Chapter 140: The Sky Has Collapsed

Chapter 140: Chapter 140: The Sky Has Collapsed

Feng Si drew a Bone Curved Knife from the back of her waist. Her hand emerged from her cloak as she carefully adjusted the swaddled youngling on her chest, shifting it to her side.

Then she turned to Song Jie and Song Xiang and said, "Let’s go."

The three of them—two in front, one behind—made their way through the tall weeds. The two sub-females walked slowly, pushing aside the overgrowth blocking their path as they led Feng Si toward the wild grain in the mountain hollow.

The trampled weeds made the ground uneven, and Feng Si’s footing was unsteady. Other Beastmen watched the three head into the field of wild grain and began to whisper.

"I heard someone’s been buying this wild grain recently. They must be going there to harvest it for coins, right?"

One of the older sub-females led the crowd toward the forest, saying as she walked, "The wild grain has to be threshed and dried without spoiling. You have to find a hidden place to store it outside. It’s too time-consuming and labor-intensive. It’s better to just pick more wild fruits; they sell for a higher price."

A sub-female who had also been planning to go to the wild grain field heard this and stopped in her tracks. She followed them deeper into the woods to look for sweeter wild fruits.

But some didn’t want to rely on luck and preferred to steadily earn some coins. They turned and left the group, heading for the field of wild grain.

A series of thudding footsteps came from behind. Feng Si glanced back. She inwardly welcomed the many sub-females who were following them.

After all, she was the one buying the wild grain. For her, the more, the better.

The only difference was that others were gathering to earn coins, while she alone was gathering Dust Breath. But in the end, they were all struggling for their livelihood.

Feng Si reached the edge of the wild grain and expertly bent down to cut the stalks. Her movements held none of the delicacy expected of a female, leaving Song Jie and Song Xiang to stare, their eyes wide with shock.

Feng Si joined the others who were arriving in trickles, lowering her head and quickly getting to work alongside them.

Song Jie and Song Xiang anxiously harvested the wild grain beside Feng Si. Every so often, they would stop and look up at their shop owner.

Under the oppressive sun, the female figure in the heat-resistant cloak appeared somewhat slender. Her gloves were already filthy, but her pace never slackened. Long lashes were visible beneath the brim of her hood, and though they couldn’t see her face clearly, they could sense her intense concentration.

’What female has ever suffered such hardship!’

Song Jie’s heart ached for her. She couldn’t resist moving closer to Feng Si and urging softly, "The leaves on this wild grain have tiny thorns. If they touch your skin, it will get red, swollen, and itchy. Please, you should rest. We can do it."

Before Feng Si could speak, a nearby sub-female slave who overheard them rolled her eyes toward the heavens. "She’s not some delicate female. What’s there to rest from when you’re out gathering food?"

Song Jie: "..."

Song Xiang: "..."

’But she is! And a Special Rank Female at that!’

’But the shop owner ordered us not to reveal her identity.’

Song Jie ignored the clueless sub-female. Song Xiang glared at the other sub-female, who was also a slave, and retorted in a low voice, "We just want to ask her to rest. It’s none of your business."

Hearing the word "ask" made those nearby turn their heads, their gazes landing on Feng Si, who was still bent over harvesting, sizing her up.

Since arriving in the field, Feng Si had worked with her head down, not saying a word. She’d blended in perfectly. Now, hearing the exchange, she looked up. Her jet-black eyes narrowed as her gaze swept over the crowd staring at her.

The early morning sun shone down on her. The dense, dark spots on her face, which looked like the vibrant sunspots one might get from spending a long time outdoors, actually made the delicate features of her small face seem more distinct.

The others instinctively averted their eyes, feeling it was improper to be so nosy.

The sub-female who had spoken earlier said sheepishly, "I was just talking. If you’re tired, you should take a break."

Feng Si smiled at everyone. "Mm, thank you for your concern."

The gathering time was determined by the group and wasn’t particularly long. Feng Si wanted to use this period to grind her way to level 100, so she quickly put an end to the squabble and went back to harvesting.

Seeing Feng Si get back to work, Song Jie and Song Xiang had no choice but to hold their tongues. They bent over and resumed cutting the stalks with renewed effort.

With no one else to disturb her, Feng Si focused on harvesting, and her pace quickened.

The sun slowly climbed to its zenith. Just before the gathering period ended at 11 o’clock, a pleasant notification that only she could hear chimed in her mind.

[DING! Congratulations on reaching the max level of 100. Your space has expanded to 667 square meters.]

Feng Si, holding the Bone Curved Knife, straightened her back, her expression dazed.

’Max level?’

’Did I reach max level this quickly? Isn’t this too fast? Does this mean the space won’t expand anymore?’

The moment the question popped into her head, Feng Si habitually tried to enter her space to take a look. But where she could normally enter instantly with a thought, there was now an earthen-yellow copper gate with a line of text displayed on it.

’My space is locked?’

!!

She blinked dazedly, then nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

In her mind’s eye, clear, block letters flashed across the copper gate.

[Farmland... Temporarily Locked...]

[Dust Breath equivalent to one mu of land has been accumulated. The planting function is now unlocked. Please find the chili pepper sapling on the map and harvest it personally to unlock the farmland within your space.]

[Note: Collected seeds can be planted in the space. You can obtain high-yield seed varieties carefully researched by modern humans.]

Feng Si: "..."

Feng Si was overcome with grief.

’I gritted my teeth and toiled endlessly to expand this space bit by bit! I stored everything I’ve gathered since I transmigrated in there, and now it’s just... locked!’

Feng Si’s heart ached so much she could hardly breathe. "How could this happen—"

...

「In the mountain hollow.」

Everyone watched as Feng Si—who just moments before had been racing them to harvest grain—now looked utterly grief-stricken, as if on the verge of tears. She put away her Bone Curved Knife and turned to leave, not even bothering with the sack of grain she had collected.

Song Jie and Song Xiang hurriedly followed, lugging three large sacks of grain stalks. They rushed to her side in a panic. "Did you cut yourself?!"

Feng Si sniffled and shook her head, not wanting to speak.

The three of them walked quickly toward where the flying car was parked.

Song Jie looked Feng Si up and down. After confirming she was unharmed, she finally let out a big sigh of relief. "Then... why are we suddenly leaving? Aren’t we gathering wild grain anymore?"

Feng Si’s heart ached even more. "...Not anymore."

’Harvest my ass! The space won’t even open! Aaaahhh!’

Yun Chi sensed his mother’s sorrow. He stretched his body out from the swaddling, pushed open the soft cover with his little head, and poked his head out worriedly.

"HISS!" His short, black claws clenched, brimming with fighting spirit.

Feng Si was instantly pulled from her grief. She immediately looked down and lifted a corner of her cloak.

Seeing the little one’s brilliant, round golden eyes focused only on her, Feng Si’s own gaze softened. Her heart filled with boundless courage as she reached out a finger and stroked the tiny, fierce youngling’s back.

’It’s fine. I’ll just have to complete the quest and unlock the space.’