Senior sister, don't be stubborn, you are already invincible.

Dozens of thatched huts line the winding mountain valleys.

A small stream flows through it, crystal clear.

Smoke curled up and filled the air.

Qi Ping'an looked at the place where he originally lived from a distance, his expression slightly dazed.

The small village where he once lived was reduced to ruins overnight.

Now there are new villagers and it has a completely new look.

Beside the stream, a short, dark-skinned old woman was sitting on the bank, holding a wooden stick and beating her clothes repeatedly.

Suddenly hearing movement, she raised her head and looked at Qi Ping'an.

"Brother is a foreigner?" she asked.

"Ah."

Qi Pingan responded and casually found a place to sit cross-legged.

"Are you here alone? In recent years, things have not been peaceful. Bandits have been rampant and many people have suffered." The old woman said nonchalantly.

Qi Ping'an's face was still expressionless, but he frowned slightly.

Seeing this, the old woman sighed and continued: "We moved here twenty years ago. It was peaceful at that time, but in recent years it has become more and more dangerous."

"Look, there are only about ten families living here, but they are all old and disabled."

"There used to be some young girls and boys. Later, the young boys were killed and the girls were kidnapped by bandits."

"No, the bandits nearby are targeting us again. Our sixtieth birthday is coming soon, and we need to ask the neighborhood to send a girl there."

"When will this day end? Alas..."

The old woman rambled on, and when she got to the point of sadness, she raised her hand and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeves.

She just wanted to vent her depressed emotions and didn't think about what Qi Ping'an could answer her or do.

After all, in this chaotic world, everyone is in danger.

Therefore, even if Qi Ping'an didn't answer, she didn't care.

"Mom, who are you talking to?"

A clear and sweet female voice sounded.

The old woman looked back following the sound, but she saw a girl about twelve or thirteen years old, with a delicate appearance and wearing coarse clothes.

The girl's face is rosy, her eyes are big and bright, and her big eyes are full of spirituality.

"It's Xiaotao..."

Seeing her daughter, the old woman pointed at Qi Ping'an with a smile and said, "Mom is chatting with a stranger."

"Outlander?"

Xiaotao glanced in the direction her mother pointed.

There was no one there, so he turned to look at his mother in confusion.

"Mom, is there anyone there?"

"How could there be no one? That person just replied to me..."

As the old woman spoke, she turned around and looked at Qi Ping'an's position.

Where is there anything else except some dead leaves blowing in the wind?

"It's really strange!"

"Mom, you must have read it wrong, right?" Xiao Tao shook her head helplessly.

"How could I be wrong? He was still standing there just now." The old woman touched her head, feeling a little confused.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Tao no longer pursued the matter. Instead, she came to the river bank, took over the old woman's work and started washing clothes.

My mother cried all night long because of her own affairs, and she almost went blind from crying.

She felt sorry for her mother, but couldn't do anything.

In two days, the bandits would come to pick her up, so she could only help her mother lighten her burden while she was still at home.

"Xiao Tao..."

The old woman looked at the girl who was busy doing laundry and couldn't help shouting.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Tao stopped what she was doing and turned her head.

The old woman hesitated to speak.

"If you have something to say, just say it."

"Why don't you spend some money and ask someone to take you away..." The old woman gritted her teeth and whispered.

Xiao Tao was stunned, then smiled brightly, "Mom, if I escape, can they let you go?"

"We old ladies have all died once, so we have nothing to fear anymore..."

The old woman sobbed: "But I only have you as my daughter... I really can't bear to send you into the tiger's mouth..."

Hearing this, Xiao Tao fell silent.

After a long while, she whispered softly: "Where can I escape? The outside may not be better than here."

The old woman covered her face and cried, not knowing what to say.

Xiaotao looked at the horizon quietly and smiled suddenly.

"Mom, don't worry. Maybe your daughter and I can win the favor of the bandit leader. Then our lives will be easier and our destiny will change from now on!"

Her tone was cheerful, and the expression on her face was even brighter.

But anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is comfort.

There are at least dozens of girls who died in the gangster's stronghold.

"Xiao Tao..."

The old woman pursed her lips and cried harder.

……

That night.

On the top of the moon, starlight envelopes the mountains and fields.

A gust of wind blew by, and the whining sounds of birds came from the mountains, which seemed desolate and terrifying.

A group of bandits carried a small sedan and approached the village in a mighty manner.

The originally silent village was suddenly brightly lit, and all the villagers went out to greet him.

The expressions on everyone's faces were extremely solemn. They looked at these bandits as if they were evil ghosts who came to seek their lives.

There are more than twenty of these bandits, and each one of them has a particularly strong murderous aura. They look like they were born outlaws.

"Masters, didn't we agree that you would pick up the girl up the mountain at midnight? Why are you here so early?"

A sixty-year-old man came to the front to lead the way, with a smile on his face.

"I heard that the girl I booked ran away early. I was worried, so I came early."

The old man was startled and asked: "What happened to the girl who escaped?"

"Of course...he died, along with everyone in their village."

A bandit leader grinned and said, "Old man Liu, the girl in your village didn't escape, right?"

The old man's face suddenly stiffened, his face turned pale, and his hands and feet were shaking unconsciously.

"No, no, Xiaotao is still at home." The old man said with a dry smile.

The bandit leader chuckled and winked at the bandit next to him.

The bandit immediately took out the red wedding dress and threw it to the old man.

"Let her put on her clothes and follow me up the mountain today. Remember, no tricks are allowed, otherwise, hum!"

The old man took the wedding dress tremblingly, nodded and bowed and said: "Okay, I understand..."

After saying this, the old man hurried to Xiao Tao's house with his clothes and knocked on the door.

Half an hour later, Xiao Tao, wearing a red wedding dress, walked out slowly.

Although she is young, she is already mature and slim, and her beauty is beginning to take shape.

The bandits watched her approach step by step, with meaningful expressions on their faces and eyes full of desire.

I couldn't help but think, I hope she can persist until the day when the boss gets tired of playing, and she and others can have some soup.

The old woman was nervously tugging at the hem of her skirt from behind, her face full of anxiety.

Xiao Tao was not afraid at all, as if she didn't feel the burning gazes around her, she went straight onto the sedan.

The bandit leader handed her another red hijab, and Xiao Tao took the initiative to cover it up.

A group of bandits came in force and left in force.

The night of the village was gradually left far behind.