Early the next morning, the faint light of dawn cut through the thick mist in the space like a sharp blade. It streamed through the hole-riddled window of the little wooden hut and stabbed directly at Shen Qinghuan’s eyelids.
Shen Qinghuan subconsciously raised her hand and rested it on her slightly protruding abdomen. Inside was a child three or four months along—her only emotional anchor in this strange world where she had no one to rely on, and also her only weakness.
Beside her, a fluffy bundle was nudging her arm, purring softly like a kitten.
It was that bold little panda cub. After being grabbed by the scruff and frightened by her the previous night, it surprisingly was not afraid of strangers at all and had clung to her side to sleep the whole night.
Shen Qinghuan curled her lips slightly and poked the soft furball with her fingertip.
“Mmm…”
Yuanbao grunted at the poke, its grape-like black eyes snapping open, misty with sleep. When it saw that it was her, it immediately squeaked happily and tried to burrow into her arms, pawing at her clothes.
“Master, good morning!”
“Master, hug!”
Afraid of pressing on her belly, Shen Qinghuan quickly rolled aside and scratched under its chin with her fingertip, her tone carrying a trace of helpless worry.
“What good morning? I’m practically worried to death.”
Yuanbao tilted its head, holding her finger with its tiny paws and shaking it, asking in a babyish voice, “What’s Master worried about?”
“Still thinking about stewing panda from yesterday?”
“Cheeky.”
Shen Qinghuan flicked its forehead, got up while supporting herself against the wall, walked to the door, and pushed open the creaking wooden panel. She pointed to the stretch of dark soil outside.
“You said yesterday that planting rare medicinal herbs could upgrade the space and make a lot of money.”
“But look— I don’t even have a single seed. Am I supposed to just stare at this soil and live on air?”
“I can endure it, but the little one in my belly can’t starve with me, can he?”
The moment she said this, Yuanbao immediately became displeased.
It sprang up from the ground, its round body standing upright, tiny paws on its hips, puffed up in protest.
“Master!”
“Why are you still calling me little panda! I have a name!”
“A dignified space spirit can’t be nameless!”
Shen Qinghuan froze for a moment. Only then did she realize that she had been so busy last night thinking about revenge and upgrading the space that she had never asked the little creature’s name.
She raised a brow, deliberately putting on a stern face, and tapped its round head lightly.
“Oh? Then what’s your name? I can’t keep calling you little thing or little rascal forever, can I?”
Yuanbao’s head wobbled from the tap, but it showed no fear at all. Instead, it puffed out its little belly proudly, tail nearly standing up, and declared loudly as if making an announcement:
“My name is Yuanbao!”
“The previous Master of the space gave it to me! He said I attract wealth and bring good fortune to Master!”
“Yuanbao?”
Shen Qinghuan repeated the name silently. Her eyes suddenly lit up like they had been sprinkled with starlight, and much of the gloom in her gaze dissipated.
She scooped Yuanbao into her arms, held it up close for inspection, and rubbed its soft ears with her fingers, unable to hide the smile tugging at her lips.
“Great name! Truly a great name!”
“As expected of my spirit— it practically screams prosperity!”
“From now on, you’re Yuanbao!”
Yuanbao squinted in comfort under her touch, hugging her fingers with its paws, tail wagging like a tiny fan, still taking the chance to show off.
“Of course! Master doesn’t need to worry about seeds. There are tons in the warehouse!”
“They’re treasures left by the previous Master, stored in jade boxes. Not a trace of spiritual energy has dissipated!”
“There are seeds in the warehouse?”
Shen Qinghuan’s breath hitched. Her heart felt as if seized by an invisible hand, then began pounding wildly.
Afraid that moving too abruptly would strain her abdomen, she suppressed her ecstasy and hurried toward the inconspicuous little warehouse beside the hut, her steps almost floating.
“Quick! Take me there!”
“If there really are seeds, I’ll give you two extra jin of biscuits today!”
The warehouse door was made of old nanmu wood. The moment it opened, a refreshing scent of vegetation mixed with the warm fragrance of jade rushed out, tickling her nose.
Inside, rows of palm-sized jade boxes were arranged neatly. A thin layer of dust covered them, yet could not conceal the wisps of spiritual energy leaking out, dazzling to behold.
Yuanbao jumped from her arms and pointed at the jade boxes on the lowest shelf, showing off proudly.
“These ones! Master can open them with just a thought and plant the seeds directly into the soil without even using a hoe!”
“This is the space’s exclusive skill!”
“Plant with thought?”
Shen Qinghuan grew intrigued.
Following Yuanbao’s instructions, she fixed her gaze on a jade box carved with orchid patterns and silently commanded it to open.
Click!
With a crisp sound, the lid popped open.
Inside lay dozens of glossy black seeds, round and lustrous. When she leaned closer, a strange fragrance shot straight to the crown of her head, instantly clearing her previously sluggish mind.
“My heavens… it really works!”
She clapped in amazement, then focused on another jade box the color of cinnabar. It opened again, revealing seeds red as agate, faintly glowing with spiritual light.
“Master, some seeds are good and some are bad,” Yuanbao called, hopping onto the pile of boxes and gripping the edge with its paws. “Some are ordinary grains, others are rare medicinal herbs and immortal plants. You won’t know until they grow!”
“And!”
“As long as you harvest for the first time, the space mall will unlock!”
“Then you can exchange for whatever seeds or treasures you want!”
“Mall!”
The word struck Shen Qinghuan like thunder, making her blood boil.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, focused all her will, and roared toward the entire rack of jade boxes:
“All seeds— plant into the black soil!”
Before her words even finished, an astonishing scene unfolded.
The lids of the jade boxes popped open in rapid succession!
Seeds of every color— red, black, white, yellow— poured out like winged sprites, forming streams of color that floated toward the black soil outside.
Each seed that landed caused the soil to flip open a tiny pit automatically, neatly swallowing it. The process was as fast as lightning. In the blink of an eye, dozens of boxes’ worth of seeds had all been sown.
Yuanbao rolled on the ground in excitement, flailing its tiny paws in the air and chanting nonstop:
“Spiritual energy growth! Spiritual energy growth!”
“Century-old herbs— mature in half a day!”
Leaning on the doorframe, Shen Qinghuan stared at the field without blinking, her heart pounding so hard it felt ready to leap out of her throat.
“Look!”
From the black soil, tiny green sprouts emerged, like newborn infants timidly poking their heads out.
Then, as if infused with primordial power, the sprouts began growing at a visible speed.
Nodes lengthened, leaves unfurled, branches split. In less than the time it took to burn a stick of incense, the once-barren land transformed into a lush sea of greenery. Layer upon layer of verdant waves rolled across the field, and a refreshing medicinal fragrance filled the entire space.
“This… this is way too fast!”
Shen Qinghuan stared in utter shock. Just as she was about to step forward, her gaze was suddenly drawn to a patch of plants that looked distinctly different from the rest.