Unyielding Bone of Dust

The two young ladies led him away from the small path he had taken before, heading towards the back of the forest.

The owls hooted intermittantly throughout the night, casting a haunting presence that caused him to shiver involuntarily.

Occasionally, tree branches brushed against his shoulders, startling him, and he thought something unclean had slapped him. In any case, he was exceedingly cautious along the way.

However, by stark contrast, the two young women seemed completely at ease, showing not the slightest hint of fear.

Could it be they had grown accustomed to it over time? But he had scrutinized their attire—every piece was impeccably new. Even if they had run away to escape marriage, it looked as if they had been gone no more than two days.

If they had been gone for many days, the delicate fabric of their garments would have showed some wear and tear amidst the constant travel through the wild woods. Or, if they had been out even longer, they at least should have exchanged their formal attire for something more modest that wouldn't attract attention and allow them to better evade capture. But they had not.

Their fearlessness, even their lack of any apparent fear, made him—the big man—seem like a frightened mouse, skittish at every turn. Walking through graveyards in the dead of night, especially after having just been trailed by an evil spirit—shouldn't they be afraid?

How could they remain so composed? It was, after all, this young lady who reminded him of the anomaly regarding the absence of shadows.

Lin Suqing was full of doubts, yet found no way to verify them. Just then, one of the young ladies suddenly turned and inquired.

"In my negligence, I failed to ask for your esteemed surname and given name?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Suqing hesitated, his mind racing. The Crown Prince had taught him that one should not disclose their name lightly, for someone could inflict harm upon a person by using their full name and date of birth.

He didn't know whether the young lady was asking deliberately or if it was merely a matter of polite conversation. He hoped he was just being overly sensitive.

"My humble surname is Lin, and my given name is Suqing."

During his time on Danxue Mountain, his name had been sealed and protected by the Crown Prince himself, so he wasn't afraid to reveal it. However, to be fair, he now needed to inquire about the young lady's name as well.

"Excuse my boldness, but may I ask how to address you, miss?"

Since he had given a direct answer using his full name, it would be proper etiquette for the young lady to reciprocate with her full name now that he had posed the question.

The young lady blushed slightly, covering her lips with a handkerchief, and said with shyness, "You may call me Afu."

Lin Suqing's heart suddenly sank. Such a polite young lady now seemed to deliberately misunderstand his implication, sidestepping the mention of her surname by only offering a term of endearment.

He immediately grew suspicious again—was her refusal to give her name intentional, or was it an oversight?

Afu suddenly stopped, raised her eyes to glance at him, and then lowered her gaze to softly repeat, "Lin Suqing..."

He was taken aback, wondering what she intended, but then he saw Afu shyly smile and say, "Such a pleasant yet hard-to-remember name..."

That last remark... He wondered if he was just being overly paranoid, but he couldn't help feeling that Afu seemed to be purposefully memorizing his name.

...

As they conversed idly, a shabby little thatched hut appeared in front of them.

It was an isolated hut that carried an odd air about it, but he couldn't specify the strangeness, perhaps because of the geographical environment?

He had passed many similar huts along the way, except that those were simple straw shelters located within the fields for the convenience of those needing rest during the night. The other huts were invariably close to the ridges of the fields.

Normal huts usually backed against a rock or, if rocks weren't available, they would be situated against a raised ridge; the rear of the huts always had support of some kind, never leaving the backs empty.

Moreover, at least three sides of these huts would be surrounded by cultivated fields, the closer the better for easy farming and a broad view.

The hut where Afu and Xiaohong lived, however, was unlike any other. It was concealed deep within thick grassy forests, only to be discovered after passing through a stretch of trees.

Beyond that, their hut stood abruptly in the midst of barren land. Not backed by rocks or ridges, it was entirely exposed on all sides, with no cultivated land in front—just a desolate expanse of earthen flatland.

What was most illogical was the presence of a large tree planted deliberately in front of the right side of the hut, which seemed out of place amidst the barren surroundings. Its presence blocked the moonlight, which would otherwise not have rendered the hut so dimly lit.

Closer inspection revealed what looked from a distance to be one hut was actually two.

There was a relatively larger hut with a smaller one right beside it; large and small side by side. Judging from the layout, the larger hut seemed to be the main house. The smaller hut had piles of firewood in front of its door and was adorned with strings of peppers and corn, suggesting it was used as a kitchen or woodshed.

Afu stepped forward to unlock the door of the larger hut, swinging it open and gesturing for Lin Suqing to enter, "Please come in, sir."

The main house wasn't really large either. The door was unduly low, forcing him to stoop to enter.

Inside, there was only a bed against the wall in the farthest corner, which could hardly be called a bed—it was merely made from piled palm fronds and straw, topped with a thin blanket.

There was a gap between the foot of the bed and the wall, where a simple dressing table cobbled together from firewood and planks stood. There was no chair, so it seemed the young ladies would sit on the edge of the bed when dressing.

In the middle of the room, there was a small, rough square table with two long benches tucked under it—one inside and one outside.

Lin Suqing just stood at the doorway and already felt the interior was exceedingly cramped, pitying the two young ladies for living in such conditions.

There was barely enough room for two people to move around in the main house; if this tall man entered, there would hardly be any space left to turn around.

As he pondered this, he decided he might as well make do with the small house for the night. He was just about to turn around and leave when he bumped into Afu and Xiaohong, who were coming in one after the other.

"We brewed some wine with wild fruits a few days ago. If the young master does not mind, you can have a few drinks to dispel the dampness of the night and to sleep more peacefully."

He had stepped further into the room earlier, and now the two girls were standing right at the entrance. If he wanted to leave, he would have to get past them.

Afu somehow had a jar of wine in her hands, and Xiaohong was carrying something too; it was a wooden tray with three stacks of cold dishes.

Afu, with a smile as lovely as blooming flowers, came in and brushed past him. With a fragrance emanating from her, she softly invited, "Please take a seat, young master."

She gently placed the jar of wine on the narrow square table, turned around, slightly lifted her face, and gazed at Lin Suqing.

This... was an invitation too gracious to decline. He simply couldn't bear to refuse and found himself nodding in agreement unconsciously.

Afu stood in front of the stool on the outside, and Lin Suqing had no choice but to move further in, sitting in the inner seat, with the bed that resembled a stack of hay behind him.

As Xiaohong gently placed the three stacks of cold dishes down, Afu opened the cloth seal of the jar and poured a bowl of wine.

The wine bowl was very rustic, known in his original world as a 'shang', an oval-shaped, shallow bowl with a flat bottom. What made it distinctive were the crescent-shaped ears on both sides, which is why it was also known as an 'ear cup'. However, this kind of wine bowl only lasted until the Han and Jin dynasties and was no longer used afterward, making it very rare to see in later periods.

To his surprise, this world also had such wine bowls.

"Young master, come, try the wine we sisters brewed ourselves."

Afu sat opposite him, and as she spoke, she handed the wine bowl to him. If he didn't take it, it would really be a slight to the girls' kindness.

"Thank you, Miss Afu." He accepted politely, noting the smoothness of the bowl, which seemed to be frequently used.

Lin Suqing took a sip and couldn't taste much alcohol, only the sweet essence of fruits, so he took another, but still, the taste of alcohol eluded him.

Afu refilled his bowl, smiling radiantly, "Our wine-brewing skills aren't very good, and for some reason, we just can't get it right. Please do not laugh at us, young master."

"Not at all, not at all, it's quite delicious, sweet." Lin Suqing found the taste very similar to fruity beer, but without the harshness of alcohol, nearly indistinguishable from fruit juice.

"Since the young master likes it, Xiaohong will go get some more." As Xiaohong spoke, she put down her chopsticks and left the room, soon returning with two large jars of wine.

As she set them down, she turned to Lin Suqing and said, "Although the wine tastes sweet and not very alcoholic, it's actually quite intoxicating. Miss often gets drunk on it inadvertently."

Afu was embarrassed by her remark, protesting, "Nonsense," and then quickly apologized to Lin Suqing, "It's actually that I have a low tolerance for alcohol; the wine is not to blame."

As she spoke, she filled Lin Suqing's bowl again.

A simple house, a rudimentary square wooden table, three cold dishes, a jar of wine, and three people—two women and one man—sharing the room.

Honestly, he felt a bit awkward. After all, in over twenty years, he had never had such a unique experience.

Perhaps it was because the house was too cramped, or maybe because the dim and flickering candlelight was too yellow, the atmosphere seemed somewhat intimate, involuntarily causing one's cheeks to flush and heart to race.

Lin Suqing felt somewhat uncomfortable, so he just focused on eating the cold dishes. The food was very ordinary: a stack of chilled peanuts, a stack of diced green onion mixed with tofu, and a stack of what seemed to be wild roots, which he couldn't quite identify.

The wine was pleasantly sweet and refreshing, which made him want to drink more. Afu was very gentle and considerate, constantly refilling his bowl, speaking in a soft and tender voice, while Xiaohong's conversation was straightforward and assertive, quite the opposite of Afu's personality.

He whimsically thought that if someone married both these girls, life must be very interesting and certainly fulfilling.

...

The two sisters urged him to eat and drink, playing finger-guessing games and giving commands to keep him entertained, showing true hospitality.

In the midst of the jovial banter and exchanging of cups, they unwittingly drank through several large jars.

Lin Suqing's concerns about them gradually dissipated, reasoning that if they had meant him any harm, they would have acted by now and not treated him so hospitably.

However, just as this thought crossed his mind, he suddenly felt a bit dizzy, realizing that he appeared to be slightly intoxicated. Not only was his head spinning, but his eyes were also starting to feel heavy.

It turned out that even though the fruit wine lacked a strong alcoholic taste, it still carried a punch, and it was a slow creeper. He immediately reined himself in, aware that he should not drink anymore. Getting drunk could be troublesome, but here it could easily be fatal.

"Ladies, I must decline any further; my tolerance isn't great, and I feel a bit drunk." He attempted to get up but staggered and sat back down. He laughed awkwardly before using the table to help himself stand.

"I must continue my journey at dawn, so I'll drink no more. Thank you both for your hospitality."

He steadied himself on the corner of the table, ready to leave, but stumbled again, falling onto Afu, who was just about to stand up. The scent of rouge and powder was intoxicating, adding to his drunkenness.

He quickly got up, incessantly apologizing, "It was not intentional, please forgive me, Miss."

Afu helped him to his feet, smiling amiably, "If the young master is tired, you can rest in this room; it's no trouble at all."