bayedsolid Chapter 283 A Group of Women
Chapter 283 A Group of Women
Stepping into the central lobby, there was nothing but a mess of drinks and food on the tables.
There is a passageway on each side of the lobby, winding its way into the depths.
"Go check behind here, I'll go this way."
Xiaoman pointed to the passage on the right, "Just shout if you need anything."
Shi Zi nodded in agreement and turned to enter the passage on the right.
There are more rooms in the passageway than there were outside when we came in.
The rooms stood side by side, most of the doors ajar, exuding an indescribable sense of oppression.
Xiaoman walked towards the left passage, her steps slow and her eyes scanning her surroundings warily.
Shi Zi arrived at the first house and pushed open the bamboo door.
As soon as he opened one door, a stench even more pungent than outside rushed out, choking him so much that he quickly pinched his nose and took two steps back.
He simply lifted his foot and kicked open the remaining bamboo doors.
The room in front contained nothing but some old bottles and jars.
The deeper you go, the more polluted the air becomes.
Suddenly, a series of soft noises reached his ears.
He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a wooden door in front of him, which seemed to be larger than the bamboo doors elsewhere.
He strode over and kicked the wooden door with his foot.
With a loud crash, the door was kicked off and flew off, crashing heavily to the ground.
As the scene inside the room came into view: about twenty women were huddled in a corner, each of them so thin that they were practically skin and bones.
Moreover, his clothes were tattered and his eyes were filled with terror.
Some people have eyes that are so empty they look like two dry wells, completely devoid of life.
Several others glared at him fiercely.
Just then, footsteps came from the entrance of the passage.
Shi Zi turned his head and saw Xiao Man walking towards him.
He quickly said, "Xiaoman, come here quickly!"
Seeing that Shi Zi looked strange, Xiao Man quickened her pace and rushed over. She had just asked, "What's wrong...?"
His gaze was immediately drawn to the sight inside the room.
He couldn't help but widen his eyes and gasp.
Without saying much, Shi Zi turned and walked to the next room, kicking open the wooden door.
Inside, a group of women were huddled together, their expressions almost identical to those in the previous room.
After kicking open three rooms in succession, they found the same scene everywhere.
The woman in the last room was noticeably more lively than those in the first two.
Finally, the woman in the last house saw the stones and kicked down the wooden door.
A terrified scream suddenly erupted.
Some people huddled together, while others clutched their tattered clothes tightly, their eyes filled with wariness.
"Don't be afraid, we're here to save you."
Shi Zi slowly squatted down, his voice soft and gentle.
"We've taken care of those bad guys outside, you're all safe now."
He patiently comforted her for quite some time.
Xiaoman then came in to help comfort him.
The women gradually calmed down.
However, the fear in his eyes had not completely disappeared.
Xiaoman said to the woman who seemed calmer at the head of the group, "You guys go to the main hall and wait there. It's safe there now. We'll be right back."
Xiaoman pulled the stones and walked towards the left side of the lobby.
Dozens of women, supporting each other, walked toward the lobby.
Xiaoman arrived in the lobby with pebbles but did not stop. She walked straight to the left passage.
As Shi Zi followed, he asked, "Have you found anything?"
Xiaoman responded, "Yes!"
When the pebble arrived at the room in the left passage.
The room was filled with farm tools, clothes and grain, and there was a wooden box in the corner.
He opened it and found it contained some gold and silver jewelry, not much, only about a quarter of the box's height.
The two men carried some clothes to the main hall and distributed them to the group of women.
There were clothes for both men and women, but the women, whose clothes were tattered, didn't have time to pick and choose.
I quickly put it on as soon as I got it, hoping it would at least protect me from the cold.
Afterwards, Xiaoman selected a few more women who were in better spirits to go with them to move the grain.
They started a fire, boiled water, and cooked mixed grain porridge, working for nearly an hour.
Finally, these people who hadn't had a proper meal in a long time were able to drink some hot porridge.
After everyone had recovered a bit, Shizi and Xiaoman took stock of the supplies in the village.
The allowance was divided among the people: two or three sets of clothes, about ten taels of loose silver, and some dry food.
Xiaoman took out a pen and ink, wrote a letter on a piece of rough paper, and handed it to the somewhat composed woman.
"You should travel together to Illusionary Spirit City. Once you reach the city gate, look for a captain named Shao Qingtu."
Then give him this letter, and he will make the arrangements for you.
The woman took the letter with both hands, clutched it tightly, and knelt down with a thud.
The women behind them also knelt down in unison, kowtowing repeatedly: "Thank you, benefactor! Thank you, benefactor, for saving our lives!"
Shi Zi and Xiao Man quickly helped them up, saying, "Get up quickly!"
Xiaoman said, "We have other things to do, so we can't take you to the illusion."
However, the distance from here to Phantom City is relatively safe.
It's still early; you should hurry on your journey. Set off before it gets dark.
The two men breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the women support each other as they walked out of the village.
A mountain breeze blew by, carrying a slight chill, but it also seemed to dispel the stagnant air that had accumulated in the village.
Actually, Shizi and Xiaoman originally wanted the women to stay in the village for a few days before making any decisions.
But then he thought again that if the two of them left, he would worry that there might be other bandits in the stronghold who had gone out and had not yet returned.
If they were to leave, these defenseless women would be left behind and suffer again.
After much deliberation, I finally decided to let them leave this place together first.
Fortunately, most of the remaining women have not yet reached the point of dementia or insanity.
Those women who were tortured to the point of mental breakdown had already been killed by those bandits.
As for these people right now, they are just in extremely poor mental condition.
Both Shizi and Xiaoman helped them calm their minds.
Although we helped them calm down, the deep-seated wounds in their hearts still had to be healed by themselves.
The two escorted them all the way to the foot of the mountain.
Looking at the group of figures with dirty hair and unsteady steps in front of her, Xiaoman felt as if a stone was pressing on her heart, and she felt very uncomfortable.
But they still had their own journey to take, and escorting them all the way back would be difficult.
Who knows how much longer this will take!
Xiaoman took out a map from her bosom and walked up to a woman.
He pointed to the route on the map and said, "Sister Qiu, lead them forward."
When you reach the first fork in the road, take the right path; it leads to Phantom City.
The entire journey to Phantom City is safe and there is no danger. You can proceed with peace of mind.
The woman referred to as Sister Qiu is named Qiu Ying.
Her ancestors had been educated, and she learned to read and write from a young age by being exposed to their teachings.