The disappearance of the stone must have a reason, Xiao'er wanted to investigate on her own. She remembered that before she was injured, she used to sleep alone in a small room. Because of her injuries, she had been sleeping with Mrs. Liu these past few days for easier care. Now that she was awake and felt much better, it was time to go back to her own room. She was not accustomed to sleeping with others.
"Mother, I want to go back to my own room. My little sister cries several times every night and I can't sleep well," Xiao'er said.
Mrs. Liu thought for a while and she agreed since resting well was necessary for healing and Xiao'er's injury had significantly improved. She was looking energetic, so Mrs. Liu nodded in agreement.
"Alright, but you have to tell us if you're not feeling well, okay?"
"I will. Don't worry, mother, I'm much better. My head doesn't hurt anymore, and my wounds have scabbed over. I'm going to clean my room, it's been a few days and dust is all over my kang bed," she finished speaking and ran out like the wind.
Once Xiao'er returned to her room, she immediately closed the door and began to recall the scene from earlier. The stone had disappeared upon contact with her blood. She lifted the finger that was just pricked by the needle, the freshly pricked area was already healed with no trace left whatsoever. Wait, Xiao'er blinked her eyes and watched as a swan-shaped birthmark faintly appeared on her palm, mirroring the shape of the stone. Could it be that the stone entered my body? At this thought, Xiao'er instantly thought of the golden fingers in modern novels.
At the same time, the scene in front of her changed. She stood in a cave which was spacious and dry, approximately 40 square meters with nothing inside, but it was bright.
Xiao'er walked out of the cave and her eyes widened at the view. Not far from the cave, there stood a gigantic tree. It was so large that it would probably take five or six people hand in hand to wrap around it. The tree bore many golden fruits, surrounded by a faint golden light. Occasionally, droplets of dew would fall from the tips of the leaves. Under the tree, there was a pool formed by a white stone seamlessly catching the dew. The pool was filled to the brim with faintly green shining water yet none spilled out. Following a stone pathway out from under the tree and two steps down, there was a plot of black earth, about five to six acres.
There was a small river running in front of the empty area, and across the river, there was an endless grassland. On the grassland, she could see a pair of horses, cattle, sheep, and dairy cows. Apart from the mismatching animals, the grassland really resembled that from an animated show, so much so that Xiao'er couldn't help but joke about this being a knockoff version of that grassland.
To the left of the space was a lake surrounded by a thick layer of white, which Xiao'er initially thought was snow. In the faint mist, a pair of white swans strolled leisurely side-by-side on the rainbow-colored water. Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple lotuses graciously stood, some starting to bud, some about to bloom, some full-blown – each carried its own demeanor. The scene was so beautiful it was almost dreamy. This must be what fairyland looks like, Xiao'er thought. On each side of the lake, there were hills. One was planted full of all kinds of fruit, while various flowers flourished on the other. The beauty of these was truly indescribable, just like a fairyland on earth.
There was a great hill on the right side of the empty space, upright and lush, with clouds swirling around it, looking formidable from a distance.
Behind the empty space was another big hill, where the cave was. How should it be described? A big, white mound? A completely bare hill? Anyway, it looked like a large, white stone shaped like a hill. Snowy white and smooth were its characteristics.
Xiao'er wanted to go to the lake to take a look. As soon as the thought arose, she found herself beside the lake. Turns out the white she'd previously seen wasn't snow - it was feathers. Xiao'er picked up a feather, this must be from the pair of swans.
Just then, the two swans honked a few times, and miraculously, Xiao'er understood what they meant.
"Welcome to the Worry-Free Space, master. You can freely use the resources here."
"How do I use everything in the space?" she asked. Apart from knowing that the empty plot of land was for crops and the fruit from the fruit hill for eating, she really had no idea what the other things could be used for. After all, these were all things she had never heard or seen before.
"We can help to introduce it to the master. I am Bai Tian, and she is Tian Bai," Bai Tian started to explain out of the blue.
"Are you talking in human language?" Xiao'er was surprised.
Bai Tian rolled his eyes in frustration, gave Tian Bai a glance. Was he speaking bird language?
The truth is, a swan's words would indeed amount to birdsong! Or could it be human speech?
Tian Bai, ignoring the astonishment of the man and the bird, began to explain.
"The tree in front of the cave entrance is called an Ashoka tree. Its entire body is a treasure. Its fruit can heal all ailments, its leaves can stop bleeding and treat wounds, its roots and stems can reconnect tendons, and the water dripping from its leaves can neutralize all the poisons in the world. However, the pollen in the flower is extremely poisonous, and there is no antidote except for the water from the tree leaves."
"Those six acres of black land is spirit soil; anything can grow on it, and they grow very quickly."
"The lake is Fairy Lake, which can sustain all kinds of aquatic life. The lotus in the lake is known as the Immortal Lotus. Each color has its unique effect: red for preserving beauty, eating an entire flower would maintain one's appearance forever. Orange is for warming the womb; it can treat infertility, regardless of the cause, and it's applicable for both men and women. Yellow for skincare, eating an entire flower can make your skin glow with icy jade-like radiance. Green for prolonging life and enhancing strength. Blue for nourishing hair, making hair smooth and shiny, and serving as a natural hair dye according to the color of the lake water. The blue flower enhances intelligence and memory. Eating an entire flower can give you instantaneous memorization capabilities. Of course, there is an age restriction; the younger, the better. The purple flower can improve one's physique and give a good figure. Mixing it with a particular flower can even make a person naturally emit a faint fragrance of that flower, making perfume sachets unnecessary."
"The mountains on both sides of the lake are the Huaguo Mountains. Fruit Mountain is full of various fruits, and Flower Mountain is full of various flowers, all for the master to pick."
"The water in the stream can be drunk directly, has strengthened resistance to diseases, and brings great benefits to animals and plants. As for the grassland, it is a ranch for raising animals. The owner needs to complete tasks and bring in a hundred pairs of animals from outside, then the space can be upgraded."
"As for the big mountain on the right, it is full of various medicinal herbs and exotic flowers and plants. Each plant is unique, and the owner must collect the seeds and replant them before use. Upon completion of this task, the space can also be upgraded."
"On the mountain above the cave, a piece of jade or a night pearl can be mined every month, and one tael of gold and one tael of silver can also be mined each month. The mountain also has a purification effect; bringing in jade from outside can turn inferior jade into beautiful jade."
"As for that cave, the time inside is static. The master can use it to preserve food. Anything put inside will maintain the state it was in at the time it was stored."
"This is basically it; if you don't understand anything, feel free to ask." Having finished, Tian Bai lowered his head to take a drink of water like a human, his mouth dry from all the talking.
After getting to know these functions of the space, Xiao'er felt astounded. This was unbelievable! No wonder it was called the Worry-Free Space. With this, she could truly live without any worries. Since she had just been injured, she went under the Ashoka tree and plucked a leaf: "Do I apply it externally or take it internally?"
"Either way works, but ingestion has better results."
Xiao'er placed the leaf in her mouth, chewed it a couple of times. It tasted slightly sweet, delicately fragrant, along with a hint of mint. The taste was good. She comfortably swallowed the leaf. Immediately, the wound on her head healed at a rate she could feel, and her body felt much fresher and more comfortable. She gently touched and pressed the wound with her hand. It didn't hurt at all, had it healed? This was indeed magical!
Her current body was far too weak, so she picked an Ashoka fruit to eat. It tasted sweet and refreshing, the unique fruit fragrance filled her nostrils: "Hmm, it's delicious."
After eating the whole fruit, Xiao'er felt invigorated, her mind was clear, and her previous feeling of hunger disappeared! She felt like a new person, full of vitality.
Xiao'er was so happy she felt like hopping a few times in place. She was unbelievably fortunate to have obtained such a gift. She had to study this space carefully and use it to build wealth. It was broad daylight now, not very convenient, she had to wait till everyone was asleep in the evening to come in and study it further.