Although Ye Tiancheng and the others judged that the black bird's state was abnormal and it was likely dead, everything was not as simple as that.
However, in any case, since the other party was already dead, such self-harm, although it wouldn't kill him again, if it were so easy to die, perhaps this black bird, for the freedom it sought, would have long since truly dissipated, leaving no soul behind.
However, even if it didn't die, tormenting itself like this, causing itself injury, was merely self-torture, subjecting it to longer-lasting pain.
Ye Tiancheng and the other two couldn't bear it.
Therefore, they felt that if possible, it was best to resolve the issue quickly. If they could truly avoid harming the little fellow, they would definitely let it go.
However, although they did feel a sense of pity, if on the path of survival, the existence of this little fellow truly conflicted with their own survival and escape, Ye Tiancheng and the others would have no choice but to sacrifice this little fellow.
Of course, they wouldn't give up their own lives for the soul of a bird.
Although this was very realistic.
But everyone was also very helpless.
Upon entering the room behind the third stone door, Ye Tiancheng and the others immediately saw a circular platform in the center of the room. Judging by the condition of the platform and the patterns carved and painted on it, they knew that the cage containing the black bird, which they were carrying, was meant to be placed on it.
Ye Tiancheng and the others placed the cage on the circular platform. The black bird had already battered itself beyond recognition and was cursing Ye Tiancheng and the others with a hoarse voice.
Regarding the cursing, Ye Tiancheng and the others made a guess.
Putting themselves in the black bird's shoes, if they encountered such a situation, they would likely not have a good attitude towards those who imprisoned them.
However, this guess soon became a certainty.
Shortly after the cage was placed on the circular platform, Ye Tiancheng and the others personally witnessed a strong, dazzling light emanating from the cage. In the next second, a child who did not appear to be old appeared inside the cage.
This child did not appear to be in a normal state, even to the naked eye.
His body was so faint that it was slightly transparent, and a faint, soft glow emanated from around him.
This was precisely consistent with what Ye Tiancheng and the others had speculated, at least on the surface. For humans, seeing such a scene would be difficult to accept.
Most normal, ordinary humans would react this way.
After the child appeared inside the cage, even though he had transformed into human form, he continued to shout at Ye Tiancheng and the others. At this time, Ye Tiancheng and the others could truly hear clearly that the child was very angry and was cursing them.
Facing this situation, even while being cursed, Ye Tiancheng and the other two dared not retort, nor could they say anything.
The child was extremely agitated and cursed at the three of them for a long time without receiving any response. As a result, whether it was because the child was tired from shouting or because Ye Tiancheng and the others did not respond, his cursing felt like a monologue, so he didn't want to curse anymore.
In any case, after the child cursed for a long time, he finally seemed to take a breather and fell silent.
After the child quieted down, a moment later, a faint, small voice suddenly sounded.
"...I'm sorry."
For a moment, not only Ye Tiancheng and Liang Ping, but also the child trapped in the cage, who had transformed from the black bird, instantly turned their gaze to the little fox.
The little fox lowered his head slightly, standing beside the cage, his expression filled with extreme guilt.
Although Ye Tiancheng and Liang Ping's emotions were not much different from the little fox's, they did not show most of their emotions on their faces, so it was not as obvious.
The child in the cage was also stunned for a moment. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
After a long pause, the child suddenly spoke.
He tilted his head, glanced at the corner of the room, and then looked at the humans gathered around the cage, who, from the beginning, had done nothing else to him besides capturing him, and said, "Why don't you also pick up that stick and hit me when I curse you like this?"
Ye Tiancheng and the other two felt a slight tremor in their hearts. Following the direction of the child's gaze, they looked towards the corner of the room.
Several metal rods were placed there, scattered somewhat carelessly.
Judging by the marks, it seemed that people often took them.
The little fox looked on in shock, and then realized that this little fellow could indeed communicate.
Although they should have realized this after he started cursing, the child's attitude previously made them feel that even if he could speak and understand them, he might not be willing to communicate.
Moreover, after hearing what the child said, the little fox realized something.
He stammered a little and asked, "Did they… treat you like this before?"
The child looked at the three men in front of him with a strange expression and said matter-of-factly, "Isn't this a normal thing?"
This was certainly not normal!
The little fox thought this and inadvertently blurted out his thoughts.
However, the child did not react particularly to the little fox's words. He looked at the little fox with his big eyes and said, "But aren't you also locking me up like those bad people?"
"If it's not to hit me, then why are you doing this?"
Ye Tiancheng and the other two were suddenly speechless.
The little fox quickly explained to the child, "I'm sorry, we didn't do it on purpose. We are not with the people here. We were accidentally caught in their scheme and were trapped in this place."
"We have very urgent matters and want to leave here, but there are many mechanisms here, so we have been searching for mechanisms everywhere, trying to find a way to leave… and then you…"
The little fox paused slightly, and then continued, "We originally thought you were a part of the mechanisms. We wanted to leave here so badly that we had to do this."
"Although it was unavoidable, we are truly sorry to you, and we had to do it. So, if you blame us, just curse us. We won't say anything, let alone… let alone hit you with a stick."
The child carefully observed the little fox's expression. After a long while, he said, "Alright then, but I am indeed a part of the mechanisms."
Ye Tiancheng and the others had not expected the child to speak like this, and for a moment, they looked at the child with even greater tension.
After thinking for a while, the child said to Ye Tiancheng and the other two, "I know how to get out of this place, and I can tell you the method, but I have conditions."
The little fox immediately looked at Ye Tiancheng.
Liang Ping did the same.
Facing the gazes of his companions and the child in the cage, Ye Tiancheng thought for a moment before saying to the child, "What are your conditions? Why don't you tell us?"
"If they are reasonable, we can agree."
The child sitting in the cage nodded. In fact, his appearance was quite pitiful. His body was covered with many scars, and it was unclear whether they were caused by frequent beatings, as he claimed, or by his desperate attempts to hit the cage with his body.
Or perhaps, it was a combination of both.
The child said to Ye Tiancheng and the other two, "I can help you escape from here, but as an exchange, you must also take me out of here and let me escape with you."
This was not an excessive request.
Therefore, Ye Tiancheng nodded without much hesitation.
He said to the child, "If you can truly help us leave here, then you will be our benefactor. Even if it's not an exchange, we will naturally be willing to take you out."
The child did not indicate whether he believed Ye Tiancheng's words or not.
He also nodded slightly and then continued, "Also, there is one more condition."
Ye Tiancheng said, "Go ahead."
The child said, "This is the last condition. Open the cage and let me out."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire space fell into silence.
After a while, the child's expression became somewhat mocking. He looked at the three hypocritical adults in front of him and said, "What? Can't you do it?"
"So what you said earlier, that you would take me out even without an exchange, was a lie, right?"
"Otherwise, why wouldn't you agree to such a simple condition?"
"Is it because this is something you must do immediately, and not just an empty promise?"
The child's way of speaking and his thought process were actually not like a child's. Moreover, he was originally transformed from that black bird, so he was definitely not an ordinary human child.
However, his appearance did have a certain deceptive quality for ordinary people.
Even knowing that it was abnormal, it was easy to be swayed by such a facade, thus softening one's heart.
However, for Ye Tiancheng and the other two, it only went as far as softening their hearts.
To be honest, if they could truly escape this place, they had no problem agreeing to take the child with them as a reward.
However, asking them to release this little fellow right now, they really had to hesitate.
Because, at this moment, Ye Tiancheng and the other two could not be sure how much of what the child said was true and how much was false.
Besides, even if the child truly knew the way out and could leave, it did not mean that the child would not deceive them. If the child were to be freed now, and after leaving the cage, he harbored malicious intentions, it would not be a good thing for Ye Tiancheng and the others.
After all, when they previously tried to capture the black bird, they had encountered many failures, and despite using various methods, they were unable to truly touch the black bird.
If they hadn't had the cage, they wouldn't have been able to catch it.
It was unknown whether the black bird's characteristics would remain after transforming into human form. Therefore, if he could leave the cage now, it would mean that he would immediately escape from Ye Tiancheng and the others' control. In such a situation, anyone would find it difficult to feel at ease, wouldn't they?