A little boy, about five or six years old, was hiding behind the black-haired young man with tears in his eyes. He stretched his head and looked at the big white pig that was tied up on the wooden platform not far away and the middle-aged strong man who was holding an iron knife standing beside the wooden platform. His little mouth twitched and his little head shook like a rattle drum.
The little boy was sad and afraid. Although the white pig was not cute, it was still pitiful to be killed with a knife. Furthermore, not only did his father want to kill it, but he also wanted him to watch it. It was too evil.
"Dad, Xiaobai is still young. Why don't we talk about it when he grows up?"
The black-haired youth stroked the little boy's head with a gentle and doting gaze.
The burly man glared at the little boy and said with a straight face, "We can't wait any longer. Our Shi family has been slaughtering pigs for generations. When I was three years old, I saw your grandfather slaughter three Tyrant Pigs. You also started learning how to slaughter pigs at the age of four. This little brat is already five years old this year, but he has never even seen a pig being slaughtered!"
The black-haired youth's face stiffened as he said softly, "Xiaobai is timid, and … I can inherit the Shi family business. Xiaobai, let him choose his own life, okay?"
The burly man fell silent for a moment before sighing. "I'm not that cruel to let a top student from Tsinghua University become a pig butcher. You …"
"I'm fine."
The black-haired youth smiled as gentle as the spring breeze in March. "What's wrong with being a butcher? A butcher's child can still become the top scorer in the college entrance examination! Although we kill pigs, we have never hurt anyone. Even if we are butchers, we are kind butchers. Most importantly, Xiaobai doesn't like to kill pigs. We should let him do what he likes. "
The burly man opened his mouth but did not know what to say. His eyes were soft and dim, and the hand holding the knife trembled slightly.
"I like to kill pigs!"
Suddenly, a clear voice sounded. The little boy walked out from behind the youth and wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. He said in a childish voice, "I don't want my brother to be a butcher … I like to kill pigs. I … I'll be a butcher!"
The black-haired youth and the burly man were stunned. The little boy's pink face was so serious that it was hard to believe that he was only a five-year-old child.
The little boy's face suddenly turned bitter. He pursed his lips and said, "But the big white pig will hurt a lot. Can we not kill it?"
The strong man squatted down and said softly, "Don't worry, Dad won't let it feel pain."
The little boy was stunned and asked, "Won't it … hurt?"
The burly man laughed and patted his chest. "Our Shi family doesn't have a cruel butcher. Your grandfather always said that even though we kill pigs, we should never forget kindness. Letting the white pig die without pain is a principle that we can never go against."
The little boy opened his mouth and lowered his head. His eyes were filled with sadness. "But … the big white pig … will still die, right?"
The burly man was taken aback before he smiled bitterly. No matter how merciful a butcher was, he was still a butcher. With one slash, no matter how peaceful the life that was taken away was, it was still a tragic death.
The black-haired youth patted the burly man's shoulder and said softly, "Dad, don't force Xiaobai anymore. I know you don't wish for the Shi family's inheritance to be wasted in your hands. You don't wish to let down Grandfather's spirit in heaven … Dad, I understand. That's why I'll bear this responsibility. I don't like those complicated cities. I like the air here. I like this village with you and Xiaobai."
The burly man patted the slender hand on his shoulder and said softly, "Your hand was born to hold a pen. How can I let you hold a knife? Forget it, forget it. Merciful butcher, I've had enough of this self-deceiving joke. If I get scolded when I meet your grandfather in the future, I'll just suck it up and endure it. Haha. "
The burly man's laughter was bold and unpretentious. The young man's lips twitched, but he could not laugh no matter how hard he tried.
The little boy looked up at the young man before turning to look at the burly man. Suddenly, he let go of the young man's trousers and ran to the side of the wooden platform. He stared at the tied up white pig with widened eyes and said loudly, "I want to see the pig being slaughtered. I … I'm not afraid anymore!"
Her bright black eyes were clearly filled with tears, and her appearance of biting her lower lip was also delicate and pitiful, but her resolute expression was moving.
The burly man's eyes were slightly moist as he walked forward. As he walked, he said, "A long, long time ago, our Shi family's ancestors pursued slit the throat with a single slash. However, that would cause the pig to die in excruciating pain. Therefore, after countless years of improvement, our Shi family's current choice for slaughtering pigs is to stab the heart!"
The burly man walked up to the white pig and pointed at the left side of its chest. He said, "This is where the heart of the white pig is. However, the pig's fat is very thick, so it's rather difficult to stab the heart. If you're not careful, you might bring more pain to the white pig."
"However, this is the responsibility that we, the men of the Shi family, must bear. This slash must be fast, accurate, and ruthless. There must be no hesitation, no mercy, and no mercy. Because, as butchers, this is the only mercy we have left! "
As soon as the burly man finished speaking, he suddenly raised his hand and stabbed the left side of the white pig's chest.
"Whimper!"
The white pig whimpered and its body twitched. It immediately closed its eyes and no longer moved. A fresh life did not even have time to struggle before it died completely.
This slash came too quickly and too suddenly. It was so fast that the little boy, who had his eyes wide open, did not even have time to close them.
"Wah!"
The little boy was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, he threw himself into the young man's arms and burst into tears.
The burly man sighed deeply. Did he not cry like this back then?
The young man hugged the little boy tightly. His eyes were filled with heartache.
"After I graduate next year, I'll come back to slaughter pigs."
"This year, during the Qingming Festival, I'll tell your grandfather that we won't slaughter pigs anymore."
The two of them said these two sentences at the same time. They had different meanings but the same meaning.
.....
.....
In the dark cupboard, the black-haired young man and the little boy curled up and hugged each other. The little boy was trembling while the black-haired young man kept stroking the little boy's back.
"Don't worry, Dad will be fine. Those few bad guys … Someone will take care of them."
The young man seemed to be holding back something as his voice trembled slightly.
The little boy's eyes lit up as he said hurriedly, "Hero … Brother, the heroes will take care of the bad guys, right?"
The young man was slightly taken aback. Then, he laughed dryly and pretended to be certain as he said, "Of course. The heroes that Xiaobai has seen on television specialize in taking care of the bad guys. The heroes will definitely save everyone. Dad will definitely be fine."
"Yes!"
The little boy nodded heavily as his trembling body gradually calmed down.
At that moment, there were a few footsteps with different rhythms coming from outside the house.
The young man's breathing stagnated as he hurriedly shushed the little boy and said in a barely audible voice, "Don't … make … a … sound."
The little boy nodded gently and buried his little head in the young man's chest as his body trembled again.
Suddenly, a hoarse and fierce voice sounded outside the house. It entered through the window and through the gap in the cupboard, reaching the ears of the young man and the little boy.
"You bunch of trash. You can't even beat a butcher with a knife with a gun? You killed two people with a rusty butcher knife and you still have the cheek to call yourselves terrorists? "
Then, a stuttering male voice was heard.
"That butcher … is quite powerful …"
In the cupboard, when the young man and the little boy heard this, they looked at each other in the dark and revealed a joyful smile.
The hoarse voice sounded again. "Powerful? More powerful than a gun? You guys are just too stupid. "
The stuttering voice did not stutter this time and spoke abnormally smoothly. "Yes, yes, yes. Boss is still the best. He killed that butcher with a single shot!"
When the young man heard that, his gaze instantly froze.
After a while, the little boy also reacted and cried out, "Ah!"
The young man was shocked and hurriedly covered the little boy's mouth. His other hand hugged the little boy's body tightly and whispered, "Shh, don't make a sound."
However, everything seemed to be too late. At this moment, two voices sounded outside the house.
"Hmm? There's someone in this house? "
"Boss, I heard it too."
"Looks like there's a fish that slipped through the net. Let's go. I've got a bellyful of anger that needs to be vented. Let's go kill someone!"
The footsteps gradually moved from outside the house to the door. Although it was separated by the cupboard door and the tightly shut door, it could still be heard clearly.
A hint of despair flashed in the young man's eyes.
However, a glimmer of hope immediately ignited.
He lowered his head and kissed the little boy's forehead. He spoke very quickly and solemnly, "Xiaobai, remember, you're the King of all kings. You rule over the righteousness and evil of the world. One day, your Power of Evil will awaken. You'll bring all the evil away from the world. You'll save the world because you're the King of the world. "So, you have to live on. Live well. This world needs you."
After the young man said that, he suddenly reached out his hand and smashed it at the little boy's neck. Feeling the stiff body in his arms gradually soften, the young man gave a gentle smile, like a daisy blooming in the cold winter.
He walked out of the cupboard and picked up a rusty pig slaughtering knife before rushing out the door.
Not long after, several gunshots and curses resounded in the world outside the cupboard. The clamor lasted for a moment before it turned into the coldest silence.
And in the world inside the cupboard, there was a tiny life sleeping peacefully.
.....
.....
In the virtual world, everyone was waiting for the name of the strike. Be it the audience, the commentator, Princess Xiao Xiao, or even the Arch-Cardinal who suddenly appeared, they pricked up their ears. What sort of strike was it that easily pierced through the virus black cocoon and the Barrier of Darkness, instantly killing WindWithoutTrace?
"This strike is called …"
Shi Xiaobai gaped his mouth as two streams of hot tears flowed out of his eyes.
"It's called … it's called …"
He reached out his hand to wipe his eyes, but he could not stop his tears. His words were stuck in his throat, as though he was suffocating.
Two voices constantly resounded in his mind.
"Xiaobai is still young."
"Xiaobai is rather timid."
"Dad, don't force Xiaobai any further."
"For me, I don't like those complicated cities. I like the air here. I like this village with you and Xiaobai."
"After I graduate next year, I will come back to slaughter pigs."
"So, you have to live on. Live well. This world needs you."
.....
"Benevolent butcher, I've had enough of this self-deceiving joke."
"However, this is a responsibility that we, the men of the Shi family, have to bear."
"This year's Tomb-Sweeping Day, I will tell your grandfather that we will not slaughter pigs in the future."
.....
Shi Xiaobai raised the knife and looked up into the sky. He let his tears fall to the ground as he used the most gentle voice to say to the world.
"This strike is called — Pig Slaughtering Knife!"
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