Chapter 37: Meddling Affairs

When Aransa and Taya arrived at the village, the stench of blood nearly made them faint. "Taya!" Aransa's face was ashen. "Gel, Gel!" Taya rushed inside, calling out.

"Gel!" Both girls raced to the center of the village, their legs buckling as they collapsed to the ground. Ye Tian glanced at them, "Didn't I tell you not to come?"

Immediately, the two girls turned their heads and vomited. The square was filled with corpses, many mutilated as if they'd suffered unspeakable torture before death. Again, the girls retched, emptying their stomachs of last night's meal.

With a sigh, Ye Tian stepped forward and pulled the girls into his arms. "It's over now. Go wait for me outside for a while." He gently lifted them and carried them out of the village. "Don't wander off, I might need some time," he said.

The girls nodded, clinging to each other and weeping bitterly. Ye Tian returned inside with another sigh. "Hey, wake up. I have some questions for you!" He kicked the captive—known as Jackal—squarely in the gut. Jackal clutched his belly in agony, rolling on the ground.

"Don't play dead, or you really will die," Ye Tian said coldly. "Tell me, why did you kill them?" He pinned the man's wrist with his foot. "Answer in ten seconds. One, two, three..." And with a sharp pressure, he ground down.

"Ah! I’ll talk, I’ll talk!" Jackal cried, feeling his wrist about to snap. "It was an order from above."

"From whom?"

"The chief—Tar the Greedy!"

"For what reason?" Ye Tian pressed harder with his toe.

"I don't know, truly I don't! I only follow orders."

"Where's your hideout?"

"On Mount Thebes, to the west!"

"Anything else? Tell me everything, and I’ll spare your life," Ye Tian went on.

"Yesterday, a stranger came by. Today, the chief sent us here. Oh, right, that man must have been a soldier from Leyton."

"Why do you think so?"

"The sword—he wore the sword of a Leyton soldier, even though he had neither uniform nor insignia. I’m sure he was from Leyton." Jackal pleaded, "I’ve told you everything I know. You won’t kill me, will you?"

"I keep my word. But I can’t promise she won't." Ye Tian turned. Behind him stood a disheveled woman, her eyes fixed upon Jackal.

"No, please, don't," Jackal begged. With a crack, Ye Tian crushed his arm beneath his boot. Another crack, and the other arm followed, then a leg. Ye Tian stepped aside.

"Stay back, don't come near!" Jackal shrieked, his lone unbroken leg kicking desperately as he tried to crawl away. The woman glanced around, spotted a fallen blade, and with difficulty picked it up.

"Don't, please!" Jackal cried out, but agony wracked his body as the woman buried the knife in him. He howled, lashing out with a kick that knocked the woman over.

She struggled to her feet and stabbed him again. Another shriek split the air. She sat astride him, and as terror filled his eyes, she plunged the blade into his throat.

Jackal convulsed, coughed, and finally lay still. The woman slowly pulled the knife from his throat, then, trembling, turned the blade toward her own neck and pressed down.

A line of blood welled up and slid down the steel. Slowly, she turned, but the knife’s tip was caught fast in Ye Tian’s grasp.

"Why do you seek death?" Ye Tian asked.

"Why not?" she replied.

"Will dying solve everything?" he pressed.

"And will living? What meaning is left for me?" she answered, trying to force the knife onto her throat again. With a snap, Ye Tian wrenched it from her and flung it far away. "Bandage my wound," he ordered, extending his bleeding hand.

"It hurts. Help me bandage it." Ye Tian repeated.

The woman tore fabric from her clothing, baring herself without a second thought, and began to bind his wound. Ye Tian glanced at it, then ripped it off. "No good. Do it again."

She tore more strips, binding him anew. "Still bleeding, do it again," Ye Tian insisted, roughly pulling away the bandage.

She looked up at him. "It hurts. Help me bandage it," Ye Tian repeated.

"Why?" she asked, tears streaming down her face. "Why won't you let me die?"

"If you have no reason to live, then I’ll give you one: this hand will keep bleeding in the future. You're responsible for it." He extended his hand again. "Bandage it."

Silently, the woman sat beside the platform, wearing Ye Tian’s coat. He set about moving all the villagers’ corpses out, laying them neatly on the platform. The bandits' bodies he tossed aside.

There were four hundred seventy-three bodies, many incomplete. Carefully, Ye Tian tried to piece them together as best he could. Dusk fell, and the square was crowded with the assembled dead.

The girls did not come, unaware of what Ye Tian was doing. At last, the woman rose and gently wiped the sweat from Ye Tian’s brow. "Go cook," Ye Tian commanded, and went on with his work.

She turned homeward. "Make extra. I’m hungry," he called without looking up. She paused, then continued. In the square, Ye Tian built a great bonfire, casting the night in a harsh, white glare.

Aransa and Taya approached cautiously, their hearts gradually settling. "Gel, what are you doing?" Aransa asked timidly.

"Taya, fetch water. Aransa, find as much clean cloth as you can," Ye Tian replied without looking up.

"Oh." Aransa gave him a glance, then went inside to search for cloth. "Gel, what are you planning?" Taya asked.

"Nothing. Just rest nearby. Oh, and watch those people—the paralysis will wear off soon." Ye Tian had not killed the bandits, only knocked them unconscious. By his calculations, the effect would soon fade.

"Okay!" Taya turned to the pile of captives and drew her staff. "Vines of the Curse!" she intoned. Black vines burst from the earth, instantly entangling the group.

Without glancing up, Ye Tian began wiping the first corpse with water-dampened cloth. "Gel," Taya called softly.

"It’s alright, go rest. Someone will bring food soon," he said, ruffling her hair, oblivious to the blood staining her cheek. Aransa emerged with more cloth, tears ceaseless in her eyes.

"It’s alright, it’s alright," Ye Tian soothed, stroking her head. "Rest for a while." He turned back to his solemn task.

Soon, the woman arrived with food, but at the sight of Ye Tian’s actions, the dishes slipped from her hands. "Make it again," Ye Tian said blandly, and continued working. Covering her face, she fled.

Ye Tian worked with painstaking care, as if afraid too much force would hurt the dead. Gently, gently, he cleaned each body.

At length, a pale hand wiped the sweat from his brow. He looked up—it was the woman.

"Rest over there," he ordered. She shook her head, dipped a cloth in water, and, imitating him, began to clean her loved ones' faces, smoothing their hair and garments.

The sky cleared and dawn broke. Wearily, Ye Tian straightened up, tossing aside the filthy cloth, and went to the girls. He took a long drink from the water jug.

Setting it down, Ye Tian carried the unconscious woman to Taya, covered her with a blanket from his pack, then fetched a shovel from a nearby house and walked out of the village.