The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 23 The Girl in the Cellar
Gloomy dark clouds blocked the sun, and low roars could be heard from the sky from time to time.

The drizzle fell hazily on the earth, washing away the dirt on the ground, but it could not wash away the sins committed by the Qarlug people in Sanhebao.

The dried blood, washed away by the rain, gathered on the ground again and flowed into a river.

In the village fortress built of loess and stones, traces of knives and arrows can still be clearly seen.

In some inconspicuous corners, the rain would occasionally wash out some broken flesh, bones, and even broken limbs.

Nature's tears failed to cleanse the filth and evil in Sanhe Fort, but instead made everything reveal its original form again.

"Boom boom boom~"

A low roar suddenly exploded on the earth. Some of the Qarlug people who had just occupied Sanhe Fort were frightened by this magnificent power.

He knelt on the ground in fear, and even walked out of the house and got wet in the rain, as if he was praying to the gods.

Some of the Karluk people believe in Nestorianism, but more of them believe in shamanism.

In their tribal culture, the supernatural power of thunder and lightning is beyond their comprehension.

The loud noise and powerful force of thunder and lightning make many herdsmen feel awe and fear, and then kneel down and worship devoutly.

They believed this was a sign of the gods' anger.

At this time, not far from these herdsmen, in a house made of adobe and bricks, a woman was lying naked on the ground.

Her neck was tied with an iron chain, and the other end of the chain was tied to a pillar.

Her body was covered in bruises, scars, and stains, with two dried red tear marks on her face, and her hair was messy.

She was like a walking corpse without a soul, lying motionless on the cold ground, staring at the roof with dull eyes, without any expression.

A minute later, a burly and ugly man stood up from her, breathing heavily.

Feeling unsatisfied, he kicked the motionless woman hard again.

"Damn, he's like a dead person!"

"Can you scream? Scream for me!"

The man cursed in Karluk and whipped the woman with a horsewhip, adding countless whip marks to her already scarred body.

But even so, the woman still lay on the ground, motionless.

He said nothing, not even his eyes wavered.

It was as if I no longer felt pain, more like the connection between my mind and body was completely severed.

She seemed to have become a dead person.

And just after being whipped a few times, the woman's eyes seemed to miraculously show color.

Her eyeballs began to waver, the muscles on her face began to tremble, and she slowly turned her stiff neck and looked outside the door.

She seemed to hear the child crying.
Oh, she still has a son, he's still alive~
For the first time, there was color and hope on the woman's face. She wanted to find her son, but unfortunately she could go nowhere.

She could only place her hope on the ugly man in front of her and looked at him with hatred.

A hoarse voice like a broken bellows said: "Where is my son?"

Seeing that the woman finally spoke, the Karluk man grinned as if victorious and threw the whip aside.

He sat down next to the woman carelessly.

"Don't worry, he's still alive."

"I haven't had enough fun with you yet, how can I let him die?" the man laughed.

The woman wanted to commit suicide at the beginning, but he threatened her with the life of that little brat, so she had to give in.

To him, the little brat posed no threat, but was a threat to the woman.

So, he definitely couldn't let the child die.

But the man suddenly thought that he hadn't fed him for two days.

He decided to go and see the little brat later, just like feeding the kittens and puppies.

Thinking of this, the man put on a round-necked robe, a wolfskin coat on the outside, and a circle of wolf teeth decoration wrapped around his forehead.

Showing his ferocity and strength to everyone, he picked up a gold-inlaid scimitar he had seized from the Khitans, opened the door, and strode out.

He asked the two guards outside the door in a rough voice, "Have those guys come over yet?"

"We're here and waiting for you in front!" said a guard with his head down.

"go!"

The man nodded slightly, glanced at the closed door behind him, jumped on his horse, and left the yard.

At this time, the sky was still drizzling, but from time to time one could see some Karluks kneeling on the muddy ground on the street.

The weather was a little cold, but the Qarlug people were all shirtless, not caring about the wind and rain at all. Instead, they had pious expressions on their faces and kept muttering something.

These people were Karluk herdsmen who believed that the thunder was the wrath of the gods and prayed to the gods for redemption.

"Humph, a bunch of brainless stupid sheep!"

The man looked at the herdsmen in front of him and said with disdain.

His name was Aslan, and he was the leader of the Karluk tribe.

Although most of the Karluks who were kneeling on the ground praying were his own herdsmen, Aslan still believed that these herdsmen were just a group of stupid sheep who had been fooled by the shamans.

What a bullshit god's wrath! It was just a bolt of lightning. Just get through it and you'll be fine!
If gods really existed in this world, why would they watch their loyal Qarlug people being oppressed by the Khitans?
If gods really existed, his father would not have been forced to commit suicide by taking poison by the Khitans.

"Damn gods~" Aslan cursed inwardly.

But he would not stop these herdsmen from kneeling down to worship the gods.

After all, shaman culture is also part of the rule of nomadic tribes.

The herdsmen were ignorant and believed in gods, which was actually beneficial to Aslan's rule.

After all, the great Aslan is the messenger of the gods in the human world!
No matter how devout these kneeling herdsmen were, Aslan led his men on horseback and rode past them towards a yard not far away.

……

At the same time, in this village that has been occupied by the Karluk people, a skinny little man is struggling to survive like an ant.

This was a child who looked to be only about eleven or twelve years old. He was wearing blood-stained clothes, barefoot without shoes, and his hair was messy with weeds and dirt hanging on it, like a little beggar.

Her face was covered in mud, and her original appearance was no longer recognizable.

The only thing that caught his eye was the pair of eyes that were as bright as stars in the night, blinking non-stop.

At this moment, she was in a cellar, surrounded by darkness, with only a small ventilation hole as her only channel to follow the light.

It was raining outside, with a cool breeze and muffled thunder.

But even so, the child was not afraid at all, did not cry, and did not dare to shout.

Faced with the torment of life and death and the torture of fear, there was even a look of excitement on that dirty face.

"The wind direction has changed, there is water~" the girl murmured excitedly.

She was not tall enough, so she could only stand on a stone that pressed the cylinder, tiptoe, raise her arms, and place her palms on the vent.

Little by little, I caught the raindrops blown into the vent by the wind in my palm.

She waited until the girl's body became stiff and her legs trembled uncontrollably before she carefully withdrew her hand.

At this moment, a small pool of rainwater had just accumulated in the palm of his hand, not even enough for an adult to drink half a sip.

There was already some dust in her hands, and the small handful of rainwater in her palm soon turned slightly yellow.

But even so, the girl was very satisfied, and an excited smile appeared on her dirty face.

Carefully holding the life-saving muddy water, he crawled on the ground, walked slowly, and walked to the other side of the cellar without making any sound.

There was also a young boy about fourteen or fifteen years old, lying on the ground with his eyes closed, motionless.

His face was pale and bloodless, and even the rise and fall of his chest could not be seen. He looked exactly like a dead person.

But the girl knew that her brother was not dead and he could still be saved.

"Brother, brother, wake up quickly, it's raining, we have water."

The girl whispered in his ear, "Brother," but the boy did not move.

She licked her dry and cracked lips with her tongue, then brought the handful of muddy water close to the boy's face as if it were a treasure.

Drop it into your mouth little by little.

They hadn't eaten or drunk anything for two days.

Fortunately, they encountered this thunderstorm~
Although the mud in the palm of my hand was dry, sour and bitter, it was not much different from eating dirt directly.

But for the brother and sister at this moment, it is a life-saving thing!
Fortunately, after drinking the muddy water, the boy seemed to come back to life and could vaguely feel some breath.

Seeing this, the girl cried for joy, tears flowing out like pearls, but she covered her mouth tightly and dared not make any sound.

Because she knew that the Qarlug people were staying outside!

She could clearly hear the voices of the Karluk people. If she were discovered by the Karluk people, it would be more terrifying than death.

"Woooooooo~"

The girl could only suppress her voice and cry silently.

Dad left and went to Beishan and never came back.

My grandfather died and his head was cut off by the Karluk people.

His mother also died. When he and his brother were hiding in the cellar, they were discovered by a Karluk man, so he chose to die with him.

When my brother was fighting with the Qarlugs before, he was hit in the chest by a knife, and his entire chest was torn open.

Although he could still feel his brother's breath from time to time, he continued to stay in the cellar without food or water and without receiving medical treatment.

In less than two days, the brother will surely die, and the girl will die of thirst or starvation.
"Woooooooo~"

"Grandpa~ Mom and Dad~ Wuuuuuu~"

The girl in the cellar cried silently, like a baby bird that had lost its mother, powerless and terrified.

Outside, the unbridled laughter of the Karluks rang out, only a wooden board away from the cellar where the girl was hiding...

Through the gap in the vent, the girl looked into the yard.

An ugly Karluk man, as strong as a black bear, walked in laughing.

When she saw him, hatred appeared in the girl's eyes.

Her grandfather was killed by this Qallu named Aslan.

(End of this chapter)