Xia Xing’er watched Chunliu staring at the bright red candied hawthorn skewers, her expression practically screaming “I want to eat it, I really want to eat it.”
Xia Xing’er found it amusing and teased her, “Do you want some?”
Chunliu’s eyes sparkled like stars, and she nodded her head vigorously, like a rattle-drum.
“I’m not buying it for you.”
Chunliu instantly deflated like a punctured ball, her entire demeanor drooping.
Xia Xing’er stopped teasing her and walked directly to the vendor selling candied hawthorn skewers. She took two skewers, paid the silver, and handed them to Chunliu.
The previously dejected girl, upon seeing the treat before her, immediately brightened up with a smile and happily accepted it.
Holding the candied hawthorn skewers, Chunliu acted as if she had received some precious treasure. She carefully took a bite, and the sweet and sour flavor made her eyes curve into crescent moons.
“Alright, let’s get down to business. Do you know which shops belong to the Chancellor’s residence, the Grand Tutor’s residence, the Vice Minister of War’s residence…”
Chunliu thought for a moment and pointed directly to a three-story building ahead. “Miss, this Linglong Pavilion is the Chancellor’s wife’s business. It sells all kinds of jewelry and hair accessories, and the noble ladies of the capital love to go there.”
Then she pointed to the building opposite. “Jinxiu Pavilion belongs to the Vice Minister of Revenue’s family. They mainly deal in fabrics, ready-made clothes, embroidery…”
And that one…
Two hours later, she had gathered all the information she needed. Now, all she had to do was wait until nightfall…
After returning to the residence, she dismissed Chunliu and entered her space.
She went directly to the second floor, to the area where elixirs were stored, and took out the necessary pills.
One Marrow Cleansing Pill per person. As for the Internal Strength Pills—ten-year, twenty-year, and thirty-year versions—she decided to give each person two of each. And the Great Strength Pill—she would give one to each person for now…
Passing by the Artifact Refining Chamber, she went inside and saw various Storage Rings, bracelets, necklaces, jade pendants…
After careful consideration, she decided to give each person a Storage Ring. That would make things much more convenient for everyone during the journey.
She had already taken the Marrow Cleansing Pill, but she hadn’t tried the Internal Strength Pill yet. Maybe…
The feeling after taking the Marrow Cleansing Pill was still fresh in her memory.
Tendon Cleansing and Bone Forging was truly agonizing. She remembered how long the pain had lasted, how it had slowly faded from her body. She had to endure it all herself. Having practiced martial arts since childhood, she was no stranger to pain, but even she had struggled to bear it. She was truly worried about her delicate mother and her two sisters-in-law.
However, the benefits after enduring the pain were immense. Recalling how she had struggled to get up afterward, her face and body covered in a thick layer of filth, emitting a foul stench so strong it could make her faint—it took seven or eight washes to finally rinse it all off.
But when she saw her skin in the water, now fairer, softer, and more delicate, she felt that everything had been worth it.
Now, she might appear slender, but her physical condition was excellent.
She directly swallowed a thirty-year Internal Strength Pill and immediately felt as if her meridians were about to burst. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she quickly circulated her internal energy cultivation technique, guiding the chaotic internal energy surging through her meridians. It took a full hour before she managed to stabilize this energy and finally make it her own.
Fortunately, she had tried it first. If it had been her mother or the others, they might have suffered Qi Deviation. She would have them start with the ten-year pills first, then gradually increase the dosage.
Now, she felt her body brimming with power. Combined with her original strength, she now possessed forty years of internal energy.
After selecting a few more Internal Heart Techniques and Martial Arts Manuals, she left the Ring Space.
After dinner, everyone gathered in the courtyard of Xia Chengsheng and Liu Youran.
Only the family members were present in the room. All the maids and servants had been dismissed to rest, and even the three little ones had been sent to bed early.
Watching Xia Xing’er produce various items out of thin air, everyone was stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief.
“Little sister, where are you hiding all these things?”
Xia Qingyu circled Xia Xing’er, even checking her sleeves, but still couldn’t figure out where she was concealing the items.
Then, with a graceful wave of Xia Xing’er’s slender hand, the items on the table vanished once more.
Xia Qingyu pointed at her, stammering, “L-l-little sister, you made them disappear! How did you do that? Teach me, quickly!”
Knowing her third brother’s temperament, Xia Xing’er placed the items back on the table.
Pointing at the rings, she explained, “These are the legendary Ring Spaces. Each of you gets one. Just drip a drop of your blood onto it, and the ring will automatically recognize you as its master. You can store items inside, though the space isn’t large—only ten square meters. Time inside is frozen, so living things cannot be placed within.”
At that moment, the family members were at a loss for words to describe their feelings—astonishment, joy, and disbelief all mingled together.
Xia Xing’er also claimed a ring for herself, though hers had a space of two hundred square meters. Why did she give her family members only ten-square-meter rings?
Because such an item shouldn’t exist in this world to begin with, yet she had provided one for each of them. This also gave her an excuse for producing items out of thin air in the future.
The three children did not receive rings.
“L-l-little sister, are these really the legendary Ring Spaces? And we each get one? You’re not lying to us, are you?”
Xia Xing’er smiled mysteriously and whispered, “Third brother, when have I ever lied to you?”
She directly took out a dagger, made a small cut on her third brother’s finger, and dripped his blood onto one of the rings. “Now, try to sense it, or simply focus on an object and silently think, ‘Store.'”
Xia Qingyu followed her instructions and discovered that he could enter the Ring Space with his consciousness. Just as his little sister had said, the space was only ten square meters.
Seeing his dazed expression, the others knew it was real. Each picked up a ring and followed suit.
Half an hour later, after suppressing their joy, they turned their attention to Xia Xing’er, who was sitting nearby sipping tea.
Seeing that everyone had digested the shock of the Ring Spaces, Xia Xing’er curled her lips into a sly smile.
She took out several exquisite porcelain bottles from her sleeve and said softly, “And these are the pills I prepared for you. The Marrow Cleansing Pill, which can cleanse your bones and marrow, expelling impurities from your body; the Internal Strength Pill, available in ten-year, twenty-year, and thirty-year varieties, which can directly increase your internal strength; and the Great Strength Pill, which grants immense physical power after consumption.”
“I must warn you in advance: taking the Marrow Cleansing Pill will be excruciatingly painful. But if you endure it, you will be reborn. So, you all need to be mentally prepared.”
“Father, eldest brother, second brother, and third brother are all strong men. I believe they will have no problem.”
Then, she fixed her gaze on Liu Youran, Zhuge Pei, and Bai Wan’er, her expression tinged with concern. “But Mother and my two sisters-in-law have always been delicate. I’m not sure if they can endure it.”
Liu Youran was most afraid of pain. She asked weakly, “Which hurts more compared to giving birth?”
This truly stumped Xia Xing’er. In both her lifetimes combined, she had never given birth.
She had only heard that giving birth was extremely painful—like having ten ribs broken all at once.