Unyielding Bone of Dust

On the night of the 15th of July during Ghost Festival, the stars shifted.

The Earth Officer pardoned sins, and a horde of ghosts wildly scurried about causing uproar in the mortal world, bringing chilling winds while the moon hid and stars sank.

Lin Suqing, who had just finished working overtime, had promised his handful of fans to live stream a late-night stroll on the night of Ghost Festival. Despite his roaring hunger, he left the office and wandered through the streets and alleys.

Clearly destined to make a living off his talent, he insistently overestimated himself by moonlighting as a streamer, fantasizing about skyrocketing to fame and reaching the pinnacle of life with a house and car.

However, despite his desperate efforts, he was far less popular than others who live-streamed as simple as picking their feet.

Helplessly, to boost his popularity, he downed half a bottle of erguotou, and with liquor bolstering his courage, went out on the night of the Ghost Festival seeking thrills.

The night wind howled like ghosts and wolves; if he encountered some passersby at this time and pranked them a bit, he might trigger lots of laughter and potentially gain three to five hundred new followers.

But as he kept looking and hoping, the chilling breeze was about to sober him up completely; not even a dog could be seen on the streets, let alone people. It seemed that the heavens clearly regarded him as less than human.

Forget it, might as well go back and silently endure the nonsense from his clients and faithfully revise the proposal for the fifteenth time. Let someone else be the beloved streamer.

Just as he felt utterly disheartened, Lin Suqing's eyes suddenly lit up, overwhelmed by excitement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here on the streets on the night of the Ghost Festival, I've found a single dog sitting at a crossroad. Let's interview it to see what's bothering it!"

He quickly hoisted his phone and dashed toward the dirt-covered dog blending into the night.

Not being human was fine; he could manage an awkward chit-chat for half an hour thanks to his acting skills.

The dog had droopy brows and eyes, looking as if it hadn't defecated in days, covered in black mud making its fur indistinguishable, and didn't seem like a dog that would bite.

Lin Suqing tentatively poked its damp nose, saying casually, "Hey, buddy, don't you know good dogs don't block the way?"

The dog lifted an eyelid at his words, glanced at him, and continued to close its eyes, ignoring him.

"Friend, have you ever heard of despair? I think I just got snubbed by a mongrel?"

No sooner had his words fallen than a beam of golden light suddenly surged from beneath the dog, shooting up into the sky. Instantly, it whirled like a tornado.

Startled by the anomaly, Lin Suqing fell on his butt, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, momentarily forgetting his foot was right in the beam of light! Just as he was about to pull it back, the whirlwind of golden light yanked him by the ankle up into the dark expanse.

In the blink of an eye, the night was as still as water.

The wide road was desolate, leaving only dust swirling.

...

...

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!" Lin Suqing felt dazed and disoriented, having been spinning and rising continuously, but now plummeting down like lightning, "Holy crap!"

With the last cry ripping from his throat, he splashed with a thud into a misty warm pool.

Caught off guard and swallowing a few gulps of pool water, he frantically broke the surface, coughing a few times before reassuring himself, "Luckily, dad's got a strong life force."

Wiping his face, he looked up to find, no way, a breathtaking beauty standing before him with black hair like a waterfall and a celestial composure!

"Oh, my, God..." Lin Suqing was overwhelmed with excitement, unable to contain his drooling as he quickly covered his face with his hands, though his gaze sneaked through the gaps between his fingers.

He cleared his throat and pretended to be dignified, "Cough, beauty... don't scream, don't shout... I'm not a pervert..."

The warm mist in the pool created an ethereal veil over everything, making it all seem hazy and dreamlike, almost illusory.

In this Turquoise Pool that seemed like a celestial realm, the stunning woman stood composed, her skin creamy and eyes like calm waters, her delicate facial features exuding charm amidst the swirling vapors, leisurely intoxicating and bewitching onlookers.

"It's said that one should not look upon something improper, I'll definitely take responsibility," Lin Suqing blurted out, immediately feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"Who goes there." A crisp male voice unexpectedly came from the beauty.

Like a bolt from the blue right above him, Lin Suqing's knees buckled, nearly falling back into the water.

Could it be he misheard because his brain was soggy? He immediately slapped himself, causing stars to appear before his eyes from the pain.

"Wow~" A dog, inexplicably excited, scurried from a distance to the shore through the water.

What a curious sight, the dog's head was white, yet its entire body was red as fire.

It bounded eagerly toward the beauty, affectionately rubbing against her damp, black hair. Suddenly, it turned its face to stare scornfully at Lin Suqing.

That look of contempt was so familiar… it was the stray dog from the crossroads!

While his mind was elsewhere, he heard the beauty's icy voice drift over with the steam, "Ignorant mortal."

Mortal? The beauty? Was she a deity?

Merely touching a dog had transported him through time? And just after arriving, he encountered a deity bathing?

Even Hunan Satellite TV wouldn't dare to script this!

Lin Suqing immediately slapped himself again. The pain was sharp, unmistakably real, not a dream nor illusion. He covered his swollen face, reassuring himself to stay calm. Then he looked all around, wondering—under this clear, blue sky, am I Cowherd, or perhaps the Consort of King Lanling?

One involved peeping at the Seven Fairies bathing, and the other, spying on King Lanling... The difference was indeed fatal...

Anxiously, Lin Suqing looked down at his flat chest... and let out a sigh of relief, thankfully...

Well then, since he had traveled through time, if he wasn't the main character, he was cannon fodder; why not take a chance?

With that rash thought, he puffed out his chest, showing off, and said, "Sure, I am indeed a mortal, but what 'ghost' are you?" His casual remark failed to make sense to the celestial beauty.

The beauty's eyebrows slightly raised, looking at him with curiosity as she said, "Ghost?"

While keeping it short and to the point, the dog at his side became agitated and barked angrily, "Stupid mortal, how dare you offend the Crown Prince!" The voice was tender like a boy's, both real and surreal, and the dog could actually speak?

Lin Suqing immediately tensed up, but what frightened him the most... was the dog's words. It sounded... and Lin Suqing couldn't help but wonder if he had stepped into a male-male romance novel...

He couldn't help feeling a bit panicked…

The dog was about to lose its temper when it was stopped by the Crown Prince, who looked like a female deity.

Immediately, the Crown Prince created a thick fog barrier between him and Lin Suqing, and gracefully came ashore within the mist. As he turned around, the fog barrier gradually dissipated, revealing him in a cold-toned blue brocade robe with light purple patterns edged in silver, covered with a layer of thin, smoky fabric, enhancing his ethereal and aloof demeanor.

With a casual pinch of his slender fingers, a jade-handled folding fan appeared in his hand. Looking down from his superior position, he glanced at Lin Suqing still in the pool, then flicked a look at the dog.

In a fluid transfer of graceful gazes, although a man, he captivated hearts without uttering a word, then left abruptly.

Lin Suqing, new to this place and unfamiliar with the surroundings, couldn't just let him go. He hurriedly climbed ashore and followed, but just as he started to move, he was blocked by the suddenly appearing dog yelling, "Impudent!"

The childlike voice from the dog's mouth startled Lin Suqing into staggering back.

Looking at the retreating figure of the Crown Prince, he called out despairingly, "Meeting is fate, please, be kind and tell me what year, month, time, and place this is?"

The Crown Prince remained indifferent, his figure disappearing into the dark bamboo forest.

The dog chased after for a few steps, then turned back, lifting its small chin and saying to Lin Suqing, "My lord called me back when you stumbled into the formation; you can't go back now."

Lin Suqing was startled, "What do you mean, I can't go back?" Anxiety rose within him. If he couldn't return, what would happen to his family?

"Well... it's not actually that you can't go back..." The dog suddenly seemed to recall something, changing his tone but hesitating to continue, "It's just that..."

Who had time for its hesitation!

To make it easier to talk, Lin Suqing immediately stepped forward, squatted down, grabbed its two small paws, and suspended it midair, urging, "Just what, speak up!"

"Bold mortal! Put me down!" The dog kicked wildly with its hind legs, its fluffy head twisting and squirming, "Let me down now! If you don't let me go... I, I will bite you!"

As the dog opened its mouth towards his hand, Lin Suqing instantly let go in fright.

He anxiously awaited what came next, but the dog calmly shook its head and fluffed out its fur.

A doubt crept into Lin Suqing's mind; the dog had earlier shown him disdain, but now it was initiating a conversation. Could there be a trick?

Just then, the dog raised a paw and scratched at its eye, and in a young, childish voice said, "You want to go back, huh? There are two ways. One is to die and be taken by Black and White Impermanence to the underworld, where the judge will send you back to your origin."

Isn't that just a dead end? Lin Suqing hurriedly asked, "And the second option?"