In a small village on the border of the Land of Water, only a few households lived there. The courtyards had no proper walls, merely fenced in with wooden stakes.
"Whew~" Dressed in coarse cloth and carrying a fish basket, Yushiki whistled as he walked down the quiet path beneath the night sky.
At the end of the road stood the house with its lights on. It was his home now, where his wife, A-Hua, waited for him to return.
A-Hua was pregnant. Yushiki went out every night to catch fish and had even learned cooking from his father-in-law. He was a thoughtful and devoted husband.
Clang!
The fish basket suddenly fell to the ground, and several large carp flopped about energetically!
Yushiki's eyes widened as he stared at the one-horned man seated atop an abandoned house!
It was Yu!
Yu smiled and greeted him. "Yushiki—no, I suppose I should call you A-Niu now."
"..." Yushiki gritted his teeth and looked toward the house at the end of the road.
Yu said calmly, "Don't worry. I haven't disturbed your wife or father-in-law. I simply came to have a talk with you. I met Linlin and learned of your aspirations now."
Yushiki clenched his fists. "Since you've already taken care of Urashiki, you should know why I changed my name and hid here, shouldn't you?"
Yu rose and jumped down from the roof. "I wronged you first. I can understand your choice. If I were in your place, I might have done far more than merely draw a line between us..."
As he spoke, Yu took an embroidered box from his robes and tossed it to Yushiki.
Inside the box was a bright red pill, dense and substantial.
"!" Yushiki looked at Yu in astonishment, unable to understand his intent.
Yu