Butcher Hu was beheaded.
Having resolved this greatest hidden danger, everyone looked at the corpses strewn across the ground, falling into a strange silence for a moment.
They were all honest and hardworking farmers who, at most, usually slaughtered chickens for ancestral sacrifices or gutted fish for a special meal. Although they had killed the giant snake and the White-Haired Pig last time, those were ultimately just beasts, not living humans who could speak and beg for mercy.
At that time, fueled by anger, it was a matter of kill or be killed. But now that so many people were dead, these honest villagers felt a lingering fear and a sense of dread toward ghosts and gods.
Qin Sang spoke up:
"We need to dig a pit and bury these corpses."
Everyone looked at her one after another:
"Da Zhuangs Mother, with so many people, how big of a pit do we have to dig?"
"Yeah, that would be too much effort."
"Is it really necessary?"
Qin Sang shook her head slightly:
"No, it's not just these forty-odd; there are dozens more corpses at Tian Yuanshan's house. This area is close to the village and has no wild animals. If we leave these bodies alone, they'll rot and breed maggots, which could cause a plague.
Furthermore, those who fled into the mountains are short on food and clothing. Seeing these bodies, there's no guarantee they won't consider eating the flesh. Once that line is crossed, there will be no more boundaries; good people will turn into bad ones."
Qin Sang believed that these Rebel Soldiers certainly didn't want to eat human flesh at first, but to survive, they had no choice.
Once they went from zero to one, then going from zero to a hundred wouldn't be far off.
The hundred or so Rebel Soldiers at Tian Hongmei's house had been burned.
The situation was different now. They couldn't cremate them halfway up the back mountain, so burial was the only option.
Hearing that there were dozens more Rebel Soldier corpses at the foot of the mountain, everyone's faces showed shock.
There was no need to think about it; how could Rebel Soldiers kill each other? The only way those dozens of people could have died was because of Qin Sang.
Everyone wondered what methods Qin Sang had used to kill those dozens of people while remaining unharmed, but no one dared to ask.
Likewise, because of this, no one questioned Qin Sang's words about digging a pit to bury the bodies anymore. They all found suitable tools and began to dig.
Thirty people stayed on the mountain to dig the pit, while the remaining twenty or so went to the foot of the mountain to deal with the dozens of corpses there, which would still be burned.
Qin Sang was worried they might try to eat the water and guokui, so she also followed them back to Tianjia Village.
When passing her own courtyard, Qin Sang didn't go in, but she saw the bright red bloodstains and some tattered clothing inside.
Qin Sang could guess what had happened inside with her eyes closed.
Da Zhuang and San Gui wanted to go in, but Qin Sang stopped them:
"We'll build another house for our family later."
Tian Dazhuang and Tian Sangui were both angry and sad; their home had been ruined like this by Butcher Hu.
Hearing their Mother say they would build a new house in the future, the two of them finally closed the courtyard gate.
While passing the Village Chiefs House, they saw the remains of a grill on the dirt road, with only ashes left.
Seeing a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy kneeling on the ground gathering those remains, the boy immediately tried to run upon seeing them. Qin Sang hurriedly called out to him:
"Stop, we are not bad people."
Hearing a woman's voice filled with kindness, the boy finally stopped while clutching a clay pot. He turned to look at them, eyeing them warily, and said in a hoarse voice:
"Run quickly! There are bandits here. They went up the mountain and will be back soon."
A villager replied:
"Don't be afraid. The Rebel Soldiers on the mountain have all been killed by us. The village is safe now."
The boy's eyes lit up:
"Really?"
Hunter Xu's voice was steady and powerful:
"It's true."
The boy saw that although their clothes were simple and patched, they were worn neatly, not at all like the messy bandits who had imprisoned him, whose clothes were thrown on haphazardly, with some even being bare-chested.
Moreover, he had never seen these men or this woman before.
Believing their words, he immediately rushed to the pile of ashes. Kneeling, he carefully scooped up the ashes with both hands and gently placed them into the clay pot, his face already covered in tears.
Qin Sang took two steps forward:
"You are..."
The boy wiped his tears with his shoulder, his voice low and choked with sobs:
"This is my Mother. Last night... they ate her flesh. This is all I can do now—gather Mother's remains so she can be buried in peace.
I hope Mother is reincarnated into a better life in her next existence and doesn't have to suffer in a world like this again."
Qin Sang was stunned. The woman she couldn't save last night was this boy's Mother.
Qin Sang felt a bitterness in her throat and whispered:
"My condolences."
Some villagers, unable to handle it, leaned against the wall and started retching.
Hearing about people eating human flesh and drinking human blood was one thing, but seeing such miserably tortured remains with one's own eyes was a shocking impact.
Some villagers said indignantly:
"Those beasts died just like that; it was too easy on them."
"This bunch should go to hell and never be reincarnated."
Hunter Xu stepped forward and said:
"Although the Rebel Soldiers in the village are all dead now, there's no guarantee the Town won't send more to check on the situation. It's not safe here; you must find a way to leave."
The boy gave a low hum of agreement and continued gathering the remains.
Qin Sang and the others didn't say much more and walked toward Tian Yuanshan's courtyard.
Seeing the Rebel Soldier corpses all over the ground, the villagers, having just been shocked by the remains, no longer felt the slightest bit of fear.
Qin Sang grabbed a wooden stool and smashed the water vat that still contained half a vat of bloody water. Although everyone was a bit reluctant to see it go, they knew it was highly toxic and contained human blood, so it couldn't be drunk.
Qin Sang didn't let them eat the guokui either; though they weren't poisoned, they were already filthy.
Everything was thrown into the main hall of Tian Yuanshan's house.
The corpses were piled up, and everyone busied themselves carrying firewood, working up a foul-smelling sweat. It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that they started the fire.
Everyone watched the soaring flames from a distance in silence.
The fire burned for half a day and only began to die out as the sun started to set in the west.
Tian Yuanshan's adobe house collapsed from the fire, piling on top of the ashes like a giant burial mound.
Everyone turned around, preparing to rush back to the camp overnight. Before leaving, they went to their respective homes and took the spare thatch meant for repairing roofs, planning to bring it back to the camp to build log cabins.
On the way to the back mountain, Qin Sang saw that boy again, with a small boy by his side.
Clearly, he was waiting for them there.
Hunter Xu walked forward and asked:
"Why are you still here?"
Before the boy could say a word, he fell to his knees with a thud:
"Uncles, Aunt, I am A Shui from Qinghe Village, and this is my younger brother, A Jing.
He is seven years old this year. He can farm, cook, and wash clothes. He is very sensible and obedient.
Also, he eats very little and is easy to support.
Uncles, can you take him into the mountains with you?"
Qin Sang was a bit surprised. It wasn't that he wanted them to take him into the mountains; rather, his words implied he only wanted his brother to go, not himself.
"You're going to leave your brother? You don't plan on entering the mountains yourself?"
Traces of tears still marked A Shui's face. On his dirty, sallow face, his eyes were firm yet dark, and his hands were clenched into fists.
"They killed my parents. I want revenge."