Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 94 Gossip
After leaving Changhua County, it had been about four or five days.

As the journey progressed, the flat roads gradually disappeared from Zhou You's view, and the rugged mountainous areas became more and more numerous. The roads became increasingly difficult to travel, and sometimes it would take half a day to travel five or six miles.

The old Taoist priest had become taciturn since leaving the county town, and Zhou You hadn't said anything more either—in fact, as they got closer to Youtai Mountain, he felt a strange stirring in his heart for some reason.

—It felt like a traveler who had been away from home for a long time was about to return, filled with nostalgia and anticipation.

As an outsider, Zhou You naturally wouldn't feel this sense of nostalgia for the place, so it's self-evident who this feeling belongs to.

So, what is the original owner of this body's relationship with Youtai Mountain and this cloud landscape?
Unfortunately, no one can answer that now.

The original owner naturally couldn't speak, and as for the old Taoist priest, he seemed to know something, but he refused to say a word.

And so the journey continued in silence.

Before we knew it, it was evening again.

Zhou You lit a bonfire early on.

— Being in such an unfamiliar mountain forest, walking at night is a very foolish thing to do. After all, no one knows if a pit will suddenly appear under their feet, and no one knows if they will suddenly encounter wolves, insects, tigers, or leopards that are already starving and eager to have a meal.

Zhou You had painstakingly saved up these resurrection coins until now, and he didn't want to inexplicably give them up because of this.

The fire ignited, illuminating the small area around them. Zhou You dusted off his hands and walked over to a mule—the creature was looking at him with moist eyes, its pupils filled only with longing for fodder, devoid of any human intelligence.

These were the few remaining decent livestock in the county. Upon hearing that Zhou You insisted on going to Youtai Mountain, Wu Wenqing generously gave them to Zhou You, along with enough provisions to get an ordinary person to Youtai Mountain—no, it should be said that enough to get them out of the entire Cangzhou.

"He can be considered a good person, but I wonder how he'll handle the situation in the county town."

Zhou You unloaded his baggage from the mule's back, first adding some hay and water, then took seven or eight flatbreads and cured meat to the fire, wrapped them together, and roasted them.

The meat fat gradually seeped into the flatbread, emitting an enticing aroma—this wasn't something Zhou You had haphazardly salted himself; rather, it was something several restaurants in the county had worked overnight to prepare. Although it was just dry rations, the taste was almost as good as the food Zhou You ate at those fancy restaurants in real life.

The old Taoist priest leaned his head against the fire, watching the food slowly cook, his cold expression growing ever more intense.

He had been like this all this time, as if he had finally remembered something, but no matter how much he was asked, he refused to utter a single word.

Three or four minutes later, Zhou You picked up the baked flatbread, but instead of eating it right away, he handed it to the old Taoist priest.

"Master, would you like some?"

The old Taoist priest glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Zhou You didn't show any sign of 'making a fool of himself'. He simply rolled up the pancake, ignoring its scalding temperature, and stuffed it directly into his mouth.

One was quickly finished, and then another. Before long, the food that would have made an ordinary person burst was all gone—but for Zhou You, it was barely enough to fill him up.

As time went on, his hunger symptoms became increasingly severe. The amount of food was enough for an ordinary person to leave Cangzhou, but for Zhou You it was only enough for about ten days' worth of meals.

However, Zhou You is not worried at all now.

It wasn't just that Wu Wenqing said he could go back at any time, nor that he had the upcoming Zhenxie Division as a backer, but rather that he had a vague feeling about it.

—Once you arrive at Youtai Mountain, all your questions will be answered.

After watching Zhou You finish his dinner, the old Taoist priest finally spoke.

This was not the usual sarcasm.

He spoke in an extremely calm tone. "My disciple, we are now only a day's journey from my Taoist temple. Is there anything else you wish to say?"

Zhou You wiped the grease from his mouth and laughed.

“What else is there to say? Master, haven’t you always wanted to return to the mountains to rebuild your Dharma body? I’ll send you there first, and then we can consider other things.”

The old Taoist remained silent. He observed Zhou You for a while before speaking.

"My disciple, are you truly foolish, or are you pretending?"

Zhou You laughed.

"Master, I don't quite understand what you mean."

The old Taoist priest remained silent, simply closing his eyes as if to rest.

Zhou You was left staring at the white-haired head, his smile gradually fading.
-
The next day, on a mountain path.

As we ventured deeper into the mountains, the withered yellow of the land began to fade slightly, and occasionally a touch of green could be seen. In some places, amidst the towering peaks, we could even spot streams that were still flowing.

Unfortunately, he no longer needed water, and the donkey drank to its heart's content.

And so, an unknown amount of time passed.

From the animal trails in the mountains, we walked to a path carved out by humans, and from the path, we walked to steps made of bluestone.

Finally, Zhou You arrived at his destination.

"Cloud Landscape"

After stepping over the last step, the first thing he saw was these three large characters.

The characters on the plaque above the gatehouse are not particularly remarkable in terms of paint or workmanship, and have even faded considerably after so many years of wind and rain. However, just looking at them evokes a sense of righteousness and awe.

In those vigorous and powerful characters, every stroke and every line seems to embody the firm and resolute belief of the writer, which remains undiminished even after a long period of time.

The old Taoist priest looked at these words, his expression becoming increasingly nostalgic, but he didn't say much, only speaking to Zhou You.

"Once you pass through this door, the main hall is just inside. Back then, the Tai Sui Star Lord and the county soldiers ambushed me while I was cultivating. They thought that cutting off my head would solve everything, but no one expected that my body was the source. As long as its spirit is not lost, I can be resurrected simply by sewing my head back on."

At this point, the old Taoist priest suddenly paused.

"But the premise is that the correct one needs to be sewn on."

However, the last sentence was spoken in a murmured voice, so Zhou You didn't seem to hear it clearly at first.

So he simply responded as usual.

"Then, Master, shall we head straight for the main hall?"

The old Taoist hesitated for a long time before finally nodding.

“That’s right, let’s go to the main hall, sew it up, and that will settle everything.”

(End of this chapter)