Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 522 Trading
No wonder he was so surprised.

After several battles, Zhou You roughly understood that these bandits were like special monsters in a game. Losing an arm, a leg, or even a head was a minor matter, but once their huge cyst was ruptured, it was as if a kill mechanism was triggered, and they would die instantly.

And this guy
The cyst did rupture, but the way it ruptured was different from others.

Others would shatter and the filaments and liquid would explode together, but Chu Cheng...
The fluid inside had long since drained away, leaving only a shriveled skin. However, the fine filaments inside seemed to be running rampant, growing wildly and then drilling into the flesh, blood vessels, and even bone marrow.

Chu Cheng was in so much pain that he lost his voice. He could only twitch his body like a dying frog, while looking at Zhou You with pleading eyes.

—Is this a backlash?
Zhou You originally didn't intend to get involved—letting such villains suffer to death was his standard, and now the situation even saved him the trouble of taking action.

However, he suddenly discovered something.

I crouched down and looked directly into those eyes.

There was pain, pleading, and despair, but the madness of the past was nowhere to be seen.

That's strange, he is...
However, the other party did something completely unexpected.

Right before Zhou You's eyes, the person tormented to the point of madness slowly opened his mouth and then, with all his might, lowered his voice and said...

"Save me. I will tell you the whole truth."

The words were still the same, but at this moment, it was as if someone else was speaking.

A trap, or...
Zhou You remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.

"How to save you?"

"Don't let these things seep into my mind. Please, I don't want to end up like this."

Looking at his body, which was being eroded by countless fine threads, Zhou You thought for a moment and then decided to take the most convenient measure at present.

With a single swipe, Wan Ren severed the head from below—cleanly and decisively!
But this also ended the erosion of those fine threads, and just like before, no blood flowed from the neck, only pale, rubber-like bones and flesh.

Seeing this, Chu Cheng finally relaxed.

"It was a close call! I almost faced eternal damnation—thank you so much, Brother Zhou!"

However, before he could finish speaking, Zhou You lifted the head up.

Then, he looked directly into Chu Cheng's pupils.

"I said, can you explain to me what exactly happened?"

But a sly smile appeared on Chu Cheng's lonely head.

“Brother Zhou, there’s no rush. I’m already out of the True Lord’s control. We can talk things over slowly. Besides, look, there are outsiders coming over.”

Only after being reminded did Zhou You remember to turn his head—

The next second, he saw Ma Long standing shakily in front of the door, holding a plow.

"Yes, my benefactor, I... I'm here to help you."

Seeing his trembling appearance, Zhou You thought for a moment, then grabbed a basket, casually kicked Chu Cheng's head into it, and then clapped his hands and spoke.

"There's no need, or rather, you're too late. I've already taken care of these bandits."

Only then did Ma Long see clearly the corpses scattered all around him.

Those corpses were like demons to him and the villagers.

He froze for a few seconds, then suddenly knelt down.

"My benefactor... no, you are a god, a true god!!!"

This time, Zhou You didn't stop him. Instead, he waited until Ma Long had finished venting before speaking.

"But if we're talking about helping out, I'll still need your help."

Ma Long patted his chest and said with great confidence.

“Immortal, please give your orders. I will go through fire and water for you.”

Zhou You shook his head. It was very ordinary and authentic.

"No need for that, besides, your going through fire and water wouldn't help me at all. By the way, do you have any flammable materials in your village?"

Ma Long was somewhat bewildered, but he quickly began to ponder deeply—and after a while, he suddenly realized what he meant and said.

"I remember there should be some kerosene stored in the village head's room. It was placed here by the Wusheng Sect. I don't know what they want to do with it, but it's unclaimed now. You may take it, Immortal. But what do you need it for?"

Zhou You closed his eyes, listened carefully for a while, and then sighed.

"It's just giving these people a way out."

Looking at the blazing fire in the village, Ma Long held his child, lost in thought.

After all, this is where he grew up, where he was born, married, started a family, and finally grew old.

Even though he had already decided to abandon it, seeing it destroyed by fire still left him with a faint sense of unreality in his daze.

Zhou You brushed the ashes off his hands and exhaled a breath of stale air.

There were about ten people in the village whose bodies had been made into leather bags, but Ma Long couldn't recognize them all. So he had to take them out one by one, pile them up, and stab them to death to give them their release.

Finally, a fire completely burned everything, eliminating any possibility of secondary pollution.

Seeing Ma Long lost in thought, Zhou You patted him on the shoulder.

—To be honest, the scene was quite incongruous. He was a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, yet he was comforting Ma Long like an old man with a long face.

However, no one paid any attention, and Zhou You simply said calmly.

"Now that the matter is resolved, according to what I just heard from Chu Cheng—no, it was from my investigation of your bodies—the curse that turns you into whatever you eat should dissipate in a couple of days. What are you going to do after that?"

It took Ma Long a while to come to his senses, but the first thing he did after regaining his senses was to hug his son, kneel down on the ground just like before, and kowtow loudly.

“I, Ma Long, have never been to school, but I know that I can never repay the kindness of the immortal. From now on, I, Ma Long, am the immortal’s servant. I will do whatever you ask me to do—without a word!”

Upon seeing that incredibly sincere and determined face, Zhou You shook his head.

“Uncle Ma, I know you are sincere, but I am all alone and don’t need your service. Besides, I would have to take care of you during the fight, so let’s just forget about it.”

Ma Long wanted to plead further, but after looking at his thin arms and legs, he decided to give up.

However, he suddenly remembered something and hurriedly picked up his own child.

"By the way, by the way, Immortal, my child hasn't been named yet. According to custom, the most respected person in the village should bestow the name. In the past, this was done by the village's old scholars, but now I wonder if you, Immortal, could give him a name?"

At this point, fearing that Zhou You would not agree, Ma Long hurriedly explained.

"Firstly, this child has a truly unfortunate fate. If he could receive a name from the immortal, perhaps his luck would turn around. Secondly, we could also set up a shrine for you, the immortal, and offer incense and prayers day and night."

It was just a small favor, and Zhou You didn't really refuse. Instead, he smiled, gently pulled the child's hand away, and looked at his palm.

—At least he studied feng shui. He might not be as good at fortune telling as those fortune tellers, but naming a child is still a piece of cake for him.

"Your fate seems pretty good; you should have a promising future. Wait, something's not right with these markings. Did your family change your surname?"

Ma Long quickly replied.

"My lord, it's true. My father married into the family, so he took his husband's surname."

"I see." Zhou You didn't pay much attention, and after checking his offline status, he casually said, "Well then, based on the pattern of this child's palm lines, let's call him Hongjing—but to be honest, my skill level isn't that high, so if you're not satisfied..."

Ma Long immediately made a solemn vow.

“Satisfied, how could I not be satisfied? It is a blessing for this child to be given a name by the immortal. From now on, he will be called Hongjing. Thank you, immortal! Thank you, immortal!!!” Zhou You did not answer, but suddenly frowned.

—In the darkness, he seemed to feel a certain thread being touched, but the strange feeling vanished in an instant, as if it were an illusion.

Finally, he waved his hand to stop Ma Long from kneeling down again, then took out some dry food and money from his pocket and handed it over.

"That's settled then. These things should be enough for you to get to the county town and settle down. I have some things to take care of here, so I won't see you off."

Ma Long still wanted to decline.

"My lord, you've helped me so much, how could I possibly accept anything from you?"

"It's precisely because I've helped you so much that I'm letting you accept this—otherwise, if you two starved to death on the way, wouldn't all my efforts have been for nothing?"

Ma Long eventually accepted the gift, then kowtowed several times before finally leaving with his child, looking back every few steps.

Only after the two figures had completely disappeared did a mocking voice come from his waist.

"Hey, I didn't expect that. Seeing how ruthless you are, I thought Tongtian Sword was a heartless person who would bleed people dry. Who would have thought you would be so kind-hearted? Tsk tsk tsk, I feel like you could be a Bodhisattva."

At this moment, Zhou You's expression suddenly turned cold.

He only responded to this taunt with two words.

"Shut up."

The other party indeed quieted down.

Looking at the blazing fire, he figured it shouldn't spread into the mountains and forests, so he walked over to a bamboo basket and pulled his head out.

Chu Cheng still had that same carefree, bandit-like expression, and his complexion even had a slight rosy glow now that the fine threads had stopped corroding him.

He just smiled and then slowly opened his mouth.

"The Heaven-Reaching Sword, you've certainly given me quite a few surprises."

Otherwise.

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou You suddenly raised his hand and slapped him hard across the face.

Chu Cheng was stunned for a moment, then said angrily.

"What are you doing out of the blue?"

Zhou You then said...

"It's nothing, it's just that you look a lot like one of my division commanders. I felt you were being a bit offensive, so I slapped you first to make sure I didn't have to admit I was wrong."

"."

Chu Cheng remained silent for a moment.

However, he quickly adjusted his mindset and spoke again.

"Since that's the case, then forget it."

but.

There was another 'smack'.

"What's going on now?"

Zhou You explained once again.

“This is for the villagers. Logically speaking, given your crimes, I should have cut you into a thousand pieces. However, since you are still somewhat useful, I will give you a slap as punishment first.”

Chu Cheng still couldn't say anything to this, but fortunately he was flexible and quickly composed himself before speaking again.

"That Heaven-Reaching Sword, you..."

"--Snapped!"

This time, even with Chu Cheng's composure, he immediately became anxious.

"This is the third time! What are you trying to do now?!"

Zhou You spoke with utmost seriousness this time.

“I don’t know who came up with this nickname for the trench—if I find out, I’ll kill him—but at least don’t mention that name in front of me, or next time it won’t be a slap, it’ll be a branding iron, understand?”

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Chu Chengye could only swallow his pride and bear it. After a long while, he continued.

"Then that's settled, Brother Zhou. You must have something you want to ask, right? Just ask, and I'll answer everything I know."

This time, Zhou You finally didn't get a chance to slap Chu Cheng. He casually tossed Chu Cheng's head onto a rock, then looked around and sat down on another rock.

"My first question is, how did you end up like this?"

Chu Cheng, with his face swollen, suddenly burst out laughing.

"Brother Zhou, didn't you already ask this question?"

"That was just now. What I need to know now is the truth."

Chu Cheng remained silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"Well, the truth is actually pretty much the same as what I said before. We brothers were originally subordinates of the Pingshan Army, but a few years ago we were scattered by the allied forces of several sects. The commanders were all turned into magical artifacts, and we soldiers escaped on our own. My brothers and I came to this area and became outlaws. We lived a decent life, but who would have thought that we would run into a monster?"

This time Zhou You didn't interrupt, so he continued to speak slowly.

"The whole thing started with my third-in-command. This guy's martial arts skills are mediocre, but he's the only one in the mountains who can read and write, so I gave him a seat. That day, he suddenly told me that he'd dug up a huge treasure in the mountains, enough to make all of us brothers rich, and we could even use it as a reason to join a sect."

"I naturally didn't believe it, but my men were making such a fuss that I had no choice but to lead them to the cave. To my surprise, just as the third leader had said, we found quite a bit of gold along the way—tempted by the money, no one could stop us, and we all rushed into the cave."

Seeing that he stopped, still not quite finished, Zhou You spoke up impatiently.

"—What was the result?"

"What we saw was a huge, bloated monster covered in mushrooms. It called itself Donghua Zhenjun, also known as Baigu Daoren. It had only recently awakened, and we were the first to pledge allegiance. They were planning to give me some benefits. But we weren't blind. Anyone could see that it was essentially a demon. We ran away for our lives—but who would have thought that the third leader would block our way so firmly, even when he was being chopped into mincemeat, he wouldn't let us go. In the end, we all fell into the hands of Donghua Zhenjun. Each of us was infected with the fungus and turned into this."

Zhou You was silent for a few seconds, then asked again.

"Then why did you not die after the growth was punctured, and even regain consciousness instead?"

Chu Cheng laughed.

"So that Brother Zhou may know, I studied with a Taoist priest from Diancang Mountain for two years years ago. Although it was only a superficial understanding, I still have some methods for maintaining mental discipline. When I was parasitizing, I knew I couldn't escape, so I did my best to leave a back door."

Zhou You nodded, but it was unclear whether he was affirming or denying it.

Finally, he asked a question.

"So, Brother Chu, what do you intend for me to do?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Cheng suddenly burst into laughter.

“Brother, you’re a smart man. That’s right, I want to make a deal with you.”

"What deal?"

Chu Cheng grinned, revealing a sinister smile.

"I only ask you to get rid of this Donghua Zhenjun, and I will help you go to Hanshan Temple, that's all."

(End of this chapter)