Chapter 16: Nightmare of Being Eaten

In May of 884 AD, on the official road fifty li southwest of Bianzhou (modern-day Kaifeng)Seeing Ye Hou Sheng walk into the house disheveled and dejected, Ye Da Niang was extremely surprised. The head of her family, who she had always known to be composed and steadfast, like a mountain that never moves, how could he be like this What happened to him

Madam Ye hurried into the room and asked, "Sir, why are you in such a disarray"

Ye Hou Sheng slowly sighed and glanced at her, asking in a low voice, "Do you still remember the large crowd of people you saw this morning"

"Of course I remember," Ye Dalian hurriedly said, "that's why the officials let us hide in this village."

Ye Hou Sheng: "I've heard that this group of people is called the 'Army Grain Team'. Do you know why they are called that"

Mrs. Ye pondered: "Could they be transporting military rations But my eyes are poor, I seem to have not seen them carrying food, or pushing a grain cart It's really strange."

Ye Hou Sheng shook his head and smiled wryly: "They are their own rations."

Ye Dalian didn't understand: "What do you mean, sir"

Ye Hou-sheng said: “At noon, I saw from afar those soldiers directly killing the civilians and throwing them into the cauldron!”

Ye Daniu let out a shriek. Ye Niang's face turned as pale as snow, and she grabbed hold of Ye Youxiao's hands with both hers. They were so frightened they couldn't even scream. The siblings stared intently at Ye Hou Sheng.

The room was deathly silent. Luckily, the roof had been broken in half, letting some sunlight in; otherwise, this place would be just like a tomb.

After a long time, only Granny Ye's low voice could be heard saying: "So that's how it is. Thanks to the official for leading us away from that large group of people..."

The words “army rations team,” she never dared to utter them, as if they had become a great taboo.

Ye Hou Sheng shook his head: "I just felt that the large group of commoners coming was strange, but I never thought they were the military rations, food, for the army generals!"

Ye Dalian said nothing, only kept chanting Buddha.

Ye Youxiao bravely asked, "Don't the common people resist at all"

Ye Hou Sheng looked at him and sighed: "They are still clinging to a sliver of hope, thinking that the next one killed might not be them. Who dares to step forward and court death Besides, they are all starving and weak, how dare they fight against the bandits Wouldn't it be better to surrender themselves"

Ye Da's mother hurriedly embraced him and said, "You Xiao, don't ask anymore."

Ye Ma Wen thought for a moment and said, “Looking at the crowd of people, there are also women.”

"Women have it even worse. They are often abused and then killed and thrown into the pot."

Ye Mama let out a cry of surprise, Ye Big Mama hurriedly embraced her daughter. Seeing both siblings in her arms, she felt a little more at ease, but couldn't help but say, "My husband didn't even see, yet he frightened his daughter."

Ye Hou Sheng sighed, "I heard from the officials before that Huang Chao even had human flesh workshops, dividing human flesh into different grades…" He suddenly realized these were inappropriate topics and quickly covered his mouth. "Aiya, I shouldn't have said that, I shouldn't have said that!"

Ye Youxiao had already been scared white. Though in his stepmother's arms, he still couldn't help shivering all over. Ye Housheng saw this and pulled him over, hugging him by the shoulders himself. Then, changing his tone, he looked seriously at his family: "We don't have much grain left. We should sleep before noon today to save a meal."

Ye Youxiao secretly groaned, going from three meals a day to two was tolerable, but now being reduced to one meal a day was truly miserable. However, after hearing the recent news of a cannibalistic tragedy, he felt that debating about having two meals or one didn't seem right anymore.

But my elder sister said, "I couldn't sleep at that time."

Ye Hou Sheng was very adamant: "One must go to sleep before it gets dark. When one can't sleep, let's go out at dawn and avoid running into those bandits who eat people."

Ye Mama was so frightened that she rushed back into her mother's arms. Ye Dalian gently patted her on the back and looked up to ask, "The official said, are we going to have to live in hiding from now on"

Ye Hou Sheng nodded slowly: "Today, fortunately, I was lucky and didn't get seen by those thieves. If we act so flagrantly again, I'm afraid even using Mr. Xue's name won't help."

"Ye Dalian then asked, "I wonder if we have already reached Cai State If so, Lord Xue is the military commander of this place. Why isn't his name helpful Perhaps there are still imperial troops to lead us into Cai State."

Ye Hou Sheng shook his head repeatedly: “Just be dreaming.”

Yè Dāniang let out a hearty laugh: "Sleep before bedtime isn't that just daydreaming"

Ye Jia borrowed a house where the courtyard had pavilions and attached rooms. Although some walls were broken and dilapidated, it wasn't difficult to find two rooms for sleeping. However, after hearing about the terrifying story of the "Military Grain Team," Ye Ma Wen dared not sleep alone and insisted on sleeping with her mother. Ye Hou Sheng called Ye You Xiao, and they found a side room to sleep in.

Without dinner, Ye Youxiao's stomach rumbled anxiously. He tossed and turned for a long time but couldn't fall asleep. Suddenly, he heard Ye Hou Sheng's belly growl beside him, so he asked, "Father, are you really not eating"

Ye Haosheng pointed at the stars peeking out from above his head and said, "It's night already, what are we still eating for Go to sleep!"

Ye Youxiao just closed his eyes, but suddenly felt a small flatbread in his hand, still faintly warm with his godfather's body heat. While moved, he wolfed it down, only to hear his godfather mumble, "You little brat, you'll eat your mother and me to death."

"Master, would you like to have some food"

After half a day, Ye Hou Sheng hadn't answered. However, there was a faint sound of his even breathing, it seemed he had really fallen asleep. Ye You Xiao squeezed his eyes shut with all his might, but he could still vaguely see the group of commoners. He saw them walking out from the morning mist. Some smiled at him, while others had eyes filled with despair. Suddenly, it was like a small captain saw him and was about to command the soldiers to arrest him.

Suddenly, I was startled awake and my mind cleared. I realized I was still "lying stiff in the deserted village". There was no other choice but to close my eyes and sleep again.

My head is in a fog, and I feel uneasy all over. There's a constant itch along my ribs that just won't go away. It's so irritating and uncomfortable.

He thought to himself: "There's no army that eats human flesh. Father must have been mistaken."

Then he thought again, "We live in this village, so it's inevitable that we'll attract attention. Won't those cannibal armies come charging over"

In a daze, I found myself back at the place where I saw the "Military Supply Team" at the hour of Chen. The leaves on the trees were still reflecting the sunlight, shimmering ever so slightly. Birds in the branches were singing carefree and happily.

Birdcall No, that sound, it was clearly a woman crying for help!

Ye Youxiao carefully moved his body, slowly looking towards the weeds:

Indeed, I saw the dress fluttering. There was a soldier actually assaulting a civilian woman! To be so brazen in broad daylight! Ye Youxiao's anger flared, and he wanted to step forward, but hesitated in his heart. Could he really save this woman But if he didn't save her, would she be like what his father said, violated and then cooked and eaten by bandits

While he was struggling with his dilemma, he learned that the woman had already been ravaged multiple times by bandits. Ye Youxiao temporarily put aside his inner turmoil, because she had been humiliated more than once. He was small and weak, and instead of saving her, he would likely be eaten by the bandits.

I remember what Aye said, the bandits divided human flesh into different parts. Could it be like how we eat pork, dividing it into things like leg meat and fatty meat

As soon as he thought this, a wild boar charged towards him angrily. Ye Youxiao was so frightened that he turned around and ran, but his legs wouldn't move, as if they were stuck in the mud. Looking at the wild boar, its tusks were already very close to him.

In a moment of panic and helplessness, I suddenly heard the cry of a baby. Startled, I looked around, but there was no sign of the military supply team or the wild boar. Only sunlight dappling through the bamboo forest. And within that bamboo forest, a woman was giving birth.

I suddenly realized that this woman giving birth was the same one from just now.

She actually gave birth to a baby boy!

Ye Youxiao has always wondered when babies open their eyes. He looked at the baby with wide eyes, but for some reason, he suddenly found his right hand very dirty, so dirty that it seemed impossible to wash off. Just when he was in a predicament, he suddenly saw a "Lin" character on his hand, and it wasn't Song script or regular script, but "Huawen Caiyun" font! It was strange, he hadn't used "Huawen Caiyun" many times, how could it have ended up on his hand

I thought of the woman again and looked at her. Her long hair still covered her face, obscuring her features. Suddenly, the woman dipped her finger in blood from the ground and wrote a large character "Lin" on her torn skirt.

Ye Youxiao just felt that this character "Lin" was very familiar. He thought about it for a long time but couldn't remember where he had seen it before. Suddenly, it dawned on him: This baby must be the ancestor of the Lin family!

In the hazy distance, Ye Youxiao wanted to step forward and acknowledge his ancestor. However, that ancestor had already transformed into a burly man with a long beard, roaring at Ye Youxiao: "You scoundrel! A traitor who betrays your ancestors and clan, you dare to take over the Ye family lineage!"

Ye Youxiao was about to distinguish when he was suddenly pushed off the cliff by the ancestor. Clouds and mist swirled around him, and he was about to fall into the abyss! Terrified, he cried out for help "Help!"

Ye Youxiao woke with a jolt, his whole body drenched in cold sweat. The dream replayed vividly in his mind, leaving him uncertain whether it was real or not.

It turned out to be his stepfather who woke him up. Ye Youxiao was dazed and confused, only hearing Ye Housheng say, "Youxiao, why did you shout so loudly You scared me."

Ye Youxiao just said, "It's nothing, I still want to sleep."

Ye Hou Sheng smiled: "Sleep in the car. It's already past midnight, and the thieves should be asleep by now. Let's take advantage of this peace and quiet to travel quickly."

He had stumbled onto the mule cart, leaning against the soft luggage, Ye Youxiao felt it was much better than the hard kang he had just left. Drowsily, he recalled that he had gone to sleep at the hour of "wei" today and couldn't fall asleep. He didn't know when he had fallen asleep and had even dreamt this terrifying nightmare. Thinking about the dream, his heart was still uneasy. He did hear his grandfather say that the founder of the Lin family was Wenquxing Bi Qian, saying that if he didn't study well, it would disgrace his ancestors. Why did his ancestor in his dream turn out to be a woman from the military rations team who had been humiliated and gave birth

Secretly cursing himself, he had such a glorious ancestor, yet he was living this nightmare. But what if his great-great-grandfather really came to the world like this Well, being the adopted son of an underling was already unlucky enough, now he had to disgrace his ancestors! Gradually, Ye Youxiao's eyes became sharp as he saw the core issue:

This time travel was a complete mistake!

Things were really terrifying during the late Tang Dynasty!

I should go back in time!

Having found the answer to his problem, Ye Youxiao finally felt a sense of relief. Sleepiness once again overtook him, and he began to doze off. Suddenly, he thought: "Should I go back in time It would be great, but how could I possibly go back"

This is the real issue! Damn time travel, it's a one-way ticket!

How long had the mule cart been gone Why did it stop How long had it stopped Ye Youxiao didn't know any of this, he was thoroughly defeated by deep dejection. Suddenly, he realized that it was already morning, but there was no sunlight today. The gloomy sky seemed to be about to rain.

A short figure ran towards the mule cart. Ye Youxiao hurriedly looked closely, oh, it was his godfather.

Ye Hou-sheng ran to the side of the cart. Ye You-xiao would always remember his face: all the muscles on his face had died, only two eyes were still open, but there was not a single spark of light in them. Could it be that dark clouds could devour a person's gaze

"Sir, are you alright" Ye Dalian hurried forward and helped him up.

Yè Hòushēng spoke. It seemed he was still alive: "It's over."

Ye Youxiao couldn't help but shiver: "Human-eating bandits have come"

"Ye Daniu is quite calm: "What's the matter Please tell me slowly, officer."

Ye Ma presented a gourd of water to Aye. Ye Hou Sheng took it and slowly drank two sips, then sat down heavily on the patch of grass, the thud of his buttocks suppressing the grass's whimpers.

Ye Hou Sheng looked up at Ye Da Niang and said, "In another five miles, we'll reach Cai Zhou."

Before Granny Ye could speak, Ye Niwen had already jumped out of the car: “Finally arrived in Cai Prefecture! It's great! Father, are we going to meet Mr. Xue”

Ye Dalian and Ye Youxiao also looked at the head of the family with high hopes, Ye Youxiao even imagined the sweet taste of the flatbread. But unexpectedly, Ye Housheng scolded with a sullen face:

"A girl mustn't talk nonsense at home! Lord Xue is dead, who would go to see him!"

Seeing her father scold her, Ye Mama was both astonished and wronged. She couldn't help but immediately fall into her mother's arms, her shoulders trembling slightly, as if she was sobbing. Ye Da Niang stroked her daughter's back while saying, "Wen'er doesn't know that Mr. Xue has died...Wait a minute, Mr. Xue is dead How did he die Did he die of illness He wasn't that old, was he"

Ye Hou Sheng glared impatiently at Ye Daniu: "Why are you being so talkative! Xue Gong was murdered!"performers belonging to Lady Ye, the favorite concubine of Emperor Xizong. 。Ye Ma sang some little tunes, of course all Tang poems, and she also played the flute and some string instruments to create...