The atmosphere inside the bedroom was so heavy it felt as though the air itself had been filled with lead.
Lin Qingtang’s fever continued to climb.
Her cheeks burned a deep crimson, while cold sweat soaked the loose strands of hair clinging to her temples.
Even in a deep coma, her brows remained tightly knitted together. Every so often, faint, pained moans escaped her lips.
The bandages wrapped around her forearm had already been stained black by the blood seeping through them.
The zombie toxin continued spreading along her veins, reaching her elbow. The bluish-black veins beneath her skin stood out with alarming clarity.
Rong Yuxuan sat beside the bed, replacing the cool towel in his hand over and over again.
Again and again, he wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Yet her fever showed no sign of breaking.
His snow-white hair glowed beneath the fading light filtering through the window, making the bloodshot redness in his eyes appear even more frightening.
“Uncle… this can’t go on.”
His voice was so hoarse it was barely audible.
His fingers gripped the towel until his knuckles turned white.
“The poison’s spreading too fast. If we don’t find another way soon… it’ll be too late.”
Lin Shaoan stood by the bedside, staring at his daughter’s pale face.
Anxiety filled his eyes, though he forced himself to remain composed.
“There’s no serum in the apocalypse.”
“If you’re scratched by a zombie…”
“The only way to survive is to endure it yourself.”
His tired voice betrayed the exhaustion he could no longer hide.
“All we can do is lower her fever and keep the wound clean.”
“The rest depends on her own will.”
Abai sat quietly on the other side of the bed.
His head rested against the mattress as his amber eyes never left Lin Qingtang’s unconscious face.
Soft whimpers rose continuously from deep within his throat.
Rong Yuxuan wrung out the towel once more before gently placing it across Lin Qingtang’s forehead.
As his fingertips brushed against the jasmine necklace resting at her throat…
Something changed.
The pendant, which had remained completely still until now, suddenly began radiating a gentle warmth.
At first, it was only a faint glow.
Within seconds…
The light exploded outward.
Soft yet dazzling white radiance enveloped the entire bed, wrapping Lin Qingtang in a cocoon of brilliant light.
“What is that?!”
Li An, who had been standing guard outside the door, rushed inside the instant he saw the blinding glow.
His steel pipe was clutched tightly in his hands, every muscle in his body tensed for battle.
Rong Yuxuan reacted just as quickly.
He reached toward Lin Qingtang.
But the moment his fingers touched the white light…
A gentle yet irresistible force pushed him back.
The radiance grew brighter and brighter until no one could keep their eyes open.
Then…
Slowly…
The light faded away.
The bed was empty.
Lin Qingtang was gone.
So was Abai, who had been lying beside the bed.
They had vanished completely.
All that remained was the blanket lying open across the mattress…
And the damp towel she had been using moments earlier.
It was as though the unconscious girl had never been there at all.
The bedroom fell into absolute silence.
Li An stood frozen.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but no words came out.
Lin Shaoan’s expression changed instantly.
He hurried forward several steps, staring at the empty bed with trembling fingertips.
Rong Yuxuan, however…
Simply froze.
He stared blankly at the empty mattress.
His mind went completely blank.
A deafening ringing filled his ears, as though countless needles were stabbing into his skull.
One second earlier…
She had been within arm’s reach.
The next…
She was gone.
Once again…
He had lost her.
“Qingtang…?”
His trembling voice was filled with despair he didn’t even realize had escaped.
No one answered.
Only his own echo lingered in the empty room.
“Qingtang!”
“Lin Qingtang!”
He snapped.
Throwing himself onto the bed, he frantically tore apart the blankets.
He searched beneath the bed.
He ripped open the wardrobe.
He overturned every corner of the room while screaming her name.
His voice had become raw from shouting.
Every cry carried enough panic and despair to tear the heavens apart.
Again…
And again…
And again…
Still…
No answer came.
“Where are you?!”
“Qingtang!”
“Come out!”
“Don’t scare me like this!”
“Please…”
“I’m begging you…”
“Come back…”
He searched every inch of the bedroom.
Even the tiniest cracks in the walls were left unchecked.
Yet there wasn’t the slightest trace of her.
Watching him descend into madness, Li An’s chest tightened painfully.
He wanted to stop him.
Wanted to comfort him.
But no words came.
He could only stand there helplessly.
Lin Shaoan looked from the empty bed to Rong Yuxuan, who seemed on the verge of tearing the room apart.
Finally, he regained his composure.
He strode forward and grabbed Rong Yuxuan’s arm.
“Yuxuan!”
“Calm down!”
Rong Yuxuan violently shook him off.
His blood-red eyes looked like those of a wild beast pushed to the edge of insanity.
“Calm down?”
“She’s gone!”
“Qingtang’s gone!”
“How am I supposed to stay calm?!”
“In my last life I arrived too late.”
“And now…”
“She disappeared right in front of me again.”
“Why?”
“Why does this keep happening to me?”
His voice cracked with sobs.
His entire body shook violently.
Messy strands of snow-white hair clung to his forehead.
He looked utterly broken.
Seeing him like this, Lin Shaoan felt an ache rise within his own heart.
His tone softened.
“She didn’t disappear.”
“She entered her space.”
The room instantly fell silent.
Rong Yuxuan froze.
“…What?”
“What space?”
“It was left to her by her mother.”
Lin Shaoan let out a quiet sigh before finally revealing the secret he had guarded for years.
“This jasmine necklace…”
“It’s the key.”
“It leads to a separate world.”
“A world entirely its own.”
“Only Qingtang can enter it.”
“And only she can control it.”
“The white light just now…”
“It activated the necklace.”
“She’s inside the space now.”
Rong Yuxuan stood there in stunned silence.
He repeated the words “her space” over and over in his mind.
Slowly…
The confusion faded from his eyes.
In its place…
A tiny spark of hope appeared.
She wasn’t dead.
She had simply gone somewhere safe.
The crushing weight pressing against his heart eased…
Only to be replaced by a new wave of panic.
“Then…”
“When can she come back?”
“Can I go inside?”
He grabbed Lin Shaoan’s arm desperately.
Even his fingertips trembled.
“I have to find her.”
“She’s still burning with fever.”
“The poison’s still inside her.”
“How can she be alone in there?”
“You can’t.”
Lin Shaoan shook his head helplessly.
“Only she can enter or leave that place.”
“And only if she’s willing can she bring someone else inside.”
“Then… when will she come back?”
His voice sounded like that of a lost child.
“I don’t know.”
Lin Shaoan answered honestly.
“Sometimes she comes out in a few minutes.”
“Sometimes it takes several hours.”
“She’s unconscious now.”
“Whether she wakes up…”
“And when she’ll return…”
“No one can say.”
Rong Yuxuan slowly let go.
He staggered backward before collapsing into the chair beside the bed.
Staring at the empty mattress, he murmured over and over,
“She’ll be okay…”
“She has to be okay…”
Seeing him so utterly devastated, Li An felt miserable too.
He spoke softly.
“Brother Xuan…”
“Uncle Lin said Miss Lin’s in a safe place.”
“She’ll be fine.”
“I’ll guard the courtyard.”
“No one’s getting anywhere near here.”
“You and Uncle Lin wait here.”
“I’m sure she’ll be back soon.”
Rong Yuxuan didn’t answer.
He simply continued staring at the empty bed…
As though Lin Qingtang were still lying there.
Li An sighed quietly.
Turning around, he resumed his position outside the courtyard gate.
He expanded the security perimeter and tightened his grip on the steel pipe, refusing to lower his guard for even a second.
Inside the bedroom, Lin Shaoan gently patted Rong Yuxuan’s shoulder.
He said nothing else.
Instead, he moved to the window, keeping watch over both the outside world…
And the hope within the room.
Night gradually fell.
The last traces of sunset disappeared beyond the hills.
Darkness settled over the farmhouse.
No lights were lit inside the bedroom.
Only pale moonlight filtered through the window, illuminating the empty bed…
And Rong Yuxuan, sitting motionless beside it.
He remained there without moving.
Without blinking.
Never leaving his post.
Lin Shaoan urged him to get some rest.
He refused.
He urged him to eat something.
He didn’t react.
Like a lifeless statue, Rong Yuxuan remained beside the bed.
From dusk…
To midnight…
Then from midnight…
Until dawn was almost breaking.
Only when the wind rustled the branches outside would he suddenly lift his head, murderous intent flashing through his eyes.
But after realizing it was nothing more than the breeze…
He lowered his gaze again.
His eyes returned to the empty bed.
Filled with nothing but unwavering devotion.
The old knitted glove still rested inside his jacket.
His fingers repeatedly stroked it while he quietly whispered Lin Qingtang’s name…
Again…
And again.
Meanwhile…
Inside the hidden space.
Lin Qingtang slowly awoke to the warmth of something gently licking her hand.
Opening her eyes…
She found herself staring not at the farmhouse bedroom…
But at an endless sea of golden rice fields.
The delicate fragrance of jasmine floated through the air, mingling with the fresh scent of sun-warmed grass.
Abai sat faithfully beside her.
He rubbed his head affectionately against her cheek while carefully licking the back of her hand.
The instant he realized she was awake, his tail wagged furiously as cheerful little whines escaped his throat.
“Abai?”
Supporting herself with one hand, Lin Qingtang slowly sat up.
Her expression was still full of confusion.
“How… are we here?”
She instinctively looked down at her injured arm.
The deep wounds that had exposed bone were almost completely healed.
Only three faint scars remained.
The blackened skin had returned to its normal color.
Even the blazing fever had vanished.
Every trace of exhaustion had disappeared.
She reached up and touched her forehead.
Her temperature was perfectly normal.
Not the slightest bit hot.
She clearly remembered lying unconscious in the farmhouse bedroom.
Burning with fever.
How had she suddenly returned to the hidden space her mother had left behind?
As though sensing her confusion, Abai rubbed his head against her neck before trotting a few steps toward the wooden cabin.
He looked back and barked twice, urging her to follow.
Lin Qingtang stood up and followed him.
As soon as she reached the cabin…
She noticed a steaming cup resting on the stone table outside.
It contained spirit spring water unique to this space, carrying a faint, refreshing sweetness.
She picked it up and drank it in one gulp.
Warm water flowed down her throat.
Instantly, a soothing current spread through every vein in her body.
The remaining scars on her forearm began tingling.
Before her eyes, they gradually faded.
Then…
Something even more astonishing happened.
A gentle stream of white energy suddenly rose from her dantian.
It flowed through every meridian in her body.
Wherever it passed…
Fatigue vanished completely.
Even the soreness from days of firearms training disappeared without a trace.
Instinctively, she raised one hand.
Guided by that mysterious energy, she lightly lifted a finger.
A soft beam of white light flowed from her fingertips.
It landed upon a broken jasmine branch nearby that had been snapped by the wind.
Within seconds…
The bent branch straightened.
Its break healed completely.
A fresh white jasmine blossom bloomed at its tip.
Lin Qingtang stood frozen.
She stared at her fingertips in complete disbelief.
Had she…
Awakened an ability?
At that exact moment, the space trembled ever so slightly.
Beyond the barrier separating the two worlds…
A hoarse, tearful voice faintly reached her ears.
“Qingtang…”
“Please…”
“Come back…”
Her heart tightened painfully.
She raised a hand to the jasmine necklace resting against her neck.
Silently, she thought,
Take me out.
A flash of white engulfed her vision.
The golden rice fields…
The wooden cabin…
All disappeared.
In their place appeared the familiar bedroom of the farmhouse.
Dawn was just breaking.
The sky outside glowed with the pale light of early morning.
She found herself lying once more on the same bed.
Abai still sat faithfully at her feet.
Beside the bed…
Rong Yuxuan remained seated exactly where he had been.
His snow-white hair was completely disheveled.
His bloodshot eyes were hollow with exhaustion.
A layer of stubble shadowed his jaw.
He looked utterly worn down.
Yet his gaze never left the bed for even a moment.
Their eyes met.
Rong Yuxuan froze.
He stared at the girl who had suddenly reappeared before him.
Confusion.
Disbelief.
Despair.
Hope.
Every emotion collided in his eyes at once.
His lips parted.
But no words came.
Only burning tears rolled silently down his face.