Chapter 21: Space — Essential for Fire Mastery

"Qiyue, are you inside? It's time to eat," came the voice of Bao Xue'er from outside the house.

Qiyue lifted the curtain and stepped out, with Feng Yu following closely behind.

"Sister Xue, Chi'er's father has found us," Qiyue said, gesturing toward the man behind her. "Here, this is Feng Yu."

"Feng Yu, this is my neighbor from the front yard, Bao Xue'er. Ever since I woke up, she and Brother Hu Yue have been looking after me. I haven't been cooking, so I've been sharing meals with them," Qiyue introduced.

"Oh, don't mention it. We're the ones occupying your house; this little bit of care is nothing. We’ve actually felt quite embarrassed about it. Welcome, Feng Yu," Bao Xue'er said, her tone frank and straightforward.

"Thank you for your kindness. I honestly don't know how I can ever repay you," Feng Yu said sincerely.

"Stop with all that talk. Let's go eat. Even if you aren't hungry, Chi'er must be," Bao Xue'er said, pulling Qiyue along.

Upon seeing Hu Yue, Feng Yu expressed his gratitude to him as well, and the four of them sat down happily to enjoy their midday meal.

"Sister Xue, please calculate how much I owe you. We plan to leave as soon as possible. Chi'er needs a special environment to undergo his transformation, so we cannot delay," Qiyue said, looking up at Bao Xue'er.

"Grass seeds, snake skin, spider silk, emerald vines, and palm rope—honestly, it doesn't amount to much. Even though it's a large quantity, none of it is particularly valuable. Plus, you taught me how to eat those grass seeds and how to weave these sacks, so let's just call it even," Xue'er replied after a moment of thought.

"How about this: I will pay one crystal, and that will settle everything," Qiyue persisted; she couldn't let them work for nothing for so many days.

"That's way too much, absolutely not," Bao Xue'er refused.

"We have been imposing on you for so long, and you have helped me through it all. I am the one who feels embarrassed," Qiyue insisted.

"That still won't do. If you keep saying that, I'm going to get angry," Bao Xue'er continued to deflect.

"How about I go hunt a beast as payment? Will that suffice?" Feng Yu asked.

"That's acceptable. But before you leave, you must continue to eat at our place," Hu Yue concluded, not wanting to listen to the two females argue anymore.

"Very well. Feng Yu, please hunt an extra one. I still owe the witch doctor for some medicinal herbs, and since she and Ling'er took care of me for three years, that prey will serve as my payment to them," Qiyue said to Feng Yu, wanting to settle her debts before leaving.

"Understood." Seeing her gratitude and sense of responsibility made Feng Yu even more pleased with Qiyue.

That afternoon, the two males went hunting while the two females continued to weave hemp rope. In the meantime, Qiyue went into the house and brought out a sack for Bao Xue'er. "This is a sack I wove from hemp rope. Using this to store the grains will allow for airflow, so the grass seeds won't rot."

"This is wonderful! It will even save us from using beast skins. Come, teach me how to weave it right away," Bao Xue'er said, examining the sack thoroughly.

"Sister Xue, while the weather is nice, you should dry those grass seeds again and then pile them into these sacks inside the house. If you don't, the rainy season will be here in two months, and they'll sprout the moment they get wet," Qiyue advised as she wove.

"But there's so little space in the house. Where would I put them all?" Bao Xue'er said, looking worriedly at the two piles of grass seeds. "By the way, what was that 'cellar' you mentioned before?"

"It's digging a large pit underground to store things, leaving a narrow passage for entry and exit. Don't dig it too large, or it might affect the house's foundation, and ensure it's ventilated. I've only heard others talk about it; I've never seen one myself," Qiyue said, speaking the truth. In her modern life, Ling Qiyue had grown up in the city and only knew that people in rural areas used cellars to store things like cabbage and potatoes.

"I'll discuss it with Brother Hu Yue later to see if we can manage it. If not, we'll just build an extra room nearby. By the way, what are you and Feng Yu planning to do?" Bao Xue'er asked.

"He said we should bond first and then cultivate our relationship. I'm still considering it," Qiyue said, setting the finished sack aside.

"I think this Feng Yu is a good choice. You could give it a try; if it doesn't work out, you can always dissolve the bond. That's quite common in our Beast Continent. If you get along, you stay together; if not, you part ways. Don't make yourself suffer," Bao Xue'er said, truly treating Qiyue like a younger sister.

"Mm, let's solve Chi'er's problem first, and we'll deal with our own affairs later. Bonding is just for the convenience of traveling, anyway," Qiyue said, feeling no resistance to bonding with Feng Yu—it wasn't as if they were becoming partners immediately.

At that moment, Feng Yu and Hu Yue swooped down from the sky, shifting back into human form just before touching the ground.

Seeing them return empty-handed, Bao Xue'er asked, "Where is your prey?"

Feng Yu extended his hand, and two carcasses appeared before them. "We fire-element beasts carry fire on our bodies, so we can't carry prey or objects by hand. Therefore, the Beast God granted us internal spaces to make it easier to carry things."

So Chi'er wasn't an exception after all. Qiyue felt a weight lift off her shoulders.

"That's very convenient for moving. Great, Qiyue wove three sacks this afternoon; you can help her take them back," Bao Xue'er said, handing the items over to Feng Yu.

"Sister Xue, why are you being so particular about just three sacks?" Qiyue complained.

"You've already taught me, so I can weave them myself now. Besides, you're leaving soon, and you'll definitely need these," Bao Xue'er insisted, leaving no room for argument.

Feng Yu had heard Chi'er talk about his mother weaving sacks, so this was what they were. His female was truly clever.

"Feng Yu, let's ask the tribe leader to conduct the bonding ceremony tomorrow morning, and we'll leave the day after. How does that sound?" Qiyue asked.

"I have no objections," Feng Yu thought it would be even better if they did it today.

"Isn't that too fast? You haven't prepared anything," Bao Xue'er felt it was too rushed.

"No preparation is needed. The longer we delay, the worse it is for Chi'er. We'll just have a meal together tomorrow night. We won't invite you two to the ceremony tomorrow. I just hope that after we leave, Hu Li'er won't give you any trouble or take her anger out on you," Qiyue said, not caring much for the ceremony itself.

Feng Yu had originally wanted to invite Hu Yue and his wife to witness it, but after hearing Qiyue's words, he decided against it. He didn't want to cause any complications or make Qiyue unhappy.

After dinner, Feng Yu accompanied Qiyue for a walk, as she had requested. Since they were leaving soon, she wanted one last look at the tribe where she had lived for nearly twenty years.

The two walked in silence, Qiyue’s eyes scanning everything around her. Without realizing it, they walked out of the tribe and arrived at the mulberry forest.

"Feng Yu, since you also have a space, help me collect more spider silk," Qiyue said, looking at the mulberry trees that resembled Christmas trees.

Feng Yu thought that since they were right next to the tribe, it should be safe. "You wait here. If anything seems wrong, call me immediately."

Over the next hour, Feng Yu collected silk from fifty trees. Qiyue decided that was enough and told him to stop.

Feng Yu walked back to Grandpa Xiong Jia's house with Qiyue, where she directed him to put the grass seeds into the sacks and pile them inside the house.