The tiny, luminous creature zipped happily around Lin Yue's head, its small wings a blur of green light.
"Master, you need to give me a name!" it chirped, its voice brimming with expectation. "A powerful name! Or maybe a cute one!"
Lin Yue smiled, the first genuine, unburdened smile in what felt like a lifetime.
She reached out, gently stroking the creature's soft, glowing body. It was indeed adorable, and a surge of affection warmed her cold resolve.
"A name… How about Xiao Ai? My Little Love."
The creature spun a quick circle in the air. "Xiao Ai! I am Xiao Ai! Thank you, Master!"
"Xiao Ai," Lin Yue began, her focus returning to the immediate problem, "how do I leave this place and return to my room?"
"It is very simple, Master. Just think about leaving," Xiao Ai replied.
Lin Yue focused her will, visualizing her bedroom. The spatial dimension blurred, and in the next instant, she was standing back in the center of her room.
The wound on her hand, which had been bleeding, was now only a clean, stinging cut.
The night had settled over the Lin villa.
Lin Yue locked her door and securely latched the window. Downstairs, she could still faintly hear the low drone of her father's voice.
She recalled the casual cruelty of her step-family and the shocking revelation that she might not even be Lin Aiguo's legitimate daughter.
Her time here was limited; she needed resources and power, fast.
She sat on the bed and willed herself back into the space.
"Master, you are back so quickly!" Xiao Ai greeted her within the lush, vast domain.
"Xiao Ai, how do I cultivate the land? I need to start now."
Xiao Ai hovered excitedly near the Jade Tablet. "Everything is controlled here, Master! You can manage the landscape, cultivation, and storage through the panel. Just think of the panel, and it will appear."
Lin Yue focused. A sleek, translucent panel, shimmering with a soft green glow, materialized before her and various options came into her view on panel screen:
[Space Info.]
[Warehouse]
[Points Mall]
[Space Market]
She clicked the [Space Info.] icon. A list of locked features scrolled into view:
[Cultivation Lands] (Locked)
[Pasture Lands] (Locked)
[Aquaculture Ponds] (Locked)
[Fruits Mountains] (Locked)
[Herb Mountains] (Locked)
[Workshops] (Locked)
Locked...
"All locked?" Lin Yue frowned.
"Yes, Master," Xiao Ai explained apologetically. "The space needs energy to expand and maintain itself. These functions must be unlocked using points."
"And can these points be converted back into real money?" Lin Yue asked, her eyes sharp.
"Oh, yes! Points can be exchanged into currency outside the space, Master," Xiao Ai confirmed.
Lin Yue's gaze fixed on the top right corner of the panel. [Points Balance: 0].
She swiftly exited the space. She rummaged through her closet until she found a worn-out wooden box—her savings from Chinese New Year envelopes and birthday gifts over the past ten years. It contained five hundred yuan.
She re-entered the space, clutching the money. "Xiao Ai, exchange all this."
A soft, green light enveloped the cash, and on the panel, the [Points Balance] updated instantly to [500].
Lin Yue's initial goal was immediate, fast-growing wealth. She clicked on [Cultivation Lands].
[Cultivation Lands] Unlock this function? Cost: 100 Points.
"I accept," Lin Yue confirmed. Hundred points vanished. [Points Balance: 400]
She clicked the newly unlocked [Cultivation Lands] icon, and a sub-menu appeared:
[Buy Land] (Locked)
[Ploughing] (Locked)
[Sowing] (Locked)
[Irrigation] (Locked)
[Harvesting] (Locked)
[Storage] (Locked)
Lin Yue's mouth twitched. "The space is certainly a cunning merchant," she muttered, but she resigned herself.
The benefits were worth the cost. She unlocked the five remaining cultivation options, clicking through the confirmation for each purchase.
A total of [180 Points] were deducted from her balance. [Points Balance: 220]
With the core functions open, she clicked on [Buy Land] icon to buy Plot No.1.
Cofirm to buy Plot No.1? Cost: 100
Then the panel projected a 3D map of the space.
"I accept," Lin Yue confirmed. Again a hundred points vanished. [Points Balance: 120].
Lin Yue designated a plot of land roughly an acre in size, placing it strategically near the traditional mansion and the clear, spring water river, and confirm to buy the plot of land.
Lin Yue then went straight to the [Points Mall]. She scrolled through the organized categories of seeds [Vegetables], [Fruits], [Grains], and [Medicinal Herbs], but all are, of course, locked.
"Must I unlock these categories too?" Lin Yue asked, already knowing the answer.
"To access the premium space seeds, yes, Master," Xiao Ai nodded.
Lin Yue sighed and clicked [Vegetables] icon and decide to unlock this for now.
[Vegetables] Unlock this function?
Cost: 100 Points.
"I accept," Lin Yue gritted her teeth and confirmed again with pained expressions, her heart bleed for such expensive prices, and 100 points again deduct.
[Points Balance: 20]
Lin Yue scanned the high-quality vegetable seeds, selecting high-value, fast-growing varieties, and choose two typed of seeds for now:
[Purple Eggplant Seeds] (10 points)
[Crimson Tomato Seeds] (10 points)
Lin Yue bought both types of seeds for the small plot and confirm her purchase, get back to zero again. [Points Balance: 0].
Lin Yue walked out to the newly designated acre. It was untouched earth. She activated the [Cultivation Lands] panel again and clicked [Ploughing].
The earth before Lin Yue erupted in motion. Without human effort or machinery, the soil turned over, breaking up clods and leveling itself perfectly, all in a matter of seconds.
Next, she click on [Sowing]. She selected the [Purple Eggplant Seeds] and [Crimson Tomato Seeds] from her inventory.
Magically, the seeds were broadcast evenly across the prepared soil, nestling themselves into the earth with perfect spacing.
Finally, she clicked [Irrigation] icon. From the nearby spring water river, a curtain of shimmering water rose and delicately sprinkled over the newly sown plot.
"Xiao Ai, is that the Spiritual Water?" Lin Yue asked, eyes shining.
"Yes, Master! It is directly from the Spirit Spring. The time advantage combined with the Spiritual Water means your plants will mature incredibly fast!"
Lin Yue excitedly peered at the damp soil, already seeing the potential harvest. She then check the status of her Vegetables shown on the panel screen:
[Purple Eggplant Seeds] (Maturity Period: 18 hours)
[Crimson Tomato Seeds] (Maturity Period: 16 hours)
Lin Yue get excited and astonished for such a fast Maturity Period, and she was eager to harvest these Vegetables tomorrow.
Lin Yue then walked towards the river, kneeling at its edge. The water was astonishingly clear, revealing the colorful pebbles beneath.
She cupped her hands and tasted the water—it was sweet, refreshing, and left a faint, floral aftertaste.
With her initial steps taken, Lin Yue exited the spatial space. Back in the familiar quiet of her teenage room, she settled into bed, the residual scent of sandalwood clinging to her clothes.
Lin Yue closed her eyes, no longer haunted by her past, but invigorated by her future.
Revenge would come, but first, she would amass the wealth and power necessary to dismantle the Lin and Chen families piece by piece.
She fell asleep, the image of the lush, fertile space replacing the memory of the blood-stained hotel room.