The couple, having just indulged, felt a stir of desire at this provocation. The brocade curtains were drawn, and silken robes were loosened, regardless of whether it was day or night.
Afterward, Shen Yun held Su Xiaoqi and talked for a good while before heading to his study to arrange matters.
He was about to set off, and there were many miscellaneous tasks that needed to be handled in advance.
Su Xiaoqi busied herself packing his luggage.
A poor home but a rich journey; setting aside other things, they had to ensure they carried enough cash.
As for food, they would bring items that could be stored and were convenient.
Instant noodles were excellent; as long as there was hot water, one could have a hot meal.
There were also long-lasting cakes and bread.
After packing, Su Xiaoqi sat by the window reading.
Soon, her vision blurred, and without self-awareness, she entered her space.
At this moment, the space was filled with a spring breeze, wildflowers in full bloom, clouds drifting in the sky, and the mist had dispersed.
Su Xiaoqi looked around as if in disbelief.
Only then did she realize that the mist had truly cleared.
She could now see the entirety of her space.
However, after looking, she truly felt there was nothing much to see.
It was, after all, Yuan Bao Mountain, exactly the same.
She had lived in Zhao Family Village for nearly a year and had often ventured into the mountains to search for treasures, so she was very familiar with Yuan Bao Mountain.
As she pondered the connection between Yuan Bao Mountain and her space, her vision suddenly blurred, and a piece of jade pendant, translucent and verdant, appeared before her.
Su Xiaoqi instinctively reached out and grasped it, examining it closely in the sunlight.
This was a piece of top-grade jade, a veritable treasure. Based on the knowledge Su Xiaoqi had gleaned from watching livestreams on "Mou Bao" (a hypothetical online shopping platform), this was an old pit glass-type jadeite.
Setting aside other considerations, the material alone was priceless.
Moreover, upon closer inspection in the sunlight, she noticed micro-engravings of Yuan Bao Mountain on it.
The mountain ranges, the river flows, and even the shapes of the pine trees were meticulously depicted.
Such craftsmanship was extraordinary.
Su Xiaoqi was filled with amazement, thinking she had to hold onto this jade pendant tightly, though she wondered where it came from.
How had it appeared out of nowhere?
Su Xiaoqi couldn't figure it out for a long time. She thought, since it was in her space, there was no rush. Gripping the jade pendant, she looked around.
Apart from the mist clearing and the appearance of the jade pendant, there seemed to be no other changes in the space.
No, that wasn't right. When Su Xiaoqi began planting and harvesting grain as she used to, she discovered something even more astonishing.
Without any action from her, all of this could be completed automatically.
As soon as she conceived of it, rice seeds would automatically scatter, seedlings would be planted, then they would mature and be harvested.
This skill was good.
However, every gain came with a loss.
With the emergence of this skill, Su Xiaoqi found that the spirit herbs in her space could no longer be exchanged for grain as before.
Instead, they required spiritual power for exchange.
Ten points of spiritual power could be exchanged for one herb.
But how could she obtain spiritual power?
Su Xiaoqi knitted her brows.
She quickly counted the number of spirit herbs in her space, finding only three left.
Considering she hadn't even figured out what spiritual power was, Su Xiaoqi felt she had to preserve these three herbs carefully and avoid using them lightly until she obtained the next one.
Otherwise, it was very likely she would run out.
She felt a bit troubled, lying under the peach tree, covering her eyes with her hands, basking in the warm spring sun, half-asleep.
Just then, she seemed to see a figure.
She quickly opened her eyes and looked around.
But besides the sound of the wind rustling through the rice stalks, there was no human voice.
Su Xiaoqi blinked her eyes; she was sure she had just seen a figure.
No, she had her eyes closed, how could she see someone else?
Upon realizing this, she felt somewhat startled.
She closed her eyes again, tilting her head back towards the gentle sunlight.
The figure from before seemed to reappear before her.
The person was wearing clothes as dark as ink and was tall.
Who was he?
Su Xiaoqi eagerly wanted to see the person's face clearly.
But she could never see it clearly. He had his back to her, and no matter how she moved, she could only see his back.
Su Xiaoqi stared blankly, her eyes closing even tighter. This time, she saw a bit more.
The person also had a jade pendant in front of him.
It looked the same as hers.
Was it the same one?
Just as she was about to look closer, she heard a deep voice from within the space: "Found you!"
"Ah..." Su Xiaoqi was startled, her chest trembling, her breath tightening, and a surge of air entering her lungs caused sharp pain.
Su Xiaoqi furrowed her brow, realizing that things she couldn't explain or understand were happening.
"Wife, wife..." Shen Yun entered the room, finding it empty, a look of confusion on his face.
He had clearly heard Guo'er say his wife was in the room and hadn't gone out.
Unwilling to accept this, he went to the doorway and asked, "Has the Madam gone out?"
Guo'er was momentarily bewildered. After a moment, she responded, "No, Madam hasn't gone out; she's been in the room all along."
She had been sitting in the corridor with Zicao making tassels, never leaving.
She had been very sure her mistress was inside, but when the gentleman asked like this, she hesitated again, starting to doubt if she had remembered correctly.
She then looked at Zicao, "Sister Zicao, did you see Madam go out?"
Zicao shook her head, stating with certainty that her mistress had not come out.
Shen Yun's brows furrowed. He glanced outside and then re-entered the room.
Within the space, Su Xiaoqi's consciousness drifted closer, observing all of this.
She looked at herself; wasn't she right here?
Why couldn't Shen Yun see her?
Su Xiaoqi poked her head out from the space and looked at the window where she had been sitting.
Indeed, she wasn't there.
Huh, where did she go?
Su Xiaoqi's heart pounded.
Wasn't she in her space?
No, before, her consciousness would enter the space.
Now, could her body enter too?
She cried out in surprise.
Fearing she might startle Shen Yun, she quickly covered her mouth.
But seeing that Shen Yun hadn't heard anything and was still searching inside and out, she lowered her hand.
She realized her space had undergone a major upgrade, becoming capable of containing people.
"Wife, wife..." Shen Yun searched the entire room.
He looked on the bed and under it, in the wardrobe, the washroom, the small side room, the smaller alcove, but he couldn't find his wife anywhere.
He began to panic.
The thing he feared most had happened; his wife had disappeared without a trace.
She had abandoned him.
Shen Yun clutched his chest and sat down on the chair Su Xiaoqi favored. Stroking the intricately carved bat patterns, his heart felt heavy, agitated.
It felt as if something had gripped him, making it difficult to breathe.
His heart felt like a vast, gaping hole, like a fish stranded on a sandbank, gasping for air with its mouth open, yet still struggling to breathe.
"Su Xiaoqi, Su Xiaoqi..." his voice carried a hint of anger.
"I treated you so well, why would you leave me? Am I so unworthy?"
Su Xiaoqi was still in a daze, not having fully processed the fact that she could enter her space. She then heard Shen Yun's words.
Her heart was touched, as if struck a heavy blow.
She had always habitually doubted Shen Yun's sincerity, never realizing that she was so important to him.