"No way!"
Xiu Xiu's voice was shrill. In her mind, her father and brother were great heroes defending their homeland. She had worried about them dying on the battlefield, but never imagined they would perish in a natural disaster.
This was the greatest humiliation the heavens could inflict on heroes.
"How could this be false?" the man laughed. "Miss Song, the front - line documents were sent back in a hurry a few days ago. If you hadn't hidden yourself away, you would have seen them already."
"Alright, stop wasting your breath on them. Hurry up and arrest them. We'll have meat to eat again tomorrow."
Several strong men rushed forward without hesitation, trying to seize them.
Xie Ling drew his sword and swung it violently.
"If you dare to touch her, I'll kill you!"
"Master Xie, why are you in such a hurry? We don't want to kill you now." Someone sneered sarcastically. "If you don't cooperate, these swords and knives have no eyes. If you get hurt later, don't blame others."
It was simply a huge joke. Yao Hua had never heard of anyone being required to cooperate while being beaten. She thought this man was incredibly brazen.
"Yes, swords and knives have no eyes. You'd better watch out!" Xie Ling's handsome face was filled with rage. His sword cut through the air sharply, and in a blink of an eye, he beheaded a man.
The heavy sword, weighing hundreds of pounds, was wielded effortlessly in his hands. For a moment, no one dared to get close.
Everyone looked at each other in surprise. They hadn't expected Xie Ling to be so highly skilled in martial arts.
Suddenly, the crowd parted, leaving a narrow path for one person. The city lord slowly walked to the front of the crowd.
"Xie Ling, if you submit to us, we won't hold today's incident against you!"
Xie Ling's eyes were cold and solemn. He remained silent.
At this moment, besides Xiu Xiu, he didn't care about anyone else, not even his own life.
"A Ling, don't worry about me."
Every breath Xiu Xiu took tugged at her heart, bringing a sharp pain.
She had fallen from such a great height and suffered such a great shock. She was not as calm as she seemed on the surface.
Xie Ling didn't say a word, but his entire being radiated refusal.
Yao Hua even had a feeling that besides Xiu Xiu, he wanted to kill everyone here.
"Alright, as long as you submit to me, this Miss Song will be yours." The city lord's eyes flickered as he said this shamelessly. "If you're not willing, there are plenty of people here who are eager to capture you."
Those who served the city lord could get more food, and their families would also be protected by the city lord. So, although these people were afraid of death, they would still force themselves to step forward.
In short, if both sides insisted on fighting, it would surely end in a lose - lose situation.
But Xie Ling's emotions were clearly written on his face. He didn't want Xiu Xiu to be treated as an item in others' mouths.
He pointed his long sword directly at the city lord, and the city lord's face immediately changed.
"Do you really want to be my enemy?"
"Open the city gate." Xie Ling said concisely.
"Impossible." Seeing his cold expression, the city lord quickly said, "It's much more chaotic outside the city than inside. And the people outside are not as easy - going as I am. If you go out, you'll be in an unfamiliar place, and your fate will be worse than staying in the city."
Yao Hua thought for a moment and understood what the city lord meant.
The whole of Shenzhou was probably in a complete mess. If Xie Ling stayed in the city, the city lord would take good care of him. Maybe if someone had designs on Jincheng in the future, he could be of help.
In this light, staying here might actually be an option.
However, they couldn't stand the cannibalism in the city.
Xie Ling said coldly, "Stay in the city and eat people with you?"
Just hearing this sentence, although she had never actually tasted human flesh, Xiu Xiu got goosebumps all over. She felt extremely nauseous, and her face turned ugly.
"No, no, no." The city lord immediately showed a smile. "There is still stored grain in the city. If Master Xie stays, we will naturally provide enough food."
The nausea subsided a bit, and Xiu Xiu's complexion improved. But thinking of her father and brother dying under the meteorite, sorrow welled up in her heart again.
After that, the two returned to the Song Mansion.
But there were always people patrolling outside at night, as if guarding against them escaping.
Xiu Xiu had been in poor health since she fell from the city wall that day. Coupled with her depressed mood, she had been bedridden for a long time.
However, there were few medicinal materials in the city. At first, Xie Ling could still get medicine for her, but later the city lord refused to give any.
"A Ling?" Xiu Xiu called him several times, but he didn't respond. He just stared blankly, not knowing what he was thinking.
Finally, he came to his senses and looked at Xiu Xiu blankly. "What did you just say?"
"Stop the medicine." Xiu Xiu's face was pale. Yao Hua saw it in the mirror. She was clearly on the verge of death from illness.
"You can't stop." Xie Ling's face changed drastically. He stood up abruptly. "I'll go and get the medicine from them again."
In the evening, Xie Ling came back with a small statue.
"Xiu Xiu, you said the god will bless us, right?"
His resolute eyebrows actually carried a hint of vulnerability, as if as long as Xiu Xiu said yes, he would pour out his heart and soul to the small statue of the God of Chongming.
Not only Xiu Xiu but also Yao Hua couldn't bear to watch.
When people were at the end of their ropes, they pinned all their hopes on the gods, attempting a desperate gamble.
"A Ling." Xiu Xiu looked at him in surprise. "Where did you get this?"
She clearly remembered that Xie Ling didn't believe in gods and ghosts, but now he was holding the statue and wanted to worship it.
"They said there's no more medicine." Xie Ling was in a low mood. He placed the statue on the table and bowed to it.
But everyone had to die eventually. Compared to being butchered and eaten, dying of illness was already a relatively good outcome.
"A Ling, come here." Xiu Xiu covered her lips and coughed a few times, almost coughing up her lungs.
Xie Ling walked over. His heterochromatic eyes stared fixedly at her. "Xiu Xiu, you have to stay with me."
"After I die, burn me to ashes." Xiu Xiu sighed softly. "Put me together with your parents."
"Xiu Xiu!" Xie Ling's face changed drastically. "Don't talk nonsense!"
But everyone knew that this day would come sooner or later.
Xie Ling went to the city lord's mansion again.
Xiu Xiu was the only one left in the mansion.
There were chaotic footsteps outside the door. Maybe Xie Ling was back.
As soon as she opened the door, a group of people rushed in.
"Song Xiuxiu, you're about to die. Don't waste food." Someone stepped forward and motioned for the others to tie her up.
Xiu Xiu tried to dodge, but her way was blocked.
These people had come prepared. They had deliberately sent Xie Ling away.
Yao Hua was filled with horror. She never imagined that these people could do such a thing!
Did they think that Xie Ling wouldn't seek revenge on them if Song Xiuxiu really died?
Xiu Xiu's mouth was gagged and she was dragged to the slaughterhouse.
The slaughterhouse reeked of blood. The nausea welled up in her throat wave after wave, but her mouth was tightly gagged, making her feel dizzy. Yao Hua clearly felt the pain Xiu Xiu was experiencing. At this moment, her resentment reached its peak.