Sealing the Cave Dwelling

Shen Jingchuan sat on the edge of the stove, picking at his noodles. He had eaten more than half the bowl when he glanced toward the kang and paused.

Lin Qingyao had long since put down her chopsticks. She had eaten every noodle and drunk every drop of broth, leaving the empty bowl by the edge of the kang.

He had not expected the girl to look so refined yet eat even more briskly than he did.

After he finished the noodles in his bowl and set the empty bowl back on the stovetop, the cave dwelling fell silent. Only the occasional ember crackled softly in the wood-burning stove.

Neither of them spoke.

Shen Jingchuan leaned against the cold wall of the stove, his brow slightly furrowed as his thoughts raced.

The cave dwelling was rather remote, but it was by no means safe.

He had killed several of the people who had ambushed them, but two had escaped. It would be one thing if they had no one to help them, but if a larger group of accomplices was nearby, they would be back before long.

The knife wound on Lin Qingyao's back was serious. Even taking a few steps pulled at it and caused her pain; she could not possibly travel far.

Although he had not spent much effort killing those people, carrying this girl here had worn him out. If he carried her again, pleasant as it felt against his back, he would not last more than a few miles, and their pursuers could easily catch up.

As his thoughts churned, a bold idea suddenly struck him. Could I put her in the storage ring and take her away?

Somewhere in the Unseen, he sensed that the storage space could not hold living people.

Even if it could, that would not work either. How would he explain it to this girl? He still did not want to reveal the secret of the space to an outsider.

Shen Jingchuan continued to communicate faintly with the ring through his consciousness, hoping to learn more about its abilities and find a way out.

After several attempts, a vague but certain piece of information gradually surfaced in his mind:

At midnight each day, the ring's power to travel between the two worlds would reactivate. It could make two crossings a day, and unused crossings could not be saved up.

At last, he fully understood the rules governing the ring's crossings.

In other words, if he crossed back now, he could return again once midnight passed. Did that not mean he could go back and fetch things to solve the problem at hand?

Shen Jingchuan instinctively wanted to take out his phone and look up a solution. He concentrated, sending his mind into the space and wrapping it around the phone to bring it out, but his hand remained empty. There was nothing there.

Another vague sense of a rule entered his mind: anything that required electricity could not appear in this world.

He sighed silently. This world was clearly set in ancient times and was probably very backward. He had just been considering bringing solar-powered lamps over to sell, and had even thought of drones. Now it seemed that avenue was completely closed to him.

He tapped the edge of the stove lightly twice with his fingertips and turned his thoughts back to the predicament before him.

Since he could make a round trip once midnight came, what should he bring back that would avoid breaking this rule, resolve the immediate danger from their pursuers, and also treat Lin Qingyao's injuries?

Beside him, Lin Qingyao watched him sit by the stove, now frowning, now lost in thought. He remained still for a long time, and her doubts only grew. She merely stole glances at him, not daring to speak rashly.

Shen Jingchuan continued to weigh his options. Powered vehicles like cars and motorcycles would certainly violate the space's rules; there was no point even considering them.

A bicycle was purely mechanical, but there was not a single level road in these wild mountains. At best, he could push it along, and they would not get more than a few miles. Besides, this girl was injured. How could she sit on the back?

As for a cart meant for transporting people who had trouble walking, that was not practical either.

The more he thought about it, the more impossible it seemed to take her away by force. Then his thoughts took a sudden turn, and he saw a way through.

Rather than struggle to get her out, he might as well hide her here.

If he sealed the entrance, anyone passing by would take it for an old, abandoned cave dwelling that had collapsed years ago. Who would dig it up for no reason? The plan was workable.

He immediately rose and walked out of the cave dwelling. Finding a soft slope beside it, he pressed his hand against the earth, and more than ten cubic meters of loose soil appeared in the space in an instant.

Inside the cave dwelling, Lin Qingyao saw him leave and slowly lay down on her stomach on the kang. Her back was badly injured, and the slightest movement tugged painfully at her flesh, so she simply lay still and rested with her eyes closed.

A moment later, footsteps sounded at the entrance, and Shen Jingchuan came in.

Lin Qingyao turned her face toward him and saw him crouch beside the kang, his expression growing grave.

"The people who ambushed you suffered losses. They'll most likely come back and search the mountains. You're hurt so badly that I can't take you far, and they'd only be more likely to catch up with us."

Lin Qingyao's heart sank sharply, and her fingertips quietly clenched the bedding beneath her.

As expected, he was going to leave her behind and escape on his own after all.

Of course. They had met by chance, and he had already saved her life. He had done more than enough; there was no reason for him to put himself in danger with her.

She lowered her eyes, her voice so faint it seemed to drift away. "Young Master Shen, you needn't trouble yourself. Just go on your own. You don't have to worry about me."

Shen Jingchuan paused, then laughed despite himself.

"What are you thinking? How could I leave you alone in this abandoned cave dwelling?"

Lin Qingyao looked up sharply, a glimmer of light suddenly kindling in her eyes. But it dimmed again in an instant, and she said softly,

"In my condition, I'll only hold you back, young master. You should..."

"All right, stop letting your thoughts run wild."

Shen Jingchuan cut her off, his tone decisive. "I plan to seal the entrance from outside and make it as hard as possible for anyone to tell there's a cave dwelling here.

"You can stay inside and recover. I'll leave you enough food and water, then go out and draw the pursuers elsewhere.

"When they can't find us, they'll leave these mountains in a few days. Once the danger has passed, I'll dig the entrance open and come get you. What do you think?"

Lin Qingyao stared at him, not expecting him to have made such a plan.

But drawing the pursuers away was terribly dangerous, and he had not hesitated in the slightest. Her throat tightened a little, and she said softly,

"Then... wouldn't that put you in too much danger, young master?"

"Don't worry."

Shen Jingchuan waved a hand, looking completely at ease. "On my own, I can come and go as I please. They won't have such an easy time catching me."

He had the ring with him. If things truly became critical, he could always return to the modern world. He had nothing to fear.

He thought for a moment, then reached into his backpack and took out two bottles of mineral water, two bags of bread, and three fresh tomatoes, enough to eat for about a day.

"Get some rest. I'll go seal the entrance and leave an opening for air, so you won't suffocate. Once that's done, I'll leave and come back after I've drawn the pursuers away."

With that, he stood, turned, and walked out of the cave dwelling.

Lin Qingyao lay on her stomach on the kang, watching his back disappear through the entrance. Moved, she could not help calling softly after him,

"Young master, please be careful."

Outside, Shen Jingchuan heard her and called back, "Don't worry," before setting to work.

To keep Lin Qingyao inside from noticing anything unusual, he took an outdoor folding shovel from the space. As he shoveled earth down from above the entrance, he took out the loose soil stored in the space and piled it naturally along the opening.

He built it up unevenly, then scattered dry earth, gravel, withered grass, and dead leaves over it. It looked exactly like an earthen slope that had collapsed after being washed out by rain.

Finally, he left two inconspicuous holes in unobtrusive spots on either side of the cave's roof, ensuring that air could circulate inside and no one would suffocate.

When he was done, he stepped back a few paces and looked it over, then nodded in satisfaction. Even if someone passed by, they would not be able to tell.