Chapter Six Visions

  Tang Lin's purpose in coming back was not to retrieve the Tang family's belongings, but to kill Liu San. However, he didn't want Tang Xin Yue to see it and be frightened, so he made up an excuse and snuck back alone.

  As expected, Liu San slept like a dead pig, completely unaware that Tang Lin was standing beside his bed. Perhaps he wouldn't have thought that this sleep would make him never see the sun tomorrow again.

  Tang Lin stood beside Liu San's bed, as quiet and eerie as a ghost, with a large stone he had somehow found raised high above his head, ready to strike at any moment.

  With a "crack", Liu San's head was smashed open by a large bluestone, just like a watermelon being split open. Fresh red blood and milky white brain matter splattered everywhere. Tang Lin didn't stop, but instead raised the stone again and struck Liu San's head once more.

  "Bang, bang......"

  I don't know how many times Tang Lin smashed it, anyway Liu San's head no longer exists now, the skull was crushed by stones into powder, blood and brain pulp mixed together in a heap, with hair mixed with scalp inside, the scene is as disgusting as possible.

  At this moment, if there were outsiders present, they would definitely notice Tang Lin's abnormality. All that could be seen was Tang Lin's cold smile, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, a pair of dark green eyes releasing an eerie glow, and his hands waving the discolored bluestone like mechanical arms. At this moment, Tang Lin was no longer a child, but like a demon, reaping Liu San's life. Under the faint candlelight, his shadow even revealed a wolf head with glowing green eyes.

  Perhaps exhausted, he finally stopped moving, looking at the bed where Liu San's head had long since disappeared, and the bloody mess in front of him. Tang Lin's body trembled slightly, then retreated and sat on the ground, his face terrified as he stared at everything before him.

  "Is this what I did? Is it me?"

  Tang Lin stared at his blood-stained hands, his expression dull and completely different from just a moment ago.

  After sitting for a long time, he slowly got up. He didn't dare to look at Liu San again, but instead searched around the room. In the end, he found his own dagger and the book left by Tang Tian Sheng on Liu San's corpse.

  Having found the two things, Tang Lin didn't dare to stay any longer. He now only wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, leave this room filled with the smell of blood, and reunite with Tang Xinyi. Even the gold and silver placed on Liu San's bedside, he didn't take them, and ran out in a hurry.

  ……

  On the streets of Xuántiān City, a boy and a girl walked side by side, their clothes tattered and disheveled, with messy hair covering their faces. The pair's emaciated figures were covered in dirt, their faces etched with exhaustion.

  These two children were Tang Lin siblings, and it had been half a month since Liu San was killed.

  "Brother, I'm hungry!" Tang Xinyi said, looking at the steaming white buns on the side of the street, swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

  "Oh, you're hungry? I'll go find something for you to eat. You wait here and don't move!"

  Tang Lin said as he walked towards the steamed bun vendor's stall.

  "Auntie, my brother and I are from outside the city. We were robbed a few days ago and our parents died tragically. Now we have nothing on us. Could you please give us just one steamed bun? My sister hasn't eaten for two days already! Please, auntie!"

  Looking at the poor child in front of her, the middle-aged woman selling mantou shook her head and casually wrapped four mantous in a basket and handed them to Tang Lin, smiling:

  "Here you go, kid, one isn't enough to eat."

  Tang Lin had never worried about food and clothing since he was young, and he had never asked anyone for help, not even his parents. This was his personality, but for the sake of his sister, the originally proud him finally lowered that arrogant head.

  With a steamed bun in his hands, Tang Lin's eyes sparkled as he looked at the middle-aged woman with gratitude and said:

  "Thank you, Auntie. I couldn't just take these four mantou for free. How about I do something for you instead? Is there any work that needs to be done? Just let me know, I'm very strong and can handle anything."

  For some reason, this middle-aged woman looked at Tang Lin and felt a sense of familiarity. If her son hadn't died, he would be about the same age as Tang Lin now.

  "Hey kid, what's your name and where are you from? Hurry up and call your sister over, she must be starving! Auntie's mantou is here for you to eat!"

  With a smiling face, he waved his hand at Tang Xinyi, his face full of kindness.

  Looking at the way they eat, this middle-aged woman has a look of indulgence on her face. She can tell that these two children are from a wealthy family, just by looking at their clothes. Although their clothes are tattered and worn out, the material is top-notch, not something ordinary families could afford. Looking at the way they eat, although they haven't eaten in days, they don't gobble down their food like ordinary kids do. Instead, they eat with great elegance, especially the girl, who looks like a refined young lady from a good family. Every time, she would pick off a small piece of mantou and then eat it slowly. Just by these details, it's clear that these two children are not from an ordinary family.

  "Kids, my surname is Cai, just call me Aunt Cai. Eat slowly, don't choke, Aunt Cai has enough to spare!"

  "Thank you, Aunt Cai! You're really a great person!" Tang Xinyi blinked her big bright eyes and said with a smile.

  "Oh! Poor kids, eat slowly, finish eating and wait for me here. After Aunt Cai sells these buns, you can follow me home."

  ……

  The sunset sinks westward, carrying that strand of residual red, as if unwilling to be driven away by darkness, releasing the last thread of light before the arrival of night!

  Two children walked alongside this middle-aged woman, carrying loads on their shoulders and backs, chatting and laughing along the way, as if they had become a family.

  "Aunt Cai, thank you for taking us in. Why don't we help you sell mantou tomorrow?" Tang Lin said.

  "Hehe, okay! Once we get home, you two little rascals should take a good bath first. If you look like this when I take you to sell buns, who would dare buy from us?"

  Looking at himself and Tang Xinyi's appearance, Tang Lin scratched his head in embarrassment, with a silly smile on his face, which brought bursts of laughter from the two.

  Before long, the three of them arrived in front of a small hut. It was a house built with rammed earth, and a fence surrounded an empty space in front of the door, where all sorts of green vegetables were planted. The lush greenery looked very pleasing to the eye. Underneath the window, a pile of firewood was neatly stacked, looking very tidy.

  "Kids, this is Aunt Cai's home. I'm the only one living here, come on in!"

  After lighting the vegetable oil lamp, Tang Lin was able to see clearly around him with the help of the light. The house was not big and the furnishings were very simple. There was an old four-cornered table and several stools. Further inside, there was a shrine with some simple fruits and two memorial tablets, one larger than the other. These were obviously the memorial tablets of deceased relatives of the Cai family.

  It's clear that Aunt Cai's family is not wealthy and belongs to the poor. When Tang Lin saw this, a heart-wrenching feeling arose.

  "You two little rascals sit down first, Aunt Cai is boiling water and will come over to bathe you in a moment."

  Cai Fang's hands and feet were very nimble, while cooking, she also boiled a large pot of hot water for the two of them. Looking at the two poor children, Cai Fang quietly wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes, "If Tian'er hadn't died, he would be about their age now..."