Chapter 2

    The next morning, Ruo Lan dressed herself fully, covering her head and face with a thin black cloth, and slung a small sack over her back.

    "Miss, are you going to the forest edge again?" Mei Zhu, holding a bowl of fragrant rice porridge, asked as she came from the small kitchen. The government had distributed rice and grains to the townspeople yesterday, so Mei Zhu had prepared a simple rice porridge for General Shen and Young Master Shen early in the morning. Seeing Ruo Lan preparing to leave the house, she called out.

    "Um, please take care of Father for me."

    "But we have rice and grains today. There's no need to go to the forest edge for tubers. It's dangerous, Miss," Mei Zhu advised, not wanting the Miss to risk danger now that they had food.

    "Having food today doesn't mean we won't be hungry tomorrow. Better to have a surplus than a deficiency. It will be more than half a month before the government distributes grains again," Ruo Lan reasoned.

    The Yue Region was still better off. Even though the agricultural land was scarce, the government divided a portion of its agricultural produce to distribute among the poor townspeople. In good years, the distribution was enough to fill the stomachs of the populace, but in bad years, famine was inevitable.

    Deaths from starvation were a common sight every year.

    However, not everyone was eligible for the food distribution. The townspeople had to work for the government—farming, mining, building dams, walls, roads, blacksmithing, horse breeding, or other labor-intensive tasks. Women had to sew, weave, scribe, or do other suitable tasks in exchange for food or grains provided by the government.

    The Shen family was considered fortunate to receive food and grains without having to work in exchange, thanks to General Shen's previous services to the region, even though he was injured. However, the food received was hardly sufficient for four mouths to feed, often leading to skipped meals and scrimping to survive.

    "In that case, please be careful, Miss. Don't venture too deep into the forest, and if you see the Hu Li, avoid them at all costs. If you don't find anything, don't be disheartened. We can always try again another day. I'll take the porridge to the master and the young master first," Mei Zhu reminded her.

    In this family, the only ones who could go out to find food were Mei Zhu and Ruo Lan, so they had to struggle more than other women.

    "Go ahead."

    With that, Ruo Lan adjusted her covering and headed towards the back of the house to slip through a small back gate. This house was the only property General Shen was left with after being expelled from his clan. The Ming family, showed some mercy by not seizing this last asset, likely because it was the only property in General Shen's name, purchased when he was young. The rest of his assets were taken by the Ming family.

    Another reason was that this house held no appeal to them. The land behind the house was barren and devoid of spiritual energy, unsuitable for cultivation. Additionally, the living quarters within the house were in disrepair, making the place uninhabitable. It was a piece of property the Ming family did not care for, left to the disabled general out of a semblance of pity.

    Once outside, Ruo Lan made her way towards the forest. The dirt roads, filled with red dust, would cloud up whenever a horse or carriage passed, forcing pedestrians to cover their faces to avoid the dust. Along the way, she saw townspeople and hunters, all heading towards the forest edge, each struggling to survive. After walking for about an hour, she began to see sparse greenery.

    Now able to sense spiritual energy, Ruo Lan felt the faint presence of it in her surroundings. She noticed only grass or certain plants could grow in areas with low spiritual energy. The forest edge was not suitable for cultivation either.

    Venturing deeper, she encountered more townspeople, all hoping to find edible plants or mushrooms to sustain themselves. Some were seen scraping bark into their sacks, a testament to their hardship.

    Soon, she saw a group carrying a blood-soaked body out of the forest—a grim reminder of the risks of venturing too deep and the consequences of living in this world.

    Using the original body owner's memories, Ruo Lan moved further into the forest, finding fewer people willing to venture deeper.

    Deeper into the woods, she found solitude and took a moment to hide beside a large rock before delving into her spirit once more. The forest had a much higher concentration of spiritual energy than the barren land behind her house. Investigating the peculiar pearl in her spirit, she noticed something unusual about it.

    The peculiar pearl absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy before it glowed with an emerald light for a moment. Soon after, it released spiritual energy almost ten times denser and more abundant around her.

    Incredible, the pearl could unleash spiritual power!

    In an instant, Ruo Lan felt the pearl had slightly grown from its original size, comparable to a pinky fingertip, to now the size of a thumb tip.

    The pearl's ability seemed to be absorbing surrounding spiritual energy and then amplifying it exponentially.

    Fantastic! With this, things would be much easier. Spiritual energy is the source of life. With spiritual energy, she could cultivate plants. With plants, she could raise animals. Eventually, she might find a way to heal General Shen and Young Master Shen. Ruo Lan was thrilled with the possibilities.

    Thus, she stood up and ventured deeper into the forest. Despite her fear of encountering demonic beasts, the increasing concentration of spiritual energy enticed her, pushing her fears aside.

    The deeper she went, the more the pearl absorbed the spiritual energy, generating even more in the process. Now, the pearl in Ruo Lan's spirit realm had grown to the size of a child's fist. Besides absorbing the forest's spiritual energy, she also collected various wild mushrooms, vegetables, and fruits, filling her sack to the brim. Strangely, she encountered no demonic beasts at all.

    Could the demonic beasts be afraid of this pearl?

    Ruo Lan tried to rationalize, seeking explanations for her observations. The deeper she went, the less likely she was to encounter any demonic beasts, as if they were avoiding her.

    But never mind that. Having ventured deep into the forest and gathered many valuable items, it was time to head back home. Tomorrow, she would return to test her hypothesis further.

    Turning back, it took her a while to reach the forest edge again, where she still saw some villagers. With the sun setting, Ruo Lan quickened her pace home, wary of bandits who might ambush her for her forest finds.

    Upon returning, she handed her sack to Mei Zhu in the kitchen to store the ingredients for future meals. The sack contained mushrooms, tubers, fresh vegetables, bamboo shoots, and wild fruits.

    "Wow, Miss, how did you manage to find so much in the forest today?" Mei Zhu exclaimed excitedly. It was unprecedented to return with such a bounty, enough to last several days. Today was exceptionally lucky for Ruo Lan.

    "I just happened to be at the right place, so I found these good things. Clean them and store them well. I'm going to rest now; I've been walking all day and am quite tired," Ruo Lan waved off Mei Zhu.

    "Yes, Miss, please go rest," Mei Zhu hurriedly responded, realizing she had forgotten how tired Ruo Lan must be from her day's efforts.

    Ruo Lan returned to her room, took care of her personal business, and then excitedly sat on her bed. She explored her spirit realm again, finding the pearl undergoing a peculiar reaction, seemingly consolidating the spiritual energy it had absorbed throughout the day. From the size of a child's fist, it slowly shrank back down, all the while, Ruo Lan watched eagerly, wondering what would happen next, almost as if it were leveling up like in a game she had played in her previous world.

    After more than two hours, a small, tangible, white pearl appeared in front of her, no longer just in her spirit realm but real, tangible, and capable of being touched.

    When she reached out, she found its surface smooth, releasing a wondrous spiritual energy. Upon further inspection, she realized the spirit pearl in her spirit realm was still present. It was still the size of a thumb but now more intense in color and surrounded by an even deeper, more profound energy.

    The special pearl could absorb spiritual energy for some process, similar to eating food, growing slightly, then excreting an actual pearl capable of releasing spiritual energy.

    When Ruo Lan brought the real pearl close to her forehead, the pearl in her spirit realm did not absorb its energy, suggesting that the energy created, although spiritual, was no longer absorbed. Ruo Lan deduced that the spiritual energy of the special pearl in her spirit realm desired was solely from natural sources created by the heavens and earth.

    Contemplating the real pearl in her hand, she realized if planted in soil, that land would become enriched with spiritual energy, like the forest's soil, allowing for cultivation.

    With this realization, Ruo Lan was even more excited and delighted, anticipating the day she could cultivate her own crops.

    The next morning, Ruo Lan buried the real pearl in the barren land behind the house. If this pearl could truly enable her to cultivate plants, she would transform this dry patch into a lush green area.

    Afterward, she dressed fully and took her usual sack to enter the forest once again. She continued her journey into the depths of the forest, collecting anything edible along the way. However, her primary goal remained to immerse herself in areas with dense spiritual energy. The forest's spiritual energy was crucial for the development of the special pearl within her spirit realm.

    Today was another day without encountering any demonic beasts, but she did come across common animals that lacked spiritual power, like wild chickens, deer, or boars, which occasionally became prey to humans.

    Ruo Lan spotted several wild chickens but lacked the tools to catch them due to their speed.

    A bit deeper, she found a pond. The sight of the clear emerald water revealing stones at the bottom and large, plump fish swimming leisurely enticed her to want to dive in and catch one for a fish curry. Unfortunately, she had come empty-handed, without any tools for trapping animals. However, she made a mental note to return the next day with the proper equipment.

    Near the pond, she discovered large bunches of grapes growing by the water. Their lush, healthy vines climbed up the large trees beside the pond, with dark purple grapes almost bursting with ripeness. Although her sack was nearly full, there was still room for several bunches of grapes, which she collected before sitting by the pond for a long while.

    She waited until sunset and the sky darkened before deciding to leave the forest. She did this to ensure that the villagers at the forest edge had left, avoiding becoming a target for those who might covet the bounty in her sack.

    Using the cover of darkness to conceal herself, she soon reached the entrance to her home.

    Upon entering, she was startled by Mei Zhu's cries.

    "Miss! You've finally returned. I was scared to death!" Mei Zhu rushed over, touching Ruo Lan as if a mother awaiting her child's return from dawn. Worry saturated her voice, ready to carry Ruo Lan inside if possible.

    "Why have you returned so late? I was terrified. Terrified!" She feared the Miss had ventured too deep into the forest and encountered demonic beasts, a scenario likely ending with Ruo Lan not making it out alive.

    "Calm down. I just found a lot of good things in the forest and filled my sack until it got late. It's nothing serious."

    "Miss, please be careful. As a lone woman, don't take unnecessary risks. If something were to happen to you, what would we do? We still have the master and the young master. Let the forest goods be if you can't find them. First and foremost, you must preserve your life. Go now, quickly get inside and freshen up with a bath," she consoled, comforting herself as much as Ruo Lan.

    Ruo Lan nodded before handing her sack to Mei Zhu, "Hmm, please take care of this. Anything that spoils quickly, slice and dry. For the plants I've uprooted with their roots, please soak them in water for me." She planned to experiment with planting them the next day. Today, entering deeper into the forest where the spiritual energy was more abundant than the day before, Ruo Lan was able to condense two more pearls from the magical pearl she possessed. Tomorrow morning, she planned to try planting crops.

    The next morning, Ruo Lan woke up early and hurried to the barren land behind the manor. She discovered that where she had buried the pearl previously, a few small grasses had sprung up. Although it was just a few weeds, it was enough to confirm her hypothesis: the pearl that was refined could enhance the surrounding area with spiritual energy, allowing plants to grow.

    Without delay, Ruo Lan took the two additional pearls she had obtained yesterday and buried them further away to test how far a single pearl could spread its spiritual energy. Then, she rushed back to the kitchen, took the plants she had gathered from the forest – taro roots, sweet potatoes, and a bunch of grapes – and went back to the same spot. She used a bucket to scoop water from a nearby small pond to moisten the soil before using a sharp stick to loosen the earth lightly and quickly planted the crops. She also extracted seeds from the grapes and planted them in the moist soil, creating a makeshift vine support from dry branches so that the grapevines could climb them.

    Completing her gardening work took up nearly half the day. As the sun blazed overhead, she took the opportunity to visit her father and brother, who were bedridden in the main house.

    Mei Zhu, carrying a tray of food, came out from the house just as Ruo Lan was leaving the garden, sweating profusely. "Miss, what have you been doing? You're all sweaty."

    "I've been planting vegetables."

    "Planting vegetables? Where did you do that? I haven't heard any announcements from the authorities hiring labor for planting."

    Typically, areas suitable for cultivation were owned by the royal court or major influence groups, employing commoners for the labor. Mei Zhu had occasionally worked in such plantations, but the government usually announced labor hiring one to three days in advance, which she hadn't heard about recently.

    "In our backyard."

    "What! We can plant crops in our backyard?" Mei Zhu exclaimed in shock. How could the backyard, dry and cracked so wide one could fall into, be possible for planting?

    "The other day, while in the forest, I happened upon a rare herb. A celestial doctor I met exchanged it for adjusting my body to contain spiritual energy. Now that I have spiritual energy, I can grow some crops." Ruo Lan fabricated a reason to prevent Mei Zhu from becoming too suspicious.

    It was simpler than explaining her dimensional travel and the miraculous pearl gifted by the gods, capable of absorbing pure spiritual energy and multiplying it, even producing several real pearls and when buried in soil, enriching it with spiritual energy. Mei Zhu would be too startled by such an explanation.

    "Really? You're so lucky! Now we won't have to worry about those Hu Li bullies anymore, right? And we'll have fresh vegetables to eat. That's wonderful."

    "Maybe... I suppose," Ruo Lan replied, confident about the cultivation but uncertain about handling the Hu Li thugs. She had never trained in combat or knew how to control or use her spiritual energy against others.

    I'll need to study for a bit longer. 

    Mei Zhu, as if she knew what Ruo Lan was thinking, reassured her, "Miss, don't worry. Our house may lack many things, but when it comes to manuals on martial arts and strategies of victory, we have them all. Whatever manual you desire, I will find it for you. Please wait, I'll go search in the library." Saying this, the young maid hurried off, almost running.

    It must be said that General Shen was originally the protector of the region. Regardless, he never lacked martial arts manuals and warfare strategies. If anything could be considered cherished by General Shen after his two children, it would only be these manuals that he had collected throughout his life.

    Ruo Lan watched Mei Zhu disappear with amusement before pushing the door open to join her father and brother. Upon entering, she was met with two pairs of eyes that shone brightly upon her, reflecting a mixture of emotions: sorrow, joy, excitement, and pride. These were the looks her father and brother, who dearly loved her, gave.

    "You must have heard," she said, knowing her conversation with Mei Zhu wasn't exactly quiet, and those resting in the room must have overheard.

    "Our Lan’er is truly talented," said Yu Chang, breaking the silence.

    Originally, Yu Chang was a handsome and skilled gentleman, both intellectually and martially. Unfortunately, like his father, his straightforwardness had led him to this dire situation.

    As for General Shen, despite lying on the bed in such a state, his bold and imposing nature was still evident between his brows, a man whose dignity couldn't be diminished by any downfall.

    "Father, Brother, from now on, I will take care of both of you," she spoke as the original owner of the body, feeling the strong determination in her heart that the original soul had. If the original owner didn't have the chance to fulfill this resolve, the new Ruo Lan would do it on her behalf.

    "Lan’er has grown up," General Shen said with a voice filled with regret and pride.

    "I will diligently practice."

    "Don't pressure yourself too much," General Shen advised tenderly.

    Even though he had been a soldier all his life, his only treasure was this daughter of his. Now, he could only regret not being able to provide the protective shade he once did, becoming a disabled father dependent on her struggles.

    "Mastering spiritual power cannot be rushed. It requires gradual practice. If you encounter any difficulties or have questions, come to me," he said. Beyond this, he felt there was little else he could offer help with.

    "Of course, Father. If I don't understand something, you'll be the first one I ask"

    Ruo Lan spent a good while joking and talking with her father and brother before excusing herself to let them rest. Even from a brief conversation, she could tell both General Shen and Yu Chang were honest and steadfast in their convictions. Sadly, in their current state, sustaining life was already a challenge, let alone fulfilling any grand ambitions.