The next day, the sky was just beginning to brighten. The bandits, along with Zhang Ling and the others, left the village and headed into the distance. A group of a dozen people walked slowly through the mountains, led by two burly men riding tall horses. Zhang Ling and the other survivors from Qingtian Village followed behind, tied together by the bandits with a long rope to prevent escape. A dozen people were bound to a single long rope. The villagers' faces were blank, and they walked forward numbly, having clearly lost the courage to escape. Even if some individuals wanted to flee, they would be hindered by those around them. All the survivors of Qingtian Village were here, except for seven or eight adolescent boys and a few young girls. Their appearance was even more wretched than Zhang Ling's group, their clothes disheveled and their faces tear-stained. They would all be taken to the bandits' lair, and the thought of living in a bandit den filled Zhang Ling with reluctance.
Aside from the possibility of becoming like the bandits themselves, their ruthless demeanor suggested that one could lose their life at any moment. Rumble! In the blink of an eye, it was afternoon, and the weather changed abruptly. Thunder rumbled, and the sky was covered with dark clouds, obscuring the sunlight. The oppressive dark clouds made it difficult to breathe. Judging by the sky, it was about to rain. "Move faster, you good-for-nothings! If it weren't for Master Two taking a liking to you, you'd already be dead." Besides the two bandits leading the way, there were two more guarding the group from behind. The main force of the bandits had left early, but with these four bandits escorting them, escape was not an easy task. The four bandits were all strong and armed with long sabers, a match for the group. After yesterday's events, the villagers had lost all desire to resist and mostly wore blank expressions. Relying on these terrified villagers was pointless; it seemed he could only rely on himself, Zhang Ling thought. The wind howled, thunder roared, and lightning flashed across the dark clouds like silver snakes, making the already dim sky even more gloomy. Under the bandits' shouts, the group quickened their pace. After a quarter of an hour, they arrived at a dilapidated village. Zhang Ling looked up and recognized the place. He had been here before and had some impression of it. It used to be a village called Huangshi Village, but it had been abandoned decades ago and was now uninhabited. Under the bandits' scolding, the group entered a relatively well-preserved courtyard, which contained three wooden houses.
Although dilapidated, they could barely provide shelter from the wind and rain. They were taken to one of the wooden houses, and two of the four bandits left, leaving only two to watch them. "This damned weather! If it weren't for these burdens, we would have returned to the stronghold already. Listen up, you brats, and be honest with me." "We'll be back at the stronghold tomorrow, and you'll all become little bandits, eating and drinking well with us," a bandit with a scar on his face said, sitting on the threshold with a playful look in his eyes. "Oh, Xiong Er, you've become capable. I remember when you first joined us, you were such a scaredy-cat," the bald man next to him, holding a saber, teased as he rubbed his bald head. "Hehe, Brother, I'm just giving these little ones a warning to prevent them from escaping." "Escape? With these terrified kids? They wouldn't dare even if they had the guts," the bald man glanced at the huddled group and sneered, drawing his saber. "If anyone dares to think about it, they'll have to ask the steel of my saber." "Haha, Xiong Da, look at them trembling with fear," the scarred man laughed, seeing Zhang Ling and the others' reaction. "I don't know what Master Two wants with these kids. They can't fight, they can't be killed, and they waste food." "You blockhead! No wonder you're still a nobody after all these years. You can't possibly understand Master Two's plans. We've just arrived in Qingshan County and have already lost many brothers. If we want to grow stronger, we need people, we need to develop our forces." "These remote mountain villages are our best choice. We can capture people without attracting the attention of the authorities." "Don't underestimate these little guys. In a couple of years, after some training and a taste of blood, they'll be no worse than you. When we have more brothers, we'll become kings of the mountain, and even the government won't dare to look down on us. Wouldn't that be carefree?" "The way you talk is starting to sound like Master Two." "Lao Er, in this bandit den, you need brains to survive, not just strength." It seemed that these bandits were from outside Qingshan County and intended to settle here. Zhang Ling listened to the conversation between the two bandits at the door, thinking about how to escape with his head down. Soon after, the other two bandits returned.
The four bandits lit a fire on the ground and placed a black pot over it, from which a fragrant aroma emanated. Naturally, Zhang Ling and the others would not get any of the meat soup; they were only given half a piece of bread each. They were given bread because they were still useful; otherwise, they would have been killed long ago. After eating the bread, Zhang Ling and the others were listless, and many had glazed eyes. After experiencing yesterday's events and being escorted by the bandits for most of the day, they were mentally exhausted. The four bandits, having eaten and drunk their fill, also began to rest, but they remained cautious. Three of them rested while one sat by the fire to keep watch. Outside, the wind and rain continued, and thunder rumbled from time to time. It was already pouring rain outside. Looking at the others beside him and seeing that no one was paying attention, Zhang Ling pulled out a finger-sized piece of gray stone from under his foot. There were many such stones on the ground. He held the stone in both hands and rubbed it against the rope on his wrist. After a quarter of an hour, only a small portion of the rope on his wrist had been worn away. He gently put down the stone and stepped on it with his foot to rub the rope, which made it much easier. Having never been tied up before, Zhang Ling was covered in cold sweat. Fortunately, the guarding bandit did not notice his small movements. Before long, the rope on his wrist was worn through, and he carefully tested it, easily freeing his hands from the rope. However, he did not pull his hands out; instead, he stuffed the broken ends of the rope into his hands. Looking at the doorway several feet away, he realized it would be difficult to reach it. Another hour passed in the blink of an eye. Zhang Ling kept observing the bandit guarding them. Although the man was silent, he would glance at them every so often. It would be impossible to sneak past him. Since there was no opportunity, he would have to create one himself. He had no intention of waiting to die. "Sir, I... I need to pee." Zhang Ling stood up carefully, looking timidly at the bandit on guard, who was the man with a scar on his face. The scarred man noticed him standing up and gave him an icy glare.
Then, the scarred man walked up to Zhang Ling, first checking the rope on his hands to make sure there was nothing amiss, before grumbling and muttering. "You kid, you're such a pain." Then, the man untied the end of Zhang Ling's rope from the long rope, grabbed it in his hand, and led him towards the outside. As they passed the three bandits resting nearby, Zhang Ling glanced at them. The three men were lying on the ground, two of them snoring, which put him at ease. The scarred man led Zhang Ling outside and stopped. The man yawned and looked at the sky. The sky was pitch black, and rain poured down. It seemed the rain would not stop anytime soon.