Blood of Deception [ON HOLD]

Chapter Twelve

They rushed to the scene. Meiyue went with them, going against Yuzhe's advice to stay safe in the manor. Baotong led the way and told them more details about the incident. He said that the target vanished into a home for a long time that he thought was his own house. When he was about to leave his other friend to report to the princess there was a scream coming from the inside. Soon they found out that the target had long escaped through the back door after killing a man in the house.

The place they came to was similar to the slums. Several old buildings positioned close to each other were divided into many small compartments for rental rooms. The walls were coated in black from long years and something else that looked unpleasant. People gathered around a particular door. The crowd was so thick Yuzhe had to elbow their way between to get to the front. When they did Yuzhe would not step away from the princess's view.

"You don't have to see this," he said in front of her. Meiyue persisted and eventually sidestepped him. The horrid sight before them rooted her to the ground.

Blood. Everywhere. From the threshold of the house to the road where someone must've had taken the victim out. Now he laid on the ground in a bloody pool. A hay mat covered his body up to his face. A woman knelt near the body, shaking with sobs, and a little boy wailed beside her. Meiyue thought she couldn't bear another look at them. The sight of so much blood dizzied her. She turned away and leaned on Yuzhe.

Her guards were right behind, looking at her with concerned faces. She wanted to come on her own will. She couldn't afford to falter. Now that Kenshin was absent the only person who held power in this city was her. It was up to her to put order back.

Meiyue steeled herself and straightened. "Take care of the body," she said, "and make sure there is a proper funeral to be held immediately." Baotong and the rest of the guards bowed and moved to the task. A couple of people seemed to hear her and were now casting her questioning glances. Some looked as shaken as she felt.

The crowd parted when the victim's body was carried away. The woman and her son followed and were soon gone from the scene.

Meiyue spoke, her voice carrying over the crowd and won their attention. "People of the town. What happened here today is a murder enacted solely upon burglary by a criminal, who belongs to a certain group that we, the government, are pursuing after. Hence this tragic incident, it already has proven insufficient to pursue them with just our forces. Therefore I would like to request for your assistance. We should work together and bring them down before the law."

She drew strength from Yuzhe behind her, and met each of the audiences' eyes. For a moment she thought they wouldn't be convinced of the reason she used to cover it up. She wasn't even certain if they knew why the victim was killed, though she had a huge suspicion that it was a warning that the criminal left to show that he was aware of being followed. But Meiyue needed, the state needed strong-willed people who could stand up together with it. She couldn't have them forever cower in fear of what might happen to their family next.

A middle-aged man came forth. "What should we do?"

Meiyue felt her hope elevated. "Anywhere from your workplaces to your homes, I would like you to keep an eye on a certain tattoo of a crow. If anybody you see has that mark on anywhere of their body, I want you to alert us at the Nishiki manor."

A murmur went through the crowd. The man in front of her considered before asking, "Do you maybe work for Lord Kenshin?"

Meiyue hesitated. Things already came down to this. If she wanted the people to help then they should at least had the right to know who they were speaking to.

"I am Long Meiyue," she said simply. Nobody shared the same surname as the royal bloodline. A few gasps sounded from somewhere. Then the whole spectators knelt with their heads to the ground.