Zhang Yun held his ceremonial staff and walked with a steady, composed gait. Yet, the moment the gates of Lujiang City swung open, he finally understood the true, devastating extent of the plague.
Although the Brave Champion Army had cleared the streets and removed the corpses, the stench of decay lingering in the air remained impossible to disperse. As he stepped onto the blue bricks of Lujiang City, he noticed bits of human flesh still wedged between the gaps. The houses lining the streets were orderly enough, but aside from the soldiers of the Brave Champion Army, there was not a single living soul to be seen. Lujiang City remained a city in name, but it had been stripped of all vitality. To describe Lujiang at this moment as a place where "not a cock crows for a thousand miles, and no human smoke rises for a hundred" would be an understatement.
Jia Lingyun had requisitioned the home of a wealthy merchant as his temporary residence, and the surroundings were meticulously maintained. Guided by soldiers of the Brave Champion Army, Zhang Yun was finally ushered into the presence of the legendary Prince of Han.
Chapter 822