Unyielding Bone of Dust

He walked toward the direction of those people, staring intently at the ground. When three short and stocky shadows were cast from the darkness, his tense heart finally relaxed—shadows meant people.

Only then did he take a closer look at the newcomers.

All were dressed in simple coarse hemp clothing, not destitute but quite tidy in their attire. Each carried a huge chest on their back, with a square matting canopy protruding at the top, seemingly used for shading from the sun during the day, only now they had the surrounding veils flipped over the chests.

It seemed like the chests contained metal objects; as they walked, their contents clinked and clattered. As they drew closer from that fork in the road, Lin Suqing faintly caught the scent of medicinal herbs, similar to that of strong-smelling Chinese herbs like ginseng and fleece-flower root.

The one walking in the middle was a slim man whose accent did not quite match what he had heard in Floating Jade City; he was clearly a foreigner too.

"You two relax, Si Tian County is really lacking these metal household items," said a younger brother of mine who had just arrived here. Last time I brought five kitchen knives, two small pots, and seven large iron spoons. You didn't see how these people fought over the merchandise. As soon as I set it out, it was snatched up in an instant, not even haggling over the price."

The tallest among them on the outer side of the road had a naive look, hearing the skinny one describe the situation, he scratched the back of his head and laughed, "I'm not worried about not being able to sell the goods, I'm worried there won't be enough to meet the demand! Hahahaha!"

He laughed out loud, and the muscular man walking on the inside gave the slim one a slap and said sternly, "Hey! Keep it down, lower your voice."

The big man quickly shrank his shoulders as his voice immediately lowered, "Oh right, right, right, everyone's probably still asleep, we can't be disturbing people."

The muscular man tugged at the strap and hoisted his chest higher, saying, "It's a minor issue to disturb people, I'm afraid of disturbing something that isn't human."

As he spoke, he touched his chest and suddenly froze, "Oh no, where's my amulet?"

The well-equipped man quickly backtracked a few steps, pretending to search, while the skinny one patted him and said, "If it's gone, no point looking. What amulet, it's just a fancy piece of paper, I have plenty in my chest. If you want one, I'll give you one when we get there, you can pick any design you want."

But the muscular man was not impressed, "How can your things compare to my amulet? That was specially written by a great master in the temple and offered before the Buddha light for a full seven days."

The tallest also consoled him, "Seven days is nothing. My mother once got me an amulet from the temple that was buried in incense ash for forty-nine days! And yet, I lost it last time, and my mother nearly beat me to death."

The muscular man, hearing their persuasion and seeing that Si Tian County was nearly within reach, reluctantly decided to give up the search.

"Forget it, I'll look for it on the way back tomorrow. This place is sparsely populated; perhaps I'll still find it."

Listening to their conversation, they seemed to be itinerant merchants. Seeing also that their appearances were quite friendly, Lin Suqing emerged from under the shade of the trees and approached them.

"Three big brothers..." His clear voice was especially piercing in the quiet night.

The three men turned to look at him as if by agreement; the tallest stood in front without hesitation, protecting the other two behind him, while the muscular man who had been on the inside stretched his hand to shield the skinniest of them in the back and said, "Don't worry, he has a shadow. There are three of us, and there's only one of him."

It turned out everyone knew that shadows could distinguish humans from non-humans.

The tall man guarded the other two behind him and loosened his wrists and ankles, stepping forward toward Lin Suqing, asking bluntly, "Who are you?" His stance was such that if the answer was not forthcoming, he would not hesitate to start a fight.

Lin Suqing smiled politely and greeted them with a bow, "Big brothers need not be tense. I am nothing but an ordinary person, journeying alone. Hearing what you three were discussing, you are also on your way to Si Tian County, right?"

The tall man hesitated for a moment, glanced back at the other two for a cue, and seeing them nod, he finally replied, "What of it?"

Lin Suqing responded respectfully, "It's deep night, and I am traveling alone; I am quite frightened. May I accompany you three big brothers? It would be good to have each other's support."

As the old saying goes, "Don't slap a smiling face." Since he was so humble, they shouldn't refuse him, right?

The tall man scrutinized him, noting his luxurious attire and genteel manner, and was about to nod in agreement. However, he shook his head repeatedly, turning back to seek the opinion of the other two.

Seeing the situation, the other two, not too wary of Lin Suqing, went up to him straightforwardly and also greeted him with a bow. The shrewd skinny one was still suspicious and asked, "Seeing the young man's fine appearance, you look like the young master of some family. How come you have no attendants and are journeying alone?"

Lin Suqing laughed, "You flatter me, big brother. I am but a servant, currently following my Family Head's orders to deliver a letter to Si Tian County."

He certainly couldn't divulge his actual purpose for going to Si Tian County to everyone he met, so a harmless little lie wouldn't hurt.

Although he greeted the three men with a smile, he was prepared to run at any moment. After all, one could never be sure if they would suddenly harbor ill intentions and plan to rob or harm him.

Although the most valuable thing he wore was his clothes, if they decided to take his life before searching his body, he would die unjustly.

Luckily, the people of the Jianghu are known for their righteousness, and the three of them believed him immediately upon hearing his story.

The skinny man said, "Your master is quite ruthless to send you on a night journey alone."

He then glanced in the direction Lin Suqing had come from and sighed, "You've got guts, taking the path through the chaotic burial ground."

Lin Suqing was taken aback, "Chaotic burial ground?"

The muscular man looked in the direction Lin Suqing had come from and joined in, "You must be from Floating Jade City."

Listening to their questioning, it seemed they were often active in this area; they deduced where Lin Suqing had come from just by the direction he arrived from.

"Don't underestimate that road. Sure, it's the closest route, but nobody dares take it at night. You, you're lucky to have made it out alive. Must have some powerful protection from your ancestors, boy," he said.

"Maybe I just got lucky, my overwhelming righteousness scared those things off, ha ha, ha ha ha ha..." Lin Suqing laughed as if nothing was amiss, though inside he was cursing old Mi Gu, upset about being directed onto such a terrible path!

More rooster crows pierced the air, long and loud, as if calling the night to turn to day, or as reminders to whatever hid in the darkness—that dawn was near, and it was time for dispersal.

Mist hung heavy in the silent night. Along the broad road, other than the Zhuang family estate and the forests beside, there were only their uneven silhouettes. They chatted idly as they traveled together, instinctively placing Lin Suqing and the skinny man in the middle, as if to protect the weaker ones among them.

It was this spontaneous, unspoken protection that deeply touched Lin Suqing. It seemed anyone would see him as weak.

As the four continued on their way, even the young one who appeared about the same age seemed to take extra care of him, repeatedly instructing, "If we encounter any sudden danger, no matter what it is, you must quickly hide behind me. The three of us will have your back, you can count on it."

The skinny man's well-intentioned words left Lin Suqing feeling particularly disheartened. He didn't want to be weak, yet everyone he met seemed to think he was frail.

In his past life, he had cowered through it, but could he live anew in this world?

He wanted to stand tall and proud, to be a man who protected others instead of always being protected.

His mood did not go unnoticed, and the skinny man was the first to sense it, quickly showing concern, "Little brother, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? I have some medicine in my box; just tell me what you need, and I'll get it for you."

The muscular man also chimed in eagerly, "I've got some too, don't be shy, I won't charge you. Just don't tell anyone about it." It was widely known. Giving away freebies could lead to loss of face for everyone involved if word got out.

As he spoke, he was about to set down his box to help look for it.

Lin Suqing hurriedly stopped them, waving his hands and saying, "I'm fine, just preoccupied with some thoughts."

He paused for a moment, then continued walking, casually asking them, "Do you think... that I look very cowardly... "

Perhaps it was the lack of normal conversation for so long, or maybe it was because they were strangers he'd likely never see again, but he decided to voice the thoughts in his heart.

The three were stunned by the question. After a moment, the skinny man thought it over, grabbed Lin Suqing's arm to stop him, and earnestly explained, "Little brother, did my words earlier hurt you? I'm truly sorry. We're just simple folks, not very careful with our words, but rest assured, we mean you no harm. If I said something out of line, I apologize. Please don't take it to heart."

Realizing how his sudden question had led to misunderstandings, he quickly clarified, "I appreciate your kindness. I didn't mean anything by it, just asking. Let's keep on moving, ha ha ha ha~"

A silence fell for a brief moment before the muscular man spoke up, addressing Lin Suqing's earlier question.

"I've been thinking about what you asked. I think that being cowardly isn't about defining a person. I believe it's just one aspect of many that a person can possess."

The answer was rare and thoughtful, showing that he had indeed pondered it, wanting to reply earnestly. Lin Suqing perked up his ears and focused intently on the man's analysis.

"For example, some emperors stabilize the inside and the outside of their realms, maintain peaceful relations with neighbors, enrich the citizens and strengthen the nation, ushering in peace and prosperity. However, they fear death and wouldn't dare to kill a chicken, not to mention they get scared even by mere insects. Can we call such a wise ruler cowardly or incompetent?"

He continued, "But if we look at it from another angle. Imagine that this person isn't an emperor, just an ordinary person with great wisdom and talent, with no opportunity to show his abilities or achieve great things. So, to the average person, he's just someone who fears death, dares not kill a chicken, and even fears insects. Can we say he's heroic and valiant?"