Qiao Yu was curious, wanting to see just how large this vine could grow, and whether it would ever bloom. She tried to focus her concentration and continue channeling energy into the Jade Seed.
But as the energy flowed out of her, Qiao Yu felt her body growing heavier and heavier. When she began to feel dizzy and cold sweat broke out on her forehead, she dared not continue. By now, the vine had grown to half a person’s height, and the flower bud at its top had reached the size of an adult’s fist. Moreover, within her own consciousness, a small part had begun to feel faintly connected to this vine—she could even sense its affection and obedience toward her.
But Qiao Yu had no time to rejoice, as she felt her body was now extremely weak. Her head spun, her vision darkened, and even her breathing became labored—like someone gravely ill who had insisted on running a full marathon, so feeble that she seemed on the verge of collapsing at any moment. In a panic, she grabbed the half-glass of Fruit Water still sitting on the table and hastily drank it down.
Originally, she had only instinctively wanted to drink something to clear her head, but who would have thought that this Fruit Water would prove remarkably effective against her exhaustion? After just half a glass, Qiao Yu felt her dizziness begin to ease. Though she was still in poor condition, it was no longer as severe as before.
To confirm her suspicion, Qiao Yu poured one glass of Fruit Water and one glass of ordinary water, testing each separately. Sure enough, the Fruit Water could indeed replenish the energy in her body. Although the effect was not especially pronounced, it was still incomparable to ordinary water.
Qiao Yu rested for a while longer, and when she felt somewhat better, she began slowly channeling energy into the vine again. But this time, it was as if she had encountered a membrane—no matter how she tried, the energy would not flow in. Qiao Yu thought that perhaps this vine had simply reached its maximum height.
Enduring her dizziness, Qiao Yu walked outside and tentatively placed the vine in the flower bed in the courtyard. The moment it touched the ground, roots seemed to sprout spontaneously from the base of the Jade Seed, firmly anchoring it into the soil. The flower bud at the top burst open instantly, splitting into five slender branch vines, each tipped with sharp, hooked thorns.
Qiao Yu was startled.
Still… it looked rather fierce, but when Qiao Yu reached out and tentatively touched the branch vines at the top, the thin tendrils wrapped around her finger like a spoiled child seeking affection, gently rubbing against her skin.
Qiao Yu had never seen a plant like this, but since it came from a seed in the Yushu Space, there was nothing strange about not recognizing it. She crouched by the wall studying it for a long time until her legs went numb, yet she couldn’t discern any function of the vine other than acting coquettish toward her. Noticing that the night was growing deeper, and vaguely feeling that her fever was beginning to return, she dared not push herself further. She reluctantly gave up for now, deciding to head back inside to sleep and continue her research after waking the next morning.
She had expected another dreamless night, but in the middle of her sleep, Qiao Yu suddenly grew alert. In the haze between waking and dreaming, she saw a black cat leap over the courtyard wall and land in her yard. The moment it entered, the vine planted in the flower bed stretched its form instantly, its five branch vines pointing straight toward the black cat in a strange, eerie posture of aim.
The black cat didn’t seem to notice it, taking two light steps forward. But in the next second, those five split vines shot forward like arrows released from a bowstring.
Startled, the cat scrambled to escape up the wall, but just as it was about to get away, one vine wrapped around its right hind leg. Sharp barbs pierced into its flesh, drawing out a miserable shriek before the vine viciously flung it away.
Qiao Yu was jolted awake by the cat’s screams. Her body was no longer feverish—the fever must have broken. Her head no longer felt dizzy either, only a slight discomfort remained. Qiao Yu didn’t pay it much mind, slipping on her slippers and rushing outside. The vines had already returned to their original form, but the still-fresh bloodstains at the corner of the wall and the fading cat cries in the distance reminded her that everything that had just happened was real, not a dream.
In that moment, Qiao Yu suddenly understood—this vine’s purpose was for vigilance and interception. It was like an infrared surveillance system equipped with an automatic attack program. Whenever something approached, the vine would immediately issue a warning. If the intruder continued to advance, it would launch a direct attack and notify Qiao Yu through her consciousness, serving as a defensive measure.
Qiao Yu was delighted and couldn’t help reaching out to touch the leaves on the vine. But the moment she raised her hand, she saw it was coated in a sticky layer of grayish-brown paste—like a mixture of grease and mud. Her arms were covered in it too, and it had already smeared onto her pajamas, giving off a foul odor.
Startled, Qiao Yu hurried to the bathroom. Facing the mirror, she stripped off her clothes and discovered that her entire body was covered in this substance, reeking with a terrible stench.
Qiao Yu had a mild case of mysophobia, so there was no way she could tolerate her current “state.” She immediately took a shower. Though the substance felt sticky to the touch, it washed off easily—a simple rinse with clean water sent it flowing away. After her shower, whether due to a psychological effect or not, Qiao Yu felt her skin seemed more translucent than before, and even her hearing and vision had become much sharper. Recalling what she had done before going to sleep, a thought suddenly struck her—that cup of “Fruit Water.”
To verify her hypothesis, Qiao Yu hauled out the bucket again and drank three large cups in one go, stopping only when she physically couldn’t drink any more.
The night was still deep. Qiao Yu checked the time—2:20 AM. She had slept less than four hours. Since dawn was still far off, she lay back down on the bed to catch up on sleep.
The next day, Qiao Yu was woken up by her own stench. Sure enough, that sticky, foul-smelling grayish-brown substance had appeared on her body again overnight, and in far greater quantity than what she had seen the night before. It seemed it really was the effect of that “Fruit Water.”
This time, after bathing and washing up, Qiao Yu could finally confirm that it hadn’t been her imagination last night. Her skin truly had become much more translucent—smooth and tender like a shelled egg. Her vision and hearing had grown remarkably acute, and she even felt her entire body was lighter. The Jade Tree in the Spatial Dimension also seemed more translucent than before, faintly emitting a soft glow.
Qiao Yu was deeply shocked. Those grayish-brown sticky substances… could they be the impurities expelled from her body as the Fruit Water cleansed her internal organs? And this Jade Tree… had it already become a part of her?
Although there were still many things unclear, at least Qiao Yu could be certain that this suddenly acquired Spatial Dimension was, for her, nothing but beneficial with no harm.
After washing up, Qiao Yu quickly changed her clothes. Checking the time, a full eleven hours had passed since she had placed the food into the Spatial Dimension the night before.
Qiao Yu took the food back out, and sure enough, neither Spatial Dimension disappointed her expectations—the dishes were still as warm and fresh as when she had put them in. She set aside some for breakfast and stored the rest back into the Spatial Dimension.
She had originally thought that having a storage space was already a stroke of luck, but she never expected the Spatial Dimension to hold so many more surprises. Qiao Yu felt greatly reassured. Since time within the Spatial Dimension was frozen, she could now go all out in stockpiling food.