Deng Feiyu ran out looking completely disheveled.

He saw Yu Xifeng and Zhang Qiu leaning side by side against the wall, clearly enjoying the commotion at his place.

“Yu… Xi… Xifeng,” he stammered.

Yu Xifeng caught the lingering affection in his voice and straightened up abruptly.

Had this guy’s brain been smashed by a door yesterday or what?

Zhang Qiu pressed the corners of his mouth downward; he was wearing a mask, so no one noticed.

“Who is he again?” Deng Feiyu asked, his tone surprisingly a bit hurt.

That jealous tone?

Are you okay?

Yu Xifeng dropped his crossed arms, ready to drag Deng Feiyu over and give him another beating.

But Zhang Qiu took off his mask and walked over first, slinging an arm around Deng Feiyu’s shoulders and pulling him aside.

Zhang Qiu’s looks were so impressive that Deng Mifen and her sister-in-law kept stealing glances at his face.

Even Sister Zhang stopped cursing.

After a while, no one knew what Zhang Qiu had said, but Deng Feiyu ran off looking totally defeated.

Deng Feiyu ran back to District Five. Sister Zhang saw there was no point continuing the fight and went after her son.

On the way to Old Man Cai’s place, Yu Xifeng asked Zhang Qiu, “What did you say to him?”

Zhang Qiu had put his mask back on and smiled with his eyes, “Nothing much. I just told him before he looks for a girlfriend, he needs to be weaned off first.”

Yu Xifeng: “…”

Only a man really understands a man.

“Did you do your standing meditation this morning?” Zhang Qiu asked.

Yu Xifeng asked back, “How could you tell?”

“Your aura — it sounds a little different.”

Yu Xifeng was puzzled. She breathed that way every day, didn’t she?

When they got to Old Man Cai’s, Yu Xifeng first practiced boxing for nearly four hours.

Old Man Cai stood with his hands behind his back, eyes half-closed, holding some dry tree branch he’d found somewhere.

Each time he struck a point during correction, the pain was sharp — both sour and intense.

After each strike, Old Man Cai told Yu Xifeng the acupuncture point he had just hit:

“Qishe.”

“Zhongfu.”

“Jingmen.”

“Tiaokou.”

When someone came in, Yu Xifeng gave a signal.

The newcomer had a small golden mark on his forehead.

It was the symbol of the Sun God.

This mark meant he was a minor leader among the believers, responsible for preaching.

Old Man Cai said, “Don’t worry about him, you’ve got two more rounds.”

Voices inside discussed the glory of the Lord and His miracles.

Zhang Qiu was inside chatting excitedly with the missionary.

They talked from the origin of the Bible to the Ten Commandments, from divine punishment to the land flowing with milk and honey.

The missionary came in with utmost devotion but left totally confused.

Chances were high he’d convert to Yahweh on his way back.

Yu Xifeng said, “I never realized your grandson has a talent for MLM.”

Old Man Cai gave Zhang Qiu a sideways glance and said to Yu Xifeng, “Alright, time for the punching bag.”

Next came Yu Xifeng’s favorite part.

Sparring.

All this training was for moments like this.

Yu Xifeng admired the routine.

Every time, after practicing boxing and building some stamina, the punching bag got heavier and heavier.

Yu Xifeng grit her teeth and wrapped the bandages tightly.

After about twenty rounds of back-and-forth with Old Man Cai, Yu Xifeng showed signs of fatigue.

She took a deep breath, gathering about thirty percent of her strength in her palm.

The more she fought, the more she retreated.

When Old Man Cai’s palm wind was about to strike her forehead, Yu Xifeng suddenly tilted her head.

A slight smile touched her lips.

Then she quickly transformed the palm strike into a punch, lowering her stance.

She carefully controlled every bit of her strength on the punching bag, releasing it explosively in that moment.

Old Man Cai reacted quickly too, failing to finish his move and changing it into a diagonal chop aimed at the midsection.

Their wrists collided, and both stepped back simultaneously.

Yu Xifeng’s hand went numb from the shock. She waved her empty hand and grinned.

Zhang Qiu stuck his head out, holding a pair of chopsticks: “Stop fighting, it’s time to eat.”

Old Man Cai looked at Yu Xifeng in disbelief, then laughed: “This stubborn girl learns fast.”

After leaving Old Man Cai’s, Yu Xifeng went to see Sister Yun on the way.

Zhang Qiu followed along.

Along the way, they saw quite a few six-pointed stars.

Just like the chaotic graffiti of psoriasis plastered everywhere.

Sister Yun smiled: “I was just about to look for you. Fatty recently got a lot of stuff.”

Several stones, a striking blue-and-white porcelain piece, two chipped bowls, four bracelets, and a pendant.

Yu Xifeng was first to touch the most beautiful blue-and-white porcelain.

As expected.

Fake.

Fatty stood in front of the table, hands on hips: “I’m a big rough guy, don’t know how to tell these things. They said these are antiques and cheap, so I just brought them here. If they’re fake, I’ll return them.”

Yu Xifeng couldn’t tell either — she relied on the feedback from her space.

She stood up and picked out two bracelets, a bowl, and the pendant from the pile.

The pendant was a simple piece of jade, smooth to the touch, with a clear color.

She also took the blue-and-white porcelain. Though fake, it was indeed beautiful.

It would look nice stored in her space.

“Fatty, are they really that trusting to just give you their stuff? Aren’t they afraid you’d cheat them?”

Fatty said, “No way. My reputation — just ask around and you’ll know.”

The few items Yu Xifeng picked weighed less than eight jin* total.

Fatty said, “If it’s sweet potatoes, you’d need two more jin because they hold a lot of water and don’t fill you up.”

“Alright, bring them tomorrow,” Yu Xifeng said.

Fatty added, “There are more, this is just the first batch. I heard there’s some good stuff.”

Sister Yun took out a small box from beside the bed: “This is a string of wooden beads I got before. Not sure what kind of wood it’s made from, but it smells kind of nice. You take a look.”

It was a wooden bead necklace, dark in color, with a slightly rough texture.

A good item.

Yu Xifeng checked the response from her space — not inferior to anything she’d gotten from museums.

Not sure which dynasty or era it was from.

Sister Yun didn’t know much about antiques, but she was lucky.

Last time she gave Yu Xifeng that copper coin, it was also a good piece.

If this weren’t a disaster-plagued end times, Yu Xifeng thought, having this space might have led her into the antique business.

Getting rich while discovering lost treasures.

That would be a pretty interesting life.

Yu Xifeng drifted off in thought for a moment.

She hadn’t brought a bag today and felt awkward handing anything over: “This thing is valuable, I do need it. Sister Yun, you set the price.”

Sister Yun said, “If it’s useful to you, just take it. I don’t need it here. Might end up burning it for firewood someday if it freezes too badly.”

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*Note: A jin is roughly 0.5 kg or 1.1 lbs.