An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

Xiao Man simply exchanged glances with Jing Chunxi before turning to observe the people and scenery around him. He no longer looked like the whimpering, dirty, and foolish child he had been. The calmness in his eyes masked his vulnerability and pretense, and at this moment, he truly revealed his true self hidden beneath the mask.

His sudden change was caught by the mischievous little Tianbao. Tianbao's eyes widened, her expression full of curiosity and surprise. She nestled on Jing Chunxi's back, looking down from above, secretly observing Xiaoman's every move.

Xiao Man was completely unaware of all this. Apart from deliberately avoiding the soldiers' attention, he was only focused on everything he saw.

Judging from his performance over the past three days, Jing Chunxi finally confirmed his master's evaluation of Xiaoman. His master once said that Xiaoman was a child who was good at disguising herself. She looked very ordinary at ordinary times, and could perform according to the occasion, which could really fool many people.

He is like a chameleon, able to change his color according to changes in the environment, allowing himself to better integrate into it, handle things reasonably, and more easily avoid danger.

After walking for a long time, they finally stopped walking, but were greeted by another small dark room.

This time the small dark room was much smaller than the original one, but it was intended to accommodate more than a dozen people. When they arrived at the door, they immediately caused a commotion.

"Go in, stay here honestly, and don't have any bad ideas. Once you enter here, you can't fly away even if you have wings." The soldiers pushed everyone into the house roughly, with obvious threats and disdain in their tone.

At this point, facing such a scene, it was like seeing purgatory. Not to mention the children, even grown men couldn't help but sob.

They don’t know what the future holds, and the thought of never being able to return home fills their hearts with despair.

"I don't want to live anymore! Just kill me." A middle-aged man shouted in despair. He knelt helplessly on the ground, buried his head, and clutched his hair tightly with both hands, as if this could ease the pain in his heart.

"General, I have elderly parents at home and my children are still young. Please let me go! Wuuwu! If I don't go back, my family will not survive." Another man also knelt down and kept knocking his head to the ground. Tears flowed freely on his face. His voice was hoarse and crying, which made people feel pity.

"Let me go back, I will stay under the tea tree, make up for the tea that I owe you, and never run away again. Please be kind, General!" People knelt down one after another, each of them was filled with fear and despair. As long as they could save their lives and escape from here, they were willing to agree to any conditions.

One or two of the kneeling people were almost insane, and by the end they were talking incoherently, completely losing their minds. This atmosphere of despair made people feel even more depressed.

"Woo woo! Let us go!" Almost everyone couldn't help themselves. A few people suddenly stood up and ran back the way they came. They were like wild beasts driven by fear, wanting only to escape this terrifying place.

However, they had not run a few steps before they were caught by the escorting soldiers. They were whipped so hard that they cried for their parents and rolled on the ground. It was no use begging for mercy.

"Escape? Where can you escape? Run! Run again! I'll see you run!" The soldiers cursed, lashing their whips mercilessly. Those who tried to escape were left tumbling and crawling, their bodies covered in wounds and bleeding. Their eyes were filled with fear and despair, and they no longer dared to think of running away.

"If you know what's good for you, train and do what you need to do. Otherwise, I'll starve you for a few days, whip you a few times, and throw you down to feed the wolves."

Those who could still crawl dodged the swirling whips and crawled back to the house; those who could not crawl did not dare to move and could only lie on the ground, sighing and begging for mercy.

The others became obedient and entered the room silently one after another. Soon, the small dark room was full again.

The door was closed and the room was silent, with only occasional sobbing and groaning sounds. I couldn't help but feel pity and sadness when I heard them.

Though it was called a small, dark room, it wasn't actually dark at all. The light on the mountaintop was already good, and the room was built of bamboo and wood, with inevitable cracks in the walls. The midday sun filtered through these cracks, but no one felt any warmth. The atmosphere inside the room remained oppressive, a suffocating sense of dread and despair hanging in the air.

After such a long walk, it was already past noon. I stayed in the small dark room for a long time, but no one brought me any food.

Jing Chunxi had only eaten a few milk slices since last night, and her stomach was already growling with hunger. She looked over to her side, where Little Sweetie was also frowning at her, presumably feeling queasy. This time, Little Sweetie didn't touch her chest again, and the familiar half-steamed bun didn't appear in her hand.

Jing Chunxi couldn't help but feel touched. This little baby was nice. She would share half of the steamed bun with her after eating the last one. If you didn't know her, you would think there was a treasure bag on her little belly.

"I should have brought some food with me." Xiaoman sat upright and pulled her stomach in with force, perhaps because she thought that this would make her stomach smaller and she wouldn't be so hungry.

He was so hungry that he felt a bit heartbroken. He had been eating so well with the young lady some time ago, with fish and meat, as much bread as he wanted, and two bowls of white rice for every meal. How could he endure such a long period of hunger now?

The milk slices melted in his mouth and were not something that could satisfy hunger. He frowned and tried hard not to think about food, but his stomach kept growling.

Some people simply lie down and curl up to sleep. Then they won’t feel hungry when they sleep, and at least they can forget the cruelty of reality in a short sleep.

Jing Chunxi couldn't sleep, so she listened quietly to the noise outside.

It should be training time now. I can faintly hear the sounds of soldiers marching and shouting slogans, and occasionally the sounds of scolding and fighting can also be heard.

Xiao Man was lying on the ground and said, "I can feel the vibration from the soldiers' footsteps."

Even though they were all hungry, Jing Chunxi stopped trying to get the milk slices out. It was broad daylight, the light in the dark room was good, and it was crowded. If someone discovered there was food, there would definitely be a fight or even a fight.

She could only wait quietly. She didn't believe that the people were captured just to starve them to death. Someone must provide them with food and drink.

"Close your eyes and rest." Jing Chunxi said, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes. A small, soft body leaned over in his arms, and the little sweet baby snuggled tightly against Jing Chunxi's side.

After a while, their breathing became calm and long, and they both fell asleep. Xiao Man lay on his side and looked at them, feeling a little envious. He sighed softly, closed his eyes, and tried to let himself fall asleep.

In the small dark room, time seemed to be extraordinarily long, and hunger and fear made everyone suffer.