Chapter 3 The Frustrating System

After seeing that Ye Xiruo was feeling drowsy, Aunt Wang tucked her snugly back into the bed, tidied up the room a bit, and then left.

Ye Xiruo didn't notice that once Aunt Wang had departed, spiritual energy from all directions started gathering around her body as the center. Initially, the range was rather small and failed to draw anyone's attention. But little by little, the spiritual energy vortex expanded, growing larger and larger until it eventually enveloped the entire village.

On a faraway island in the vast sea, a young man in black, his eyes showing the marks of years, gazed into the distance and let out a long, resonant whistle. "Heaven has eyes," he exclaimed. "The saint of our clan has awakened."

Deep within a fairy mountain wreathed in ethereal immortal energy, a celestial being in white regarded the starry sky with a complex expression. His face, usually so calm, betrayed nothing as he murmured, "Whether it brings good fortune or ill, it all hinges on you now."

Inside a magnificent, imposing palace that reeked of demonic energy, the Demon Lord, with his flaming red hair and blood - red eyes, grinned wickedly. "I missed out on the last one," he growled, "but this time, I'll be damned if I let this one slip through my fingers. Hahaha -"

In a solemn and regal imperial city, the young emperor toyed with a jade - green thumb - ring on his finger and said softly, "She's coming back."

This vortex endured for a full three days, sending shockwaves through the countless powerful individuals on the Taiyan Continent. However, Ye Xiruo was blissfully unaware of all this. To her, those three days were like a long, peaceful slumber, and it seemed as if time had ground to a halt in Liujia Village. Not a soul noticed anything amiss compared to the norm.

Several sects in the vicinity of Liujia Village did dispatch people to investigate. In their eyes, with such a rare spiritual energy vortex, there must surely be some extraordinary treasure about to surface. But Liujia Village seemed to be cloaked in an enigmatic formation. They could see it plainly enough, yet the moment they took a single step forward, they'd be whisked away to a place 108,000 li distant. Consequently, within two days at most, no one was reckless enough to take the risk any longer.

Another rumor began to circulate, suggesting that Liujia Village was under the protection of a deity or a formidable spiritual beast from the back mountain, and that it was strictly off - limits.

When Ye Xiruo woke up from her sleep, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the wounds all over her body had healed considerably. Unless she made some vigorous movements, she hardly felt any pain. But she was also ravenously hungry. Just how long had she been asleep?

Ye Xiruo swung her legs out of bed, threw on a simple white coarse - cloth outer garment, and pushed open the door, eager to take a look at her yard.

Her eyes widened in astonishment. What a spacious yard! It must have been around 500 square meters. The surrounding wall, built of blue bricks, had an understated elegance. To the left, there were two plots of land that served as vegetable gardens, filled with spinach, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, radishes, and a few other vegetables she didn't recognize. Next to the vegetable garden, near the corner of the wall, stood a chicken coop. It looked to be in fairly good condition, about 80% new, but alas, it was empty.

On the right side of the yard were two medium - sized houses, also crafted from blue bricks and tiles. Entering one, she realized it was a cluttered storeroom. Since it had been ages since anyone had set foot in there, a thick layer of dust had settled. Most of the items were locked away in wooden boxes, and without a key, Ye Xiruo had no choice but to back out.

She then made her way to the other room. To her delight, it was the kitchen.

On the rustic earthen stove typical of the countryside, there was a large pot and a small pot, with a space in the middle presumably for boiling water. In the kitchen, there was still half a bag of rice, around ten pounds of corn, and ten pounds of flour. Although they didn't look particularly appetizing, they smelled rather nice.

Thankfully, she had spent some time living with her grandparents in the past and knew her way around this kind of stove. Otherwise, was she really going to just sit there, starving, with half a bag of rice in her hands?

Shaking her head, Ye Xiruo fetched a small half - bucket of well water from the yard, gave the stove a quick clean, and set about preparing a pot of multi - grain porridge.

She fumbled a bit while building the fire, washing the rice, and getting it into the pot, but after half an hour of effort, she finally managed to get the rice simmering.

The pickled vegetables made by Aunt Wang were truly delicious. Ye Xiruo licked her lips, unconsciously revealing her inner foodie. Throwing a few more small pieces of firewood onto the fire, she headed to the vegetable garden to see what she could scrounge up for herself.

She plucked a handful of lettuce, spinach, baby bok choy, and coriander. The radishes weren't fully grown yet, but she couldn't resist pulling one out. What really made her eyes light up was discovering several Chinese cabbages tucked away in the corner of the vegetable garden. With Chinese cabbages, she could make all sorts of delicious things like pickled cabbage to snack on, or turn them into pickled vegetables for later. In winter, she could whip up pickled - cabbage fish, pickled - cabbage stewed with tofu, and pickled - cabbage noodles. Just thinking about it made her mouth water.

When Aunt Wang walked in from the outside, she was greeted by the sight of Ye Xiruo clutching a Chinese cabbage, a look of pure bliss on her face and a few telltale strands of saliva at the corner of her mouth. Aunt Wang's heart ached with sympathy. The poor girl's body hadn't fully recovered yet, and here she was, out of bed and running around. She must be starving.

"Xiaoliu, Auntie brought you some food. Come back to the house and eat up," Aunt Wang called out.

Ye Xiruo snapped out of her reverie. She quickly wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth, stood up a bit too hastily, and nearly toppled over, causing Aunt Wang's heart to skip a beat.

"Aunt Wang, I'm fine. I cooked some multi - grain porridge in the kitchen. We can mix it with some cold dishes and have a nice meal," Ye Xiruo said.

"Your body is still so weak. You shouldn't be running around like this," Aunt Wang scolded gently, her concern evident. Ye Xiruo's heart warmed at the sight. Finally, there was someone who truly cared about her.

"Thank you, Aunt Wang. I really do feel much better today," Ye Xiruo replied.

Today, Aunt Wang had brought a steaming pot of fragrant chicken soup and Ye Xiruo's favorite pickled vegetables. Ye Xiruo's eyes lit up like little stars. She grabbed Aunt Wang's arm and gave it a playful shake. "Auntie, you're just the best to me," she gushed.

"I've watched you grow up, child. You're as dear to me as my own daughter. Poor thing..." Aunt Wang's voice caught as she fought back tears.

Ye Xiró panicked. "Auntie, don't be sad. I'm okay, really. Don't worry! I'll take good care of myself," she promised.

"Okay, okay. Let's go see if your porridge is ready," Aunt Wang said, trying to compose herself.

After slurping down a bowl of the delicious chicken soup, Ye Xiruo felt a delicious warmth spread throughout her body. The taste was out of this world. She wondered if it was all down to the quality of the ingredients. She made a mental note to explore that further. Then, she polished off a small bowl of multi - grain porridge with the pickled vegetables, her tummy now pleasantly full.

Once Aunt Wang had left, Ye Xiruo lay back down on the bed. In this strange new world, while she was determined not to show fear, she couldn't help but feel a bit lost and adrift.

The world was so vast, and she'd heard tales of immortals, demons, spiritual beasts, and demon - races. Could a lone, seemingly weak woman like her really hope to survive? A big question mark loomed large in Ye Xiruo's mind.

"Do you want to become powerful? Do you want to go back and take revenge?" A cold voice suddenly pierced through Ye Xiruo's thoughts.

Ye Xiruo sat bolt upright, her eyes widening in alarm. "Who are you? Come out and show yourself," she demanded. That alluring tone sounded all too familiar, like the wily step - mother in Snow White's story.

"Don't worry. I'm residing within your spiritual consciousness. I saved your life once," the voice replied.

"What's your motive? I'll consider a small request, but don't you dare overstep," Ye Xiruo warned. In her previous life, she'd been too trusting and it had led to a tragic end. This time around, she was resolved not to be so gullible, especially when people claimed to have her best interests at heart.