"The daughter of destiny, truly not to be underestimated. It took you several lifetimes to cultivate the good fortune to marry this little girl," the old woman chuckled, her voice filled with admiration.
"But so what?" she then added coldly. "I still won't let you go. It's either you two die today, or I die."
The hatred in her heart was a persistent, unyielding flame.
"Old woman, why must you do this? In terms of seniority, Jun Mohan and I should call you great-aunt. While we don't understand what happened to you back then that made you hate us so much, these matters have nothing to do with us, have they? So why do you want to harm us?"
Leng Ruoli bandaged Liang Bo's arm while speaking to the old woman, stalling for time.
"Hahaha... Since you want to die understanding why, I will patiently tell you what happened to me back then."
The old woman threw her head back and let out a sharp, piercing laugh, a sound so unnatural it was chilling.
"That Spirit Master did save my life by the river, but from that moment on, my suffering truly began. It would have been better if I had just drowned in the river back then," the old woman said with a bitter smile, her eyes red-rimmed.
"Why do you say that?" Leng Ruoli asked casually. By then, she had finished bandaging Liang Bo's arm, tidied her medical supplies into her sleeve, administered a painkiller, and helped him lean against a rock to rest.
"You little girl are too clever, trying to stall me with your words. However, I don't have many days left to live, so I'll satisfy your curiosity and let you die with clarity." The old woman had long guessed Leng Ruoli's intention.
"After that Spirit Master rescued me, she kept me in this cave and raised me. During the day, she wouldn't let me play outside, but at night, she would use my blood to feed venomous insects and these vines. During those times, I often fainted from excessive blood loss. Afterward, the Spirit Master would revive me with tonics, let me rest for a few days, and then she would draw my blood again..."
"When I was eight, one day, the Spirit Master went on a long trip. I secretly sneaked out to the village beyond the forest. Unknowingly, I saw a little girl outside a house who looked exactly like me. That little girl was having dinner with her parents, and the family was chatting and laughing happily. I was filled with envy."
"When the Spirit Master returned, I told her about it. She didn't hide anything and told me everything about how my parents had abandoned me. The moment I learned the truth, I filled with hatred for my own parents, and the Spirit Master's torment of me became even more severe..."
"Finally, one day, I couldn't bear it anymore and ran out to find my birth parents. When they saw me, they froze for a moment, and after a long pause, they pulled me into a room and asked me many questions. Yet, not a single one of their words conveyed any intention to keep me..."
"Later, my existence was discovered by Old Man Yang from the neighboring house. He demanded that my parents send me to the village entrance for a sacrifice. My parents disagreed... Afterwards, I was drugged and passed out, only to be carried to the sacrificial altar and burned. When I woke up again, I was back in the Spirit Master's cave. But from then on, I could never leave. The Spirit Master locked me in a small iron cage and kept me there until I was twenty."
The old woman spoke to everyone, her story taking about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to recount the events of the past.
By then, the Cold King's consort and husband had a rough understanding of the old woman's past, and Liang Bo was lost in thought after hearing her words.
"Actually, in the events of that year, although your parents were the ones who abandoned you, the worst was that Spirit Master, because she deceived your father back then, causing him to abandon you." Leng Ruoli had identified the root of the tragedy after hearing her story.
"How could I not know that? That's why when I became powerful, that Spirit Master met a gruesome end. But I also hated my parents even more for abandoning me." The old woman's eyes were filled with coldness as she spoke.
"Did you later learn how your parents died? They substituted themselves for you to be sacrificed alive so you could live, and your twin sister was fostered in the clan leader's home as a child bride. Do you know any of this?" Liang Bo, who had been resting on the stone, suddenly spoke.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible! They didn't even acknowledge me, how could they have substituted themselves for me to be sacrificed alive?" The old woman's face showed a pained expression upon hearing Liang Bo's words.
"This matter was very sensitive within the Purple Eyed tribe back then, and everyone was reluctant to mention it. When I was young, I only heard fragmented pieces from my grandfather. But I never knew that the clan leader's wife's parents, who substituted someone for the sacrifice, were their own youngest daughter." Liang Bo sighed after finishing.
"You surnamed Liang, is what you said true?" The old woman looked at Liang Bo, her face filled with shock.
"Heh! If I were to lie to you, may lightning strike me. If you don't believe me, you can ask Ju Jianxing. Although he is a generation younger than us, he was once a descendant of the mountain guardians, and he must have heard about the village's sacrifice." Liang Bo said lightly.
However, seeing where Ju Jianxing had been hiding, there was no trace of him anymore. This Ju Jianxing had long since fled while they weren't paying attention.
But the old woman no longer needed someone to confirm the past events; she believed Liang Bo's words.
"Heh heh, I, this old woman, was truly foolish. Back then, my twin sister tried to explain this matter to me, but I refused to believe her words."
"Later, out of jealousy that she could be with the person she loved, I used her daughter's involvement with Prince Rui to set a trap. Then, I also used Ju Jianxing, who had been driven down the mountain, to secretly cooperate with Prince Rui's mortal enemy, and led those people to Purple Eyed Village, which caused..."
As the old woman spoke, two tears of sorrow trickled down her cheeks.
The Cold King's consort and husband suppressed the urge to strike the old woman dead with a single sword, listening to her words.
"You old hag, you truly deserve to die!"
"Back then, there were hundreds of people in Purple Eyed Village, but because of your misunderstanding, you invited wolves into the fold and killed everyone in the Purple Eyed tribe. Why don't you just die?" Liang Bo, enduring the pain in his arm, struggled to stand up from the ground and glared at the old woman, shouting.
Hearing this, the old woman closed her eyes. Instead of getting angry, she said calmly, "You all should leave. Only Ju Jianxing knows who the murderers were who massacred the villagers of Purple Eyed Village. After you leave, remember to catch that cunning and treacherous fellow and force him to reveal the murderer." The old woman instructed them.
After speaking, she turned and left from behind the stone cave, disappearing to an unknown location.