A faint, musty smell, mixed with the earthy odor, lingered in the nostrils. It was a rather dilapidated tile-roofed house, with only four bare walls and no furnishings. The only thing hanging on the wall was a roll of yellow cloth with conspicuous cinnabar runes on it.
"..."
Feng Bingwen pursed his lips, surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings, and silently assessed his current state.
The oppressive, heavy aura that had been weighing on his limbs had dissipated, and he could move freely without any restraints. It seemed that the situation wasn't too bad.
Were you also abducted here?
Feng Bingwen looked at the children around his age, all of them sallow-faced and emanating a faint, unpleasant odor of sweat. Judging from their features, they were all boys; there were no girls among them.
"..."
There was silence. None of the other three children, who had likely suffered similar fates, answered his question.
But now was not the time for embarrassment. Feng Bingwen stepped forward, pointed to the bruises and wounds on their bodies, and asked again,
"Were these injuries inflicted by those bastards? They're scumbags!"
As Feng Bingwen moved closer, he could see the three boys more clearly. Judging from their appearance alone, there was not a single good spot on their bodies; they were covered in bruises, and some areas were even blackish-blue.
Such injuries are painful to look at, but the calm, or rather numb, expressions on the faces of these three children suggest they've become accustomed to them.
Do you know where this place is?
Unwilling to give up after receiving no reply, Feng Bingwen continued to make small talk.
Do you want to escape?
Finally, one of the children spoke up. His numb eyes looked at Feng Bingwen, and a ripple appeared in them. However, his tone carried a mockery that should not be present in a child of his age.
Don't you want to go home?
Feng Bingwen asked in return.
"We can't escape; their people are everywhere outside."
The only child who spoke up was filled with despair. Feng Bingwen was invigorated and tried to talk to him again, but the boy ignored him and wouldn't speak to him no matter how much he tried, just like a puppet.
Helpless, Feng Bingwen could only carefully inspect the dark, damp, low-lying tile-roofed house. All the windows were sealed shut, without a single gap. There was only one exit, which was blocked by a thick solid wood door. He tried to open it, but couldn't.
"Calm down, you have to calm down!"
In a completely unfamiliar environment, with no way to escape and no useful information, Feng Bingwen tried his best to keep his emotions calm.
"Wait, wait patiently. They won't lock us up here and let us starve. This door will open sooner or later."
Feng Bingwen sat on the uneven muddy ground, staring blankly at the gate, waiting for the moment when the thick wooden door would be opened.
Finally, with the sound of the latch being pulled open, followed by a sour creaking sound, the wooden door was finally opened, and the pure white moonlight poured down like water, sprinkling onto the muddy ground.
"Huh? Why is there one more?"
The moonlight streaming into the house from outside cast a shadow that wasn't particularly large. As he entered the house, Feng Bingwen could see the man's appearance clearly.
He was also a rather honest-looking man, with rough, dark skin on his face, honed by years of wind and sun exposure.
But now that things have come to this, how could Feng Bingwen judge a book by its cover? The boy who drugged him and brought him here was also unremarkable and didn't look like a bad person.
"Forget it, one more or one less won't make a difference. There's only this much left. Take it or leave it!"
As he spoke, the person threw what he was holding on the ground, turned around and left, closing the door before Feng Bingwen could react, giving him no chance to think.
The moment the gate closed, the other three children in the tiled house, who were covered in wounds and had been sitting motionless for a long time, rushed down from what the man had thrown down like three hungry dogs, and then the sound of chewing could be heard.
Feng Bingwen frowned, stood up, and went over to take a look. Surrounded by the three children was a wooden basin filled with various food scraps.
swill!
Although he wasn't exactly living a life of luxury, Feng Bingwen, who had always been well-off since childhood, couldn't help but twitch his little face when he saw this scene.
While this description might be somewhat inappropriate, the scene at this moment resembled feeding pigs. However, the ones scrambling for food in the wooden bucket weren't pigs, but children who should have been carefully cared for by their parents.
Don't give me a chance!
Feng Bingwen sat back down. Although he was hungry, he would never touch this kind of food meant for pigs.
After enduring hunger for a while, Feng Bingwen managed to get through the night in the dilapidated tile-roofed house. Fortunately, it was only the beginning of summer, so the night wasn't too cold.
When Feng Bingwen woke up, he had barely opened his eyes when he heard the wooden door open again. This time, it wasn't just one person who came in, but a group of people.
Among this group of people, there were two he recognized quite well, one of whom was Qi Laosi, who had once tried to turn him into livestock, but failed because he was in good health.
"Hey! This kid is the one you caught yesterday, right? Why is he locked up here?"
The person who entered the room immediately noticed Feng Bingwen, who stood out from the crowd. Although his clothes were dusty, his fair face made him quite eye-catching.
"This kid is a bit unusual; he's been temporarily locked up here."
"That's what Qi Laosi replied."
"Not ordinary? What's so extraordinary about it? Perfect timing, White Crocodile Bay is holding a river god worship ceremony this time, let's send this kid over, they've offered a very good price this time!"
Upon hearing this, all the eyes of the young men who entered the tiled house fell on Feng Bingwen.
Feng Bingwen, who had originally wanted to observe further, was also shocked.
Licentious and evil rituals!
The government has explicitly prohibited human sacrifices, and those who dare to violate this law will be punished without hesitation. However, to everyone's surprise, there are still villages that dare to do so.
"Hahaha, what a load of crap! White Crocodile Bay only produced two gold coins this time. Old Qi said that if this kid sells for less than ten gold coins, he'll be losing money."
Upon hearing this, someone burst into laughter, and the crowd joined in the jeers. Qi Lao Si, who had come along, became enraged and embarrassed.
"You bunch of ignorant peasants, this is the grandson of a scholar, he carries an air of refinement about him, don't you understand?"
"Save your breath, Qi Laosi. Don't try to fool us country bumpkins with that kind of talk. Wait until you meet someone rich before you try to fool them!"
"Alright, enough nonsense. Hurry up and pick out the goods and deliver them to White Crocodile Bay. They're in a rush! If we miss their deadline, we won't get paid."
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