The sun blazed, and heat waves rolled across the land.
Not a soul could be seen on the official road. On either side, clumps of withered grass swayed and rustled in the hot wind. Now and then, a few dry, broken leaves would take flight, spinning in the dusty gusts before being scattered by the heat and drifting down onto a corpse lying by the roadside, startling a swarm of feasting flies.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from a bend in the road. A bare-chested young man appeared, wearing a cloth mask over his face, a pair of straw sandals on his feet, and a straw hat on his head.
It was Cheng Zongyang, who had just come from the County Town.
"Damn it, why is it so ridiculously hot!"
Cheng Zongyang glanced up at the vast, cloudless, deep blue sky, wiped away a bead of sweat, and cursed under his breath.
