Book 9: Chapter 41
The village ahead is so small that it virtually isn’t visible on the map. There are only about a dozen families residing there. It was a most ordinary village, where they focus on agriculture for three seasons and handiwork in the winter. This village can be considered our rest station. There wasn’t even a hotel there. We just set up tents at the plaza in the centre of the village for the night.
When we arrive, the villagers would hang around us and drink with us – although the drinks were drinks that we brought. They’d chat with us and listen to all of the stories of the world outside of their village. They would listen in keenly even if it was just the soldiers bragging. This village was far away from every other place. Maybe the villagers here were bound to live here for eternity. The only way for them to hear about the outside world was, therefore, through the stories that we shared even if they happened to be fake stories.
This place was no different to any other small village. The outside of the village and the villagers were in no way different. Nothing from the air to the water was different.
I suddenly tugged on my horse reins. Ling Yue’s ears stood up. She leaned onto my body, feeling slightly afraid and remarked, “I smell blood…”
“Yeah, I smell it, too.”
I pulled my gun out from behind as I responded in a quiet voice. All of my guards had noticed the irritating stench of blood, as well. They drew their blades and lit their fire torches up. We had arrived at the entrance of the village, which is the place we last left.
In addition to the stench of blood, there was the smell of burnt things. We couldn’t see the smoke ascending to the sky, since it was night time. The sparks inside the village weren’t candles of homes inside the village, but the sparks after wood was burnt!
“Hurry into the village!”
I gave a simple command. Tanya, who was next to me, charged forward. Philes and Shusia ordered their people to circle around and surround the village.