At dawn, Yu Qiu stood in the rain-washed forest, her slender hand raised to shield her eyes from the morning sun. The fresh scent of damp earth and green leaves lingered at her nose.
After spending the night in the pitch-dark cave, it took her some time to adjust to the daylight. When her eyes had adapted, she lowered her hand and stretched lazily, her bright eyes sweeping across her surroundings.
Good heavens!
Not even bones were left!
Her stretch froze mid-motion. Yu Qiu stepped forward a few paces to look more closely.
Even the bloodstains had been washed away by the heavy rain overnight.
One rainfall, one gust of wind—it carried away the hidden dangers in the air. She dared not linger any longer. Though she had not witnessed last night’s carnage with her own eyes, just the sounds alone had been terrifying.
If it hadn’t rained, she had planned to wait another two days before coming out, just to be safer.
Since she had decided to live well, she would keep her head down when necessary. Nothing was more important than staying alive.
With this thought, she quickened her pace toward the outer edges of the mountain.
She remembered a small bamboo grove to the right of the mountain entrance. She could weave a basket there to carry things.
The deep mountains were full of treasures. Even just at the outer edges, untouched by humans for years, there were plenty of edible things to be found.
Among the foods revealed to the world by the nine great city lords over the past century, aside from what could be cultivated, more than half originated from these mountains.
Wild vegetables and fruits alone accounted for nearly half of all known edible varieties.
This gave ordinary people no real choice—just enough food to keep them from starving, never enough to live well, and certainly not enough to risk their lives or rebel.
Since no one dared enter the mountains, no one knew that many of these edible plants grew right here in these perilous ranges.
The world simply called them “scarce.”
As she walked, Yu Qiu broke off a thick mutated willow branch, folding it several times. She used it to scrape the mud from her shoes.
She didn’t discard the mud-stained branch. After rain, the ground was so sticky that her feet constantly gathered mud. After a while, she would need to scrape it again.
Using her powers to clear a path to step on, she carried on. Her coarse linen clothes proved handy—she took off her outer layer and used it to hold dozens of red fruits. She ate as she walked, not caring that her shoes were caked in mud.
It was a pity she hadn’t gotten a good look at the mutant beasts. She wondered whether they were edible.
With her powers, she moved comfortably through the forest—picking fruits, gathering wild vegetables. Thinking of the two skinny siblings and the frail woman waiting outside, she hastened her steps.
Outside the mountain.
“You all heard the noises last night, didn’t you?” Village head He sighed, gazing at the distant mountain ridges. He shook his head and said, “That girl didn’t want to burden everyone, so she went into the mountains. We’ve waited here all night, and she still hasn’t come out. I’m afraid…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but everyone understood.
Madam Li coughed softly and looked at the two children beside her.
The older was eleven, the younger nine.
If she were gone, the two children would have to fend for themselves.
The villagers were kindhearted, but in times like these, even keeping their own families fed was difficult. At best, each household might share a little food to keep the children alive, but no more.
“It’s our Wei family’s misfortune that we couldn’t protect her. Since she was already registered as my eldest son’s wife, she is now part of our family. We’ll set up a memorial grave for her back in the village, to be buried in name alongside Ah Shi…” Madam Li’s gaze on her younger son and daughter was full of love and sorrow.
Her eldest, Wei Shi, had been conscripted two years ago. No word had come back since.
Still, she clung to a sliver of hope.
Her husband had passed away years earlier, leaving her to struggle alone with the children. Then their village had been attacked by beasts, forcing them to flee with the others.
It had taken five long years to reclaim enough land to settle, only for them to be forcibly sent back to their place of origin.
Such hardships had worn her body down. She endured only so her children could grow older. When she met Yu Qiu, it was on impulse. After watching her for a few days and finding her a good girl, she had used precious grain to buy her—making a girl not yet of age a widow.
“Keep her name. Thank you, village head.” Madam Li suddenly looked much older.
The two children lowered their heads, shoulders trembling as they wept silently.
Village head He only sighed, waved his hand, and returned to his tent full of sympathy.
“After a night of rest, everyone prepare. Let’s hurry while the sun isn’t too hot. We still have half a day’s journey. Just a little longer.”
In the group, a girl about Yu Qiu’s age raised her hand nervously, bit her lip, and mustered the courage to ask, “Village head, aren’t we waiting for that girl?”
With one person speaking up, others quickly followed.
“Yeah, she hasn’t come back yet. She only went in so we wouldn’t be burdened…”
“Let’s wait a bit longer. Maybe—maybe she’ll return? She didn’t look like someone with short fate. Let’s wait.”
“She even lured the thugs away for us!”
Qingshan Village had never been large. Being near the mountains, it often suffered beast attacks. Those who could had already moved to the town, leaving only a dozen households behind.
After years of forced relocations and conscription, fewer than a hundred of the villagers here were from Qingshan.
The other hundred or so were from neighboring villages who had suffered the same fate. They had banded together to strengthen their group and reduce danger.
Seeing no one object, village head He agreed. That girl had known the group had few able-bodied men, and seeing those four thugs, she hadn’t wanted to hold them back. She had run off alone, even lured the thugs away. They ought to wait for her.
He had only urged departure because most of the group were old, weak, women, and children. They had already risked much waiting all night. The beasts’ roars last night had been terrifying enough.
Yet not a single person suggested leaving. They were kind, grateful people.
Of course, some were unhappy after waiting an extra night, but none dared speak against it, afraid of earning a bad reputation.
“Let’s pack up the tents while we wait. That way, it won’t slow us down.” Saying this, village head He began folding his own tent.
Just then, Wei He tugged at Madam Li’s sleeve. “Mother, is that my sister-in-law?”
Beside him, Wei Miao had already rushed out, shouting as she ran: “Sister-in-law!” Her face was smiling, though her eyes brimmed with tears.
Though they hadn’t spent much time together, after a night of worry and suddenly seeing her appear, Wei Miao couldn’t hold back her emotions.
Yu Qiu had arrived while the girl about her age was still speaking. Hearing their words, her heart warmed, leaving her weak and unable to move another step.
This feeling—of not being abandoned—she had found again, even in this strange world.
The original girl had been good, worth such remembrance.
As the little girl ran toward her, Yu Qiu’s expression grew a bit awkward. She almost couldn’t meet those worried eyes.
For the girl was running to someone who was no longer there. Yu Qiu was only a wandering soul from another world, who had crossed through countless spaces and times, and seized this body at the moment of death to go on living.