Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 525 Banquet

Although Chu Cheng was still smiling, his eyes clearly revealed a naked killing intent.

Zhou You remained calm and unhurried, first pouring himself a glass of wine before speaking.

"It's nothing, it's just that your room looks a bit too conservative. It doesn't really look like the house of a mountain king, with a lot of soft-style decorations. That's why I thought that."

".That's it?"

Chu Cheng looked at Zhou You as if he were a lunatic—although he had always thought so—but this time he made no attempt to hide it.

"No, Brother Zhou, this is a proper house, not a pigsty or anything like that. So what if I'm a bandit? Can't bandits at least keep things clean? I'm telling you, that's prejudice."

Zhou You slowly shook his head, then pulled out something.

Immediately afterwards, Chu Cheng froze like a sculpture.

—That thing was very simple; it was just a dress.

The fabric wasn't expensive, but the tailoring was very meticulous, and it was clear that it had been carefully preserved. It was a woman's dress.

Zhou You, however, spoke slowly.

"I smelled a strange perfume scent as soon as I entered the room. After searching for a long time, I finally found this under the bed. Brother Chu, you're not going to try to deny it to me, are you? This is what you wore, isn't it?"

Chu Cheng, with that smile, opened his mouth as if still trying to brush it off, but in the end, he still sighed.

"As expected, I couldn't hide it from you, Brother Zhou. Yes, these are my late wife's belongings."

"You stole it?"

".What?"

Zhou You repeated it carefully again.

"Did you steal your wife?"

Chu Cheng paused for a few seconds, then smiled wryly.

"So that Brother Zhou may know, I've robbed my whole life, but she's the only thing I didn't steal. She's a foolish woman who came to our mountain stronghold begging for food because of a disaster in the village. She said she'd be willing to be my wife if we gave her food. Just kidding, I, Chu Yunlong, have seen it all. How could I possibly be interested in such a vulgar woman?"

Zhou You, unusually, did not interrupt, but listened quietly until Chu Cheng had finished complaining before speaking again.

"So your real target this time is her?"

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Chu Cheng immediately denied it.

"Women are like clothes, how could I take such a risk for them? It's just that if you want true freedom, you can never get around it. Wait, Brother Zhou, you're not thinking of quitting now, are you?"

Zhou You laughed.

"What's the point of me backing out now that we're here? Besides, you're right. Even if True Monarch Donghua doesn't block our way, it's better to eliminate the threat sooner rather than later to prevent future problems."

Hearing this, Chu Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He wiped the grease from his lips and then quickly said...

"Then I won't disturb your rest any longer, brother. Don't worry, I'm all prepared. I'll definitely be able to send the True Lord to his final rest tomorrow."

After saying this, Chu Cheng was about to turn and leave, but before he left, he remembered something and awkwardly pointed to the dress in Zhou You's hand.

"Well, Brother Zhou, these are, after all, my family's property, you see?"

Zhou You smiled, then said nothing and simply tossed the skirt to Chu Cheng.

Seeing him leave with profuse thanks, the person closed his eyes, pondered for a long time, and then sighed.

"Humans."

Day two.

Despite his impressive title, this Donghua Zhenjun was actually just a makeshift operation. His founding ceremony was far from authentic—it didn't even include the most basic sacrificial rites. He simply invited a group of well-known evil cultivators and demons to a banquet in the Gathering Hall, and that was it.

After leaving the orderly Five Elements Temple, Zhou You's laziness returned, and since it was inconvenient for Chu Cheng to wake him, he didn't wake up until the sun was high in the sky.

When they arrived at the destination, the place was almost full.

The moment Zhou You appeared, all eyes turned to him.

Upon seeing this, Zhou You also smiled.

"Sorry, sorry, I got up a little late today. But I see the banquet hasn't started yet, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

No one answered.

The guru from yesterday snorted coldly—it seems his chin has been healed—and then turned his head away.

The zombie Taoist priest hung his head, seemingly dozing off, and didn't even acknowledge him.

As for the rest...
Whenever Zhou You passed by, they would scramble to the side as if they had seen a ghost, and some were so flustered that they even knocked over their bowls and chopsticks.

Ordinary sects might have some regard for seniority and such, but there's only one rule in the unorthodox sects.

That is, strength speaks for itself.

Regardless of whether it was a sneak attack or not, Zhou You's status among this group is quite clear, given his feat of defeating two people yesterday.

However, he didn't intend to bully others. He casually found a seat that was far inside and inconspicuous, then patted his bottom and sat down.

Seeing that the person was so calm and low-key, the others also turned their attention to him. Then, half an incense stick later, a figure suddenly squeezed in silently.

Zhou You didn't even turn his head, but he flicked out a talisman from his hand, which instantly formed a transparent film that enveloped the two of them.

Then, he spoke softly.

"Are you done with your work over there?"

Chu Cheng wiped the sweat from his face and quickly smiled apologetically.

"Once I'm done with all that work, all I have to do is watch the show."

Zhou You glanced at him and sensed that this guy wouldn't be honest with him, so he asked.

"Brother Chu, I have a question that I don't quite understand. Could you help me explain it?"

"Um, this time? Brother, don't you think we should wait until things are settled?"

Zhou You waved goodbye.

"It's alright. It would be inconvenient to ask you after it's all over. Let me ask you, why is True Lord Donghua, who was living a perfectly good life, suddenly thinking about starting a sect or faction? Everyone knows that a tall tree catches the wind, and besides, all he has under his command are you bunch of bandits, you don't even have a foundation."

What do you think?

Upon hearing this, Chu Cheng raised his head and looked at Zhou You with great surprise.

"Brother Zhou, you are the Tongtian Sword... cough cough cough, a core disciple of the Five Elements Temple, and you don't know this?"

"I really don't know."

Seeing this, Chu Cheng could only clear his throat and then explain.

"It's actually very simple. It's just about being able to occupy this land after establishing your sect, so you can have long-term blood offerings. You can find disciples later. Of course, the most important point is..."

"Only by joining a sect can one qualify for the Heavenly Origin Assembly."

Is it this Tianyuan Tournament again?

Zhou You frowned and said.

"Can you explain?" Chu Cheng burst out laughing.

"Brother Zhou, please don't make things difficult for me. I'm just a bandit leader far from the emperor's reach. How would I know such details? I only know that the Tianyuan Assembly is a place to distribute the various factions in the world, and it is said that there are also immortals' blessings there, which can grant one a glimpse of the supreme Dao."

—A legacy from immortals?
Zhou You pursed his lips.

Judging from the current state of the story, that immortal is probably 99% some kind of extraterrestrial demon, right?

Zhou You also put aside his curiosity and closed his eyes to rest, quietly waiting for the banquet to begin.

About fifteen minutes later.

The main character hadn't shown up yet, so some impatient people started whispering among themselves—but just as the situation was getting more and more chaotic, Chu Cheng suddenly tugged at Zhou You's sleeve.

"coming!"

As those two words fell, Zhou You felt a sudden sway beside him.

—It's not an illusion.

Instead, it shook like a ground dragon, causing the entire house to sway!
At the same time, a heavy footstep sounded.

'Thump' 'Thump' 'Thump'.

The sound was like a cast-iron weight, striking straight into people's hearts.

In the midst of this silence, the three-meter-high door of the Hall of Gathering Righteousness was suddenly pushed open.

Then, a large, stout body squeezed in, bent over.

— Chu Cheng is right, this True Monarch Donghua does indeed have a very 'peculiar' appearance.

At first glance, it looked like a giant fat man with no hair and sallow skin. However, compared to an average person, it was more than three and a half meters tall. It was covered with all kinds of mushrooms and was not wearing any clothes. Instead, it simply covered its vital parts with a few clumps of grass.

What's even more striking is that wherever he went, the grass and vegetation grew wildly, turning into a lush green path in the blink of an eye.

"Wow, that's amazing! This guy would be a genius at planting trees in the desert."

Despite his joking remark, there wasn't a trace of a smile in Zhou You's eyes.

Compared to the various monsters and demons he had encountered before, the appearance of this True Lord Donghua was indeed not that strange, and could even be considered normal if those mushrooms were removed—however, Zhou You still frowned and straightened his body.

—This guy is dangerous, in fact, second only to those great demons and the senior uncles and elder brothers in the sect.
He then glanced sideways at the person beside him.

Furthermore, with Chu Cheng's mediocre skills, how should he deal with this kind of thing?

However, Chu Cheng simply gave him a confident smile and then uttered four words.

"Just wait and see what happens."

Zhou You thought about it and decided to wait patiently.

Then, Donghua Zhenjun walked heavily to the head seat in the Gathering Hall—which should have been a king-size single bed, but had been converted into a seat—and sat down.

With a creaking sound as it struggled under the weight, the thing finally managed to carry it.

Donghua Zhenjun patted his plump belly—several mushrooms fell down, instantly tearing apart the hard bricks and taking root in the soil—and then laughed.

"I'm sorry, I had a lot of work to prepare today, so I'm a little late. I'm sure you've all been waiting long. Ah, I'm just a rough country bumpkin, I don't really know what to say. Anyway, I'll definitely make it up to you later."

Compared to his burly appearance, Donghua Zhenjun's words were extremely kind.

pity.

Some of these guests did not appreciate the gesture.

A monster covered in scales, seemingly a snake spirit, flicked its tongue and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"True Lord, let's skip the formalities. Everyone here has already been delayed for several days. When is your opening ceremony?"

However, Donghua Zhenjun simply waved his hand dismissively.

"No rush, no rush, the auspicious time hasn't arrived yet, and you all can't go on empty stomachs, it would make me seem very inconsiderate. Let's eat first, let's eat first!"

Having said that, without giving the other party a chance to speak, Donghua Zhenjun clapped his hands—and soon, several rows of figures walked out from behind the door.

They were all bandits with swollen blisters on their shoulders, just like Chu Cheng.

It seems these people are being used as waiters—but strangely, while they are carrying wine jars and tableware, they are not carrying any food.

Forget about meat, you can't even find a piece of fruit.

Then someone else mocked.

"My Lord, are you so poor that you can't afford a banquet? If you're really that poor, it's better to retire sooner rather than later. Otherwise, you might end up starving your sect leader and disciples after you've established your own sect."

Upon hearing this, several people gathered around the master burst into laughter.

However, Donghua Zhenjun remained neither annoyed nor angry, but instead smiled and said...

"Although I am not extremely wealthy, I do have some resources. However, since you are all guests from afar, I cannot use such common things to fob you off. The food here today is all carefully prepared by me, so please enjoy it."

What to taste? The northwest wind?

Just as everyone was confused, a person stepped out from the queue, first walked to a table, respectfully set out the tableware, lit the charcoal, then opened the jar and poured a full cup of fine wine.

Then, he picked up the bone-cutting knife next to him, and with a polite smile, pointed it at his palm.

Then.

He slashed down hard!
The flesh was sliced ​​open in an instant by the blade, but the bandit seemed oblivious, methodically picking up his hand, placing it on the fire, roasting it until golden brown and crispy, sprinkling on seasonings, and finally serving it.

Then, Donghua Zhenjun laughed loudly.

"As for ingredients, freshness is the best. How can the coarse food of the mundane world compare to the taste of these freshly roasted and cooked dishes? Not to mention that these people have been carefully raised by me, and the meat of each one is the best of the best. I usually don't even dare to serve them to guests, but today, everyone is welcome to try them."

Whether by coincidence or not, the first one was the one that had been questioned earlier. The demon picked up the roasted palm, sniffed it suspiciously, and only swallowed it whole when it saw that there was no strange smell.

Then, it immediately called out.

"it is good!"

Donghua Zhenjun nodded in satisfaction. With a gesture from him, the other bandits also walked to the table and began to carefully cut their own bodies.

"Brother Zhou, these people are all thoroughly dead. Please don't act rashly. I haven't even started preparing yet. It might be too late to act now."

Hearing Chu Cheng's words, Zhou You simply shook his head.

He looked at the smiling human whose eyes were empty, and finally silently released the Dao Sword Talisman.

Although it wasn't visible on the outside, the contents of the pustules had been quickly ruptured and then stood upright, supporting the body.

—Because this place is relatively remote and happens to be in a dimly lit area, it is possible to get by for a while.

Chu Cheng paused for a few seconds, then sincerely praised.

"Well done, Brother Zhou, where did you learn that?"

"This is a method of silencing someone passed down directly from my master; don't worry about it."

After saying that, he turned his head away again.

Besides him, there was another person who hadn't touched their chopsticks.

—It was that Tantric master.

(End of this chapter)