The storehouse smelled of dry rot and metal.
Yan bent near the doorway. As he cleaned the floor, his hands stopped at the feet of a person.
Yan looked up, and recognized him.
"Yan" the old Ledgerer arrived at the storehouse today, but there were two more people behind him.
Yan saw them previously, they welcomed Ren and others with the meals, and served them alongside him.
The old man pointed with the end of his brush toward two girls. They were older than Yan with slender body.
“Ma. Lin,” he said. “They started working here before you, Hope you get along with your seniors”
He dipped the brush into ink.
Then he turned and looked at the main hall.
“The ledgers say we have provisions for fifty,” he added. “I have only three servants”
He did not explain, and walked away.
Ma and Lin approached Yan, and Ma asked "Hey! Where you from? "
"South Reed" Yan replied.
"Never heard of it" Lin replied immediately.
Yan did not say anything.
"Must be a remote place Lin, no need to scare our junior" Ma rubbed her eyes.
"Yan, ignore this bitch, you must have already seen the sect but come with me again"
" I will be showing you the sect around again if in case you missed anything" Ma said as she grabbed his arm and pulled along.
Lin followed behind.
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On the way to their tour of the sect, Yan looked at the outer wing, the outer disciple quarters also present here, the outer wing had a large width building.
While they were passing through the outer wing, Yan leaned close to it near the windows, and tried to evasdrop
From behind thin paper windows, an Instructor’s voice rose and fell in steady rhythm. There are ten letters..
Yan adjusted his steps slightly closer to the wall.
But immediately, The air tightened..
A weight pressed downward on him, making him fall to the ground on his knees.
The Instructor continued speaking, no one felt it except Yan.
"Yan, what happened?" Ma asked.
The pressure remained for a while before Yan could breathe well back again.
"Nothing, I am coming", Yan reacted fast, shifted smoothly away from the lecture hall and moved along Lin and Ma without looking back.
When the weight lifted, the ridge felt ordinary again.
Late afternoon settled heavily over the sheds.
Yan sat near the pens in the storehouse , sharpening a dull knife.
Ma and Lin rested nearby. Their hands were raw from work.
They did not speak to Yan but they spoke to each other.
“It’s not just the Westfeed herds,” Ma muttered.
Lin nodded.
“Since the frost broke the old animals and the weak ones.”
Yan’s knife scraped stone in an even rhythm.
“My family had a draft horse,” Lin said quietly. “It broke its leg on the ridge trail.”
The scraping slowed.
“But my father refused to let go, he kept it, and cared for it more than us.”
She said while her hands pressed tighter.
“But it started getting more sick, everyday it screamed in pain, months passed, and then one day”
Yan did not look up.
“Father went to end it,” Lin continued. “But it went missing”
Ma stared at Lin.
“it disappeared without leaving any trace.”
“A sick horse with a broken leg,” Lin whispered. ”we thought it was a theft, but who would steal a dying horse?"
Silence followed.
Yan resumed sharpening the knife.
After a moment, Ma stood.
“Sad for the horse, but Yan, it's time for us to leave. We’re assigned to the Inner Hall,” she said. “If you ever need us.”
Lin nodded. “Tell anyone at the entrance. They’ll call.”
Yan gave a small nod.
As they turned to leave, Ma’s eyes fell on the book resting beside him.
“What’s that?”
“Herbal notes,” Yan said. “Given by a village doctor.”
“Do you like medicine?” Lin asked.
“No, I just bought it because of boredom”
“May .. I... borrow it? I’ll return it." Ma said.
Yan studied her for a breath.
Then he nodded once and handed it over.
“Thank you,” she said.
They left toward the inner wing while Yan remained seated .
Across the courtyard, the drainage channel ran along the slope. At first glance, it was clean.
But near the bend where it dipped downward, the soil sat slightly higher than the surrounding stone.
Packed.
Dark.
Disturbed too often.
Yan looked at it for a second, before moving onto his next cleaning the pens.