Chapter Four: A Ray of Hope Amid Despair

Perhaps it was because she was hungry, but Tang Wei found the cabbage here far more delicious than any she’d ever tasted before. Despite the absence of oil or salt, its sweetness and crispness were all the more pronounced, almost as if she were eating fruit. Once she was full, she took a stroll around the vegetable plot, then bathed in the river, changed into a gray long robe—tearing off the excess length—and finally returned to her room to catch up on sleep.

The first thing Tang Wei did upon waking was to hurry outside and take another turn, just to make sure this wasn’t all a dream. Reassured, she went back into the space and began to examine her treasures.

Through experimentation, she discovered that time inside the space moved thirty times faster than outside; one day in the outside world equaled a month within. The vegetables grown in the field weren’t inexhaustible, either—just as in an ordinary farmhouse, once picked, they were gone. Aside from growing a bit faster and tasting a bit better, there were no other differences. Still, after sleeping, she found herself feeling much better, her headaches gone. Whether this was due to the vegetables or the quality of the air inside the space, she hadn’t yet determined.

It was worth noting that the miraculous effects often described in other stories—such as drinking a sip of spring water and immediately flushing out toxins, or bathing and seeing black grime wash off—were, for now, absent from her space. Perhaps such miracles would appear in the future—who could say? In the spirit of experimentation, Tang Wei even tried drawing water from the small well behind the kitchen. The result: nothing. She didn’t find any hot springs suitable for bathing, nor did she stumble upon any legendary martial arts manuals or secret techniques.

After spending two days exploring every corner of the space, Tang Wei grew bored—the cabbage was nearly gone anyway (though only an hour or two had passed outside)—and decided it was time to find her way back. Since there was no direct exit from within the space, she would have to search for a way out from the outside.

She groped around the cave, hoping to discover a hidden passage—wasn’t that how it always went in the books? But after searching the entire place, she found nothing out of the ordinary. Resigned, she sat down on a stone bench, her hands resting on the table, sighing, “Looks like I’ll have to go down the cliff. It’s dangerous—how can I get down safely? Ah!” Bored, she kicked her legs against the table.

She wasn’t even sure what she’d touched, but suddenly a rumbling echoed through the cave, and the stone platform beside her slid aside, revealing a man-sized tunnel—the same as the one she’d entered through, with steps descending into darkness. Yet the gloom didn’t dampen Tang Wei’s spirits; this was clearly the way down! (It seems reading does save lives after all.) With that thought, she ducked into her space, fetched a luminous pearl from the bedroom, and began her journey to survival.

She walked down the passage for two or three hours, but still hadn’t reached the end. The walls were growing wetter and more slippery. Several times, Tang Wei nearly lost her footing and could only proceed slowly, resting in her space when tired, then continuing on. She scarcely had time to wonder why she hadn’t seen any wild animals on the mountainside or encountered any living creatures in the cave—such mysteries would no doubt be revealed later.

After five or six hours of stop-and-go progress, Tang Wei finally reached a dead end; the steps led straight into a pool of water. Clearly, the exit lay beyond. Once again, she felt fortunate—she could swim! Setting her luminous pearl aside, she tested the water temperature. “Not bad, a little cold but tolerable. The problem is how to carry the pearl with me—the water’s pitch black, and I won’t find the exit without light. How can I tie it to myself?” Inspiration struck. She entered her space, found the fabric she’d torn from her robe, ripped it into narrow strips, and wove a netted pouch to hold the pearl, tying it securely to her belt.

Standing by the pool, Tang Wei warmed up with some chest-expanding exercises, grinning to herself, “It’s important to have many skills—only the versatile can survive desperate situations! Heh!” To be able to amuse herself under such circumstances—perhaps only she could manage that.

Diving in, she found the underwater world utterly dark—without the luminous pearl, she would have battered her head uncountable times. Oddly, there were no creatures in the water, only stillness and silence, but Tang Wei was too focused to care. After two minutes, she spotted a glimmer of light ahead—surely the exit. By then, she was nearly out of breath and had to retreat into her space for air. It seemed that talent alone wasn’t enough; one needed good health and luck to survive such ordeals.

Soon, Tang Wei surfaced in a clear lake, occasionally glimpsing fish swimming by. Perhaps because the place was so remote and seldom visited, the fish weren’t very wary of humans, though catching them was still difficult.

Climbing ashore, Tang Wei looked around. This didn’t seem to be at the bottom of a sheer cliff—the abyss she’d fallen into had long since vanished. She now stood in a mountain valley, surrounded by low hills. To get out, she’d need to orient herself, but that was simple: every schoolchild knows that the side of a tree with the densest foliage faces south. Since she’d ascended from the north, all she had to do was head the opposite way.

With her direction settled, she turned to food. She recalled from books that spring water from a magical space could attract fish—perhaps hers had the same effect. She decided to try, pouring water into the lake five times, but saw not a single fish. Resigned, she concluded that aside from being a bit sweeter, the water had no special properties. The cabbage was almost gone; if she wanted to fill her stomach, she’d have to forage along the way. That, at least, was no trouble for her—Tang Wei had grown up in the mountains and knew exactly what was edible and what was not.

She retrieved a machete from her space, changed into her ragged clothes, and set out. She hacked her way forward for hours and finally emerged from the valley, climbing into a forest of fir trees, where thick undergrowth made progress slow. Deciding it was better to eat her fill before going on, she took out a raw sweet potato she’d found and gnawed on it, musing over her recent adventures.

In those few hours, she’d encountered a tiger, three wild boars, five unknown animals, and over a dozen snakes—each time escaping by hiding in her space. Clearly, for those unfamiliar with the forest, wandering the mountains was perilous indeed.

Five days later, Tang Wei finally ran into a rescue team on the mountain. She learned that someone had paid them to mount a search—dead or alive, they were determined to find her. Two groups had set out from the village, taking different routes uphill. They’d only been searching a day, but no one had much hope; someone missing for a week after falling off a cliff was almost certainly dead, and they’d count themselves lucky to recover a body—if it hadn’t been eaten by wild animals already. They’d only agreed to come because the pay was generous.

Ordinarily, only old hunters would lead anyone into the deep mountains; for outsiders, it was almost certain death.

None of them expected to find her alive so quickly. Despite her bedraggled appearance, Tang Wei was in good spirits. For a young woman to evade danger and find her way out alone—she must be truly remarkable!

Only Tang Wei herself knew that without her space, she’d never have survived. At first she’d thought to descend the cliff in search of a way out—now she realized how foolish that had been. Without her space, even if she’d made it down, she’d never have made it back alive.

Tang Wei followed the rescue group down the mountain. With guides, the journey was easy; she kept pace without difficulty. Climbing was nothing for her. The rescuers mentioned that the person who’d hired them was still in the village and had described her appearance in detail.

As they neared the village, Tang Wei’s heart grew heavy. She guessed that Tian Meiling was the one waiting. She couldn’t decide whether to hate her or thank her—after all, she had organized the rescue, but she had also caused Tang Wei to fall off the cliff. If she hadn’t fallen, she’d never have gained her mystical space. She couldn’t fathom Tian Meiling’s motives: did she truly want to save her, or just confirm her death?

As the group entered the village, Tang Wei hesitated, uncertain how to face her former best friend. Should she beat her up, accuse her of attempted murder, or simply pretend nothing had ever happened?