Chapter Five: The Little White Rabbit

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Chen Ling glanced at the man and recognized him as one of the workers who had accompanied the original owner years ago. Back then, he had repeatedly spoken up for the original owner, but unfortunately, that scoundrel was unreliable and caused them to lose their job. Since then, resentment had taken root.

“What nonsense are you spouting? I was just helping drive the donkey back home since there was nothing else to do...” Wang Laishun glared again and handed the donkey-driving whip back to the man.

“Go on, all of you leave now. This no longer concerns you.”

With that, the group of young men drove the donkey cart away, leaving only Wang Laishun and an old man carrying a medicine box behind.

Chen Ling looked around but did not see Wang Susu, so he asked, “Where’s Susu?”

“Sususu thought you were going to be hospitalized this time, so she went home to pack her things,” Wang Laishun replied, casting him a glance. “Alright then, since you’re awake, come inside first and let Brother Guoping check your pulse and examine you, see if there’s anything else wrong.”

“No need, I’m fine now,” Chen Ling waved his hand. He understood his condition well enough; he had just spent too much time inside the Sun and Moon Realm.

After coming out, not only was he unharmed, but his physical fitness had even improved somewhat.

“Hm, you look quite well, your voice is strong, so it seems you have no major issues,” the old man next to him examined Chen Ling and nodded. “If you feel unwell, come find me at the clinic.”

Clinic?

Chen Ling glanced at the small room behind them and realized this was the Chen Wang Village clinic—a simple place without even a medicine cabinet, truly rudimentary.

“Uncle Wu, Uncle Wu, I heard Ah Ling has woken up?”

At that moment, Wang Susu’s voice sounded suddenly.

She came running hurriedly, carrying a bundle on her back.

Wang Laishun responded, “Yes, he’s awake. Brother Guoping examined him and said there’s nothing serious, so no need to go to the health center.”

“That’s good, that’s good.”

“Today really troubled Uncle Wu and Brother Guoping...”

Wang Susu thanked the two old men, then looked toward Chen Ling.

Seeing he was indeed unharmed, she finally relaxed completely.

Chen Ling noticed the slight redness and swelling in his young wife’s bright eyes—she had obviously been crying. Just as he was about to say something, Wang Laishun interrupted.

“It’s the middle of the night. Since Fugui is fine, you two lovebirds should head home quickly.”

“Alright then, Uncle Wu and Brother Guoping, you should also get some rest early.”

It was indeed late, so the two old men took their leave.

...

The journey was silent.

Back home, Wang Susu carefully put away the items from the bundle one by one.

Chen Ling washed his face with hot water.

“You must be hungry. I’ll cook you a bowl of noodles,” Wang Susu said quietly after putting things away.

She didn’t ask why Chen Ling had reacted so strongly to hearing that the plowing job might not be recoverable and had fainted right in the yard.

Knowing Chen Ling well, she understood that asking such an embarrassing question would only anger him.

And when he got mad, he was prone to venting his frustration physically.

“No need, I’m not hungry...”

Chen Ling shook his head. Since coming out of the Sun and Moon Realm, his vision had improved—he could see in the dark—and he didn’t feel hungry even after not eating for a long time.

“You haven’t eaten all day, you should at least eat something,” Wang Susu said with concern, her voice still low, not daring to speak loudly.

Her submissive, cautious demeanor made Chen Ling feel uncomfortable.

“I really’m not hungry, you...”

Before he could finish, Chen Ling suddenly froze. Beneath Wang Susu’s hair, a bruise caught his eye.

It was harshly glaring.

His heart seemed to be stabbed, and he gently reached out.

Startled, Wang Susu thought she’d angered Chen Ling again and panicked, “Ah, Ah Ling, if you really aren’t hungry, I won’t ask anymore.”

She tried to avoid him but didn’t dare to.

Chen Ling’s heart ached deeply.

He reached out, gently touching the bruise. “Susu, does this still hurt?”

“Ah?”

Wang Susu trembled. She had expected Chen Ling to strike her again but instead heard these words.

She quietly lifted her head to look at him.

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He was looking at the bruise on her temple with eyes full of tenderness and regret. Wang Susu was stunned.

Somehow, her heart suddenly turned sour and tight.

Her tear-swollen eyes filled with tears again uncontrollably.

“Don’t cry, Susu.”

“It’s all my fault. I won’t hit you anymore,” Chen Ling said with difficulty, his heart aching deeply.

He truly did not know how to make up for the harm his previous self had caused Wang Susu.

Having crossed over for so many days, he was unsure how to face her.

Now, seeing that long-standing bruise, Chen Ling could no longer hold back.

“Smack!”

Chen Ling slapped his own face.

“Ah Ling!”

Wang Susu screamed, grabbing his hand and crying, “Ah Ling! Don’t do this, I don’t want you to!”

“It’s all my fault, Susu. I’m not a good husband. Since you married me, I haven’t given you a single good day. I’m always asking you for money, hitting or scolding you...”

“Following me, you’ve suffered!”

Saying this, Chen Ling raised his other hand and slapped himself again.

Since coming out of the Sun and Moon Realm, his strength had increased considerably, and this slap made him bleed from the mouth.

“Ah Ling...”

Wang Susu was stunned.

Chen Ling’s words stirred all the bittersweet feelings she had buried deep inside. Tears poured down her face in an instant.

“Susu, don’t cry. It’s my fault. I owe you so much,” Chen Ling shook his head and reached out to wipe her tears.

But the more he wiped, the more she cried.

Finally, Wang Susu choked out with tears streaming down, “I... I don’t blame you... I really don’t blame you... Ah Ling...”

Though crying, her tear-filled eyes looked shyly at Chen Ling, somewhat overwhelmed by his attention.

At that moment, that glance pained Chen Ling deeply, his nose tingling with emotion.

“Don’t cry, Susu. From today on, I’ll do whatever you want, listen to you for life, treat you well forever!”

“This time, you have to believe me.”

But Wang Susu continued crying, her braid somehow undone, her hair long and black.

Her face buried in her hair, she sobbed softly.

Chen Ling was helpless. He pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear, “Susu, I promise, from now on, I will mend my ways, devote myself to you, listen to you, and live well with you.”

“Can you believe me?”

“I... I, I don’t know...” Wang Susu choked on her words, then threw herself into Chen Ling’s arms, crying bitterly.

Chen Ling stiffened for a moment, but at the same time, a strange flutter stirred in his heart.

He soon relaxed and sighed deeply as he looked at Wang Susu, who still couldn’t stop crying.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry. If you don’t believe me, I’ll prove it to you...”

Chen Ling spoke softly, inhaling her sweet scent, then lifted her up and gently kissed the bruise on her temple.

Wang Susu, unused to such treatment, tensed immediately, and her sobbing abruptly ceased as if paused.

Her little head buried in Chen Ling’s arms slowly lifted. Tear-soaked hair clung to her temples, accentuating her pale, delicate face.

Her reddened eyes blinked nervously, a little frightened and unsure.

Like a pitiful, fragile little white rabbit.

Chen Ling’s heart melted instantly.

...

Late at night, Wang Susu had already fallen asleep, but Chen Ling was still coming and going, traveling between the Sun and Moon Realm and reality.

He was testing some of his hypotheses.

For instance, now he was squatting in the yard with a bowl of water in his hand.

It was stream water he had brought out from within the Sun and Moon Realm.

In the pitch-black night, it emitted a faint glow.

Like a shimmering river under moonlight—very magical.

“What’s going on?”

“The stream water looked ordinary inside the realm, but here in the outside world, it changes so dramatically...”

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“Could it be the fabled elixir of immortality?”

Chen Ling wondered.

Then he tried taking a small sip.

The taste was no different from inside the realm—still sweet and refreshing.

Only it lacked that warm sensation that had filled his body inside the realm.

“Maybe it’s because my body is a soul entity inside the realm,” Chen Ling guessed, drinking a few more sips.

Only after finishing the bowl did his stomach start to rumble, and a layer of oily sweat appeared on his skin.

“Is that all? Just detoxifying, beautifying, and aiding digestion?”

Blinking, Chen Ling felt a little disappointed.

Since the stream water became glowing when brought outside the realm, he had almost thought it was divine water.

After wiping his oily sweat with a damp towel, Chen Ling noticed his body felt much fresher and clearer, stronger all over, and fully awake with no hint of drowsiness.

“So it does have some miraculous effect.”

“Maybe because I drank too little?”

Chen Ling was puzzled and went back to the realm to fetch another bowl.

It still glowed beautifully.

But after drinking it, the effect was even weaker than before.

“What’s happening? Why does the effect get worse the more I drink?”

Chen Ling frowned and fetched yet another bowl.

Trying it again, the effect diminished further.

Sighing, Chen Ling lost his appetite and poured the remaining water onto the ground.

“I’ll try again tomorrow.”

“Not sure if it only works the first time or if the daily limit is one bowl.”

Chen Ling was confused but decided to test other theories.

For example, could things brought from the outside to the Sun and Moon Realm grow?

Chen Ling searched his home and broke off some branches from the pear and peach trees, then took some peanuts and red dates from a basket.

He then entered the realm.

Behind the thatched hut, Chen Ling found an empty patch of land.

He dug small holes with a hoe.

He planted the peanuts and red dates.

Then he inserted the pear and peach tree branches as cuttings.

In the blink of an eye, tender sprouts emerged and grew rapidly, blossoming and bearing fruit.

Pear, peach, and date trees were laden with fruit.

The peanuts had grown into a small patch.

Chen Ling breathed a sigh of relief—things from outside could indeed grow inside the realm.

That meant development would have fewer limitations.

Otherwise, most plants inside the realm didn’t exist outside, so if they were short on money and wanted to sell produce outside, it would be hard to explain.

Once or twice might be fine, but repeated instances would cause problems.

“This land inside the realm is truly a treasure.”

Chen Ling bent down and gently scooped up some soil.

The soil was loose and fertile—not black earth, just ordinary soil color.

But when he brought it to his nose, it carried an indescribable fragrance.

Chen Ling took a deep, blissful breath and cautioned himself silently: “I must be more careful in the future and keep the secret of this realm safe.”

“This is a great fortune!”

However, Chen Ling soon noticed a problem.

In the Sun and Moon Realm, aside from plants and trees, there seemed to be no other living creatures.

No birds, insects, or fish were to be seen.