Duan Yanzhou saw her frowning deeply in silence and thought she was about to back out. “Don’t worry. If you’re unwilling to marry me, I won’t force you. At first light tomorrow, I’ll go to Grandfather and prove your innocence, and have him make the decision for you.”
“After all, with this body of mine, who knows how much longer I can hold on.” As he spoke, he clutched his chest and coughed violently.
Perhaps because he was bent over, his robes hung slightly open, revealing his pale neck and slender collarbones—a single glance was enough to stir pity.
Lin Shutang quickly said, “I’m not unwilling. It’s just an illness—let me take a look.” She snatched his hand, intending to feel his pulse.
To her surprise, he swiftly pulled his hand back. “You know medicine?”
Lin Shutang nodded. “A little.”
Duan Yanzhou lowered his hand, stopped coughing, and straightened up. “It’s just an old ailment—no need for treatment. You’ve been busy all day today. Are you hungry? I’ll have the servants boil you a bowl of hot tangyuan.”
She had no mind for tangyuan at the moment. After a brief pause, she said gravely, “Yanzhou, do you trust me?”
Duan Yanzhou did not hesitate, his gaze softening as he nodded. “You are my wife. Of course I trust you.”
Lin Shutang searched through the original owner’s memories and said seriously, “Yanzhou, the Emperor has grown suspicious of Chong Guogong. Tomorrow, the entire Duke’s Residence will be raided and confiscated, and before long, the family will be exiled to Qinan.”
Duan Yanzhou’s sword-like brows furrowed slightly, a shadow of sharpness flickering in his eyes, chilling the warmth of the bridal chamber in an instant.
Lin Shutang drew in a sharp breath. Before he could ask, she continued, “Rest assured, what I say is true. If you ask how I know, just consider it something I overheard—it is by no means nonsense.”
“If you don’t believe me, you may send someone to An Wangfu. With the raid set for tomorrow, they are already stationed at every city gate by now, to prevent your family from fleeing overnight.”
“No, you’re not speaking nonsense.” Duan Yanzhou’s eyes narrowed, his expression turning serious. “Grandfather and Uncle have always been ostentatious, and they’ve long since incurred the Emperor’s displeasure. A raid was only a matter of time.”
“Today, at the Duke’s Residence wedding, the guests who came were few and far between. I already sensed something was off—I just never imagined the raid would come tomorrow.”
He paused, then said earnestly, “Shutang, thank you for telling me. I’m afraid we won’t be able to consummate our marriage tonight, but rest assured, I will never let you suffer alongside me.”
Lin Shutang nodded.
Without further hesitation, Duan Yanzhou turned and left swiftly. “Wait for me a moment. I’ll be right back.”
The door was pushed open, and the departing man, fearing the wind and snow would blow into the room, opened it quickly and shut it just as quickly.
Lin Shutang looked up at the window. The cold wind howled, and tonight’s snow was falling even heavier.
But this was only the beginning. Within half a month, the entire land would be covered in ice and snow, temperatures would plummet, mountains and rivers would freeze over, and the harvest would fail completely.
Lin Shutang frowned. If only she could stockpile more food and warm clothing at a time like this.
Just as she was thinking, the large red bed before her suddenly vanished. Looking up, she saw that the antique room had transformed into a modern, massive shopping mall.
Glass observation elevators, a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, all manner of shops…
She rubbed her eyes, almost thinking it was an illusion. “What is going on?”
The spotlights inside the mall cast a glaring light. On the first floor were various gold, silver, and jewelry stores, cosmetics shops, cake and milk tea snack stalls, as well as a section for phones, computers, and home appliances.
The merchandise was fully stocked, yet there were no shop assistants or customers.
She turned around and scanned her surroundings—the vast, brightly lit mall held only her alone.
Lin Shutang spun and dashed toward the mall entrance behind her, only to find there was no door, and no windows either.
Could this be the Kongjian described in novels?!
Shocked and delighted, she immediately stepped onto the escalator and headed to the second floor. There, she found all kinds of clothing—dozens of storefronts arranged in a circle, featuring spring and summer wear as well as winter down jackets.
She continued to the third floor. The third floor was the home goods section, containing not only kitchen supplies, furniture, and appliances, but also a wide variety of quilts, blankets, and bedding.
She went on to the fourth floor. The fourth floor was the supermarket area, stocked with rice, oil, salt, snacks, beverages, melons, fruits, and vegetables—a dazzling array of goods.
The fifth floor housed various dining establishments and a cinema, though there were no waiters inside.
Lin Shutang kept walking and noticed that the observation elevator could still go higher.
She boarded the elevator and stopped before a large door. Pushing it open, she found an immense empty space stretching endlessly before her, with no end in sight.
At that moment, a fluorescent text appeared on the door: “Sixth Floor: Chucun Kongjian. Suzhu may use willpower to place any items needing storage into this space.”
“No need to carry things in by hand?” Lin Shutang had never seen such an operation before.
She quickly calmed herself and gave it a try. Closing her eyes, she focused on the plate of peanuts and dates on the table in her new house.
In an instant, she opened her eyes and found the plate of peanuts and dates had appeared in the space.
This was incredible—she was overjoyed.
A mechanical voice sounded: “Suzhu may enter and exit the space at will using willpower, and may teleport freely within the space. However, the time limit is only half an hour. Please be mindful of the time.”
At that, a timer appeared in midair, with just over ten minutes remaining.
She turned and boarded the observation elevator again, arriving at the seventh floor, where another door awaited.
Lin Shutang reached out to push the door, and the moment her hand touched it, a line of text and a progress bar appeared: “Seventh Floor upgrading. Upgrade will be complete in three hours.”
Lin Shutang quickly withdrew her hand. Not only could this mall space store supplies and teleport, but it could also continuously upgrade over time.
That meant no one knew just how many floors this mall had—it could be a dozen or more, or perhaps even infinite.
She walked slowly to the elevator entrance and looked up. The ceiling, once adorned with crystal chandeliers, instantly stretched upward without end, the entire mall rising like a tower with no visible summit.