Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 81 Gang Up (Thanks to the helmsman Xiao Fengchao for the extra chapter)
However, before Zhou You could ask any questions, a greeting suddenly came from the kitchen.

The boss smiled apologetically at Zhou You, then turned and left.

Zhou You was left sitting there, silent.

After a long while, his lips moved a few times.

"Master, what do you think?"

The old Taoist priest's disdainful words came from his pocket.

"How can I see it? In fact, it would be strange if no one noticed that the Grand Duke Jupiter had made such a big fuss, but the problem is..."
"If someone notices it, will they just point it out?"

The old Taoist priest grinned, his smile becoming increasingly sarcastic.

"Take this restaurant as an example. Do you really think the owner doesn't know where his waiter went? Even if he really didn't know, he had already vaguely sensed it, but he just didn't say anything. Right now, the whole county is relying on that Tai Sui star god to support it. If we really get rid of this star god, what will the whole town eat?"

Zhou You nodded, his voice revealing no emotion.

"So those who know the truth are all branded as heretics, and those who speak the truth are condemned by the whole city. The world is truly a circle; everyone is repeating the same scenario."

The conversation ended there, and Zhou You and the old Taoist priest looked at each other in silence.

After an unknown amount of time, until the world was filled with the golden hue of the setting sun, the owner finally came out carrying a food box.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. We've been running out of firewood lately, so I had to borrow some from my neighbor to light the stove. Please forgive me, sir."

Zhou You smiled to show his understanding, then lowered his head and glanced at it.

The food box was quite exquisite, carved with dragons and phoenixes, and decorated with gold and silver. Just from this one item, one could tell that this restaurant used to be quite upscale, perhaps even catering to wealthy families in the county. However, in stark contrast to its magnificent exterior, the contents inside were extremely meager.

A bowl of rice and a plate of stir-fried dried vegetables—that's all.

The boss rubbed his hands together and smiled ingratiatingly.

"I'm so sorry, sir, but the meat of the Tai Sui cannot be overcooked, or it will disintegrate. As for other meats, we can't get them either, and even if we could, you wouldn't be able to eat them. So please make do with this."

Zhou You didn't raise any objections and simply took out a handful of loose silver to pay the bill.

Unexpectedly, the boss's expression turned rather unpleasant.

"Guest, I'm just letting you know that although grain prices in the city are much better than outside, they are still not cheap these days. What you've given me is probably not enough."

—Didn't you just say no one was buying? Why is it not cheap anymore?
However, Zhou You was too lazy to argue and simply took out another one to pay the bill.

The shopkeeper, holding the money, immediately retreated with a beaming smile.

Zhou You picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of dried vegetable, sniffed it to make sure there was no strange smell, and then put it in his mouth.

As expected of a chef from a high-end restaurant, even with such poor ingredients, the taste is still quite good.

The old Taoist priest seemed a little envious as well, and he rummaged through his pocket.

"My good disciple, why do you keep all the good stuff to yourself? Don't you understand the importance of respecting your master? Why don't you give me some right away?"

"No, Master, do you have digestive organs?" Even as he said this, Zhou You picked up a chopstick and stuffed it into the gap in his pocket.

But at that moment, a commotion suddenly arose outside the door.

Zhou You looked outside and saw several constables in black robes surrounding a man. Judging from their shouts, they seemed to be carrying out their duties. Zhou You only glanced at them twice before losing interest and refocusing his attention on the dishes in front of him.

After all, this was the first meal he had that could be considered 'normal' since leaving Xuejia Village, so he had to cherish it.

pity.

Even if he wanted some peace and quiet, the group of constables outside wouldn't let him have any.

Then, the group of people got into a dispute with the man in the middle. At first, it was just normal, but it quickly turned into cursing. Then, with a righteous and awe-inspiring rebuke, the group of constables actually raised the sticks in their hands and hit the man together!

The man who was being beaten initially tried to fight back, but he was no match for the many hands he had. Moreover, he was at most a weak scholar, while the constables were all burly men like wolves and tigers. So, the man was quickly knocked to the ground and began to scream in pain.

What's even stranger is that, faced with such atrocity, the onlookers not only showed no remorse, but cheered.

Seeing this scene, Zhou You became interested. He casually poured half a plate of dried vegetables into his pocket, then looked up and greeted the boss who had run out and was standing on the threshold watching the commotion.

"Brother, what exactly is going on? Why are the people around cheering when the constables are beating people?"

Could it be that the person who got beaten up was some heinous criminal? I'm new here, could you please help explain?

The shop owner immediately gave a mocking look.

But this wasn't directed at Zhou You; it was at the person who was being ganged up on now.

"So that the guests may know that although he is not a criminal, he is indeed a heinous sinner."

Seeing that Zhou You had become interested, the boss continued with a smile.

"Didn't I tell you before? The birthday of Tai Sui Xing Jun is approaching, and the whole county is busy with this joyous occasion. But then some blind fools jumped out and said that Tai Sui Xing Jun is a demon and that we should all not believe in him or we would be doomed—and this person is one of them."

"...Is this why he was beaten up like this?"

Upon hearing this, the boss's sarcastic expression grew even more pronounced.

"If it were just a few words, it wouldn't be so serious. After all, what kind of person is Tai Sui Xing Jun? He's a celestial being descended to earth. How could he possibly bother with such a petty person? But most people would change their tune after being taught a few lessons. However, this guy on the street is the only one who refuses to repent. And the most important thing is that this guy has actually started a rebellion!"

The boss spat.

"That bastard used to be the county clerk. He actually tricked a lot of people into starting a rebellion with him. Fortunately, the county magistrate had sharp eyes and discovered his actions in advance, which prevented a major incident. Normally, such a crime would have warranted beheading, but the county magistrate took into account that his family had been officials for generations, and that the birthday of the Grand Duke Jupiter was approaching, so he spared his life. He only instructed the yamen runners to come and teach him a lesson every few days—bah, that's too lenient!"

Zhou You ignored the boss's words and instead stared intently at the man among the constables.

At this moment, the one-sided beating was nearing its end. The constables seemed to have been instructed in advance not to use any lethal force, but to use extremely harsh strength, targeting areas that were painful enough but not enough to cause permanent damage.

The screams gradually faded, and after delivering the final kick, the constables finally called it a day. The group, their bellies bulging, departed like a column of heroes amidst the cheers of the surrounding crowd, leaving only the man lying in the mud and dust—occasionally spat on by passersby.

(End of this chapter)