Stepping out of the dimension and onto the narrow, creaky bed, this seasoned, long-married couple suddenly felt a flutter of nerves. It felt just like those early days when they had first confessed their feelings for one another. Lin Qing looked at Qiao Xin, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth that he could barely suppress.
“Wife, why don’t you bring out some new bedding? This set on the bed is stiff and not comfortable at all.”
Qiao Xin’s shyness lasted only a fleeting moment. After all, they were both young again in these bodies, and while they wouldn’t be doing anything untoward, simply cuddling under the blankets to sleep—and having the chance to tease Lin Qing—was a delightful thought.
“This bed is far too small, anyway. Let’s swap it for something bigger.” With that, she tucked the small bed away into the dimension and pulled out a two-meter-wide bed, complete with brand-new, soft, azure-printed bedding she had already washed. Qiao Xin smoothed the sheets while Lin Qing pulled the duvet cover over the quilt, each taking a pillow. When they finished, they shared a smile, climbed into bed, and fell asleep.
Qiao Xin was awakened by the chirping of birds in the mountain forest. When she stirred, she found herself held tight in Lin Qing’s arms. As soon as she moved, Lin Qing woke up. “Morning, wife.”
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay still. Time to get up.” Qiao Xin tried to wriggle out of his embrace, but Lin Qing just held her tighter. “Five more minutes.”
After they rose and washed, Qiao Xin brought out a breakfast of steamed buns, youtiao (fried dough sticks), egg crepes, two bowls of mini wontons, and two cups of soy milk. Ever since they began their internal cultivation, their appetites had increased significantly, and they finished every last bit of the food.
Once they had agreed on their itinerary for the day, Lin Qing strapped a bamboo basket to his back, grabbed his hunting bow, and the two headed up the mountain. They were hoping to catch some live rabbits and pheasants to release into the dimension, allowing them to breed so they would always have a fresh supply of meat.
From a distance, they could see scattered groups of villagers searching for wild vegetables. With the harvest season yielding nothing, the villagers relied on the mountains for food. The pair skirted around them, heading deeper into the forest.
The ground was blanketed in thick, fallen leaves, and most of the wild grass had withered, save for a few roots that still held a hint of green. As they ventured deeper, the light grew dimmer, and the trees became dense with massive canopies. Interestingly, the deeper sections seemed better than the periphery, with many leaves still retaining their green color.
Lin Qing took the lead, constantly tapping the undergrowth with a sturdy stick to scare off any hidden snakes or insects. After walking for a while, they reached one of Lin Qing’s traps. From afar, they saw it had been sprung; inside lay a rabbit that had clearly just died. Lin Qing retrieved it—the body was still warm—and tossed it into his basket. A little something for dinner tonight.
There was another trap not far off, but they weren’t as lucky this time; it had been destroyed, and the prey had likely escaped, leaving only a smear of blood behind.
They didn’t let it dampen their spirits. As they continued, Qiao Xin spotted some wild greens. Though they were a bit tough, she didn’t mind. She dug them up, roots and all, and tucked them into her space to plant at the foot of the dimension’s hill. Once they went to seed and spread, she could forage whenever she wanted a change of flavor.
In a sloping area, Lin Qing found two rabbit burrows. After a bit of fussing and plugging the exits, he smoked out two litters of grey rabbits: five adults and ten young ones. Qiao Xin immediately collected them into the dimension, using her focus to fence off a specific area so they wouldn’t tunnel all over the mountain and disrupt the other creatures.
Their first goal was complete, though they hadn’t seen any pheasants. Seeing that the day was getting on and they still had to enter the dimension later to harvest fruit, they rested briefly, drank some water, and turned back.
As they neared the outer edge of the forest, they heard a rustling sound, followed by the distinct grunting of wild boar. “Xinxin, get into the space! I can handle this,” Lin Qing said quickly.
Qiao Xin shook her head. “I want to fight alongside you. I don’t want to always be the one hiding. If there’s real danger, I promise I’ll go into the space.”
Seeing her resolve, Lin Qing nodded. He chose a vantage point, pulled an arrow from his quiver, and drew his bow to its maximum tension. Qiao Xin gripped a long blade, both of them ready.
A massive wild boar, weighing over three hundred catties, lumbered into their view, followed by three piglets. They grunted as they moved, the piglets pausing occasionally to root around on the ground for food.
Lin Qing took aim and released. The arrow flew true, striking the boar squarely in the eye. The sudden attack sent the beast crashing to the ground with a pained howl. To their surprise, the three piglets didn’t run; they hovered around the fallen mother, squealing incessantly. The large boar struggled a few times on the ground, but after a moment, it went still.
The two approached cautiously. They saw the arrow embedded deep in the boar’s eye, almost entirely buried. No wonder it had gone still so quickly.
Qiao Xin looked at Lin Qing, her eyes practically sparkling with admiration. “Ah Qing, that was incredible! You took down a massive wild boar with a single arrow.”
Lin Qing himself seemed equally stunned. “I think my strength has increased significantly. I haven’t really tested it properly over the last two days, and since I used almost all my force this time, I didn’t expect the boar to drop with just one shot.”
The exchange lasted only a few seconds. When the three piglets noticed them approaching, they simultaneously turned toward the pair, charging forward with surprising ferocity. Lin Qing raised his bow, ready to fire again, but with a wave of Qiao Xin’s hand, the three piglets vanished into thin air.
She tilted her chin up with a playful, proud expression. “Well? You have to admit, I’m pretty impressive too. As long as something is within fifty meters of me, I can instantly tuck it away into space.”
Lin Qing, naturally, showered her with praise, making her beam with even greater delight.
They walked over to the large boar and confirmed it was dead. “Do you want to eat wild boar meat? We could take it back.” Lin Qing asked, deferring to her opinion.
“I’ve never had wild boar before, and I hear it can be quite tough,” Qiao Xin said, thinking it over. “Besides, we couldn’t possibly finish all of this. We’d be better off selling it when we head to town. Plus, the pigs on the mountain inside the space are already growing up.”
“Alright, I’ll do as you say.”
They moved the boar into the dimension, storing it separately to sell during their next trip to the county town, and then quickly made their way down the mountain.
Between the hike and the hunt, it was already past noon by the time they reached home. Qiao Xin still couldn’t quite master the local way of telling time; she wore a small, delicate mechanical watch and preferred to check that instead. She had given Lin Qing a matching one, a couple’s set.
Since they hadn’t really cooked a proper meal since arriving, they decided to prepare the rabbit from the trap for lunch. They braised half in soy sauce and made the other half spicy, adding chunks of potato and serving it with flatbread. Both of them ate until they were completely satisfied.
After resting for a while, they secured the courtyard gate and the front door before slipping into the dimension to continue harvesting the fruit they hadn’t finished the day before. They also gathered the cucumbers, string beans, and eggplants that had ripened in the meantime, working steadily until nightfall before finally exiting to rest.
“Ah Qing, I think the wheat and corn in the space will be ready for harvest tomorrow,” Qiao Xin noted. “Once we harvest the wheat and mill it into flour, I’ll use it to make noodles, buns, and steamed rolls to store in the space for our journey.”
“Sounds good. I’ll help, too. We don’t have much else pressing right now, so let’s start our mornings with the Body Tempering Technique, then tackle the work in the space. Once we have a harvest, we can start cooking and storing ready-to-eat meals.”
“Mhm. And the chickens, ducks, and geese on the mountain should be laying eggs by now. Remember, we need to go gather those tomorrow.”
“Time is plentiful in the space, and we’ll get it all done. Don’t worry so much. Get some sleep now; tomorrow morning, we start with our training.”
The two closed their eyes and drifted into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning, as the eastern sky began to glow with layers of golden light, they awoke. With a quick movement, they entered the dimension to begin their day. They started with an hour of practicing the twenty-one stances of the Body Tempering Technique, followed by sparring to quickly master the nuances of each movement while their physical fitness continued to improve.
However, their appetites had grown just as fast. Fifteen large steamed buns, eight youtiao, five egg-stuffed crepes, two roujiamo (meat-stuffed flatbreads), two cups of soy milk, and two bowls of beef stew—they polished it all off, finishing the meal with a plate of cherries each.
At this rate, the ready-to-eat food Qiao Xin had hoarded wouldn’t last nearly as long as she had expected.