When it was time for dinner, I looked at a gray flour steamed bun and a small bowl of boiled green leafy vegetables.
Rong Chaoxi looked up at the woman who was serving the food, "Grandma, where's the meat? I want to eat meat."
The old woman turned around when she heard the voice, her eyes were sharp and she looked like someone who was not to be trifled with.
"You think you're a rich girl! You want to eat meat all the time! If you want to eat it, eat it. If you don't want to eat it, go to the woods and pick wild vegetables!"
The entire pen of laying hens was gone, and the mother-in-law was very angry.
The elder sister beside him quickly pulled Rong Chaoxi, who was about to speak, and gently persuaded him:
"Xiao Chaoxi, there are a lot of people here, and it's good enough to have steamed buns and vegetables to eat. We don't usually get to eat meat."
"Didn't you eat a lot last night? Just bear with it, you can eat meat during the festival."
There were more than two hundred children living in this small courtyard. They were all beggars picked up from the streets or bought from families selling children in the village.
They are very grateful that they can have a full meal with just a little work here.
As for meat, I am content if I can taste it once a year.
They didn't want to eat the roast chicken last night.
The old women said that those chickens were used to lay eggs or to be killed and made into soup during festivals.
They were all children from poor families, so they naturally understood how precious these poultry were.
But Little Tiger and Curly said that they were killed by wild beasts in the mountains and it would be a waste not to eat them.
Plus, I couldn't resist the temptation of the aroma, so I took a bite.
The children felt somewhat guilty today and worked extra hard.
Rong Chaoxi has only been here for one day, so it’s understandable that she is not used to the food.
"Little princess, you eat first. I'll go to the woods to shoot birds later and roast them for you." Xiaohu touched her drooping little head and said in a low voice.
Thinking about the two days when she was begging in the city, it was a world of difference from now.
She had to find an opportunity to go down the mountain. The little princess's family must be looking for her.
Rong Chaoxi didn't say anything, but just silently turned his gaze to the lambs grazing on the mountain behind.
…………
Just as the sky was getting light, a scream replaced the crowing of a rooster.
"Master, that damned thing is here again. The only three sheep in our family are now only covered in wool..."
The woman sat on the ground and cried.
Three sheep were enough to feed so many people for a month, but now they were gone in one night.
What will they do in the future? Will the people above them fill this gap for them?
Taoist Cheng looked towards the deep forest with a serious look.
After a moment, he looked at the man and said, "Bring them to the altar before sunrise tomorrow."
"There are only two hundred and twenty-three children now..." The man stammered, "Shouldn't...you want five hundred?"
Cheng Daoren's face was terrifyingly gloomy, and the man couldn't help but feel fear.
"Let's leave it like this for now. The missing ones will be left at the next sacrifice."
After saying this, Taoist Cheng turned and left.
He released his perception last night and found no large wild beasts approaching the yard. It was probably something else that ate the chickens and sheep.
And it was that thing that slapped him yesterday.
This matter is a bit tricky, and we must absorb some of the true dragon energy as soon as possible for our own use.
The two old women looked at each other.
The beast is not eliminated?
"Can you make me a sweater with this wool?"
A gurgling sound broke the brief silence.
Rong Chaoxi squatted beside the soft wool, looking at him with an innocent look.
…
The next day, the sun was hanging on the mountainside.
The children held hands and climbed to the big round platform at the top of the mountain.
"Brother..." Xiaoyuan was a little afraid of heights and held Curly's hand tightly.
"Don't look. If you don't look, you won't be afraid." Curly covered her eyes.
Xiaohu and several older children surrounded the little ones to prevent anyone from accidentally falling off the cliff.
"Uncle, what are we doing here?" a child asked boldly.
Some of the children were still asleep, and because of the heavy dew and cold morning, they began to cry.
"Shut up! If you cry again, I'll throw you all down!" the man threatened impatiently.
Although they were provided with food and drink, the women and men were not very nice to them on a daily basis.
Seeing his gloomy face, the children immediately fell silent.
The sun fully woke up and emerged from the top of the mountain.
The man saw that Cheng Daoist was not coming this time, and his patience gradually ran out. "Hmph! Why haven't you come yet?"
He walked back and forth with his arms folded to keep out the cold.
It was not until the entire mountain was rimmed with gold that Cheng Daoren finally arrived.
But his walking posture was a little strange.
He covered his arm with one hand and supported his leg with the other, limping over.
When I got closer, I saw that there were several bloody holes on Master Cheng's face.
Although the bleeding had stopped, it still looked hideous, as if something sharp had pierced the flesh.
In some places, you can even see bones.
The dark Taoist robe also has some black marks.
The man hurried forward to support him, but when he saw his face, he couldn't help but gasp.
"Master, are you... okay?"
"You have nothing to do here. Go guard the intersection and don't let anyone come up."
When Cheng Daoren pulled out his arm, it seemed as if he had pulled the wound. His face twisted for a moment and turned even paler.
The man rubbed his hands and went down the mountain in disappointment.
Rong Chaoxi squeezed his little head out from between the two long legs, looked at the miserable-looking Cheng Dao Ren, and couldn't help but "tsk tsk" twice.
"How pitiful... Birds are more cruel."
Taoist Cheng sat on the round platform nearby and looked at the confused children at the altar, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp.
"Once I absorb the Dongwu Dragon Vein and have enough strength, that little backlash will be nothing! Next time, I will never let you go easily!" He muttered to himself, gritting his teeth.
After a while, the pain in his body eased and Taoist Cheng relaxed.
He sat cross-legged, made hand gestures, and muttered something.
Rong Chaoxi squatted down, held her little face on her knees, and yawned loudly.
“So slow…”
Suddenly, a strong wind rushed up and then stopped suddenly.
When he opened his eyes, he saw an invisible beam of light enveloping the platform.
"What...what is this?"
A child reached out to touch it, then jerked his hand back as if he had been electrocuted.
The next moment, his face suddenly turned pale and he fell to the ground in pain, holding his chest.
Rong Chaoxi stood up, twisted his neck, and showed a sly smile.
"Come and absorb my spiritual energy. In a moment, I'll be so strong that even your mother won't recognize you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, countless thin lines shot out from the light shield, and the children trembled with fear.
Rong Chaoxi raised her lotus root-like arms, and the thin white lines that were supposed to shoot at everyone gathered towards her palm.
"Don't touch that..." The child who fell to the ground said these words with difficulty and then fainted.
Xiao Hu suddenly looked up at Rong Chaoxi and screamed in fear, "Little Princess, get out of the way!"
But when he shouted this, all the thin lines had already wrapped Rong Chaoxi tightly and lifted him into the air.
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