Volume One, Chapter Five: Is It Time to Share the Bed?

With a single glance, everyone he looked at shuddered involuntarily, as if their hearts had been violently shaken.

At that moment, each person felt as if they had fallen into an icy abyss, their bodies stiffening so much that they could barely move.

By the time the group regained their composure, Li Chen had already disappeared into the distance.

For a while, the women exchanged frightened looks, none daring to speak.

“That useless pretty boy can’t even touch his own wife’s body, yet he still tries to show off in front of us,” Ma Lian spat out, finally releasing the frozen tension in her body and harshly cursing his retreating figure.

“It’s nothing special, just divine favor that put food on his plate. That scoundrel only managed to catch the prey by luck. My old Zhou has hunted before—even though he’s lame, he’s still better than that rascal. If the heavens provide, they won’t just favor that little scamp alone. Tomorrow, I’ll have my old Zhou head into the mountains to hunt as well,” Wang Caifeng said, recovering her wits and eyeing the grouse in Liu Jincui’s hands with envy.

Hearing this, the other women’s eyes lit up.

“Exactly… who doesn’t have a man at home? No matter their age, who’s not stronger than him? If that little scoundrel can hunt, so can we. Tomorrow, everyone goes hunting together!”

The group of women burst out in agreement, all stirred by Li Chen’s grouse.

The idle gossip at the evening gathering instantly dissolved, and the women all returned home to urge the men to prepare for the hunt.

Li Chen, however, was oblivious to these matters and indifferent to the gossiping women.

Yet, just moments ago, when he had unintentionally cast a glare at them, their breath seemed to catch and freeze in an instant, as if they had stiffened—this strange feeling surged within him.

It seemed that after his rebirth, his mental strength had been inexplicably enhanced, granting his gaze a piercing, almost tangible power.

It was somewhat mystical.

Shaking his head, he exhaled deeply and continued forward.

Passing through a narrow path and rounding a ridge, he finally saw his home in the distance.

Though the house was dilapidated and the courtyard in ruin, Li Chen still sighed softly upon seeing it.

A single lamp flickered dimly, its gentle warmth faint but soothing.

In a chaotic world, home is the lone beacon in the darkness.

Especially after a harrowing battle, a weary heart longs for such tender light.

By the doorway, a figure knelt—it was his young concubine.

She sat with her hands cupping her face, eyes closed, nodding off as if about to fall asleep.

Yet she waited still, for a man whose return time was unknown.

Standing before her, Li Chen could clearly see the slight furrow between her brows, filled with anxiety and worry.

In times of turmoil, waiting breeds an added layer of fearful uncertainty.

Perhaps sensing his presence, Yu Qingwan slowly opened her eyes.

When she recognized Li Chen, she sprang up, joy and relief mingling in her voice.

“Master, you’re back!”

Li Chen said nothing, only gently extending his hand.

Yu Qingwan trembled, mistaking his gesture for a reprimand due to her dozing off.

She dared not retreat but stammered anxiously.

“Master, I’m sorry. I was so hungry that I nodded off for a moment.”

The next instant, Li Chen lightly brushed a tiny bird feather from her left cheek.

“Come inside.”

He flicked the feather from his fingertips and stepped into the house, then moved toward the lamp.

“Someone died outside the door today. I was scared, so I lit the lamp…” Yu Qingwan said, shivering.

In these times, when everything is precious except life itself, oil is a luxury—too costly to waste even for cooking, much less for lighting lamps.

Had she not been terrified, Yu Qingwan would never have dared to light it.

She truly feared that Li Chen would blow up in anger and punish her for wasting cooking oil.

But Li Chen simply shook his head.

“No harm done. If you want to light it, then light it.”

He then picked up a slender stick and stirred the lamp’s wick.

Suddenly, the room brightened vividly.

Gaining courage, Yu Qingwan shyly approached, holding a cooked iron bird in her trembling hands.

It was the very same bird Li Chen had shot earlier in the courtyard.

Though Li Chen had asked her to cook and eat it, she had waited for him to return before daring to eat.

“Master, please eat,” she said, presenting the bird with a hopeful smile.

Li Chen stared at the bird, then dropped the rabbit slung over his shoulder onto the floor.

Only then did Yu Qingwan notice the bounty he carried.

Li Chen unloaded the bag from his shoulder, emptying two grouse, more than a dozen large unknown birds, and five mountain rats onto the ground.

“Oh my, so many, so many…” Yu Qingwan crouched excitedly, playing with the bounty, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Let’s stew it,” Li Chen said, pointing to one of the grouse.

“Stew it now?” Yu Qingwan’s eyes widened with surprise and anticipation.

To be honest, she hadn’t eaten much since morning and was truly ravenous.

“Yes, stew it,” Li Chen nodded.

Yu Qingwan leapt with joy, just about to fill the pot with water when a thought struck her.

She picked up the cooked iron bird again.

“Master, you must be starving after hunting all day. Have a bite first to hold you over.”

Without hesitation, Li Chen took it, tearing off half and stuffing it into his mouth, offering the other half to Yu Qingwan.

“You eat too.”

“Thank you, Master!” Yu Qingwan gratefully accepted, clutching the grouse and stepping outside, eagerly biting into the half-cooked bird.

Li Chen then tied the two rabbits and other game, hanging them beneath the well to keep fresh.

Rabbit meat was tasty but lacked nutrition. Since he was currently in a phase of intensive training and recovery, relying on rabbit as a staple would not help him build muscle and might even leave him starving.

He planned to sell the rabbits in town the next day, exchanging them for grain.

Grain lasted longer and provided ample carbohydrates.

He intended to grow strong himself and fatten his concubine before trying to consummate their marriage properly—only then could he truly rest easy.

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