Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 93 Seeking Help from a Tiger

The old Taoist priest scoffed at this statement.

"What justice? Everyone looks out for themselves, that's why I can't stand you—you're too nosy. Isn't it better to just mind your own business in this world? Why do you have to go and cause trouble?"

Zhou You smiled but didn't explain. Instead, he looked at the moon outside the window and, feeling that the time was about right, slid a knife out of his sleeve, intending to finish off Magistrate Shi.

Unexpectedly, the old Taoist priest suddenly spoke up to stop them.

"Wait a moment."

The blade, which was already close to his neck, suddenly stopped.

".What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just suddenly discovered something interesting. Why don't you cut open his belly and take a look?"

Magistrate Shi's struggle suddenly intensified, while Zhou You was somewhat bewildered.

"Why? Master, this isn't Japan, we don't do seppuku here. Besides, there's not enough time to execute this bastard—and he's gagged, so even if we torture him, we won't get anything out of him."

"No, disciple, what nonsense are you spouting?"

The old Taoist priest glanced at Zhou You and then said.

"Old Daoist, I just suddenly noticed something and needed to take a look, which is why I needed you to cut open the abdominal cavity—by the way, we've known each other for so long, don't tell me you're afraid of blood, okay?"

I'm not afraid of blood, but I'm afraid of getting all that waste from my intestines splashed all over me.
However, seeing the old Taoist's resolute attitude, Zhou You could only shrug, pick up the dagger, and cut towards Magistrate Shi's belly.

—Anyway, the crimes this guy committed were more than enough to warrant being torn to pieces, so Zhou You had no qualms about killing him more cruelly.

But Zhou You was stunned the moment the blade touched Na's stomach.

It wasn't that he suddenly softened, but rather...
The feel of this belly was extremely strange.

Although Zhou You's medical knowledge was only rudimentary, he at least knew that normally, someone this obese would have an exceptionally thick layer of fat on their abdomen, requiring a considerable amount of time to cut even with a knife. However, this Magistrate Shi...
The skin on his stomach looked as if it could be cut open with the slightest touch.

Zhou You glanced at the old Taoist priest, and seeing that the other party did not raise any objections, he continued to work.

The blade sliced ​​through the skin, sending a violent tremor through it—

However, no blood flowed out.

Beneath that layer of skin, there was no fat layer like a normal person's—no, not only that, there weren't even any internal organs. That layer of skin was as thin as paper, and through the torn opening, Zhou You could only see...
A deformed and bizarre head lies inside.

The head was abnormally large, its gender was indiscernible, and it looked like an infant. It was completely hairless, with only dozens of blue veins connecting it to the abdominal cavity.

At this very moment, the strange head was staring blankly at Zhou You with its pure black eyes wide open.

Then, he grinned.

—What the hell is this?!

Zhou You frowned, held the dagger horizontally in front of him, took a step back, and assumed a posture ready to act at any moment.

Unexpectedly, the old Taoist priest suddenly laughed.

The sound grew louder and louder, completely disregarding the fact that it would alert the constables outside.

"Interesting, truly interesting! I can't believe that after more than fifty years, I'm still seeing something so interesting!"

Zhou You didn't turn around, but instead asked the old Taoist priest.

"Master, do you know what this is?"

The old Taoist priest didn't answer for a moment. After a long while, his laughter gradually subsided, and then he said breathlessly.

"Do you know? LOL, of course I know!"

The old Taoist priest gestured with his lips, indicating the strange head inside his abdomen.

"This is the technique of reincarnation of a brain spirit child, one of the methods of 'transformation'. First, select a suitable and excellent material, and then implant a bit of your own spirit into it. Normally, this material will not show any signs, but as time goes by, its interior will be gradually hollowed out and replaced, forming a pupa. If anything happens to the caster, this pupa can be used for reincarnation immediately. My apprentice, you really got lucky and managed to break through Tai Sui's backup plan by such a coincidence!"

Zhou You was completely stunned.

"You mean this county magistrate is the pupa and substitute of that Tai Sui star lord? But aren't they in a cooperative relationship? Could it be..."

His words suddenly stopped.

Then, a look of understanding gradually appeared on Zhou You's face, and the old Taoist priest laughed loudly at this moment.

"That's right, it's that 'what if'—"

The old Taoist priest glanced at the completely dumbfounded magistrate, a mocking smile curving his lips.

"This fool actually thinks he can negotiate with a tiger for its skin, when in reality he has already become the tiger's bait without even realizing it. The caravan, the restaurant owner, and even this county magistrate are all the same, thinking they are superior to others, but in reality they are all just prey for others—"

At this point, the old Taoist's booming voice suddenly paused. Then it abruptly became dull and uninteresting. "So, humans, what was my purpose in the first place?"

However, at that moment, the magistrate somehow managed to break free of the rag stuffed in his mouth.

But instead of calling for help, he stared at the monstrous head inside his stomach and kept shouting like a madman.

"No! No! Impossible, absolutely impossible! The Star Lord promised me that I would be a person of high status, that my official career would be smooth, and that I would eventually ascend to immortality with him!!! He promised me that!!!! This situation could never happen!!!!"

Seeing this, Zhou You simply shook his head, pressed the dagger against Magistrate Shi's neck, and then...
Press down hard.

And so, all sound ceased.

Zhou You gently wiped away the few drops of blood splattered on his face before speaking to the old Taoist priest.

"The people have been dealt with, but what about the leader? What do we do now?"

The old Taoist stared at the strange and terrifying face for a moment, then calmly said.

"What else can we do? Burn it down."

A raging fire broke out.

The orange-red flames engulfed everything in the blink of an eye. The jade, the gold and silver, and the antiques and trinkets obtained by plundering the people all disappeared in the flames, turning into ashes along with the obese body.

"Taoist Master, so you were here!"

Just as Zhou You was watching the flickering flames, a surprised voice suddenly rang out behind him.

Zhou You turned around and saw that it was Wu Wenqing who had greeted him, with several yamen runners following behind him.

At that moment, this person, dragging their still-healing leg, came forward with immense joy.

"Just as you said, Daoist Master, the people in this county harbor deep resentment towards the county magistrate. With you as their backer, I only needed to say a few words to them and they switched sides. Anyway, those demons aren't around now, so there's nothing to be afraid of."

At this point, Wu Wenqing also saw the firelight behind Zhou You, and his expression instantly became even more interesting.

"This is... you killed Magistrate Shi."

The words stopped abruptly. Wu Wenqing turned around, looked at the yamen runners behind him, coughed lightly, and continued.

"Ahem, it seems the magistrate started a fire in the middle of the night and accidentally set the house on fire. What a pitiful sight! Brothers, why aren't you putting out the fire?"

However, none of the constables moved. After a long while, an old man slowly walked out and spoke in an even slower tone.

"Secretary Wu, it's not that we don't want to save the magistrate, it's just that the fire is so big we can't possibly rush in."

Wu Wenqing smiled knowingly and nodded.

"That makes sense, but we still need to stop the fire, at least to prevent the county government office from burning down. Otherwise, where will everyone go?"

The constables then scattered in all directions.

Then, Wu Wenqing turned his head, and the playful expression on his face had vanished. He solemnly bowed deeply to Zhou You.

"Thank you, sir. Your righteous act will save the lives of thousands of people in this county. Please accept my bow."

"It was just a convenient arrangement." Zhou You helped Wu Wenqing up. "And what are your plans after this?"

"Let's get the people to give up eating meat made from the Tai Sui first. It will definitely be very difficult, but the livestock manufacturing workshops serve as a prime example, and..."

Wu Wenqing's voice gradually rose.

"I have finally received a clear reply to my letter to the Exorcism Bureau. In another half month, they will bring their best people to the Bureau. Even if Tai Sui returns with a group of demons after his birthday, we will no longer need to be afraid. Daoist, why don't you stay here too? With your skills and merits, you will definitely be able to find a good position in the Bureau."

stay?
Seeing Wu Wenqing's eager expression, Zhou You lowered his head.

—That's a good idea. The script only tells you to escape, but not how. If you can find the protection of this Zhenxie Division and then use them to go to the outskirts of the state, that would be a good method.

But
Zhou You then turned his gaze to his pocket.

The old Taoist priest had now fallen silent, seemingly unwilling to interfere with Zhou You's decision.

Having walked together for so long, even though the old Taoist had ill intentions and the two of them were constantly bickering, to be honest, it was impossible for them to have no feelings for each other at all.

Therefore, this journey must come to an end.

Zhou You took a deep breath and then gave a faint smile.

"No, we're almost at the end of the journey."

"Next"

"I'm going to Youtai Mountain."

(End of this chapter)