Chapter 6: Living Off a Woman

Crab meat lion’s head meatballs, steamed Wuchang fish, a roasted chicken, and a dish of greens.

Accompanied by a jar of wine, along with crystal cakes, water chestnut cakes, and hawthorn cakes.

There is nothing more wonderful than encountering such things when one is hungry.

"Is it delicious?" Qingqing asked with a smile, watching Shi Fei devour the food.

Shi Fei only nodded, too busy to speak.

Qingqing added, "I made these myself!"

Shi Fei gave a thumbs-up.

Seeing Shi Fei eating happily, Qingqing smiled and said, "If you like it, I will make it for you again tomorrow!"

Tomorrow?

Shi Fei was stunned.

He had never considered tomorrow.

To think about tomorrow in a dream...

Isn't that a bit strange?

"What's wrong? Are you unwilling?" Qingqing asked softly, seeing his hesitation.

Shi Fei spoke between bites, "No. I was just thinking about tomorrow."

"What about tomorrow?"

Shi Fei thought for a moment and said, "There is nothing about tomorrow. I will trouble you again tomorrow."

He who eats the food of others is soft-spoken; he who takes the gifts of others is short-handed.

Having eaten the first meal, it was only natural to accept the second.

After eating, Shi Fei went back to sleep.

To sleep after a full meal is one of life’s great pleasures.

How many people are able to simply sleep after a full meal?

In a dream, there is no need to overthink.

When Shi Fei finally woke up, it was daytime.

The sunlight spilled across the sea of flowers, giving this valley a different charm.

Though, it was not as beautiful as it was at night.

The sun shone on him, making him feel warm.

Shi Fei crawled up and stretched, a movement that immediately tugged at his wounds.

His wounds had been bandaged; there was no need to ask who had tended to them.

Beside him sat a food box, left for him by Qingqing.

The meal was just as sumptuous, a testament to her attentiveness.

After eating, Shi Fei prepared to look around, hoping to find a way to leave.

It was rare that he hadn't encountered any monsters this time, and the dream felt so real.

He couldn't just keep eating someone else’s food forever...

He would get addicted.

The flower valley was large. Shi Fei soon walked the perimeter and discovered the cave he had arrived through the night before.

The cave was long. He walked for a long time, and then... he got lost.

After fumbling around for a while, he found himself back in the flower valley.

Shi Fei did not believe in such things, so he dove into the cave again.

And sure enough, he ended up back in the flower valley.

Shi Fei didn't dwell on it and prepared to look for other exits.

Dreams are like that; sometimes one encounters inexplicable things.

Upon returning to the valley, he saw Qingqing looking for him.

Seeing him, her anxious expression suddenly turned calm. "I thought you had left."

"I was planning to," Shi Fei said. "I can't stay here forever, can I?"

"Then why did you come back?"

"I got lost," Shi Fei replied.

Qingqing said, "This is the Valley of Sorrows, the boundary between the realm of men and the realm of gods. Not only can mortals not come here as they please, but neither can the gods."

"Oh?"

Qingqing looked at him and said, "When gods arrive here, they are demoted to mortals; when mortals arrive here, they become ghosts."

Shi Fei pointed at himself. "I am a ghost? Was the monster from the other day a ghost too?"

"The creature from the other day has already turned into a ghost. Not only him, but that eagle has also turned into a ghost."

"Whether god or man, anyone who arrives here meets with misfortune. Only we foxes, who are neither human nor ghost, can walk about here freely!"

What she said was absurd, and Shi Fei did not believe it.

But this was a dream; anything was possible in a dream.

Shi Fei shook his head. "But I feel like I'm still alive and well."

"You are already a ghost," Qingqing insisted. "You will never be able to leave this place."

"No, I know a way to get out!" Shi Fei suddenly said.

"What way?"

"Fly!"

Qingqing sighed. "Only birds can fly. You cannot fly."

Shi Fei indeed could not fly, so he remained trapped in the Valley of Sorrows.

Day after day, Qingqing came to deliver food. Every meal was different, yet undeniably exquisite.

He felt as though he were in a cage called the Flower Valley, with a jailer named Qingqing bringing him meals every day.

Fortunately, this was a dream, and he didn't feel that anything was wrong.

One day, he said to her, "You bring me food like this every day; aren't you afraid of going broke feeding me?"

Qingqing laughed. "Not at all."

"Why?" Shi Fei asked.

Qingqing said as if it were obvious, "Because I am a fox! Even if you ate the finest delicacies every single day for a hundred years, you wouldn't be able to bankrupt me!"

Ah, right.

Foxes are always different from people.

Especially a wealthy fox.

So that was it...

Shi Fei wore a strange expression, suddenly enlightened.

He finally understood why he was having this bizarre dream.

Recently, he had been troubled at work, under high pressure, and working a lot of overtime.

Deep down, he craved rest; he craved earning money while lying down; he craved having a young, beautiful, and kind-hearted wealthy woman take a fancy to him.

Clearly, in reality, no young, beautiful, and kind-hearted wealthy woman would ever take a fancy to Shi Fei.

Only in dreams!

What one thinks about by day, one dreams about by night. It made perfect sense.

Qingqing looked at the bewildered Shi Fei. "You big lazybones, what are you thinking about?"

She felt that all Shi Fei did all day was eat and sleep.

In the Valley of Sorrows, he had even gained weight. His once plain appearance had turned into that of a little chubby man.

The Valley of Sorrows shouldn't be called the Valley of Sorrows; it should be called the Pig-Raising Valley.

And Shi Fei shouldn't be called "Big Careless," but "Big Lazybones."

Shi Fei said earnestly, "I'm thinking about how to eat humble pie with dignity."

"Huh?" Qingqing burst out laughing.

The big lazybones' thoughts were always so interesting.

Shi Fei looked at the pile of books before him and said, "I've finished these; bring me some others."

Spending every day in the valley, Qingqing brought him many books so he wouldn't get bored.

Some books described stories of foxes, strange and surreal, rivaling the *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*, which Shi Fei read with great relish.

Other books contained accounts of customs and travels.

And some books were martial arts manuals.

Indeed, even foxes practiced martial arts.

Qingqing held up a manual. "Why don't you practice? You've gotten fat!"

Shi Fei shook his head. "Too much trouble, too tiring."

Working during the day and having to practice martial arts in his dreams at night—what kind of miserable life was that?

When dreaming at night, wouldn't it be better to take it easy?

No matter how high one's martial arts skills are, they are no match for a pistol!

Besides, what’s the point of practicing martial arts in a dream?

When he woke up, he wouldn't remember a thing.

As he spoke, Shi Fei lay back down to sleep.

Seeing this, Qingqing frowned. "Big lazybones, if you don't practice, I won't bring you any more food!"

She truly couldn't imagine anyone in the world being this lazy.

She only suggested martial arts because she didn't want him to keep getting fatter.

"Not practicing, not practicing!" Shi Fei said nonchalantly. "Even if I starve to death, even if I jump off this blue stone, I'm not practicing!"

In reality, he had to bow and scrape for his daily bread; if he had to do the same in his dreams, wouldn't the dream be a waste?

Qingqing said nothing more and walked away silently.

She stayed away for several days.

Shi Fei naturally didn't starve; he just ate grass.

Offending a wealthy woman always comes with a price.