Chapter 4: and

Xu Yue and her sister finished packing their old clothes in the room.

Each wore a padded jacket that could be stuffed with reed catkins for warmth.

The sisters only had two sets of clothes each; one set of thin linen for spring and summer, which they were already wearing.

The other was a thicker linen padded jacket for winter, covered in so many patches that it rivaled a beggar’s rags.

However, from the young girl’s faint memories, Xu Yue realized that a child like her, who possessed a complete set of clothes, was already the object of envy among the village children.

Many older daughters in the village didn't even have a set of clothes; they usually hid under their quilts, never going out or seeing guests, only receiving a set of clothes to wear out when they were married off.

For a girl, receiving a new set of clothes for her wedding was the most decent dowry she could hope for.

In this backward era where money was difficult to circulate, cloth and silk were even more useful than gold, silver, or jewelry, and silk fabrics were the hard currency most welcomed by merchants.

Xu Erniang pinched her nose while rummaging through a rotting wooden chest that emitted a decaying odor. She pulled out a "modern patchwork style" bedsheet, bundled the sisters' clothes into it, and placed it at the head of the bed.

Xu Yue walked around the room and outside, noticing that her parents and sister hadn't packed the pots, bowls, or basins. Guessing they hadn't realized the value of these items, she silently gathered the family’s five chipped ceramic bowls and the one ceramic pot used for cooking, placing them all into the basket where her parents kept their food.

The only things left were the straw mats and bedding for sleeping; they still needed to sleep one more night, so she would pack those tomorrow morning.

Everything was settled—the family was truly too poor to have much to pack. Madam Wang extinguished the torch, bolted the door, and everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

It was a moonless night. The entire village was pitch black, and the wind outside howled, as if this family were the only living souls in the world.

Xu Yue woke up with a start from a sense of intense unease. She saw the shadows of trees outside the window swaying, clawing and reaching out like ghosts.

Influenced by this inexplicable anxiety, Xu Yue, who hadn't felt fear even when seeing a dead body during the day, suddenly hugged Xu Erniang beside her in terror.

Startled by the sudden movement, Xu Erniang woke up. She was stunned for a moment, then the corners of her mouth curled up. She patted her younger sister’s back gently, coaxing her, "I'm here, I'm here."

Hearing the gentle, soothing voice, the intense unease in Xu Yue’s heart slowly began to subside.

Just then, the wind outside suddenly picked up, causing the neighbor’s door to creak and groan. For some reason, Xu Yue suddenly thought of the old man next door.

The intense unease she had just suppressed surged up once again!

"Sister, I want to go check on the neighbor," Xu Yue whispered, pleading. "Will you come with me?"

Xu Erniang hummed in agreement. She seemed like someone naturally born to walk in the darkness; the clawing, ghostly tree shadows served only as a grand, magnificent backdrop for her.

Watching Xu Erniang climb out of bed to put on her shoes, Xu Yue suddenly felt she wasn't so much of a stranger anymore.

The sisters opened the door to leave, only to find that Xu Da and Madam Wang next door had actually been awakened by them and had followed them out.

"Father, Mother?" Xu Yue hadn't expected her parents to be woken up.

"What are you two little girls doing in the middle of the night? Don't you know how dangerous the night is?" Madam Wang frowned and questioned.

Xu Da also looked at the sisters with displeasure; children should act like children, and they should report to their elders before doing anything.

Xu Yue knew they were worried about her safety, so she voiced the intense unease she felt.

"I just want to go over and see how that old man is doing. He’s all alone; it’s a bit pitiful," Xu Yue said.

But in reality, she already had an ominous premonition.

"We'll go together. Xu Da, go get the torch," Madam Wang decided quickly.

Xu Yue was slightly stunned. Xu Da had already lit the torch and walked over. Seeing her blank expression, he couldn't help but want to laugh again. Suppressing his amusement, he urged

"Let's go."

Xu Yue nodded, and the family of four left the fenced courtyard and headed next door.

The two houses were not far apart, and in a few steps, they arrived at the house Xu Yue had visited during the day.

The front door was wide open, swaying precariously in the wind. The old man who had been sitting on the threshold earlier was no longer there.

Looking at the pitch-black courtyard inside the gate, Xu Da and Madam Wang exchanged a glance. They had Xu Erniang hold her younger sister’s hand, and holding the torch high, they stepped inside first.

The courtyard was empty; anything slightly useful had already been looted. Walking all the way to the main room, a straw mat was exposed to the couple, and on that mat, an old man lay peacefully.

"He's dead," Xu Da said indifferently.

Xu Erniang’s eyes lit up. As the saying goes, an alchemist who doesn't want to be a necromancer isn't a good light mage!

Wasn't this corpse right in front of them the best material for necromancy?

Xu Erniang excitedly pulled Xu Yue to go take a closer look, but was held back firmly by Xu Yue. "I don't want to look!"

Those wide, double-lidded eyes looked at her in terror. Xu Erniang’s heart softened, and she stopped helplessly, gently stroking her sister’s hair, enjoying the feeling of being relied upon.

"My poor sister, the Goddess of Light will protect you," she said with a smile, comforting her.

Xu Da frowned slightly, thinking to himself, what kind of slang is this cheap eldest daughter using? Why couldn't he understand a word of it?

Madam Wang sighed, turned to her awe-struck younger daughter, and said, "Let's bury him."

Xu Yue nodded. Xu Da’s expression darkened; he didn't want to get involved in these unnecessary karmic ties.

Xu Erniang shrugged; she didn't care.

Madam Wang’s status as the head of the family was temporarily unshakable. If she said to bury him, they had to, otherwise how could they justify inheriting the old man’s "legacy"?

Xu Erniang understood this well. She pulled Xu Yue, who didn't want to face the dead old man, to rummage around the room. Unfortunately, the old man’s house had already been looted once before, and the sisters searched for a long time without finding anything useful.

The darkness didn't seem to affect the vision of Xu Yue’s family. The torch was left with the sisters, while Xu Da and Madam Wang wrapped the old man’s body in the straw mat and carried it out, intending to find a hillside to bury him.

Xu Yue and her sister, having only obtained a leather water skin from the old man’s house, carried the torch and headed home first.

In ancient times, the nights were pitch black. Even with Madam Wang’s decent eyesight, she could barely make out the outlines, and it was only by relying on this body’s memory of the village that they successfully reached the small hill at the entrance of the village.

The entire village was relatively flat, and the surrounding mountains were not high. Only this small hill had a slightly higher elevation. Standing on the hill, one could see the official road in the distance leading to Changyi County, the seat of Shanyang Commandery.

Xu Da and Madam Wang dug a shallow pit and quickly buried the old man’s body. Just as they turned to leave, they heard an unusual sound. The couple looked back and their expressions changed drastically!

A long dragon of fire, formed by torches, appeared on the official road. The sound of tens of thousands of horses galloping rolled toward Changyi, and a tattered red flag stretched wantonly in the firelight. The fierce faces of the flag-bearers made one’s heart tremble.

However, these soldiers were not dressed in uniform, and their weapons were of all kinds. The only thing they had in common was the black cloth tied around their arms.

Memories belonging to the original owner surfaced in Xu Da’s mind, and his voice turned shrill

"No! It’s a rebel army of refugees made up of fierce bandits and marauders! Run!"