The decapitated head rolled across the ground and stopped right at Tang Ning's feet. She could see the expression of terror frozen on that face. She fought her impulse to kick the head away and silently took a step back.
The decapitated head was a gruesome sight.
"Be quiet! If any of you makes any noise, this shall be your outcome."
The man was still holding the sword in his hand, blood dripping from it, as he glared at the captives. He grabbed a captive who was huddled in a corner and pushed him out of the cell. "Out! Quickly! All of you!"
As he shoved the captives out of the cell, he suddenly noticed the little monk standing in a corner. Looking at Tang Ning curiously, he thought to himself, "What's a little monk doing here?"
Tang Ning hastily looked away, pretending she had not noticed the man's scrutiny. She quietly and calmly stood where she was, trying her best to be inconspicuous. Although she seemed composed, her bright, sparkling eyes darted about nervously, giving the impression of an innocence that had yet to encounter the evil lurking in the world.
She lowered her head and quietly followed the captives out of the cell. As much as she wanted to be obscured, the glow of her shiny, bald head made her stand out amongst the captives. In fact, if anyone were to take a glance, she would be the first thing to catch anyone's attention.
Or rather, her bald head would be the first thing.
Feeling herself constantly under the scrutiny of others, Tang Ning terribly missed her long hair.
"Why is there a little monk? Who brought him here?"
One of the men with swords scrutinized Tang Ning's blackface covered in soot and her bald, clean-shaven head. The ruthlessness in his eyes turned into amusement, and he laughed softly. He walked up to Tang Ning, touched her smooth, bald head, and taunted her, "Little monk, you read scriptures and pray to Buddha all day long, yet you were still captured in the end. The Buddha didn't protect you, eh?"
Tang Ning suppressed her emotions and endured the urge to chop off the grimy hand that was caressing her head. But she controlled herself, and instead gingerly took a step back, leaving the man's hand now suddenly hanging in the air, touching an empty space. Tang Ning solemnly said, "Buddha said if I don't go to hell, who will?"
"Hahahahaha! If I don't go to hell, who will? That's a good one!"
The man roared with laughter, tilting his head back. After his laughter died down, he deviously glared at Tang Ning's calm and fearless face, and said, "Interesting! I'd like to see if there's anyone in this world who isn't afraid of death!'
After the man turned around and walked away, Tang Ning lowered her gaze as she contemplated the thoughts in her mind. There were about 30 to 40 men armed with swords, and all of them looked highly skilled. How was she going to escape without falling in their hands?
Tang Ning was preoccupied with her thoughts when suddenly, she felt her hands tied to a long, thick rope. The other captives also had their hands tied to the same rope.
She was stunned, as a girl about 12-years old, with disheveled hair, was so frightened that she kept looking down while backing away from the rope. The girl shuffled her way to Tang Ning's side and was eventually tied to the rope in front of Tang Ning.
Perhaps it was the murderous auras of the men with swords and their cold-blooded ways that made everyone fearful and afraid to oppose them. The captives lowered their heads, uncertain about what was to come.
Tang Ning looked around. The men with swords were standing guard around the dungeon as if awaiting someone's arrival.
They stood tall and upright, holding their swords, each exuding a bloodthirsty, menacing aura. As Tang Ning studied them, it became more and more apparent to her that these men did not come from ordinary backgrounds. Even the guards from century-old families, such as the Tang family, paled in comparison to these men.
These men were like sharp and bloodied swords, menacing, and bloodthirsty!