Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 519 Weird
The look in his eyes was hard to describe; it was as if it contained a mixture of extreme fear and extreme despair, making one's skin crawl.

Zhou You remained silent for a while before speaking.

"What happened? Can you tell me?"

However, Ma Long did not reply. Instead, he remained silent for a long time before putting down the water bag in his hand and then sighing.

"My benefactor, you should know that the government has basically stopped doing anything these days. The surrounding prefectures are barely surviving thanks to the protection of various sects, right?"

"I've heard about it, what do you mean?"

Ma Long gave a numb, bitter smile.

"Just as our benefactor thought, the sect that protected this area was originally a small sect called the Wusheng Sect. Although the people there weren't exactly good people, and the taxes they levied were exceptionally high, they were at least able to maintain peace for a hundred or so miles around. It's a pity..."

He sighed deeply.

"I don't know if it was bad luck or what, but the leader of the Wusheng Sect offended a great monster. The entire sect was wiped out overnight. According to the old scholar in our village, what was that word again? Right, the whole sect was annihilated. Even the guardian beasts of the mountain were turned into mincemeat. And now we're a place where neither heaven nor earth cares."

Perhaps due to excessive fear, Ma Long's body began to sway again, and seeing his increasingly pale face, Zhou You thought for a moment and then threw the Wine Immortal Gourd over.

"My benefactor, I've had enough to drink."

"It's medicinal wine inside. Although it's made by sacrificing your health to extract essence, your body is too weak. You might suddenly die at any time. Drink a couple of sips to calm down first."

Ma Long hesitated before opening the lid, only to be overwhelmed by the strong smell of the liquor. But remembering Zhou You's help, he pinched his nose and forced himself to take two gulps.

After drinking the wine, his complexion finally became a little rosy, and Zhou You continued to ask questions.

What happened after that?

Ma Long coughed a few times, then whispered.

"After that great demon wiped out the Wusheng Sect, he left on his own. However, without its protection, our village couldn't stay any longer. We were all planning to flee as soon as possible, but before we could even come up with a plan, a group of bandits suddenly appeared. Of course, even when the Wusheng Sect was around, there were bound to be many bandits. The village head was originally thinking of following the old custom and paying them off to get rid of them, but who would have thought..."

"They said they were not after money or sex, but were here on a mission to collect blood tax from our village."

"What blood tax?"

"I don't know either, but the old scholar in the village said that this deity was clearly a demon or monster in disguise, and that the bandits had long since turned into their accomplices. He told us not to listen to him and to run away quickly."

"Then what?"

but.

As he said this, Ma Long's face suddenly contorted—his eyes bulged outwards, and he kept muttering something, but he couldn't form a complete sentence.

He even used so much force that the veins on his face bulged out, making it look as if his head was about to explode.

Is this a nightmare?
This time, Zhou You didn't use a talisman—by the time he drew it, the guy would probably be finished—but instead took a step forward, gathered his strength, and poured a ray of clear light into his palm, delivering a powerful blow to Ma Long!
A "wow" sound.

Mixed with undigested food, he vomited a mouthful of foul blood!

However, after this, Ma Long's complexion improved considerably. He slumped to the ground, panting for a long time, before raising his head blankly.

"My benefactor, what happened to me just now?"

"It's nothing, just a rush of qi and blood to the heart, plus excessive fear, so I'm under a spell. Anyway, we still have plenty of time, why don't you sit down and rest for a while before we talk?"

However, Ma Long glanced at the rising moon in the sky, took a deep breath as if he had mentally prepared himself, and then spoke haltingly.

"No, no need. It's so late. I'm afraid I might encounter some evil spirits or monsters later. Oh, right, benefactor, where was I?"

"That old scholar told you to run away quickly."

Upon hearing this, Ma Long's face began to twitch again, but fortunately, he didn't twitch again and continued speaking.

"When the bandit leader saw this, he didn't say a word. Instead, he gestured a few times, and then the old man's hands and feet were cut off out of thin air!"

“My benefactor, you have no idea how horrifying the scene was—his limbs were gone, yet not a single drop of blood flowed from his wounds—and then I remember the man leisurely walking up to the old scholar and reattaching his hands and feet, only they were all reversed!”

Ma Long slumped on the rock, recounting his story, his expression as if he were still vividly present in the scene.

"The leader pointed at the old scholar who looked like an insect and told us that if we wanted to rebel, we would end up like him."

However, Zhou You suddenly spoke up at this moment.

"Then how did you escape?"

Ma Long took a few breaths and then spoke.

"My lord, I often go to the back mountain to gather herbs, so I am quite familiar with the road conditions. So, while those bandits were counting their numbers, I took a break, grabbed my wife and children, and some people I knew, and slipped away."

Zhou You looked at him and replied with a furrowed brow.

"But it seems like I only saw you."

Upon hearing this question, Ma Long's face immediately showed sorrow.

"When we left the village, a few of those bandits chased after us, which caused us to get separated. It was pitch black at the time, and everyone was only focused on escaping. When we came to our senses, only a few of my fellow villagers and I were left."

Zhou You didn't say anything, but continued to ask.

"What about your fellow villagers?"

Ma Long pointed to himself and gave a forced, almost tearful smile.

"My benefactor, can you guess why I'm so hungry?"

".Why?"

"It wasn't until we escaped that we realized we were under a curse. We could eat normal food, but if we ate wild fruits or grasses, we would turn into their same form."

He sighed deeply.

"Erzhuzi just wanted to eat a mountain fruit, and then he was suddenly squeezed into a ball out of thin air, shrinking dozens of times until he looked exactly like the mountain fruit; Lao Zhengtou was starving and wanted to break off a piece of kudzu root to relieve his hunger, but in the blink of an eye, he was dismembered and planted in the ground. In the end, only Mi Erlang and I were left. Unfortunately, Erlang couldn't take it anymore yesterday and hanged himself with his clothes. In the end, only I was left."

Zhou You fell silent.

After a long pause, he suddenly spoke.

"But according to you, he wasn't dead there before you left, right?"

Ma Long immediately understood what he meant. He was stunned for several seconds before speaking in disbelief.

"My benefactor, I've been talking for so long, and you still want to go back? No matter how important Hanshan Temple is, is it worth risking your life for?"

Zhou You shook his head.

"Normally, that's true, but unfortunately, this is the only clue I have right now. If I don't complete it, I'm afraid I'll be stuck in this godforsaken place."

However, Ma Long still wanted to offer some advice.

"But you can ask in other villages."

"I don't have time. My dog ​​master only gave me three months. Besides, since you've been affected by the disaster, other villages nearby are unlikely to be spared either."

The reason was very simple, but upon hearing this, Ma Long looked conflicted. Although he didn't say anything more, Zhou You understood what he meant.

—It's just that I just escaped from that hell and really don't want to go back.

However, just like before, he didn't say much, but spoke sincerely.

"Don't worry, sir. You just need to point me in the right direction, and I'll handle the rest. As for you, old man..."

Zhou You tilted his head to indicate the way he had come.

"Anyway, I've had the protection of a sect along the way here. There's a village or town belonging to the Luoshui Gang about thirty miles from here. I have some silver and food here, which is more than enough for you to get there."

However, before he could finish speaking, Ma Long suddenly spoke up.

"Benefactor."

"What's wrong?"

Ma Long took a deep breath, and then, as if making a decision, said...

"I originally intended to escape and find someone to help me, but you seem to be a capable person. I can show you the way, but I only ask that you do me a favor: if my wife and children return to the village, could you please save them?"

Zhou You didn't say anything.

Just as Ma Long was becoming increasingly uneasy, someone finally gave a positive answer.

"You don't need to worry about that, it's just a small favor."

Ma Long's village isn't actually that far from here.

However, in order to escape and to avoid being chased, they deliberately took a long detour, which ultimately took several more days to reach this place.

Since Zhou You was leading the way, there was naturally no need to go to so much trouble. In addition, the jade token for summoning the roe deer had been unlocked, so with a means of transportation, they traveled at breakneck speed and arrived at their destination before the moon had even passed its zenith.

Just as Ma Long said, it is indeed a small village.

From the outside, this place doesn't look any different from other places; it's just as poor. Most of the houses in the village are made of mud bricks. Looking around, you can only see a few barely tidy houses—these are probably where people with status, like the village head or the village chief, live.

The only difference is...
It's so quiet.

Of course, in such times, most people in villages lived by the motto "working at sunrise and resting at sunset," but the problem was...
Even when people are sleeping, there will still be some snoring, as well as some barking dogs, crowing chickens, and even chirping insects.

But there was nothing in this village.

Zhou You had seen this scene once before, when he first entered this world and encountered that silent, eerie creature—but then he shook his head, denying the guess.

The silence was so profound that it blocked out all movement, plunging the entire world into a deathly stillness. Not even the sound of the wind could be heard. Yet, here, it was as if all living things had simply been wiped away.

The people in that village.
Zhou Youxin's heart sank slightly, but Ma Long didn't think that far ahead. Instead, he grabbed Zhou Youxin's clothes and stammered.

"Well, my benefactor, those bandits don't seem to be around here. Could you perhaps come to my house first?"

Zhou You remained silent for a while, but then nodded.

"It's up to you, but I need to tell you beforehand."

Thinking of the possibility of seeing his wife and children, Ma Long said impatiently.

“My benefactor, please give me your instructions.”

"It's very simple. From now on, no matter what you see, you can't make a sound, okay?"

Although somewhat puzzled, Ma Long nodded in agreement.

—And his home is located in the northeast corner of the village.

Perhaps due to the continued gathering of medicinal herbs in the mountains, this house is much better than the surrounding ones. At least there are a few pillars supporting it, and a small vegetable garden has been cultivated next to it.

After leading Zhou You inside, Ma Long first tiptoed open the fence, then walked to his own door, lowered his voice, and called out to the inside.

"Wife? Wife? It's me! I've returned with a master. You don't need to be afraid anymore. Quickly bring Tiger Cub out."

However, there was no response from inside.

The room was completely quiet; not a sound could be heard.

Zhou You, standing behind him, suddenly spoke.

"Uncle Ma, it seems there's no one inside. Did they run away from somewhere else? After all, you got separated after leaving the village. Maybe they've already gone to that town I mentioned."

However, Ma Long stubbornly shook his head.

“My benefactor, you don’t know this, but my wife is timid by nature. After we got separated, her first thought was definitely not to keep running, but to go home and wait for me to rescue her.”

After saying that, he hesitated for a moment, first looking at Zhou You's expression, and then cautiously knocking on the door.

"Honey, it's me! Don't be afraid, open the door, I'll take you out right now."

There was still no response.

However, just as Ma Long was about to try a third time, Zhou You shook his head, then took a step forward and pushed open the door.

"Yes, my benefactor, be gentle, be gentle, or we'll be discovered."

however.

The journey continued without stopping.

He paused briefly, then gave a single instruction.

"You stay outside and don't come in."

The moment he entered the room, a faint smell of blood reached his nose and mouth, and at the same time, a sound finally came—a sound like someone drowning, constantly bubbling.

After a quick inspection, he went into the kitchen next door.

next moment.

A very strange thing hanging from the beam came into view.

The thing looked like a large, thick leather bag, with something inside that was unknown, but the sounds could be heard coming from inside—and what was hanging it wasn't a rope, but something like hair.

At this moment, Ma Long finally barged in.

Zhou You frowned, trying to stop him—at least to prevent him from seeing it—but unfortunately...

It's too late.

Ma Long stared blankly at the leather bag for a long time before finally uttering a sentence.

"The child's mother?"

(End of this chapter)