The village head also came out.

Worried that Wang Dazhu, who was furious, might hit his wife, he quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Dazhu, why are you so late coming home today? Did something happen on the way? Your wife was just worried about you, so please don't be angry."

"No..." Wang Dazhu's expression softened considerably. He said to the village head, "Grandpa, please don't misunderstand. It's because I encountered bandits on my way back!"

Upon hearing the word "bandits," everyone in the village perked up their ears, and their expressions turned serious.

They caught three bandits today, and they're still a little scared.

Unexpectedly, Wang Dazhu ran into them when he returned from outside.

It seems Lin Weiming was right; these bandits likely have accomplices.

"Really? Tell me quickly, where did you meet them? How many people were there? Where did they go now?" the village head asked anxiously.

"It's me today..."

As soon as Wang Dazhu opened his mouth, the old man who was in charge of the village said, "Wait, don't say anything yet, let me call everyone else in the village over first!"

Without being told, the onlookers quickly ran home and called everyone from their own family and neighbors over.

Liu Guangzong, who lives next to the Lin family's old house, refused to leave.

"I'm leaving now. What if those three bandits locked up in the Lin family's house manage to escape?" Liu Guangzong stood guard at the Lin family's door with a wood-chopping knife in his hand.

The others said, "If you stay here alone, what if someone comes to rescue them, or they escape? You can't hold them off by yourself."

Even if Liu Guangzong were holding a woodcutter's knife, he definitely couldn't defeat three people by himself.

“Then…” But Liu Guangzong still refused to leave. “Even if I can’t beat them, I can at least shout for you at the cost of my life, so that you can run faster.”

The others couldn't help but sigh.

Liu Guangzong, that old man, has quite a stubborn temper.

They were simply too difficult to persuade.

Liu Junlan, holding Lin Wanyue's hand, happened to pass by the old house and heard other people advising Liu Guangzong.

The two families had been neighbors for many years, and Liu Junlan knew Liu Guangzong's temper.

"Grandma, wait a minute." Lin Wanyue tugged at Liu Junlan's sleeve.

"What's wrong?" Liu Junlan looked down at Lin Wanyue.

Lin Wanyue took out a small paper figure she had cut out from her sleeve and blew on it.

The little pink butterfly took the opportunity to crawl into the little paper figure's body.

"Huh~ Why is this little paper doll so ugly?" The little pink butterfly looked at its white little hands, which looked like steamed buns, and it couldn't even distinguish its five fingers.

They weren't nearly as exquisite and beautiful as the little paper figures she usually used.

Despite her disdain, the little pink butterfly still made a point of lingering in front of Liu Guangzong before heading to the Lin family's old residence.

Little Pink Butterfly had lived in the Lin family's old house for some time, and when she returned, she felt quite emotional.

When Liu Guangzong saw the small paper figures that could move on their own, he knew that it must have been Lin Wanyue's work.

"This is fine!" Lin Wanyue clapped her hands and nodded in satisfaction.

"Can you relax now?" Liu Junlan walked over and said, "With this little paper doll guarding it, it might be much more efficient than you in a fight! The village head is calling us, so you don't need to guard this place alone anymore."

“…Oh.” Liu Guangzong weighed his old arms and legs, then silently put down the wood-chopping knife in his hand and followed the others to the village headman.

…

Once everyone had arrived, the village headman asked Wang Dazhu to recount what had happened that day.

Wang Dazhu's mouth was dry from talking, so he took a big gulp of water before continuing, "As you all know, every time I finish paying my taxes, I go to see my aunt. But this time when I came back, I saw a group of bandits in Xilin Village! They were all carrying knives, it was terrifying."

"When I first entered the village, I saw blood all over the ground and guessed that something was wrong. I also heard some noises coming from nearby, so I quickly hid in the thatched roof of someone's house and that's how I escaped! Those bandits were really vicious and ruthless. They killed people and robbed people. None of them survived." Wang Dazhu shuddered as he thought about the scene he had witnessed.

When those bandits killed people with knives, it was no different from when they killed chickens; blood gushed from the necks of the victims.

Those bandits actually cut off human flesh and roasted it over a fire.

Wang Dazhu hid in the haystack, and the smell made him want to vomit.

It was fortunate that he was short; otherwise, if he were as tall and strong as his son, it would have been really difficult for him to hide in the haystack.

As soon as he said that, everyone couldn't help but think of themselves.

"They...they didn't even spare the women?" a woman asked in terror.

Everyone has heard rumors about bandits to some extent: burning, killing, raping, and looting. Even when they killed women, they would receive some "preferential treatment".

But it didn't have much effect, and in the end they were all reduced to slavery.

But in Wang Dazhu's account, they only heard about the bandits killing, eating, and robbing.

Wang Dazhu nodded with a look of horror on his face, as if he had thought of something terrifying.

"They said women's flesh was the most tender and delicious... so back then, they ate two women, two young girls!"

Upon hearing this, even those who harbored illusions couldn't help but feel goosebumps all over their bodies and cold sweat running down their backs.

The men also had cold expressions.

Women can't escape, and neither can these men!

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