172 A painful truth

 Xin went over to Băo and placed her hand on his shoulder. She felt his body tremble and she noted tears were falling on the face of the woman on the cot.
"You know her?"
"She is my sister."
Xin tensed. She had never seen him like this. She didn't even know he had a sister, they never had time to talk about things like that. She quietly muttered to herself, 'when we have time, we must sit and tell each other of our pasts, our families, our hopes and dreams.' Out loud, all she could say was, "I'm sorry."
He turned his head and faced her. Tears were falling freely down his cheeks. There was nothing but anguish in his eyes. "Is she dead?"
Xin looked down and held a finger under her nose. There was the faintest of breaths, but it was clear she was close to death. "Barely."
He looked down at her. "I can't let her suffer any more like this, I really can't."
"Would you like me to do it?"
"No. I owe her this and I will place her tablet in the Ancestral Hall when it is re-built." With that he took out his blade, and lifting her head just fractionally, he quietly whispered her name. "Go tell our mother I love her. If there are any others of our family waiting for you to step over,  tell them I send you with love," and with that, he drew his knife across her throat. 
Looking up into Xin's eyes, he asked for her to love him for what he'd done. Xin wrapped her arms around his head and turning to the other men, "If Băo can do that for his sister, then we owe it to these other women."
The two men gently allowed the others to pass over too, gently weeping as each sighed their last breath and walked that final path. 
A new man was escorted into the room, the woman at his side already removing his money pouch. She saw what was happening and was about to run when Xin's blade found her heart. "Oh no you don't lady!" The woman slumped to the ground; Xin's throwing was second to none. The man was grabbed before he could get to any of the the women.
Băo stood and turned to face the men.
"I want this place raised to the ground. Set torches now. Destroy this place and allow these women to be cremated here and now.  Next we attack. Xin and your pack take on the whore house, I am too emotionally charged to deal with those women. We will set fire to the Watering Hole. Xin. You do the same with the so called, Resting Views. As they leave, cut them down. I want all of them dead."
"What should we do with him?"
"Kill him. I want no prisoners." With that Băo was already leaving.
Xin knew not to argue. She turned and looking at the startled men, "You heard our orders, set the fires and kill all those who leave. Cover the back exits, windows and doors. set the fires all the way round and create a ring of fire they will find hard to leave. If they die in the fire, then it is down to their greed and fornication." 
 
Second Master reached the tree. He saw his wife. He didn't know whether to be overjoyed or fraught with grief. His heart hammered, twisted, he felt sick, he wanted to pass out. This was not the reconciliation he had longed for, this was different.
Hatred burned in his chest as fiercely as his love for his wife. He hated the men who perpetrated this, he hated the whole mess which had destroyed lives. Above all, he hated his father with renewed vigor.
He stopped and looked at her. She raised her head, but failed to recognise him. She stared right through him with those empty eyes, seeing nothing. The children stopped their playing around her. "Hello? Why are you here? Has Auntie sent you? Do you know this lady?"
Second master couldn't speak, he just looked at her and nodded. "Yes," he finally said, "this is my wife,"
"Oh." One of the older children stepped forward. "She never speaks you know. Does she talk to you?"
"I don't know."
"Oh. Well, we'll go play somewhere else then," and with that, the small group of children left, running down the hill to auntie. Yiran didn't move, didn't respond, she just kept looking at the man that had come up the hill.
He stepped forward. "Yiran? It's me, Yongle."
She looked into his eyes. There was a glimmer somewhere in the back of her consciousness. He touched her hand, ready to hold it. She looked down at her hand, pulling it away sharply and began to scream.

 
 

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