Ju Jianxing stared for a long time before he could discern the appearance of the person standing in the dimness.
In fact, for more than a decade, he had been a errand runner for the person in the cave, yet he had never seen his master's true face.
Only today, upon seeing the person before him, did he realize that the one who had been commanding him was actually an old woman, and an old woman he knew all too well – she was the matriarch of the Purple-Eyed clan.
This discovery shocked him immensely.
"Matriarch, how could it be you?" Ju Jianxing asked, his face filled with confusion.
The old woman before him was clad in a flowing robe of red, yellow, and white. She leaned on a snake-shaped crutch inlaid with a blood-red bead. Her hair was styled in a round bun, with colorful feathers tucked into each side. Her entire head was adorned with numerous small braids tied with red ribbons. Her attire and adornments made her look like a shaman from an outdoor ritual.
Her purple eyes, however, gleamed with ferocity. Her face was deeply lined with wrinkles, and a sinister aura emanated from her entire being.
It was this aura that made her appear nothing like the kind-faced, amiable Purple-Eyed matriarch of days gone by.
"Who I am is not important, and you needn't be so shocked."
The old woman paid no mind to Ju Jianxing's thoughts upon seeing her.
However, Jun Mohan and Uncle Liang, who were feigning unconsciousness in the carriage, almost broke character upon hearing Ju Jianxing's words.
Fortunately, Leng Ruoli tugged at their clothes, allowing Jun Mohan and Uncle Liang to suppress their impulses and continue their pretense of unconsciousness.
"Matriarch, weren't you killed by, by those people back then?"
Ju Jianxing asked, his curiosity piqued. For when he had led those people into the Purple-Eyed village, he had personally witnessed the clan chief and his wife being murdered by them. Their daughter, Zi Yiyun, had committed suicide after their deaths.
However, whenever he met this master of his, she always wore a black veil, obscuring her true face. But the old woman before him bore such a strong resemblance to the former Purple-Eyed matriarch.
Could this be the Purple-Eyed matriarch's twin sister? That seemed unlikely.
Ju Jianxing's ancestors had all been gatekeepers of the Purple-Eyed clan. While he couldn't claim to know everything about the Purple-Eyed village, he had frequent contact with its inhabitants in the past.
He had even sneaked into the Purple-Eyed village to catch a glimpse of the young women bathing. Yet, he had never heard of the Purple-Eyed matriarch having a sister.
Hearing his words, the old woman's eyes flashed with a cold light, and she glared at him.
"If you don't want to meet a terrible end, do not ask about things that do not concern you."
Upon receiving her icy glare, Ju Jianxing shivered uncontrollably.
The old woman, however, did not continue to look at him. Leaning on her crutch, she walked towards the carriage and gazed at the three apparently unconscious individuals within, sneering, "This handsome young man must be Zi Yiyun's son with that man from outside?"
"Yes, Master! The woman next to him is his wife," Ju Jianxing replied truthfully.
"Hmph! I didn't expect Zi Yiyun's son to be so fortunate as to marry a peerlessly beautiful woman destined for greatness. However, now that they have fallen into my hands, they won't be so lucky as to leave here alive," the old woman said with a darkened expression.
Her words caused Ju Jianxing, who stood behind her, to tremble once more.
At this moment, the old woman had no desire to engage with Ju Jianxing. She suddenly extended a skeletal hand, attempting to caress Jun Mohan's face. But before her hand could reach him, Jun Mohan's eyes snapped open. He grabbed the old woman's hand and sat up. Leng Ruoli and Uncle Liang also opened their eyes and jumped down from the carriage.
The old woman and Ju Jianxing were both astonished by the sudden awakening of the three.
What was happening? Hadn't these three been affected by the mesmerising powder? How could they have woken up so quickly?
This time, the old woman and Ju Jianxing's questions aligned perfectly.
"You are not my maternal grandmother. Who exactly are you?"
Jun Mohan looked at the face before him, which bore an uncanny resemblance to his maternal grandmother, with a blank expression. Her deep purple eyes were as icy and piercing as frosted glass, with a hint of disappointment that was difficult to detect.
When Jun Mohan had first heard Ju Jianxing's words, he had so desperately hoped his maternal grandmother was still alive. But after listening to the conversation between Ju Jianxing and the old woman, he was certain that this fierce-eyed, sullen old woman was nothing like his kind and amiable maternal grandmother.
"Hahaha…"
Upon hearing Jun Mohan's words, the old woman burst into laughter.
Then, the old woman suddenly raised her crutch and lightly pressed a hidden mechanism. Three fine needles were swiftly launched.
Fortunately, Jun Mohan reacted quickly, releasing the old woman's hand immediately. With a swift movement, he successfully dodged the three needles. The needles then struck a vine on the cave wall in unison, causing the vine to wither and die at a visible rate.
Anyone with a timid heart would have been terrified by this sight.
"You brat, how can you not even recognize your own grandmother? I pampered you for nothing back then." The old woman spoke to Jun Mohan in a taunting tone.
"You are not my maternal grandmother. My maternal grandmother was not as wicked and ruthless as you. Do not insult my intelligence."
Jun Mohan stated with conviction to the old woman before him.
"Hahaha…"
"You're quite clever, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am indeed not your maternal grandmother, but I am your maternal grandmother's twin sister."
The old woman's wrinkled face looked even more sinister and terrifying than a skull as she guffawed.
"Impossible, the matriarch of the Purple-Eyed clan was an only child. She had no other siblings." Uncle Liang retorted, frowning.
"Hmph! Liang, you are merely a gatekeeper of the Purple-Eyed clan. It's not surprising that you wouldn't know about this matter," the old woman said, looking at Uncle Liang.
"This is impossible. I've guarded the village entrance for decades and have never heard of you," Uncle Liang said, his face etched with doubt.
"Heh! That's because I was abandoned by my parents shortly after birth!"
The old woman sneered.
"Liang, you should be aware of the legend within the Purple-Eyed clan. It is said that if anyone in the clan gives birth to twins, it will bring disaster upon the clan. When my father learned that my mother was carrying twins, he had the village shaman perform a divination."
"The shaman told my father that the younger of the twins would be the bane of the village in the future. Therefore, for the sake of the entire Purple-Eyed clan, after my mother gave birth to us sisters, my father, despite my mother's objections, intended to drown me in the river."
"As fate would have it, I survived. After my father left, the shaman who followed him behind rescued me. Afterward, he raised me in this sunless stone cave, and I was only allowed to sneak out to play at night."
The old woman recounted her past with a sorrowful expression.