In her previous life, after she and Lu Yuanshan received their marriage certificate, she had suggested taking a commemorative photo together. But Lu Yuanshan was a rough country man, born and raised in a rural village. Sitting in the photo studio facing the camera, he simply couldn’t figure out how to pose or what expression to make. Growing impatient, she stormed off in frustration, and the photo was never taken.
It didn’t matter now.
When she reached the military district, she would drag him to a photo studio and take another one.
This time, she would patiently wait for him to get into position and make the right expression. Or better yet, she would teach him herself and help him through it.
Beneath the marriage certificate was a key to a bank safety deposit box. Her parents had entrusted it to her before they were sent away. Before leaving, she needed to retrieve everything stored inside.
Returning to her room, she took out the Phoenix jade pendant once more. The creamy white Hetian jade was smooth and warm in appearance, yet cool to the touch.
In fact, her mother had once had a younger sister. There had originally been two identical phoenix pendants. Their grandparents had given one to her mother and the other to her aunt. But her aunt had disappeared when she was very young, leaving her mother as the only child in the family.
Jiang Li found a needle and pricked her finger.
A bright red bead of blood emerged from her pale, delicate fingertip and dripped onto the pendant.
The moment the blood touched the surface of the jade, it vanished.
A flash of white light exploded before her eyes.
Boom!
Suddenly, something extraordinary appeared in her mind.
Jiang Li could sense a mysterious place existing within her consciousness.
It had to be the space.
Closing her eyes, she silently thought, “Enter.”
The next instant, she appeared inside it.
It was incredible.
The place looked exactly like the house she currently lived in.
The three-story Western-style villa was a perfect replica of her family’s home, right down to the courtyard.
It was practically another home.
Even after selling the house outside, she could still have an identical one here.
No wonder the jade pendant had been passed down as a family treasure.
The space inside was actually modeled after their residence.
If someone had activated the pendant decades ago, would the space have replicated the pavilions and courtyards of the Qing Dynasty instead?
And what about her missing aunt’s pendant?
Did it also contain a space?
If so, what would it look like?
Beyond the replica of her home, the space contained mountains, streams, trees, flowers, and lush grass. The entire landscape looked like a living painting.
She walked outside and touched the plants.
Everything was real.
The water was real too, flowing quietly through a winding stream.
The water was crystal clear.
She crouched beside the stream, scooped up a handful, and drank it.
It tasted sweet and refreshing, as though it were celestial water from the heavens.
She decided to call it Spirit Spring.
She didn’t know whether the water could be used medicinally, but it surely had benefits for anyone who drank it.
As she turned around, a transparent toolbox suddenly appeared before her.
The cube-shaped container was about a meter wide and contained the tools she had used while carrying out missions in those other worlds.
Wonderful.
Not only had she retained the skills she had learned, but even her tools had come with her.
That was fantastic.
She experimented by moving a chair from outside into the space.
It worked on the first try.
Then she moved a table inside as well.
Success again.
She could even move the items back out without any problem.
Next, she wanted to test whether the space preserved temperature.
She poured a cup of steaming hot water and stored it inside. There was no time to check the result now, however. She had more important things to do and could examine it later.
First, she needed to go to the hospital for a checkup.
Then she would go to the post office and call Lu Yuanshan. Since she intended to join him at his military posting, she had to inform him beforehand.
She also needed to withdraw all the money from her bank account and sell both the house and her job position.
This time, she would not give her aunt and uncle another opportunity to take advantage of her.
She placed the bankbook and all the valuables from the drawer into the space and left the house.
Her first stop was the hospital.
After presenting her marriage certificate with Lu Yuanshan and paying the examination fee, she received priority treatment as a military spouse and didn’t have to wait in line.
When she entered the gynecology examination room, the female doctor’s eyes lit up the moment she saw her.
Then her expression darkened.
Pointing at the examination bed, the doctor said mechanically, “Lie down there. Lift your shirt and lower your pants a little.”
Jiang Li obediently complied and lay down on the ultrasound bed.
For some reason, though, she couldn’t stop thinking about the doctor’s expression.
There had been something strange about the way the woman looked at her.
Jiang Li had always been beautiful, like an exquisite doll. Wherever she went, she attracted attention. She was no stranger to leering gazes or people with ulterior motives.
But this look was different.
It was as though she were prey being targeted by a predator.
The thought made her heart skip a beat.
What exactly was this doctor planning?
Unable to determine the woman’s intentions for the moment, Jiang Li decided to remain vigilant.
Above all else, she had to protect the baby in her womb.
After lying down, she lifted her shirt enough to fully expose her abdomen and lowered her waistband slightly—just enough for the examination.
The doctor picked up a bottle of ultrasound gel and squeezed a small amount onto Jiang Li’s stomach before placing the ultrasound probe against her skin.
The probe’s movement felt rough and dry.
Jiang Li thought the doctor had used too little gel, so she spoke up.
“You didn’t apply enough gel. The ultrasound images won’t be clear like that.”
From her medical training in the other world, she knew that ultrasound gel served as a medium for transmitting sound waves. Too little gel could affect the quality of the imaging.
Any obstetrician or gynecologist should know such basic information.
Was this doctor new and inexperienced?
To her surprise, the doctor shot her a glare.
Then she picked up the bottle again and squeezed more gel onto Jiang Li’s abdomen.
This time, the doctor appeared more focused. She moved the probe back and forth several times before finally speaking.
“The fetus is dead.”
“You need immediate surgery to remove it. Otherwise, it could affect your health.”
“What?”
Jiang Li’s eyes widened.
“My baby is dead?”