The next day, from dawn to noon, and then to dusk.
The children in the small dark room finally sensed something was wrong.
It was too quiet outside.
Moreover, the bandits had not provided them with food for nearly a day.
"Outside, did something happen?"
Should they go out and see?
The children in the room looked at each other.
Finally, the mute boy and another slightly older boy stepped forward.
They were originally planning to break open the wooden door together.
But strangely, as soon as they touched the wooden door, it was pushed open a crack.
The afterglow of the sunset shone in.
"The door is open?!"
"It's not locked?!"
In an instant, the children in the small dark room all stood up.
Anxious, yet hopeful.
But due to long-term malnutrition, they felt dizzy as soon as they stood up.
Even so, it could not dampen their yearning for freedom.
The mute boy and the older boy exchanged glances and walked out first.
Cautiously looking around.
Soon, they had surveyed the entire village.
Bringing back a shocking piece of news:
—The bandits were dead!
They had died silently overnight.
"Are they all really dead?!"
The children, shocked, supported each other and excitedly walked out of the small dark room.
They first went to see the bodies of the bandits.
Some bandits lay on the ground, some were slumped over the dining table, with unchewed meat still in their mouths.
*Crack!*
A child was about to sneakily grab a piece of meat from the table, but was hit on the hand by an older child next to him.
"You dare to eat this, aren't you afraid of being poisoned?"
The child who wanted to sneak a bite pouted, looking enviously at the delicious food and wine on the table.
"But those people don't look like they were poisoned..."
The fallen bandits either had huge scratch marks on their bodies or signs of being gnawed at.
It was as if...
Some fierce beast had passed through.
"Did they anger the mountain god, and that's why they were killed?"
A little girl guessed.
"No matter what, this place is not suitable for staying long, let's leave here first."
The boy who had come out with the mute boy first spoke.
Ying Zhuo seemed to have some prestige among these children, and as soon as he spoke, everyone stopped talking.
Zhang Xiaobei glanced at the mute boy, and seeing that he had no objection, nodded in agreement.
"Then let's prepare to go down the mountain first."
Afterward, the group split into two teams.
One part went to find the path down the mountain, and the other went to gather dry food.
Once the two parties reunited, they quickly descended the mountain.
Along the way, everyone was afraid of any accidents, constantly looking around.
As soon as there was any movement, they would nervously huddle back-to-back.
But fortunately, until they descended the mountain and reached a safe area, everything went smoothly.
"Phew~ Let's rest for a bit."
As soon as Ying Zhuo finished speaking, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
They stretched their tense muscles and rested briefly under a tree.
"Do you think there are really gods?" a three-year-old girl asked softly.
"Of course there are!"
An eight-year-old boy blurted out confidently, "We have a God of Harvest there!"
"Then why didn't it come to save you?"
The little girl was very confused, "Aren't gods supposed to be very powerful?"
"This..."
The eight-year-old boy scratched his head, his mind racing.
"Every god has different abilities. The God of Harvest is there to bless our harvest!"
"Gods have many busy things to do, how can they bless harvests and save people at the same time."
The little girl blinked, "Oh."
Beside them, other children also spoke in twos and threes:
"We also have gods where I come from, the God of Insects."
"My family believes in the God of Thunder, who fights against any demons and monsters."
Listening to their words, Zhang Xiaobei couldn't help but ask:
"Do you also offer children when you sacrifice to gods in your place?"
As soon as she said this, the children's voices quieted down.
They looked at each other.
No one questioned this, after all, they had almost been sacrificed to that mountain god.
"We do."
A not very clear voice sounded.
Zhang Xiaobei looked over, it was the boy whose hometown believed in the God of Insects.
The boy lowered his head, shrinking himself into a corner.
"In my place, every five major snow sacrifices, a child must be offered."
"I... I was the one who escaped."
As soon as the boy finished speaking, a girl about ten years old chimed in:
"Me too."
The girl seemed to recall something sad, and wiped her eyes.
"I, I was very scared, my brother sent me out, and took my place..."
"I miss mother..." The three-year-old girl's mouth turned down, tears welling up in her eyes.
For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat somber.
Who among them had not left their homes and families?
Zhang Xiaobei looked at the scene and moved closer to the mute boy.
She didn't expect that there were so many people outside who were like her.
Fortunately, she was not alone.
"Thank you, mute boy."
Hearing his name, the mute boy turned to look at her.
A hint of confusion appeared in his eyes.
...
"Has everyone rested enough?"
After a short rest,
Ying Zhuo clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. Then he continued:
"Next, where are you planning to go?"
"I was originally planning to go out to work, but I ran into those bandits on the way.
The adults who came out with me are probably all dead, I plan to go back to my village."
"What about you?"
Where to go?
The children were in a dilemma.
Although they thought about coming out every day when they were in the small dark room.
But when the day finally came, they were a bit at a loss.
Some of them had escaped on their own, some had been sold, and some had been robbed.
Not to mention those who didn't want to go back and didn't know where to go.
Even for those who were robbed or tricked, they were unfamiliar with the place and had no independent survival skills.
Even if they wanted to go back, could they just go back?
Who knew if they would encounter anything else on the road?
As for Zhang Xiaobei and the mute boy...
Although they had a direction to go, they didn't have a specific destination.
They only knew that if they walked in that direction, there might be a village.
Seeing that no one was speaking, Ying Zhuo suggested:
"If you haven't decided where to go yet, why don't you come back to my village with me first?"
During the days they were locked in the small dark room, as the oldest, he always subconsciously took care of these children.
If he could help, he would.
"Can we really?!"
"Brother Ying Zhuo, where do you live?"
The children's eyes lit up first, and they excitedly crowded forward, talking all at once.
But soon, they realized something and forced themselves to calm down.
After all, there was more than one person here.
Brother Ying Zhuo was still a child himself, how could he have so much food and accommodation?
If they went, would they end up burdening him?
What about the people in that village... would they accept them?
"Brother Ying Zhuo, will we burden you if we go?"
Is this really feasible?
...