“This old man, may I ask…” Xu Fengzhe stopped an old man who was staggering with a crutch, spoke gently, and tried to lower his figure.
The old man raised his turbid eyes, looked at Xu Fengzhe and his group, his eyes stopped for a moment on Jiang Ni, and then moved away, his voice hoarse, “Aren from the country?”
“Yes, I pass by this place and want to ask about the current situation in the former land of Western Chu.” Xu Fengzhe replied.
The old man sighed, and there seemed to be a look of memories in his turbid eyes, “Scene? What else can happen? The world of Liyang has long disappeared.”
“Old man, where are the remnants of Western Chu now?” Xu Fengzhe continued to ask.
The old man looked at Xu Fengzhe vigilantly and shook his head, “I don’t know, I don’t know. I’m just an old man in his twilight years, how could he know that.” After saying that, he hunched over and left tremblingly.
Xu Fengzhe looked at the old man’s departure and thoughtful. Jiang Ni’s face was depressed. She knew that the old man was not ignorant, but he just didn’t want to say more, or he didn’t dare to say more.
“Brother, it seems they are wary of us.” Jiang Ni whispered.
Xu Fengzhe nodded, “The remnants of the country are vigilant, it is inevitable. However, since we have arrived at the former land of Western Chu, we can always find them.”
The group continued to move forward, the setting sun was like blood, and the broken walls and ruins were stained with a layer of sadness. Jiang Ni’s mood became heavier and everything here was completely different from the prosperous Western Chu State in her memory, decayed, and dead.
Finally, when night fell, they came to a seemingly abandoned village. Outside the village, weeds were overgrown and dilapidated, but some traces of human repairs could be vaguely seen.
Xu Fengzhe signaled the guards to be careful. He and Jiang Ni walked in the front and slowly walked into the village. The village was silent, without lights or sounds, like a ghost village.
Just as Xu Fengzhe was confused, a low shout suddenly came from the darkness: “Who is?”
His voice was old and alert, with a hint of undetectable alertness.
Xu Fengzhe clasped his fists and said loudly: “Xu Fengzhe, Northern Liang, come with friends to visit the remnants of Western Chu.”
After a moment of silence in the darkness, a fire light illuminated a face full of wrinkles but with a torched eyes. The old man held a torch and slowly walked out of dozens of people behind him, all of whom were ragged and haggard, but his eyes were filled with an unyielding look.
“Criminal of Beiliang?” The old man’s voice was hoarse, with a hint of suspicion. “It’s Xu.” Xu Fengzhe responded calmly, “He came here without any malice, he just wanted to meet the elders of the remnants of Western Chu.”
The old man looked at Xu Fengzhe deeply, then looked at Jiang Ni behind him, as if he was identifying something. After a while, he nodded slowly, his tone was slightly slower, “Sui Lao JiCome. “
The old man turned around and led Xu Fengzhe and his party to the depths of the village. The village seemed dilapidated, but in fact it had hidden mystery. He walked through several hidden levels and finally came to an entrance of a cellar.
The entrance of the cellar was extremely hidden, and it would be difficult for ordinary people to discover it if it were not for the old man leading the way. The old man signaled everyone to follow and walked down the first. In the cellar, the fire swayed, illuminating the simple stone walls, and a damp smell filled the air.
After walking about a hundred steps, his eyes suddenly became clear, and a wide underground space appeared in front of him. In the space, dozens of oil lamps were lit. Although the light was dim, it was enough to see the surrounding situation.
Hundreds of Western Chu survivors, men, women, young and old, gathered here. They were dressed in simple clothes and had a dishy face, but their eyes were filled with a glimmer of hope. In the middle of the crowd, an old man with white hair and beard and dressed in plain robe sat upright and looked solemn.
The old man was the elder of the Western Chu survivors.
Xu Fengzhe took a few steps forward and bowed, “Xu Fengzhe, Northern Liang, has seen the elder. “
Jiang Ni followed him forward and nodded slightly to the elder.
The elder’s eyes looked like a torch, looked at Xu Fengzhe and Jiang Ni, and spoke slowly, with a vigorous and powerful voice, “Criminal Beiliang, I don’t know what is the price to do when I arrive in the humble house? “
Xu Fengzhe said bluntly: “Xu is here to come for the remnants of Western Chu. “
The elder frowned slightly, “Come for me to wait?” What does the prince mean? “
“Xu knew that the Western Chu was destroyed and the remnants were displaced, and he felt very sympathetic. Although Beiliang lives in a corner, he still has spare energy. I hope to help you all rebuild your home. “Xu Fengzhe’s tone was sincere.
When the elder heard this, a strange look flashed in his eyes, but he quickly returned to calm. He said in a deep voice: “The prince is kind, I understand it. However, Li Yang is in great power and Bei Liang is too busy to take care of himself. How can we help Western Chu restore our country? “
“The elder misunderstood. Xu did not want to help Western Chu restore the country, but just wanted to do his best to improve the lives of the remaining people so that they could settle down. “Xu Fengzhe explained.
The elder was silent, obviously still suspicious of Xu Fengzhe’s words.
At this time, Jiang Ni took a step forward, and the cold voice echoed in the cellar, “Elder, I am Jiang Ni. “
As soon as this said, the cellar suddenly became an uproar. All the residents looked at Jiang Ni in shock, their eyes full of disbelief.
The elder stood up suddenly, staring at Jiang Ni with a burning look, and his voice trembled, “You… are… Your Highness… Princess? “
Jiang Ni nodded, took out the phoenix jade pendant from his arms and handed it to the elder.
The elder took the jade pendant, his hands trembled, and he looked carefully, and tears were everywhere, “It’s really… it’s His Royal Highness the Princess! Western Chu has a descendant! Western Chu has a descendant! “
The elder knelt on the ground excitedly, and the survivors behind him also knelt down and shouted in unison, “See Your Highness the Princess! “
Jiang Ni’s eyes were moist and he quickly helped the elder up, “Please get up, please get up, everyone.”
