Elevator Dimension Line

Hoshimi Miyabi sized up the woman. She had a neat ponytail, wheat-colored skin, a well-proportioned figure, and firm muscles, which showed that she exercised regularly.

The woman was wearing shorts and a short jacket tucked into her waistband. Her outfit was very simple and didn't look like what a girl should wear; she looked more like a mischievous boy.

However, beneath this simple, even crude, attire lies a stunningly beautiful figure.

Meanwhile, Hu Yi stared at Xing Jianya with curious eyes. In her opinion, the other party must be the young lady of a wealthy family. Not to mention her perfect appearance, her clothes were obviously very expensive, something that poor people couldn't afford.

“You say you’re a traveler, you’re lying!” Hu Yi suddenly said.

Hoshimi Miyabi was taken aback, unsure of what the other person meant, but their words were quite direct.

“I can tell you’re not like that at first glance. You must be a young lady from some wealthy family. If you were a traveler, how could you be without any luggage and no one to accompany you? You don’t look like you’ve been traveling at all. Am I right?” Hu Yi winked and smiled.

"If I'm not a traveler, then what do you think I am?" Hoshimi Miyabi asked with a smile.

"It's simple. I already said you must be a young lady from some wealthy family. By the way, your name is Hoshimi Miyabi, so you must be the young lady of the Hoshimi family. Although I've never heard of the name Hoshimi before... Maybe you're from a prominent family in Shikoku or even Kyoto!"

At this moment, the old woman who had finished making the bed came over, knelt down to the side, and looked at Hoshimi Miyabi with a smile, saying, "Old woman, I have heard of the surname Hoshimi before!"

"Oh! Grandma, you know?" Hu Yi asked in surprise.

The old woman nodded and said softly, "That was a long time ago. The Sixth Demon King of Owari Province had a family among his generals named Hoshimi!"

"The Sixth Demon King, I've heard my brother mention him, is Oda Nobunaga, then his generals should be..." Hu Yi asked doubtfully, but didn't finish his sentence and instead looked at Hoshimi Miyabi.

The old woman also looked at Hoshimi Masashi and said, "Although the Demon King's old subordinates have scattered, there should be many left. I just don't know if Miss Masashi is a member of the Hoshimi family."

Hoshimi Miyabi shook her head. Her surname was already quite rare, and she never expected to find someone with the same surname in this world.

"I have no connection with the Hoshimi family. We are just a small family in a remote area. We came out this time to see the outside world and learn more about it."

"I see!" The old woman nodded, then sighed and said, "But it's still a bit dangerous to run around like this. Things aren't safe outside right now!"

"Grandma, can you tell me about things here..." Hoshimi Miyabi asked, seizing the opportunity.

"You can talk about it, but I don't know much about this old woman. At my age, I don't have much to worry about. Isn't that how life goes?"

Then the old woman began to ramble on about what she knew, from the fields to the town of Sunpu, from some unforgettable experiences from her youth to the turmoil of the world today... It seemed to be a jumbled mess, but Hoshimi Miyabi still managed to get a general understanding of the world from these snippets of conversation.

Finally, considering the current situation, the reason for the social unrest is that Tokugawa Ieyasu is getting old, and the question of who will succeed him falls on his two sons, which is the struggle for the position of heir apparent.

Given the current state of the country, with Tokugawa Ieyasu holding absolute power, the imperial authority has been weakened. As ministers and military commanders have chosen sides, the society has become quite chaotic, with everyone busy choosing sides and no one paying attention to development.

This has led to rampant banditry in the countryside and numerous factions in the cities. It is estimated that things will only improve once the struggle for the crown prince position comes to a complete end.

Hoshimi Miya didn't interrupt the old woman and listened quietly. Hu Yi, who was standing next to her, was also listening intently. Although she often came here, she rarely saw the old woman so talkative today. Perhaps it was because there was another person with her that the old woman had the mood to express herself, which is why she kept talking until very late.

That night, the old woman laid a thin layer of grass in the corner of the wall for herself, leaving the thicker grass for the two of them. However, Hoshimi Miyabi, under the pretext of meditation, still did not have water. Instead, she sat in meditation in front of the table where the oil lamp had been blown out.

Hu Yi watched with great interest in the darkness for a while before unceremoniously falling asleep on the straw mat. He even snored for a while in the middle of the night, and his sleeping posture was hardly flattering.

As the sky began to lighten and the first rooster crowed, the old woman got up on time.

Although the noise was very soft, it still startled Hoshimi Miyabi, who also got up.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you. I feel really bad for not letting you get enough rest."

"Don't mention it. Having a cozy room is much better than me sleeping in the open for a night!" Hoshimi Miyabi said with a smile.

Turning to look at the straw mat, Hu Yi was still fast asleep, seemingly showing no signs of waking up.

Hoshimi Miyabi shook her head and smiled, then followed the old woman out of the house.

The forest was still a bit chilly in the early morning, and a thin layer of mist floated over the distant fields. As the sun rose and the sky brightened, the mist slowly dissipated.

This time of year should be the transition from summer to autumn. In addition to the crops on the dry land, the rice in the distant paddy fields is lush and full, with the ears of rice bowing low. It is clear that the harvest time will come soon.

Just then, an old man climbed out of a wooden house not far away. He stretched and yawned, but when he saw Hoshimi Miyabi, he was obviously stunned for a moment. Then he nodded politely, picked up his farm tools, and walked towards the distant fields.

"Don't worry about him. That old man has a strange personality and doesn't like strangers, but don't worry about him. He just doesn't know how to communicate with people. I've been his neighbor for so many years and we've hardly ever spoken a word to each other. But he's not a bad person; he's a good person."

The old woman was busy with her own things, tidying up the chicken coop one moment and drawing water from the stone trough the next... Clearly, this was the start of her day's work.

Just then, a commotion came from the house behind them. The girl from last night, Hu Yi, emerged from the house.

The reason I say "teenager" is because after learning about Hu Yi last night, Hoshimi Miya learned that she was only 17 years old, but she looked quite mature.

Perhaps this is because my old friend matured early!

Hu Yi stood in front of the house and stretched lazily, then did a few stretching exercises, clearly showing that he had a foundation in martial arts.

Last night, Hu Yi waved and smiled at Xing Jianya before calling out to the old woman, "Grandma, I'll go and hunt some game for you!"