"How many people have you killed in total?" Niannian stared calmly at the man.
His experience was indeed pitiful. Those who shifted the blame, those who helped the responsible ones cover up the truth, and those who forced the man into a corner truly deserved their comeuppance.
However, there were so many corpses in the cave. Weren't the people in there innocent? Even if those people had died of natural causes, their corpses were desecrated after death. Left for the rats to gnaw on and turned into zombies, why should they suffer such a fate?
Everything should be judged separately. What the man had done was wrong. Although it was understandable, wrong was still wrong.
Xiaotuanzi's question made the man's heart skip a beat.
Suddenly, he turned around, revealing a face that was neither human nor ghost.
That face was hideous and terrifying. It was impossible to make out the facial features. It was as if it had been burned by scorching flames hundreds of times.
"Many. So many that I can't remember anymore. But if they didn't die, I wouldn't be able to take revenge, nor would I be able to bring my wife and daughter back."
"Maybe they also have fathers like you. When you killed them, their fathers would be very sad. It's just that they don't have your abilities and can't avenge their children in the way you did."
Niannian calmly stated what the man least wanted to think deeply about. He still had a bit of conscience left.
In the dead of night, he had also wondered if, after all the sins he had committed just to bring his daughter and wife back, they would still be able to accept him, a husband and father with blood on his hands, when they really returned.
But he couldn't care less.
He just wanted his wife and daughter back. Even if it meant falling into the deepest hell, he would not hesitate.
"I led you here because I don't want to lay a hand on you. You're the same age as my daughter. You have a wonderful future ahead of you and a long way to go in life. If the Holy Cult catches you, I know better than anyone what you'll face. So I came here to give you a warning. As long as you don't stand in my way, we'll go our separate ways. I won't attack you, nor will I target your sect."
The man quickly changed the topic. He didn't want to keep going around in circles about who was right and who was wrong.
He himself couldn't tell if what he was doing was right or wrong. There were always two voices in his heart, constantly fighting and shouting, almost driving him crazy.
Actually, Niannian's matter was none of his business at first. But that was before he knew Xiaotuanzi's age.
He had lost a child, also a daughter. His child was just as cute. So he didn't want a little kid to end up like his daughter.
"Impossible. Not to mention the intricate relationship between the Shen family and my third senior brother. Even if there were no such connection, I wouldn't just sit back and do nothing if I happened to come across this. I can ask my third senior brother to step in and bring the person who harmed your wife and daughter to justice. But you also have to pay the price for your evil deeds. What you've done is not the right path. Everything has its consequences, and you should bear the fruit of your actions."
As she finished speaking, a golden glow enveloped Niannian.
The long sword in her hand buzzed, as if it was also eager to strike.
At this moment, her aura was no longer the cute and fierce look from before. It was as if a divine being from the ninth heaven had suddenly descended to the mortal world, exuding a divine compassion and coldness.
"Say whatever you want. I've said my piece. If you still want to oppose me, don't blame me for being rude!"
The man's expression was solemn. He didn't dare to be the least bit careless. Although the person standing in front of him was just a little kid who didn't even reach his waist, he knew this little kid was extraordinary.
This was a child that even the Holy Cult didn't dare to abduct by force.
Since he had joined the Holy Cult, he naturally knew that although the Holy Cult liked to engage in underhanded and despicable deeds, its internal working style was extremely tough.
They would directly rob whatever they set their eyes on, using any means necessary to get it.
They had enormous power. As long as it wasn't something that would expose them too much, they would usually adopt a very tough attitude and take it for themselves.
A six - year - old kid like Niannian, if she didn't have strong enough strength, would have already been abducted to the Holy Cult's base camp. How could they let her run wild outside and disrupt the Holy Cult's plans?
The Holy Cult wanted Niannian dead, but not now. They wanted to take her alive, but they couldn't defeat her. That was why the Holy Cult had always been so afraid of Niannian.
The man had basically revealed most of his cards from the start.
He waved his sleeve, and rustling sounds came from all directions. At first, they were very faint, but then they grew louder and louder, as if there were millions of insects crawling on the ground.
Then countless rats swarmed in from all sides.
This was the inconvenience of being in the mountains. If it were in the city, he wouldn't be able to summon so many rats.
But in the mountains, the most abundant things were snakes, insects, rats, and ants. As long as he waved his hand, a large number would come.
The eyes of those rats glowed red. Their front teeth were bared, looking extremely ferocious.
Under the man's control, they quickly surrounded Niannian.
To be honest, even Xiaotuanzi, seeing this scene, felt a shiver down her spine, purely out of disgust.
Then the man whistled, and all the rats became agitated and rushed towards Niannian in a swarm.
Xiaotuanzi raised her long sword, and her hand that was twirling the sword almost left a blur.
But there were too many of them. Way too many.
Surrounded by so many rats, she could hardly move. There was only a tiny bit of empty space around her where she could move.
These rats seemed to be endless. As soon as one was cut in half, another would pounce on her. Many rats even piled up on top of each other, almost reaching her height.
Squeak, squeak, squeak...
The ear - piercing sounds filled the air all around.
The commotion here also attracted attention. Shen Weixun and the others who were searching nearby showed solemn expressions.
They whipped their horses and rushed here as fast as they could.
The black cat that was exploring the cave frowned, quickly retreated from the cave, and galloped towards Xiaotuanzi.
As the black cat ran, it meowed loudly. In response to its call, meows came from all over the forest, as if answering the black cat.
Even the stray cats in the nearby suburbs pricked up their ears, stared with wide eyes to determine the direction, and then, regardless of what they were doing, started running towards the Shen family's mountain.
The sight was truly spectacular.