The plot of land was enormous.
Jiang Wanyue estimated that it was about one mu (roughly one-sixth of an acre).
She took the medicinal herbs she had gathered earlier and planted them in a corner of the field.
“What are you doing?” Xiao Jin asked.
“I’m seeing whether this land can actually grow crops.”
If it could…
Then she’d never have to worry about food again.
Her thoughts returned to the golden hoe.
She gripped it tightly.
Could it be that the golden hoe had a cooldown before it could dig up another treasure?
The last time she’d used it, it had been around seven in the evening.
Now it was close to midnight.
About five hours had passed.
Five hours?
She’d know for sure if she tried again first thing tomorrow morning.
The night passed in the blink of an eye.
Because she was eager to use the golden hoe again, Jiang Wanyue woke before dawn.
A faint glow had appeared on the horizon.
She didn’t have a watch, but judging by the light, it was probably around four or five in the morning.
About five hours had passed since she last used the golden hoe.
Unable to wait any longer, she grabbed the golden hoe, crouched down, and dug into the ground.
As expected…
Another item appeared.
It was another puzzle piece.
This one depicted a spring.
“Oh?”
Could this mean…
A spiritual spring for her storage space?
This time she was prepared.
She flipped the puzzle piece over and read the description on the back.
Spiritual Spring Water: Strengthens the body, improves one’s constitution, prolongs lifespan, rapidly heals injuries, shortens crop growth cycles, increases agricultural yields…
Another absurdly overpowered treasure.
She tossed the puzzle piece into her storage space, and her consciousness entered along with it.
The puzzle piece landed beside the patch of black soil that had appeared previously.
At once…
A clear spring bubbled up from the ground.
The storage space seemed almost intelligent.
The terrain automatically reshaped itself, forming a depression that collected the spring water.
Before long…
It had naturally become a stone well.
The water inside was crystal clear, without the slightest impurity.
Jiang Wanyue walked over, scooped up a handful, and drank it in one gulp.
It was unexpectedly sweet and refreshing.
Far more delicious than purified bottled water, with a faint natural sweetness.
“Xiao Jin, come here!”
She had already brought Xiao Jin into the storage space as well.
He took a sip of the Spiritual Spring Water.
After swallowing it, he shook his little head.
His eyes widened into perfect circles.
“It’s delicious!”
Then he immediately gulped down several more mouthfuls.
As he drank…
Jiang Wanyue had the distinct impression that Xiao Jin had actually grown a little bigger.
To test whether the spring water truly could accelerate plant growth…
She scooped up another handful and poured it over the medicinal herbs she had planted the previous day.
The effect was immediate.
The herbs had already been close to maturity.
Now, after being watered, they shot upward before her eyes.
Leaves spread.
Flowers bloomed.
Fruit formed.
Within moments, the herbs had completely matured.
“Holy…”
“Oh my goodness!”
“This is incredible!”
Just as Jiang Wanyue cried out in amazement, she felt someone shaking her body.
“Yueyue! Yueyue! Wake up! It’s time to set off.”
The shake instantly pulled her consciousness out of the storage space.
She opened her eyes.
Shen Qingru’s face filled her vision.
Pretending she had just woken up, Jiang Wanyue quickly asked,
“Mother… what’s wrong?”
“It’s time for us to leave.”
“Oh! Right away!”
After getting up, Jiang Wanyue saw that the procession ahead had already begun moving forward.
But Shen Qingru was limping badly, every step obviously painful.
Jiang Wanyue immediately jumped down from the donkey cart.
“Mother, you ride the cart.”
Shen Qingru waved her hands repeatedly.
“No, no! Yueyue, you’re still recovering. You should ride it. Mother can keep walking.”
Seeing that Shen Qingru had no intention of getting on the cart, Jiang Wanyue simply walked over, wrapped an arm around her waist, effortlessly lifted her into the air, and placed her onto the donkey cart.
Her unexpected action made Shen Qingru blush bright red.
“Y-Yueyue?”
Her daughter…
Had just picked her up?
And placed her on the cart?
Coming back to her senses, Shen Qingru immediately tried to climb down.
But Jiang Wanyue gently held her in place.
“Mother, stay seated.”
“How can that be? Yueyue… you’re this strong?”
Only then did Jiang Wanyue realize what had happened.
Then again, this body had spent more than ten years slaughtering pigs.
Having great strength was perfectly normal.
A delicate young lady could never have restrained a pig.
Still…
Her strength did seem noticeably greater than before.
Could it be because she’d drunk the Spiritual Spring Water?
Thinking of the spring water, she grinned and flexed her arm for Shen Qingru.
“Mother, I used to slaughter pigs. Of course I’m strong.”
Jiang Wanyue had only meant to reassure her mother that she had fully recovered.
But to Shen Qingru…
Those words had an entirely different meaning.
Her eyes instantly filled with tears.
In her mind, she pictured countless scenes of Jiang Wanyue suffering in the countryside—going hungry, enduring hardship, and being…
…worked to the bone until she was barely recognizable.
In truth, although the original Jiang Wanyue had been taken in by an old butcher, he had never mistreated her.
In the village where she had grown up, she had been raised on the kindness of many families.
Life had been poor, but peaceful.
She had grown up safely and had even mastered the craft of slaughtering pigs.
Shen Qingru rubbed at her eyes, but the tears kept flowing.
“Yueyue… It’s all Mother’s fault. I’ve let you suffer so much. You should be the one riding the donkey cart.”
Jiang Wanyue let out a helpless sigh.
Her mother really was made of water.
She cried so easily.
“Mother, you ride it. I spent all day lying down yesterday—my back is sore from it. I want to stretch my legs today. When I get tired later, we’ll switch.”
Seeing Jiang Wanyue striding forward with light, energetic steps, Shen Qingru relaxed a little.
“Then Mother will only ride for a little while. We’ll switch later.”
Thinking of the Spiritual Spring Water…
Jiang Wanyue picked up a broad leaf by the roadside that could hold water and said,
“Mother, let me take a look at your face.”
Although she didn’t know what Jiang Wanyue intended to do, Shen Qingru obediently leaned closer.
Jiang Wanyue secretly used the leaf to apply a little Spiritual Spring Water to the wounds on Shen Qingru’s face.
The cool liquid soothed her skin.
Shen Qingru gently exhaled.
“Yueyue, what is this? It feels so cool and refreshing.”
“It’s just morning dew I collected by the roadside. I heard that morning dew is especially pure, so I thought I’d try it. Maybe it’ll help your wounds heal.”
“Yueyue… you’re so thoughtful.”
As the injuries on Shen Qingru’s face visibly faded, Jiang Wanyue smiled.
“Mother, get some proper rest.”
“All right.”
The group continued on their journey.
Jiang Wanyue walked with easy, relaxed strides.
Li Dashan approached her.
“So you really do have some skills. He Er didn’t die, and Lin Shutong has woken up. They should both be fine now, right?”
Jiang Wanyue nodded.
“As long as they keep chewing up the herbs we gathered last night and applying them to the wounds a few more times, they’ll make a full recovery.”
She deliberately emphasized,
“Remember—they must be chewed with the mouth. That’s the only way they’ll work properly.”
Chewed with the mouth.
She stressed it again and again.
“Got it.”
Since He Er had been bitten on the buttocks, walking was difficult.
He ended up riding on one of the donkey carts used by the guards.
Meanwhile, Lin Shutong was no longer pretending to be unconscious.
Her face was deathly pale, and her eyes were completely lifeless.
Looking at her, Jiang Wanyue had no idea what kind of agreement Old Madam Lin had reached with He Er.
But judging from Lin Shutong’s despair…
She had probably been abandoned by her grandmother.
To Old Madam Lin, a granddaughter who had lost both her chastity and her reputation was likely no different from a dead person.
Moreover, now that He Er had stopped causing trouble for Old Madam Lin after being tricked…
Lin Shutong’s future was bound to be miserable.
Throughout the morning, the exiles trudged onward.
Though they sighed and groaned constantly, no one dared to slow down.
The moment anyone lagged behind, a guard’s whip came cracking down on them.
To avoid another beating, everyone pushed themselves with every ounce of strength they had left.
After walking for several more hours…
The sun finally reached its highest point in the sky.
If they continued any farther, not only would the prisoners collapse—even the guards looked ready to melt from the scorching heat.
Walking at the front of the procession, Li Dashan panted heavily.
Pointing toward a large patch of shade beside a nearby river, he shouted,
“All of you, behave yourselves! We’re resting up ahead under those trees!”
“We’ll set out again at a quarter into the Shen Hour (around 3:15 p.m.).”