Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 423 Outsiders

This time, not only others, but Zhou You was also completely bewildered when he heard this unexpected remark.

When did we become a descendant of the Shangqing Sect? We're not even familiar with this sect!

Wait, could it be...?
Zhou You carefully recalled all the scripts he had experienced before, but still couldn't come up with any answers.

—Is it related to Maoshan?
But that doesn't make sense either. It's already the late Qing Dynasty. Headmaster He's ashes are probably almost gone by now. Besides, I've never contacted Maoshan. There's no way I could be associated with the Shangqing Sect.
However, compared to him, the reactions of the others were much more intense.

"Wait a minute, what did you say? How did my apprentice end up at your Shangqing Academy?"

However, Jin Yan suddenly slammed his fist on the table, and the loud bang instantly drowned out Old Man Li's voice.

"Master Xiao, are you joking? How could this guy of unknown origin possibly be a member of your Shangqing Sect? Even if you want to protect him, there should be a limit!"

The Taoist priest sitting in the head seat simply straightened his robes, first respectfully bowed to Zhou You, and then spoke calmly to Jin Yan.

"Does Your Excellency think that our Shangqing Sect would risk its reputation for such a joke?"

The words were very calm, yet they left the burly man speechless.

However, soon after, Old Ge, who was beating the dog, chimed in.

"Master Xiao, this old man has another question."

"Please say."

"Since you say this kid is a descendant of your Shangqing Sect, how come he's become a disciple of the Baimen Sect? They say people strive for higher positions and water flows downhill. I've lived for decades, and I've only ever seen people from the lowest classes try to climb the social ladder, never have I seen someone from a prestigious sect condescend to mingle with the lowest of the low."

Old Ge didn't say much, but he always got straight to the point.

But Master Xiao just smiled.

"The story is quite simple. Years ago, an elder from our sect went out to exorcise evil spirits and unexpectedly bumped into this Fellow Daoist Zhou. Although there was a significant age gap between them, they hit it off immediately, and the elder generously shared all his knowledge with him."

He paused, seemingly glancing at Zhou You casually, before continuing.

"Originally, that elder intended to take this Fellow Daoist Zhou back to the mountains to inherit the Dao lineage. However, unexpected events occurred, and he tragically perished while exorcising a great evil spirit. In the rush, he left no will, which is why this Fellow Daoist Zhou missed his chance to meet us and ultimately became a disciple of the White Sect by a twist of fate."

Zhou You, standing to the side, was completely dumbfounded.

When did this happen? How come I don't even know it myself?

After hearing this explanation, the people around fell silent, but they all shared the same meaning.

—I don't believe you for a second.

Do you really think we're three-year-olds?

However, Master Xiao looked around and suddenly laughed.

"I know you all don't believe it, after all, I didn't believe it at first either. So let me, Xiao, swear a blood oath here and now."

The words were spoken casually, but Old Man Li, Jin Yan, and even Old Man Ge all hurriedly tried to stop them.

"Master/Sir/Master Xiao, please don't do this, we..."

—You must know that the Shangqing Sect is one of the Five Mountains and Eight Sects, and it's notoriously protective of its own. What if something really happens to Daoist Xiao here because of them?
Let's not talk about joining forces anymore; let's figure out how to withstand their retaliation first!

Ignoring the others' advice, the Taoist priest cut his palm, letting the blood flow freely, and then swore an oath to the mysterious cause and effect.

"I, Xiao Dushui, hereby swear a blood oath that this Zhou You is indeed a person with whom my Shangqing Sect has a karmic connection. If this is not the case, I am willing to be struck by tribulation lightning, tempered by hellfire, and plunged into the abyss, never to be reborn."

—Holy crap, everyone was just questioning us, they didn't even say anything harsh, why did you have to make such a vicious oath!

Old Ge had already plopped down, staring blankly ahead, already imagining his impending fate—

Otherwise.

Half a day later, nothing happened.

Neither lightning struck nor did the oath backfire. Xiao Dushui stood there calmly, as if he had expected this outcome.

So everything he said was true?
This time, all eyes were on Zhou You.

But the person had already put on a mask, showing no sign of emotion whatsoever.

Instead, Old Man Li gave Hua Niangzi a wink, signaling her to stand in front of him, then pulled Zhou You down and whispered something.

"When did you get involved with the Shangqing Sect? Goodness, you kept it a secret for a long time, not even telling your master, huh?"

Zhou You remained silent for a long time before replying in a similarly low voice.

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't know either?"

However, just as both sides were puzzled, Xiao Dushui clapped his hands and continued speaking.

"Now that the proof is complete, let's continue with the next steps."

He looked up and gazed down at the people seated below.

"I remember that the host was supposed to give his opinion next. So I'll just say a few words. I support Li Zhangfan's proposal. Of course, this is not related to Fellow Daoist Zhou, but according to the information we at Shangqing Sect have received, the sudden increase in evil spirits in the world is entirely caused by that old lady."

After a brief silence, a clamor erupted instantly, the intense noise so loud that even the barrier couldn't suppress it.

Xiao Dushui pressed down on his hand, and even used some magic to finally quell the noise, before continuing.

"Everyone should know the reputation of our Shangqing Sect. We would never lie about such a thing. Therefore, we can infer that even if the old lady did not pull off a sleight of hand, it was at least a major event that could affect the entire Han region."

"—Think about it, everyone. When the calamity strikes, our sect can certainly close its doors and rely on the fortune of our ancestors to avoid this disaster. But where will you all go?"

"Moreover, if the skin is gone, where will the hair attach? If all the mortals die, how can we cultivators remain unscathed?"

These words are very similar to what Old Man Li said earlier, but because they came from different people, their weight is completely different.

Many people, even those who were initially opposed, fell into deep thought.

Taking this opportunity, Xiao Dushui spoke again.

"And everyone, don't worry. Unlike others, our Shangqing Sect will not flee this time. Instead, we will face this national crisis together with you. If anyone dies first, it will be me, Xiao, who will die first. I will never do anything like leaving first."

"—Also, Master Feng has made a guarantee that he will personally bear all the expenses and rewards for this exorcism."

With these two guarantees, many hesitant people finally made up their minds.

Jin Yan seemed to want to say something, but in the end he slumped down, while Old Ge's expression was gloomy and uncertain, as if he was thinking about something.

Thus, Xiao Dushui's words were finally fluent and unimpeded.

"—So, as is customary, everyone please cast your lots first."

After he finished speaking, the young Taoist priest behind him took out a box, placed it on the table, and then gave each person two bamboo sticks.

"Hanlu explained from the side."

"These are the rules of the conference: each person receives one red and one black slip. If you agree, put the red slip in the box; if you disagree, put the black slip in the box."

Zhou You nodded, then casually tossed the red token into the box.

The person opposite hesitated for a moment, but still followed his example and placed a red card.

Old Li threw the red ball.

The other side resolutely followed the black pick.

Hanlu wasn't eligible to draw a lot, so Hua Niangzi naturally chose red. The other side followed suit.

Cang Le throws red.

Follow the red.

red.

red.

black.

black.

红.
Seeing that this time the situation was different from the previous few days, with red signs seemingly making up the majority, the faces of those who voted for black signs became increasingly grim.

The tide has turned, and there seems to be no chance of a comeback.

but.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"Wait a minute, it seems there are still some people who haven't participated yet."

The voice was gentle and calm, yet it made Elder Ge and the others feel as if they had grasped a lifeline, and they suddenly looked up.

Xiao Dushui frowned, revealing a cold expression for the first time.

"I'm sorry, the conference is already nearly halfway through today, and it would be too late to come now."

However, the voice outside remained calm.

"But I seem to remember that, according to the rules, before the final decision is made, as long as you belong to all walks of life, you are eligible to participate no matter how late you arrive, right?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the doorman's door was suddenly pushed open.

The cold air from outside rushed into the room, and the sudden temperature difference made many people shiver.

At the same time, a tired yet determined face appeared before everyone.

In that very instant.

In the blink of an eye, Wan Ren was unsheathed, and the hazy blood aura spread like mist.

Zhou You gripped the sword hilt, stared at that face, and slowly stood up.

Then, he suddenly grinned and sneered.

"Originally, I expected that avenging Shang Jun would take some time, especially finding you, which would probably take quite some time. I didn't expect you to just walk right into my door like this. What, are you tired of living and can't wait to come and die?"

"—The Baturu of the Great Qing Dynasty, Horn. No, His Excellency Chahar?"

Upon hearing this word, the vast majority of people showed a look of horror, and some even drew their weapons.

No matter what, this group of people were discussing anti-Qing matters. Now, the most notorious lackey of the Qing Dynasty has appeared here. Could it be that...?
Have the Qing troops already surrounded this place?
However, Xiao Dushui, who was in the lead, waved his hand and said calmly.

"Putting aside the fact that the Qing court is tied up by the revolutionary army and has no troops left to use, this place is in the narrow gap of the Yin Road, so there is no way that a large army could surround it. I just don't know what brings Commander Huo here?"

Horn looked at the tense situation with a completely calm smile.

"Let's not talk about that for now. I remember that according to the rules of the tournament, unless someone provokes us first, we can't hurt anyone, right? Can we ask these people—especially this Mr. Zhou—to sheathe their swords before we talk?"

Zhou You sneered, but before he could speak, Xiao Dushui had already replied.

"Excuse me, but the rules are made for people from all walks of life. I remember that Commander Huo served in the imperial court for many years and killed quite a few people from all walks of life, but he himself did not follow any sect, so..."

But just then, another voice rang out.

"He paid his respects."

Who?
Everyone looked carefully, but apart from Horn, they didn't see anyone else.

But then, sounds still came through.

“Now that Chahara has resigned from his official post in the court and become my disciple, he is indeed qualified to participate according to the rules.”

Xiao Dushui frowned more and more deeply, and then couldn't help but speak.

"May I ask who you are? Could you please come out and let us see you?"

"It's okay to meet once, I'm just afraid you'll be scared."

As soon as he finished speaking, Horn untied his bag and placed it on the table.

Everyone was completely baffled.

Judging from the meaning, it should be inside this bag. But the problem is that this thing is too big to even fit a child, so how can it fit a grown person?

However, the question was quickly answered.

A tiny arm struggled to emerge from it, then a second. Then, with the support of these two arms, a deformed mass of flesh crawled out.

—What kind of monster was that?

Its head was as big as a ball, but its body was as thin as a bamboo pole, and its limbs were so thin that they looked like bones covered with skin. It had no hair on its body, only smooth and bluish-purple skin.

Moreover, his total height is less than thirty or forty centimeters.

Upon seeing this thing, most people looked horrified—but soon, someone seemed to recognize it and spoke in disbelief.

"Yu, Yu Sanzhi, Chief Yu? Aren't you dead?!"

The monster suddenly laughed; it had no teeth, only a long, thin tongue that resembled a snake.

"Indeed, thanks to a certain guy, I almost died, but luckily I've been running around for so many years and I always have some trump cards up my sleeve, so I managed to survive in this state. What, you seem quite surprised?"

Although Yu Sanzhi looked as if he could be killed with a single pinch, the man still couldn't help but take a few steps back.

No, no, I just...

At this moment, Xiao Dushui suddenly spoke.

"Chief Yu? What a rare guest! As far as I know, you haven't attended any of these gatherings since your master passed away. Can you explain what you meant just now?"

Yu Sanzhi immediately revealed a strange smile.

"Literally, I've made Horn a disciple of mine, and he's now a member of the Beggars' Sect, so we should also be qualified to participate in this meeting, right?"

Xiao Dushui was silent for a few seconds, then spoke.

"According to the rules, that's true. So, Chief Yu and Chief Yu, are you planning to oppose this proposal?"

Unexpectedly, Yu Sanzhi denied Xiao Dushui's guess.

"No, we don't intend to oppose it, and whatever you vote for has absolutely nothing to do with us."

Before the astonished Xiao Dushui could reply, Yu Sanzhi suddenly laughed again.

"There is only one thing we need to do."

"They came here to smash up this place."

(End of this chapter)