Chapter 75: The Heart Demon

Inside Tai'an City.

Liu Baiyun, Gao Ling, and a group of Huashan disciples were searching in the civilian houses around the prefectural Yamen, finding one person, then stepping forward to control them, and then bringing them back to the Yamen. At this moment, the Yamen was already overcrowded, and several people were even hung on the trees.

Fortunately, most of these people had lost consciousness and could be piled up at will without moving around, otherwise this place might not be able to hold them.

Wang Hai galloped over and handed a bag of herbs to Xiaosi.

"Sister Four, see if it's usable."

Xiaosi was pale at this moment, wrapped in a thick layer of quilt, with fine cold sweat flowing down her face.

In front of her was a wooden basin the size of a person's embrace, scarlet inside, with living things faintly wriggling inside.

Xiaosi stretched out her hand from the quilt, with blood-stained bandages wrapped around her wrists, and took the herbs Wang Hai handed over.

The scarlet liquid accumulated in the basin was Xiaosi's own fresh blood.

How much blood can a thin, weak girl of ten or so have? If it weren't for Xiaosi's physique being extraordinary, she would have already fainted.

Xiaosi opened the paper package, grabbed a handful of each, and put them directly into her mouth, closing her eyes to savor them carefully.

After a while, she opened her eyes and smiled at Wang Hai: "Enough, Brother Hai. The year and quality are enough, and there is even quite a bit left."

"Brother Hai is truly amazing."

Wang Hai, however, was not as happy as usual, but frowned and looked at the wound on Xiaosi's wrist, ultimately unable to hold back, and stepped forward to grab Xiaosi's wrist.

"Sister Four... why risk your life like this..."

"We can save as many as we can; this is the Ming Sect's calculation, not our karma."

"You know the Battalion Commander's temper; if you are not willing, he will never force you."

With Wang Hai's character, facing the lives of the commoners in the whole city, he would naturally do his best if he could take action, but the lives of thousands of people in front of him really didn't matter as much as Xiaosi.

Xiaosi smiled sweetly on her pale little face: "Brother Hai, I am willing."

Wang Hai frowned: "Don't lie to me; I understand you."

"You will also save people, but you will never take it to heart like the Battalion Commander."

The two had known each other for many years, their hearts were connected, and they understood each other incomparably well.

Wang Hai and Xiaosi were not the kind of compassionate characters. Saving people was more like an instinctive reaction framed under Li Miao's many years of education.

Just like walking on the right side when walking, and eating the dishes in front of you first when eating, it was just a "habit".

To say that the two of them cared so much about the lives of others in their hearts was not the case.

"Brother Hai, you understand me, but there is one thing we have never talked about."

"My life experience." Xiaosi smiled.

Wang Hai frowned, looked into Xiaosi's eyes, and didn't speak.

Xiaosi broke free from Wang Hai's hand, grabbed a handful of herbs, and sprinkled them into her own blood.

Whoosh—

A cloud of smoke rose from the basin, hiding Xiaosi's expression.

"These years, you and the Battalion Commander have never talked about what happened back then in front of me. It's because you were afraid that my experience was too miserable, and after mentioning it, you were afraid I would be sad."

"But I am not that fragile; I have kept every single thing from back then in my heart, and I haven't forgotten it for a moment."

Xiaosi narrated.

"Back then, I was abducted by that great shaman and imprisoned in a dark room. Every day, Gu insects crawled into my body, and I endured sharp pain, unable to see even a ray of light."

"At that time, I could only talk to the other children who were captured, so I could barely keep from going crazy."

"We called each other brothers and sisters; I was the fourth one captured, so I was the fourth sister, fourth younger sister."

"The first to die was the eldest brother. He was the oldest and already had the mind of a teenager, so he couldn't bear it the most... After I woke up, I went to touch his face and touched his eyeballs that had already been sucked dry by Gu insects..."

"The second to die was the sixth younger sister. She was too young and only knew how to cry. That shaman was annoyed by the noise, so he fed her to the Gu insects... The Gu insects that ate the sixth younger sister crawled in our bodies... Brother Hai, do you know what kind of feeling that is..."

"We were both sad and felt a bit comforted at that time... as if the sixth younger sister was still accompanying us..."

"Then it was the second brother, third sister, fourth younger brother, fifth younger sister... Finally, only I was left."

"Don't say any more." Wang Hai stopped her.

Just listening to the few words Xiaosi said, Wang Hai felt hair-raising, and then it was heartache from the bottom of his heart, unable to bear listening any further.

"Brother Hai, listen to me finish."

Xiaosi smiled: "Back then, when the Battalion Commander came to save me, I actually didn't feel happy."

"I even had a thought: why couldn't he come earlier, at least... don't let only me survive."

"Or... why couldn't he come later, let me die with the other brothers and sisters, that would also be fine."

"I even felt a bit guilty, why did I say that 'save me' to the Battalion Commander."

Xiaosi giggled.

"Of course, I know that thinking this way is wrong; the Battalion Commander's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain, he took me home, and raised me. It is also because of the Battalion Commander that I can know you, Brother Hai."

"I shouldn't die, and my brothers and sisters shouldn't die either. There is nothing wrong with surviving; I shouldn't feel guilty for this."

Wang Hai looked at Xiaosi: "Is it because of the Battalion Commander's kindness that you don't want to let the Battalion Commander down, so you are bracing yourself?"

"No, Brother Hai, I said, I am willing."

Xiaosi said.

"Being hacked to death by a sword, stabbed to death by a sword, burned to death by fire, drowned to death by water, everyone has their own fate. As long as it is not the karma I planted, I really don't care much."

"But I especially cannot watch the commoners in this Tai'an City be killed by Gu insects."

Xiaosi pointed to the outside of the door and drew a circle.

"This Tai'an City trapped the commoners. Just like that dark room back then, it trapped us."

"The struggles and wails outside are just like our struggles and wails back then."

"This is not kindness, but my selfishness."

"I am not saving the commoners, but myself, and my brothers and sisters."

Xiaosi said, tears flowing down.

"I know, the person is gone, and there is no turning back."

"But for so many years, I still can't help but keep thinking, could I have done something back then... could I have let my brothers and sisters survive one more..."

"Back then, I couldn't do anything. But now, I can finally do something."

"I am not doing a good deed, nor am I saving people, but killing my heart demon."

Xiaosi looked at Wang Hai seriously, her thin body hidden in the quilt, her fingers still shaking unconsciously.

There was no blood on her face, as if she were a snow doll about to melt.

"Brother Hai, you will help me, right?"

Wang Hai looked at Xiaosi's serious eyes, his hook-blade gripped and gripped again, and ultimately sighed.

"Sister Four, since you have said so, what else can I do?"

"It's just that, if you insist on risking your life, I will still control you and take you away."

Xiaosi smiled sweetly: "Brother Hai is the best."

"Alright, call Sister Mei and Sect Leader Liu and the others back."

"My blood, plus these herbs, will attract all the commoners in the city. If the Ming Sect disciples have also used Gu, they will naturally come over too."

"Next, I have to rely on you all to protect me."

(End of chapter)