Chapter Ninety-Seven: Space Is Related to One’s Own Strength

To avoid attracting attention, Qin Sheng chose to leave through the window. The moment she climbed out, she looked up and saw Shen Shi again. Qin Sheng raised her eyebrows in surprise; she hadn’t expected Shen Shi to return.

Naturally, Shen Shi noticed her. He turned around and looked at her. “Finished visiting your friend?” he asked, taking the initiative to speak first.

Qin Sheng nodded without saying much, quietly studying Shen Shi as if trying to see through his intentions and purpose.

Seeing Qin Sheng’s eyes return to the familiar clarity he’d seen before, Shen Shi couldn’t help but let a subtle smile play at his lips. He always felt comfortable when she was like this.

“Why did you come back?” Qin Sheng cast a questioning glance at him.

Shen Shi pursed his lips, opened his mouth as if to speak, then fell silent again. He himself didn’t know why, after having already reached his lodging, he had turned back the same way.

Qin Sheng raised her eyebrows in mild suspicion and ventured, “Don’t tell me you plan to keep monitoring your uncle?”

“You’re meddling a bit too much,” Shen Shi replied coolly, his usual aloofness returning as he cast a frosty, indifferent look at her.

Qin Sheng had only been probing, and hadn’t expected Shen Shi’s attitude to shift so abruptly. It seemed she’d guessed right.

She couldn’t help but smile; she hadn’t anticipated gaining so much tonight.

“All right, the next shift of doctors will be here soon. If you don’t want to get caught, you’d better leave,” Shen Shi reminded her, seeing she still had time to space out.

Qin Sheng nodded, her opinion of Shen Shi subtly shifting.

“I’m off, goodbye.” With that, she disappeared into the dark night.

Shen Shi paused on the spot, gazing after her into the silent darkness. He let out a breath, as if finally relieved, and then left the hospital in the safe zone as well.

On the way back, Shen Shi asked himself why he had retraced his steps. He couldn’t be certain of the answer. Was it the desire to see Qin Sheng’s familiar eyes restored, or was it the pity he felt for the friend she’d mentioned? Even he couldn’t figure it out.

Better to pity himself than others, he thought, sighing. Unwilling to dwell on these things, he shut his eyes tightly. Only at night, when he slept, could he live a little for himself.

Qin Sheng returned to her lodgings in less than twenty minutes. The night was deep and silent; Jiang Miaomiao and the others were already asleep, and Qin Sheng took the opportunity to enter her space.

To her astonishment, in the time she’d been away, the seeds she’d sown had already broken through the soil, tender shoots sprouting forth. The growth cycle here was several times shorter than in the outside world!

Qin Sheng could already envision her space transforming into the idyllic farmhouse courtyard she’d dreamed of.

Next time she ventured out, she planned to find a few uninfected fish fry. She’d build a fish pond, raise some fish.

All the exhaustion and tension of the night was washed away by a warm bath. Qin Sheng felt incredibly lucky to have this space.

But thinking carefully, in her previous life, this space hadn’t seemed nearly as useful in Qin Mengchun’s hands. According to Qin Mengchun, the space wasn’t bound to her but to the bracelet, and it was only as large as a big suitcase.

Qin Sheng opened her eyes and glanced around at the endlessly vast space. Why was it different?

She couldn’t explain her rebirth, much less the nature of the space. All she knew was that it was wholly beneficial to her.

Qin Sheng pondered what might have triggered the recent changes in her space. From a simple storage device, it had become a mobile treasure chest. Could it be… an ability?

She opened her eyes wide at the thought, but quickly dismissed it—when the space began to change, she hadn’t developed any powers yet.

Song Qing’an’s words echoed in her mind: “Only by becoming strong yourself can you control everything…”

Now Qin Sheng was certain: her space evolved with her own growth in strength. The recent emergence of new functions was closely tied to her diligent training.

Her heart finally settled. As long as she kept growing stronger, her space would continue to unlock new abilities! She began to look forward to what surprises it would bring when she became truly powerful.

“Grow stronger, and control everything!”

She had only meant to soak and relax in the bath, but learning all this had left her more energized than before. Since she had time, she might as well do something useful.

Qin Sheng quickly dried herself, changed into dark, practical nightwear, and, relying on her memory of the route out of the safe zone, walked through her space, testing the new function she’d discovered that day.

She closed her eyes, laid her hand on her wrist. The phoenix bracelet glimmered red, and in the next second, she vanished from the space.

When she opened her eyes again, she was exactly where she’d expected—outside the safe zone, in the precise location she’d guessed.

It was as if she’d teleported.

There was no time to marvel at the feat. She swiftly set out, following the familiar path toward her destination, Tang sword in hand.

After cutting down who knows how many zombies along the way, Qin Sheng finally reached her goal: the Suiyuan Shop.

The moment she stepped onto Suiyuan Shop’s street, it felt cut off from the rest of the world—no trace of zombie disturbances, peaceful and serene as before the apocalypse.

The little lamp above the door, which always lit up at night, seemed to be waiting for each person who returned to Suiyuan Shop.

Qin Sheng sheathed her sword and walked toward the bright two-story shop. It looked exactly as it had when she’d last left. Even the fruit plate in the pavilion hadn’t been changed—she half-suspected it had long since attracted bugs.

As though expecting a guest tonight, the star-shaped lights on the sign—which usually never lit up—were all shining.

The shop was as quiet as ever, as if no one were inside. Qin Sheng stepped in, glancing around just as she had the first time she came.

At last, her gaze landed on the counter.

The first time she’d come, Song Qing’an had been napping behind it. Remembering the awkwardness of that first meeting, Qin Sheng couldn’t help but laugh softly.

Just then, she heard footsteps inside. She looked up.

“Perhaps the shop sensed a guest was coming—it's kept the lights on all night, so I suppose the one it was waiting for was you,” Lu Shenchen said, emerging from the back room with a smile. The atmosphere felt just as it had when she’d last left.

Qin Sheng smiled shyly. “It’s been a while, Mr. Lu.”

Lu Shenchen waved his hand, chuckling. “It’s only been a few days, and you’re already calling me ‘Mr. Lu’? You’re making me feel old.”

Qin Sheng couldn’t help but laugh—Lu Shenchen still loved to joke.

“You are old. Why act surprised?” came a voice from upstairs, revealing without a trace of mercy, not forgetting to tease him. The familiar timbre was unmistakably Song Qing’an.

Lu Shenchen immediately stamped his foot in mock indignation. “You’re the one waiting for a guest, but you make me come greet them, and now you complain I’m old?”

Two peals of laughter came from upstairs.

Song Qing’an glanced at Lu Qingyan, who she’d been playing chess with, and shook her head as she ended the game. “You need more practice, cousin.”

Lu Qingyan snorted. “Next time, I’ll beat you.”

Song Qing’an was unfazed, pursing her lips in a playful challenge. “Stubborn as ever, just like your uncle. Let’s go greet our guest.”

With that, she left her seat and came down the stairs.

Qin Sheng had known Song Qing’an would be at Suiyuan Shop; otherwise, she wouldn’t have come here, so she wasn’t surprised. But when Lu Qingyan followed Song Qing’an out, Qin Sheng was momentarily puzzled.

Lu Shenchen seemed to notice her confusion and beckoned Lu Qingyan over. “This is my eldest nephew, Lu Qingyan.”

“No need for introductions—they know each other,” Song Qing’an interrupted, plopping down and draining the tea Lu Shenchen had just poured.

Lu Shenchen shrugged. “If you know each other, then I won’t introduce you. I only meant to say he’s my nephew.”

“So you’re the girl Uncle mentioned—the one who shared a bridal chamber with Song Qing’an,” Lu Qingyan said, eyebrows raised as if on purpose.

Song Qing’an, caught mid-tea, sprayed her drink in shock, glaring at Lu Shenchen, who was already trying to sneak away.

Qin Sheng’s smile froze, and she shot Song Qing’an a look demanding an explanation.

Song Qing’an suddenly remembered an offhand remark she’d made to Lu Shenchen, which he’d apparently embellished and repeated to his nephew.

Seeing the matching awkwardness on both Song Qing’an’s and Qin Sheng’s faces, Lu Qingyan looked quite pleased with himself, calmly pouring a cup of tea.

“Well, don’t take it too seriously…” Lu Shenchen, the instigator, licked his dry lips awkwardly. Facing their identical stares, he was already starting to feel sheepish.

Qin Sheng ignored all that and got straight to the point. “I want to know if there’s anything that can conceal abilities?”

That was her main purpose in coming. She needed something to help Lin Xing and the others evade inspection in the safe zone. She didn’t know how the inspections worked, or whether Suiyuan Shop would have what she needed, but her instincts told her she was in the right place.

At her question, a flicker of surprise flashed behind Lu Qingyan’s gold-rimmed glasses, but Song Qing’an and Lu Shenchen showed no sign of surprise, as if they’d already anticipated it.

“To conceal an ability… that’s no simple matter…”