Unyielding Bone of Dust

Lin Suqing was still somewhat fearful, after all, the previous few times were real brushes with death, narrowly escaping the grip of the grim reaper.

It's not that I'm afraid something will happen, but what if it does...

"If I haven't returned after a long while, you must come to look for me..."

The Puppy was annoyed by his mothering tone and hurried him along, "Alright, alright, I know, just go, the faster you go, the quicker you'll be back!"

Left with no choice, Lin Suqing hesitantly made his way into the forest, growing more fearful with each step, constantly looking back after every few steps.

Thinking about whether the Mortal Realm was like the ancient world he originally came from? If it was, then there really was nothing to fear.

He had resisted creatures as formidable as the Ironclads, so even if a fierce tiger suddenly appeared now, he guessed he could mimic Wu Song and kill a mother tiger with hanging eyes and a white forehead.

But... what if he encountered bandits or marauders?

Well... that's nothing either, no matter how fierce the bandits or marauders are, they are mortals after all, and he had survived encounters with monsters, so mortals should definitely be easier to deal with than monsters.

Thus, he did not cower and mustered his courage to continue forward. As he walked, he picked wild fruits from the treetops, lost in wild thoughts, occasionally glancing at the two shadows by the distant lakeside, the Crown Prince and Puppy.

In a moment of distraction, he suddenly tripped over something, causing him to stagger. Barely stabilizing himself, he turned around and saw that what had tripped him was a broken crossbow.

Strange, why would there be a crossbow here?

He looked around, trying to find an answer, and caught sight of the top end of an arrow quiver sticking out from the bushes not far ahead.

A crossbow, an arrow quiver... could there really be bandits? But why would bandits abandon their bows and arrows, they would want them close at hand when needed.

While he was surprised, he suddenly detected some movement in the bushes nearby and, trembling with fear, prepared to run. But as he was about to turn around, he saw a man covered in blood crawling out from the pile of bushes.

Human? Monster? Ghost? Zombie?

Lin Suqing immediately squatted down, using the weeds and shrubs as cover, and continuously speculated in his mind.

He watched as the man slowly got up, face covered in blood, features indiscernible.

Lin Suqing tiptoed aside, hiding behind a towering tree's underbrush, concealing himself even more thoroughly, to stealthily observe from a distance.

The man held his forehead, shaking his head vigorously as if trying to clear his own consciousness.

"How did I end up here?"

After looking around, the bloody man muttered to himself, "Where in the world is this?"

The moment he looked up, he caught sight of Lin Suqing behind the shrubs, and reaching out, he asked, "Excuse me, where am I?" No sooner than the words fell, he fainted.

Lin Suqing was taken aback, how had he been seen? After some thought, he realized that it was the silver crown and jade hairpin on his head that had given him away, and he couldn't help but feel annoyed, "Ah! I was so focused on hiding that I neglected the crown on my head."

Thinking back on the man's few murmured words... why did they sound so familiar?

Could it be... could it be that he, too, had accidentally transmigrated here? It seemed very likely upon thinking about it!

The man had no idea how he came here or to what place he came – he must truly be a transmigrant!

Ah! A sense of shared fate spontaneously welled up in his heart.

Lin Suqing quickly gathered the fruits into his robe, tying the hem to his belt, creating a makeshift pouch for carrying the wild fruits.

He ran over in big strides, the pouch thumping against his thigh with every step, but he paid it no mind. He circled the man, looking him over again and again, thought over it, and then with resolve, decided to save him.

So he bent down and propped up the man. The man had a slender build and was not heavy, although covered with blood, which made Lin Suqing feel a bit uneasy.

...

Lin Suqing helped the unconscious man toward the lakeside where they had rested, calling out from a distance, "Your Highness, Your Highness!"

The dog was the first to hear it and came running over. It was surprised beyond measure.

"I told you to pick some wild fruits, how did you end up bringing back a mortal?"

It sniffed the man with a look of disgust and leapt away, grumbling, "Bloody hell, it stinks to death."

Lin Suqing didn't bother arguing with the dog and hurriedly explained to the Second Prince.

"My lord, I just saw him in that forest over there. I heard him muttering a few words; he seems just as unaware of how he ended up here as I am. I wonder if he might have had an encounter similar to mine. My lord, take a look, can this man still be saved?"

He babbled on and on, but before he could finish, the Second Prince pointed with his folding fan toward the lake, and the man immediately flew off Lin Suqing's shoulder, plunging into the lake with a splash.

"My lord..." Lin Suqing was too late to stop him and thought the Second Prince was acting out of disgust as well.

However, before he could speak, he heard the Second Prince say indifferently, "Go fish him out."

The dog pouted, diving reluctantly into the water. In a moment, it surfaced, dragging the man by his hair, and pulled him to the shore in this manner.

Who saves a person like that! If the man isn't pulled out before his hair is, it would all come off first.

Lin Suqing quickly waded into the water to help, supporting the man back to shore.

He laid the man out flat on the pebbly beach; apart from the bloodstained clothing, the man's skin had been cleaned by the lake water. Seeing his pale complexion devoid of any color, his injuries seemed quite severe.

The man had delicate eyebrows and thin lips, an air of a scholar about him, and was dressed in fine silken clothes, appearing to be some refined young master of a household.

After a brief exposure to the sun, the Second Prince suddenly spoke, his voice still unhurried, saying, "Lin Suqing."

"Ah, I'm here!" Never having expected that the Second Prince would suddenly call his name, Lin Suqing was filled with trepidation, quickly cupping his fists in response, and for a moment, he even thought of immediately kneeling before him.

The Second Prince spoke calmly, but there was always an oppressive aura that made it difficult to breathe. He continued, "Remember, on this journey to the Mortal Realm, should anyone inquire, you must never refer to me as the Second Prince."

It was like the emperor traveling incognito; the identity must not be revealed. If mortals knew they were in the presence of a deity, what chaos would ensue?

He agreed with understanding, "Got it, crystal clear."

As they spoke, the dog's ears twitched, and it alerted them, "They're coming this way!"

Lin Suqing was bewildered, what's coming this way?

"Bandits? Thieves? Robbers?" He instinctively hid behind the Second Prince and the dog, but as soon as he did so, the dog turned and bolted into another part of the woods.

Lin Suqing hastily tried to grab it, but as soon as he reached out, the dog had already run off, his face falling, he called towards the direction the dog had gone, "Where are you going?" There was no response.

Meanwhile, out from the same woods Lin Suqing had initially come, rushed a dozen or so rough-looking men. They were wearing uniform grey and blue attire, not resembling bandits but more like servants from some household.

"Young master! Young master!" They were actually rushing towards the delicate-looking man.

Before Lin Suqing could inquire, one of the rough men, who evidently ranked above the others, stepped forward and began interrogating them, "Who are you people? How dare you abduct our young master!"

Lin Suqing stepped forward, placing his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest to retort.

"How can you be so blindly accusatory? Open your eyes and look, even the servant's clothing I wear is more lavish than your young master's. What reason would we have to abduct him?"

With the dog not around, he, a mere servant, couldn't always hide behind his master, so he mustered the courage to boast.

Having said his piece, he untied his belt, shook out all the wild fruits, dusted off his robe, and stood tall and straight.

"We are, in fact, the saviors of your young master!"

This struck a chord, and the previously intimidating group gave Lin Suqing and the Second Prince a thorough once-over.

Noticing the grandeur of the two, and their exquisite garments, the rough men suddenly felt less certain.

It was their examination that made Lin Suqing look at himself, and for the first time, he noticed the exceptional Crescent Moon Robe he was wearing.