GRUMBLE, GRUMBLE...
Just as Gu Qingli was lost in thought, her stomach rumbled at an inopportune mont.
She realized that she hadn’t eaten since last night.
She had been so busy she’d completely forgotten her usual habit of three als a day, as regular as clockwork.
There was no food in the Space, so Gu Qingli could only retrieve a piece of fruit and begin to eat it slowly, taking gentle bites.
After about the ti it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Wuqing, Yun No. 18, and Yun No. 20 woke up one after another.
"Here, have so fruit to tide you over. This rain doesn’t look like it’ll stop anyti soon," Gu Qingli whispered, stuffing three large apples into each of their arms.
Their eyes lit up. They nodded and, like her, ate the fruit slowly and quietly.
After the four of them finished eating, they all leaned against the stone wall to rest.
The rain outside was heavy, and even inside, they could hear the downpour, the clamor of the villagers, and the whining of children.
"Eh? It’s so spacious in here! Let’s go in quickly." Just then, a few villagers stumbled in. Seeing how roomy it was, one of them shouted to those still outside.
Seeing people co in, Wuqing and the other two imdiately moved closer to Gu Qingli.
"It’s you, second daughter? It’s so wide in here, why didn’t you call out? The rain blowing in from outside has soaked more than half the cave," Aunt Tian said, her tone not very friendly, as she held a four or five-year-old child.
Gu Qingli glanced at her and said coolly, "I’m sorry, Aunt Tian. We didn’t see you."
Gu Dagen, Aunt Tian’s husband, found a place to set down their kerosene lamp, then walked over to Aunt Tian. He nudged her with his elbow and took the sleeping child from her.
Only then did Aunt Tian realize how unpleasant her words had sounded. She glanced at Gu Qingli and her servants. When she saw Wuqing’s murderous gaze, a shiver ran down her spine, and she couldn’t help but tremble.
Good heavens, that girl’s gaze is so fierce, like she wants to kill soone.
She believed that if she uttered another few words, that girl would definitely beat her up.
Only then did she understand why her husband had nudged her—to tell her to shut up.
What a close call!
Aunt Tian withdrew her gaze and obediently walked over to her husband.
People continued to trickle into the cave until it was almost packed full.
As more people crowded in, the air inside the cave grew foul. It wasn’t just stuffy; the sll was overwhelmingly sour and pungent.
The stench made Gu Qingli feel nauseous.
"Let’s go out."
The three of them nodded, and Yun No. 20 picked up their kerosene lamp and dicine box, once again leading the way.
"Hey, why are you going out again? It’s still raining, and it’s cold out there!" an auntie remarked as she imdiately claid their vacated spot.
Gu Qingli didn’t respond, holding her breath and hurrying out.
Once outside, Gu Qingli took a deep breath.
The rain outside was still as ferocious as before.
The villagers who remained outside huddled as close to the stone wall as possible, hugging their knees, their worried eyes staring blankly at the torrential rain.
This is a path to ruin.
With such heavy rain, any grain salvaged from the ruins would be inedible. And it looked like it would snow soon. How were they to survive without food, shelter, or warm clothes?
Will any crops in the fields survive such a torrential downpour?
WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH...
A gust of cold wind and rain blew in, making Gu Qingli shiver.
"Miss." Wuqing looked at her lady with concern. She too had returned empty-handed; all their belongings were buried in the ruins.
All their belongings had been packed and ready, but they hadn’t expected the Earthworm to strike so suddenly, leaving them no ti to move everything out.
Gu Qingli shook her head and walked towards the spot Yun No. 20 and the others had cleared, then sat down.
The three of them sat in front of her, shielding her from the wind and rain.
Wuqing quietly pressed a palm to Gu Qingli’s back, secretly transferring a bit of internal energy to her.
As the internal energy entered her body, a warm current flowed through Gu Qingli’s limbs and ridians, instantly warming her entire being.
She wasn’t cold anymore.
Gu Qingli looked at Wuqing and whispered in her ear, "Thank you."
Wuqing smiled, her lips pursed slightly.
The downpour continued relentlessly, only beginning to subside the following day.
At this point, many villagers, donning makeshift rain gear, went out to relieve themselves.
Even Gu Qingli couldn’t hold it any longer. She was so uncomfortable that her face had turned pale and her brow was tightly furrowed.
"Miss, shall I take you?" Wuqing whispered in her ear, seeing her distress.
Gu Qingli nodded.
If I hold it any longer, I’ll embarrass myself.
Wuqing imdiately picked her up and rushed out of the cave, dashing through the village and back to the woods behind their house.
In her two lifetis, this was the first ti Gu Qingli had relieved herself in such heavy rain. The rainwater seeped into her clothes, and the bone-chilling cold was simply unbearable.
Gu Qingli quickly finished and waited for Wuqing, who had also gone to relieve herself, to return.
"Miss, let’s get back to the cave quickly," Wuqing said, shielding her face from the rain as she ran towards her.
Gu Qingli looked at the two of them, drenched like drowned rats. Her own stomach was rumbling insistently. To have the Space and not use it, to endure this needless suffering... it’s really sothing else.
When Wuqing saw her neither speaking nor moving, she assud Gu Qingli was waiting to be carried. Just as Wuqing was about to pick her up, Gu Qingli spoke.
"Wuqing, close your eyes."
Wuqing froze, looking up at Gu Qingli, oblivious to the rain streaming down her face.
Hasn’t Miss finished? Is she unwell? Why would she ask to close my eyes for no reason?
She wiped the rainwater from her face. Well, if Miss tells to close my eyes, I’ll close them.
And so, Wuqing closed her eyes, utterly bewildered.
Gu Qingli imdiately took her hand, and with a thought, the two of them vanished from the spot.
Wuqing only knew that her Miss had pulled her, and then, in the blink of an eye, the rain was gone. Surprised, she opened her eyes.
"AH?!"
Wuqing gasped. She rubbed her eyes, then blinked hard. The Paradise before her was still there, unchanged.
"Miss?" Wuqing turned her head, looking at Gu Qingli with a touch of fear.
Gu Qingli took her hand and, as they walked towards the house, said, "Don’t be surprised. You’ve often seen conjure things out of thin air, haven’t you? This is where they co from.
"And that ti Qingchen abducted ? I ca in here and then went out again.
"To be honest, I don’t really know what this place is. I just stumbled upon it by chance one day and found I could enter.
"Since then, I’ve considered it my personal domain."
Gu Qingli didn’t tell Wuqing that this was her Space. She explained it vaguely like this so that if Wuqing ever harbored any improper thoughts, she probably wouldn’t think of killing her.
After all, she was the only one who could enter.
"So that’s how it is. I actually thought Miss possessed immortal techniques, that you were a fairy descended from the heavens." Wuqing took a deep breath. But this place... it must be where immortals reside.
Only my Miss has the karmic destiny to co here. This is Miss’s blessing.
Gu Qingli chuckled at this. She quickly found two sets of clothes, and they both took a bath.
After their baths, Wuqing hurried to cook. Not only was Gu Qingli’s stomach rumbling like crazy, but hers was too.
After they finished their al, Wuqing began to explore the Space, growing more astonished with every step. When she saw the pile of goods plundered from Dean Lin’s house, the corner of her mouth twitched.
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