A short while later, all three of them fell asleep. The two children had been exhausted after a whole day of trouble-making; after all, they were still very young, so they drifted off quickly.
Liu Qingyan’s body was also extremely weak, and she soon fell into a dream.
In her dream, she returned to the modern world. She had died while carrying out a mission, and her parents and older brother were holding her funeral.
She saw her mother crying so hard she could barely breathe, collapsing multiple times from fainting. She wanted to step forward and hug her mother, to tell her she was still alive, but she could only stand there as a bystander, unable to move even a single inch.
Her father was also overwhelmed with grief, and her brother’s eyes were red from crying. Yet as the only man in the family, he had to help take care of their emotionally shattered mother.
At the funeral were her former comrades-in-arms—those she had fought alongside day and night—as well as her subordinates and leaders, all there to see her off for the last time, all in tears.
She saw her own body lying there, dressed in a crisp new military uniform, covered with the bright red national flag.
Perhaps because of her contributions to her country and its people, even the King of Hell had been moved and granted her another chance at life.
Her tears poured uncontrollably, like a broken dam.
In this world, there was likely no one else who had witnessed their own funeral and seen their loved ones cry themselves into collapse—only Liu Qingyan.
She truly could not endure such a scene. She worried deeply that her parents’ bodies would not withstand such a devastating blow.
She cried out hoarsely, “Dad, Mom, Brother, I’m not dead!”
But not a single sound came out. That helpless pain felt like her heart was being torn apart.
Suddenly, everything before her vanished, and she woke from the dream.
At that moment, she suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. The pain in her chest was beyond words.
Blood spilled into her palm. She hurriedly covered her chest, and then the jade pendant around her neck slipped out. As soon as it touched her blood, it began to glow, emitting a blinding white light.
All the blood was absorbed into the pendant. Only then did she remember that this jade pendant was the only item left to her by the original owner’s mother. After the white light faded, the pendant returned to normal.
At the same time, the pain in her chest disappeared. She reached out to touch the pendant—and in the blink of an eye, it felt as if she had stepped into another world.
Surrounding her on all sides were mountains, while she stood on a flat plain.
She stood blankly by a pool of water, wondering if she was dreaming again.
Bravely, she walked forward and soon saw a stone stele beside the pond with the two characters “Spirit Spring” written on it.
The pond was not large, about seventy to eighty square meters. Feeling a bit thirsty, and seeing how clear the water was, she cupped some and drank it.
The water was extremely sweet and refreshing. After drinking it, she felt completely revitalized, her body filled with strength again. She couldn’t help but marvel at the miraculous spring water.
She continued walking. On the other side of the spring were fields—dozens of acres in total, though she could not tell the exact size.
However, there were no crops growing, only weeds everywhere, making it look like an endless grassland.
In her past life, she had always wanted to visit the grasslands but never had the time. Was this fulfilling that dream?
As she thought this, she wished there were a horse here too—imagining herself riding a tall, powerful steed across the vast grassland.
The wind would rush across her face, carrying the fresh scent of grass and earth. Her body would move naturally with the rhythm of the horse, as if she and the creature were one.
The boundless grassland would stretch endlessly beneath her like a green ocean, rushing backward as she rode. The vastness of heaven and earth would unfold before her without reservation.
Her heart would be filled with freedom and joy, all restraints and worries cast far away. A surge of ambition would rise within her.
She felt as if she could overcome any obstacle and embrace infinite possibilities, and her mood instantly lifted.
She opened her eyes, breathing deeply the fragrance of plants and fresh air, unconsciously spreading her arms to embrace this beauty.
Thinking that it would be wonderful if all this land belonged to her, so that she and her two younger siblings would never go hungry again.
She continued walking and soon saw a house standing in the middle of the fields, beautifully built from brick and tile.
A narrow brick path led toward the spirit spring. On both sides of the path bloomed all kinds of flowers—peonies, begonias, chrysanthemums, roses…
She couldn’t help but follow the path toward the house, growing more and more fond of everything she saw. It was truly the paradise she had dreamed of.
When she reached the door, she knocked and called out twice, “Is anyone there?”
A mechanical voice suddenly sounded in her ear:“Welcome to the Dream Space, my master. I have been waiting for you for a long time. Please come in.”
Liu Qingyan gently pushed the door open—but when she looked inside, there was no one there. Where had that voice come from?
Following her principle of asking when in doubt, she said,“Who was speaking just now? Who are you? How did I get here?”
The mechanical voice responded again:“I am your spatial system steward, ‘Xiao Xin.’ This is your personal space. If you touch the jade pendant, you can enter the space. You can also come and go using your thoughts. You may communicate with me mentally. If you have any questions, feel free to ask, Master.”
Liu Qingyan was delighted—so this really was a spatial world. Wonderful!
She walked inside and looked around. There was a large bed about two meters by 2.2 meters, with soft and comfortable bedding. Just as she was about to sit down, she realized her clothes were too dirty.
Looking around further, she saw a desk, a chair, and paper with writing tools. There was nothing else. On the left door, it read: “Bathroom not yet unlocked.”
She asked, “Why does it say the bathroom is not unlocked?”
“Because the master has not completed the task. It cannot be upgraded yet, so it is unavailable.”
“What about the kitchen? Is it the same?”
“Yes, Master.”
“What task?” she asked again.
“You must cultivate the land with your own hands. Only after harvesting crops can you upgrade and unlock new functions.”
“Can I grow anything? But I don’t have seeds, and my body is very weak. I’m afraid I can’t do it.”
“You may grow any crops. However, thirty percent of the harvest must be given to the space to maintain its operation and unlock new functions.
As for how you complete it or obtain seeds, I cannot help you. You must figure it out yourself.
Also, I almost forgot—Spirit Spring water has healing properties and can promote growth for both animals and plants.
If the master is injured, drinking it can heal wounds. It can also be used externally for faster recovery.”
After saying this, the voice disappeared.
Liu Qingyan walked around the room. She originally wanted to wash her face and hands in the bathroom, but it was unavailable. There was nothing interesting inside; it was better to go outside and look at the grasslands.
She spoke to Xiao Xin again:“Xiao Xin, I’m very dirty and want to bathe. Could you unlock the bathroom? I can owe you whatever is needed.”
Xiao Xin replied, “It’s not impossible, but you must exchange it for 1,000 jin of grain. You can put it on credit for now.”
Liu Qingyan happily agreed, “Alright, I accept.”
After bathing, she felt completely refreshed.
For now, it seemed the only useful things in the space were the spirit spring and the bathroom. Everything else was still in a very undeveloped state.
She looked again at the flowers along the path. They seemed like smiling faces, making her feel especially peaceful and joyful.