Zi –

The fire flickered, the torches were bubbling with a "zig" sound, wisps of white smoke rose, and the scattered black snowflakes disappeared in an instant, and the water vapor steamed.

Between the mountains, the stars gathered into clusters of fire, and the clusters of fires opened a corner of the curtain of the night, and the outline of the palm-sized village was faintly visible.

"Monster !!"

"Monster !! burn her! burn her !!"

The shouts of the indignant crowds resounded through the sky, waving torches up and down, glaring angrily and fiercely at the high platform in the center of the square.

The high platform was a bonfire made of wooden blocks, and a little girl, only three years old, was hung and tied to an elevated platform.

Her little head was lowered, the braids on her shoulders were loose, her delicate little neck was covered with arm-thick hemp rope, her short hands were tied to the ends of the wooden frame, and her feet were tied to the air.

Looking closely under the hemp rope, her wrists and neck are still as white as jade, fair and undamaged, and her complexion is only slightly pale, looking weak.

Through the gap in the green silk, the little girl's clear water eyes were calm, as deep as the starry sky, and there was no fear or fear in her eyes.

Just looked ahead weakly, with a look of incomprehension.

The familiar faces under the torches were all figures she had once known, and they were now holding the torches and roaring and shouting.

The little girl became more and more confused.

When it was still daytime, they still talked and laughed, and they loved her even more and doted on her in every way. But now, they look like they want to skin her skin, cramp her bones, and break her bones and ashes.

Even the darkness of the night could not hide the fear in the depths of their eyes, and the distance that stretched them far away, close at hand, but like a moat.

"She, she's not a monster! not a monster——!"

"Let my daughter go——! no, it's not a monster——!"

"You burn me, burn me—please, let her go——!"

Heart-rending screams came from the left front of the crowd, two elderly couples tied to a stake, and the old woman screamed, struggled, and sobbed.

The hemp rope strangled her to death, and no matter how hard she struggled, it only deepened the wound, and the appearance was pitiful.

The old man beside him was also depressed, looking at his daughter on the elevated road with blank eyes, and the thick hemp rope wrapped around his body had been dyed blood, so wet that he could squeeze out blood.

The blood flowers on the ground are blooming brilliantly drop by drop, buried in the darkness.

The little girl saw all the subtleties clearly, opened her mouth weakly, her dry throat could not make a sound, and tears flowed down her tender face into the corners of her mouth.

The salty taste wafts in the mouth.

"Quietly!

The cane struck hard, and the uneven mud and stone splattered the slag.

The old man Chen Yong grabbed a shiny dry branch cane, and his thin and dry old hand pressed it in all directions of the square, his wrinkled old face was torn for a while, and he shouted in a thin duck voice.

He raised his cloudy presbyopia, his gaze gradually became bright, and his stiff back couldn't help but straighten a little.

"Fathers and fellow villagers——! this monster burned down our house and burned our compatriots to death......"

Under the light of the fire, his already gray complexion also became ruddy, energetic and radiant, and his eyes sparkled in the darkness.

"Look at Village Chief Ye again! Bewitched, he was blinded by monsters——!

After a pause, he coughed a few times and dried his throat, "Ye Baichuan-he is reluctant to make a decision, he is not worthy of being the village chief at all!

After speaking, the smile on the corner of his mouth became more and more vigorous, and the brown age spots and dark spots on his face were gathered together due to the folds and sagging, and the smile looked a little terrifying.

"No! she's not a monster——! she's not ——!"

"Yes——......"

The responses were a little sparse, and more people were hesitant in their tones.

Chen Yong frowned slightly, lowered his eyes and looked at the crowd in front of him, raised his arms and shouted excitedly, "This monster has ruined our home!

"Tell me what to do——!

"So——! should you burn her! Burn this monster !!"

"Burn her, burn her!!Burn her!!" The uniform shouts converged on a line and resounded in the sky.

The loud shout seemed to give them courage, and the red face stretched out his neck and waved the torch in his hand vigorously, which made the timidity in their hearts retreat a little.

"No! No!!"

Li Cui's eyes were full of red bloodshots, and she stretched her neck and leaned forward, her green tendons protruding from the outside, "No! it's not a monster——!

The hoarse sound was swallowed up by the waves, like a sand thrown into a river, without a trace of waves. The stakes shook violently, and the dry jute rope gradually became stained with blood and became wet.

The villagers threw torches with all their might.

Torches swirled in the air, piercing the dark sky and falling to the elevated platform in the center of the square.

Seeing this, Gu Cheng struggled hard, and even the soil around the stake was turned up a little, and the blood marks on his sturdy and dark body were a little deeper, which was shocking.

The straw rope was already red and black, and blood stains were dripping down the straw rope.

He looked in horror at the tumbling torches and threw his head back and shouted silently to the sky.

Not ——!!!

Three years ago -

The rolling mountains, the dense forests are lush, and the birds and beasts are singing among the mountains and dense forests, full of vitality and vitality.

Gu Cheng held his big bow and aimed at the white rabbit in the grass in front of him.

At this moment, a loud and ethereal baby cry sounded, and his fingers slipped and loosened, and the arrow fell weakly.

In the blink of an eye, the white rabbit was frightened away and disappeared.

"Hey, it's this again, can't this get along with me!"

Gu Cheng was quite annoyed in his heart, he had always encountered such a strange sound every other day during hunting in the past few days, which caused him to miss frequently, and when he went home, he estimated that he would have to be scolded by that mother-in-law.

Gu Cheng helplessly lifted the pheasant at his feet, stopped and frowned for a long time, then looked in the direction where the voice came from behind, gritted his teeth ruthlessly, stepped on the waist-high weeds, and touched it angrily.

- It's not a matter if it goes on like this, I'm afraid that I won't survive this winter, and if I don't freeze to death, I will starve to death.

Knowing Suosuo –

Gu Cheng followed the sound for a short distance, carefully pulling the grass back and forth to explore, sometimes stopping to listen to the strange sound that sounded by chance, but it was still nowhere to be seen.

The strange sound was intermittent, sometimes far and sometimes near, erratic, and he wondered if he had encountered some mountain spirit......

Thinking of this, Gu Cheng's forehead gradually leaked fine sweat, and he untied the animal skin clothes, revealing the rough and simple coarse cloth clothes inside, pulling a banana leaf and fanning it.

Suddenly, a loud and ethereal cry sounded beside him, and this time it was so frightened that almost his soul flew out.

——！！！

Gu Cheng sat on the ground in shock, the banana leaves and pheasants in his hands were subconsciously thrown out, he turned his head sideways with difficulty, and couldn't stop swallowing saliva.

Through the gaps in the grass, there was a glimmer of golden light in the bushes an inch away, and it was still impossible to see what it was, and the strange sound sounded like the cry of a baby.

Gu Cheng was suspicious in his heart, thinking that how could a baby cry for several days, it was still in this wilderness, and eighty percent of it was a man-eating spirit!

Frightened, he frowned and hurriedly got up and hurriedly picked up the pheasant next to him.

Feet raised in the air, just stepped and suddenly stopped, eyes full of hesitation, when I wanted to turn around to find out, but I couldn't take a step.

I was in a dilemma for a while.

At this time, a loud and ethereal cry sounded again, Gu Cheng hurriedly took a few steps back in fear, and the next moment he gritted his teeth and patted his head, and walked forward resolutely.

He decided to take a look, they had all come here, and they had to see what they said, otherwise they would be panicked at night and they would not sleep well.

Thinking in my heart, I arrived in three or two steps.

Take a closer look.

The swaddling clothes are graceful and luxurious, gorgeous and atmospheric, and there are strange patterns tattooed on it.

Gu Cheng couldn't understand what it was, and he had never seen it, but he recognized the golden thread, it was definitely valuable!

Although he had often heard about the abandoned baby, he never expected to encounter one by himself today, and he poked his head out to look back and forth in the forest, but he didn't see anything.

- Which one is so ruthless after a thousand cuts, doesn't this make it clear that he wants this baby's life?

- Hmm...... If you want me to say, this should be lost and the temple should be lost......

Gu Cheng thought to himself, laughing self-deprecatingly in his mouth, and stretched out his hand to pick up the bush.

Suddenly, with a gesture, he remembered a strange thing, the baby's cry had been ringing in the forest for at least a few days......

The forest became silent, and all that was left in my ears was the fluttering of pheasants.

Gu Cheng was excited, and looked down with the gaze in his feelings, the baby girl was looking at him with wide eyes, her fat white and tender little hands were swinging, wiping her fleshy face, and her shiny little mouth was spitting bubbles, sometimes making a soft sigh.

The big smart and watery eyes suddenly attracted Gu Cheng, making him unable to take his eyes off, his mind was blank, and he couldn't help but stretch out his hand to pick up the baby, swaying slightly from side to side, curling his tongue and teasing slightly.

The little baby girl smiled.

"Such a cute and pleasing baby, there are even people who are willing to lose it, tsk tsk......"

Gu Cheng lifted the swaddling clothes in twos, glanced down, and quickly covered it back, his face showed that it was so, shook his head and let out a long breath, and carefully stuffed the baby girl back into the bushes.

"If you don't put it, it's no wonder ......"

He picked up the pheasant beside him, whistled with his head in his hands, and went into the forest without looking back.

It didn't take long.

The grass was once again peeled open, revealing a face with thick eyebrows, a big nose and small eyes.

Gu Cheng rolled his eyes and stared at the swaddling gold thread for a long time, then reached out and peeled off the swaddling clothes and put them under his armpits, stuffing the sleek baby girl back into the bushes.

The little baby girl didn't cry or make trouble, her big watery eyes were full of curiosity, and her clear and watery eyes were surprisingly calm.

Gu Cheng couldn't help but look at it a few more times, but this didn't affect him from turning around and going back to the village.

The grass slowly rose up and returned to its usual appearance.

Not long after it had calmed down, there was another commotion, and the grass was split to the sides, revealing the ordinary-looking head.

Gu Cheng shook his head and came back, muttering in his mouth, "I also took this valuable thing, and I don't mind bringing it back by the way......"

This time, I was startled, and the baby's big clear and watery eyes were as calm as ever, and there seemed to be a smile in her eyes.

This time, I felt that the hairs stood up and were hairy, and I would rather cry fiercely than be so weirdly quiet.

There was a babbling sound in my ears.

Gu Cheng came back to his senses and patted his head and laughed at himself, it has been nothing for so long, and she still thinks she is a mountain monster, is this too stupid.

So, wrap her back in swaddling clothes, hold a pheasant in the other hand, hum a small tune and go home relaxed and happy.

As the sun sets in the western mountains, a faint light gauze ribbon is pulled up in the sky, and smoke rises in the palm-sized village, and the mountains are filled with the smell of fragrant firewood.

"Cuihua, Cuihua, look what I brought you~~"

Hearing the sound, a head poked out of the kitchen, his head was wrapped in a white cloth, his appearance was mediocre, and dots of black spotted finches dotted it.

Li Cui wiped the sweat stains on the tip of her nose with her sleeve, her eyes widened in the next second, and she came out of the kitchen with a kitchen knife in her grief, crying for the first time, "You...... You, you ——! without a conscience."

"Actually, you did that kind of thing behind my back...... Even the child was brought back!!"

"Cuihua! Calm down, calm down!"

Gu Cheng threw away the pheasant and hugged the baby girl to avoid Li Cui's sharp knife.

At this time, the baby girl in her arms babbled and laughed, Gu Chenggan stared at her, the more the baby girl laughed, and Li Cui's angry and aggrieved scolding came from her ears again.

He narrowly dodged the kitchen knife, and he didn't forget to explain the strange encounters in the mountains.

Hiding around the courtyard for most of the time-

Li Cui put down the butcher knife in her hand in disbelief, poked her head, and gently opened the swaddling clothes, the little guy actually grinned, waved his little hand at her, and babbled.

At this moment, at this glance, she fell in love with this innocent smile, and without saying a word, she snatched the baby girl from Gu Cheng's hand, and coaxed her with a smile.

The courtyard was full of laughter, and there was still the appearance of crying before.

"Cuihua, why do I smell a burning smell??"

......

The next day—

Li Cui has eavesdropped on the private school for a period of time since she was a child, and she also has some ink in her stomach, and out of love for this child, she decided to give her a nice name, and she also visited many educated people in the village.

I just tinkered with it for two days and two nights, and pondered a good name that she thought was elegant.

- Gu Sijun