Chapter 34 The Debt of a Child (Part 9) Better to Pick a Strong Man...
The door lock snapped shut, startling everyone who stepped back.
However, there was a dead end behind them, and no matter how they hid, it was just a futile resistance.
The head constable received the order, fetched a rope, tied up the men, and shoved them out of the cell.
Wan Hongling and her servant were so weak they could barely move and were speechless.
What I feared most has come to pass. Yesterday they were locked up in jail, and today they're being interrogated. I'm afraid they'll be executed next.
Gu Lianzhou turned to his senior brother and whispered, "Senior brother, do you have a solution?"
Song Qiling was pushed forward, and upon hearing this, she stumbled. She raised her tightly bound hands and gestured to Gu Lianzhou, "Isn't this the time they're letting us out? That's good, it saves us the trouble of escaping."
Gu Lianzhou paused for a moment.
Senior brother has seen it all; he remains calm even when Mount Tai collapses before him. Now that things are about to get really bad, he still has the leisure to joke with him.
Led out of the dungeon, the group finally saw the light of day again. Before they could even see the outside world clearly, a thick plume of blue smoke drifted towards them, blinding them.
Unfortunately, their hands and feet were tightly bound, making it extremely difficult to raise their hands to cover their mouths and noses. They were forced to watch a "colorful rooster" flailing about amidst the swirling smoke.
Colorful strips of cloth swayed in the air, and copper bells jingled with the movement. Suddenly, a pair of arms, as if they had just grown out, emerged from the pile of colorful strips, with fingers spread and trembling slightly.
Song Qiling narrowed her eyes, barely recognizing that the 'thing' diligently performing the ritual in front of her was a shaman.
She wore a white animal bone headdress, obscuring most of her face, and a colorful robe with layers of ribbons sewn onto the cuffs, which swirled like clouds when she waved them. She was barefoot on the ground, dancing in a dazzling display.
"What time is it and you're still in the mood to dance? Untie me right now! Your grandpa is going to rid the people of this scourge and do justice for Heaven!" Although Yu Qi's voice was hoarse, his will was firm, as stubborn as a fighting rooster, ready to fight the sorceress.
But then the sorceress waved her long sleeves, and gray powder was scattered out in an instant, all of it landing on Yu Qi's face.
Yu Qi's words were already a mess before he even got started, and he was so angry that he jumped up and down on the spot. If it weren't for Liu Dai stopping him, he probably would have rushed forward and started fighting with someone.
In an instant, the sorceress's low chanting, Yu Qi's dissatisfaction, and the cries of children filled the room, turning it into complete chaos.
Song Qiling twitched the corner of her mouth and said softly, "It's really lively."
The man wearing the paper bag with the character "官" (official) on his head was also annoyed. He raised his hand to cover his ears and stomped his foot impatiently. The "soldiers" behind him immediately understood and stepped forward to gag the children and Yu Qi.
In a short while, the room became much quieter, with only the jingling of the silver bells as the sorceress walked around echoing in the large room.
As the smoke gradually dissipated, the butcher, with his hideous boar-like beast on his head, strode forward and walked towards Song Qiling and his group.
Walk over...
Song Qiling slightly raised her eyebrows.
He actually stirred things up.
As the butcher paced back and forth in front of them, as if selecting livestock in the sheepfold during a festival, even though they couldn't see his gaze, they could still sense an unsettling atmosphere.
Since he was a blood-stained monster, no one wanted to be the first to step forward, so they all hid in the back.
Suddenly, the butcher stopped in his tracks.
Song Qiling glanced sideways at the sound of movement.
But a tall, muscular man stood quietly not far away, his black pig head looking down at the trembling boy.
After only a brief pause, the rough, dirty hand lifted the boy up and dragged him to the millstone.
Song San's brow twitched. He saw the butcher pick up the child and place him on the millstone. After the sorceress gave her permission, he tore open the child's clothes, drew a dagger from his waist, and raised it high!
"Waaaaah—" Upon seeing this, the boy struggled violently, kicking his legs wildly in the air, and his tattered straw sandals were thrown into the haystack.
The others were also thrown into chaos, their eyes turning bloodshot with shock.
The sharp knife fell, piercing straight into the boy's chest. Instantly, blood splattered onto the horrifying black pig's head, pooling together and dripping onto the ground.
With a buzzing sound, blood flowed into the gaps of the millstone, trickling into the outlet below the millstone, where it was collected by a jade bottle.
Seeing this, the man wearing the paper bag with the character "官" (official) on his head nodded in satisfaction, strode forward, picked up the jade bottle, sealed it, and casually put it into his sleeve.
The boy on the millstone had stopped making any noise for some time now.
"Murder! Miss, they've killed someone..." Qiu'er trembled, her legs went weak, and she staggered forward, about to fall.
Wan Hongling's pupils trembled slightly, and she exclaimed in alarm, "Qiu'er, no!"
Everyone was behaving themselves like quails, but Qiu'er stumbled out of the crowd, attracting the butcher's attention. Through the thick pig's head, his cold gaze seemed to be tangible as it fell on Qiu'er's thin figure.
Who says the butcher only takes one person's blood today?
What if we take everyone in order?
If Qiu'er shows fear now, she'll be the one to stick her neck out; if we don't hit her, who will we hit?
Sure enough, the butcher turned slightly and walked back towards the crowd.
Wan Hongling immediately lost her composure, turned her head to Song Qiling for help, "Sorcerer Song, please save Qiu'er!"
Of the group, only the sorcerer Song had mastered the art of exorcising demons. If even he were to stand idly by, not only would Qiu'er's life be in danger, but everyone present would likely not survive the day.
Song Qiling looked down at a pair of leather boots that had just rolled over the pool of blood on the ground, leaving a winding red trail on the bluestone slab, as if a demon from hell had descended upon the world.
Saving lives is not difficult, but how can one see through illusions?
As the butcher approached, Qiu'er turned pale with fright and was too terrified to react.
Song Qiling frowned slightly.
"Wait a minute," she suddenly said.
The air suddenly became still.
A glint flashed in the eyes of Wan Hongling and her servant, as if hope had been rekindled, and they both turned to look at Song Qiling.
The jet-black pig's head also slowly turned.
The rope binding her hands slipped off, and Song Qiling twisted her wrists, looked up at the butcher, and grinned, "What kind of skill is it to bully women and children?"
Several pairs of eyes turned towards the source of the sound, and then, without prior agreement, looked down at the broken hemp rope.
When did he untie the knot?
The butcher straightened his back, released Qiu'er who was slumped on the ground, and strode towards Song Qiling.
This evil spirit really fell for the provocation!
The ground trembled slightly, and fine dust fell from the roof beams. Song Qiling raised her sleeve to cover her mouth and nose, looking at the butcher who was getting closer with considerable disgust.
The blood that the child had previously spurted had stained most of the pigs and beasts red, and the stench of blood mixed with the butcher's foul odor was now even more overwhelming, making people's minds go blank.
Song Qiling opened her eyes with difficulty, her pair of dark pupils rolling around in their sockets. Then she whispered something and, in full view of everyone, pushed out the person next to her.
"If you want fresh blood, why not choose a strong man?" She gave the butcher a sly smile. "Children and women won't do. What do you think of my junior brother?"
After saying that, she slapped Gu Lianzhou's arm so hard it made a "bang bang" sound, and said with a smug look on her face, "Look how sturdy it is."
Suddenly pushed forward by his senior brother, Young Master Gu and the pig's head on the butcher's neck stared at each other, their expressions frozen for a moment before turning to Song Qiling and saying resentfully, "Senior brother..."
Wan Hongling was nearly stunned.
She thought the sorcerer Song had come up with some brilliant idea, but she never imagined it would be this... She always saw the two brothers as having a close, brotherly relationship, so how could they be like this now...?
Could it be that she misjudged the sorcerer Song?
“Good junior brother, you took a knife for us today, consider it a debt your senior brother owes you.” Song Qiling eased the force of his blows, his face becoming even more amiable, and kindly advised, “Since the official wants blood, we will give it to him.”
"Mmm—" Yu Qi, whose mouth had been gagged, was so angry that her face turned red when she heard her nonsense. She mumbled incoherently, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Damn it! ...
What deep feelings and true nature? Bah! Who would have thought that Yu Qi would misjudge someone like that!
Song Qiling watched his junior brother walk towards the millstone with the butcher, then turned his head and gave the crowd a sheepish smile, which, in the eyes of others, seemed to exude the cunning and treacherous air of a petty person.
Unlike the child, Gu Lianzhou was much taller than the butcher, so he couldn't be lifted and placed on the millstone as before. The butcher hesitated for a moment, then abandoned the dagger on the millstone and picked up the machete on the ground. After weighing it in his hand, he raised his hand to chop at the man's neck.
This slash was actually aimed at the head.
A gust of wind rushed straight to his face. In a flash, Gu Lianzhou raised his hands and used the hemp rope binding his hands to block. However, the butcher used all his strength. Even though the hemp rope was thick and absorbed a lot of the force, the cleaver still knocked Gu Lianzhou down. He was trapped between the millstone and the cleaver and could not escape.
In an instant, the blade sliced through the knot, allowing Gu Lianzhou to grab it with his bare hands, his palm instantly torn open.
Fresh blood trickled down the wound, splattering onto the surface of the millstone and spreading out in a spiderweb-like pattern.
Song Qiling couldn't help but wipe a cold sweat from her heart.
If this plan fails, although the junior brother's physical body may be preserved, his mind and spirit will likely be damaged.
Thinking this, he reached his fingers into the hidden pocket at his waist and pulled out a yellow talisman.
"Snap—" A crisp sound suddenly rang out.
Pig Head paused slightly, then suddenly peeked behind Gu Lianzhou. After a long silence, as if he had seen something unbelievable, he released his grip on Gu Lianzhou and took a step back.
Gu Lianzhou straightened up, leaning on the millstone, and turned his head to look at the strange gazes of the crowd.
But then the millstone, stained with bloodstains, began to tremble. An inconspicuous crack stretched across both ends of the millstone, showing signs of widening, and emitted a cracking sound similar to a dislocated bone.
The millstone, which was perfectly fine just a moment ago, has now cracked.
"Oh dear..." Upon seeing this, the official in his official hat looked as if he had been pecked on the heel by a fighting rooster. He shuffled over, shook his wide sleeves, clapped his hands together, and kept sighing, making a show of great annoyance.
Perhaps finding Gu Lianzhou an obstacle, he simply waved his long sleeves and shoved the man back into the crowd. Then he turned around, raised his finger, and pointed it tremblingly at the butcher, as if complaining about his incompetence.
Song Qiling breathed a sigh of relief.
With the millstone cracked, he probably won't be able to continue killing people for blood anymore.
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