Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 452 Traces
Feng Zhengye also looked at this clear sky.

for a long time.

The shadows around him surged, and a blurry figure emerged from them.

It was the same guard who had stayed by his side at the auction house.

However, judging from the current situation, this one is not in good condition either. The shape formed by the shadow is mostly damaged, and there is acid liquid emitting white smoke that is constantly corroding it.

But he still kept his head down and said it respectfully.

"Manager."

Feng Zhengye turned his head after a while and then gently patted Yingzi's shoulder.

"Hey, you've worked so hard this time. It's finally all done. I'll give you a proper two-month vacation when we get back. You should spend some time with your wife and kids."

"Manager, that's not what I meant."

Feng Zhengye paused for a few seconds before smiling.

"Oh, by the way, you're talking about this? How many people actually received the bounty this time?"

"There were seventy-six people in total, but no one won the top prize. However, even with just these, plus the prize money for all participants, we still have a lot."

Otherwise.

To his surprise, Feng Zhengye, who was usually shrewd and calculating, waved his hand dismissively.

"It's alright, we'll pay whatever it takes. Anyway, the eight major families will bail us out this time, so we won't go bankrupt."

As he spoke, he looked again at the cheering and kneeling crowd.

"Hey Lao Zhong."

"The head manager?"

"I think I'm finally starting to understand how the second brother feels. What do you say about us going back this time?"

Feng Zhengye suddenly laughed.

"How about we invest in this revolution too?"

Inside Beijing.

Zhou Yougang emerged from the Dharma Realm covered in dust and grime, and the first thing he saw was a scene of utter devastation.

After being ravaged twice by the main hall and the Water and Heaven Buddha, Beijing was in such a state that it resembled a garbage dump, with broken walls and ruins everywhere. The remaining people were gathered together and lit a bonfire to keep warm.

The return spell given by Xiao Dushui was ultimately not used, but the casualties...
Originally, as a suicide squad, they had sent about a hundred people into the city, but now, at most, only about thirty remain.

With six or seven out of ten people losing their lives, it can be described as a devastating loss.

However, upon seeing Zhou You, everyone fell silent.

Soon, a person knelt down on one knee.

Then came the second one, followed by the third.
To be honest, when they first started talking, this group of people didn't really respect Zhou You.

Although a ceremony of offering a gift was performed, the person was simply too young, and had only yielded to the offer because of their reputation and power.

But now.

All the kneeling and worship came from the heart.

After a long while, someone said something.

"Alliance Leader Zhou."

Soon, everyone was repeating the phrase in a tone as if they were praising a deity.

"Alliance Leader Zhou!"

The voices of dozens of people, at this moment, sounded like a surging tide.

Zhou You had never seen this scene before, and could only remain silent.

In the end, he shook his head, urged the roe deer, and led it to the base of a wall.

After a long while, Old Man Li finally woke up. Although his face was still ashen, he still smiled in a very unserious manner.

"My disciple, you've really made a name for yourself this time. It looks like after we get out, I, as your master, will have to step down and give way to you."

Zhou You remained silent for a moment.

"Master, you almost died, can't you be serious for once?"

Old Li also stopped joking, and the two of them stood facing each other in silence.

Finally, they all burst into laughter again.

After a while, Old Li, who was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, spoke again.

"apprentice."

"Ah."

Are you leaving?

Zhou You raised his hand and looked at it.

Starting from the palm, the body began to appear somewhat ethereal—clearly, the mission was complete, and the Black Book was urging them to leave.

"Probably, but there should still be some time. Master, is there anything else you need to tell me?"

Old Li laughed heartily.

"What orders could I possibly have? But Master, you probably won't be able to attend my wedding banquet. Oh, right, I haven't told you yet, I'm planning to propose to Junior Sister Hua, haven't I?"

However, Zhou You only rolled his eyes at him.

"Master, your affair is practically common knowledge, do you need to tell me?"

“...That’s true.” Ignoring the angry punches that Lady Hua threw at him, Old Man Li rubbed his chin and said, “Then tell me about your matter. I remember that guy Xiao Dushui invited you to visit the Shangqing Sect more than once, and you just stood him up like that?”

Zhou You spread his hands, indicating his helplessness.

"I'd like to, but I've never had the time. Maybe another time."

"."

"."

Both sides fell silent again.

After a while, seeing that Zhou You resolutely refused to speak, Old Man Li sighed helplessly.

"Disciple, haven't you forgotten anything?"

"what?"

"Cold Dew".

The person then raised their head and looked around.

"Hearing you talk about it reminded me—where is my junior sister? I should say goodbye to her before I leave."

Old Li just stared at Zhou You like that.

"Are you really stupid, or are you pretending not to know?"

"Master, what do you mean?"

Old Li stared at him for a long time, and in the end, he could only roll his eyes forcefully.

"Forget it, aren't you in a hurry to leave? I can't be bothered to see you anymore. Just looking at your face makes me angry."

Zhou You didn't mind, but smiled and took out the book that represented the White Gate's heritage, gently placed it in front of Old Man Li, and then bowed respectfully.

"Master, I'm off."

The old man waved his hand casually, his face full of smiles, without a trace of sadness.

"Okay, get lost."

Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew by.

When everyone looked again...

—But that person was nowhere to be seen.
-
Time flies.

Two or three months later. Cangzhou.

A Taoist priest was riding a donkey, accompanied by two young disciples, through the market.

Compared to the desolate state of the town before, it has recovered considerably. The dilapidated streets are now bustling with life, and there are even some calls for business coming from the shops along the street.

The winter snow has melted away, and the wounds from a few months ago seem to have disappeared along with it. The leaves are fluttering, and the Taoist priest is riding a donkey, strolling along the road, watching and listening, bathed in the early summer sun, seemingly a little drowsy.

"Have you heard? Another temple is going to be built over there in Yanshan. What's it called?"

"The Mysterious True Lord Who Protects the World and Manifests Sagehood. I think that's his name?"

"That's right, that's right, this is the third one already, right? And I heard the previous ones were all incredibly successful."

"Hey, unlike others, that's a real deity, and I heard that the temple there is especially effective for those seeking children."

Upon hearing these words, the Taoist priest perked up a bit, then chuckled to himself.

—That person is indeed indifferent to fame and fortune, but he is also quite lazy. However, if he saw the current situation and learned that he had an extra job seeking a child, I wonder what kind of expression he would have.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to see it.

That's always how it is in the market; as soon as one rumor subsides, another starts talking about gossip.

"Speaking of which, you all know about Governor Yuan taking office as president, right?"

"Hey, who doesn't know? I never expected the Qing Dynasty to collapse so quickly, with the revolutionary army taking over everything in no time. It seems only one member of the royal family escaped in the end, I remember his name was Puyi, right?"

"Yes, that's right. Didn't the old master say a few days ago that this guy went to the Japanese, seemingly seeking some kind of protection?"

"Sigh, the Japanese pirates won't stop, and the foreign devils are also stirring up trouble. The Eight-Nation Alliance was wiped out just a moment ago, and now they're up to their old tricks again."

Finally, both of them let out a heavy sigh.

"What a troubled time!"

The Taoist shook his head, patted the donkey's rump, and drove past this section.

Instead, the young Taoist priest next to him couldn't help but chime in.

"Master, we've clearly killed those Qing demons, so why is the world still so chaotic? Didn't you say those guys were the source of all the trouble, and that killing them would bring peace? Do we still have to deal with those foreigners after this?"

The Taoist priest gave his disciple a light tap on the head.

"What did I tell you before we came out? Less talk, more action! Did you expect to spend months copying his books from the library?"

"Fine, I won't say then." The young Taoist covered his head, muttering pitifully. "...But Master, you're being really unreasonable. We're both upholding the great tradition, so what's the difference?"

The Taoist priest remained silent, unsure how to explain.

—Do you expect me to tell you that while we can exorcise evil spirits, we can't interfere with the flow of humanity in this mortal world?

—Do you mean I have to tell you that so-called cultivators who transcend the mundane are actually not in control of their own destiny, but are merely pawns on a chessboard?
The Taoist remained silent for a long time, then finally shook his head, turning his myriad thoughts into a single sentence.

"Ugh, what a damn world this is."

The market was located at the foot of the mountain gate, so in just a few hours, the group finally arrived at the place before dark.

Finally home, everyone relaxed considerably, and even the Taoist priest had a smile on his face.

Unfortunately, all the harmonious atmosphere came to an abrupt end upon the sight of a certain presence.

He was a disheveled middle-aged man, dressed in the same Taoist robe as him.

However, because he was so dirty, he looked more like someone who had just escaped from the Beggars' Sect than a Taoist priest.

Upon seeing this fellow, the Taoist priest immediately frowned, then jumped off the donkey's back and cursed him vehemently.

"Hey, you stinking Taoist priest, what are you doing out there in broad daylight, running around in front of someone's house?"

The slovenly man raised his eyes and then retorted sarcastically.

"What do you mean 'me' or 'you'? Aren't you a Taoist priest too?"

"you--"

The Taoist priest wanted to curse again, but after thinking about the fellow's character, he forced himself to hold it back and just said while pinching his nose.

"I can't be bothered arguing with you—no, you came all this way just to disgust me, didn't you?"

The slovenly man scratched his crotch, picked out a louse, and flicked it aside.

However, just before the Taoist priest could finally lose his temper, he sighed and continued.

"I've come to tell you that Maoshan is preparing to close the mountain."

The Taoist priest was taken aback, his anger subsiding considerably. After a long while, he slowly spoke.

"Are you planning to close it off too?"

"Yes, we've killed most of the evil spirits that needed to be killed. It's time to close the gates and seal the mountain, and from now on, entrust this world to ordinary people."

The Taoist remained silent for a long time before sighing.

"Yes, in this degenerate age, it's time for us to step down. After paying homage to our ancestors, I should prepare to be sealed away."

However, halfway through his sentence, he suddenly sensed something was wrong, took a few steps back, and looked the slovenly man up and down.

"Wait a minute. For something as trivial as closing the mountain, you could have just sent a young Taoist to inform them. Why did you have to come all the way here in person? Something's fishy, ​​definitely something's fishy! What exactly are you trying to do?"

The slovenly man sighed weakly, then patted his butt and stood up.

"Actually, it's nothing much. I just heard that you've found our Maoshan's founding master."

Unexpectedly, it would have been better if he hadn't heard these words. Upon hearing them, the Taoist immediately flew into a rage.

"What, your ancestor? That's our ancestor!!!"

The slovenly man wasn't in a hurry; instead, he spoke sincerely.

“You did something unethical. Our Patriarch He personally passed down the message that that person has done a great favor for Maoshan. If we encounter him, it will be as if he were here in person. You see, isn’t that the same as our Patriarch?”

He took a breath and, without giving the Taoist a time to refute, immediately continued.

"What's with all this 'yours' and 'ours' stuff? We're all from the same Daoist sect, why keep such a big distinction?"

"Zhu! Wei!"

With that roar, dark clouds instantly filled the sky, and rolling thunder roared overhead—

The slovenly man was startled and quickly pulled up the stool he was sitting on, running down the mountain as if his life depended on it.

But as he ran, he kept yelling.

"You petty rascal, you actually activated the mountain-protecting formation! You just wait, ouch, my butt!"

Seeing the filthy ghost being chopped and running away with his head in his hands, the Taoist spat out a mouthful of saliva.

"Pah! When we all close the mountain together, who knows when it will reopen? You old ghost, where are you going to find me then!"

The young Taoist priest beside him couldn't bear to watch and whispered something.

"Master, he is, after all, the leader of the Maoshan Sect. Shouldn't we show him some consideration?"

"Save face? He's shameless enough as to not care about face at all. Besides, don't worry, evil deeds live on for a thousand years. This old bastard won't die!"

Seeing that the energetic fellow was running further and further away, the Taoist turned around angrily and shouted.

"Go back to the mountain!"

After entering the mountain gate, the world became completely quiet.

The Taoist priest was still riding a donkey, accompanied by his young apprentice. He looked no different from before. However, whenever he encountered someone, whether it was a janitor or the head of a lineage, he would bow down and respectfully greet him.

The Taoist priest also suppressed his anger and nodded calmly in response, his attitude neither distant nor overly intimate.

—After all, given His status, He must treat everyone equally.

Finally, the Taoist returned to his quiet room, took off his dusty coat, tidied himself up and washed, and then changed into a bright and beautiful robe.

When he went out again, he was a dignified and imposing figure, exuding authority without anger.

At this point, the people outside also called out his name.

"The Shangqing Sect respectfully welcomes its Sect Leader—"

"Xiao Dushui, Master Xiao has returned to the mountain!"

　Sorry, there seem to be quite a few characters in this volume, making it a bit tricky to resolve the foreshadowing. It will probably be finished in the next chapter.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)