With the separation document in hand, a heavy burden finally lifted from Chen Zhiwei’s heart.
From now on, she could act freely.
“Sis… from now on… we’re really going to live on our own?” Chen Zhiyi sat on the doorstep, sipping the hot water his sister had boiled in the chipped clay pot. He looked up at her, his eyes filled with both uncertainty about the future and confusion about cutting ties with their aunt’s family. “And… Auntie’s family… they used to secretly give us food whenever they visited…”
“Your aunt is a good person,” Chen Zhiwei said gently. “But she’s still Grandma’s daughter. I don’t want her to be caught in the middle because of us. If we live well in the future, we can repay her kindness. But as for those who take advantage of us—don’t expect to get anything ever again.”
“Mhm.” Chen Zhiyi nodded firmly. He and his sister worked hard, and now that his sister was so strong, the two of them would surely build a good life.
They cooked another pot of porridge, but the coarse grains they had received during the division were almost gone. Living off what they had would never last.
Chen Zhiwei decided to try her luck in the mountains.
Living by the mountain meant relying on it. With her strength, she could hunt—or gather herbs.
“Zhiyi, stay at home and bolt the door. I’ll go into the mountains and see if I can find something to eat.”
She stood up and tucked the only chipped firewood knife they had into her waist.
“Sis, it’s dangerous in the mountains! There are wolves—and tigers!” Chen Zhiyi immediately grabbed her sleeve, his small face full of worry. Their father had disappeared in the mountains; to him, it was a place of fear.
“Don’t worry. I’ll just stay around the outer edges, not go deep inside,” Chen Zhiwei reassured him with a smile, flexing her seemingly slender but powerful arm. “With my strength, ordinary beasts won’t get close.”
“Stay home and don’t open the door for anyone. Wait for me to come back.”
After settling her brother, Chen Zhiwei slung a simple cloth bundle over her shoulder and resolutely left the hut.
She didn’t take the usual path villagers used. Instead, she chose a more remote trail, dense with vegetation.
She needed to avoid people. Though they meant well, she didn’t want to hear endless warnings about staying away from the mountains.
Early summer in the forest was lush and vibrant, the air fresh and cool. Chen Zhiwei took a deep breath, feeling the growing strength in her body nourished by the spiritual spring water. Carefully, she pushed through thorns and brush, alert to her surroundings while scanning the ground for useful plants.
Before long, her eyes lit up.
Several clusters of thick-leaved wild vegetables came into view—shepherd’s purse and purslane. She crouched down and skillfully dug them up with her knife, careful not to damage the roots. With a thought, she stored them directly into the small plot of land inside her space.
To her delight, once inside, the vegetables appeared fresher and more vibrant, faintly surrounded by the white mist, as if being nourished.
“So the space can preserve freshness—and maybe even promote growth!” she thought excitedly.
It was like a portable storage and high-efficiency farm combined!
Continuing onward, she found a patch of wild yams, their vines tangled together. After some effort, she dug up several thick roots and stored them as well. Along the way, she set a few simple snare traps, hoping to catch a rabbit or pheasant.
Just as she was focused on setting a trap, a rustling sound came from nearby bushes, accompanied by heavy breathing.
Chen Zhiwei’s heart tightened. She immediately became alert, gripping her knife.
The next moment—
A half-grown wild boar burst out of the brush!
Its tusks jutted outward, its eyes bloodshot. It seemed startled and was pawing the ground restlessly.
Chen Zhiwei’s scalp tingled.
She hadn’t expected to encounter something this dangerous even at the outskirts. Running was impossible. Climbing a tree was too late.
The boar spotted her, let out a low growl, and charged forward with explosive speed, carrying a foul wind with it.
At that critical moment, Chen Zhiwei became calm instead.
Her past-life combat training and this body’s instinct awakened at once. She locked her gaze on the charging boar, calculating distance, the power within her surging wildly.
At the instant the boar was about to hit—
She stepped diagonally forward, dodging its tusks at a sharp angle. At the same time, she poured all her strength into her right arm, and the firewood knife sliced through the air, striking hard at the side of the boar’s neck!
Thud!
The blade sank deep into flesh.
But the boar’s momentum was too strong, its hide too thick. The blow wasn’t fatal—it only enraged it further.
“ROAR—!”
With a furious cry, the boar shook its head violently, sending the knife flying and knocking Chen Zhiwei off balance.
Wounded, it turned and charged again—more frenzied than before!
There was no time to retrieve the knife.
The tusks were already upon her.
Chen Zhiwei’s pupils contracted. Instinct drove her forward instead of back. With a low shout, she gathered all her strength into both fists and struck directly at the boar’s head!
BANG!
A heavy, dull impact echoed like striking leather.
Her arms trembled violently, and the recoil sent her flying backward. She slammed into a tree, her throat tightening as blood nearly rose.
But the raging boar—
Had its skull shattered by that single, overwhelming punch infused with the power of the spiritual spring.
It collapsed without even a final cry, twitching briefly before going still.
The forest fell silent once more.
Only Chen Zhiwei’s heavy breathing remained.
Leaning against the tree, she took a long moment to recover. Looking at the massive boar—easily over a hundred pounds—she felt both lingering fear and overwhelming exhilaration.
That punch… far exceeded her expectations.
The spiritual spring didn’t just improve her body—it amplified her strength tremendously.
After resting, she approached the carcass. There was no way she could drag such a large animal back—it would attract too much attention.
She focused her mind, imagining storing it in her space.
In the next instant, the boar vanished—
Reappearing inside her ten-square-meter space, taking up nearly half the area.
“So it works!” she exhaled in relief.
This space was truly a treasure.
She also gathered some common hemostatic herbs nearby and stored them. Seeing that it was getting late, she didn’t dare go deeper and returned the way she came.
On the way back, she was pleasantly surprised to find one of her snares had caught a plump gray rabbit. She stored it as well and quickened her pace home.
Near the foot of the mountain, she found a secluded spot and took out the rabbit, along with some vegetables and yams, placing them into her basket. The boar was too large—she’d sell it in town tomorrow.
When she arrived at the hut carrying a full basket, Chen Zhiyi, who had been anxiously waiting, ran out immediately.
“Sis! You’re back! Are you okay?” He looked her over, noticing her messy clothes stained with dirt and leaves, his worry deepening.
“I’m fine. Look what I brought back.” Chen Zhiwei smiled, opening the bundle to reveal the fat rabbit and fresh vegetables.
Chen Zhiyi’s eyes widened in delight. “A rabbit! And vegetables! Sis, you’re amazing!”
That night, the long-lost aroma of meat drifted out from the thatched hut.
Chen Zhiwei stewed rabbit meat with wild vegetables in the clay pot, adding spiritual spring water and yam. The rich fragrance filled the air.
The siblings ate their fill. Chen Zhiyi’s little belly was round with food, his pale face glowing with happiness.
Meanwhile, in the Chen family home, they ate their coarse rice, smelling the tempting aroma drifting over, grumbling endlessly:
“Who’s that? Acting like it’s New Year, eating meat like that—don’t they want to live till tomorrow?!”