The Vial of Poison

The journey was longer than Xiang Ling thought. It took them an entire day and half of the next day before they finally reached the Lin Family's Village. They only stopped twice throughout their journey and that too to either eat or to allow the horse to rest. By the time their carriage walked through the entrance of the village, it was already in the afternoon.

The terrible state of the village was evident from the moment they arrived there. The narrow streets that should have been bustling with activities on usual days, were now eerily quiet, with only the occasional sounds of coughing echoing through the air.

Houses were marked with red symbols, indicating they were quarantined, their occupants isolated from the rest of the community. The few people who were seen on the streets had covered their mouths with veils. They moved quickly through the village to fetch supplies while trying to avoid contact with others.