As the man finished speaking, the door of one of the thatched huts opened from the inside, and a middle-aged woman dressed in similarly coarse clothing stepped out. Upon seeing Yun Qingxue, the woman paused momentarily before turning her gaze to the middle-aged man.
“Old man, who is this young lady…?”
“Oh, this young lady is just passing by and would like to stay with us for the night,” the man explained to his wife.
“Oh, oh, oh,” the woman nodded repeatedly, offering Yun Qingxue a shy smile as she stepped aside. “Then come inside quickly. I’ve just finished cooking. If you don’t mind, please join us for a simple meal.”
“Thank you,” Yun Qingxue said gratefully as she entered the house.
The house was divided into two rooms, and the furnishings were extremely simple—so simple, in fact, that they bordered on crude.
A mottled low wooden table, its legs visibly repaired, stood in the center, accompanied by four equally worn wooden stools. The inner and outer rooms were separated by a floral cloth curtain. Aside from the low table and stools, the outer room only had a small, equally shabby cabinet, likely used by the family to store dishes and utensils.
In stark contrast to the simplicity of the furniture, the food on the table was surprisingly abundant.
A plate of braised fish, a plate of braised pork, a serving of mixed vegetables, a stir-fried green dish, and a clear soup…
After ushering Yun Qingxue inside, the woman opened the stove, releasing a cloud of steam that filled the air with the faint aroma of rice—revealing a pot of perfectly cooked, snow-white rice.
Such a lavish meal in such a humble setting created a striking contrast. Yun Qingxue instinctively glanced at her wrist.
“Young lady, please sit.”
Once inside, the man pulled out a stool for Yun Qingxue, while the middle-aged woman began serving the rice.
After placing three bowls of rice on the table, the woman sat down as well. The man said, “Young lady, no need to be formal,” before digging into his meal without further ceremony.
The woman chuckled at her husband. “Slow down. No one’s fighting you for it, and we have a guest.”
“I’m just hungry,” the man muttered, though his eating did become noticeably more refined.
“Young lady, please eat quickly too. The food will get cold soon,” the woman said, picking up her chopsticks with slight hesitation.
“Alright,” Yun Qingxue smiled and began eating as well.
At that moment, the man, who had been focused on his meal, exchanged a glance with his wife.
The woman immediately picked up a piece of fragrant braised meat and placed it in Yun Qingxue’s bowl. “Try this rabbit meat, young lady. My husband caught it early this morning.”
“Thank you,” Yun Qingxue smiled at the woman and, under her expectant gaze, took a bite. “It’s really delicious,” she praised.
“Of course! My wife’s cooking skills are quite impressive,” the middle-aged man chimed in, looking up from his meal.
The woman blushed slightly, though the corners of her lips trembled almost imperceptibly as she shot the man a peculiar glance.
“Young lady, have some fish.”
Before Yun Qingxue could finish the rabbit meat in her bowl, the woman politely added a piece of fish.
“Out here in the wilderness, we mostly have game. It’s just simple fare—please don’t mind,” the woman said, piling more food onto Yun Qingxue’s plate while the man echoed her sentiment.
Yun Qingxue glanced at the table—two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup. Could this really be considered “simple fare”?
“It’s already very generous,” she replied with a smile before continuing to eat.
The meal passed under the couple’s attentive care. Afterward, when Yun Qingxue offered to help clean up, the woman firmly declined.
“By the way, young lady, how did you end up traveling alone in such a desolate place?” the man asked casually as he sat on the stool, waiting for his wife to return from washing the dishes.
“Actually, I wasn’t alone at first,” Yun Qingxue sighed, feigning a sorrowful expression. “My elder brother and I left home together, but we got separated along the way. I wanted to stay and wait for him, but this place is so remote—I was too scared to linger. After waiting for a while, I gathered my courage and continued on my own. Thankfully, I met you and your wife. Otherwise, I might have had to spend the night in the wilderness.”
“It’s a good thing you didn’t wait!” the man exclaimed after hearing her story.
“What do you mean, uncle?” Yun Qingxue asked, pretending to be alarmed.
“Ah!” The man sighed. “You must know that the Xuanling Continent is teeming with spirits and demons. This area is particularly isolated. For a defenseless young lady like you to spend the night in the wild—well, the dangers are obvious.”
“That’s true,” Yun Qingxue nodded along.
“To be honest, uncle, the reason my brother and I got separated was because we encountered a demon on the road. He went to subdue it with his sword, and that’s how we lost contact.”
“Oh? Your brother is a cultivator?” The man’s eyes widened in surprise.
Without missing a beat, Yun Qingxue nodded. “Yes. He was taken in by a reclusive immortal master as a child and rarely returns home. If not for our parents being killed by villains, the master probably wouldn’t have allowed him to leave the mountain.”
The man nodded understandingly, his gaze sympathetic.
Yun Qingxue pretended to wipe nonexistent tears from her eyes with her sleeve as the man continued, “Don’t worry too much, young lady. If your brother dared to confront a demon, he must have real skill.”
“Yes,” Yun Qingxue agreed. “My brother will definitely come looking for me. But uncle, you and your wife have lived in such a desolate place for so long—aren’t you afraid?”
“You get used to it,” the man replied with a simple smile. Just then, the woman returned from cleaning up and overheard their conversation.
“Actually, this place isn’t that remote,” she interjected. “If you head southeast for about four or five li, you’ll reach a town where humans live.”
“Then why don’t you and uncle move there?” Yun Qingxue asked, puzzled.
In this world, demons and monsters were everywhere, and aside from cultivators, most humans were fragile ordinary folk. Living alone in such a desolate area without any special abilities seemed risky.
“Heh, I make a living by hunting. Moving to town would be inconvenient,” the man explained with a laugh.
Yun Qingxue smiled. After chatting with the couple a while longer, the woman prepared a room for her to rest.
Thanking the woman, Yun Qingxue washed up and retired early. Perhaps because her nerves remained on edge, her sleep was restless.
The night passed without incident. At the first light of dawn the next day, Yun Qingxue rose early, washed, and prepared to leave. When the hunter and his wife awoke, she bid them farewell and set off toward the southeast.
The woman had mentioned that a human town lay four or five li to the southeast—coincidentally, Yun Qingxue’s intended direction. She estimated she’d reach civilization by noon.
However, after walking all morning, she found nothing but wilderness. Strangely, the surroundings began to look familiar. After a while, it dawned on her—despite walking in a straight line, she had somehow gotten lost!
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