Chapter 11

As the sun began to set, Xi Xiao straightened her slightly sore back, gently leaning the bamboo broom against the corner of the wall. Just as she was about to stretch her muscles, she saw the wooden door of the next room creak open, and a group of old women filed out.

She paused for a moment, then a sweet smile spread across her lips as she took small steps forward: "Greetings, grandmothers!"

When the old women first saw her, they were all taken aback and quite puzzled. One of the older women stared at her intently, as if trying to find something on her face.

Xi Xiao assumed that it was because young maids had never been to Madam Lan's place before. She quickly explained her background in a few words, and then deliberately chose words that soothed people's hearts, making the old women smile. In the midst of their conversation, she sighed softly as if she were not paying attention: "Alas, I don't know what it's like outside. I really want to go out and see."

Upon hearing this, a plump, round-faced old woman named Li laughed and said, "We can't leave this place." She lowered her already hoarse voice, which carried a hint of mystery, "I heard that a great disaster happened a long time ago. The late king was furious and issued a strict decree that no one outside could come in, and no one inside... could leave either."

Xi Xiao's heart skipped a beat, her curiosity intensifying as she was about to ask more questions. A thinner old woman beside her, noticing her hesitant expression, immediately raised her hand and said with a laugh, "Old woman Li, you always love to keep people in suspense."

Granny Li wasn't annoyed. She chuckled and warmly called to Xi Xiao, leading her towards the low-ceilinged house: "Let's go inside and talk."

Upon entering the slightly dimly lit room, a scent mixed with camphor and a faint smell of soap lingered in the air. Granny Li pointed to the next room and said, "Look, that smaller room over there was originally intended for clever young girls like you. But Madam Lan is always surrounded by us old women, so that room has been empty for many years. From now on, you'll be living alone, which will be quite peaceful."

Xi Xiao obediently replied, "Yes, thank you for your guidance, Granny." Granny Li turned and walked to a slightly worn chest of drawers. After rummaging around for a while, she took out a small oil paper packet and stuffed it into Xi Xiao's hand without saying a word. Inside the packet were a few candied fruits coated with frosting, slightly sticky to the touch and emitting a sweet fragrance. "Take this as a snack. Madam Lan sometimes gives us some small snacks."

The dim, yellowish light of the oil lamp cast a warm glow throughout the room. The women each found a low stool and sat down, picking up their unfinished needlework again. As their fingers flew across the fabric, they chatted amongst themselves, the flickering candlelight casting their shadows on the mottled earthen walls, creating a heartwarming and precious scene.

The Yin family was originally a prominent clan in the southern border region for generations. Their ancestors were masters of Gu magic, which they kept secret. At that time, the Yuan Chu emperor neglected state affairs, and the southern border gradually became a desolate frontier where the emperor's rule was no longer evident. The Yin family, relying on their deep roots and unfathomable Gu magic, then carved out a kingdom and established the state of "Southern Frontier".

At that time, Yin Junyu, still the young master, encountered a woman in plain clothes during a journey. One glance was enough to seal their fate; he fell deeply in love and vowed to marry no one but her. However, the royal bloodline could not be mixed with that of outsiders. The clan elders vehemently opposed the marriage, viewing it as a defilement of the ancestral temple. Yin Junyu resisted several times, even defying authority, but was ultimately suppressed by clan power. The woman was no ordinary person either; seeing his struggles futile and his heart growing cold, she did not wish to cause him further distress and resolutely turned away.

After the old king passed away, Yin Junyu succeeded to the throne. With power in his hands, his first royal decree was to search extensively for the missing woman. They were eventually reunited, their relationship mended, and he welcomed her into the palace with the rites due to a queen. Soon after, joyous news arrived: the queen was six months pregnant.

Unexpectedly, the situation changed drastically on the night of the princess's delivery! Just as the entire palace held its breath in anticipation of the birth, a strange man stormed into the delivery room, attempting to forcibly take the princess away! In an instant, the palace was thrown into chaos; the sounds of clashing armor and shouts shattered the peaceful night of the delivery room. Upon hearing the news, the new king, Yin Junyu, was enraged and drew his sword, pointing it at the madman, determined to kill him.

At the critical moment, the princess, who had just endured the pain of childbirth, forced herself to sit up and begged the king to spare his life, her words filled with sorrow and pleading. Yin Junyu gazed at his beloved wife's haggard face, his heart churning with anger. Finally, he gritted his teeth, sheathed his sword, and banished the man from the palace gates.

The old woman lowered her voice and continued, "That night, Lady Lan appeared at the palace with that man. The king was still furious and considered her an accomplice to the trouble, so he immediately wanted to expel them both. However, it was the queen who spoke up and allowed Lady Lan to stay, promising her a place to stay."

A few days later, a royal decree swept across the entire Southern Frontier royal family and its territory. Using his own blood essence as a guide, Yin Junyu combined it with the Yin family's secret techniques to imprint ancient and bizarre forbidden seals on the gates and passes of the royal palace and the entire core territory.

Its laws were strict and its power was awe-inspiring: all members of the Yin clan, regardless of rank, as well as servants and dependents of other clans, were bound by this curse to their respective territories! People in the royal palace were not allowed to leave the palace walls without permission, and people in the villages were not allowed to step out of their villages, thus isolating themselves from each other like isolated islands.

However, this iron curtain of confinement made an exception for one bloodline—the descendants of the royal family. Only those who possessed the direct blood of the Yin clan could ignore the strange runes and malevolent miasma, freely moving between the various divided cages.

Xi Xiao felt a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head, and her limbs stiffened. The old women's chattering voices seemed to be muffled by the thick tide.

She instinctively opened her slightly cool palm, her gaze fixed on the intricate lines on her palm, as if peering into a deliberately buried mystery of her origins. A thunderous thought exploded in her mind: If it were true… then wouldn't she be… the child of the late King and Queen? And the current young master of Southern Frontier, is he her elder brother… or her younger brother?

Her heart pounded like a drum in her chest. She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turbulent emotions within, and tried to force a calm smile onto her lips. "I see... The late King and the Queen Consort's love was as deep as the sea, truly enviable." She spoke very softly. "Then... I wonder if Your Highness has any other brothers or sisters to keep you company?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Li lifted her head from the pile of soft fabric. She looked at Xi Xiao's bewildered face, assuming it was just a young girl's curiosity about royal secrets, and couldn't help but grin, revealing a few sparse teeth: "No, there's only the young master as his only son!" Her rough fingers twirled the thread, her voice tinged with a sigh, "The late king passed away a few years after his death, but fortunately, the queen was there to support him."

The words "only son" pierced Xi Xiao's heart like cold needles. Her smile almost shattered, the corners of her mouth stiff as if frozen. "Then... Grandma just said that only royal descendants can come and go freely," she forced herself to steady her trembling voice, "Young Master... has he... ever gone out? Has he seen the outside world?"

Granny Li paused in her thread-spinning, her deeply wrinkled face flickering in the swaying oil lamplight, as if she were laboriously searching through the dust of memory. After a long while, she shook her head blankly and murmured, "This... I've never really seen it before. Perhaps... I've never been out?"

As if suddenly snapping out of her daze, she waved her calloused hand and advised with the confidence of someone with experience, "Outside? It's a mess! Yuan Chu and his people are full of tricks! Although it's... well, quieter here, it's safe and secure, and we know our way around. You little brat, don't get any ideas you shouldn't have!"

Then he warned, "Even if you could beg the young master, it would be absolutely impossible! The late king issued a death order, a blood curse sealing the borders. Who would dare to touch it? That would be a matter of life and death. Just stay put."

Under the dim light, the old women's silver needles darted through the fabric, making a soft, hissing sound. To Xi Xiao, that sound was like countless tiny worms gnawing away at her last shred of hope.

At midnight, all was quiet. The old women blew out the lamps, and the surroundings were as dark as thick ink, with only a cold moon on the horizon. Xi Xiao was in a daze, her feet felt unsteady, and every step felt like walking on clouds.

Suddenly, a slender young figure darted hurriedly towards Madam Lan's main house. Xi Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively shrank into the shadows behind a pillar. She saw the young man lightly knock on the door, and then the lights inside suddenly came on, casting a dim, warm glow on the window paper.

However, after only a moment, the door opened silently again. The boy staggered out, his face ashen, his eyes vacant as if his soul had been ripped from his body, his legs dragging like a puppet on strings.

Xi Xiao was filled with doubts and was about to quietly follow to find out what was going on. Unexpectedly, just as she moved, a hoarse voice rang out from right behind her without warning: "Xi Xiao, Madam wants to see you."

Xi Xiao shuddered violently, a chill instantly shooting from her tailbone to the top of her head! She whirled around and saw the old nanny who had served Madam Lan standing on the stone steps not far away. Her back was hunched, most of her face hidden in the deep shadows cast by the eaves, only her cloudy eyes visible, staring at her for who knows how long!

Xi Xiao's heart was in turmoil, and the calm she had been trying so hard to maintain on her face finally cracked a little. She quickly lowered her eyes to hide the surging emotions in them, and only responded softly, her voice so light that it was almost blown away by the night wind: "Yes."

The old nanny didn't say much, but silently stepped aside to make way. Xi Xiao took a deep breath, calmed her wildly beating heart, and followed the nanny into the doorway that emitted a dim yellow light.

Upon entering, a strong smell of medicine hit you. The room was extremely simple, even shabby, with only a narrow wooden bed against the wall, its coarse linen curtains patched and dark in color. The only source of light was a small oil lamp on the bedside table, its flame weak and casting a large, flickering shadow on the wall.

The only window was completely filled with several potted plants. However, the most eye-catching thing in this simple house was the several large camphor wood chests occupying the best position in the dry, sheltered corner of the wall.

The box was old and heavy, and the lid was not completely closed. You could vaguely see that it was filled with layers of yellowed and brittle thread-bound ancient books. Some of the pages were even curled and torn, revealing the dense, eerie characters or diagrams inside, which looked like insects crawling.

In the far corner stood a stack of ancient books that looked like waste paper, but they were covered with a seal, so no contents could be seen.

A musty, dusty, and musty smell of old papers mingled with the medicinal odor in the room, creating a suffocating, decaying, and mysterious atmosphere.