Once the black ropes were pulled apart, I could see the kneeling people, all carrying explosive barrels. However, I just realized that they had already been washed away by the flood.
"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!" Many people were vomiting. They probably ate some explosive powder, otherwise why would they be vomiting everywhere?
"Waaah, I'm so pretty, you guys are so heartless."
"I'm the prettiest one, with such big eyes! You guys are so annoying!"
The two little ones started shouting and jumping around. There was a small pond nearby, and they wanted to jump in for a bath, but they couldn't outrun the constables and were caught.
"Kneel down properly. If you have nothing to say, take me to the jail and wait until you're ready to talk."
Lord Wu spoke in a lazy manner. As soon as he finished speaking, the little ones wanted to jump out and say that they knew, but they just wanted to take a bath.
“Weren’t you crying and cursing just now? You’re all country kids. As far as I know, you only take a bath once every six months or even every few years.”
“Hey~ We’re daughters from good families, not country bumpkins!” A chubby girl said first. “My dad is well-educated and even writes love poems for my mom. They dress very well, and we eat delicacies every day. How could we be country bumpkins!”
"That's right. When we go out, we have horse-drawn carriages, different kinds of chicken legs to eat, and we can eat several candied hawthorns at once."
“My parents are also scholars. They brought me to the village from their house half a year ago. They have never mistreated me. They all say I am a good boy. As long as I am obedient and help cause trouble, all the good things are mine.”
Several little girls were wailing. They were still young, and each one sounded more pitiful than the last. They would first praise themselves and their families, and then say that they were only after food.
"Go check their hands, feet, and teeth." Lord Wu ordered two constables over, but the little ones struggled and refused to cooperate with the inspection.
"You say you come from a good family, are well-educated and well-mannered, but you can't even cooperate on such a simple matter. It seems you are fake young ladies, real country bumpkins, or people who have never seen the world."
The little ones immediately stopped struggling. The constables looked at them and said, "Their fingernails are full of black dirt, their hands and feet are rough, but their legs are strong. They must be farm kids."
"Adults can justify their lies, but when children lie, you adults are quite good at teaching them. So pour water on them and wash the gunpowder into their mouths. If you want it to explode, it's better to swallow it."
Lord Wu is so young, yet he is very good at solving cases. Xie Yuancheng took me to the other side; I wanted to hear more.
"Ying'er, they won't say anything for now. Let's go rest over there so we don't have to listen to the noise."
Xie Yuancheng dragged me away. When I turned around, I saw the soldiers grabbing me like they were washing clothes, swirling me around in the pool a few times, then pushing me down and dragging me away. They even sprinkled deodorizing powder and lime on my body.
"Sir, we are still young. Things will get better when we grow up. Please let us go."
"Drag them all away, remember to drag them away. We can't give these assassins an easy way out. Make sure they're tied up securely."
Lord Wu's voice rang out again, followed by a chorus of wails. I tried to turn around to look, but Xie Yuancheng put his arm around my shoulder and wouldn't let me see, so I had no choice but to keep walking forward.
"Ying'er, let's go to the village and take a look." Xie Yuancheng put his arm around me and walked forward. I could hear some cries for help, for mercy, and forgiveness, but the voices were quiet, and there were also shouts.
"It would have been so much better if they had just confessed, instead of making the children suffer."
"This was intentional, using children as a shield. Lord Wu is unmarried, so he treats everyone equally, adults and children alike, which is why he showed no mercy just now."
"That's true. If we keep arguing, we'll never be able to explain ourselves clearly." I heard the sound of whipping again, and when I turned around, I saw some people who hadn't left running away faster than anyone else after being whipped a few times.
"Ying'er, stop watching. Watching won't change their fate. They dared to use poisonous insects to attack us; that alone is enough to make them suffer."
He had barely finished speaking when the ditch was filled with flames and a foul odor. The fire grew larger and larger, though not as large as the one with the giant anaconda, it was still quite frightening.
Those people are actually crying! They released poisonous insects that almost killed us, and they have the nerve to cry? I don't think they have anywhere to cry.
"It really proves those sayings true: when people are shameless, they are invincible. Are we just going to be stupid enough to wait for them to kill us and only laugh when we've done what they want?"
"Ying'er, many people have this mentality. Don't overthink it. Even if they are sad and upset, they will still carry out the punishment. The people in the village are not simple. It is possible that they bought the village specifically to deal with us."
"Didn't Lord Wu just say that those little ones are all doing farm work?"
"That's what's strange. Let's go to the village and take a look; maybe we can find some clues."
"Should we burn the village down first, so that some strange things don't come out? Those crawlers are disgusting to look at, we can't take the risk."
"We've already taken a risk. The village has been scouted, so there shouldn't be any problems."
I turned to look at Xie Yuancheng. He seemed quite confident, but fate had other plans. Luckily, my brain worked exceptionally well today, which allowed me to save them.
"Yuancheng, are there really no casualties today? These young men have risked their lives with you, and now that they're finally starting to live a stable life, they still have a long way to go."
"Really, no, they are very grateful to you. They will obey your orders. From now on, you are their master."
"It's not that exaggerated. I will only be your master. Once I have you, many things will be mine."
"You~" Xie Yuancheng pinched my nose. If we weren't outside, I would have been leaning on him to walk.
The village was not far away. Lord Wu had already escorted the people back, so we headed into the village. Just as we reached the village entrance, we saw an old woman with a cane, her skin brown and her hands marked with the signs of age.
"Old man, is this Fenglin Village?" A young man went ahead to ask for directions, while we waited behind.
"Yes, you just arrested some people. This is the only village nearby. My son went out with them to plant maple trees and hasn't come back yet."
The old lady's mental state must not be very good. I looked into the village and saw mostly elderly people using canes.
"How could they be like this? Did they take some kind of medication for the elderly, or is it just that they've gotten old?" I held Xie Yuancheng's hand, wondering if this is what happens when people get old.
"Ying'er, let's not jump to conclusions about things we're not sure about. Let's wait and see."
Xie Yuancheng pulled me forward. I was still worried that there was something wrong with the village, but it turned out I was overthinking it. The village was a bit dilapidated. It looked quite nice from the outside, but once inside, it was full of crumbling houses without even a courtyard.
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