As Liulan opened the basement door, the first thing to meet his eyes was a floor covered in chaotic smears of blood. A man lay in the crimson pool, no longer breathing, though the signs scattered about the room revealed the desperate struggle he had endured before finally collapsing.
A woman, her face battered and bruised, cowered in the corner. Her hands and feet were bound, and her breathing was so shallow it seemed she might lose consciousness at any second. Even so, the moment she saw the intruder, Liulan, she desperately shielded her two young daughters behind her, her trembling body betraying the depth of her terror and resentment.
The two little girls stared with wide, terrified eyes, tears welling up but not a sound escaping their lips; it was clear they had been threatened and warned into silence.
Chapter 53