Chapter 26 A Life-saving Piss

Lin Suqing was startled and extremely anxious, the rigid traditional etiquette instilled deep in his bones suddenly showing itself.

"That won't do, I'm already endlessly grateful for the kindness of the two young ladies in sheltering me; how could I possibly tarnish your reputations? I shall go to the side room," he said and then left the main room.

It was only after he casually shut the door behind him that he realized his previous words might have come across as too direct and inconsiderate.

However, to avoid further complications, what he said and did was both reasonable and proper—there was no mistake. Therefore, he had no intentions of going back to offer more tactful words; instead, he turned and headed to the side room.

The side room was even more cramped and had kitchen utensils; it was indeed a kitchen. But there was not the slightest hint of grease or the smell of food; not even a trace of cooking smoke. It seemed as though no fire had ever been lit or food ever been cooked here; even the stove and the floor were as clean as the yard outside. But it was also possible that the sisters were diligent in cleaning, which is why no strange odors lingered.

He hastily tidied up the straw pile, making it not very neat but just barely comfortable enough to lie down on.

Perhaps it was from walking for so long, or perhaps it was from drinking quite a bit of wine, but as soon as he lay on the straw pile, drowsiness overcame him. Unfortunately, due to the copious amount of alcohol he had consumed earlier, he suddenly felt the need to urinate.

He hesitated, unsure whether to get up to relieve himself first or hold it in... As he dithered, his eyelids began to fight each other uncontrollably, and his body felt so heavy that he really didn't want to move anymore.

Forget it, he would endure it; it would serve as a biological alarm clock, keeping him awake so he could continue his journey early in the morning.

...

Just as he drifted into a heavy sleep, in his groggy state, he felt the door being pushed open with a creak. Struggling against the sleepiness, he barely opened his eyes and made out a figure in the moonlight that seeped in before the door shut: it was Hong'er sneaking in.

What did she want, sneaking in at this time? His drowsiness was instantly scattered; his mind wasn't muddled at all anymore.

He sat up in alarm and asked, "Miss Hong'er, it's very late; what do you need from me?"

In the pitch darkness, Hong'er found his shoulder, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said with a laugh, "Young Master, the moment Hong'er saw you from afar, she fell in love with you."

Ha? Lin Suqing was astonished and lost for words. Which act was this? He knew he had a dashing and elegant appearance, but back in the graveyard, a single ray of moonlight couldn't even pierce through the dark; how could she have clearly seen anything from such a distance?

As she spoke, Hong'er held onto his neck, gently coaxing him: "You'll be leaving tomorrow, and Hong'er can't bear to let you go. Rather than a fleeting encounter, why not make the most of tonight?"

"?" Lin Suqing felt as if lightning had struck him on the head.

Hong'er was, after all, a young lady; this was far too rash and forward, even more simplistic and aggressive than the hostesses at nightclubs.

He quickly detached Hong'er's arms from around his neck and tried to persuade her, "Miss Hong'er, propriety demands distance between men and women. You must be modest."

Hong'er said she wanted to press him down, but Lin Suqing wriggled out from her embrace and stood up, retreating continuously until his back hit the door and there was no room left to retreat.

He advised her, "Miss Hong'er, since ancient times there has been a clear boundary between men and women. You must not ruin your own reputation, please show self-respect."

But Hong'er continued to undress herself, speaking flirtatiously, "If pleasure can be had, why wait even a moment longer? What does reputation matter? Young Master, don't let the perfect time and scenery go to waste..." And with that, she lunged at Lin Suqing.

Lin Suqing immediately pulled open the door, slipped out sideways, quickly latched the door shut, and then wedged it with a few sticks of wood from outside, securing it tightly.

This was too frightening and too intimidating.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, having never experienced such a wild encounter before. If the genders had been reversed, that would be... he nearly compromised his virtue.

"Young Master! What are you doing? Young Master?" No matter how Hong'er knocked and called from inside, he simply wouldn't open the door.

Lin Suqing patted his chest, trying to calm the shock he just experienced, but as he turned around, he was startled to see Afu standing behind him.

In the dimness of the night, wearing a bright red dress, standing silently there, she almost looked like a female ghost at first glance.

"What has alarmed you so, Young Master?" Afu stepped forward to inquire.

"Ah, Miss Afu..." he was at a loss for what to say; he certainly couldn't tell her that her maid had come on to him, "Nothing, hehe, just a large rat..."

Afu smiled faintly, "The Young Master is afraid of rats too, I see."

Before Lin Suqing could respond, he saw Afu suddenly hold her forehead as if she were about to faint, and without hesitation, he quickly stepped forward to catch her just before she collapsed to the ground.

After he steadied her, he asked with concern, "What's wrong with you?"

Leaning on Lin Suqing's embrace, Afu stood up, her breath smelling sweetly of alcohol, and she smiled, "Nothing, I've probably eaten a bit too much."

For some reason, just smelling the fragrance of alcohol on her breath, he felt as though he might get drunk again.

Seeing that she still seemed a bit unstable as she got up, Lin Suqing kindly suggested, "Let me escort you back to your room."

"There's no need to trouble the Young Master, Afu can go back to her room on her own," Afu said, attempting to walk away by herself. After only two steps, she stumbled again, and Lin Suqing quickly went to support her.

Afu was indeed a bit drunk, leaning softly against him, her cheeks flushed red with a rosy glow. It really wasn't appropriate for her to go back alone, lest she hurt herself. So Lin Suqing helped her back to the main room.

"Let me help you," he offered.

Afu didn't decline any further and merely gazed at him with a smile, her face very close to his, her blurry drunken eyes adding an indescribable charm to her beautiful face.

He uprightly escorted Afu to the bed, and just as he was about to set her down, as he bent over, she suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down, causing him to lose his balance and fall on top of her.

Lin Suqing hurriedly tried to get up, "I apologize, that was unintentional. I am so sorry."

The blushing Afu smiled shyly and said, "It's Afu who got herself drunk, the young master is not to blame."

She then released her hold on him, and just as Lin Suqing awkwardly began to get up, she embraced him again. This time, she deliberately rolled over, pulling him to her side, rubbing against his chest while coquettishly pleading, "Don't leave, Afu wants you to stay with her."

Lin Suqing stiffened all over, suddenly turning as still as a statue, daring not to move an inch. He had a very bad feeling about this, very bad indeed.

So he found an excuse and said, "I've had quite a bit to drink just now, and well... nature calls... um... uh... I'll be right back..."

It wasn't really because he had left some urine earlier that he now had an urgent need to pee. It was rather because he had an inexplicable sense of wariness.

The aggressive pulling from little Hong'er a moment ago had made him wonder if Afu was trying to seduce him in a different way? Their initial encounter with the sisters had been strange enough, and this thatched hut also filled him with unease.

He suddenly remembered that Dog had once interpreted his fate, saying he was a Four Pillars of Yang Fate and quite attractive to female demons. Just as that thought crossed his mind, he shuddered violently and hurriedly scrambled to his feet to get out.

Afu, thinking he really had an urgent need to pee, hurriedly stood up and followed a few steps, instructing him, "Young master, you may relieve yourself under the tree outside the house. It's dangerous in the wilderness, please don't go too far."

Afu seemed very worried that he would wander off, repeatedly instructing him, "Be sure not to go too far."

Lin Suqing went out the door, perfunctorily agreeing with her, "Alright, alright, thank you for the reminder, I'll keep it in mind and be right back."

As soon as he came out, he locked the door behind him and immediately picked up a few thick firewoods from the side of the house, propping the main house's door tightly shut.

Lucky to escape so quickly; had another situation like with the Malignant Spirits occurred and he got entangled again, it would have been terrible.

He looked up at the vast night sky and then set out alone on the road back the way he had come.

The moonlight at this moment was even clearer than before, like a silver plate hanging in the sky, indicating that it was deep into the night.

Lin Suqing took several deep breaths to relieve the feeling of chest tightness and shortness of breath, and now he indeed felt a sudden urge to pee...

So he simply found a bush along the way, undid his belt, and began to relieve himself in a silvery arc.

Urinating after drinking was extremely refreshing, and just when he was most relaxed, he shivered suddenly, a thorough release.

At that moment, he faintly heard someone softly calling his name, drifting and indistinct.

"Lin Suqing..." The call echoed repeatedly in the night, sounding somewhat like Afu's voice.

When he listened more carefully, he only heard the intermittent hooting of an owl, sending chills down his spine.

He fastened his trousers, tied his belt, and prepared to continue on his way. But then, the soft call came again, "Lin Suqing..."

This time he was sure—it was indeed Afu's voice. Could it be that she had run out after him? He turned back to look at the small thatched hut and was immediately shocked!

Where was the shadow of the small thatched house? He looked in the distance, and by the tree under the moonlight, there were only two grave mounds!

Could it be? Had I been so drunk I was confused?

He rubbed his eyes and mustered up some courage to step back a few paces, taking a closer look. Damn it, weren't those just two grave mounds?

Looking at the position of the mounds, the slightly larger one and the smaller one...

Lin Suqing's face turned pale, and without a word, he turned and ran. While running, he felt a mixture of fear and relief thinking, "Thankfully, I, the old man, am lucky and have a strong fate. Just as I had an urgent pee, had I rolled in bed with that Miss Afu, I might have been drained into a pile of bones by dawn."

Terrifying! Frightening!

My instincts were damn accurate. I felt something was off about those two women from the start, and sure enough!

Lin Suqing ran for his life without looking back, his heart pounding as he only cared about fleeing forward.

...

I don't recall how long I ran, but when I looked up again, the sky had darkened almost to pitch black, and I heard the crowing of cocks from afar, echoing from different places.

The crowing of cocks indicated the presence of people. His heart relaxed quite a bit, knowing he had finally reached a populated area.

Only then did he stop, bending over and supporting his trembling, weakened legs from running too much, feeling as if they were filled with lead, as if he couldn't lift them anymore.

He looked back and again, and thought that after running through so many forked roads and being so far away, even if the two sisters intended to pursue, they probably couldn't catch up, right?

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, feeling that he had encountered too many strange events in the past days. Now, he found himself much calmer than when he first encountered the Zhen Beast, and not as fearful of the unknown ahead as when he first arrived in this world.

Now, even the feeling of relief after escaping danger was passing much more quickly than before.

This must be growth, growth particularly in his weaker aspects of character.

His heart felt a bit firmer, and maybe this world was not entirely bad for him; he could consider it a period of trial, very good for his own growth. After all, the him from before had never been this courageous.

Thinking this way, he pounded his sore legs to continue on his way after resting enough.

Yet just as he was about to start again, from another forked road, accompanied by the clinking sound of objects colliding, came the voices of three rough men apparently heading this way.

Lin Suqing swiftly hid in the shadow of the trees beside the road so that the moonlight couldn't reveal his figure.