AWB Chapter 400 It's good enough to be alive
Chapter 400 It's good enough to be alive
Suddenly, with a splash, someone slipped and fell into the wine pool behind them.
A shrill laugh immediately filled the room.
The little boy who fell into the water screamed in fright.
However, the deafening sounds of string and bamboo instruments from the next room, along with the screams, were swallowed up by the wine pool without even a splash.
A bloated middle-aged man walked into the wine pool, pounced on the little boy, and held him tightly. The little boy tried to struggle, but his body was bound, his hair was grabbed, and his head was shoved hard into the wine pool. The wine choked him through his nose and throat, and the little boy's cheeks quickly turned red and he became delirious.
Hearing the voice behind her, Xiaoqi tensed up, her whole body stiffening as if she had become a statue.
He heard someone crying softly beside him, but the sound was so faint that it sounded like a mosquito humming in his ear.
He couldn't help but recall what had happened two or three hours earlier. After watching Ah Da leave with that older sister, he quietly slipped back into the courtyard. But as soon as he returned, his companions, who had secretly gone out, were caught and apprehended. They quickly searched him and found the gold leaf that he had just brought back.
His companions immediately reported the incident to their leader, and he was tied up again.
He noticed the chilling look in the leader's eyes, which reminded him of his former missing companions. There hadn't always been this many of them; those who disobeyed and didn't achieve anything had simply vanished. Their names weren't arranged by age, but rather by numbers—one person left, another filled in. He didn't know who he was replacing, nor where Xiao Qi, who had preceded him, had gone.
He had been begging since childhood and was often bullied. After following the leader, he thought he finally had a place to shelter from the wind and rain. However, what these people often did was stealing and robbing. Every time he was caught, he would be beaten severely. But if he didn't do these things, he would be beaten again when he came back.
Over time, they gradually adapted, realizing that these homeless beggars weren't really human to begin with.
It's good enough that I'm alive.
He didn't really believe the woman when she said she would come back and take him away.
But since no one had ever said such things to him before, he was still tempted. So even after being beaten up, he couldn't help but run after them, wanting to help them.
But he never expected to be so unlucky as to be discovered again.
Just when he thought he would go hungry for another two or three days, Ah Da's body was brought back. His mind was buzzing with worry and fear. He wondered how his sister was doing.
He didn't know what the leader said to those people, but soon someone came, covered his head with a black cloth, and took him away. He didn't know where he was taken, only that he was soaked in hot water and vigorously rubbed from head to toe. He had just been beaten, and his wounds were still sore. This rubbing made him feel like he was about to faint from the pain.
But what terrified him even more was that he was dragged out, blindfolded, and brought naked into the room. He heard faint cries for help all around him, but before long, the sound of a whip lashing flesh silenced everyone. He too tensed up, too afraid to move.
What will he do?
Will he disappear silently like his vanished companions?
He heard another splash, and the water sprayed onto his calf. The liquid touched the wound, causing a burning pain, like ants crawling over it. The pain was so intense that he almost couldn't bear it and wanted to move.
……
Lu Yangyang was extremely anxious, but fortunately, her efforts paid off. After circling around the area five or six times, she finally found the dilapidated courtyard based on her memory.
The courtyard was completely silent. Lu Yangyang found the top of the wall and climbed over.
Lu Yangyang was about to go in to look for someone when she suddenly noticed a light coming from the courtyard's covered area. She followed the light, pushed open the door, and the person inside looked up in fright, meeting Lu Yangyang's eyes.
It was a boy a little older than Xiao Qi. He was squatting in front of the stove, with a worn-out brazier in front of him. At this moment, he was carefully burning paper money in the brazier, his face covered with tears, leaving streaks.
The boy looked at Lu Yangyang in terror, then panicked. His lips moved timidly, but he instinctively raised his hand to cover his mouth, afraid of making a sound.
Lu Yangyang glanced at the burning paper money in the basin and frowned slightly. Could it be that Ah Da's body had been brought back?
She hurriedly asked the boy, "Where's Xiao Qi?"
The boy shook his head in panic and tried to back away, but Lu Yangyang grabbed him and said, "Where's Xiao Qi?!"
The boy was terrified and replied in a trembling voice, "I...I was taken away."
Lu Yangyang pressed, "Where did you take it? Who took it? Someone from the Salt Gang?"
The boy shook his head: "No, I don't know. If you take it, you won't be able to come back."
Lu Yangyang looked at his pale face, let go of him, turned around and walked towards the largest room, kicking the door open with a bang.
There was no bed in the abandoned house, so the old beggar slept on the floor in the main hall, which was covered with wooden planks and straw.
He wasn't sleeping soundly and was suddenly awakened by the noise. He saw the person at the door by the moonlight and his cloudy eyes narrowed sharply.
Lu Yangyang glanced to the side and spotted a thick wooden stick. She picked it up and walked over to the old beggar, shoving the stick at his face. "Where did you send Xiao Qi? Let me tell you, I'm the one who twisted A Da's head off. If you don't want your head to be gone right now, tell me right now, or I'll take you to see your deputy leader! We'll demand his return! Think about it, if your deputy leader could keep me locked up, I wouldn't be here. If you dare to try anything funny again, I'll smash all your old bones to pieces!"
The old beggar never dreamed that this girl could actually escape from the deputy gang leader's clutches!
He made a mistake!
If this matter escalates to the deputy leader's level, it's a small matter if Xiao Qi dies, but the deputy leader will definitely not forgive him for the way he's handled things!
"Young lady, please calm down! I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness. Please forgive me!" the old beggar hurriedly pleaded.
"Stop talking nonsense. I'll ask you one last time, where is he?" Lu Yangyang shouted.
The old beggar was frightened by her imposing manner and stammered, "Yes, yes, in the backyard of Nanfeng Pavilion, the Wine Immortal Courtyard."
Lu Yangyang smacked him in the face with a stick, knocking out a mouthful of teeth. "I'll deal with you when I get back!"
[P.S.: That's all for today. It's Ghost Festival, and the author is afraid of ghosts, so I can't work overtime. I'll update tomorrow.]