The opening the ended. It was a stormy night, and on a small rural path appeared ten masked figures in black, each carrying a broadsword as they headed towards a courtyard.
The moonlight glinted off the edges of the broadswords, sharp and chilling.
"Rat-a-tat-tat..."
The courtyard door was violently knocked on.
Yang Lusi appeared on cara, dressed just like the village girl from the variety show.
Fearing that she might wake the children inside, Village Girl Yang quickly secured the door, didn’t bother to put on her rain cape, and hurried to the entrance. Before opening the door, she cautiously asked, "Who is it?"
The reply was an even more intense knocking on the door, "Bang bang bang..." It sounded more like soone was smashing the door with sothing.
The figures outside struck the door forcefully with the hilts of their swords, clearly losing patience. As they lifted their feet to kick in the door, it swung open.
Village Girl Yang saw the ten n ard with broadswords, trembled, and taking a step back, asked, "Who... are you looking for?"
No one answered her. The broadswords were raised in the dark, their glints dazzling.
Village Girl Yang fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding having her head severed by a sword.
"Woof woof woof!" Two large dogs dashed out from inside the courtyard.
Seeing their mistress on the ground, the two large dogs decided that the intruders were evildoers and lunged at them to bite.
The ten n swung their broadswords and killed the two dogs on the spot, leaving a bloody ss.
The two dogs bought Village Girl Yang ti to escape. She rushed inside, scooped up the youngest, Little Six, woke up Da Lang, Second Son, and Third Son. Da Lang threw Fourth Sister onto his back, Third Son heaved Fifth Son onto his, and with no ti to explain further, Village Girl Yang just told them that bandits had broken in and they needed to run fast.
Just as they reached the window, ready to climb across the bed and flee, the door was kicked open. In rushed the ten n holding their bloody broadswords.
Second Son grabbed the Small Wooden Sword his father had made for him and charged forward, shouting, "Run fast!"
But Little Bean was no match for the assailants; as soon as he charged, his right hand, gripping the Small Wooden Sword, was chopped off by a broadsword.
"Second Son!" Village Girl Yang scread.
Da Lang set down the now awake Fourth Sister and coaxed her briefly, instructing her to follow their mother quickly. Then, he turned and lunged forward with a sharp, pointed Knife, yelling, "Mother, run fast!"
Seeing that Fifth Son was groggily awakening, Third Son shoved him towards Fourth Sister and said, "Protect him." With that, he also grabbed a wooden sword and joined the fray.
Da Lang, Second Son, and Third Son were just children, no match for their attackers, but having learned a few moves from their soldier father, they managed to hold the attackers off for a mont.
Village Girl Yang, with tears in her eyes, held Little Six with one hand and Fourth Sister with the other, carrying Fifth Son on her back as she climbed out the window. She looked back just in ti to see Da Lang beheaded, and her legs gave out, causing her to tumble out the window.
Fifth Son landed on the ground, still in a daze from sleep, utterly unaware of what was happening.
Fourth Sister cried out, "Big brother!"
The recent scene was etched in her vision, the bloodied imagery haunting her eyes. She clearly saw her big brother’s head hit the ground, his eyes wide open, mouth still uttering, "Run!"
Village Girl Yang picked herself up from the ground, disheveled and in pain, yet she couldn’t spare a thought to tidy up. She flung Fifth Son back onto her shoulders, held Little Six in one arm, Fourth Sister in the other, and ran wildly into the rainy night.
The rain soaked the road ahead, as well as her eyelashes, blurring her vision with what was either rain or tears. The muddy ground was wet and slippery. She almost fell multiple tis, but thinking of Third Brother’s children on her back, she steadied herself each ti, refusing to fall and driven by sheer will to keep running.
There was a light ahead. It was the headman’s courtyard.
But before she could reach the headman’s courtyard for help, she was surrounded by the ten figures. Four in front blocked her path, two behind eyed her nacingly, two on the left, and two on the right, leaving no gap for escape.
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