Translator: Lonelytree
Xiao Lingyu looked at the crystal clear pool of spring water in front of her. There were many transparent pebbles at the bottom of the spring.
There was a faint white mist surrounding her. The space looked ethereal.
Xiao Lingyu was stunned. She looked around with a blank expression. She was amazed and shocked.
Near her was a plot of farming land, separated into two sides. Each side was further split into 3×3 squares of equal sizes. One side had dry soil, the other wet.
A clear spring pool sat at the central tip between the two large squares. The pool parted into two flowing streams, circling all 18 square fields.
Each square was about one Mu, so there were eighteen Mu of land in total. Every square was overgrown with weeds, a sign of abandonment.
Xiao Lingyu patted her cheeks. She felt pain. So this was not a dream.
‘What is going on? Where am I? Why did I appear here? Wasn’t I resting at the hospital? Yes, this has to be a dream!’
Since this was a dream, Xiao Lingyu felt more at ease.
This was March, so the weather should be cloudy, and the air humid and cold. However, wherever Xiao Lingyu was, the weather was very soothing and comfortable. Xiao Lingyu bent down and cupped the spring water, and lifted it to her mouth.
‘This spring is sweet!’ Xiao Lingyu’s eyes lit up. She went for another drink. ‘Why am I able to taste the water if this is a dream? This is all too real!’ Xiao Lingyu was confused.
Xiao Lingyu drank a few mouthfuls, and she was full, so she stopped.
Moments later, she felt a warmth flowing through her body. Then the wound around her chest itched. She moved to scratch the wound. Then Xiao Lingyu frowned because the wound did not hurt. ‘It makes sense though. I’m dreaming, so how can the wound hurt?’
Xiao Lingyu did not take it to heart. But soon, she discovered another problem. On her naked skin, a layer of black substance suddenly appeared.
She touched it with her hand. It was a layer of dirt.
Xiao Lingyu rolled up her sleeves and pants. There was dirt falling out. She took a sniff, and they gave off a strong rotten smell.
Xiao Lingyu turned her head away and covered her nose. She frowned and said, “Why is it so smelly? This is a dream, so why is the smell so intense?”
Xiao Lingyu still didn’t notice something was wrong.
She turned to look at the clear pool. After giving it some thought, she walked towards it. “I better wash off this layer of dirt.” She removed her clothes and jumped into the pool.
“This feels amazing.” Xiao Lingyu said to herself. “The temperature of this pool is just right.” Xiao Lingyu thought she was in a dream, so she didn’t check her chest injury.
After she had the bath, she put her clothes back on. Her clothes were stained with dirt, so they were smelly and sticky. But she had no other choice. She only had a set of clothes. Was she going to walk around naked?
Even though it was a dream, the dirty clothes didn’t feel too good on her.
Xiao Lingyu walked around the two pieces of land. She observed the fields. She noticed that other than the weeds, she couldn’t observe any other living things, not even a single bug. That was weird. But since this was a dream, it was acceptable.
Xiao Lingyu found a rock and sat down. She looked up at the sky. It was bright, but there was no sun. ‘What is up with this dream? Plus, why haven’t I woken up yet? Why is the purpose of this dream?’
She subconsciously touched the bandaged wound on her chest. ‘Even this bandage is replicated…’
At that moment, her fingers brushed against the jade pendant around her neck. She lowered her head and sighed. “This jade pendant…”
Before she finished, she was transported to another locale.
It was the high-end ward she was assigned. She was still holding the jade pendant.
Xiao Lingyu’s pupils trembled. ‘Wait… It was not a dream?’ She lowered her head, and she could smell the rot coming from her clothes. It was similar to the smell from the dream. So was that not a dream?
So that itch that came from her chest…
Xiao Lingyu immediately pulled off the bandage. When she saw her smooth and fair skin, her eyes shook. ‘Where is the wound?’
It was like she had not been injured. If anything, this part of her skin was fairer and smoother than before.
‘Actually, wait…’ Xiao Lingyu noticed something else.
She stretched out her white and tender hands and turned them around. It was unbelievable. The skin on the rest of her body had gotten whiter and softer. It was like she had been given a whitening mud bath.
So it was not a dream after all!
Xiao Lingyu widened her eyes in shock.
However, she soon calmed down. After all, she had been reborn, so this was not impossible.
“No, I have to leave this place immediately!” Xiao Lingyu mumbled, “Otherwise, once the doctor returns to examine the wound, he’ll notice the problem. He might capture me and slice me up for medical research!” Xiao Lingyu might have seen one too many sci-fi movies.
“I’ll leave this place and then figure out what’s going on!”
Having made up her mind, Xiao Lingyu immediately picked up her bag and readied to leave.
At this moment, she heard a knock on the door.
She panicked and scurried into the toilet.
She shouted, “Please come in!”
A nurse pushed open the door and came in holding a tray. When the nurse saw the empty bed, she guessed the patient was in the toilet. She asked, “Miss Xiao, Chief Yuan has prescribed some medicines for you. I need to help you apply a drip, and then you’ll need to take some pills.”
Xiao Lingyu said, “Okay, put them down first. This is not a convenient time for me. Can I trouble you to come back in twenty minutes?”
“Of course!”
After the nurse left, Xiao Lingyu immediately walked out of the bathroom. When she saw the medicine on the bedside table, her eyes narrowed. She grabbed the medicine and held them in her hands. The bag was too small to fit the medicine.
Xiao Lingyu did some quick disguises. As long as she kept her head lowered, no one would recognize her as the woman Young Master Yan carried over. After all, the hospital staff didn’t know her.
After the beacon that was Yan Siming left, it was much easier for Xiao Lingyu to sneak out.
However, as Xiao Lingyu reached the door, she thought of something and returned. She counted out two thousand from her bag and placed it on the bedside table. Then, she took out a pen and wrote a note, placing it on the top of the money.
Even though her injury was minor and her stay was short, this was a high-end ward. Furthermore, she had the chief surgeon’s consultation, so the fee should be quite high. Xiao Lingyu believed two thousand should be enough to cover everything.
Then, Xiao Lingyu finally escaped.