Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 57 People's Words
There must be one of us who misunderstands the word 'beautiful'.
Looking at the strange and bizarre thing, Zhou You frowned and carefully took a step back.

The caravan members did not do anything hostile.

At this moment, they seemed to treat Zhou You as if he were invisible, simply placing the Tai Sui meat respectfully into several containers, and then everyone, including the Li head, prostrated themselves on the ground and began to worship devoutly.

"Grand Duke Jupiter, protect all people, I give you my flesh and blood to comfort my hunger."

"Lord Tai Sui, protect all people. I offer my flesh and blood and beg for your mercy."

"The Grand Duke Jupiter protects all people; by offering sacrifices to this spirit, one can be free from the shackles of life and death."

The blessings started out normally, but as the voices continued, they gradually became distorted and strange, sounding less like human voices and more like the murmurs of some slimy aquatic animal.

The gazes of all the worshippers, including the caravan leader, grew increasingly vacant, and their throats slowly swelled up, like the bloated vocal sacs of a toad.

Zhou You's eyes grew increasingly cold, and he gripped the dagger in his hand tighter and tighter.

But just then, a sound came from beneath their feet.

"I see. People have been corrupted to this extent. They seem to be close to 'mature'."

Zhou You lowered his head.

The old man's head had already popped out at some point.

"Master, someone will see you doing this."

However, the old Taoist priest just chuckled.

"It's alright. These guys won't even notice their surroundings when they're worshipping Tai Sui. If you have the time, you can go up and stab them a couple of times. I guarantee they won't even struggle."

Zhou You was taken aback upon hearing this.

"Master, do you know what they're doing?"

"How could your master not know about such trivial matters?" The old Taoist's sarcasm deepened. "Mortals have to go through this before they can eat the flesh of the Tai Sui. The deeper the contamination, the longer the incantation. Judging from their appearance, they're almost at the end."

At this point, the old Taoist priest fell silent again.

Finally, Zhou You couldn't help but press for an answer.

What would happen if we read it to the end?

"What else can it do? It does whatever you humans do when faced with ripe fruit, just waiting to be harvested."

After saying this, the old Taoist priest said nothing more and went back into the bag.

All that was left was Zhou You rolling his eyes.

—Damn, you stopped halfway through your sentence? Do you think you're a riddle teller?!—
After another ten minutes or so, the caravan members finally finished reciting their prayers.

The words were indescribable until the very end; all that could be heard were incoherent and bizarre murmurs. Even just listening in made Zhou You's rationality drop a few points.

Even so, the caravan members stood up as if nothing had happened, with strange smiles on their faces. They reached into the containers, and when they pulled them out, they found not the twisted flesh and blood, but transparent, smooth gelatinous substances.

Even from a great distance, Zhou You could smell the enticing aroma emanating from the 'Tai Sui'.

The scent wafted on the wind, lingering around the tip of the nose, and then gradually seeped into the body, making one want to pounce on it.
Zhou You bit his tongue hard.

The smell of blood instantly overwhelmed the fragrance, and his bloodshot eyes regained their clarity.

Unfortunately, even though he didn't want to eat it, someone still brought it to him.

Li Tou walked over with a smile, carrying two bowls of Tai Sui meat.

"Come on, young man, you must be hungry after traveling all this way. Don't be shy, this is on you."

—No, after seeing your ceremony just now, is there really anyone who can accept this bowl?
Zhou You merely glanced at him without replying. Li Tou seemed to sense something as well, but his smile remained unchanged.

"Well, everyone might be a little resistant at first, but you'll get used to it. This stuff bestowed by the Grand Duke of Jupiter is truly amazing. Not only can it fill your stomach, but it can also cure all diseases and prolong your life. To tell you the truth, I used to be riddled with illnesses from all the wind and rain, but I've been completely cured since I ate this Grand Duke of Jupiter's flesh."

Of course, Zhou You, who had been through countless telemarketing calls in the real world, wouldn't pay any attention to these words. He simply put on a wary expression, like an ancient farmer instinctively resisting unknown food, neither responding nor resolutely taking the bowl.

So Li Tou could only place the Tai Sui meat on the ground with a regretful expression.

Just as he was about to say something more, a gust of wind suddenly blew by, carrying the aroma of the Tai Sui into his nose. He swallowed hard and then chuckled awkwardly.

"If you don't want to eat, then don't. There will be other opportunities later. I'll leave the bowl here. You can help yourself when you want to eat. Well then, I won't be polite."

After saying that, Li Tou seemed impatient and buried his entire head in the bowl, slurping as he ate.

So the only sound in the entire camp was the sound of greedily swallowing.

After a while, a donkey bray suddenly rang out.

For some reason, while the group was eating, the donkeys in the caravan suddenly became very restless and began to bray incessantly.

No one paid any attention to them.

Everyone was engrossed in the food in the bowl, their expressions so eager and focused, as if all the mundane affairs of the world were irrelevant to them.

The donkey's braying grew louder and louder until finally someone looked up and addressed Li Tou.

"Hey boss, it's time to feed the livestock some of that 'Tai Sui' meat. Aren't you going to get up?"

Although he was saying these words, the man did not put down his bowl.

Li Tou didn't even look up, and replied directly.

"I'm eating, I don't have time! They're just a bunch of animals, so what if I'm hungry for a while!"

But hearing the donkey's braying becoming increasingly mournful, Zhou You finally sighed, picked up the broken bowl at his feet, and addressed Li Tou.

"Is this what you feed the donkeys?"

Li Tou buried his head in the bowl and simply nodded silently.

It's unclear what the nature of this "Tai Sui meat" is. Although these people have been wolfing it down for half a day, their food hasn't decreased at all.

So Zhou You could only shake his head, sling the bag containing the old Taoist's head over his shoulder, and then, carrying the broken bowl, walk to the caravan's donkeys.

Strangely enough, despite their heart-wrenching cries just moments before, the donkeys suddenly fell silent as Zhou You approached, all their eyes fixed on the broken bowl in Zhou You's hand, not daring to look away even for a second.

In the past, Zhou You might have teased these animals, but now he had no such mood. He simply put the bowl on the ground and gently pushed it forward.

"Eat."

Several donkey heads rushed forward.

Like the other people eating, they stuck out their thick tongues and frantically licked the contents of their bowls, but after a while, one of the donkeys raised its head and opened and closed its mouth a few times.

The next moment, Zhou You was startled and horrified.

Two words came from the donkey's head.

Very simple two words.

"Thank you."

(End of this chapter)