And finally, the villagers who previously always glorified him turned to hate him because of the incident.

"So, that cloth is the clothes that belonged to the grandson of the slain grandfather?" Xue Ning asked pointing at the piece of cloth in Grandpa Xin's hand.

​​

"Um, that's right," he answered with a sigh.

"Does Grandpa's son often come here?"

"No, since that incident. Ah even so I can still see them from afar. They often hunt and forage in this forest, which is why I can still see them occasionally," replied Grandpa Xin.

Hearing Grandpa Xin's words, no one made a sound, silent.

"Where are you guys from? Roaming in the woods until this late at night?" Grandpa Xin asked again.

"We're lost, Grandpa," Fu Xie Lan replied immediately.

"Where are you going?"

"Royal city," replied the girl again.

"Huh? The royal city is very far from here, after all, if you want to visit there you have to pass through several villages after leaving this forest."

"Does Grandpa know the fastest way to get there?" asked Fu Xie Lan.

"Right now, you are in the middle of the Forestry, difficult to get out of this forest if it is still night. You'd better stay. Wait until tomorrow morning."

"There are many wild animals that roam at night," he continued.

"After all, your friend was injured."

No one responded.

"Alright, thank you," said Fu Xie Lan after a few seconds of silence.

"Wear this, bandage your wound," said the old man as he threw the cloth in his hand towards Ju Xian.

"Don't worry, I've washed it clean," he said again when he saw the man's doubtful look.

"B-but, this is..."

"Just put it on. It's my fault for hurting you," Grandpa Xin interrupted.

Hesitantly, Ju Xian tore the cloth and bandaged the wound which was still bleeding, while he returned the remaining cloth to its owner.

"Thank you, Grandpa," Ju Xian said as he bandaged his wound, Grandpa Xin just nodded.

"Grandpa, may I ask you something?" said Fu Xie Lan.

"What is that?"

I don't know since when their conversation has become more familiar. For the size of people who meet for the first time, they are included in the category of quickly adapting to circumstances.

"Have you heard of the current state of the royal city?" asked Fu Xie Lan again, although she was not so sure that grandfather Xin could answer it, hearing everything the old man said earlier made her decide to ask. After all, Grandpa Xin also often met other residents in this forest. Yes, who knows if he heard or knew something from the residents.

"The state of the royal city?"

Fu Xie Lan nodded, while Wan Lie and the others remained silent, listening carefully.

"No. I don't know about it," Grandpa Xin replied.

Fu Xie Lan, who heard it let out a breath, What kind of answer does she expect from an old man living in the middle of a forest alone?

"Last I heard the news a month ago, that the eldest daughter of the Zu kingdom died of a serious illness in exile," said Grandpa Xin after a few seconds of silence.

Hearing the name of the Zu kingdom, Wan Lie, Ju Xian, and Xue Ning exchanged glances. It was the name of the kingdom that Fu Xie Lan had mentioned a moment ago. The three of them had a lot of questions.

As for Fu Xie Lan, the girl looked even more excited after hearing Grandpa Xin's words.

"What's wrong with the eldest daughter of the Zu kingdom, Grandpa?" asked Fu Xie Lan in a casual tone.

"You're residents of the Zu kingdom, aren't you?" Grandpa Xin asked narrowing his eyes.

"Sure, we are residents of the Zu kingdom, Grandpa. We are from a remote village at the edge of the kingdom. Very few people even know that the village we came from is actually in this kingdom," said Fu Xie Lan in one breath.

Grandpa Xin nodded as if he understood everything. Previously he was suspicious of the four people who were with him, suspecting that they were not natives of the Zu kingdom. Especially when he heard their questions regarding matters that should have become public secrets, one of which was the princess of the Zu kingdom.

"Good, I thought you were intruders from another kingdom, hahaha," Grandpa Xin joked, then burst out laughing.

"So news of the incident didn't reach your village?"

"That incident? What happened, Grandpa?"

"Do you mean about the eldest daughter of the Zu kingdom?"

Fu Xie Lan nodded.

"The story circulating in the community, her mother who is the queen of this kingdom made a big mistake and ended up being sentenced to death. Did the news also not reach your village?"

"We've heard of it," replied Fu Xie Lan immediately to avoid Grandpa Xin's suspicion.

"Then what does that have to do with the eldest daughter of the Zu kingdom, Grandpa?" Xue Ning asked impatiently.

"Because of her Mother's betrayal, the princess received the sentence of exile kept away from the royal city, no one is allowed to visit her even her close relatives."

"And recently the news circulated that the princess was found dead in exile due to the infectious disease she was suffering from," he added.

Hearing that, Fu Xie Lan's brow furrowed faintly. Wasn't what the old man said very different from what happened to her?

'Dead in exile?'

'Infectious diseases?'

Huh, no kidding.

"It's a pity, even though it was only her mother's doing, but the princess also got the impact," said Xue Ning with a sigh of breath.

"That's already the lightest punishment for the daughter of a traitor, lucky she didn't get tortured for life," Grandpa Xin replied.

"So if the Queen received the death penalty. That means her position is now vacant?" Xue Ning asked again.

"Unfortunately, the position of the Queen will not be left vacant. The King's main concubine will immediately fill it to replace the previous queen."

"Concubine?" Xue Ning asked with a faint frown on her forehead. This was the first time she had heard the term.

"Yes, concubine. The king's second wife."

"Second wife? Do humans tend to have more than one partner?" Xue Ning replied as if she was surprised by what she heard.

But her overexcited expression only lasted a few seconds, as the sharp gazes of her three friends immediately to her, and at that very moment, she realized her mistake.

"Human? Isn't what you said too strange? Hahaha. You're a human too," Grandpa Xin replied.

"Me too, if only I was still alive like before, maybe now, I have three wives, hahaha," he added, laughing again.

A faint sigh of relief could be heard from Xue Ning's lips, thank God, the old man only thought it was a joke.

"There's a lot," Xue Ning squeaked.

"That's natural, having more than one wife is something very common. People will praise you if you have many wives," replied the old man again.

"No one has only one wife, even if there were, she would be considered strange by the people of the kingdom," he added.