Unyielding Bone of Dust

As soon as he had spoken, he led them into the main hall, where indeed, a straw mat was spread on the ground in the center beneath them, holding a corpse.

The corpse was covered with a white cloth, obscuring both the head and body, leaving only the feet facing the doorway partially visible.

The deceased wore a pair of embroidered shoes with a pink base and green flowers, such vibrant colors, which, as he had guessed correctly, belonged to a relatively young woman.

The main hall was filled with wreaths on each side, and in the middle of the room, only candles and incense were offered on the table, as if there had not been enough time to prepare or as if it was not deemed important, hence the casual arrangements.

Old man Xu pulled back a cotton curtain at the side of the hall and said, "You can stay in this room at the back tonight, it was meant for keeping vigil. It's not yet finished, but you'll make do for the night."

"Thank you, Elder Xu," the three itinerant merchants said in succession as they entered the room.

As Lin Suqing went inside, he still couldn't help but want to ask, and thus he pulled back the curtain and called out to Elder Xu, "Elder Xu, there is something I'd like to ask you."

Old man Xu was about to step out of the mourning hall but turned back, and using the dim light of the candles, he sized up Lin Suqing's appearance. He observed that whether it was dress, accent, or even facial features, Suqing did not seem like someone who could have been spawned by the poor and remote Four Fields County.

"Looking at you, you're not a local. Go ahead, ask me your question."

Lin Suqing glanced at the female corpse on the straw mat, afraid to ask, lest the very family he was seeking was this one. After mulling it over, he cautiously said: "May I ask... aside from your family, is there another Xu family in Four Fields County?"

Upon hearing this, Old man Xu immediately waved his hand, "That's not possible. Most around here are surnamed Tian. Mine is the only Xu family."

After he spoke, Old man Xu thought it over. Could this young man possibly be looking for him? He thus countered, "What's the matter? Are you looking for me?"

A sound of dread clicked in Lin Suqing's heart. Only this one family surnamed Xu? He remembered the conversation he overheard between the old lady and the young lady days ago, about the Old Xu family of Four Fields County forcefully taking their daughter-in-law...

Could it be she couldn't suppress the resentment and took her own life?

Err... uncertain of it, it's better to ask.

However, he couldn't reveal that he was from the Ye House, as mentioning that might lead to getting beaten up on the spot or thrown out.

Lin Suqing mentally drafted his words before stating, "I ran into a group on the road earlier, seemingly a young master accompanied by a dozen servants, and I heard them say they were headed to Four Fields County to seek a marriage with a woman from the old Xu family..."

"Pah!" Old man Xu burst into rage upon hearing this, the only one who could commit such a heartless act had to be the Ye family from outside Floating Jade City.

"Dream on! Scoundrel!"

Lin Suqing wiped the spittle from his face, confirming it was indeed this family. But the one lying on the ground, could it truly be Xu's daughter-in-law?

At that moment, a muscular man pushed aside the curtain and asked, "Young man, why aren't you resting instead of dawdling here?"

Old man Xu glanced sideways at Lin Suqing and replied to the muscular man, "This kid is inquiring about my daughter-in-law."

The muscular man was baffled, "Why are you asking about someone's daughter-in-law? Even if you like her, she's someone else's wife. You're just asking for trouble."

"That's not my intention."

It was indeed like catching no fish, but provoking a stink instead. Lin Suqing hurriedly explained, "I encountered a traveler on the road who said he was coming to marry into the Xu Family. Seeing that they were many and powerful, I didn't dare to provoke them. Thus, out of kindness, I warned them to allow the Xu Family to hide away."

"Hide? Hide from what?" Old Xu pointed to the body lying on the ground and said, "Did you not see? Dead!"

"Dead?" Lin Suqing was shocked.

...

...

Dawn was about to break, and it was the darkest moment of the night. The long, solemn night seemed as if daylight would never be seen again.

In the western outskirts of Floating Jade City, the majestic Ye mansion was no more. The Crown Prince and the dog stood amid the ruins. A vast tract of land was left with only charred fragments of tiles and collapsed walls.

The dog, with a twisted mouth, disdainfully said, "Hmph, this is the real Ye mansion. After so many years, the bricks that were burnt have turned to black soil. I don't understand what that old woman was so stubborn about."

It naturally couldn't understand; gods are pure, especially beings born divine like it, born immaculate and with a heart free of taint.

But mortals are different, in the Mortal Realm the dusty world swirls, everywhere laden with complex troubles. Mortals have their emotions and desires which, in turn, ensnare all sorts of feelings. There are too many things they are unable to pick up or let go of, just as there are too many that they pick up and can't put down.

Mortals live a tiring life, bound by these affairs. It's clearly their inability to understand and their blind obstinacy, yet they often define these entanglements as "fate." That is not fate; it is merely greed and obsession.

Of course, just like the dog cannot understand the feelings and desires of mortals, how can mortals understand what true fate is? Many mortals do not understand what real fate actually entails.

Next to the Crown Prince and the dog stood a figure, the pink-haired man who had taken away Mrs. Ge Suniang with the Soul-Binding Chains earlier.

The Crown Prince, facing the cool night breeze, looked towards the dark mountains under the night sky, silent.

The pink-haired man, holding a register in his hands, said, "The lady from the Xu Family died of illness yesterday, but her soul has not yet departed."

The dog, tilting its head in thought, mused, "Hmm... for such natural deaths, it's usually Black and White Impermanence who reclaim the soul, right? It's been nearly a day and a night now, what are they still waiting for?"

"Hmm... primarily, they are delayed by other tasks..." the pink-haired man spoke very cryptically, yet the dog understood, but since it was its doing, it didn't deem it appropriate to hold him accountable, so it let it be.

Compared to that, there was another matter that it found quite concerning.

"My lord... that fool Lin Suqing... did he manage to escape?"

The Crown Prince walked forward with his hands behind him, making no comment. He didn't care whether Lin Suqing could escape; what he cared about was what would happen if Lin Suqing failed to escape.

He was concerned with such an outcome because this outcome was what he was waiting to validate.

He knew Lin Suqing was no ordinary person, so he wanted to know if Lin Suqing really was as he suspected. He hoped he was, and yet he hoped he was not.

Seeing the Crown Prince silent, the dog chose not to ask further, perhaps the life of a mere mortal was not sufficient for his lord to care about.

Meanwhile, the pink-haired man continued the conversation, "If he couldn't even escape from a female corpse, what a waste to keep him alive. Better to let him follow me to reincarnation, and fill my money bag."