Just as Ye Qingning was about to leave the house to pack up and depart, she heard a knock at the door.
Using her spatial perception, she quickly identified the little girl outside from her memories.
Lorin.
The daughter of her father’s classmate and close friend, as well as her own classmate and playmate.
But why had she come at this time? Her whole body was trembling, and she kept looking around nervously, clearly afraid of being discovered.
“Qingning.” When Lorin saw the door open, her face lit up with excitement, but she immediately covered her mouth in fear.
Ye Qingning stepped aside to let her in.
Lorin burst into tears. “Qingning, I thought you were dead.”
“I hid.”
“In the wardrobe where we used to play hide-and-seek, right? I heard they didn’t catch you, so I guessed it. Thank goodness you’re alive…”
“Mm.”
“These past two days, there were still soldiers around. I didn’t dare come.” As she spoke, Lorin hurriedly took out a piece of bread from her pocket and handed it to Ye Qingning. “Are you hungry? I brought you some bread.”
“I’m not hungry. My mom left me some food.”
Even so, Ye Qingning still took the bread.
“Do you want to come to my house?”
Ye Qingning shook her head.
“Then I’ll bring you bread every day from now on. I’ll save some milk for you too.”
“I’m going back to my country.”
“What?! Go back? How will you get there? Do you know any adults who can take you?”
“I’ll go by myself!”
“Qingning, we’re just children. We can’t go that far—we won’t make it.” Lorin shook her head desperately, her face full of fear and worry. She grabbed Ye Qingning’s hand, trying to stop her. “Qingning, my parents said our country is at war too. It’s very chaotic. Just stay here.”
“I want to go back and find my family.”
“But…”
“Don’t try to persuade me. Go home quickly, or Uncle Luo and the others will worry.”
Lorin fell silent. Qingning had always been braver than her. Whenever she was bullied at school, it was Qingning who stood up for her.
No one dared to bully Qingning.
But when Qingning wasn’t around, the others bullied her even more. She didn’t dare fight back, afraid it would implicate her parents.
Even when something happened to Qingning’s family, she didn’t dare come.
She was a coward.
“I… is there anything I can help you with?”
Ye Qingning looked at her hopeful eyes, thought for a moment, and said, “Can you bring me a few newspapers from the past couple of days?”
Lorin’s eyes lit up. “I can! I’ll come again tonight!”
She came in a hurry and left just as quickly.
After seeing Lorin off, Ye Qingning stored the bread in her space and placed it on Little Qingning’s desk.
Right now, she needed to have a proper meal and get some rest. Tomorrow, she would set off on her journey home.
When Lorin returned that night, she carried a large cloth bag.
“Why so many things?”
“My dad brought me here. He’s waiting outside.” Lorin paused, then opened the bag. “There are recent newspapers, food… and I brought my Mickey Mouse too.”
“I can’t take the Mickey Mouse. That’s your favorite piggy bank.”
She could tell the money inside wasn’t just Lorin’s.
“Qingning, I’m very weak… but I want to help you. You’re my only best friend.”
“As long as you want to, you can become stronger. When I find my family, I’ll think of a way to contact you.”
“Mm. It’s okay if you don’t. As long as you live well, that’s enough. I don’t want anything to happen to you… Are you really leaving?”
“Yes. I’m leaving tomorrow.” Seeing Lorin’s tears falling more and more, Ye Qingning added, “We’ll always be friends.”
“Pinky promise.”
“Pinky promise.”
Lorin left gloomily.
Ye Qingning didn’t feel much about the separation.
She looked around the place. It was a small apartment with two bedrooms and one living room.
The living room was furnished with old Baroque-style furniture, with decorative paintings hanging on the walls.
On the extendable table in the living room lay half-assembled building blocks—a wooden castle, most likely.
In her parents’ bedroom stood a large bookshelf, though several books were scattered on the floor. Aside from a vase with wilted flowers, the desk had been completely cleared.
There wasn’t a single bit of money left in the house.
Ye Qingning collected everything in almost an instant.
She didn’t even spare the pots, bowls, and utensils in the kitchen.
Gathering items seemed surprisingly easy. She didn’t feel any noticeable energy consumption.
Could it be because of the life-type space?
She took out a sack of scarves and hats, then tossed them into her ability space. As expected, using her ability space consumed energy.
Moreover, her spatial perception far exceeded what it had been when she was at level one…
No, back then she hadn’t even learned spatial perception yet.
The Zombie King had taught her—but there was no need to dwell on that.
In any case, her perception range now far surpassed the initial hundred-meter diameter she once had. It extended to a full kilometer.
A faint smile appeared on Ye Qingning’s lips. This would make it much easier for her to live freely in this era, wouldn’t it?
At night, she slept inside her space. Only there was absolutely safe.
Before sleeping, she read the newspapers Lorin had brought and gained a general understanding of the current situation.
She didn’t remember all the history of this era.
When the alarm rang, Ye Qingning ate breakfast and exited her space.
The hallway was clearly more lively now.
She directly used spatial teleportation and spatial invisibility—each lasting about five minutes, which was enough.
She walked downstairs as if no one else existed. After all, no one could see her.
Unexpectedly, Little Qingning knew the local language. Aside from her mother tongue, Ye Qingning herself knew no other languages.
She had studied the Mist Country language for years but could only speak a few simple phrases.
Of course, it wasn’t because she wasn’t smart—she was just lazy.
Yes, just lazy.
“I wonder where that kid from across the hall went. That couple was really pitiful—so unjust.”
“Yeah, all because their names appeared in someone else’s diary.”
Hearing this, Ye Qingning felt a brief moment of heaviness, but she quickly recovered.
She had already experienced too many partings between life and death.
“Even the landlord doesn’t dare come anymore, afraid of being implicated.”
“Yeah… so pitiful. I hope the child escaped.”
“I think I heard a door opening yesterday. Maya even went to report it, but no one paid her any attention.”
“They won’t even spare a child. That family was only dragged into it—such good people.”
“Sigh. I don’t know why there’s suddenly less food. Supplies have dropped a lot.”
“Could it be taken by the military…?”
“Who knows. Even the gold jewelry I usually wear is gone. Only silver and jade are left.”
“That’s strange. I’ve heard a lot of people say the same. Some even said their livestock disappeared.”
“The military is gathering. Maybe they’re investigating this?”
“Haven’t you read the newspapers these past two days? The war is about to continue.”
Hearing this, Ye Qingning only thought about hitching a ride back home. That had already been her idea when she read the newspapers yesterday.
Although she had relied partly on guessing, she could understand the spoken language, even if she didn’t recognize many written words.
She knew about the Maritime Silk Road. Following the westward route, she could take a ship from Boot Country back home.
Though, she actually preferred the overland Silk Road.
She had been thinking about the gold treasures of the Great Bear Country. In her previous life, she had mined quite a lot there. The Goat Country also had plenty.
But traveling overland alone would be too far for now—it would be better to hitch a ride.
Hitching rides might be slower, but she could stockpile supplies along the way.
As for Maya, she had happened to hear someone call that name earlier. Although she wasn’t sure if it was the same person, she would rather kill by mistake than let one slip.
So, she might as well clear out that household.
That family was rather messy anyway, with things scattered everywhere. Ye Qingning didn’t even want to look at them. She simply picked a corner in her storage space to dump all that “trash.”