Chapter 42

Hsien Lian quickly was able to disprove that. "They couldn't have. A young child dying in their sleep. Multiple children?" Hsien Lian stated, crossing his arms as he watched XingYing begin to walk out of the ghostly village. XingYing siged, stopping to turn around. Though they were far away from each other, still close enough to talk quietly. "Hsien Lian, maybe this village was mentally insane. Or maybe they were all drowned or something else." XIngYing prompted.

Everyone drowned. Could that be the way everyone died? They all drowned. Hsien Lian looked around. A current, maybe from a flooding river. But there weren't any rivers nearby. Hsien Lian watched as, in the distance, a mouse scurried from one building to another. Hsien Lian watched it go, before turning back to XingYing. "Let's just figure this one out, alright? Then we can go back." Hsien Lian bribed. XingYing was still hesitant, but he had a look that told Hsien Lian he had one. Hsien Lian smiled,dashing over to grab the ghost's hand before walking up to a random skeleton. It was frozen in time, most likely by someone's aura. Each bone placed perfectly to show what the human was doing. They were sleeping next to the dirt road, a foot stationed as if it was tapping it onto the ground. A hand over it's head to block out the sun. As if there were eyes in it's empty skull.

Hsien Lian crouched, making sure the ghost didn't get moved by his hanfu's edge. "You know what I still don't get," XingYing started, reaching down to barely graze the dead's arm. "What?" Hsien Lian asked, looking over at the other, carefully watching him. Hsien Lian worried that the skeleton would start to move, try to attack them or something worse. Hsien Lian wasn't necessarily hurt, but the chilling mood would definitely scare him. XingYing stopped, moving his hand away.

You always look like Yao Wang. I know your a gog, so what's the point in you even having a human form around me?" XingYing asked. Hsien Lian didn't know if the boy was hurt or not from it, but it seemed like he did. Hsien Lian looked over. "It has nothing to do with you. It's just less time consuming to not change forms always when I get back home." Hsien Lian explained. Technically, XingYing did know that Hsien Lian was a god. Just like how he knew what Hsein Lian truly looked like. However, Hsien still always looked like Yao Wang. And even though Hsien Lian was never in his original form, he never thought XingYing would be mad about it. "So then why do you change into.." XingYing gestured to Hsien Lian. "That."

"My human form is not as powerful as my godly one. When fighting someone, I would rather be able to use all of my abilities." Hsien Lian explained. XingYing huffed, turning to look down at the dead skeleton, casually looking up at the sky. "I like that version of you better." XingYing muttered to himself, though Hsien Lian heard it loud and clear. He smiled. "Why?" Hsien Lian asked, looking over at the ghost, who turned his head to avoid eye contact.

XingYing scoffed, looking around. Hsien Lian continued to grin. "I don't understand how all these people could die without any harm? Is there a way for someone to die without them getting hurt?" XingYing asked. Hsien Lian frowned but didn't say anything else about the previous subject. He stood, his white hanfu shoes shimmering brightly as he walked on the dirt. Hsien Lian thought for a moment, before gesturing to the bones laying on the ground.

"Well, the person can be hurt. Just their bones all needed to be perfectly fine." Hsien Lian stated. A soft breeze blew past, the spring days crawling forward with each second. XingYing turned, looking around the empty village, the liveliness deteriorating along with the smiles. "Something that makes death spread like wildfire. And can affect the young and old." XingYing stated, walking towards the parent and the child, giddily walking towards.. Somewhere. If only Hsien Lian could ask them where they were going..

"A plague." XingYing's words were as soft as the wind, Hsien Lian's thumb rubbing across the now dried ink that had soaked into the papyrus paper. Hsien Lian looked over at XingYing, who had crouched in front of the kid, staring into their skull. "Something that spreads and doesn't have a preference on who they kill. Something that hurts the organs but not the bone." XingYing looks up at Hsien Lian, still crouching. Another soft wind blows, Hsien Lian's hair moving to reveal is pale features. While XingYing's back hair hid his.

"A plague."

He was right. That must have been how all these people died. That's why there was a brick wall around the village. It was to protect them from outsiders. But all it did was trap them with the deadly disease. The image Hsien Lian had pulled together made him sick. But not in the same way these people did. Hsien Lian sighed, stepping away from the person resting on the ground. Hsien Lian's footsteps were quick as he walked towards XingYing, the note still firmly in his hand. "So now what?" Hsien Lian asked, his ponytail with glass and metal hooks swung in the air. XingYing looked up to him, before shrugging. "Do we yell it?"

"Maybe.." Hsien Lian help up the note, allowing XingYing to read it. "It's a haiku." XingYing pointed out. Hsien Lian looked back at XingYing, before turning to the note to read it himself. "How did they all die? Find it out and you will see…. The last word is five syllables right?" Hsien Lian asked, XingYing nodding his head. He walked around to rest his head on Hsien Lian's shoulder. After a moment, he shook his head. "Plague isn't the right answer." XingYing stated with a huff. Hsien Lian turned to look at him. "It's not? How do you know?"

XingYing pointed the words to the blanks. "It couldn't be a plague. No letter fits in this space. I think you're supposed to only use the letters in the answer." Hsien Lian took a second before sighing with a frown. "So how did they die then?" Hsien Lian asked. XingYing backed away, taking the note from the god. "They might have still died from a plague, but I think the demon is asking what caused the plague.

A fowl aroma floated into the air again. That stench Hsien Lian has been smelling ever since he got there, that odor from some dead animals. Hsien Lian gagged, before. "Do you think is has something to do with this smell?" Hsien Lian asked. XingYing looked at him weirdly. "What smell?" XingYIng asked. Hsien Lian stared at him for a second with shock. Was XIngYing so used to dead bodies that he couldn't even smell it anymore. XIngYing's face turned to a smile. "I'm kidding. Maybe it does, but couldn't that just be from the humans rotting?" XIngYing pointed out. Hsien Lian rolled his eyes, before beginning to walk around the village.

Another rat, similar to the one before, ran in front of Hsien Lian, seemingly chasing where that last one had gone. Hsien Lian watched. "Maybe their sanitary standard weren't up to par. When there is trash, their are rats." Hsien Lian pointed out. Hsien Lian wasn't scared of rats like most nobles he was around were. Hsien Lian, when he was a child, had to deal with rats all the time. In some ways, they were his only friends. And they were reliable. Even if they only liked him for his loaf of bread.

Hsien Lian stepped onto the stone that lead to the well,his eyes straining to see anything as he looked inside. He raised his hand, getting a glimpse at his flower tattoo, before his hand glowed a light pastel blue, Hsien Lian lighting up the long tunnel to the underground stream. Hsien Lian's eyes widened when he looked inside. The village's well wasn't filled with water.

It was filled with trash.

Waste. Bones of animals mostly. Hsien Lian slowly backed away from the well, shivers down his spine. Fleas, bugs,and many different rodents all practically lived in that well, eating off the bones and other foods. Hsien Lian was absolutely disgusted. Not with the fact that it was waste, but instead what the village people did with it. However, Hsien Lian quickly understood how all these people died.

"Pollution."