SWDnovel Chapter 297 Youdu County
Chapter 297 Youdu County
After arriving at the center of the village, I checked the directions.
Han Bei's gaze finally settled on the small wooden house in front of him.
Compared to the surrounding houses, this one is noticeably more dilapidated.
It's obvious that the people living in this house don't have very good living conditions.
According to the display on the detector.
There is a living thing hidden inside, but it is unknown whether it is a person or an animal.
Be careful.
Li Shimin glanced at Cheng Yaojin, who was standing to the side, signaling him to go and see what was going on.
With Cheng Yaojin's skills, as long as he is careful, it is basically impossible for him to make a mistake.
Furthermore, with so many of them outside, even if there were any dangers inside, as long as Cheng Yaojin retreated in time, their safety could be guaranteed.
Upon seeing this, Cheng Yaojin cautiously entered the house.
He looked around.
There wasn't a single decent thing. Forget about furniture, even the table was broken and missing a corner.
Cheng Yaojin didn't even doubt that the table would break if he exerted just a little force.
He looked around but found nothing, which surprised him, and he frowned deeply.
That shouldn't be the case.
If Han Bei has said it so confidently, then there must be something there.
But after scanning the area, I didn't see any trace of living things.
That leaves only one possibility.
There is space inside the house that can hide people.
Thinking of this, Cheng Yaojin narrowed his eyes. He scanned every possible hiding place in the room, his gaze finally settling on the kang (a heated brick bed).
The kang (heated brick bed) was covered with withered, blackened straw, and underneath was mud.
He walked forward and backward, using a knife to clear away the weeds.
Suddenly, a small hole appeared before him, and inside it, a child was hiding.
He was huddled with his knees drawn up to his chest, trembling as he looked at Cheng Yaojin, as if the other man was about to seize him at any moment.
Upon seeing this, Cheng Yaojin frowned.
I originally wanted to just bring it up directly, but I was afraid something might go wrong, so I started talking to the other person in a nice and polite way.
Not long after.
Cheng Yaojin then led the child out of the house.
Upon witnessing this scene, Li Shimin turned to look at Han Bei and his group, clearly surprised that someone actually was there.
Having searched some houses without finding any trace, Li Shimin assumed that the village was deserted.
There was also a child.
But this also proves that the matter behind this is definitely not small.
"Your Majesty, the person has been brought here."
Cheng Yaojin brought the child to Li Shimin.
Looking at the trembling, terrified child in front of him, dressed in tattered clothes, Li Shimin felt a strange sense of irritation.
Do the people under his rule wear such clothes and live such a life?
Although he has only recently taken office.
But seeing this scene also made me feel guilty.
It seems like they haven't done what they were supposed to do.
Taking a deep breath, Li Shimin squatted down, gently comforted the other person, and began to inquire about the situation.
Han Bei, standing to the side, couldn't help but gasp when he saw the child's pitiful state.
This child is probably only seven or eight years old.
This situation would be absolutely impossible in their later generations; if all else fails, they would be in an orphanage.
"Aye and the others have been captured."
Upon hearing Li Shimin's soft words, the little boy could no longer hold back his emotions and burst into tears.
My shoulder is twitching.
In addition, the other person's clothing and somewhat thin figure made people feel inexplicably sorry for them.
"Who kidnapped your father and the others? Tell me, and I'll go and rescue them."
Li Shimin's heart sank, but he still asked gently.
"It's the Jiuli; they've captured Aye."
Everyone was stunned upon hearing this.
Li Shimin and his men were stunned because they knew about the Jiuli tribe.
Han Bei and the others stood there, stunned, pondering what Jiuli was.
"The Jiuli tribe?"
Su Yang murmured, if he remembered correctly, the Jiuli tribe seemed to be descendants of Chi You?
"The Jiuli tribe has always been honest and law-abiding, why would they suddenly do something so absurd?"
Cheng Yaojin asked, somewhat puzzled.
His eyes were full of doubts.
In his impression, the Jiuli people, though not exactly wealthy and noble.
But they are at least a family with some local reputation, so why would they do such a thing?
The entire village was most likely captured by the Jiuli tribe.
This child was simply lucky; he hid under the covers and wasn't taken away.
Do you know why they kidnapped your father?
Li Shimin spoke again.
I wanted to get more answers from the little child in front of me.
But the child shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either; he only knew that everyone in the village had been taken away.
Li Shimin frowned.
If that's the case, then the child certainly doesn't know where the Jiuli tribe went.
Li Shimin frowned.
If that's the case, then the child certainly doesn't know where the Jiuli tribe went.
Finding it is the real problem.
The practice of human sacrifice, as speculated in the secret letter, should not have begun at this time.
However, judging from the arrests, the date of the sacrificial ceremony is already approaching.
"Human sacrifice".
Han Bei frowned, his mind racing.
Sacrifices are generally only used on a few specific occasions.
Offerings to Heaven and Earth, to ancestors, and the enthronement ceremony.
Human sacrifice should place even greater emphasis on the time and location of the sacrifice.
Coincidentally, the Jiuli tribe were descendants of Chiyou.
Whom is being worshipped, and the purpose is self-evident.
What Han Bei could think of, Li Shimin naturally thought of as well.
"Go and find out the location of the Jiuli tribe's sacrificial ceremony."
Li Shimin spoke in a deep voice to the person beside him.
The sacrificial site shouldn't be too far from where they are; given the speed of the black bird, they should be able to arrive within half a day.
An hour later.
Li Shimin also learned the true location of the Jiuli tribe's territory.
There was a place called Youdu County.
Most of the people living in this county are descendants of Chiyou.
To be precise.
They can be considered descendants of the fallen dynasty.
Since the great battle in ancient times, when Chi You was defeated, most of the Jiuli people went to the southern wilderness.
That is, the current boundary of western Hunan.
Only a minority will remain here.
"It's time to go."
After Li Shimin finished speaking, he saw the child again, frowned and thought for a moment, then signaled to the people around him to take the child away and make proper arrangements for him.
While they are still at large, the child will only be exposed to danger if he stays here.
This place is only an hour away from Youdu County. If you want to collect the Xuan Bird, you can get there in just one hour.
Therefore, Li Shimin did not hesitate much.
He led a group of people straight towards Youdu County.
Li Shimin's brows were furrowed throughout the journey.
The magistrate of Youdu County has probably already colluded with the other party; otherwise, this matter would be of great importance.
With a little attention, you can spot what's wrong.