Jiang’s father nodded with a solemn expression.
“The moment that boy from the Lu family came to propose, our daughter had this dream. Even if it wasn’t a warning from the heavens, it’s still a terrible omen. From now on, I think we’d better keep our distance from Lu Yaozu.”
Jiang’s mother, still shaken, nodded repeatedly.
No wonder her usually gentle daughter had treated Lu Yaozu so coldly today. So there really had been a reason behind it.
After crying for a while, Jiang Xiaoci gradually calmed down.
She couldn’t afford to wallow in grief. There were more important things to deal with.
“Dad, Mom, whether the dream was real or not, our family has to prepare in advance. What if Lu Yaozu really tries to frame us and secretly reports us? What will we do then?”
At her words, Father and Jiang’s mother exchanged helpless, conflicted looks.
If someone truly reported them for being capitalist sympathizers or practicing a capitalist lifestyle, neither of them knew how they could avoid being sent down to the countryside.
Before their daughter mentioned it, the possibility had never even crossed their minds.
Their ancestors had indeed been merchants and had accumulated some wealth, but they were far from what anyone would call capitalists.
Over the past few years, the campaign against capitalist practices had grown increasingly severe. Once a report was filed, officials would raid the home. If they found substantial assets, everything would be confiscated, and the family would be exiled to the countryside for labor reform.
To avoid attracting attention, the Jiangs had deliberately lived modestly. Their house wasn’t luxurious—just cleaner and tidier than those of their neighbors in the residential compound.
The only thing that might expose them was that they couldn’t bear to let their daughter suffer.
Their family ate meat every day, and every year they made sure Jiang Xiaoci had new clothes.
At a time when many families barely had enough to eat or wear, their living conditions were indeed far better than average. That was probably why Lu Yaozu had concluded they were living like capitalists and decided to report them.
Unlike her husband, Jiang’s mother couldn’t stay calm.
“Were planning to find you a job after you graduated from high school this year,” she said anxiously. “You’re only eighteen. But if our whole family is reported, then even if you have a job, you’ll still be sent to the countryside. What are we supposed to do?”
Surely they couldn’t simply stop looking for work and sit around waiting for disaster to strike.
Instinctively, she looked toward Jiang’s father, hoping he would have an answer.
But his face remained grave.
After a long silence, he sighed heavily.
“There’s no point panicking. This isn’t something we can solve overnight. We’ll have to think it through carefully.”
Jiang’s mother looked disappointed, but she had no better solution.
Seeing her daughter’s tear-streaked face, she lovingly wiped away her tears before pulling her tightly into her embrace.
“No matter what happens, your father and I are old enough to endure hardship. But our Xiaoci must never suffer with us.”
Jiang’s father nodded firmly.
He shared his wife’s thoughts completely. Whether the dream came true or not, they had to find a way to protect their daughter.
Jiang Xiaoci felt both deeply touched and heartbroken.
In her previous life, her parents had devoted everything to her, yet she had done nothing for them.
This time…
She refused to sit back and wait for fate to unfold.
She would change her destiny—and protect her parents as well.
Having lived two lifetimes, she refused to believe she couldn’t defeat fate…
Or Lu Yaozu.
Resting in her mother’s warm embrace, Jiang Xiaoci carefully recalled every detail from her previous life related to this matter.
She remembered that after Lu Yaozu reported their family, officials had quickly arrived to confiscate their property. Finding so many valuables, they immediately branded the Jiangs as capitalist sympathizers with a “bad class background.”
Her expression darkened.
The family assets had to be dealt with first.
Only by properly handling their property could they avoid giving others an excuse to frame them.
Everything they owned had been earned through generations of hard work. Although it would all eventually belong to her, she absolutely refused to let others smear her family and confiscate their possessions, only to profit from them themselves.
Then another memory surfaced.
Just before she died in her previous life, Bai Miaomiao had mentioned a spatial dimension.
Jiang Xiaoci immediately turned to her mother.
“Mom, don’t you have a pair of antique jade bracelets?”
Jiang’s mother blinked in surprise.
“Yes… Why do you ask?”
The bracelets had been passed down through generations and were part of her dowry. As for their true origin, even she no longer remembered.
Growing anxious, Jiang Xiaoci urged,
“Mom, let me see them. Those bracelets aren’t ordinary. I learned from my dream that they possess a mysterious power.”
Without hesitation, Jiang’s mother stood up.
“Alright. I’ll get them right away.”
Such precious heirlooms had naturally been stored away with great care.
Before long, she returned carrying a camphorwood chest.
The family of three gathered around it.
After removing the miscellaneous items inside, they found an ancient carved wooden box resting at the bottom.
Jiang Xiaoci’s eyes lit up.
She hurriedly opened it.
Inside lay a pair of blood-jade bracelets.
Curiously, she picked one up.
Its jade was warm and smooth, and the moment it touched her skin, she felt an inexplicable force drawing her toward it.
Without hesitation, she grabbed a small knife and cut her fingertip.
Bright red blood instantly dripped onto the bracelet.
Everything happened so quickly that her parents didn’t even have time to stop her.
Then they watched in stunned silence as the blood seemed to be drawn by an invisible force and was completely absorbed into the bracelet.
Not a single drop remained.
The three of them stood frozen in shock.
For a long while, none of them spoke.
“The bracelet… actually drinks human blood?”
Jiang’s mother finally blurted out, her voice filled with horror.
Jiang’s father stared at the bracelet with wide eyes.
He blinked hard several times, almost convinced he had imagined it.
“This… this is too bizarre…”
Even Jiang Xiaoci herself was astonished.
Hearing about something and witnessing it with her own eyes were two completely different experiences.
Certain of what she knew, she quickly reassured them.
“Don’t worry, Dad, Mom. It’s not drinking blood, and it isn’t evil. This is a blood-binding ritual—it’s recognizing its master.”
Father and Jiang’s mother exchanged glances.
Only after hearing her explanation did they finally relax.
At the same time, they realized these blood-jade bracelets were truly extraordinary.
The elderly couple felt both excited and nervous.
Looking from the bracelets to their daughter, they couldn’t help wondering…
What exactly were these miraculous bracelets capable of?
Only now did they realize that ever since Jiang Xiaoci began talking about her dream, the daughter they had always doted on seemed to have matured overnight.
She had become calmer, steadier…
Almost the pillar of the family.
Yet she was only eighteen years old and had just graduated from high school.
In those days, educated people were rare. Simply getting into high school was no easy feat, and a high school diploma was already highly valued.
Father and Jiang’s mother felt both proud and heartbroken.
They knew exactly why their daughter had changed so suddenly.
The nightmare she had dreamed had frightened her into growing up overnight.
She was already planning ahead for the future.
Jiang Xiaoci had no idea what emotions were running through her parents’ minds.
Her attention remained fixed on the pair of bracelets as she wondered how to access the mysterious spatial dimension.
After absorbing her blood, the bracelets gradually turned crimson.
A faint red glow spread across their surface.
Before she could examine them more closely—
The next instant, the red light enveloped all three of them.
A moment later…
The family suddenly appeared inside the spatial dimension.
When they regained their senses, they realized they were no longer standing in their own home.
Instead, they had arrived in a strange and wondrous world.
It was a magical realm completely different from reality.
Everything before their eyes was unlike anything that existed in the outside world.
Father and Jiang’s mother instinctively stood on either side of their daughter, each holding one of her hands protectively.
Jiang Xiaoci gripped their hands tightly as well, just as astonished as they were.
The family of three stared wide-eyed at everything around them.
Within the space stood a beautiful two-story Western-style villa.
Nearby stretched a patch of farmland.
Not far away was a small pasture where chickens and ducks roamed freely.
The birds pecked at the ground while clucking and quacking, their sounds so vivid…
So real…
And yet so surreal.
Jiang’s mother gasped.
“Xiaoci… Am I… dreaming?”
Jiang’s father looked around in amazement.
“Th-this… this can’t be… Could this be where immortals live?”
After all…
Who could possibly imagine that an entire world was hidden inside a single jade bracelet?