After locking the front gate tightly, Yunyi hurried back to Old Master Chu's room and took out the necklace from the secret compartment. The brown pendant beneath the peachwood zodiac tag now seemed much more translucent than before.
Seeing this, her heart pounded wildly. She tried to connect with it using her mind, and sure enough, her guess was confirmed — a silver lining after the darkness.
If she weren't worried about drawing unnecessary attention, she might've screamed in excitement just to vent.
She silently chanted "enter", and in the blink of an eye, her whole body vanished from the spot.
Looking around, this space was vastly different from the one she had before, but still — it was a remarkable stroke of fortune.
Yet after the initial joy came a touch of disappointment.
She was thrilled because this space would not only make her future actions much easier, but it also gave her a powerful trump card to protect herself.
Disappointed, because as far as she could see, the place was filled entirely with rocks. Not a hint of green anywhere. Apart from a stone house in the center and a small stone pavilion nearby, there was nothing else.
The stones varied in size and came in many colors.
But… what exactly made this space so special?
At first, she thought the stone pavilion was just a resting spot.
But upon approaching it, she discovered a well in the center, with a small stone tablet beside it carved with the characters "Spirit Spring". The material of the stone was exactly like the pendant after it absorbed her blood.
It turned out she'd been blind — mistaking a gem for a worthless rock. That pendant, which looked ordinary, was no common item at all.
The well was finely crafted, with water close enough to touch — clearly not just an ordinary well.
She silently vowed to try a sip once she had understood the workings of this space.
But before she could investigate further, someone knocked on the door outside.
Unwillingly, Yunyi exited the space, thinking she'd come back again late at night when things were quiet.
Opening the door, she was greeted by the fake-polite face of Sun Ruiming. The original host really had poor taste — falling for such a two-faced hypocrite. Yunyi asked coldly:
"What do you want?"
Sun Ruiming reached out to grab Yunyi's hand, but she pulled away before he could touch her."Yunyi, are you okay?"
Yunyi shot him a cold glance."Can't you tell?"
Thinking she was still grieving over Old Master Chu, Sun Ruiming didn't think much of her strange behavior."How about I come in and talk with you for a bit?"
In the past, Yunyi would've welcomed him with a smile. Just as he was about to step into the courtyard, she blocked his way."That won't be necessary. We're a man and a woman alone—it's not appropriate. Now that my grandfather is gone, I have to be even more careful."
Sun Ruiming was clearly displeased, but didn't dare force it."Then I'll bring Xiaoyan over tomorrow to keep you company."
Yunyi didn't say yes or no. She simply said,"I'm busy. You should go."
And with that, she shut the door.
It was getting late. She figured people returning from work might stop by to check on the "poor orphaned girl."No point going back into the space now—better to get dinner started first.
Meanwhile…
Madam Sun returned home, her face dark with rage."That little brat! Acting all high and mighty just because the old man died? She'd better watch out!"
Just then, Sun Xiaoyan walked in the door."Mom, I'm home~"
Madam Sun, still fuming, found her perfect punching bag."All you do is run around all day! Can't you do something useful for once?!"
Xiaoyan knew that tone—it was the prelude to a storm. She quickly tried to appease her:"Mom, who made you so angry?"
(End of Chapter)