9 Chapter 9: Perceptions (1)_1

After they had finished the chicken egg soup, the four of them ate more than half of the raspberries, finally feeling somewhat satiated. By the time Mo Yan had cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, the two youngest had already snuggled up and fallen asleep.

Having folded the now dry clothes and packed them into their bundle, Mo Yan also lay down next to Mo Xin, seizing the opportunity to rest. They needed to continue on their journey once the harsh afternoon sun had waned.

Mo Qingze looked at the three sleeping children, a faint smile on his face, unable to resist reaching out to touch their heads. However, as his hand brushed against Mo Yan's exquisite features, identical to that other person's, a surge of coldness shot through his eyes, mixed with hate and resentment…

After more than an hour had passed, Mo Qingze saw that the sun outside was no longer as fierce and woke the three children up. The family packed up their belongings and stepped out of the small cave, heading towards Jing City.

...

The Mo Family's luck wasn't great this time; not long after they left the small mountain range, they still hadn't found a place to stay even as nightfall approached.

Traveling at night was unsafe and it was easy to lose one's direction, so Mo Qingze didn't plan to continue on. Seeing the sky ablaze with wildfire on the western horizon and knowing there wouldn't be rain, he chose a spot near a water source for the family to rest.

After moving for more than two hours, Mo Qingze was also quite worn out, not to mention Mo Yan and her siblings. The food they had eaten at noon had been completely used up, and now their stomachs were singing louder than one another, playing the 'Empty City Strategy'.

Mo Qingze took the pot to fetch water at the pond while Mo Yan led the two little ones to gather firewood nearby. The woods here weren't abundant, but there was enough to collect firewood for a meal.

While collecting the firewood, Mo Yan initially wanted to slip the two little ones and check the Space, but the two youngsters insisted on staying with her, depriving her of any chance to enter the Space.

With only six wild chicken eggs and less than half the raspberries they had at noon, it was impossible for the four of them to fill their stomachs. To ensure the two little ones ate more, Mo Yan and Mo Qingze only drank a bowl each.

Once Mo Qingze and his sons had fallen into a deep sleep by midnight, Mo Yan, who had been feigning sleep, opened her eyes. Holding her breath, she carefully removed Mo Xin's arm from her waist and tiptoed a good distance away before stopping.

After listening intently and finding the surroundings eerily silent, she confidently entered the Space.

Upon entering, Mo Yan immediately noticed the Space's spiritual energy was even richer than it had been the day before. She took in several deep breaths, feeling a refreshing coolness rush to her brain, supremely comfortable, and her fatigue from the journey dissipated significantly!

She walked around the small plot of land and joyfully discovered that the cabbages had grown over ten centimeters, lush and pleasing to the eye, ready to be eaten; the radish leaves had sprouted about two fingers' length and looked to be ready in a day or two; the tomato vines had grown even faster, reaching about a foot long, but they would need at least three days to bear fruit; as for the rice, wheat, and corn, they were all faring well, though they had longer growth cycles and harvest was still some time away.

Thinking of eating cabbage from the Space tomorrow, Mo Yan's mood lifted greatly. She wasn't in a hurry to pick them; a night's time here was equivalent to four or five days outside, and the cabbages would shoot up significantly. She sat contentedly by the Jade Table for quite a while before stepping out of the Space.

She silently returned to their resting spot to see the two little ones huddled closely together, their clothes having fallen to the ground. She covered them again and pulled them close, then finally settled down to sleep with peace of mind.

The next day, Mo Yan awoke due to hunger.

Looking at the whitening skies to the east, Mo Yan, resigned, patted her flat stomach. Seeing the other three still sleeping soundly, she decided to find a place to harvest the cabbages before they woke up. They had to continue on their journey today, and without a full stomach, where would they find the energy?