267: Chapter 267 Every step is a trap, they're all pitfalls!

Meng De Meng De had a look of sincere bewilderment on his face.

The sharpness and depth in his eyes hadn't fully dissipated, and the dignity belonging to a Meng De still enveloped him.

But that dignity was currently being diluted by a sense of pure confusion.

“Forgotten what?” he asked back, a trace of uncertainty in his voice.

He seemed to be quickly reviewing his impassioned speech from just now, checking for logical loopholes or if he had missed any important etiquette.

Chen You didn't speak.

He just slowly raised his right hand and tapped his chest with his index finger.

The movement wasn't fast, yet it carried a natural sense of certainty.

The meaning couldn't be clearer.

What about me?

Did you forget about me?

You're about to go pay respects to your ancestors, and you don't plan on inviting me, the great hero who solved your family's centuries-old curse?

You're not going to let me observe the ceremony on-site?

Meng De Meng De's eyes twitched instantly.

He understood.

He had a sudden realization, and the expression on his face underwent a subtle change again, shifting from business-like seriousness to a polite inquiry.

“You want to go?”

Those four words were like three heavy punches landing precisely on Chen You's temples.

Chen You's mouth hung slightly open, and he almost failed to catch his breath.

What do you mean 'I want to go'?

Am I not doing the quest anymore?

Do I have nothing better to do than go see what your family's ancestral graves look like?

He suppressed the urge to complain, maintained an inscrutable expression, and squeezed a few words through his teeth.

“I can go.”

“Oh, oh!” Meng De Meng De immediately nodded, a perfectly measured warmth reappearing on his face. “Then that would naturally be for the best!”

He acted as if he hadn't heard the speechlessness in Chen You's tone at all, and instead said with great gratification.

“Then... I'll have to trouble you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the familiar system notification sounded.

【Quest "the heros orphan" has been updated!】

Chen You couldn't help but open the quest interface.

【Quest Objective: Assist Thousand Light City Lord Meng De in completing the Ancestral Worship Grand Ceremony.】

【Current Phase: Prepare the offerings required for the sacrifice (Three Sacrificial Animals, seasonal fresh fruits, high-quality incense, candles, paper money...)】

【Quest Guide: Please go to the Thousand Light City East Market to make purchases.】

Chen You looked at the long shopping list on the quest panel, and his eyelid twitched uncontrollably.

He looked up at Meng De Meng De.

Meng De Meng De happened to be looking at him as well and noticed the change in his expression, asking smoothly: “What's wrong? Is there a problem?”

Chen You took a deep breath.

“The quest says these offerings... need to be prepared by me?”

Hearing this, an "I see" expression appeared on Meng De Meng De's face, followed by an even more matter-of-fact demeanor.

“Then I'll leave it to you.”

He patted Chen You's shoulder, speaking with deep sincerity.

“After all, you were the one who took the initiative to ask to go.”

Chen You was completely speechless.

He looked at Meng De Meng De's face, which was written all over with "you asked for it, it has nothing to do with me," and had only one thought in his mind.

“It seems like... I've been screwed over by this broken game again.”

He realized it instantly.

The normal flow of this quest was likely that after he solved the problem in the Tomb of Thousand Lights dungeon, he would return to the Meng De's Mansion to submit the quest.

Then, Meng De Meng De would act as an NPC and enter a preparation phase himself.

For example, "bathing, changing clothes, and fasting for three days," or simply ordering his subordinates to prepare the offerings.

Once he was ready, Chen You would follow him to the ancestral tomb to trigger the subsequent plot.

But what about him?

To save time and trigger that so-called ultra-large-scale monster siege as quickly as possible, he had acted too hastily.

He had actively skipped the NPC's preparation process and requested to "join the group."

As a result, the preparation work that should have been completed by the NPC naturally fell onto his head.

“Fuc—”

The word had just reached his lips before he swallowed it back down.

Forget it.

He started to convince himself in his heart.

Anyway, he came here for the hidden quest in the first place; taking the path less traveled was his style.

If he followed the steps one by one, how could he trigger a hidden event?

Thinking this way, Chen You's mindset instantly balanced out.

“No problem.”

Chen You nodded to Meng De Meng De, his expression returning to calm. “It's a small matter, I'll go take care of it now.”

A satisfied smile appeared on Meng De Meng De's face.

“I'll wait for you here. Be quick.”

After saying that, he turned and walked back into the pavilion, naturally sitting down beside Cai Wenjuan, picking up a grape, and continuing his previously unfinished tenderness.

It was as if the person who had just urged someone else to run errands and buy things wasn't him at all.

Chen You's mouth twitched. He didn't look at that pot of "harmonious soup" again and turned to leave.

He hopped onto his beloved Big White Rabbit and headed straight for the Thousand Light City East Market indicated by the quest guide.

The East Market was the most prosperous market in Thousand Light City, bustling with people and traffic.

Various shops were a feast for the eyes, offering everything from equipment and weapons to potions and materials.

Following the quest guide, Chen You easily found the first stop on the list—Fu Ji Slaughterhouse.

In his mind, this kind of quest procurement was nothing more than talking to an NPC.

Then the NPC would hand over the quest items to him, perhaps saying a few lines of nonsense thanking the Meng De or the Adventurer Lord.

However, reality gave him another resounding slap in the face.

“Boss, I'm here on behalf of the Meng De to pick up the Three Sacrificial Animals for the sacrifice.”

Chen You spoke to the butcher NPC, who was covered in fleshy rolls and holding a deboning knife.

The butcher boss looked up, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his greasy sleeve, and revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth.

“Oh? The Meng De wants them?”

He grinned and nimbly dragged out three cleaned, still-steaming animals: a pig, a cow, and a sheep.

“They're ready! Top-quality black-maned pig, a three-year-old ox, and a year-old fat sheep. They'll definitely satisfy the ancestors!”

Chen You reached out his hand.

“Huh?” The butcher boss was stunned, not understanding what he meant.

Chen You frowned. “The items. Give them to me.”

The smile on the butcher boss's face froze.

He slammed the deboning knife heavily onto the chopping block with a loud "clang."

“I say, customer, have you mistaken something?”

The butcher boss looked Chen You up and down, his gaze becoming somewhat strange.

“I'm a businessman, I'm open for trade. If the Meng De wants something, he has to pay for it.”

Chen You's expression froze.

“Pay... money?”

“Nonsense!” The butcher boss's voice grew louder.

“Can the Meng De buy things without paying? What kind of logic is that? Is there no law in this world?”

“One set of Three Sacrificial Animals. That'll be thirty gold coins.”

Chen You felt like something was wrong with his ears.

Thirty gold coins?

Just to buy this one pig, one cow, and one sheep?

He looked at the butcher and asked word by word: “Are you sure it's thirty... gold coins?”

“Of course!” The butcher boss patted his chest righteously.

“These are specially selected top-grade goods, specifically supplied for the Meng De's Mansion's sacrifices. Can they be the same as those ordinary items outside?”

“This is called quality! Do you understand, Adventurer!”

Chen You fell silent.

He looked at the butcher's "take it or leave it" face, then at the long, grayed-out shopping list on his quest panel.

He finally understood.

He had still underestimated the size of this trap!