Liu Bei POV
“Yun Chang, Zi Long, do you both hear anything?” I turned behind to ask as I stopped my horse.
“Un?”
“Apart from the winds, there is nothing else right?”
No… There was something else that sounded like the scraping of wood. I closed my eyes and concentrated.
*Gachi* *Gachi*… There was indeed a certain sound in the wind.
“Xuan De?”
After I confirmed it, I dismounted and ignored the others as I went to search around.
If my guess is not wrong then the sound should be… I muttered as I looked about.
*Giiyaa* *Giiyaa*~
The wind blew even stronger, morphing and amplifying the sound.
“Ah, what kind of sound could that be?” Yun Chang said when she heard the same sound that I did as she dismounted and frowned as she looked about.
Ah! Just then, my eyes stopped at a certain residence. It was not too eye-catching and was rather decrepit though the same could be said of practically every other residence on the street. But for some reason, this residence in particular gave me the feeling that there was life in it despite being empty and dark.
“Is there anyone staying here?”
“This is…” Yun Chang looked about and thought about it for a moment before turning to Zhou Cang, “Zhou Cang, you’re in charge of this street right?”
“Ah un.” Zhou Cang said as she stopped chatting with Chen Dao and jogged over. I have not seen her in a while but she is as beautiful as ever.
“Do you have any impression of this residence? Is there anyone staying here?” Yun Chang asked as she pointed at the residence in question.
“Un… Ah, I think so.” Zhou Cang said with a dazed look that made me suspect if she really did know about it, “Hey, I really do remember this residence.”
“I didn’t say anything…”
“My lord, everything was exposed on your face.”
Uwaa… I never thought that even Zhou Cang could see through my expressions especially when I was still wearing this grass circlet.
“The household that lived here… Yes, this street was hit especially bad by the bandits back then and it seems like Shen Pei and the rest hadn’t yet gotten to improving this street.” Zhou Cang said as she nodded, “This household seems to have suffered the worst of all the others here.”
“What happened to them?”
“The entire household, about 6-7 members in total, that lived here were slaughtered.” Zhou Cang said as she came over, the rest following behind her, “The corpses were still lying inside the building when we came here. Both those belonging to the bandits and also to the members of the household. Because of how long they had been lying around, the bodies were riddled with maggots.”
Wu… Just thinking about it makes my hair stand on end.
“Ah, I remember this household now.” Wen Yuan chimed in, “This particular household was bookmarked by Shen Pei as it is a branch family of Jing state’s Liu clan.”
“Jing state’s Liu clan?”
“It means that they belonged to Liu Biao’s family clan.” Yuan Zhi said as she cam over and looked at the residence, “This means that they were distant relatives of Liu Biao.”
“Un… The pillars of this house seems to be made of good wood and this house in particular is significantly larger than the surrounding houses.” Yuan Zhi said as she reached out to touch a pillar and peered inside, “There should be a courtyard inside as well.”
I too peered inside and saw that there was indeed a small courtyard inside. But… Liu Biao’s relative huh? Even though it is mostly in name only, they are also my relatives I guess.
*Gachi* *Gachi*…
“Un? It’s that sound again.” Feng Xian said in alarm as she got her stance ready, “Could there be enemies?”
“No, I think that it’s made from the building itself.” Yuan Zhi answered.
“Un? The building?”
“Yes, listen closely.” Yuan Zhi said as she reached out and pushed against a pillar. Just this much shaking was enough to make a lot of wood splinters fall off.
“So the sound we heard was from the shaking of the building then?” I asked.
“Yes, the wind has been strong of late and the sound we heard from before was from the shaking of the building,” Yuan Zhi explained as she nodded, “This is just a guess of mine but it’s likely that anything made of good wood was taken away and only the gate and any other installments that were too difficult to extract were left behind.”
“In that case, instead of leaving it as a hazard, we might as well collapse it ourselves.” Yun Chang said as she folded her arms across her chest and turned to look at Guan Ping, “Guan Ping, I’ll leave this to you. Make sure you remember to get this done.”
“Leave it to me!”
Ah, Guan Ping is as energetic as ever huh? Looks like Guan Ping has also grown well-suited to battles. I looked at her waist and saw that the wound from before had almost completely healed. If one did not know that she was wounded, one would not notice its traces.
But… I shifted my gaze back to the gates. It looked rather abandoned but there is a very special and strange feeling I get from this house.
“Zhou Cang, are you sure that there is no one else in this house?”
“Un? For sure.” Zhou Cang said as she tilted her head, “When I brought my men here and cleared out the corpses a few days ago, they would have come out if there were people around right?”
Un… That does indeed make sense…
…
“No, I still want to go in and have a look.”
“My lord?”
“Big brother?”
After thinking about it for a moment, I still decided to go in and have a look, ignoring the people behind me. The courtyard was not too big and was only about 50% larger than the outer courtyard in our mansion in Xinye city. There was 1 master bedroom and 2 smaller rooms on either side. From the looks of it, the master bedroom should have a small annex as well.
Most importantly, there was an intense smell of blood the moment I entered.
“Xuan De, it’s too dangerous.” Feng Xian said as she came in and caught up to me with her halberd in hand.
“That is true, but you’re here now right?”
“Ah…” Feng Xian’s eyes bulged at this and turned away as I smiled at her.
“Ah, my lord is shy again.”
“Shut up.” Feng Xian said to Wen Yuan who saw her face and continued ahead.
When I turned around, I saw that everyone else had come in as well, “You girls…”
“Big brother need not say any further.” Yun Chang shook her head as she smiled, “If big brother insists on coming in then he must have a reason for doing so and naturally, we will follow as well.”
“What’s my lord’s business with this house?” Zhou Cang asked lazily as she yawned.
“Un, it’s just a feeling of mine but it feels like there are some signs of life in this house. I would really appreciate it if everyone can help to look about and see if there are anymore survivors hiding somewhere.”
“But before…”
“Zhou Cang, big brother already asked us to search so let’s do it.”
“Okay~” Zhou Cang nodded at Yun Chang’s insistence
“Alright then, split up into groups of 2-3 and look around. Be vigilant at all times.”
“”Oh~”” Everyone yelled and the house shook.
“Umm, I think it’s better if everyone is a little softer and more careful.”
“”Oh~ Got it~”” Everyone replied more softly. Looks like this building is a lot less shaky than we thought. Thereafter, the rest of us just went off in different directions without really forming up. Yuan Zhi, Yun Chang and I were nearer to the room to the left so that was where the 3 of us headed.
“My lord, do you sense any breath?”
“Un? Me?”
The voices of Feng Xian and Wen Yuan who had gone to the main hall could be heard.
“Un, because my lord can sense breaths better than anyone else after all.”
“I haven’t sensed any breath in this house before we came in. In fact, there is none at all in this entire street.”
Even Feng Xian is saying this huh? But why did Wen Yuan ask Feng Xian anyway?
“Un, Lord Lu Bu didn’t sense anything either huh…” Yun Chang said as she nodded.
“So Feng Xian can sense something like breath?”
“Yes, I’m simply awestruck by her abilities every time I see her in action.” Yun Chang said as she smiled and hesitated before she continued, “It’s not very nice to speak of. Not too long ago, Feng Xian fought the rest of us and she displayed a keen sense of one’s breath. Later on, she used it to great effect when fighting against Li Dian and Cao Ren.”
Oh~ So she’s that impressive huh?
“But if even Feng Xian is saying this… Could this just be a misconception of mine?” I said, feeling doubtful of my own suspicions after hearing what Yun Chang said.
Liu Bei POV
“Yun Chang, Zi Long, do you both hear anything?” I turned behind to ask as I stopped my horse.
“Un?”
“Apart from the winds, there is nothing else right?”
No… There was something else that sounded like the scraping of wood. I closed my eyes and concentrated.
*Gachi* *Gachi*… There was indeed a certain sound in the wind.
“Xuan De?”
After I confirmed it, I dismounted and ignored the others as I went to search around.
If my guess is not wrong then the sound should be… I muttered as I looked about.
*Giiyaa* *Giiyaa*~
The wind blew even stronger, morphing and amplifying the sound.
“Ah, what kind of sound could that be?” Yun Chang said when she heard the same sound that I did as she dismounted and frowned as she looked about.
Ah! Just then, my eyes stopped at a certain residence. It was not too eye-catching and was rather decrepit though the same could be said of practically every other residence on the street. But for some reason, this residence in particular gave me the feeling that there was life in it despite being empty and dark.
“Is there anyone staying here?”
“This is…” Yun Chang looked about and thought about it for a moment before turning to Zhou Cang, “Zhou Cang, you’re in charge of this street right?”
“Ah un.” Zhou Cang said as she stopped chatting with Chen Dao and jogged over. I have not seen her in a while but she is as beautiful as ever.
“Do you have any impression of this residence? Is there anyone staying here?” Yun Chang asked as she pointed at the residence in question.
“Un… Ah, I think so.” Zhou Cang said with a dazed look that made me suspect if she really did know about it, “Hey, I really do remember this residence.”
“I didn’t say anything…”
“My lord, everything was exposed on your face.”
Uwaa… I never thought that even Zhou Cang could see through my expressions especially when I was still wearing this grass circlet.
“The household that lived here… Yes, this street was hit especially bad by the bandits back then and it seems like Shen Pei and the rest hadn’t yet gotten to improving this street.” Zhou Cang said as she nodded, “This household seems to have suffered the worst of all the others here.”
“What happened to them?”
“The entire household, about 6-7 members in total, that lived here were slaughtered.” Zhou Cang said as she came over, the rest following behind her, “The corpses were still lying inside the building when we came here. Both those belonging to the bandits and also to the members of the household. Because of how long they had been lying around, the bodies were riddled with maggots.”
Wu… Just thinking about it makes my hair stand on end.
“Ah, I remember this household now.” Wen Yuan chimed in, “This particular household was bookmarked by Shen Pei as it is a branch family of Jing state’s Liu clan.”
“Jing state’s Liu clan?”
“It means that they belonged to Liu Biao’s family clan.” Yuan Zhi said as she cam over and looked at the residence, “This means that they were distant relatives of Liu Biao.”
“Un… The pillars of this house seems to be made of good wood and this house in particular is significantly larger than the surrounding houses.” Yuan Zhi said as she reached out to touch a pillar and peered inside, “There should be a courtyard inside as well.”
I too peered inside and saw that there was indeed a small courtyard inside. But… Liu Biao’s relative huh? Even though it is mostly in name only, they are also my relatives I guess.
*Gachi* *Gachi*…
“Un? It’s that sound again.” Feng Xian said in alarm as she got her stance ready, “Could there be enemies?”
“No, I think that it’s made from the building itself.” Yuan Zhi answered.
“Un? The building?”
“Yes, listen closely.” Yuan Zhi said as she reached out and pushed against a pillar. Just this much shaking was enough to make a lot of wood splinters fall off.
“So the sound we heard was from the shaking of the building then?” I asked.
“Yes, the wind has been strong of late and the sound we heard from before was from the shaking of the building,” Yuan Zhi explained as she nodded, “This is just a guess of mine but it’s likely that anything made of good wood was taken away and only the gate and any other installments that were too difficult to extract were left behind.”
“In that case, instead of leaving it as a hazard, we might as well collapse it ourselves.” Yun Chang said as she folded her arms across her chest and turned to look at Guan Ping, “Guan Ping, I’ll leave this to you. Make sure you remember to get this done.”
“Leave it to me!”
Ah, Guan Ping is as energetic as ever huh? Looks like Guan Ping has also grown well-suited to battles. I looked at her waist and saw that the wound from before had almost completely healed. If one did not know that she was wounded, one would not notice its traces.
But… I shifted my gaze back to the gates. It looked rather abandoned but there is a very special and strange feeling I get from this house.
“Zhou Cang, are you sure that there is no one else in this house?”
“Un? For sure.” Zhou Cang said as she tilted her head, “When I brought my men here and cleared out the corpses a few days ago, they would have come out if there were people around right?”
Un… That does indeed make sense…
…
“No, I still want to go in and have a look.”
“My lord?”
“Big brother?”
After thinking about it for a moment, I still decided to go in and have a look, ignoring the people behind me. The courtyard was not too big and was only about 50% larger than the outer courtyard in our mansion in Xinye city. There was 1 master bedroom and 2 smaller rooms on either side. From the looks of it, the master bedroom should have a small annex as well.
Most importantly, there was an intense smell of blood the moment I entered.
“Xuan De, it’s too dangerous.” Feng Xian said as she came in and caught up to me with her halberd in hand.
“That is true, but you’re here now right?”
“Ah…” Feng Xian’s eyes bulged at this and turned away as I smiled at her.
“Ah, my lord is shy again.”
“Shut up.” Feng Xian said to Wen Yuan who saw her face and continued ahead.
When I turned around, I saw that everyone else had come in as well, “You girls…”
“Big brother need not say any further.” Yun Chang shook her head as she smiled, “If big brother insists on coming in then he must have a reason for doing so and naturally, we will follow as well.”
“What’s my lord’s business with this house?” Zhou Cang asked lazily as she yawned.
“Un, it’s just a feeling of mine but it feels like there are some signs of life in this house. I would really appreciate it if everyone can help to look about and see if there are anymore survivors hiding somewhere.”
“But before…”
“Zhou Cang, big brother already asked us to search so let’s do it.”
“Okay~” Zhou Cang nodded at Yun Chang’s insistence
“Alright then, split up into groups of 2-3 and look around. Be vigilant at all times.”
“”Oh~”” Everyone yelled and the house shook.
“Umm, I think it’s better if everyone is a little softer and more careful.”
“”Oh~ Got it~”” Everyone replied more softly. Looks like this building is a lot less shaky than we thought. Thereafter, the rest of us just went off in different directions without really forming up. Yuan Zhi, Yun Chang and I were nearer to the room to the left so that was where the 3 of us headed.
“My lord, do you sense any breath?”
“Un? Me?”
The voices of Feng Xian and Wen Yuan who had gone to the main hall could be heard.
“Un, because my lord can sense breaths better than anyone else after all.”
“I haven’t sensed any breath in this house before we came in. In fact, there is none at all in this entire street.”
Even Feng Xian is saying this huh? But why did Wen Yuan ask Feng Xian anyway?
“Un, Lord Lu Bu didn’t sense anything either huh…” Yun Chang said as she nodded.
“So Feng Xian can sense something like breath?”
“Yes, I’m simply awestruck by her abilities every time I see her in action.” Yun Chang said as she smiled and hesitated before she continued, “It’s not very nice to speak of. Not too long ago, Feng Xian fought the rest of us and she displayed a keen sense of one’s breath. Later on, she used it to great effect when fighting against Li Dian and Cao Ren.”
Oh~ So she’s that impressive huh?
“But if even Feng Xian is saying this… Could this just be a misconception of mine?” I said, feeling doubtful of my own suspicions after hearing what Yun Chang said.
