She was startled and instinctively looked over.
But all she saw in the cramped space was a pile of luggage and a tree sapling with its roots wrapped in a plastic bag. She had no idea what kind of tree it was, and there was no one else around.
She frowned in confusion.
“…I can’t hold on anymore.”
The sapling visibly began to wilt.
Its leaves drooped down.
What was going on? Could that voice really have come from the sapling?
“Y-you… are you the sapling?”
She lowered her voice and asked tentatively, though she didn’t expect a response.
She pursed her lips. She must have been too tired and was hallucinating—hearing a sapling talk, how was that even possible?
But just as she let out a sigh of relief, she heard another voice sigh.
“Sigh… it’s over. The owner’s family is so poor they’re about to run out of food, so they thought of taking me to the far Northeast to exchange me for some money. Who knew I’d die halfway there? Poor owner, poor me…”
Jiang Li: “…”
There was still no one else around. It really did sound like it was coming from that sapling.
As if possessed, Jiang Li stepped forward and reached out to touch the leaves.
Instantly, a strange sensation surged through her entire body.
She felt as though something had entered her, and something else had left.
Then she heard that voice again.
This time, it was cheering.
“That’s great! It’s energy—life-saving energy! I won’t die now! This woman is amazing, she can actually generate energy!”
The sapling visibly perked up!
So it really had been speaking just now!
Jiang Li didn’t understand what “energy” meant, but suddenly her whole body began to itch.
She subconsciously reached up to touch her neck.
But her hand came away smeared with a sticky, oily black substance.
Startled, she quickly withdrew her hand and rushed into the restroom.
In less than two minutes, a layer of black oil seeped out from all over her body.
Fortunately, she had brought her bundle with her, worried about losing her belongings.
She hurriedly took off her old clothes, wiped herself clean, then changed into the new long pants and coat she had bought, lowering her head as she stepped out to wash up at the sink.
After thoroughly washing the grime from her face, she lifted her head again—
And was shocked by her reflection in the mirror.
Her previously pale and haggard face had become several degrees more delicate and smooth, fair with a healthy rosy glow.
Her features were now even more striking and beautiful.
Even her chapped lips had become unusually soft and moist, tinted with a faint pink hue.
Like cherry blossoms.
She was stunned!
Could it be that the “energy” the sapling mentioned was mutual?
Her energy could save plants, while the energy returned by plants could change her physique?
A passing passenger muttered softly,
“What’s that smell? It’s so fragrant.”
Jiang Li quickly raised her arm and sniffed.
After the black oil was gone, her skin was emitting a light, elegant floral fragrance from within.
This was simply astonishing. In her previous life, when she was close to death, she had read some novels.
Could this be the legendary golden finger?
Amid her surprise, she worried that her appearance was too eye-catching, so she quickly smeared some of the remaining black oil from the sink onto her face before leaving the restroom.
Excited, she wanted to find the sapling again to test it further, but discovered that its owner had already taken it somewhere unknown.
She had no choice but to look for other test subjects.
There were very few plants on the train. After several attempts, she discovered that she really could hear plants speak—but only living ones.
And as long as she touched plants that still showed signs of life, she could exchange energy with them.
She thought back for a moment.
This must have something to do with that jade pendant.
When she went to look for it, she discovered that the pendant was gone. In its place, on the inner side of her wrist, was a mark shaped like the pendant!
This was truly incredible! Just as she had suspected.
She wondered if this golden finger would have further upgrades in the future.
In her previous life, this jade pendant had fallen into Lü Xiaoxiao’s hands. But she knew that later, it had been sold, and she had never heard of anything unusual happening.
So in her past life, this miraculous ability had probably never been developed.
That meant she had no reference point.
After a 28-hour train journey, by the time she arrived, Jiang Li felt like her whole body was falling apart.
She rested for a night at a nearby guesthouse, took a bath, and bought some food and daily necessities.
Only then did she head toward the military camp.
Si Nanchén belonged to the Northeast Sixth Garrison Regiment.
It was built in a barren mountain area, far from any villages.
She asked some local villagers for directions before finally being pointed the way.
She hadn’t expected the Northeast to be so desolate—so sparsely populated that she couldn’t even see a single ox cart. She had no choice but to rely on her own legs.
After walking for half a day, all she saw were endless cornfields.
But their growth wasn’t good; the leaves were all wilted.
As she got closer, she could hear the corn stalks chattering noisily.
“It hasn’t rained for three months. My roots can’t dig any deeper.”
“It’s time to tassel, but I can’t push anything out no matter how hard I try. It’s harder than a duck laying eggs.”
“Just shut up and rest… huh? What’s that smell? So nice… ah, energy, energy!”
Jiang Li was exhausted, and she had already drunk all her water. Hearing the voices, she suddenly thought of her miraculous golden finger and quickly reached out to touch the corn.
Sure enough, as her hand brushed against the scattered corn leaves around her,
A steady stream of energy flowed into her body. The soreness in her legs and the pain in the soles of her feet quickly eased.
Her thirst disappeared.
It felt even more refreshing and comfortable than drinking a whole bucket of water.
The surrounding corn seemed to be drawn to her, crowding toward her hand.
As Jiang Li enjoyed the fullness brought by the energy replenishment,
A voice suddenly exploded in her mind—
“This is bad! A spy has sneaked in!”
Jiang Li was completely baffled.
A spy?
What spy?
The next moment, a dagger was pressed against her neck.
“Don’t move. Don’t shout. Come with me.”
It was a man.
As he spoke, he dragged her into the cornfield.
Jiang Li was terrified.
She had never expected that just after arriving here, before even seeing Si Nanchén, she would be kidnapped.
The other party was clearly trained.
His grip was strong, and no matter how she struggled, she couldn’t break free.
The surrounding corn stalks were shouting anxiously,
But no one could hear them except her.
Jiang Li was frantic.
She deliberately choked back sobs and said,
“I… I’m just a farming woman. Where are you taking me? If my husband finds out I went into a cornfield with another man, how can I go on living?”
“If you need my help with something, just tell me directly, okay? We can’t go any further. If people from the village see us, I won’t be able to explain myself!”
“Shut up!”
The man behind her barked sharply.
The knife at her neck pressed forward slightly, already cutting into her skin.
Jiang Li shrank back in pain, not daring to provoke him further. Just as she was worrying about how to escape,
She unexpectedly noticed that the anxious corn stalks were swaying left and right in a pattern.
It seemed like they were trying to block the man.
Her heart stirred.
She suddenly realized that although she couldn’t communicate with the corn, they seemed able to sense the energy within her. At this moment, they must be trying to protect her.
She immediately lowered her hands as much as possible. Driven by the flow of energy, the corn stalks on both sides began to sway more vigorously.
The man dragging her forward also had to watch his surroundings. Caught off guard, he tripped.
Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Li forcefully pushed away the knife at her neck and bolted forward.
As she ran, she shouted loudly,
“Catch the spy! Catch the spy!”
At that moment, on the road not far outside the cornfield,
A military off-road vehicle suddenly screeched to a halt.