「Meanwhile, somewhere in the outskirts of B City.」
"Hey, what do you guys think is up with our group leader? He just got back last night, and he was so gentle with us! It freaked me out. Is that really our Iron-blooded Lu Yama?"
"Tell me about it! I saw him yesterday, too. I've followed our group leader for so long, and that was the first time I've ever seen him be so mild-mannered!"
"Tsk, you guys just don't get it! Our group leader just got married, didn't he? I heard after the mission was over, he dropped by home. As for the rest... well, you get the picture!"
"Oh, so that's it! I get it now! To think the Iron-blooded Lu Yama has a tender side! Our sister-in-law must be really something else!"
"Ahem, the group leader's here."
"Morning, Group Leader!"
Hearing Lu Cheng arrive, the group that had just been gossiping immediately snapped to attention, not daring to be the slightest bit out of line.
After all, they only dared to gossip about their leader in private. Face to face with him, they naturally chickened out.
"Looks like you've all had too much free time on your hands. In that case, you'll be doing an extra hundred laps today!"
"Ah! No, Group Leader, a hundred laps will kill us!"
'We're doomed, we're so doomed! The group leader must have heard us. That gentle side we saw yesterday was just a mirage after all. There's no way the Iron-blooded Lu Yama could actually be gentle!'
"You don't want to do a hundred laps? Then make it two hundred!"
"A hundred laps it is! Just a hundred! We're going right now, Group Leader!"
With that, the group vanished in a flash. It was no joke—a hundred laps was already a death sentence. Two hundred? That would be an actual execution!
Lu Cheng watched his subordinates leave, but his gaze seemed to travel far beyond the training grounds, reaching another place entirely.
'Xiao Nian, I wonder how you're doing at home... What am I going to do? I miss you so much!'
...
After Lu Shaoping left for work and Lu Xinyue for school, only Sun Yufeng and Shen Nian remained at home.
"Mom, I'm heading to school today. I'll be back a little late."
Shen Nian had been planning ever since she discovered the space last night. She had a rough idea of what the Spiritual Spring Water could do; next, she needed to test the plot of land in the space.
But she couldn't tell Sun Yufeng the truth, so she used the school as an excuse. In any case, she had only recently taken her college entrance exams, so saying she needed to go to the school was perfectly plausible.
"Go on, then. Be careful."
Previously, Sun Yufeng might not have been pleased if Shen Nian had wanted to go out like this. But she was reasonably satisfied with Shen Nian's conduct over the past couple of days, so she didn't object.
"Okay, I'm heading out now."
Of course, Shen Nian didn't go to the school. Instead, she headed for the mountain behind Shuanghe Town. As a child, she had often played on this mountain with her brothers and was very familiar with it, so she knew what kinds of things grew there.
Besides, the mountain was sparsely populated. Even if she did something out of the ordinary, it was unlikely anyone would see her.
Soon, Shen Nian reached her favorite spot on the mountain. She loved this area because of the grove of fruit trees she adored.
And they were her target for the day.
There wasn't much farmland in the space yet, so Shen Nian wasn't about to waste it. 'If I'm going to plant something, it might as well be something I like.'
Before she arrived, Shen Nian had been thinking, 'If only I could transplant this whole grove of fruit trees into the space. Then they would all belong to me! I could eat as much as I want, whenever I want!'
'But if so many fruit trees were to suddenly disappear, it would be difficult to explain.'
'I've got it! I can't take the mature trees, but saplings should be fine! And if all else fails, I can just try planting the seeds and see if they sprout!'
With that idea in mind, Shen Nian quickly found a few small saplings in the grove. She also picked up a few seeds and tossed everything into her space, planting them carefully in the farmland.
Of course, Shen Nian didn't forget to water them with a little of the Spiritual Spring Water. 'The Spiritual Spring Water is so miraculous,' she thought, 'maybe it will help these saplings and seeds survive and thrive!'
Besides, Shen Nian had discovered that the water in the Spirit Well seemed to replenish itself after being used. Since she was only using a small amount, she wasn't worried about it running out.
After taking care of everything, Shen Nian had no intention of leaving just yet. It had been a long time since she'd last visited this mountain. Now that she was finally here, she naturally wanted to enjoy it for a while.
'Who knows,' she thought, 'I might even stumble upon something good!'
It was just a passing thought, but to her surprise, after wandering around the mountain for a while, that very thought actually came true!