14. A Surprise

Page 1/3

There was... electricity.

Jiang Ruo glanced at the thick mist along the edge, where flickers of electric current occasionally sparked, as if mocking her poor eyesight.

There was no discomfort at all; on the contrary, it felt quite pleasant. The electric current passed gently, like a soft breeze brushing past.

Suddenly, Jiang Ruo became intrigued.

Was this how it was supposed to be, or had the jade pendant mutated after enduring the terrifying thunder of the Valley of Death?

It made the space even more mysterious, sparking an irresistible urge to explore.

Unfortunately, a quick look around made everything clear: the thatched cottage was empty, utterly devoid of anything, not even water.

Speaking of water, Jiang Ruo suddenly realized a major problem.

Farming... surely required quite a bit of water, right?

She was not one to dwell on troubles, so she quickly pushed the thought aside and stepped into the fenced area.

After a brief tingling warmth from the slight electric current, she entered the courtyard.

Wait, why did it still feel warm? Jiang Ruo hesitated for a moment, but upon seeing the white jade slabs ahead—seemingly of the same material as the heirloom jade pendant—her doubts vanished as she stepped onto them.

Good, no unusual sensation, the feel underfoot was quite smooth and pleasant.

These slabs extended all the way to the front door of the thatched cottage. The rest of the ground was bare soil, but the color seemed darker, almost blackish-purple, divided into several sections—front, back, upper, and lower—each roughly the size of a plot of land.

Yet, like before, not a single blade of grass grew here. Jiang Ruo seriously doubted whether anything could sprout from this soil.

With these doubts, she gradually approached the cottage. Although it looked close, it gave her the frustrating feeling of chasing a distant mountain while her horse tires out; after half an hour, she had only reached the second jade slab.

Here lay the problem: she did not feel like she was walking in place, but these slabs seemed to extend infinitely on their own, yet visually, she could not perceive it.

Glancing at the thatch, she realized the distance was about ten jade slabs. After quite some time, she had only stepped onto the second one and sighed in frustration.

Once again, she marveled at the wonders of her ancestral space, but at this rate, who knew when she would reach her destination.

If only she could instantly arrive wherever she wished, Jiang Ruo thought, and then the familiar sensation of weightlessness washed over her. When she came to, she was already standing before the thatched cottage’s door.

Page 2/3

Jiang Ruo: "..."

Delighted—another big surprise. Her clear eyes brightened even more, and all complaints and grumblings vanished.

Well done! Truly worthy of her family’s heirloom white jade, a treasure passed down through generations. As its inheritor, she indeed had some privileges.

Excellent, simply wonderful!!

Her mood instantly lifted; even the hardships looming three years ahead were forgotten in this moment.

“If only I could enter the house directly,” Jiang Ruo mused again.

But this time, it didn’t work so smoothly. Her feet remained firmly planted on the jade slab without a hint of movement.

Jiang Ruo: "..."

Had she misunderstood? She narrowed her eyes.

In the next moment... she saw herself appear outside the purple bamboo fence, then reappear again outside the thatched cottage.

Useful, but not entirely so.

Her figure flickered repeatedly within the space. One thing was certain: she had acquired the power of teleportation here.

And it was at will, with no restrictions except outside the thatched cottage. She vaguely sensed a trace of regulatory force within, though she could not fully comprehend it yet.

The thatched cottage seemed to be under some kind of seal—detectable but uncontrollable.

Standing again outside the cottage, Jiang Ruo’s eyes sparkled with tiny stars. She stepped forward, and as her fingertip touched the door panel, a "zzzt" sound rang out.

She was somewhat startled, though not entirely shocked.

Black-purple lightning serpents, as if alive, danced and coiled across the dark door panel. At the instant of contact, they climbed along her fingertip, and streaks of black-purple light swiftly entered her body.

Though terrifying, she inexplicably felt a sense of intimacy as waves of warmth rose within her, growing hotter.

Until the heat accumulated to a critical point, her body felt like it housed a bomb about to explode. Instinctively, Jiang Ruo swung her arm forcefully toward an open space.

At the moment of her swing, a bolt of lightning streaked through the air, accompanied by a sharp "crack."

Jiang Ruo: "..."

Her gaze fixed on where the lightning vanished. Minutes later, she finally realized—it really was not an illusion!

Page 3/3

Her soft white hands remained unscathed, the only difference being a faint layer of electric glow lingering on her palms.

So shocked, she stood frozen a long while, finally processing this revelation.

Not only was the heirloom white jade conductive, but she—the bearer—was also charged with electricity. No wonder she had emerged unscathed from such a terrifying thunderstorm, as if it were an innate ability.

This discovery exhilarated her. By the year 2155, society and even official circles widely accepted phenomena that defied scientific explanation.

Within their community, she had vaguely heard of individuals with special abilities—though ordinary people rarely encountered such individuals.

Though surprised, she accepted the reality well, and excitement dominated her feelings.

Then... her pale hands reached out again.

The black-purple lightning serpents surged forth once more; the familiar scene repeated until the space echoed with the familiar crackling of lightning tearing through the void.

Like someone delighting in a challenge, Jiang Ruo repeatedly placed her hand on the dark door panel. With each repetition, she felt changes within her body, as if discovering a pattern, or perhaps following an instinct.

The lightning ran through her body, tracing a path she gradually mastered. Soon, she no longer needed to reach a certain threshold to control the energy, and a small ball of lightning appeared, hovering above her palm.

The tiny orb of lightning floated in midair. With a sharp crackling sound, the surrounding air seemed compressed, rippling with waves of luminous halos.

“Success…”

Jiang Ruo grinned, the gleam in her eyes making the red mole at the corner seem even more vivid, like a drop of fresh blood ready to fall.

Like a child clutching a beloved toy, unwilling to let go, she kept experimenting.

It had been a long time since she felt this way. Even after calming down, her eyes remained remarkably bright.

As for why the thatched cottage’s door remained immovable and refused to open, that no longer mattered. Dizzy, she emerged from the space.

Only when she heard the voices of her grandparents and the family outside in the yard did she come back to her senses.

Glancing at the starry watch on her wrist, she realized that three or four hours had passed. No wonder her grandparents had returned from the fields.

“Sweetheart, are you not around?”