Xiao Ara peeked through the window, after seeing the old lady and the people walking away, a sigh of relief escaped her lips. Her body slumped to the floor which turned out to be just dirt.
"Apart from being indifferent, that woman doesn't have the slightest concern," Ara muttered under her breath.
If it had been someone else, perhaps she had already given her a lot of questions and had chased her away before leaving her hut.
How could she leave his hut feeling calm with a stranger in it?
Hah… this granny is something.
Sitting on the ground while wiping the sweat off her forehead and unconsciously, the girl fell asleep in her position. Maybe because she had been walking for half a day.
The sky to the west was starting to turn orange, a light breeze was blowing, squeezing its way into the hut through the door and the cracks in the walls. And managed to give a cold sensation to Ara's neck.
Sleeping a few hours, the girl was startled and opened her eyes immediately. Seeing her surroundings, she immediately got up with a panicked face, but it only lasted a few minutes as the last memory before she fell asleep was etched in her head.
Xiao Ara stretched her body muscles, and stepped out of the hut, the atmosphere outside was not as bright as before. The view of the sky already indicated that it was now the end of the day.
Ara cleared her throat softly, her throat dry. She had to hurry to find water to quench her thirst before it got dark. Thinking that she would have to walk to the river again, she let out a shaky breath.
Seeing a small field filled with lush plants, Ara decided to walk around the hut. Looking for remnants of water that the grandmother might use to water her plants.
Her smile widened, and her eyes lit up as a small well entered her view. The well is in the middle of the field. Immediately Ara approached her with pleasure.
"Grandma, I'm sorry. I took some water from your well," said Xiao Ara as she lifted a bucket full of water from the well. The water was so clear and cold, that there wasn't any dirt to be seen.
'It's just water after all,' she thought and took one big gulp. A cold and refreshing sensation immediately flowed through her entire body.
After her thirst was quenched, Xiao Ara washed some parts of her body that felt sticky.
"Shhh…" Xiao Ara winced in pain. It was only then that she realized that her back had also suffered a whip wound. Even some parts of the clothes she was wearing were torn at the back, exposing her skin.
The girl paused for a moment, how could she walk this far with such wounds and clothes? Maybe because all the things that happen around her distract her and don't care about her situation.
Until it got dark, Xiao Ara left the well. Her stomach suddenly growled, she felt hungry.
Holding her stomach, Xiao Ara cast her gaze at the sweet potato plant not far from her, and the next second she shook her head hard.
"I think I was just thinking about being a thief again," Ara whispered, then left the field. She tried to hold back her hunger and fight her urge to take the grandmother's plant again.
Looking up at the sky, "Maybe there's still time," she mumbled and then entered the hut, intending to find something she could use to hunt rabbits or similar animals that could fill her stomach.
But unfortunately, she did not find anything there. There were no knives or other sharp objects in the hut. She was also very tired, seeing the pile of firewood that was still scattered in front of the hut, Xiao Ara approached.
"Grandma, I helped you arrange this firewood, but in return give me some sweet potatoes in your field," Ara muttered as she arranged the firewood. She looked a little excited at the thought that she had something to exchange for the sweet potato. It was as if everything she said had been approved by that grandmother.
"After all, who told you to leave me without kicking me out of here?" she muttered continuously.
The sun had dimmed. Ara went into the field and then sorted out the plants she was going to pick at random, then tidied them up again as if nothing had happened before.
Taking a few pieces of firewood that had been arranged, Ara made a bonfire in front of the hut. Yes for this thing, tomorrow she will wake up early and look for firewood to replace the firewood she has used.
Tonight, Ara decided to stay in the old hut. At least it would be safer there than anywhere else.
Sitting in front of a bonfire that was burning brightly, Ara burned the sweet potato she had taken. Shadows of fire blazed in her pupils. In just an instant, the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes tickled her senses.
At another place.
When Yue Ahn and Feng Ming didn't find Xiao Ara's whereabouts, they decided to return to camp by the river.
The atmosphere in the camp looks a little quiet. Some soldiers were seen collecting corpses and piling them together and then burning them.
"Young master…" the soldier immediately approached and bowed respectfully when he look Yue Ahn and Feng Ming.
"Where are the others?" Yue Ahn asked as he looked around the camp area.
"Yesterday, His Majesty and the other Young Master headed to a village in the south, close to the Lord's border," answered one of the soldiers.
Feng Ming and Yue Ahn glanced at each other.
"Young Master Xue Yen only left a while ago, Master. Maybe he's not too far from here, "said the soldier again.
"Xue Yen?"
"That's right, Young Master. He brought a rioter with him."
"Huh?"
"One of the rioters who attacked the camp last night was found alive, sir. And Young Master Xue Yen took him with him, following His Majesty and the others," the soldier explained again.
Yue Ahn and Feng Ming glanced at each other again, both nodding in unison.
***
Village Chief's House.
The night is getting darker, and the air that blows feels colder as time goes by. In a village in the middle of a forest, the air temperature at night is cooler than in other places.
Grandma Chiyo had already taken care of the village chief's guests. The old woman didn't say much until she said goodbye to go home and would come back tomorrow to check on the condition of the two men.
Even though Grandma Chiyo was curious about the men, the old woman didn't ask anything about them. Looking at the soldiers guarding the village chief's house and the way the village chief treated them, already gave her a pretty clear picture that the men were not ordinary people as depicted in the clothes they wore.
On the way home, the atmosphere around was very quiet. Some of the torches and lanterns that illuminate the house appear to have been extinguished, indicating that the owner is asleep.
Walking alone in the middle of the night, Grandma Chiyo's steps didn't slow down in the slightest. As the only healer in the village. This kind of thing was normal for her.