The night on Servant Peak was not quiet. The low roars of spirit beasts echoed from the distance, adding to the tension.

Chen Ping kept his body as low as possible. He used the ridges of the fields and weeds for cover, moving like a wary wildcat.

Familiar with the route, he avoided several muddy depressions, his movements noticeably more skilled than during his last seed theft.

Soon, he saw the solitary wooden shed standing by the field ridge.

The shed was dark and silent inside.

He lay prone in a shallow ditch about a dozen steps away, his face pressed against the cold earth. Motionless, he listened intently.

Apart from the wind and distant beast roars, there was only the drum-like pounding of his own heart.

After waiting for roughly an Incense Stick’s Time, he confirmed there was no movement nearby.

He couldn’t wait any longer.

Chen Ping slithered along the ground like a snake, quickly reaching the shed’s entrance.

Reaching out, he gently touched the wooden bar securing the door.

It was loose.

Carefully, he slid the bar out, making almost no sound. Then, he gently pushed the door open a crack.

A smell of rust, wood, and damp earth wafted out.

Inside the shed, it was pitch black. By the faintest sliver of moonlight, he could make out piles of tools: hoes, shovels, rakes.

Against the wall, he could vaguely discern the outlines of several Sickles and a waist-high wooden frame with a crank handle—that must be the Thresher!

In a corner, there seemed to be larger items piled up, like Winnower blades and parts of a Millstone.

Chen Ping’s heart leaped into his throat.

He needed the Sickles and the Thresher.

He slipped inside and pushed the door almost closed behind him. It was completely dark; he had to feel his way around.

He first felt along the wall until his hands found the hanging Sickles. They were cold and heavy to the touch, their edges seeming to gleam faintly in the darkness.

He grabbed one Sickle by its wooden handle, gripping it tightly.

Then, his gaze turned to that waist-high Thresher.

It was very heavy. He tried to lift it; it didn’t budge an inch.

How to get it inside? Try touching it with his hand?

Gritting his teeth, Chen Ping leaned his body against it. With one hand, he desperately grabbed an edge of the Thresher’s wooden frame; in his other hand, he still tightly clutched that Sickle.

He closed his eyes, concentrating all his mental energy to connect with the Jade Pendant on his chest.

With a thought.

HUM!

A familiar wave of dizziness struck him violently!

It was far more intense than usual. His head felt like it had been hit by a sledgehammer. His vision went dark, and his temples throbbed painfully.

Simultaneously, he felt as if something was violently tearing at his body—it felt unbearably heavy.

Just as he felt he might pass out from this excruciating pain and tearing sensation—his feet found solid ground!

He sprawled onto the cold Black Earth. The fall made stars burst before his eyes. His head throbbed with splitting pain, and his stomach churned violently—he almost vomited.

Lying face down on the ground, he gasped for breath. It took quite a while for that severe dizziness and headache to recede slightly.

Struggling to lift his head…

Before him was the familiar Black Earth; above him was that constant faint light.

And beside him lay a Sickle stained with dirt and that waist-high, heavy wooden Thresher!

Success! He really brought them in!

Wild elation instantly overwhelmed the physical pain.

Struggling to sit up, ignoring his still-throbbing head, he reached out to touch the cold Sickle blade and the rough wooden frame of the Thresher.

Real texture.

He really stole them out!

Although the process was agonizing and his head hurt terribly, these tools were now physically present in his space.

Looking at these two tools, then at those Spirit Rice seedlings in the distance already waist-high… He grinned silently.

He had a Sickle. He had a Thresher.

Still needed: a Winnower and a Millstone.

Summoning all his strength to stand up, he moved the Sickle and Thresher to a corner far from the seedling beds and set them down.

Not daring to delay further, he exited the space.

Back on the straw mat in his Shack, Chen Ping felt as if every bone in his body had come loose. His head hurt so badly it felt like it was splitting open—worse than after staying in the space for a long time during his first visit.

It seemed bringing things in—especially large items—placed an immense burden on his mind.

Curling up, he endured the headache and bodily exhaustion. It took a long time before he finally drifted into a fitful sleep.

The next day while working, Chen Ping was listless, moving slower than usual. This earned him several lashes from the Foreman’s whip.

But inwardly, he felt exceptionally settled.

The following day…

He needed to steal the remaining Winnower and Millstone parts.

In the tool shed, the Winnower blades and Millstone grinding disc were stored separately. Both were quite large in volume and extremely heavy.

Late at night, Chen Ping acted again.

This time’s targets: A Winnower blade and the upper grinding disc of a Millstone (the lower base disc was a fixed stone platform—too heavy; he gave up on it, planning to build a base himself using Black Earth within his space).

The same deep night. The same route.

He infiltrated the tool shed once more.

This time he moved with clear purpose, heading straight for that corner.

First, he picked up one huge Winnower blade made of thin wooden planks, tucking it under his arm. Then he walked over to that heavy upper Millstone disc.

This grinding disc was made of bluish stone, circular with a hole in its center and grooves along its edge. It felt icy cold and impossibly heavy.

Chen Ping took a deep breath, mustering all his strength just to barely lift one edge.

He couldn’t hold it like he did with the blade. Instead, he had to bend over, using his body to prop against one side of the disc while wrapping both arms tightly around it, pressing his cheek against the cold stone surface.

Simultaneously, he still clutched the blade under his other arm.

An extremely awkward posture; the weight pressing down made breathing difficult.

Not daring to delay further… he immediately connected with the Jade Pendant.

HUM!!

This time the dizziness and tearing sensation were ten times more violent than when stealing the Thresher!

It felt like a red-hot knife wildly churning inside his skull.

His vision instantly plunged into total darkness. His ears filled with ringing—he couldn’t hear anything.

It felt like every bone in his body was about to be crushed. His soul seemed ripped into two halves.

“Ughhh…”

A suppressed groan squeezed out of his throat. His whole person felt slammed into the ground by an invisible giant hand.

Thud!

He crashed heavily onto the Black Earth, his body curled into a ball.

An intense headache blurred his consciousness. A wave of nausea surged up, and he uncontrollably retched dryly, though nothing came out.

Sweat instantly soaked his clothes. His body trembled violently.

Clutching his head desperately, he felt the world spinning as if he might blackout any moment.

He didn’t know how much time passed. Maybe just a moment. Maybe a long time.

That maddening agony finally receded like a tide, leaving behind waves of severe throbbing pain and intense weakness.

Chen Ping sprawled on the ground, drenched in sweat, without even the strength to move a single finger.

He struggled to open his eyes. His vision blurred for a good while before focusing.

Before him lay the familiar Black Earth.

Beside him lay quietly one huge Winnower blade and that heavy bluish stone grinding disc.

Items… brought inside!

It cost nearly half his life.

Lying on the cold ground, gasping heavily for air. Each breath tugged at his still-throbbing head.

He reached out a trembling hand and touched the cold, hard grinding disc beside him.

Worth it!

He twisted his lips, trying to smile, but the movement worsened his headache.

Enduring the intense pain, Chen Ping exited the Black Earth and returned to his own Shack, collapsing unconscious.