Chapter 786 A Dream of Youth 318
"Waaah—"
The snowball circled around a water tank in the corner of the wall. It was covered with a thick layer of snow, but it was not filled with water. Instead, it contained some miscellaneous items, so it was not difficult to move.
Remove the water tank, and underneath is a layer of mud mixed with snow, but it looks as if it was deliberately laid down.
Digging away the soil revealed a layer of wooden planks underneath, which turned out to be a cellar.
Xie Ning searched around for a moment, then found a stick and pried open the wooden board. In the process, he accidentally aggravated the wound on his back. But as soon as the board was opened, a sharpened wooden stick pierced out.
"Awooo—"
The snowball made a move to bite, but Xie Ning stumbled and grabbed it, saying, "I'm fine."
Even though she was injured, the young boy, who was full of ruthlessness, was able to completely evade her.
Having said that, he lowered his eyes to meet the gaze of the boy inside. The boy's dirty face was full of astonishment, but his eyes held a deep wariness. His knuckles were white as he gripped the wooden stick. "You, who are you!"
He was afraid. Even though Xie Ning had a pale face and looked frail, her clothes, her aura, and the white wolf beside her were enough to make them instinctively fearful.
Xie Ning took a few steps back, maintaining a safe distance. "I encountered bandits and fled to this place. I originally came to borrow a donkey cart, but..."
Xie Ning glanced around, the meaning of which was self-evident.
The boy peeked at the horrific scene around him, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears.
"Brother Wood." Other childish voices followed, meaning there were other children below.
It made a very small sound and then disappeared.
"Besides me and White Wolf, there is no one else outside. You can come out without worry. But... may I ask if the village has been attacked by bandits or some other calamity?"
Xie Ning slowly retreated, giving them a sense of security.
"They are barbarians from the Northern Jin Dynasty."
A little girl walked out from behind the boy. After she finished speaking, she looked in the direction of her home in a panic. When she saw the corpses, she staggered and rushed over.
"Ma'am!"
Then came a series of low sobs, and the children who had been hiding behind them all ran out. The oldest of them was the boy named Mu Tou, who was only about thirteen or fourteen years old, while the youngest was still walking unsteadily.
The boy stared intently at Xie Ning, afraid that she might do something wrong to them.
As snowflakes fell in layers, Xie Ning wrapped his cloak tighter around himself, his gaze falling on the children who had run out of the cellar. These were the last remaining children of the village; only seven children had survived in the entire village.
The newcomers were not bandits, but soldiers from the Northern Jin Dynasty. What does this mean? Shiling Pass has fallen.
And what about Bingzhou City? It's probably already under siege by now.
Xie Ning's guess was correct. After breaking through Shiling Pass, the Northern Jin army headed straight for Bingzhou. The main force surrounded Bingzhou City, while a small part of the troops were sent to plunder resources in the surrounding area, and it would be best to capture some important towns as well.
The village Xie Ning saw was one of the villages and towns that had been plundered by the Northern Jin army.
"Let's collect the bodies first, so they can rest in peace," Xie Ning said softly to the boy.
The wariness in Mu Tou's eyes lessened slightly, and he silently put down the stick to help the other children move the bodies.
Xie Ning watched from the side, but she was too exhausted to do anything. Just now, her wounds had probably reopened.
Most of the corpses were elderly people and women, with few young adults. They must have been kidnapped to work as laborers. Xie Ning didn't want to think about anything deeper.
It's not good to dig a hole in the snow. The little child, who can't even speak properly, is still digging with a small stick. He doesn't understand what's happening, he only knows that his mother is asleep, and his brother Wood said that his mother should sleep on the ground, otherwise she will be cold.
"Young master, could you... could you help us write the inscription?" The little girl stood somewhat awkwardly at the door. None of them could read, let alone write an inscription.
Do you have pen and ink?
Yes, there are.
The writing brush and ink were taken from the village head's house; the quality wasn't very good, and the brush kept shedding bristles, but Xie Ning's calligraphy was excellent, so it wasn't affected at all.
After dipping their hands in ink, they wrote the name, place of origin, date of death, and the name of the person who erected the tombstone, as well as their relationship to the deceased, on the wooden plaque.
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