Withered leaves lay scattered on the ground, piled up where they fell. The market, which should have been bustling, was eerily quiet.
The entire city felt like a ghost town.
A faint, lingering scent of blood filled the air, suggesting a brutal slaughter had taken place not long before.
Or perhaps...
A massacre!
Zhu Ju frowned at the scene before him. His ears twitched, and in a flash, he appeared in a nearby alley.
"Sirs, this grain is to save my son's life! He hasn't had anything to eat for two days and two nights!"
"Please, I'm begging you, don't take my grain."
"THUD!"
"Get lost!"
"We're already being merciful just taking the grain and not your life. Don't push your luck."
In the alley, two thugs were beating a man. They snatched a cloth sack full of rice and hoisted it onto one of their shoulders.
"AHH!"
"I'll kill you!"
Seeing his grain stolen, the beaten man scrambled to his feet with a cry and lunged viciously at the two thugs.
"You're asking to die!"
