LAN
On the horizon, the city walls loomed taller and greater. Thick and lengthy, like a scarf draped around the town, shielding it against the forms. Nothing was strange about the stone walls of Sichuan City, aside from the thick smoke billowing into the sky.
Lan initially assumed it was winter smoke, smoke produced to warm the environment. This is the outside realm, not the inner Kun. Warming up in the spring makes no sense.
"Brother Bian, wait."
It didn't take Bian long to tug his horse's rope. When he examined the condition outside of the city, his countenance became serious.
"Brother Bian, take a look, Sichuan City. What do you find strange?"
"Dead."
"I fear for the worse."
"Perhaps they hid inside the city gate."
"For what?"
"Let us find out!"
Bian's war horse wheeled, smashed through the undergrowth, and cut the path off. He slipped down the hill instead of following the snake trail that zigzagged down the slope.
Lan followed as there was no reason not to. His suspicions intensified when there were no buffalo in the fields, no farmers, and no life at the gate.
Lan yanked on Snowy's rope while Daikun neighed. His brothers came to a halt when they discovered a man lying on the edge of a rice field, half in the water and facing the sky with his lips open.
Knelt down to the man, his nose clenched. There was no activity or life in his eyes, dried blood coated his clothes, and flies buzzed over him.
"He's been dead for a long time, Bro." Bian said, looking at his brother from behind his shoulder.
"Stab in the stomach, obviously he was stabbed from the front." Bian got up trying to find something under the water. "No swords or anything. Looks like this guy isn't protecting himself or anything. He purelly got stabbed from the front."
Bian dashed towards the partially fallen hut. The door swung open, swallowing him whole. Lan followed, coming to a halt in front of the door.
Plates and glasses were strewn across the floor. The boiler was flipped, as if robbers had just entered the house. Bian examined each room's condition, while Lan unlocked the wardrobe. He discovered a money bag among the nicely folded garments.
Clearly not the work of robbers. "Did they run away?"
"Honestly, I have no idea. What are you running away from?" Bian took a sniff at the food on the floor. "Rotten, this food has spoiled."
"Maybe they're in town?"
"Hey guys, you two! What exactly are you doing?!" Quan's voice could be heard outside the hut. "Have you given up yet? The city's gates are open."
"In his brain there is only race, huh?" Bian stood up to leave. Quan's panicked shouts hurried him out of the hut before he could even react.
"There's a body! There's a body! There's a body, Bro Bian and Bro Lan!"
Bian and Lan sprang from the hut, where they discovered Quan attempting to tame Lesured, who was panicked and moving wearily while neighing.
"There's a corpse, bro!"
"Shut up, you're like a woman looking at a mouse!" Bian burst into glee. "Down!"
Lan, unable to suppress her curiosity any longer, dashed into the city.
The guardhouse was abandoned, and the structures resembled the cottages outside. There was no life, and the stench from the city center was becoming stronger.
He stepped in, his nose muffled, following the stink. Several crows were circling about something, making their trademark sound as if they wanted to communicate with Lan.
His steps came to a halt. Lan's arms appeared to have lost bones, his legs had turned into leaves, his body was like a freshly cut down tree, he fell to her knees, and his eyes trembled at what was going on in the center of the city.
****