Li Hua's fingers stilled on the dagger's hilt, her mind already racing through the implications. In her previous life, each item in this vault had been painfully acquired, often at great cost or risk. Now, with the power of duplication...The corners of her mouth curved upward as she contemplated the possibilities. This wasn't just an upgrade to her storage space, it was a multiplication of her resources, a strategic advantage that her assassin's mind couldn't help but appreciate.
"Very good." She ran her thumb along the dagger's pommel, remembering the countless times she'd relied on its lethal precision. The ability to duplicate such weapons meant she could arm entire teams if needed or create elaborate traps without depleting her original stock. Yet something about Little Firefly's eager demeanor suggested there was more to these newfound abilities than mere replication.
"Master, in your previous life, you were only able to store inanimate things in this space but now you can store living things as well."
Li Hua's breath caught in her throat. The implications of this new ability sent a shiver down her spine, not of fear but of wonder. Her mind, honed by years of tactical planning, immediately began calculating the possibilities.
"You mean my physical body and the physical bodies of others can live here?" Her voice carried an edge of disbelief mixed with growing excitement.
Little Firefly's light pulsed with an almost mischievous intensity, casting dancing shadows across the jade shelves. His glow seemed to say, yes, master, now you understand.
Li Hua let her gaze drift across the vast expanse of the chamber, seeing it with new eyes. No longer just a vault of weapons and resources, but something far more precious—a sanctuary beyond the reach of any enemy. The assassin in her immediately recognized the tactical advantages: a perfect safe house, a place where allies could rest and heal, a staging ground for operations that existed outside the normal bounds of space and time.
Her fingers tightened around the dagger as a bitter realization struck her. If she had possessed this ability in her previous life, everything might have been different. The desperate gambit that led to her soul transfer, the sacrifice of her original body—none of it would have been necessary. The irony of gaining such power only after losing everything.
Yet as she looked down at her small hands, now holding the same blade that had taken countless lives, perhaps this too was part of fate's design. A second chance, with powers beyond even her former life's ambitious dreams.
"Master, this function was unlocked just moments ago," Little Firefly's light pulsed with barely contained excitement, like a child bursting to share a wonderful secret. "It happened right after your first time cultivating with your family. The resonance between your dragon cores must have triggered something deep within this space."
The spirit's glow brightened as he continued, "I think now, we can help hide your family without depleting my powers. No more worrying about choosing between me and protecting your family."
Li Hua's heart skipped a beat at these words. Her new family—her mother, father and brothers—could now be truly safe. The timing couldn't have been more perfect.
Yet even as possibilities bloomed in her mind, her assassin's instincts urged caution. Revealing this space meant exposing herself—her true nature, her past life, her connection to Little Firefly. The risks stretched beyond mere physical danger. What would her parents think of their innocent daughter possessing an assassin's arsenal? How would they react to learning their little girl carried memories of a past life steeped in blood? And if word of this space reached heaven's ears... she shuddered to think what celestial forces might take interest in such power.
No, for now, this ability would remain her final trump card—a last resort held close to her chest like an assassin's hidden blade. Better to let her family believe she was simply their precocious daughter than risk unraveling the delicate peace they'd built. Some secrets were better kept, even from those you'd die to protect.
She had learned in her past life that the deadliest weapon was often the one nobody knew you possessed. This space, with its new abilities, would be her ultimate contingency plan—ready to deploy only when all other options had been exhausted.
"Let's not think about that right now. Is there anything else?" Li Hua turned to face Little Firefly, placing the dagger back in its place. The blade gleamed one final time before settling into its jade cradle, like a sleeping dragon returning to its cave.
"Yes, master." Little Firefly bounced in the air for a moment before flying towards the jade garden pavilion. "Follow me, master!"
Li Hua followed after and took her seat on the same bench. The structure around them gradually became shrouded in mist, and when it cleared, she found herself back in the forest where she had first appeared in this world.
Little Firefly bounced towards the river and hovered just above the crystalline surface.
"Master, the river water has transformed into spiritual water," Little Firefly's light pulsed with excitement. "It can now replenish a cultivator's spiritual essence and heal non-life-threatening wounds. Even more fascinating, when mixed with medicinal concoctions or pills, it amplifies their effectiveness by thirty percent!"
Li Hua's eyes widened slightly at this revelation. In a world where cultivation meant power, and power meant survival, such water was more precious than all the gold bars in her vault. This wasn't just water anymore, it was liquid potential, each drop carrying the promise of faster cultivation and enhanced healing.
"This...coupled with the other new functions or upgrades is too much, right?" Li Hua whispered, her voice carrying the weight of both wonder and wariness. In her past life as an assassin, she had learned that when fortune smiled too broadly, it often masked approaching danger. These gifts—the ability to store living beings, duplicate items, and now spiritual water that could enhance cultivation—felt almost too perfect, too powerful.
The assassin in her, the part that had survived countless betrayals and schemes, whispered caution.