A stone knife was not as good as scissors, so it was not suitable for handling hair. Jiang Li ended up with a short haircut that was uneven and jagged—more like it had been chewed off by a dog—but she did not care at all.
After washing up, and without a mirror, she could only use the water surface in the bucket as a reflection, barely making out her appearance.
It was the same face she had in reality. But here, due to malnutrition and recovery from severe illness, her body was thin as a reed, and her skin carried an unhealthy pale, slightly bluish tone.
Jiang Li had a pair of sharp, striking phoenix eyes. The slightly upturned outer corners made her gaze look cold and distant when half-lidded, giving an unapproachable impression.
Her face was small, and with her emaciated state, the bones of her jaw were clearly visible.
It was a beautiful face. Even in reality, it had caused her, from a poor background, quite a bit of trouble.
Now that this face had come to this world, it had become a dangerous blade pointed at her instead.
Jiang Li finally understood why the original body had disguised herself as a man, bound her chest, and kept herself dirty and unremarkable.
It was because in this world, women with even a bit of beauty could not survive.
Now with short hair, her already sharp phoenix eyes became even more cutting, carrying a faint androgynous intimidation.
If her frame were slightly larger, no one would doubt she was a girl at all.
Jiang Li tossed the coarse cloth into the still water bucket, sending ripples across the surface and splashing a few drops of water.
‘Get stronger.’
Her desire to become stronger reached its peak.
She took out the bag of mushrooms distributed from the mine, ate four pieces along the way, leaving six remaining. The food from the morning pouch was also still half left.
It was more than enough to support one meditation session.
The orange-red glow of the fireplace cast her shadow onto the uneven cave wall. Jiang Li sat cross-legged on the wooden bed beside the hearth and closed her eyes, entering meditation.
Each time she meditated, it was never pleasant.
Meditation meant purging impurities from the blood, strengthening flesh, bones, and spirit.
This time was even more unbearable than before. She could clearly hear the grinding of bones and the tearing sounds of flesh being broken down and reformed.
It hurt—so much that several times she almost could not endure it and wanted to stop.
But the moment she thought of giving up, the desire to become stronger would immediately suppress everything else.
As long as she could survive, she could endure any pain.
That thought sustained her through the long hours of meditation that lasted deep into the night.
‘Hungry!’
Jiang Li was once again forcibly pulled out of meditation by overwhelming hunger. She could even taste a metallic rust-like flavor in her throat.
She had been prepared this time and immediately grabbed the food beside the bed, stuffing it into her mouth.
Chewing mechanically, she checked her status panel while eating.
To her surprise, her stamina had increased by two points this time.
[Stamina: 7]
Jiang Li quickly understood why.
Meditation was part of it, but more importantly, she had been exercising every day, pushing her body to exhaustion before meditating—doubling the effect.
These past days, she had been hauling logs and stones, and mining, pushing both her physical and mental limits.
Ordinary people, after such intense exertion, would suffer physical damage. But she could recover through meditation.
Jiang Li flexed her empty hand—clenching and releasing it repeatedly.
Compared to the last meditation session, the improvement was obvious. She could clearly feel her strength increasing.
Tasks that once required half an hour to move a single log now took less than half that time.
‘Everything about meditation is good, except that it consumes too much food.’
She had already finished all six pieces of dried mushroom, yet she was only about sixty percent full. She forced herself to stop eating and stored away the remaining half-pound of cockroach beast jerky.
She had to save the jerky for the next morning, since tomorrow she would no longer receive the newbie starter supply bag.
After eating both jerky and dried mushrooms, she also noticed a key difference.
Mushrooms were filling, but far less energy-dense than meat.
A person still needed meat.
She glanced toward the back of the cave, thinking of the bucket of Withered Leaping Frog meat, and couldn’t help but swallow.
Tomorrow, she absolutely had to trade for purification mushrooms.
She looked through the small ventilation opening in the door at the outside world. It was pitch black—darkness like a living thing that seemed capable of devouring everything. Even the light from the fireplace spilling through the vent could not illuminate anything beyond the door.
However, the firelight was not useless. She could see gray mist writhing in the darkness.
It stopped several meters outside the shelter, as if blocked by an invisible barrier.
Jiang Li felt a chill run through her.
She did not dare look further and withdrew her gaze, lying back down on the bed.
The bed was just a hard wooden plank with no mattress or blanket. Yet with the warmth from the fireplace, it still felt comfortable.
When Jiang Li woke up, the darkness outside had faded, and faint light filtered through the ventilation opening into the cave.
She took out the charcoal from the fireplace, finished her remaining food, and waited by the door. Only when daylight had fully arrived did she open it.
Originally, she had planned to gather materials to upgrade the shelter in the morning. But remembering how she had nearly failed to return from the mine due to a disaster beast attack, she decided to go to the mine first.
The mine was full of accidents. She could not guarantee that if she upgraded the shelter in the morning and went to work in the afternoon, she would still make it back before nightfall. If she were caught outside after dark, she would die for sure.
She had survived these past three days only because of the shelter’s protection.
Night was far more dangerous than day. She could not afford even a hint of optimism.
Jiang Li slung her empty bag over her back and left home, first heading to the Starfire Village trading post.
She had nothing to trade. Yesterday she had already told Huang Tao that her stone axe and stone knife were all she had left.
If she tried to sell another stone axe, it would only raise suspicion.
So this time she came to inquire about the price of purification mushrooms. After returning from the mine, she would decide what to exchange for them.
Unfortunately, she arrived at a bad time again. Huang Tao was not at the trading post; the door was closed, with a sign hanging outside reading: “Out for restocking.”
Just as she was about to leave, she noticed a woman walking toward the trading post.
Among the three women, the one with slightly curled hair—Du Meiqin—approached.
When Du Meiqin saw her, her expression turned surprised.
Jiang Li could tell that the woman was not surprised that she had returned alive from the mine, but rather by her change.
“I almost didn’t recognize you…” Du Meiqin said, unable to hide her astonishment.
The young man in front of her was slightly taller than yesterday, and no longer as frighteningly thin. More importantly, his scent had changed—yesterday it had been foul and overwhelming, but now although there was still a smell, it was much less unpleasant.
Jiang Li was not surprised that she could notice.
From their first meeting, she had already realized that this woman had unusually sharp observational skills and a careful, perceptive mind.