Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 101 The drama begins

At this point, only a mere ten seconds had passed.

From the moment Zhou You drew his sword until the centipede ghost was beheaded and died, no demons were disturbed. The demons and ghosts attending the birthday banquet were still shouting and laughing in front of the stage, and no one noticed this little thing in the secluded corner.

At the same time, Xuan Yuan Daoist's praise also rang in Zhou You's ears.

"Nephew, well done! I've disliked this Lord Wu ever since I was alive, but he's so cunning that I've never been able to catch him. I never thought I'd get to kill him with my own hands after I'm dead—that's fucking awesome!"

Zhou You didn't reply, but seemed to remember something, and shook his head with a wry smile.

If his master had seen this, he would have immediately berated him for being spineless, saying that a small act of impatience could ruin a great plan. But Xuan Yuan would say it was a good kill, a beautiful kill—both sides have their reasons, but ultimately...
It's not the same person.

Xuan Yuan Daoist seemed oblivious to Zhou You's emotions and said nonchalantly, "It's fun, but we can't let it ruin the overall situation. Nephew, lend me your arm for a bit."

After speaking, without waiting for Zhou You to reply, Xuan Yuan Daoist took control of both arms. He lifted the head that was still staring blankly at the ground, aligned it carefully, and then placed it back on the centipede demon's neck. He then took out a needle and thread from somewhere and sewed it up tightly. Finally, he cut his finger with his sword and flicked a few drops of blood onto the stitches.

In the blink of an eye, all the stitches disappeared without a trace, leaving only the centipede demon standing there blankly, neither dead nor alive.

“Nephew, I’m not very familiar with the rest of the work, so I’ll leave it to you.”

Faced with Xuan Yuan Dao Ren's apathy, Zhou You could only sigh, help the centipede demon sit down, and fiddle with his body for a long time—unfortunately, he still couldn't make it look natural.

But at that moment, a voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"My lord... no, my benefactor, may I bring this?"

Zhou You turned his head and saw that the man was covering his bloody wound. Although his face was pale, he was still trying to stay awake and asked cautiously.

"You come?"

The man managed to force a smile.

"So that my benefactor may know, I am a stonemason in the prefecture. Although I am not very capable of fighting against demons, I can still arrange this corpse in a normal position."

Zhou You glanced at his crooked and messy artwork, then at the man who introduced himself, shrugged, and stepped aside.

—Forget it, let the professionals handle the professional tasks.

However, before the man could act, Zhou You frowned as he looked at the man's still bloody and mangled arm, then raised his sword and gently wiped the wound.

As the crimson sword light flashed, the flowing blood stopped instantly, and the exposed blood vessels contracted immediately. Although the severed arm could not be restored, at least there was no longer a risk of dying from massive blood loss.

Zhou You shook his head and sighed softly.

"Sorry, if I had reacted faster earlier, you wouldn't have lost a hand."

But before she could finish speaking, the man stopped her.

"My benefactor, what are you saying? Even with my limited knowledge, I know this place is a den of dragons and tigers. I am already extremely grateful to you for saving my life. How could I ask for more?"

After saying that, the man bent down and used his only remaining hand to manipulate the corpse a few times, quickly arranging it into a position with its head drooping, as if it were dozing off.

Unless someone gets close enough to look closely, no one will realize that the centipede demon has become a corpse.

—Alright, that's the job done.

Zhou You nodded, then looked at the man.

"This one... um... uh."

The other person, with one hand hanging down, answered respectfully.

"My surname is Chen. What are your instructions, Daoist Master?"

The man, with his mortal eyes, couldn't see the yin energy on Zhou You's body. He only mistook Zhou You for a Taoist priest based on his attire—but he was getting used to it, so he didn't bother to correct him and just said...

"Brother Chen, now that the centipede demon is dead, you and your wife and children are free. However, this place is still fraught with danger. You'd better find a place to hide and wait—"

However, Zhou You hadn't finished speaking.

Suddenly, a song rang out from the stage.

"Raise your glass in rhyming verses to celebrate this birthday, may you enjoy abundant blessings and longevity throughout the spring and autumn!"

"May good fortune arrive amidst the clouds, may joy fill your home, and may the whole world celebrate this long-lasting happy occasion!"

Zhou You looked up and realized that the gatekeeper's 'tentacle' had somehow moved to the platform and was now dressed in a bright red wedding robe, bowing respectfully to the many ghosts and demons below.

"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come and celebrate my husband's birthday. On behalf of my husband, I would like to express my gratitude to you all."

However, despite expressing gratitude, the 'tentacle' showed no smile on its face; its expression remained deathly indifferent.

That made it look particularly eerie.

However, none of the creatures below the stage seemed to care. After all, compared to the terrifying thing on stage, most of them were probably far more frightening than the one on stage, so most of them responded in a chaotic manner.

"No rush, no rush!"

"This is what we should do; it's not about traveling thousands of miles."

"Please don't say thank you, Star Lord. That would be too much for us."

And then there was that guy who thought he was better at flattery, shouting.

"What's a little bit of hard work compared to being able to attend the birthday celebration of the Grand Duke Jupiter?"

"That's true. In fact, we've benefited from the Tai Sui Star Lord's influence, getting some divine energy at this birthday banquet. We can brag about it to other demons for the rest of our lives when we get back!"

"The Grand Duke Jupiter has turned Cangzhou into a land of demons on earth. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have such a good life!"

"That's right, that's right! We should be the ones thanking the Star Lord!"

However, whether it was polite talk, boasting, or flattery, the 'tentacle' accepted it all without complaint, and only continued speaking after the audience quieted down for a while.

"So, to thank everyone, the Grand Duke Jupiter has been working tirelessly lately, neglecting sleep and meals, and has finally put on a grand show that he hopes to share with you all."

Upon hearing this, the many demons below the stage lost their interest.

They are interested in eating people, but not in the dramas that humans create.
In any case, most of the demons thought that the groans and moans were not as pleasant as the screams during torture. The tentacle remained completely unconcerned; whether it was boasting just now or the current awkward silence, its voice remained as comical as ever.

"But don't worry about being bored. This play was specially prepared by the Star Lord. It's different from the plays of ordinary people. This is a great opportunity. After listening to this play, you might be able to ascend to immortality with Tai Sui."

Upon hearing this, the monsters immediately became interested, and several of them even imitated human behavior by clapping enthusiastically.

Then, the tentacle, with a strange smile, walked backwards into the red curtain behind the stage.

Then, the sound of drums and music suddenly arose.

The melody was quite ordinary, and the technique wasn't particularly exquisite. The only noteworthy aspect was the perfect coordination of the drums and other instruments, which resembled the work of a seasoned opera troupe. There wasn't a single flaw in the interplay and arrangement of the instruments.

It's as if all of these were performed by one person?
—Strange, why would I have such a thought?

Zhou You casually swept half a plate of fruit over his shoulder, and as he bent down to pick it up, he glanced silently at the bottom of the curtain.

However, through the gaps in the curtain, he could only see a dense mass of feet huddled together, swaying in unison to the music, as if they were dancing joyfully.

It didn't seem like there was anything seriously wrong, but for some reason, it was incredibly creepy.

However, as the drumming continued, the scene soon officially began.

Suddenly, the drumbeats quickened, so fast it sounded as if dozens of wooden mallets were striking the drumhead in quick succession. Then, with a high-pitched suona horn, the actors finally emerged from behind the stage.

But there was only one person.

There were no female roles, no male roles, and no clown roles. There was only a bloated figure wearing a bright red robe, whose gender was indistinguishable, standing on the stage. A long silk ribbon was tied behind him, extending all the way to the back of the stage. This person did not have any ordinary facial makeup, but wore a pure white mask that was not stained with any ink.

A very pretentious and mysterious outfit.

Seeing this, even with the authority of the Grand Duke Jupiter, a slight commotion arose from the audience.

However, the person on stage didn't pay attention, and as the melody gradually progressed, the lyrics suddenly began.

"The land of Jingmo has suffered from drought for years, the Changqin River has dried up, corpses lie exposed on the yellow earth unburied, and cries of grief shake the heavens from all directions!"

Zhou You looked puzzled.

The singing style and lyrics don't resemble Peking Opera, nor are they Cantonese Opera or Huangmei Opera. Could it be some kind of local opera from a remote area?

Zhou You carefully recalled anything that might be related to this scene, while waving his hand to signal the man next to him to find a place to hide behind the artificial hill.

So all that was left was him and the dead centipede spirit, listening to this bizarre drama.

Unlike his androgynous appearance, the voice singing the lyrics was a standard male voice, but Zhou You found the voice strangely familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

But the problem is, where have I heard this before?
Before he could think about it, the singing suddenly stopped and turned into a sharp female voice.

"My home is located in the mountains..."

Zhou You had never heard of this opera before, but because the singing style was simple and easy to understand, he quickly learned what it was about.

The play begins by saying that a slime mold was fortunate enough to become a spirit in the deep mountains and forests, but because its foundation was shallow, its abilities were far inferior to those of other spirits.

So naturally, this spirit suffered all kinds of bullying on a daily basis. Not only did it not learn any good skills, but because of its own characteristics, it would have a piece of itself eaten off every now and then. Later, even when it found the leader of the forest and wanted to seek some protection from it, it was completely tricked in the end.

Zhou You couldn't help but glance at the centipede demon, who seemed to have "excellent sleep quality."

In summary, this is clearly about what happened before the Grand Duke Jupiter rose to power—and it's fortunate that the old ghost was completely dead, otherwise who knows how terrified he would be right now.

—So, it seems like I did a good deed?
Feeling perfectly at ease, Zhou You grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and started casually cracking them open.

However, the singing on stage continued.

"Wailing and screaming go unheeded, pleading for mercy in sorrow is ignored, in a daze one finds no peace, the pain of life and death is like duckweed adrift!"

The demons and ghosts who had grudges against Tai Sui all turned ugly. Several of them silently lifted their legs, seemingly wanting to run away immediately—but after being casually glanced at by the thing on the stage, they sat down again for some reason.

Judging from their extremely terrified expressions, these people were definitely not there voluntarily.

However, the other monsters around them showed no pity; instead, they all gloated, and some even cheered.

"We demons live in this world where the strong prey on the weak, and revenge is the only right thing to do. These guys have offended you, Star Lord, and they deserve to die!"

"If you, Star Lord, are unwilling to get your hands dirty, I can do it for you, only asking that you bestow their flesh upon us as a reward."

"."

But neither fear, flattery, nor boasting could affect the actor on stage. He simply sang his autobiographical drama alone, like a wind-up puppet.

At this moment, Zhou You suddenly spoke to Xuan Yuan Daoist.

"Uncle-Master, can you see clearly what that thing on the stage actually is?"

After a while, Xuan Yuan Daoist's voice finally came.

However, unlike his previous bold or unrestrained voice, this time his words seemed somewhat...
An inexplicable sense of vigilance?
"I really can't see anything here. That thing doesn't have any human scent, but it doesn't have any demonic aura either. How should I put it? It feels to me like a void singing somewhere—there's nothing there, but the lyrics just start playing."

"To be honest, this feeling even gave me a bit of a chill."

Xuan Yuan Daoist remained silent. Zhou You frowned and looked up at the stage.

The strange humanoid figure continued singing the opera lyrics, and there was nothing unusual about its appearance, so he could only sit in the chair and quietly watch the opera continue.

"That thing thought it was doomed, but unexpectedly encountered immortals in the mountains and forests, and towers and five cities appeared in the clouds and mist, with immortality right before its eyes..."

By this point, the lyrics had become increasingly sharp and jarring.

—This passage tells the story of a demon that had become a spirit and was once again humiliated. The person it had painstakingly hunted was stolen away. Just when it was in despair and wanted to commit suicide in the mountains, it suddenly encountered a deity.

Seeing its pitiful state, the deity, after careful questioning, first taught it a set of techniques, then led it to the demons who had robbed others, transforming them one by one into deformed flesh and blood. As the creature clapped its hands in delight, the deity told it that it possessed a great destiny, and if its cultivation was sufficient, it could even ascend to the celestial realm—

But the prerequisite is that it must present the immortals with a 'complete' ascension drama.

(End of this chapter)