Princess Xinyang broke out in a cold sweat immediately.
The feeling of being caught red-handed right after doing something wrong was truly terrifying.
The elderly woman appeared to be in her sixties or seventies, with graying hair and a very aged appearance. Her clothing looked like that of a Dongyi person, and it was patched, suggesting she was a local villager.
Lord Xuanping maintained eye contact with the old woman, and without a change in tone, he said to Princess Xinyang, "We’re in Dongyi’s territory, proceed with caution in everything."
Princess Xinyang responded softly with an "Okay," then asked, "What do you plan to do?"
Lord Xuanping replied, "We’ll see how the situation unfolds."
If the person in front of them were a soldier, Lord Xuanping would have certainly killed them without mercy, but the person was just an ordinary villager.
The military officers of Zhan Country do not kill civilians of enemy countries.
Lord Xuanping shielded Princess Xinyang behind him, holding her hand as they approached the elderly woman.
"Grandmother," he spoke calmly, "we are soldiers passing by, tracking the movements of several people from Zhan Country. Have you seen them?"
The Dongyi and Zhan languages were largely similar, with only some differences in accent. He spoke fluent Dongyi, which left Princess Xinyang behind him wide-eyed in shock.
Princess Xinyang understood a bit of Yan and Liang languages, but only in written form. It was one thing for her to translate texts; speaking, though, she did not meet the standard.
Xiao Hen had a strong gift for languages from a young age. Princess Xinyang once thought it was her doing, but now it seemed Xiao Ji was the genetic source.
The elderly woman’s vacant, emotionless eyes showed little change as she slowly replied in her aged voice, "Oh, haven’t seen them."
"Grandmother, do you live around here? Is there anyone else in your family?" Lord Xuanping continued to ask.
"No one, just me." The elderly woman’s speech was so slow that it seemed laborious, and her reactions were very delayed.
But considering her age, this was not surprising.
Princess Xinyang peeked out from behind Lord Xuanping, observing her.
As soon as Lord Xuanping looked back, he saw a tuft of black hair poke out, and amusement tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Grandmother," he looked back at the old woman, "it’s getting late. May we spend the night at your house?"
"Okay." The old woman replied slowly, leaning on her cane as she turned to leave.
Watching the bent-over figure of the old woman gradually move away, Princess Xinyang asked him, "Are we really going to her house?"
Lord Xuanping looked around: "There is nowhere else to stay here. Going to her house, at least we won’t freeze to death. Besides, we can inquire about the Dongyi soldiers.
Princess Xinyang thought about it and agreed it made sense.
Who would have thought they would accidentally end up on Dongyi territory? They were unfamiliar with the terrain, and with Xiao Ji seriously injured, wandering aimlessly in the ice and snow was less advisable than finding a place to heal first.
Thinking of something, she asked again, "Do you think she saw what happened earlier?"
Lord Xuanping pondered, "It’s not clear."
Princess Xinyang sighed, "Forget it, what if she did see it? There’s no way we would harm an unarmed elderly woman, would we? Let’s just follow her and keep an eye on her so she doesn’t report us."
The two followed the elderly woman to a simple thatched hut.
The old woman lived somewhat remotely; another sparse village was some hundred steps east.
Seeing Princess Xinyang’s puzzled face, Xiao Ji softly explained, "In Dongyi, elderly women without children or husbands are relocated out of the village; they are considered omens of misfortune." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩
Princess Xinyang was enlightened, "I see. It seems she didn’t lie to us; she really is alone."
The elderly, due to her age, was not agile, and her living conditions were not secure; her house was also not particularly tidy.
She pointed to a small dusty room and said to the two, "You will stay here tonight, there’s food in the kitchen."
After saying that, she returned to her room, ignoring the two strangers.
Xiao Ji’s condition was severe; upon entering the room, he could no longer maintain his façade of calmness and sat down colorlessly on the dusty wooden stool.
Just after leaving the cave, they encountered a series of mishaps, only now did she have a genuine opportunity to look at him properly.
Seeing him made her realize how poor his condition was.
No wonder he wouldn’t let her light a fire in the cave. If she had known how bad he looked, she would have insisted that he stay and rest while she scouted ahead.