Su Yi ran out of the city gates and leaned against the wall to rest for a moment. Once her breathing steadied, she took a few sips of spiritual spring water to recover her strength. Having barely rested the entire day, she had long since grown exhausted.
Within ten minutes, Su Yi was back to full health. Hurrying along the path, she made sure to distance herself from any other travelers; after all, starting a car later on would make quite a bit of noise.
Only a scattering of starlight accompanied her journey, with the occasional cry of an unknown bird making the dark night feel even more eerie. But Su Yi wasn’t afraid. If she ran into danger, she had weapons in hand, her immense strength, and a guaranteed escape route.
Just as she reached a secluded area and prepared to teleport her car out, two figures suddenly burst out from the woods.
“Stop right there! Hand over everything valuable, or don’t blame us for getting rough!” Both men were tall, but one had a face full of fierce flesh while the other was skin and bones. Both held long blades. The one as thin as a monkey glared savagely at Su Yi as he spoke.
Su Yi hadn’t expected that she would actually run into highwaymen. She looked at the two bandits; they weren’t threatening at all, just a matter of a few moves!
“Perfect timing to practice my skills and see who’s really robbing whom!” Su Yi thought to herself. She kept her inner thoughts hidden from her face—if those two bandits could hear her, they’d probably laugh. How strong could a defenseless-looking little girl be?
“Two big brothers, I don’t have any money. All my things are in this back basket, I’ll give it all to you, just let me go, okay?” Su Yi feigned absolute terror. Her body trembled slightly, and her voice carried a distinct sob.
The other fat bandit waved his blade impatiently at Su Yi and barked, “Cut the crap! Put the stuff down, now!” As he spoke, he stepped closer and closer to her.
Just as the fat bandit closed in, Su Yi grinned, finally dropping the act. A wood-chopping machete instantly appeared in her hand. Quick as lightning, she thrust it fiercely straight into his thigh. Blood spurted immediately. With a wretched scream, the fat man collapsed straight to the ground.
“How about that? Scared yet? You actually dared to rob me!” Su Yi said with a smug, mocking look directed at the skinny monkey.
Seeing his boss injured, the skinny bandit furiously swung his large blade at Su Yi. Su Yi didn’t panic at all. Dodging nimbly to the side, she used the momentum to slash at his shoulder, scoring a direct hit! The skinny man was in so much pain he dropped his blade and hurriedly clutched his wound.
The fat-and-skinny duo had originally thought a young girl would be an easy mark to rob. Even if she had no money, at worst they could just kidnap her and sell her off. They never expected Su Yi to be a hidden expert; they had completely botched this operation. The arrogant swagger they possessed moments ago was entirely gone, leaving them howling in pain on the ground.
“Still want to rob me? Is there really nothing better you can do with your days?” Su Yi looked down at them with a face full of disappointed exasperation. As she spoke, she began frisking them for money.
“We don’t dare! We don’t dare, Great Auntie!”
Su Yi weighed the money she had looted from them in her hand; it was actually quite a bit! She left them a tiny amount of change, worried they might die from their wounds if they couldn’t afford a doctor. In truth, Su Yi still didn’t have the stomach to kill anyone, she was just talking tough—after all, she had been raised in a modern society governed by law.
“Get lost! You won’t die from this! Take this bit of money to treat your wounds, and behave yourself from now on. If you commit crimes again in the future, you won’t be this lucky!” Su Yi spoke with earnest gravity. She had actually measured her strikes carefully and hadn’t used lethal force.
Hearing this, the two men nodded frantically and hobbled away, supporting each other.
Su Yi continued walking forward until she was absolutely certain no one else was nearby. Only then did she summon the car—an object completely alien to this world—and park it on the dark, shrouded road.
Stepping to the front of the vehicle, Su Yi gently caressed its body. “Fantastic! Even after landing in this place, I still have a car to drive!”
This car was a display model from the shopping mall, and she had several more in her space. Though she knew how to drive, she was still a novice; all the money she had earned in her past life had gone into buying a house, so she had only ever gotten her driver’s license. She was incredibly eager to drive.
Su Yi pulled open the door and sat in the driver’s seat, familiarizing herself with the controls before starting the engine. “Cubs! Come on out and take a ride in the car, let’s listen to some music!” Su Yi happily teleported Da Huang and Mimi out of the space and placed them in the back seat, letting them experience what it felt like to ride in an automobile. The moment the music switched on, the one human and two beasts grew even more excited.
Finally, the car set off! The engine roared to life, shattering the silent stillness of the night.
“Oh~ we’re riding a car home~” Mimi said happily. Da Huang nodded along from the side, as if agreeing with Mimi’s words. Su Yi caught their interaction through the rearview mirror and smiled warmly. At this moment, she felt completely content.
The car drove forward slowly, its tires leaving two distinct tracks on the dirt road. Su Yi was actually a bit nervous—after all, it had been years since she last touched a steering wheel—but fortunately, everything went smoothly.
As the car sped under the moonlight, Da Huang kept poking its little head out of the window in excitement, looking curiously at the scenery flying by. The wind continuously whipped the fur on its head into wild new hairstyles, and it let out joyful barks. Mimi, on the other hand, lay calmly on the seat with its eyes half-closed; after all, it was more familiar with the things inside the space than Su Yi was.
Su Yi hummed along softly to the music as she drove. The natural evening breeze drifted in through the window from time to time, making her feel exceptionally relaxed. The car traveled smoothly along the dirt road, its headlights illuminating the path ahead with brilliant clarity.
Before she knew it, the familiar thatched hut appeared before her eyes. Su Yi parked the car, opened the rear door, and let Da Huang and Mimi get down on their own. Now that they were home, the two of them could run around as wildly as they pleased.
Once Da Huang and Mimi were out, she stored the car back into her space. Su Yi pushed open the broken door to the pitch-black interior. She quickly brought out a light from her space to illuminate the room, and with a single thought, restored all the household furnishings to their original positions.
Su Yi placed food and spiritual spring water on the floor for Mimi and Da Huang, then went into her space to wash up. Once Mimi and Da Huang grew tired of playing, they would come back on their own to eat.
Inside the space, Su Yi soaked in a hot spring bath. Instantly, her spirit felt refreshed and her entire body relaxed. After slathering herself in luxury skincare products, she exited the space and lay down on her little earthen bed (kang).
By this time, Da Huang and Mimi had long since returned, finished their food, and curled up right next to Su Yi, refusing to leave.
“Alright, have it your way!” Su Yi said, pampering the two of them.
Thanks to the spiritual bath, Su Yi didn’t feel sleepy at all, so she spent her time planning what she would do the next day.
“Should I go find the village chief tomorrow and buy this plot of land? But buying it isn’t strictly necessary since I don’t want to clear large areas of wasteland. I’ll see what the chief says tomorrow; at the very least, I must secure ownership of this house!”
“I also need to repair this thatched hut and add two more rooms—a kitchen and a main hall. Then I’ll build the courtyard walls high and fence in a cozy little yard!”
Su Yi didn’t plan on living here long-term. If she wanted to make big money, she had to move to the city; commuting back and forth like she did today was simply too exhausting. Even the local town was far too small; she intended to develop her prospects in the county seat!
Repairing this place was solely because it was her first home in this alternate world. Moreover, if she ever wanted to return to the mountains in the future, she would have a place to stay. After all, she hadn’t gathered nearly enough treasures from the deep forest yet; she would definitely come back to stay from time to time.
With these thoughts swirling in her head, Su Yi began drafting her grand blueprints for the future inside a peaceful dream.