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The Elder could not ignore the glimmer of hope in Xuehua's eyes, and could not bring herself to say
anything. The old woman may be frail, but was extremely wise, and could easily predict what was happening at
the construction site. Many men would have already died from the excess amount of labor, but no one could
know who.
The Elder slowly helped Xuehua up, and led her back to the village. The Elder looked back at the rice
cakes, now dirtied with grime, with a pained expression.
The core, the one who existed to balance the village could feel her life slipping away from all this pain
and chaos.
News of the Great Wall's construction being over spread quickly by mouth, and in time, reached
Taoyun. Women and children eagerly gathered at the entrance, rice cakes ready to be handed to famished men
and loved ones. However, there was something that the villagers couldn't quite put a finger on. Something was
wrong.
It was Yuhan, a small boy, who delivered the news. Although Xuehua had managed to recover last
week, the Elder was extremely ill, and did not seem to be able to recover, even after the disease had died out.
Despite their reluctance, the women quickly left their post at the gate and started to form a medicine
from a rare root, hoping to cure the Elder. The Elder drank the bitter medicine, and ushered the other village
folk out of her home.
The old woman knew that her life was coming to an end; she could feel it. It was time to meet her
relatives in the afterlife. She felt somewhat guilty, knowing that the women outside waiting for the men were
only waiting in vain.
She quietly called for Xuehua, and as she faced her tearful niece, replied. "I want you to continue my
legacy. Take care of the village—rebuild our town's history and greatness."
Xuehua nodded, and sat by the Elder's side as she watched her protector pass away.
Outside, the hopeful, yet foolish villagers did not know that millions of men, including the ones from
Taoyun, had died during the construction. One man had carried the mysterious disease from not sanitizing
properly after picking rare roots from the mountainside. This mysterious disease, also known as influenza, was
the very same disease that had haunted the women of Taoyun for so many years.
Every day, a mother waiting for her husband would sleep alone once again. A child waiting for their
father would go on tiptoes, trying to catch sight of their long lost family member.
However, the villagers of Taoyun had not lost hope. There was still time to rebuild this town, brick by
brick, with a new seer, Xuehua, by its side. Xuehua, who had trained under the Elder for this day, was ready to
lead Taoyun towards a new start.
* * *