When Xueli heard Yunxi say she was temporarily living in the wild mountains two days’ journey from Nanling City, she immediately got anxious.
She knew how dangerous the refugees outside the city could be—she had heard that in extreme hunger, some would even resort to cannibalism. She didn’t want Yunxi to step outside Nanling City at all.
Xueli didn’t know why she cared so much for a half-stranger little sister, but she simply didn’t want her to be in danger.
“Xi’er, why don’t you just stay in Nanling City? You’re so beautiful; I’m worried about you outside.”
Yunxi had kept her appearance neat today, wearing only a silk scarf. She smiled at Xueli and patted her chest. “Don’t worry, sister! My husband is extremely skilled in martial arts. With him around, I’m completely safe.”
Xueli glanced at the man outside. He stood straight like a pine, with a strong, upright posture—a trained fighter. On top of that, he radiated a kind of righteous aura, not evil, but a strong sense of justice.
Seeing them chatting happily, Nangong An decided to go ahead to the livestock market to buy a horse.
By the time Yunxi was ready to leave, Xueli had packed her up with large bundles.
Yunxi looked at the silk and satin and said, “Sister, we don’t need these. We have enough clothes to change into. Carrying more would just be a burden.”
Xueli thought about it and agreed, giving her a few rolls of coarse cloth and cotton, plus some scraps for the refugee families preparing to settle—just a small contribution.
“Before we leave, we’ll come back to see you and say goodbye,” Yunxi said.
As she turned to leave, she suddenly remembered they hadn’t bought the horse and carriage yet. She smacked her head. “Oh no! We were chatting and forgot the horse and carriage!”
Just then, a carriage stopped at the fabric shop entrance. The driver was Nangong An.
“Is this the carriage you bought? I thought you said you had no silver?”
She realized belatedly—since his subordinates had come to him and he’d regained his memory, of course he had money! Another expense saved.
Nangong An, guessing her thoughts, quickly said, “Let’s load our things and go. If we don’t leave soon, it’ll be dark.”
He began moving their supplies onto the carriage. Seeing the stocked grain, Yunxi was impressed—Nangong An had really thought things through.
After bidding Xueli farewell, they set off toward the city gate.
Outside the city, Yunxi asked, “Do we take the carriage slowly back, or fly like we did coming here?”
Before Nangong An could reply, Yunxi continued, “Or… let’s put the carriage in the space, stay there tonight, and tomorrow find a mountain to hunt some wild food. How about that?”
Seeing her bright eyes, Nangong An knew she was already thinking about the wild food in the mountains.
“Alright!” he said.
Before his words even finished, the carriage and themselves entered the mysterious space.
Although he had seen Yunxi use the space countless times, witnessing items vanish or appear, being inside it for the first time left him amazed. He couldn’t believe she could bring him in without hiding anything.
Looking out at the vast grassland, he noticed there were no buildings. “Where are we sleeping tonight?”
Yunxi seemed to read his thoughts and muttered to herself, “Tonight, let’s just use the sky as our blanket and the ground as our bed. Someday, I’ll have my dream little home.”
“Master, if you put items for sale in your supermarket or put rare animals in the space, they can level up. Once leveled, anything is possible!” K’er’s voice suddenly spoke.
Yunxi got excited at the mention of leveling up. “So… can I put anything in there?”
K’er nodded seriously. “Yes, Master!”
Yunxi turned to Nangong An excitedly. “How about we spend the next few days hunting in the mountains? Going back and forth to Nanling City takes five or six days anyway. We might as well do something big during that time!”
Nangong An always agreed with her, but he missed her cooking already.
“I want white-cut chicken,” he suddenly said.
Yunxi was momentarily stunned, then quickly replied, “White-cut chicken? Easy! I’ll make it right away.”
Nangong An walked the horse around the grassland while Yunxi got cooking tools from the supermarket and prepared a hearty dinner.
Even the recently born little tiger, having absorbed the space’s energy, had opened its eyes and stumbled around the grass.
Within an incense stick’s time, the table was set with white-cut chicken, tiger-skin green peppers, cucumber salad, and sour beef soup.
“Come eat, Nangong An!” Yunxi called.
He dashed over, already distracted by the food’s aroma. Though he had hot meals during their journey, something had always felt missing. He missed life on the cliffside—living side by side, eating three meals a day, with a regular routine. That life was his dream.
He suddenly didn’t want to return to the north, but his mission awaited. Could he avoid it?
“Why aren’t you eating, Nangong An? Is today’s meal not good?” Yunxi asked, noticing him staring at the dishes.
“No, it’s perfect! Xi’er, your cooking is the best. I could eat it forever and never get tired.” He picked up some chicken, dipped it in the sauce, and ate. Then another piece, and another—he couldn’t stop.
“What’s this? It’s delicious! Spicy, fragrant, goes perfectly with rice.” Nangong An picked up a tiger-skin pepper.
Yunxi smiled. “That’s tiger-skin green pepper, my favorite. You like it? I’ll make it often for you.”
For the last dish, Yunxi ate a portion, and Nangong An finished the rest.
After dinner, Yunxi washed the dishes while Nangong An set up the tent—they’d stay in the tent tonight.
After washing, Yunxi smelled her clothes—sweaty. She looked at the creek and then at Nangong An.
“Nangong An, I want to take a bath. Don’t peek!”
He saw her curvy figure, but still tried to speak modestly. “You’re so tiny, there’s hardly any meat. Nothing to look at. I won’t watch.”
Yunxi looked at her full chest, slim waist, and smooth skin. “Hardly any meat?” she scoffed. Men…
Ignoring him, she took her fresh clothes and headed toward the creek.