Although the Northwest often suffers from drought, spring is usually quite rainy, especially this year. It seems that because the droughts in previous years were so severe, the rains are being replenished all at once this year.
After passing through another village, they would be able to catch up with the evildoers Li Tianlin had mentioned, but suddenly it started to rain, and the rain was quite heavy. Under normal circumstances, it would be best to find a place to take shelter from the rain and wait for it to stop before continuing.
But time waits for no one, and evildoers will not delay their actions because of their pause, so they cannot stop and can only move forward in the rain.
"Hang in there, we'll catch up in two more hours," Zhu Qiuyu's voice came from outside into the carriage.
"I know, Senior Brother, don't worry about us. We won't get wet inside the carriage, but you should be careful while driving outside," Zhu Qingruo replied loudly.
"I brought a raincoat and a straw hat, so I won't get wet." Spring is rainy, and raincoats, straw hats, and paper umbrellas are essential when going out. Zhu Qiuyu had thought of this long ago.
The horse might feel unwell, but there's nothing we can do right now. We can only rush to the next village as soon as possible, stay there for a few more days, and give the horse some medicine to treat its cold.
After rushing for a while, we finally arrived at the next village two hours later. By then, the rain was falling even harder. Although it was only late afternoon, the sky was dark and the weather was cold.
Zhu Qiuyu gazed at the village in the distance, feeling that it was eerie and extremely oppressive. Even as she got closer, she couldn't hear any sounds coming from the village—no barking dogs, crowing roosters, children's laughter, or adults' cursing.
"Are the people still in the village? It's so deserted. Could all the villagers have been killed?" Zhu Yueran asked Zhu Chumo inside the carriage.
Zhu Chumo lifted his eyelids and said calmly, "Let's go into the village. Although those people are vicious, they are only good at deception. We can handle them."
The carriage slowly entered the village. Zhu Xichen lifted the carriage curtain and jumped down, knocking on doors one by one. "Is anyone home? We are on our way to Qingcheng to visit relatives. We are passing through here today, and it is getting dark. We would like to ask for lodging for the night. Could you please do us a favor?"
Zhu Xichen called out to each house he knocked on, tirelessly. After knocking on several houses, his voice gradually lowered, and his throat became a little uncomfortable.
At the village chief's house, a pretty young woman dressed in a plain cotton coat hurriedly entered through the back door. Inside, the village chief's family and more than a dozen children were tied up. The mouths of the tied-up people, adults and children alike, were stuffed with dry grass, making it impossible for them to speak.
A beautiful woman sat at the head of the octagonal table, dressed in a bright red dress, red embroidered shoes, and a few simple ornaments on her head. She wore a silver bracelet on each of her fair wrists. Her face was as beautiful as a peach blossom, and her lips were tinged with rouge. She was dressed exactly like a bride.
Despite her seemingly gentle and refined appearance, she sat with an unrestrained posture, leaning casually against the edge of the table, her smile perfectly appropriate, yet her eyes held a strange and eerie quality.
"Miss Hong, two carriages have arrived outside. They say they are passing through and would like to stay the night," the beautiful woman who had just entered reported, bowing her head slightly.
"Did you see clearly? Is anyone trained in martial arts?" The woman called Hong Niangzi had a melodious and gentle voice that was very pleasant to listen to. If you didn't know what kind of person she was, you would never guess from her appearance that she was a ruthless and vicious female demon. "Ruthless" is not even an adequate description.
"I couldn't see the faces of the two coachmen clearly, but the young man who knocked on the door was extremely handsome, dressed in flowing white robes and exuding an ethereal aura. I guess he must know martial arts," the woman in plain clothes replied.
"Yan Niang, don't be blinded by a man's handsome appearance. Men aren't always reliable. Women still have to rely on themselves." Hong Niangzi gently stroked Yan Niang's face with her slender, fair fingers.
Seeing the strange look in Hong Niangzi's eyes again, the other beautiful women in plain clothes were also a little scared. Although they had been following Hong Niangzi for quite some time, they were still afraid every time they saw her about to have an outburst.
"Kill him, I'll kill him no matter how handsome he is. What kind of thing is he? He's not even worthy to carry my shoes." Hong Niangzi's face suddenly twisted, and she stood up abruptly, raising her knife to strike.
Yan Niang quickly hugged her, pressed Hong Niangzi's head against her chest, and said gently, "Calm down. Those people don't look easy to deal with. Don't act rashly."
“Yes, Red Lady, don’t be impulsive. None of us are particularly skilled, except for you. If the person who comes is tough, we’ll be in danger,” Green Lady added, trying to persuade her.
Hong Niangzi stubbornly struggled like a trapped beast, even trying to attack Yan Niang. Zi Niang, who was beside her, quickly took out a small bottle from her bosom, poured out a red pill from the bottle, and stuffed it into Hong Niangzi's mouth.
After swallowing the pill, Hong Niangzi quickly calmed down. She nestled in Yan Niang's arms and said softly, "Hide all these people away so that the newcomers don't see them. We'll act according to the situation and make our move after nightfall."
The others breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, Hong Niangzi hadn't gone crazy, otherwise it would have been another chaotic scene.
Yan Niang comforted Hong Niangzi, while the others led the village chief and the other twenty-odd people to a side room in the corner, leaving one person to guard them before the others returned to the main room.
"It's getting dark, and I'm hungry. I want to eat a child. Zi Niang, go and cook one." Hong Niangzi looked innocent, but her eyes were gleaming with a green light. The curve of her lips remained unchanged, but it inexplicably carried a sinister air.
Zi Niang sighed inwardly and glanced at Yan Niang. Before Yan Niang could speak, Hong Niangzi's face darkened. "My words have no effect. Do I need someone else to make decisions for me even about eating a child?"
"Go quickly, don't let Hong Niangzi go hungry." Yan Niang hurriedly gestured to Zi Niang to go to the kitchen to cook.
Zi Niang strode towards the side room where people were imprisoned. Hei Niang, who was inside, looked at Zi Niang with some confusion and asked, "Why are you here again?"
“Red Lady wants to eat children,” Zi Niang said helplessly in a low voice.
"Didn't we already eat lunch? We haven't finished eating yet!" Hei Niang immediately shut her mouth after saying that, glancing nervously towards the main room, afraid that Hong Niangzi had overheard what she had just said.
"She's in a bad mood, so let's be careful and talk less," Zi Niang reminded her, before picking up a baby who had just learned to crawl and leaving.
...
"Smoke is coming out of the chimney over there, so it seems everyone's there. A few of us will go over there, while Junior Brother, the two Junior Sisters, and Li Tianlin will stay in the carriage." The reason for keeping Li Tianlin out of sight was to prevent the women from recognizing him.
"Senior brothers, hurry up! What if those crazy women are boiling the children?" Zhu Qingruo urged hurriedly, enduring the discomfort in her stomach.
Those women, led by the woman in red, were a vicious gang. They not only knew kung fu, but also were adept at using their beauty to bewitch others and take their lives when they were off guard.
They kill everyone, and one of them has a peculiar habit: he likes to eat infants, especially steamed ones. They are even more terrifying than the monsters in picture books.
Zhu Qingruo was anxious when she saw the smoke from the chimneys, fearing that the women were steaming children. However, she didn't want to go herself, afraid of witnessing a scene that would make her nauseous.
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