After two sounds, Xiao Jingchen forcefully tore off the iron bars on the iron cage with his hands, reached into the iron cage with his big hands, and took out the frightened and crying child.
Looking at the child in his arms, with its clear and flawless eyes, dirty little simple face, and dry and cracked lips, Xiao Jingchen felt very distressed. He was also like this once upon a time. When he was a child, he was in the quagmire with other children.
Every time I suffered a loss, I would get it back. Although my face was bruised and purple every day, I was very happy. After returning home, I still had a mother who loved me to give me medicine.
His eyes became moist. He put the child on the ground, patted the child's hair, took out the water bag from his waist, handed it to the child, and said softly: "Child, you are thirsty, drink it, brother, water bag."
The water in it is very sweet.”
The child seemed to understand Xiao Jingchen's words. He raised his small black hand and snatched the water bag, unscrewed the mouth of the bag and poured it into his mouth. Looking at the child's hungry look, he must have not drank all night.
It's so pitiful when we get to the water.
"Drink slowly so you don't choke. Tell your brother where your parents are." Xiao Jingchen asked in a low voice.
"Both my parents were killed by that wizard, and I want revenge." The child said excitedly, and tears flowed down unsatisfactoryly, soaking Xiao Jingchen's clothes.
Poor child, who lost his parents at such a young age. Xiao Jingchen couldn't help but think of the father he had never met and the mother who cried all day long, and a wave of anger grew in his heart.
"Brother, you are a good person, can you tell me your name?" The child wiped the water marks on the corner of his mouth and looked up at Xiao Jingchen with a pair of bright and clear eyes, a look of gratitude on his face.
"My surname is Xiao, please call me Brother Xiao." Xiao Jingchen looked at the thinly dressed child with great pity and stroked his little head and whispered.
"It's better to call me big brother. It looks very friendly." The child blinked happily, looking very happy.
"It's up to you. What's your name? Why do they want to lock you in an iron cage?" Xiao Jingchen asked and glared at the old man fiercely.
The old man no longer had the arrogance he had before, his face turned into a withered look, and he lowered his head unnaturally.
"My name is Duanmu Meng. When my parents were alive, they called me Mengmeng. Big brother, you should also call me Mengmeng." Duanmu Meng's clear voice echoed in Xiao Jingchen's ears, and then he said: "Because when I was playing before,
I accidentally broke the jar used by the wizard for practice and was beaten severely by him. My parents came forward to argue with me, but they were killed by that hateful wizard. People in the village thought that I was the one who killed my parents and thought that I was a loser.
The star was unlucky and cursed my relatives to death, so I was isolated. My former friends all avoided me, so this time I was put in an iron cage to offer sacrifices to the wizard."
After Duanmu Meng finished speaking, he raised his head and drank two more mouthfuls of water. His eyes were gray and without any light.
"Mengmeng, don't worry. The suffering you suffered before will never happen again. With big brother here, no one can hurt you. Let's go and let this dirty village fend for itself." Xiao Jingchen
If you are not a saint, you don't have to wade into this muddy water. As long as the people you care about are not harmed, you can leave everything else to fate.
Lifting Duanmu Meng onto his shoulders, he turned around and left this boring place.
"Little brother, please stay." The old man was shocked when he saw Xiao Jingchen and Duanmu Meng were leaving. He hurriedly dragged his tired body, stumbled to the front, and stopped the man.
"We don't seem to know each other, and we are not relatives. Why should I help you? As the head of a village, you actually use such a hateful method to deal with this child. Has your conscience been eaten by wolves? Are you still alive?
He has lived like a dog for a long time, but he still dares to stop me by licking his face and get out of my sight before I get angry." Xiao Jingchen was extremely angry at this time and insulted the old man severely.
"I did this for the lives of the whole village. If I could use my life as a man with half a foot in the coffin to exchange for the lives of the whole village, I would do the same thing. It's a pity that my old bones are gone."
Used it." The old man was not angry because of Xiao Jingchen's previous insults, but instead looked ashamed.
"Huh, this sounds like what a person is saying." Xiao Jingchen looked at him with a cold face, the anger in his heart dissipated a little, and his face was no longer so livid and ugly.
When the old man saw this, he suddenly bent his knees and knelt on the ground, crying with tears streaming down his face: "Little brother, I was ignorant of the mountains and bumped into you before. Please help me with your noble hands and save this village."
.”
At this time, the doors of every house in the village clicked and opened from the inside. The people hiding inside poked their heads out and looked at the center. After a while, more and more people walked out of their houses and faced the village.
People gathered in the central open space and stopped behind the village chief, bending and kneeling on the ground. There were many elderly people, strong men, weak women, and even young children. The whole village stared at them at the same time.
He looked at Xiao Jingchen without making a single sound.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Jingchen felt a little shaken in his heart. Seeing those simple and honest children looking at him with tears in his eyes, he indeed lost the determination he had before. He hurriedly shouted to everyone: "Everyone, please get up, there is nothing I can do.
"
At this moment, no one stood up. Even Duanmu Meng next to Xiao Jingchen knelt on the ground, pulling Xiao Jingchen's clothes and pants. With tears on his face, he begged: "Brother, please save everyone."
, Mengmeng has lived in this village for as long as I can remember. Those familiar figures and faces are deeply imprinted in my heart, and I can’t get rid of them. My parents were killed, and the friends I used to play with were also brutally killed.
No, Mengmeng doesn’t want to lose any more people close to her, I don’t want to.”
Seeing Mengmeng's charming expression, Xiao Jingchen's nose couldn't help but feel sore, her eyes were blurry, tears were rolling in her eyes, and she couldn't help but hug Duanmu Meng.
Everyone heard Duanmu Meng's heartfelt thoughts, and they all lowered their heads in shame. The old man's cloudy eyes were full of vicissitudes of life, and he trembled and said, "My child, it was grandpa who was sorry for you and made you suffer."
Duanmu Meng nestled in Xiao Jingchen's arms and looked at the old man, and said distressedly: "Grandpa Yang, don't say that. Although Mengmeng is still young and ignorant, I know that there is really nothing you can do, otherwise you wouldn't treat Mengmeng like this.
Yes, I won’t bear grudges against you.”
"Okay, everyone, please get up and talk. It's embarrassing for me to kneel on the ground like this, so I promise you." Xiao Jingchen was also influenced by Mengmeng's words and made up his mind to help the village.
"Thank you, thank you little brother." A smile instantly appeared on the old man's face, and he stood up tremblingly. His body swaying back and forth in the wind looked so thin.
At this time, a pair of small hands gently held the old man's big and weathered hand, and a wave of warmth instantly hit the old man's body. The old man lowered his head in shock, and stroked the cute little head with his rough big hands, with a look of regret on his face.
When everyone heard that Xiao Jingchen had changed his mind and wanted to save the village, they all stood up excitedly. The cheers rang through the village and refused to disperse for a long time.
The old man looked at the villagers around him, his face full of joy, and murmured in a low voice: "I haven't seen smiles on everyone's faces for half a year. It feels like a lifetime ago."
Xiao Jingchen was also surrounded by women in the village at this time. You and I were teasing each other. Xiao Jingchen had never experienced such a battle. He broke out in cold sweat and hurriedly looked for the old man in the crowd.
He escaped from the woman's clutches in embarrassment, grabbed the old man's hand and walked aside to whisper a few words. The woman's cheerful laughter came from behind from time to time, making Xiao Jingchen's face full of embarrassment.
The old man seemed to be radiant, he gathered everyone together, and after explaining their respective division of labor, he accompanied Xiao Jingchen towards his thatched cottage.
But Xiao Mengmeng did not follow him. At this time, she was playing with her friends at the pool nearby, and was very busy.
The men all rolled up their sleeves, went home and picked up the tools in their hands, and walked out of the village in small groups, while the women dispersed and headed towards their kitchens to show off their skills.
The village was busy, with only the children playing carefree and tirelessly. At this time, everyone was looking forward to the arrival of night.
Standing on a large hidden tree outside the village, Murong Yu'er held her breath, turned her attention away from what had just happened in the village, watched her surroundings, and also quietly waited for the arrival of night.
The sun slowly set, the sun was no longer so hot, a coolness swept over it, and night came quietly. The outside of the village was peaceful, but the inside of the village seemed very popular and lively.
In the open space, everyone gathered together, as if waiting for the arrival of some important person. The Eight Immortals table was filled with dishes. Although it was not as good as the delicacies in the town, it was not far behind. The scent of fragrance floated in the air.
Food for thought.
The iron cage under the Eight Immortals Table was now covered with black cloth, and from time to time there would be sounds coming from inside, including the scratching of the iron cage, which was very sharp.
Xiao Jingchen was hiding in the old man's house, his eyes narrowed into thin lines, staring intently at the door, his face very calm.
The temperature in the middle of the night was very cool, and a soft breeze blew by from time to time. Suddenly, a strong wind blew in the sky without warning. The dead leaves on the ground were swept into the air, falling wantonly on everyone's bodies, and an unpleasant smell hit their faces.
When they came, everyone hurriedly covered their mouths and noses, panicking.
"Coming!" Someone in the crowd shouted, and the surrounding area was in a panic. Everyone scrambled to step back, leaving only an old figure in front of them.
"Click"
"Boom boom"
The door of the village was pushed open from the outside, and the stench was even stronger. Many people couldn't stand the unpleasant smell and vomited.
"Ha ha"
"Old man Yang, you did a good job. It seems that you can have a good time tonight." A gloomy, slightly sneering voice echoed in the dark air.
A gloomy voice suddenly sounded in everyone's ears. Everyone looked at each other and found nothing unusual. Then they looked at the door in horror. The child had his eyes covered by the adults, and the woman moved tremblingly.
Hiding behind their own men, some strong and bold men in the village rolled up their sleeves and were alert to the surroundings to prevent anything unusual from happening.