Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 533 Night Detective
The night was deep and still, the moon was dark and the wind was high—perfect night for murder.

Zhou You quietly opened the door, glanced around cautiously, and when he saw that no one was paying attention, he stepped outside.

His plan was simple.

That is to say, seeing is believing.

Admittedly, the old monk spoke very sincerely, and the temple's actions were rather upright. In addition, given the vested interests involved, most people would agree to it.

But here's the thing.

Zhou You never trusted these guys.

The first rule of survival in Black Book.

Never believe anything.

That's why.
Looking at his all-black attire, Zhou You pursed his lips, then expertly slipped into the darkness.

He was quite skilled at this job, and he had also made two preparations—a paper doll he had made was lying on the bed in his place, so as long as no one lifted the blanket, at least from the outside, no one would notice anything unusual.

As night deepened, unlike the Five Aggregates Temple, this temple had no curfew, and occasionally a blurry figure could be seen.

Zhou You didn't disturb them or take a detour; instead, he headed straight for his destination.

—That Arhat Hall.

Although the old monk Hongyi had already explained it once, for some reason, Zhou You still instinctively felt that something was wrong.

In Buddhism, there are indeed those who subdue demons and attain Buddhahood, and there are also many—especially in Tantric Buddhism—who have ferocious appearances and evil ways.

However.
This 'Nirvana' is far too blatant.

Before long, with the help of talismans and the Lightness Technique, he successfully sneaked to the front of the Arhat Hall.

Hanshan Temple was ultimately just a small temple, and there weren't many guards at night, so no one was alerted throughout the entire process.

But when he arrived at the destination, he was suddenly taken aback to find that...

It's so late, yet there are still people in this hall.

Moreover, it seemed to be more than just one or two. Even from the outside, one could still glimpse the brightly lit interior and hear continuous chanting. Although one couldn't make out what it was, one could still sense the solemnity and reverence.

—That's strange. In the middle of the night, instead of sleeping, these bald guys are chanting some kind of ghost scripture here.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou You found a dark corner and continued to sneak forward.

As we got closer, the scriptures became a little clearer.

—This is the "Mantra for Rebirth in the Pure Land".

The most common and frequently used Buddhist scripture for the salvation of the deceased.

"Staying up all night to perform rituals? Holy crap, are these monks really that kind-hearted?"

Zhou You thought for a moment and realized that the light from the doors and windows was too bright. He hadn't yet developed an invisibility talisman, and approaching rashly would make him easily detected. But then another problem arose: besides the doors and windows, where else could he peek through?
Wait a moment.

He suddenly raised his head.

If going down here won't work, why not go up here?

After circling around and using the holes in the pillars, Zhouyou climbed the roof like a nimble monkey, stepping on the holes several times.

Then, a talisman flashed by, and the toes landed on the roof like a feather, without making a sound.

Zhou You let out a slight breath, took a few more steps, and feeling that he wouldn't attract anyone's attention, before bending down.

Lifting a tiled roof, the first thing you see is a large expanse of shiny bald heads.

—Damn it, my eyes!
Zhou You felt as if his eyes were almost blinded by the light—but immediately, he realized there was a problem.

Wait a minute, even though I haven't activated the enhanced senses of the Jing Shen Bait Song Technique, my eyes are still enhanced by dragon blood, so how could I be blinded by this mere change in light and dark?
After hesitating for a moment, he focused his magic on his vision and stared intently.

result.

It would have been better if he hadn't looked; once he did, Zhou You was almost speechless with shock.

There were about a dozen monks in the hall, all of whom were also shining brightly.

But that light was not ordinary light; it was a great light!
This thing is also called the Wheel of Merit. It is something that only appears after one has accumulated great merit. Ordinary people can hardly cultivate it. It can only be seen after the death of a high-ranking monk who has attained enlightenment.

And here.
More than a dozen monks, each with a great aura!
"Could it be that Hanshan Temple is hiding its true strength? Wait a minute, if these guys are so powerful, why don't they just send someone to crush that great demon? Why go through all this trouble? No matter how powerful the great demons in this world are, can they really stand up to dozens of Buddhas with attained enlightenment?"

Zhou You became increasingly confused, but he still kept his head down and observed carefully.

He quickly realized something was wrong.

It has the appearance but lacks the substance.

It's less about achieving a grand, luminous effect and more about simply piling things up.

But that doesn't make sense. Where did these monks get so much merit?

Zhou You frowned and continued reading.

Before long, after reciting the Rebirth Sutra once, the monks prostrated themselves before the Dharma body of Nirvana three times. Then they pulled out a large pot from under the altar of the Buddha statue.

Zhou You recognized the pot; it was the same pot used by beggars in the town at the foot of the mountain.

However, at this moment, what was being stewed in the pot was not the mixed stew that had been given as alms, but a pile of ingredients that were floating and sinking, and whose contents were unknown.

Under the bright light, and with the pot itself enchanted, it was extremely difficult to see clearly.

After thinking it over, Zhou You decided to use talismans to secretly dispel the miasma.

Otherwise.

at this time.

Suddenly a voice came.

"If I were you, I would never do that."

Who?
I'm using the Jing Shen Bait Song Technique, plus the experience I've gained from all this fighting, so who can approach me silently?

In just a moment, cold sweat broke out all over my body.

Zhou You, however, suppressed all his instincts and even the urge to draw his sword. Instead, he slowly stood up and directed his voice toward the direction from which his gaze was coming.

What came into view was a fleeting, elusive shadow.

It doesn't even have any substance; it just floats there like smoke. If you don't look closely, you might even think it's just heat rising from inside the Arhat Hall—in short, it doesn't look like a person at all.

But Zhou You continued to stare at the object for a while, then clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"May I ask who you are? And why did you just warn me not to make a move?"

The shadow spun around a few times, and then a voice of uncertain gender came from within it.

"You don't recognize me? We just broke up not long ago. By the way, do you recognize this face?"

The shadow twisted a few times, and actually managed to squeeze out a face from the empty body.

Zhou You's expression turned solemn.

It was indeed an acquaintance.

—The guy I met before at Donghua Zhenjun's place, who was unaware of whether he was friend or foe, disguised himself as Mo Laowu, and cut off the head of Master Ada!

Seeing that Zhou You didn't say anything, the thing seemed to have thought of something and wriggled a few more times with a grin.

This time, it was Lin Yunshao's small face that was visible. And Zhou You finally grasped the sword hilt.

The other person smiled, then took a few steps back and said softly.

"Don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive. You should know I mean no harm. Besides, fighting here won't benefit either of us."

Zhou You stared intently at that familiar face and uttered a few words.

"What are you?"

"Hey, stop acting like you're on steroids, okay? Why do you call everyone you meet 'thing'?"

Zhou You didn't speak this time, but slowly pulled out the Broken Evil.

The blade gleamed in the moonlight, radiating a murderous aura; it was clear that it would strike at the slightest provocation.

That thing suddenly cried out.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! If you make a move, those monks will definitely spot us!"

But Zhou You finally smiled this time.

"I was invited by this temple, so even if I get caught, I can still offer an explanation. At most, I can say that I was just curious. At least they won't do anything to me until that great monster is dealt with. But if you get caught, I'm afraid you won't have a good ending, right?"

This time, the shadow finally fell silent.

After a while, Lin Yunshao's face shrank back, and the thing turned back into a smoky appearance.

"As expected of the Heaven-Reaching Sword, its reaction is truly swift. You should put your sword away too. I meant no harm. If I really wanted to cause trouble, I wouldn't have warned you earlier."

Zhou You ignored him and instead glanced down, seeing that the monks had finished their greetings and started eating, and wouldn't notice them, before speaking.

"Let's get back to the main topic—what did you mean just now?"

The shadowy figure was silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"It's not very interesting. Although those monks' status is just for show, they are protected by others. It's fine to spy on them from a distance, but once they use magic, they will be discovered immediately."

Zhou You stared at the dark figure for a while, until the guy started to feel a little uneasy, before suddenly turning his sword around and saying with a grin.

"It seems you know quite a bit about Hanshan Temple, sir. Do you have any information you could share?"

The dark figure shrank back, seemingly somewhat uncomfortable, but still answered.

“I’m new here too. As you know, I only recently started working under Master Ada. I haven’t had time to explore this place.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou You seemed to casually raise his sword again.

So the shadowy figure immediately changed his tune.

"But at least I know some inside information. It seems that you helped me before, so I can tell you something too."

"what?"

“The old monk Hongyi’s actions were not for the sake of all beings becoming Buddhas, but for his own selfish desires. If you really help him in the end, you will also become part of his scheme.”

After uttering those words, the dark figure fell silent.

However, Zhou You noticed with his sharp eyes that, without realizing it, this person had drifted to the end with the wind, and could escape as soon as they fell down.

This guy, aside from everything else, is a master at running away.

So he shook his head and completely sheathed his sword.

"Then, one last question for you."

"Please say."

What is your purpose this time?

The dark figure said with a smile.

"I don't have any particular purpose, or rather, my purpose is actually the same as yours, Tongtian Sword. However, if the time is right, we might be able to cooperate."

After saying that, the dark figure floated down and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Zhou You stood on the rooftop, pondered for a few seconds, then shook his head and spat.

"Damn it, that riddle-teller!"

Three days later.

It was a time when dark clouds loomed overhead, signaling an impending storm.

Zhou You was woken up early in the morning, and then rode in the temple's carriage. After a bumpy ride for half a day, he finally arrived at a valley dozens of miles away from the temple.

The person who picked him up was someone he had met a few times before.

However, this person seemed to dislike speaking, and only said, "Benefactor, please follow me," before leading Zhou You to an open space at the bottom of the valley.

Meanwhile, there were already about a hundred people waiting.

The vast majority of them were monks from temples, and there were also some lay Buddhists living in the mountains. They were all familiar faces, so there was no need to say more.

The only thing that piqued Zhou You's interest was the dozen or so people standing next to him.
Unlike the uniformly dressed monks of Hanshan Temple, these people were dressed in various ways. Some wore rough animal skins, as if they had just emerged from some desolate wilderness; others wore long robes, looking like scholars; still others wore a thin veil—more like a piece of fabric that let in the wind than clothing, barely covering even their vital parts.
Without a doubt, these must be the '江湖人士' (jianghu figures) summoned by the old monk Hongyi.

After Zhou You arrived, he naturally attracted a lot of prying eyes.

The monks and laypeople merely glanced at him before turning away to continue silently chanting their scriptures, while the outsiders looked at him with great interest.

Then, the woman dressed in light gauze spoke first.

"What a handsome young man! Did the abbot send this to comfort me because he felt I had been waiting too long?"

Upon hearing this, a man nearby immediately spat.

"Pah, Yan Feidie, if you want to be horny, go poke yourself with a stick, don't get in my way."

Upon hearing this, the woman was not angry at all; instead, she smiled and moved closer to him.

"Luo Zhen, are you jealous? It's alright, you're still my favorite."

However, upon seeing this beautiful woman, the man trembled and quickly stepped aside.

"Get the hell away from me! I don't want to be drained dry and skinned alive."

—To be honest, although their words were quite impolite, these two were relatively polite among this group.

Several people, seeing that Zhou You was not very old, had already quietly approached him.

After all, most of these guys are from evil sects, while he, at best, is strong and healthy, and at worst, he's a prime candidate for fertility.

Zhou You glanced back.

No one knows when or where Faxian disappeared without a trace.

So he could only sigh and take another step forward.

next moment.

A silver light, too fast for the naked eye to see, flashed by in an instant!

When they looked again, the sword was already lying across the neck of an old man with a mouthful of rotten teeth.

At that moment, someone smiled and said...

"Excuse me, my Daoist name is Ling Yuan. May I ask what business these gentlemen have with me?"

(End of this chapter)