"Little mute, where are we going next?"
The next day, at the crack of dawn, the two set off with dry rations.
Where to go?
Little mute pointed in a direction.
They had heard from people who came to the fishing village to buy supplies that there should be people living in that direction.
Where there are people, there will be food.
Whether they looked nearby or found work, they wouldn't starve to death.
However, plans could not keep up with changes.
Not long after they set off, the two encountered robbers.
The robbers were all clad in tiger skins, stout, and had unpleasant expressions.
They held large sabers, and when swung, the blades reflected cold light. Big Wind Novel
"If you don't want to die, follow us quickly!"
These bandits not only robbed them of their food but also dragged Zhang Xiaobei and Little Mute up the mountain.
At first, Little mute couldn't understand. He and Xiaobei were just two children; what was the use of taking them up the mountain?
On the contrary, it added two more mouths to feed.
It wasn't until they reached the mountain and entered the bandit's den that he saw a room full of children like them.
Only then did he suddenly realize something.
"Quick, get in!"
The fierce bandits shoved the two into a small dark room and tapped the door frame with the back of their sabers.
"Be quiet, or you'll regret it!"
Thump, thump, thump!
The cold light reflected from the blades fell into the room, illuminating the frightened, bewildered, and tender faces.
The children who had been crying moments ago fell silent instantly.
The youngest was only about three years old.
The little girl's eyes widened, tears welling up, and she bit her lip tightly, afraid to make a sound.
Seeing this, the bandit at the door nodded with satisfaction.
With a bang, the door was closed.
Through the door, the bandits' laughter could be heard.
"Hahaha, the mountain god has blessed us today; we met two little ones as soon as we went out."
"Let's go and do two more jobs, and tonight we'll feast like kings!"
"Hahaha, listen to the boss!"
...
Another god?
Jiang Lin raised an eyebrow.
It seemed that this period was even more ancient than he had imagined.
He pondered with a沉眸.
So many 'gods' appearing in the world... were there any records in the Underworld?
What about the Heavenly Palace?
In the memories of 'Jiang Lin's' past life, had he ever heard of this?
The answer was no.
In 'Jiang Lin's' past life, people advocated cultivating themselves into gods.
Moreover, gods who ascended rarely reappeared in the world.
The Heavenly Palace had very strict regulations, and the divine officials were very busy, with no time to descend to the mortal realm.
Wait...
Jiang Lin suddenly remembered something: the Heavenly Palace's library had ninety-nine floors.
And ordinary divine officials could only see up to the thirty-third floor.
The records mostly pertained to events in the Heavenly Palace in recent years.
"Could it be... this happened much earlier?"
—Did it happen before the various regulations of the Heavenly Palace were perfected?
Thinking of this, Jiang Lin suddenly became interested.
These were 'records' that were difficult to find even in the Underworld and the Heavenly Palace, so the amount of information would be very rich!
...
In the small dark room—
Unlike Little mute's silence, Zhang Xiaobei could chatter on her own for a long time.
Moreover, there were so many children in front of her.
In just a short while, she had figured out the situation.
The youngest in this room was three years old, and the oldest was fifteen.
They were all captured by the bandits from various places and offered to the mountain god.
They didn't know much about the mountain god, only that he was powerful.
He not only protected the bandits but also provided them with a lot of food.
Another sacrifice...
Zhang Xiaobei's heart sank, and she continued to ask:
"What kind of food?"
"Big fish and big meat, fine wine, everything you can imagine."
When this was mentioned, the children in the room all spoke up.
They smacked their lips and kept swallowing their saliva.
"There was so much delicious food, fragrant pastries, roast duck, chicken legs, braised pork..."
"And more, and more! Their wine smelled of grain!"
"I really want to eat meat too..."
Hearing this, Zhang Xiaobei's eyes lit up:
"Did you see those foods with your own eyes?"
Did the bandits let them out of this room?
Wouldn't that mean there was a chance to escape?
"How could that be?"
The three-year-old girl put her finger in her mouth and sucked.
"We smelled it ourselves. Those big bad guys wouldn't pay attention to us."
Zhang Xiaobei blurted out, "Are we just going to wait to die?"
"..."
The small dark room fell silent instantly.
If there was no other way, who would want to wait to die?
Zhang Xiaobei fell silent. She retreated to Little mute's side and poked him.
What to do?
Little mute glanced at her. What else could be done?
The light in the small dark room was dim; even if he gestured, Xiaobei might not be able to see clearly.
If they wanted to escape, they could only wait for an opportunity.
Wait for an opportunity to get out.
...
That night—
The main house was brightly lit, and the bandits gathered in the hall, feasting and drinking.
At the dinner table,
Fine wine and meat were already spread across the table, shimmering with an enticing luster under the firelight.
"Come, let's have a drink!"
The bandits held large bowls of wine in one hand and large pieces of meat in the other.
They were having a great time.
Life's greatest joys were nothing more than this.
In contrast, the small dark room only had thin congee and dry, unpalatable flatbreads.
Zhang Xiaobei gnawed at it with her teeth several times before managing to eat a little.
The residents of the fishing village had never eaten such unpalatable food.
But she looked around; everyone was just gnawing silently.
They even envied the flatbreads in others' hands.
Little mute noticed her actions, took half a bowl of the thin congee from his bowl, and gave it to her.
Then he took her flatbread, broke it into pieces, and put it into the bowl to soak.
A moment later,
After estimating that the flatbread had softened a bit, he returned the bowl to her.
Zhang Xiaobei had been staring at his actions and said softly:
"Is that enough for you?"
Little mute nodded.
For him, going hungry was a normal thing.
It was not unbearable.
Zhang Xiaobei sniffled and, guided by the aroma in the air, took a sip of the thin congee.
The flatbread inside was indeed much easier to swallow.
"Another cup!"
"Bring on the meat! Big pieces of meat!"
The sounds from the main house reached the small dark room and continued until the latter half of the night.
Under the faint firelight,
A small, thin figure crept out of the small dark room.
It first went to the main house and then crept all the way into the depths of the mountain forest.
...
From a bird's-eye view, Jiang Lin saw the figure clearly.
Its movements were swift, leaving only afterimages as it moved.
Its arms and legs were covered with rows of protrusions.
They looked like sharp teeth, or perhaps bone blades.
If the 'Sea God' and 'Mountain God' mentioned by humans in this era were considered gods...
Then this one should be considered...
"A demigod?"
...