Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 489 Master
This statement was made very clearly, and everyone around heard it perfectly.

Finally, one of the children couldn't help but ask.

"Senior brother, didn't we agree to become disciples? What does 'marrying for good luck' mean?"

Xuan Cheng chuckled, but just as he was about to speak, a voice from inside the door answered.

"Don't you understand this? If you encounter evil spirits, you need to use a happy event to drive them away. Generally speaking, it's something like a wedding ceremony or engagement. But in the eyes of the Taoists, having a new disciple enter the sect is also considered a happy event, so they call you 'chongxi' (冲喜)."

Upon hearing this answer, Xuan Cheng hurriedly bent down.

"Master, how could I trouble you? And why did you come out all this way?"

The voice remained as hoarse as ever.

"The restroom is too stuffy, so let's catch our breath. Since we've brought it along, let's not dawdle and come in."

Xuan Cheng hurriedly and respectfully replied, "Yes," then turned and gave a few instructions before leading the child into the courtyard.

The inside was much the same as the outside, or even a bit more dilapidated. There were only a few dead trees in the yard, and weeds hadn't been cleared for a long time. They were now everywhere, even spreading into the cracked stone path in the middle.

This is actually another strange point.

This Taoist temple clearly has good incense offerings, and its income is not small. Moreover, it employs servants and has so many Taoist boys to help with chores. How could it have fallen into such a state of decline?
Another question is, why is the place where the young Taoist disciples live alright, but the place where the elders live is even worse?
However, this was not the time to think about these issues. Hearing Xuan Cheng's call, Zhou You simply followed silently, trailing at the end of the group, and entered the house.

then.

Suddenly, a strange smell assaulted my senses.

To be honest, he couldn't quite describe the exact smell. It tasted like rotten wood mixed with musk, or like mugwort mixed with medicinal herbs.

It wasn't unpleasant to smell, but it was quite pungent.

As for the inside of the house, I saw Master Chongxu there yesterday.

Unlike his previous formal attire, this man wore a long robe over his inner garment, which looked quite loose. He was holding a towel and carefully wiping his face with water from a copper basin.

Upon seeing everyone enter, he casually tossed the towel aside, then sat down in the armchair and asked Xuan Cheng.

"These are the people you brought after the first night?"

Faced with Master Chongxu's question, Xuancheng stood with his hands at his sides and answered respectfully.

"Yes, Master."

—A very ordinary exchange, it looked like a casual chat.

Similarly, apart from Zhou You, none of the children understood the meaning.

Master Chongxu nodded, and then said.

"There are fewer people this time. But that's good. I'll be able to see more. I'm not suited to live in the temple after all."

Then he turned his attention to the children.

"It's only your second day on the mountain, so I won't go into anything complicated. As for the introduction, I already gave it yesterday, so I don't want to waste my breath. You just need to understand two things."

"First, I am your master."

"Second, you must follow my instructions in everything. If I'm not around, you must all follow your senior brother's instructions, understand?"

Those who made it to the temple alive were all well-trained, and immediately a sparse chorus of echoes arose.

However, regardless of whether the children were timid or flustered, respectful or ingratiating, Master Chongxu did not react much, as if he did not care at all.

He turned to his disciple and said.

"Xuan Cheng." Unlike his previous arrogant demeanor, Xuan Cheng was now practically groveling.

"Please speak, Master."

"There should be some remaining introductory texts in the back room. They were all written by the sect leader himself. Go and take some out, then distribute them."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Cheng, who had always been respectful, hesitated.

"Um, Master, but the sect leader said..."

"It's alright, just take it."

Having gone this far, Xuancheng agreed and went into the back room.

Before long, he came out carrying dozens of books with black covers and handed them to each child.

Master Chongxu seemed to dislike idle talk, completely skipping the superficial formalities of his first sermon—he didn't even bother to get to know the group of children, and simply said indifferently.

"Listen up, the fundamental teaching of our sect is the Tongxuan Scripture. However, you have only just entered the sect and will certainly not receive the true transmission of the teachings. Therefore, you should start by learning the most basics. From now on, I will explain the scripture to you every three days in the morning. You can study the rest on your own. After your one-and-a-half-year term of service is over and you have officially entered the sect, we will talk about more advanced teachings. Now, open the book."

However, unlike before, these children below looked completely bewildered.

Master Chongxu frowned, then spoke.

"What, did I not explain myself clearly? Didn't you hear me?"

The children were all trembling with fear, and after a long while, one of the young boys finally raised his hand.

"Master, we...can't read?"

That's true. These children were taken in from impoverished and remote areas. In addition, given the educational environment in ancient times, being able to write one's own name was considered being cultured, let alone studying and learning the law.

Master Chongxu was stunned for a moment, then patted his forehead.

"I was so busy last night that I completely forgot about this. Xuancheng, go and get the Qi-activating pill."

The person next to him went into the back room and soon came out with an antique-looking little box.

After having his disciples distribute the items again, he rushed to seek out the superior talent.

"Upon entering my Five Aggregates Contemplation, the first thing you must consume is this Spirit Awakening Pill—do not be afraid. As its name suggests, this pill will awaken your intelligence after consumption. Even if you are illiterate, you will be able to read and write and speak fluently in the future."

Such a wonderful thing exists?
Zhou You held the pill to his nose and sniffed it.

—It has no human touch, so it doesn't seem to have been made from human materials. As for the other ingredients, I'm not familiar with alchemy, so I can only vaguely recognize things like cinnabar, realgar, and licorice.

These are all common materials used in external alchemy, nothing special. At most, an ordinary person would get heavy metal poisoning from consuming too much of them; it's impossible for them to have any effect of instantly gaining spiritual intelligence.

After thinking for a moment, and seeing that Chongxu Shangren and Xuancheng hadn't noticed him, Zhou You quietly turned his body to the side, pointing the pill towards the sunlight outside, wanting to see the details.

result.

The next moment, he suddenly froze.

There is no other reason.

Inside this pill, a blood-red eye was staring at him.

Then, it blinked.

This pill is alive.

(End of this chapter)