will be the first to disagree."

"What is Longhu Mountain? How dare they?"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a flurry of punches from the side.

—Those Taoist priests from Longhu Mountain are notoriously petty. Don't drag us into your own mess!
Regardless of the emotion, whether it was flattery or ingratiation, Master Xiao responded with a faint smile. After gently pressing his hand down, he continued speaking.

"Since no one has any objections, I'll take the liberty of doing this once—everyone, it's getting late, and today is the last day of the conference. Why don't we get started now and thoroughly discuss the bylaws?"

This time, no one objected, but no one spoke up either.

The group of people who had been arguing just moments before were now staring at each other blankly, none of them wanting to be the first to speak up.

After a long pause, Old Man Li coughed twice and slowly spoke.

"Since Master Xiao has put it that way, then let this old man speak first—this time it's the same as before, that old lady is now attempting a daring scheme, and if she succeeds, the entire Divine Continent will likely face annihilation. Therefore, I propose that we reorganize the Demon-Slaying Alliance from back then, and cooperate with Governor Yuan, who has already entered the vicinity of Beijing, to stop the Empress Dowager's plot. What do you all think?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a man dressed in a deerskin robe and dressed in rich attire stood up and loudly denied it.

"No!"

Hanlu, who was standing nearby, had somehow moved closer to Zhou You and was whispering an explanation.

"This is the brokerage business among the five elements. They have always looked down on us lowly people. These past few days, most of what Zhang Fan said has been refuted by them."

That's true, but aren't you getting a little too close?
Zhou You subtly withdrew his hand, then pulled Cang Le over and placed the inexplicable person in the middle before speaking in a low voice as well.

"The porters and spies of the caravan shop deserve to die even if they're innocent. He looks down on us, so let it go. Besides him, who else is targeting Master?"

Hanlu didn't seem to care about this action at all, as if it was just an unintentional thing to do, and continued to explain in a low voice.

"Besides this guy, there are stonemasons and goldsmiths from the eight trades, dog-beating demons and thieves from the lowest of the low, and fortune tellers from the middle of the nine trades. As for the rest, although they don't want to get involved, they at least make sarcastic remarks and haven't openly stood up to oppose us."

While the two were whispering to each other, the brokers were also talking animatedly.

"Li Zhangfan, you only talk about speculation. What evidence do you have to say that the Empress Dowager is preparing to carry out that treacherous act?"

Old Li stroked his beard and answered earnestly, "It's very simple, because Beijing has disappeared."

"Well, then what?"

"If we take the Northern Qi dynasty as a reference, that old woman's sacrifice has probably reached its most critical moment; if it's not stopped now, it will be too late."

However, upon hearing these words, the broker suddenly burst into unrestrained laughter.

"Li Zhangfan, are you kidding me? The Northern Qi Dynasty happened so many years ago, why are you using it as a reference? Besides, the records from that time are all blurry, do you think it's true just because you say so?"

"There are clear records in the Zhenxie Division."

"—Then why don't you call the people from the Evil Suppression Division over here now?"

Upon hearing this, Old Man Li fell silent.

This person is clearly sophistry—everyone knows now that the Zhenxie Division was slaughtered by that old woman long ago, so where can he find anyone from the Zhenxie Division to testify now?
Old Li wasn't annoyed; instead, he quietly turned in a different direction.

"But the problem is, this is a risk that could potentially harm the entire world, so it's always better to be safe."

But this time, someone else chimed in.

The man was wearing a short shirt, was over two and a half meters tall, had dark skin, and was covered in soot. Sitting on the stool, he looked like a bear that had wandered in – he must be the goldsmith Hanlu had mentioned.

He spoke slowly, and unlike the mocking words of the broker next to him, his voice was serious and steady.

“Li Zhangfan, although we haven’t read many books, we know the saying that everyone has a responsibility for the rise and fall of the nation. But the problem is that the tall ones have all run away, and everyone has either closed their mountains or shut their doors. Only a few people are willing to go into the world to save people.”

At this point, the goldsmith nodded earnestly to the Taoist priest, and after receiving a similar response, he continued, "...but it's just a drop in the ocean, not even enough to suppress the rampant evil spirits covering the mountains and fields. So why should we, who are usually looked down upon and considered lowly servants, get involved in this mess?"

Although the words were rather crude, they drew nods of agreement from everyone.

Normally, those famous sects and powerful families enjoy the bestowal of offerings and influence in the court, receiving official titles and ranks. But when trouble strikes, they all vanish without a trace. Now, it is these lowly commoners, who have always been looked down upon, who are taking their place.
In the end, it all boils down to just one sentence.

Why?
Old Li finally fell silent this time, and after a long while, he slowly spoke.

“Indeed, I can’t deny it, but we did make a blood oath after all. We can’t just abandon our responsibilities and let these thousands of people refuse to stand up just because the people in front ran away. Besides, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. If the Empress Dowager were to repeat what happened in the Northern Qi Dynasty, who among us could escape?”

Concerned for their own lives, these demons and monsters finally began to think—but then, the broker jumped out again.

"Stop spouting this nonsense, old man. What do we care if the common people die or how they die? I'm not being supported by them anyway!"

He banged on the table, head held high, and spoke arrogantly.

"Haven't we all cultivated for so long precisely to transcend ordinary people and increase our chances of survival in this great calamity? Besides..."

He glanced at the person sitting over there, his confidence growing stronger.

"What's that saying again? I don't need to escape very fast, just faster than others. If I can't stay in the North, I can escape to the South. If I can't stay in the South, I can escape to the Plateau. If I can't stay on the Plateau, I can even pay the price to escape overseas. That's what I've always said."

He took a deep breath and spoke eloquently.

What does it matter to me how the world is doing?

Old Li remained silent.

It's not that I have no words to argue, but I really don't know what to say about this person's shamelessness.

Others may say it's none of their business and they can't care, but you, a broker, how much money have you swindled from ordinary people over the years? How many people have supported you to afford your gold-plated clothes, and now you claim it's none of your concern?
What about the face?

But before Old Man Li could speak, the broker put on another face and said in a sarcastic tone.

"Ah, I forgot, you, Li Zhangfan, are different. You have to go around like a dog, performing funerals for people to earn a little money. Without you, the people would starve to death, and what about your mistress, the one whose door is open to you every night? She probably can't survive without a man's nourishment, right? But don't worry, we have so many brothers. If each of us visits a few more times, that should be enough to satisfy her."

At this point, the discussion has ceased to be a formality and has become a blatant insult.

Old Man Li's eyes grew cold, and the tattered banner rose without wind—but just as he was about to make his move, Zhou You also gently pressed down on his shoulder.

Then, looking at the many malicious faces, someone suddenly laughed.

"Hey you, you bastard, what are you laughing at? Are you one of those women's many clients too?"

Zhou You wasn't annoyed, but continued to laugh until the broker was somewhat confused, at which point he finally spoke, breathless.

"Don't mind me, I wasn't laughing at you, I was just laughing at old man Li."

He turned to his master and said.

"Old man, it seems you've been living in civilized society for too long, always thinking that the world should be about reason—but the problem is that some people are just not meant to be reasonable. As the saying goes, spewing nonsense and being unreasonable is in their nature. What should you do when you encounter someone like that?"

Old Li remained silent for a long time before replying.

"What?"

Zhou You laughed.

"Most people would probably try to reason with him, to persuade him with practical benefits. But I think..."

Suddenly, someone turned around and looked at the Taoist priest who had been silent all along.

"Speaking of which, Taoist priest, I am new here and have a question I would like to ask."

The man politely cupped his hands in greeting.

"Sir, please speak."

"What should be done if someone hurls insults or even directly insults others during a gathering?"

"I remember it was supposed to be a disturbance, and they were supposed to beat people out with sticks, right? But this is my first time presiding over a meeting, so I'm not quite sure. So, how about we follow our sect's rules and give them a taste of their own medicine?"

"That's good."

Zhou You just smiled like that, and then uttered the last sentence.

"For those who don't intend to be unreasonable, I think it's better to teach them a real and tangible lesson so they'll remember it."

The next moment, the longsword was drawn.

Then.

Blood splattered everywhere!
(End of this chapter)