Sneaking Off to Dig Up Someone's Grave in the Middle of the Night

"Wake up in the morning and embrace the sun! Well, it doesn't seem that early." Xingsu lifted the tent flap, stretched lazily, looked at the bright sun overhead, and realized it was already noon.

He casually took a baguette from his bag and slowly munched on it while strolling around the suburbs to get some fresh air.

The baguette is also hard to chew; it gets so difficult when it's cold.

As Xing Su's gaze swept across the flowerbed, she saw Earnshaw bending over, tending to the flowers and plants in the field, busy pruning the branches and leaves. Xingsu then took the initiative to greet the old man warmly.

Earnshaw stopped what he was doing, straightened up, looked at Xingsu, and simply raised his hand in response to his greeting.

His gaze fell on Xingsu as she struggled to bite into the hard baguette, and he couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Young man, it's almost noon, are you just going to eat this dry, hard piece of bread?"

Xingsu scratched the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly, still chewing on a baguette, and mumbled, "There's nothing I can do. There's no way to cook when camping in the wild. I just eat whatever's available to fill my stomach."

Earnshaw immediately waved his hand:

"How can that be? Young people need to eat more; they can't just eat whatever they want."

Before Xingsu could refuse, he put down his gardening tools and insisted on keeping Xingsu there, asking him to come inside later so he could cook a proper meal.

Xingsu the old man's warm invitation, and then looking at the hard, dry baguette in his hand that was indeed difficult to swallow, Xing Su smiled and accepted the kind offer.

Xingsu, feeling a little embarrassed, spoke to Earnshaw, not wanting to accept his hospitality for nothing. "Mr. Earnshaw, I can't just eat the food you prepared for nothing. You can give me any chores. I studied the theory of the Amurta for a while in Sumeru, so I'm quite familiar with the care of various plants. I can help you take care of this flower field."

Earnshaw quickly waved his hand, his attitude very firm, showing no intention of backing down.

"No need. I personally cared for each of these flowers until they grew up. They are very delicate. Others don't know the habits of each kind of flower and plant. If someone isn't careful and accidentally damages the branches, it would be a loss."

He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then raised his hand and pointed to the forest path outside the flower field.

"There is something I can trouble you with. My three naughty puppies just wandered into the flowerbed and trampled the seedlings. I don't know where they've gone now. Could you please help me find them? Hmph, I don't know who these three puppies take after. I feed and shelter them every day, but they still want to run away all the time."

Um... aren't you still angry with your daughter?

Xingsu readily agreed to Earnshaw's request.

After some effort, Xingsu managed to get the three puppies back home. Just then, Earnshaw had prepared a meal and invited Xingsu to come and try it.

"Hmph, have a taste, young man. Putting everything else aside, this Tasses Ragout is one of my specialties. My daughter used to love it. Before, whenever she was upset, the smell of stew would always bring her back to the dining room and make her sit down obediently. Hmph, I think she's gone far away now; she can't even smell the food I make for her anymore."

Xingsu realized that this uncle was still a stubborn and arrogant person. He missed his daughter terribly, but he just wouldn't reconcile with her.

Regardless, the uncle's cooking skills were quite good. Although it was just a simple home-style stew, he made it very delicious. Perhaps, this is the taste of home?

After a satisfying meal and a chat with the uncle, the sun was about to set, and Xingsu had to bid farewell to Earnshaw to continue her search for the necklace.

"Someone like you must often have to camp out in the wild, so remember to eat well and dress warmly, and don't go hungry or get cold."

"Okay, thank you, uncle!"

Night completely enveloped the outskirts of Court of Fontaine. The river shimmered with a cold, eerie light, and only the intermittent chirping of insects echoed through the woods. The evening breeze, carrying moisture, brought a sense of emptiness and coolness.

Xingsu walked slowly across the grass, and after turning a gentle slope, a cluster of dilapidated building ruins suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

Xingsu lifted his foot and stepped towards the ruins. The closer he got to the broken walls and rubble, the stronger the inexplicable sense of familiarity in his heart became.

Even though it was his first time here, every broken wall overgrown with vines, every blade of grass and tree, and even the howling of the evening wind through the broken windows seemed to have left a mark on his memory.

He couldn't tell if it was the lingering fragments of his past life at work, or the resonance between his past and the necklace, but a sense of déjà vu gripped his heart, causing him to slow his pace.

Just then, Lin's excited voice exploded in his mind, his tone full of certainty:

"That's right, that's right! This is it! The faint aura emanating from the necklace is right here in this area of ruins!"

"I felt it too. I must have some connection with this place."

"Hmm... I can pinpoint the location of the necklace, it's over there!"

Which way is that?!

"Oh, it's over there!"

Although there were some bumps along the way, following Lin's guidance, Xingsu passed through the overgrown weeds and finally stopped in front of two stone tablets standing side by side.

It's less of a stone tablet and more of a randomly chosen stone that just happens to fit the size. The stone surface is bare, without any names or inscriptions, just a blank space.

Strangely, the weeds around the stones had been carefully cleared, and the ground was spotless, not at all like what one would expect from a desolate ruin.

In front of the two stone tablets, two fresh flowers were quietly placed, with a piece of paper under one of the flowers. The petals were fully open and showed no signs of wilting; in fact, they looked very fresh, as if someone had just brought them over to clean them not long ago.

Lin's voice echoed in my mind again, his tone still very certain:

"Scent doesn't lie; that necklace is hidden under the flower that's pressing down on a piece of paper."

"Oh, thank goodness, you've finally shown me the right direction."

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and find the necklace."

Ke Xingsu stood before the two blank stone tablets, unable to move an inch, a sense of hesitation rising in his heart.

"What, do you recognize this monument? Or are you feeling nostalgic because of the sight of it?"

"I don't recognize this tombstone, and it doesn't feel familiar to me, but... it looks like someone else's grave! Is it really okay for us to dig up someone else's grave like this?"

"Hey, stop dawdling! We've come all this way, are you just going to carry these two paws back like this?"

"Thank you. If you hadn't been so clueless about the way, it wouldn't have been so difficult."

"You made some noises that shouldn't be written."

Xingsu squatted down, picked up the rose, and looked at the contents of the paper below it.

There are only two sentences above.

May you bask in the warm sunshine and no longer be trapped in the cold night;

May you encounter gentleness, without having to dwell on the past.