above us at an almost impossible angle over top of rocks. From what I can tell, they're a merchant. A scream sounded before echoing in the cave. The girls shot up and rushed over.
"Who's there?!" Snake shouted as she bolted. Sharp fangs of a snake bared as she rounded the corner. all of us followed close behind.
"Forgive us!" a man's voice sounded. stepping into view, an entire group was hiding here. "We're just a passing caravan! The stand storm was too much to continue, so we're seeking shelter for the night!"
"Then why are you sneaking around?" Nan Feng asked with the palm torch blazing in his palm. Feng Ling looked at the merchants with a similar scowl. curious.
"We weren't hiding initially!" a young man stood and shouted. His eyes were large, and his appearance, aside from being a young merchant, looked like a defending tiger cub. "We only hid after you guys rushed in here, started talking about the banyu preceptor, human or not, all while creating fireballs with your bare hands! We thought you were the banyu soldiers coming to kill us! You expect us to make noise?!"
"Don't say such things!" one of the older merchants scolded the little one.
"No, no, you had a right to be suspicious," I began as Kiyoshi hid behind me. I placed my hand on his head. "We are strangers, so you wouldn't know we aren't a threat."
The merchants and the little boy looked less troubled. Though the little boy still looked ready to fight.
"My sister is right." Xie Lian budded in. "We are no threat, we are just some cultivators who are looking for a place to stay until the storm clears. So there's no need to be afraid or nervous."
"Good," the older merchant who scolded the young boy sighed. "We are ordinary people, so you gave us quite the fright."
"I'm not quite sure on that part," Honger said, clearly unconvinced. "You all must know the rumour 'every group that passes over Banyu will be dispensary', yes? You must be brave to pass through if you choose to come. Yet you call yourselves ordinary?"
"Honger," I scolded in a low tone.
"Haa," the old merchant began again. "As long as you have a reliable guide, you will be able to pass through safely."
"See?" the boy started up again. He has spirit, I'll give him that; he should watch who he uses it around. "Zhao helped us! Our safety is because of him!"
"I'm just doing my job," a new voice sounded. A man behind the merchants, whom I will assume is Zhao, began his piece. The merchants began to chatter. These guys will have to be escorted to a safer location later.
"Once the sand storm passes," my brother whispered to Nan Feng, "let's escort them to a safer location before investigating Banyu."
We turned back and headed for the tomb. At least, I think it's a tomb. Brother sat before the stone, trying to decipher the writing. I sat with Kiyoshi and the girls. Brother looked annoyed with the words.
"General's tomb," Honger said. Hah. he learned Banyu because my brother was there.
"San Lan, you also know Banyu?" his brother asked him. Oh, Flower Sword, flower sword, you have no idea.
"A little, I was interested in it, so I learned a bit," he said with a smirk.
"Luckily, you knew the words I didn't." Brother smiled. He's smiled a lot more now, like he used to at home.
"Reading a tombstone?" The girls jumped at the voice. I turned to the voice.
"Kohana, why'd you do that?" I asked. The kitsune sat in the shadows.
"I've been sitting here since his highness started reading the stone and before the merchants started screaming."
I sighed, shaking my head.
"Brother, can you and Honger continue to read the stone?" I asked, looking up to the ceiling.
"Yes, just need to get rid of some dirt here." My brother waved his hand and sleeve against the stone to show more writing.
"Hey," the little boy from before came back. I looked to him as he asked, "What's written on the stone over there?"
"It's written about a general," I told him.
"he was from the central plains," Flower Sword said as he traced the lines with his fingers.
"A general from the central plains?" Feng Ling asked.
"Why would Banyu leave this for him?" Nan Feng asked right after.
"It says general, but he was actually a well-known official," Honger said. knelling beside brother. I felt someone shift behind me. Then the snake walked around to take a closer look.
"I remember this," she said.
"You know this person?" I asked. I don't remember hearing about this story during my trades in Banyu.
"Yeah, he was what most warfare candidates would call a 'hindrance' to the battlefield," she quoted. "Actually, this was just after our last trades with Banyu before it fell."
"So this happened after we were told it was too dangerous to continue our trades?" I asked again.
"Yep," she continued. "From what I understand, he would keep both sides from killing each other."
A flash in my mind appeared. I remember I did something like that when leading new Xianle to battles against attacking kingdoms.
"How come he was called that?" the kid asked. "It sounds heroic what he was doing."
"Eh, more than half of war leaders would say otherwise, and an official being demoted is just as common."
"It certainly is." Honger glanced at Snake. She gave him a short-lived glare before going back to sit with us. She didn't stop the story, though. The boy still listened to what was being said.
"Well, I don't see why they think it's a problem to save lives," the kid said again.
"As a general, doing such a thing isn't a good idea," one of the other merchants chimed in. "But it isn't wrong."
"So Banyu made this as tribute." Feng Ling said as she looked at the stone slab.
"he sounds weak." Fu Yao said with disdain in his voice. I froze. I did not freeze from fear; I froze because I felt anger towards Fu Yao's words. I have done the same thing as this general. He dares to say this when it is well known across the continent that this is what the new Xianle did!
"So it's better if hundreds of people die, instead of trying to save them?" I snapped. No one said a word after that. I only glared at Fu Yao with a cold aura. uneasy silence filled the cave. Mu Yoong Yoong and Feng Ling avoided making eye contact with anyone.
"Ahem!" Kohana attempted to ease out of the awkward air. "Does the stone say anything else about the general?"
"Yes, it does," my brother said with some slight hesitation. I looked away from Fu Yao and looked at the stone.