Chapter 143: The Bath Pod Disappeared

Chapter 143: Chapter 143: The Bath Pod Disappeared

Having tasted Shi Zhile’s cooking, Mr. Wen—while not one to complain—really didn’t want to see her turn perfectly good ingredients into pig slop.

So he took over cooking duties.

He cracked the eggs into a bowl, whisked them until smooth, and sprinkled in a handful of tender green wild onions and a pinch of fine salt. Once the oil was hot, he poured the mixture into the pan.

With a sharp SIZZLE, the unique, savory aroma of eggs frying in hot oil filled the air.

Mr. Wen gave the eggs a quick stir with his chopsticks, pulling them from the pan the moment they set.

The golden-yellow scrambled eggs quivered on the white bone china plate, so tender they were enough to make one’s mouth water.

As Shi Zhile added firewood to the stove, Mr. Wen picked up a piece of egg and popped it into her mouth.

"So? Better than yours, isn’t it? The more tender the scrambled eggs, the better they taste. They have to be smooth and delicate without any runny, uncooked parts, so it really tests a chef’s skill."

The egg melted in her mouth, and Shi Zhile’s eyes lit up. "Delicious! I haven’t had scrambled eggs this good in at least five years."

"But we can’t just have eggs and congee. Let’s make some beef brisket stew with tomatoes, too."

Before Mr. Wen could even respond, she pulled out beef and tomatoes.

Mr. Wen was still chopping wild greens. Without looking up, he refused. "Beef is too heavy to digest at night. We should have some vegetable congee. It’s better for you."

"Then we’ll stew it and eat it tomorrow. Elder Wen, you can’t hide such great cooking skills."

Mr. Wen sighed, stirred the chopped greens into the congee, and then began to slice the beef.

Shi Zhile continued feeding dry wood into the fire. "Starting today, Elder Wen, please rest in the Planting Space. Jiang Yuxing has completely given up. It’s just not safe for you to live with them anymore."

Mr. Wen didn’t seem concerned. "They won’t make a move until they’ve achieved their objective."

Shi Zhile shook her head. "It’s not that they won’t make a move, it’s that they won’t try to kill *me*. We need you, Elder Wen, so we can’t risk even the slightest danger. Until my sister and Wen Bai get here, the Planting Space is the safest place for you."

While it was still light out, Shi Zhile dusted off her hands, stored Mr. Wen, the stove, and all the cookware in her space, then headed to Jiang Yuxing’s island to pack Mr. Wen’s belongings.

She stepped through the Teleportation Gate and was immediately greeted by the sight of a high-tech bath chamber.

Jiang Yuxing was soaking in the tub, water dripping from his hair. Beneath the surface, the view was... unobstructed.

They both froze. As Shi Zhile’s gaze inevitably drifted, Jiang Yuxing turned beet-red. He grabbed some clothes to cover himself and snarled through gritted teeth.

"How long are you going to stare?"

Shi Zhile’s expression was perfectly calm, without the slightest hint of embarrassment. "I didn’t see a thing."

Jiang Yuxing took a deep breath, pressing down on the clothes floating in the water. "Disappointed?"

"It was alright."

"Get out!"

Shi Zhile didn’t move. Instead, she started examining her surroundings, running a hand over the nearby wall.

It was cool to the touch and slick with a thin layer of condensation. She rapped her knuckles against it. The sound was soft and muffled, unlike iron or aluminum alloy.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to leave; she just couldn’t see where the door was.

"What’s this material?"

Jiang Yuxing replied, "If you want to know, why don’t you chop off a piece with your axe and take it back to study?"

Shi Zhile actually took out her axe. Seeing her hefting the Level Five Axe, looking eager to try it out, Jiang Yuxing’s expression darkened. "Shi Zhile!"

"See? I go to actually do it and suddenly you’re not happy about it."

"Just get out!"

Shi Zhile sat down cross-legged and scraped the tip of her axe against the floor. It didn’t leave so much as a scratch, let alone any real damage.

This was significant; a Level Five Weapon was extraordinarily sharp. A light scrape against a large tree would be enough to slice it in two.

’If a Level Five Weapon can’t even scratch it, could this be used as a panic room?’

"I want this bath chamber."

"First, get out!"

"I really want this bath chamber. I’ll trade you water for it."

Jiang Yuxing was so furious he actually laughed. He stood up, clutching the clothes to himself, and quickly wrapped a bath towel around his waist. "The bath chamber has its own water supply."

"That’s different. The water from my freshwater lake is sweet."

Jiang Yuxing tapped a spot on the wall, and a door, made of the same seamless metal as its surroundings, slowly slid open.

He stepped out of the room, followed closely by Shi Zhile.

Outside stood a dumbfounded Wang Peng, his jaw agape. Jiang Yuxing, still wrapped in the towel, entered the adjacent wooden hut.

Shi Zhile continued to study the bath chamber. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

From the outside, the bath chamber looked completely out of place next to the treehouse. When its door closed, the high-tech entrance instantly transformed into a wall of green vines.

No matter how Shi Zhile tapped or prodded it, the door wouldn’t open. It was as if it had never been there at all.

Shi Zhile raised her axe and nicked one of the vines. A dark green liquid oozed out.

She put away her axe and turned to Wang Peng with a beaming smile. "Brother Peng, do you have a bath chamber?"

Wang Peng said, "Sis, I don’t even have an island anymore. Where would I get a bath chamber?"

"Then how did Jiang Yuxing get his? Can you make in-game purchases? Can I buy a bath chamber with real money?"

Wang Peng scratched his head. "You already got a full view of Brother Nan. Why waste money on that? Just use his."

Shi Zhile lowered her eyes.

’Oh~ so you *can* make in-game purchases!’

Before Shi Zhile could speak again, Jiang Yuxing walked in, having changed his clothes.

This time, he wasn’t wearing a white shirt, but a black T-shirt and shorts. With his hair still half-damp, his relaxed demeanor made him look as young as a college student.

Shi Zhile beckoned to him, and he obediently walked over.

"You didn’t drain the water after your bath. Open the door and go drain it."

Jiang Yuxing pivoted and flopped back onto a lounge chair.

Realizing she wasn’t going to get the bath chamber, Shi Zhile pouted and left the treehouse. By the faint light of the moon, she made her way to the treehouse where Elder Wen had been staying.

The three treehouses were close to one another. Aside from the one Jiang Yuxing occupied, the other two were quite small.

There wasn’t much inside the treehouse—just a wooden bed and a table. On the table and in a corner, various crop seedlings were arranged neatly.

Due to the dry heat, most of the seedlings had withered away. Only a few still clung to a hint of green.

Shi Zhile gathered them into her Planting Space, then returned to Stone Island.

They ate dinner in the Planting Space. Just as they finished, Jiang Jing sent over the iron ore.

Shi Zhile tapped ’Accept,’ and in the next moment, a piercing alarm blared from the system.

[Excessive mineral mass detected. Backpack capacity insufficient. Player is advised to place the item immediately. Backpack will self-destruct in one hour.]

The message repeated three times, followed by the TICK TOCK of a countdown timer.

’The backpack will self-destruct, not the minerals,’ she mused. ’The system must really resist the transfer of massive resources like an entire ore deposit.’

She grabbed the torch she’d lit with a pair of underpants, took her axe, and headed out of the shelter.

’The sea is to the south, the forest is to the north, and a swamp is to the west—none of those spots are suitable for the iron ore. That only leaves the giant boulder field to the east.’

It took her half an hour to reach the boulder field. She frantically started stuffing boulders into her infinite-slot inventory, then, just as the countdown was about to end, she placed the iron ore.

In an instant, the boulder field was replaced by a small mountain.

By the flickering light of her torch, she could just barely make out the general shape of the iron deposit.

It looked much like a normal hill—a tight pile of grayish rock mixed with small amounts of dirt.