Mystical Space

"Am I dead?"

"Where is this?"

"Is this what it's like after death?"

Wang Hong was floating in midair. Aside from the patch of black earth beneath him, every other direction was a hazy white. He reached out, intending to pinch his thigh hard to prove whether he was dead or not, only to find his hand passing straight through it. He tried again; his hand could pass through his chest and head as well. Once he moved it away, everything returned to normal.

"So I really am dead. The wolf didn't bite me to death—I played myself to death." He felt somewhat miserable, yet also strangely relieved.

He had struggled bitterly every day for nothing more than a bowl of thin gruel mixed with plenty of wild vegetables at night. In twelve years of life, he had only eaten proper rice a few times. Every day, he worked hard to earn food, just so he would have the strength to look for more food the next day. Even if he lived like this for several more decades, what meaning would there be? If he had another chance, he would definitely see the outside world and make his mark in it. Unfortunately, there were no ifs.

"But what will happen to my little brother now that I'm dead? Can he still survive? But I'm already dead. What can I possibly do? Forget it, forget it. Life and death are each ruled by fate. Worrying won't help."

"So this is what death is like. It's completely different from the underworld in the legends. Other than me, I haven't seen a single ghost."

Wang Hong discovered that his thoughts could actually control his flight here, and he could even teleport. After flying around the space for a while, he landed on the black earth. "This soil is quite fertile, though it's a little small—only one fen of land, about sixty-six square meters. It should be able to grow crops, but I'm already dead, and there aren't even any seeds here. Sigh, all things have come to an end!"

He had no idea how long he stayed inside. Perhaps a day, perhaps three to five days, perhaps longer. Once the novelty faded, boredom crashed over him.

There was nothing inside except that patch of black earth. No other living creatures, no sounds at all. The hazy whiteness around him was like walls of mist. No matter how hard he pushed, they did not budge an inch.

If he stayed any longer, he felt he would go mad. It was even worse than prison. At least in prison, he could see living people. Even getting beaten every day would be better than being locked in this deathly silent place. He had no idea how much longer he would have to remain here.

"Is anyone there? Come out and chat with me for a while, will you?"

"Once upon a time, there was a wealthy landlord who bought a fine horse that could travel eight hundred li a day. The landlord thought the horse was good, but it ate fifty jin of fodder every day, which wasn't very cost-effective. His eyes rolled, and he came up with a brilliant idea. The next day, he fed it only forty-eight jin of fodder. On the third day, forty-six. He reduced it every day. A month later, his horse died. The landlord sighed. 'Alas! What rotten luck. The horse had just learned not to eat grass when it died.'"

"Hahaha! I'll tell another one. Once upon a time, there was a monkey..."

Wang Hong told himself stories, chatted with himself, and eventually even sang loudly.

"I want out!"

"Let me out!"

"Let me out!"

Suddenly, he felt a ripple all around him. His vision blurred, and he vanished from the space.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself still lying where he had fought the wolf. Not far away, the wolf's corpse lay quietly in a pool of blood. The blood had not fully congealed, so clearly not much time had passed.

"What's going on? Was it a dream?"

"It didn't feel like a dream. What I experienced just now was too real."

The moment he thought of that mysterious space, he appeared inside it again.

"Let me out!" After shouting several times, he was outside again.

"Go in!"

"Come out."

Looking at the black earth before him, he no longer felt the terror he had before. As long as he concentrated intensely, he could enter and leave at will.

Wang Hong danced with excitement, turning several somersaults in midair. Then he bowed three times in all directions, thanking every god and deity he knew of.

He had just proven that things from outside could be brought in, and things inside could be taken out. His basket, medicinal hoe, hunting knife, and that enormous Kudzu Root were all laid out on the black earth.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! I finally have land of my own! I'll plant this whole plot with crops—sweet potatoes, wheat. Too bad there's no water. I wonder if I can grow rice." No farmer disliked land. Wang Hong's family had been tenant farmers for generations, and their love for the soil was carved into their bones. Now that his wish had suddenly come true, he was naturally beside himself with joy.

"It's getting late. I should head back first. If another wolf comes, that'll be trouble." He simply bandaged his wounds, tossed the wolf's corpse into the space, then found a sturdier wooden stick, sharpened one end, and held it in his hand.

He encountered no further danger on the way home, though his wounds hurt so badly while walking that he bared his teeth in pain. When he was almost home, he entered the space again, placed the wolf in his basket, and carried it out on his back.

"Oh! Er Gouzi, why have you come back covered in blood?"

"Did you run into some wild beast? It's good that you made it back alive." Wang Dazhu from the village was carrying a hoe over his shoulder and swaying his way back from the fields. Seeing Er Gouzi covered in blood gave him quite a fright.

"At such a young age, escaping alive from the claws and fangs of a wild beast means smoke is rising from his ancestors' graves. He needs to go home, burn some good incense, and properly thank his ancestors."

At his shout, people nearby gathered around. Only when they came closer did they notice the wolf's head sticking out of the basket. Their jaws dropped to the ground. Even grown men might not be able to kill a wolf one-on-one. Some women even grabbed their sons by the ears. "You're both twelve years old. Look at Er Gouzi—he can fight wolves in the mountains and catch fish in the water. He can support himself and his little brother. Now look at you. All you know is how to eat. I told you to dig up some wild vegetables, and you ran off to play in the river. Yesterday, I told you to gather firewood, and you climbed a tree to raid bird nests. You caught nothing and tore all your clothes to shreds besides."

The other onlookers also discussed it animatedly. Normally, people went hunting in the mountains in groups, catching things like wild goats, muntjacs, and deer. When they saw wolves, no one dared provoke them.

Seeing his injuries and pale face, Wang Dazhu said no more. He hurriedly took the basket and helped carry it home.

After recuperating for two days and applying some herbs, the claw wounds on his body had begun to heal. However, the chunk of flesh torn from his left arm by the wolf's bite would need at least another ten days or so to recover.

Over the past two days, Wang Hong entered the space several more times and transplanted those Solomon's Seal plants, which were only three to five years old, into a corner of the space.

After repeated attempts, he discovered that aside from plants, no other living thing could be brought into the space. He could not even bring in a single flea.

Furthermore, the flow of time inside really was different from the outside world. He marked two incense sticks with scales and lit them at the same time. By the time the one inside had burned out, the one outside had only burned down a tiny tip. He estimated that time inside the space passed twenty to thirty times faster than outside.

"Looks like I need to get some seeds and plant the land as soon as possible. One day here is nearly a month outside. It's far too wasteful."

"This trip into the mountains was dangerous, but the gains weren't small either: over a dozen Solomon's Seal plants, dozens of jin of Kudzu Root, and a wolf. I'll go sell them in town in a while. Once I have money, I'll buy some seeds."

Wang Hong did not tell his little brother about the space. First, it was far too bizarre. Second, he did not dare let anyone else know. Once outsiders learned of it, Wang Hong was certain someone would come with a knife to split open his skull in search of the mysterious gemstone. As for whether they could actually find the mysterious gemstone in his head, that was not something they would consider. They would search first, and if they failed to find it, they could think of something else. Besides, who would care if a poor boy with no backing and no strength died?

It was not that he did not trust his little brother. But the best way to keep a secret was to let it rot in one's stomach and never allow a second person to know. Suppose his little brother knew. Wouldn't his future wife need to know too? Then what about her parents and brothers from her maiden family? Everyone had people close to them whom they trusted. In the end, it might become a secret known to the whole world.