They were several stalks of lingzhi!
Their caps were a deep reddish-brown, smooth as a mirror, with slightly curled edges like finely polished jade.
The stalks were thick and upright, faint white spiritual energy swirling around them. When the wind blew, the aura drifted gently through the air, settling on the skin with a comfort so pleasant it made one want to sigh.
Lingzhi!
It was lingzhi!
Shen Qinghuan’s voice trembled as she hurried forward and crouched down. Her fingertips shook as she reached out to touch them—only for Yuanbao to pounce over and block her.
“Master, don’t touch!
Touching them with your hands will disperse the spiritual energy!
Use your mind to harvest them!
Quick!
Use your mind!”
Shen Qinghuan immediately withdrew her hand, closed her eyes, and silently commanded in her heart: Harvest the hundred-year lingzhi!
Whoosh!
The stalks trembled lightly, then actually lifted out of the soil, floating slowly toward her.
She caught them in her hands. They felt warm and smooth like jade. A dense surge of spiritual energy flowed from her fingertips into her body, spreading instantly through all her limbs and bones. The depleted vitality caused by her pregnancy seemed to be filled in an instant.
At that moment—
A crisp chime rang out in her mind like heavenly music!
Congratulations, Host!
First harvest of a rare medicinal material: Hundred-Year Lingzhi!
Space Store unlocked!
Space level increased to Level 2!
Black soil area doubled!
Bonus benefit: Space residence fully upgraded!
Reward: One fully furnished courtyard cottage!
Reward: One free lottery draw!
Rumble—!
The ground beneath her feet shook violently, even more intensely than when the land had expanded before.
Shen Qinghuan staggered and quickly grabbed a nearby tree to steady herself, turning back in shock.
The shabby little wooden hut—drafty and broken—was undergoing a dramatic transformation at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Rotting beams were replaced by warm, polished nanmu wood. The uneven dirt floor rose into smooth white jade tiles. Broken windows were replaced by carved lattice windows draped with pale gauze curtains.
The hut’s size expanded rapidly as well, growing from its former palm-sized space into a refined cottage complete with a small courtyard.
Shen Qinghuan’s heart nearly stopped. She stumbled forward and pushed open the newly replaced wooden door carved with lotus patterns.
The scene inside brought tears instantly to her eyes.
Directly opposite the door was a spacious sitting room furnished with a set of pearwood tables and chairs. A celadon tea set rested on the table.
On the eastern side was a bedroom. A canopied bed lined with soft Jinzhou satin cushions stood against the wall, piled with thick Jinzhou quilts and soft pillows. Beside it stood a carved dressing table with a bronze mirror and basic grooming items.
The western room had been turned into a storage room, lined neatly with large cabinets—perfect for storing future medicinal harvests.
The courtyard was an even greater surprise. A branch of the spirit spring had been diverted to form a small pool of flowing water. Nearby grew several unknown spiritual herbs bearing tiny white flowers that released a pleasant fragrance when stirred by the breeze.
“Is… is this real?”
Shen Qinghuan trembled as she reached out to touch the smooth white jade tiles, then the soft Jinzhou quilt on the bed. Tears surged down her face.
“We… we finally have a proper home!”
Yuanbao was stunned as well. After a long pause, he snapped out of it and began bouncing around the courtyard excitedly, squealing:
“Wow!
It’s a fully furnished cottage!
Master!
Our house upgraded!
We don’t have to sleep on torn blankets anymore!
We can sleep on a big soft bed now!”
Just as Shen Qinghuan immersed herself in the joy of moving into a new home, the mechanical voice sounded again, reminding her there was more to come.
Host, please note: Space Store is now online. Lottery reward pending. Please claim as soon as possible.
Only then did Shen Qinghuan come back to her senses. Suppressing the excitement in her heart, she focused her thoughts on the gilded panel that had appeared in midair.
The words “Space Store” shone brilliantly at the top. Below was a dense list of items that dazzled the eyes.
Millennium ginseng seeds, marrow-cleansing pills, space accelerators, protective jade pendants—each one made her heart race.
In the upper right corner, a golden lottery button flashed enticingly.
She took a deep breath and pressed it.
Whoosh!
A radiant spinning wheel appeared before her, filled with dazzling prizes—from millennium polygonum seeds to physique-enhancing pills and invisibility talismans capable of evading pursuers. Every single reward was extraordinary.
The wheel spun wildly, so fast it became nothing but a blur!
Shen Qinghuan clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms as she murmured:
“Something good for the baby!
Something that can protect both of us!”
Yuanbao also stood on tiptoe, staring unblinkingly at the wheel, his tiny paws clenched as he shouted:
“Jackpot!
Jackpot!
Master and Little Master must both be safe and sound!”
The wheel gradually slowed. The pointer crept forward, passing the marrow-cleansing pill, sweeping past the invisibility talisman, and finally stopping firmly on a square blazing with golden light.
Ding!
Congratulations, Host!
You have won: Millennium Polygonum Seeds ×10!
Bonus: Spirit Spring Water Cultivation Technique!
Ten golden seeds materialized in Shen Qinghuan’s palm, emanating dense spiritual energy that made her inhale sharply.
At the same time, knowledge of a secret method for nurturing medicinal herbs with spirit spring water flooded into her mind.
Millennium polygonum!
Looking at the seeds in her palm, Shen Qinghuan’s eyes filled with tears. She lowered her head and kissed Yuanbao’s fluffy little head, her voice brimming with fiery determination.
“Yuanbao!
Our good days are really coming!”
Yuanbao rubbed against her cheek happily and chirped:
“Master is the best!
We’ll grow more treasures, upgrade the house into a palace, then return to the capital and stomp all those bad people under our feet!”
Shen Qinghuan threw her head back and laughed, her voice bright and unrestrained as it echoed through the elegant courtyard for a long time.
She looked at the vibrant black soil before her, the fully furnished home behind her, the adorably naive Yuanbao in her arms, and then gently touched her slightly swollen belly.
The confusion in her eyes vanished completely, replaced by bone-deep resolve and blazing determination.
The wealth and glory of her previous life were nothing but fleeting clouds.
As for the sea of blood and deep hatred waiting in the capital—she would settle every account, with interest.
From this moment on, she, Shen Qinghuan, had a space, had Yuanbao, had the child in her womb, had a warm home, and had limitless possibilities.
Grow herbs. Upgrade. Earn money. Crush scum. Raise her child.
This was the path she would walk—no matter what.