After dealing with the demonic beast and returning to the domain, Meihua instructed her attendants to bring out the flower for verification. She then retrieved a diamond-shaped crystal and infused it with spiritual energy. A translucent screen formed above it, displaying detailed images of various plants along with their descriptions, characteristics, and medicinal properties.
The flower itself didn't interest Seo much — but the crystal absolutely did.
Within seconds, she had already imagined more than a dozen ways it could be used inside her domain.
Meihua seemed to catch the flicker in her eyes and smirked.
"This crystal isn't particularly rare. You can find it in regions where spiritual energy is relatively thin."
She went on to explain how the crystal stored spiritual energy and could record and display information depending on its size and refinement. Seo listened carefully, silently deciding to search for one on her next trip outside.
Once the flower was confirmed to be authentic, Meihua finally relaxed. After a long and exhausting day, she excused herself to rest.
Because of the unexpected encounter, Meihua and her attendants remained in the domain for three additional days to recover. When the day of departure arrived, she stood at the large courtyard gates with her attendants, luggage prepared.
It was mid-day.
As usual, Seo lounged on her rocking chair beneath the spiritually enriched sunlight when Ling approached her and said it was time to see off the guests.
Seo didn't even open her eyes.
"I've fulfilled my end of the bargain. There's no need for formalities."
And she continued basking in the warmth.
Ling awkwardly delivered the message, expecting displeasure in return. Instead, Meihua burst into laughter.
She gestured to one of her attendants, who stepped forward and handed her an elegant imperial gourd adorned with cherry blossom engravings. Meihua passed it to Ling.
"This is my favorite wine. Please give it to my dear Miss Seo, along with my thanks… and my farewell."
With that, she left, smiling brightly.
Seo opened her domain map. Because Meihua still possessed the temporary residence mark, her icon glowed green. As they departed, Seo discreetly wove a protective array around them through the mark.
Only once they exited the borders of her domain did Seo allow herself to relax.
She leaned back into her rocking chair and drifted into a light nap.
The following weeks were peaceful.
Seo and her four companions devoted themselves to cultivating spiritual crops using seeds acquired from her daily sign-in rewards — rice, potatoes, watermelons, oranges, grapes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and even cocoa.
She planted the mysterious star seed in the garden pavilion. Though still just a seedling, it had already blossomed once, producing a soft purple flower that emitted a gentle, soothing glow.
Their warehouse eventually filled to the brim, stocked with enough food to sustain them for nearly five years.
Beyond farming, Seo refined numerous pills to aid her companions' cultivation. She also constructed a new library pavilion. Using spiritual craftsmanship, she created paper and bamboo slips, inscribing techniques and knowledge granted by the system — along with several original techniques of her own.
Though she could not cultivate traditionally, her mastery over spiritual control far surpassed most cultivators.
Her courtyard had expanded significantly, now resembling the estate of an elegant noblewoman rather than a sanctuary hidden within the empire's most dangerous forest.
The quiet routine brought her a deep, unfamiliar sense of satisfaction.
Each morning, her companions woke her with cheerful expressions and a warm breakfast. Life had become simple. Luxurious, even.
She had built a sanctuary — one filled with warmth and emotion she once believed she had lost forever.
Until the disturbance came.
Seo's alarm system activated.
The system functioned through continuous pulses of spiritual energy that extended beyond her domain — a long-range spiritual radar mapping nearby territory.
Five yin signatures.
Fifty yang signatures.
Five women being hunted by fifty male cultivators.
Her eyes sharpened.
If fifty cultivators had been dispatched, then those women were certainly not ordinary.
According to her radar, the hunters were attempting to kill them, but they were being steadily eliminated one by one. Even poisoned, the five women were resisting fiercely.
Eventually, the remaining cultivators managed to surround them.
Seo made her decision.
She summoned her four companions and provided precise coordinates.
"Bring them back."
She deliberately chose not to intervene directly. She didn't want her domain exposed — and more importantly, her companions needed real combat experience. Without it, all their cultivation would amount to nothing more than fragile glass cannons.
They departed immediately, leaping between trees at astonishing speed.
Seo had anticipated complications.
There were none.
In less than twenty minutes, her companions returned. Fifty cultivators had fallen. The five injured women were unconscious but alive.
They were placed in the guest residence, where Seo established a combined natural healing and spiritual gathering array. Because the women had exhausted their spiritual energy and were poisoned, administering elixirs directly would have overwhelmed their bodies.
So she let the array restore them gradually.
They remained unconscious for a full week.
When they finally awoke, they immediately attempted to flee.
Choi informed Seo and offered to pursue them, but Seo merely shook her head.
"They won't escape."
The ran and ran until they reached the invisible boundary of the domain.
Then—
They collided with the barrier.
With no path forward, they eventually returned on their own.
Choi, Ling, Su, and Bai escorted them back, their gazes cold and unwelcoming.
Seo sat in her rocking chair, eyes closed as if she had been resting the entire time.
When they approached, she slowly opened her eyes.
A faint smile curved her lips.
"How was your run?"