Chapter 28
Casualties
“We didn’t teach our children well and let them take the wrong path!” The person beside the old man didn’t dare to cry loudly, but his tone was exceptionally sorrowful. “The heavens didn’t give us a way out!”
“Our village has been out of food for more than half a month. The way out is blocked, so no one can do anything.”
“If not for being forced to this point, who would eat their children? Who would dare to eat human flesh? Who would be able to be so ruthless!”
An old woman’s face was grayish pale. After coughing heavily a few times, she said weakly, “My son is a good child. He can’t even bear to kill a chicken usually. He didn’t participate in the cannibalism, nor will he ever eat a human child. He did all this for me, it’s all for me. I’m the one who deserves to die. I’m the one who deserves retribution—”
The people from Hu Family Village were originally furious, but when they saw this scene, they did not know what to do.
If they helped them up, wouldn’t it seem like they had forgiven them? But how could they forgive such a thing!
They couldn’t let the matter rest as these men were here to cause trouble. They had made a mistake, but the weak and elderly hadn’t done anything wrong.
All of them knelt there, looking rather pitiful.
“Village Chief, look—” Hu San walked up to Village Chief Hu, not knowing what to do.
Village Chief Hu also felt a headache, but he did not help Wu Laosan up. Instead, he said, “Your Shanyang Village was wrong in this matter.”
Like Old Master Hu, Wu Laosan was an old man who had a say in the village. His kneel represented the attitude of the entire Shanyang Village.
In this way, their Hu Family Village did not know what to do.
“We had no choice.” Wu Laosan did not get up. He seemed to have aged a few years in an instant. “If the people in your village are injured or in pain, we will compensate them even if we have to sell everything.”
Someone else cried at the back and said, “What about our men? Aren’t they also injured? These are venomous snakes. A venomous snake’s bite can be fatal!”
Not all the people who knelt down really wanted to kneel.
If one was bitten by a venomous snake, there was usually no way out. At best, they would be crippled. At worst, they would die. There were no exceptions.
“There was an avalanche, and our homes and food are gone, how are we going to compensate!”
“That’s right. We’ll bring them back and never visit your Hu Family Village again. Isn’t that enough!”
There were even Hu Family villagers who had married into Shanyang Village who said in low voices, “They all know their mistakes. Let them off.”
The woman’s father widened his eyes. “Hu Douhua, have you forgotten your roots after marrying into Shanyang Village?!”
Hu Douhua, whose name was called, burst into tears. “Father, your grandson and granddaughter are gone. If I lose him too, how can I live? I want to live too!”
Her two children, one just five years old and the other still in her infancy, had both been…
Didn’t she hate it? She hated it. She wished she could have died with her children!
But—but—
Her husband was innocent. Why should he suffer with those beasts?!
The women of Hu Family Village watched this scene coldly. When they were beaten up, did the people of Shanyang Village think that they were innocent?
“We’ve already knelt down, so why are you still holding on to it? Do you have to force us to death? Alright, I’ll die for you to see!” Suddenly, an old woman stood up and rushed towards a rock at the entrance of Old man Wang’s house.
Everyone exclaimed.
“Stop her!”
Old Madam Wang stood the closest and immediately wanted to stop the old woman.
She was carrying Little Ah Yu and was not that agile.
“Little lamb, help!” Little Ah Yu hurriedly shouted.
The lamb looked very small, and these people did not notice it.
It only weighed 10 catties now and was pitifully small.
Hearing Little Ah Yu call it, it twitched its ears.
It instantly rushed in front of the old woman and lay on the ground. Its head was on the ground and its butt was raised high.
With a kick of its hind legs, the entire body of the little lamb rushed out—
Bang! The lamb’s head hit the old woman’s knee.
The old woman was caught off guard and fell into the mud beside her.
“Ouch!”
The others hurriedly stepped forward and held the old woman steady, lest she take things too hard again.
The lamb bleated twice and ran back.
Little Ah Yu slid down from Old Madam Wang’s body and walked to the lamb. She squatted down and stroked the lamb.
“Little lamb, it doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t hurt.” She rubbed the little lamb’s head, and it rubbed against her palm.
After eating the Myriad Spirit Sacred Fruits, the little lamb was no longer the same as before.
While everyone was looking at the old woman, Wang Wulang secretly said to Little Ah Yu, “Sister Ah Yu, let these snakes go. They’re so pitiful.”
Wang Wulang knew that these snakes were here because of his sister.
He did not think that his sister was a monster. Instead, he felt that his sister was very powerful.
These snakes were here to help them. He didn’t find them scary. Instead, his heart ached.
So many had died.
When Old Madam Wang heard Wang Wulang’s words, she glanced at him warningly, but she still nodded at Little Ah Yu when she looked over.
Little Ah Yu said to the little lamb, “Little lamb, let them go home.”
The lamb’s lively eyes darted around a few times. It wiped its hooves on the ground and raised its head, bleating twice.
The snakes that were biting crazily paused. In the next moment, those who could still move all staggered towards the hill at the side.
In the blink of an eye, only the immobile snakes and the wailing villagers were left.
Everyone saw this scene, especially the people from Shanyang Village. They were originally only suspicious, but now that they saw the snakes retreat, they were greatly shocked.
They did not believe that the snakes were not commanded by this child.
This child was not ordinary.
The villagers who had been bitten by the snakes knelt down heavily in the direction of the little lamb and Ah Yu. “Save me, I don’t want to die!”
“Save me. I’ve never eaten a child before. I can’t die. I can’t die—”
There were even people who were paralyzed by the poison and could not move. Their tears and snot flowed as they looked at Little Ah Yu.
Ah Yu was a little frightened and hurriedly hid behind Liu Shi.
The little lamb followed suit and hid behind Ah Yu. It stuck out its furry head and looked ahead carefully.
The people from Hu Family Village were also shocked. When they looked at Little Ah Yu, they had different thoughts.
To be able to command so many snakes, could she be an Immortal child under Mother Nuwa?
Was the python really killed by Little Ah Yu?
Could it be that the python had learned that the Immortal child had arrived and knew that she was in trouble, so it had specially come to help?
Although the Hu Family Village was remote, there were still one or two strange legends.
As for the idea that Little Ah Yu was a monster, they did not have it at all.
All the villagers who had interacted with Little Ah Yu in the cave really liked her. How could such an obedient, cute, kind, and sensible child be a monster?
“What are you doing? The child is still young. Are you trying to shorten her lifespan!”
“Bring your people back!” Village Chief Hu stood in front of those people, blocking their line of sight. He said indifferently, “You caused this trouble yourself. You’ll have to bear the consequences yourself. We’ll settle the scores later. Don’t dirty our land!”
“We can’t leave like this. They’ve been poisoned by the snake venom. If they go back, they’ll be waiting for death.” After the snakes retreated, the women and elders kneeling there all got up and ran towards the injured villagers.
Most of the men from Shanyang Village had been poisoned. Even those who were not poisoned had been pestered and bitten by the other non-venomous snakes.
When they heard Village Chief Hu chase them away, their families couldn’t take it anymore. “Your Hu Family Village released snakes to bite people. How are you going to settle this matter? You’re harming lives!”
Village Chief Hu was about to speak when his fingers were hooked by a pair of warm hands.
It was Little Ah Yu.
She said word by word, “Village Chief, why didn’t you look for Grandpa Official?”
If she suffered, she had to look for Grandpa Official. That was what her second brother had said in the story he had told her a few days ago.
As soon as she finished speaking, the expressions of the people from Shanyang Village changed.