Chapter 45

Based on the information provided by the artifact spirit, she greeted the uncles and aunts along the road with sweet words. She could only blame the artifact spirit for designing everything far too thoroughly—people’s memories of her had been altered so seamlessly, from childhood to adulthood, that in this simple mountain village, everyone subconsciously took extra care of her, this so-called little orphan girl. Oftentimes, too much kindness was not necessarily a good thing.

"Xiaoze, you’ve gone into the mountains alone again? Didn’t I tell you there are lions and tigers out there? It’s dangerous without a man to accompany you. If you’re out of firewood, just come to Third Aunt’s house and take some, or let your cousin Zhuzi bring it over to you."

Just look at that disapproving face—though she was only in her thirties, her own children were older than her. How was she supposed to respond to that?

"Third Aunt, it’s fine. I didn’t go far, just wandered around at the foot of the mountain. There’s no need for Zhuzi to deliver firewood—I still have plenty. I was just picking some up because I had nothing else to do. I also caught a few fish; I’ll bring some over for you later." Third Aunt was the village head’s daughter-in-law, a close friend of her fabricated mother, so she regarded her as her own responsibility, always keeping her in mind. Thus, Li Mengze couldn’t be too aloof in her behavior. Thankfully, while she wasn’t talkative, she wasn’t tongue-tied either; otherwise, she’d have a hard time mingling with the village women.

Even after she walked a good distance away, she could still hear their gossip: "Just look at how sensible Xiaoze is, and so capable, too. The Li couple just had no luck. To leave so soon, only this one child remains. She’s had a hard time these past years," one aunt sighed.

Another chimed in, "Yes, yes, Xiaoze’s growing more beautiful every year. I wonder which family will be lucky enough to marry her in the end."

A third aunt lamented, "If she marries within the village, that’s fine. But if she goes to another village—no father, no mother—what if she’s bullied?"

Li Mengze felt exasperated. Aunty, please rest assured, I’ll probably never get married in this lifetime, so you don’t need to worry about me being bullied. But seeing how concerned you are, if you ever get bullied, you can come to me for help.

Soon, she arrived at the so-called big courtyard. She almost spat blood at the sight—why were the walls so dark? Weren’t they supposed to be all red brick?

Once inside, she latched the door from within and nodded to herself. Yes, this would keep out the honest folks, but not the dishonest ones. She guessed someone could easily open it from the outside with a twist.

Still, the courtyard was decent. Not spotless, but at least well laid out, with two large water jars—such antiques! She told herself she had to take them before she left, just in case she couldn’t open her storage pouch during her next traversal. She could at least survive a while with these jars.

The house itself was simple—just five rooms. One bedroom with a heated kang bed connected to the kitchen, so she could cook and warm the bed at the same time. The artifact spirit had thought of everything. There was also a hidden study, likely to keep her from getting bored. It even had a computer, loaded with novels and movies, though she had no idea where the spirit had acquired them. She could practice her calligraphy when idle. Thankfully, her memory modification hadn’t made her illiterate, or she wouldn’t have been able to read in peace, and that would have made her stay here unbearable. In this era, where travel meant walking, communication meant shouting, and law enforcement meant dogs, with no cultivation and no shopping, reading was the only pastime left. It was truly a place to temper one’s mind and patience. When she returned, she could proudly declare she was no longer afraid of the little black room behind the mountain.

Of the other two rooms, one was a guest room and the other was a maiden’s boudoir. The main difference from the kang room was the presence of a bed and a delicate dressing table. There weren’t many accessories, but Li Mengze had her own; aside from clothes, her storage pouch was mostly filled with jewelry—what else could a mother’s daughter have?

After wandering around the house, she realized there were no **bathroom facilities**. She found the outdoor toilet and a large wooden tub in the kitchen, which made her feel resigned—was this the prelude to her becoming a tough country girl? While a tomboyish charm could be appealing, would the villagers accept such a side of her?

Having taken stock of everything, she went to the kitchen, found a piece of twine, threaded the two fish, and headed for the village head’s house.

The two houses weren't far apart—just a five or six minute walk. But in this village, that meant one was at the center and the other at the edge.

The village head’s house truly lived up to its name: blue brick and tiled, just like the ones in her personal space. She had to admit, a headman was still an official of sorts.

In the courtyard, a woman in her fifties was sunning radishes. When she saw Li Mengze, her face lit up with joy. "Oh, Xiaoze, you’ve come! Come in, come in. Your grandpa was just saying yesterday that he hadn’t seen you in days."

That warmth was no less than what her own grandmother had shown her in her previous life. The image of the two kind old ladies overlapped, making the word "Grandma" less difficult to utter.

"Grandma, I just saw Third Aunt. Aren’t things finished in your fields yet?" She handed over the fish. "I caught a few fish in the mountains earlier—these two are for you."

The old woman wasn’t shy about accepting them. There was a stream in the village, and it was common for people to catch fish there. She assumed Li Mengze had caught them locally. Still, she wondered how these fish were fatter than the ones her eldest son had caught last time.

"Xiaoze, stay for lunch. I’m making steamed buns today."

Li Mengze shook her head. It was the busy farming season; everyone was busy in the fields. It wouldn’t do for her to eat at their house while others worked.

After chatting a while, once the old woman went to prepare lunch for the family, Li Mengze got up to leave, only to be stopped and handed five or six plump, white buns. They looked delicious.

On the way home, she remembered something important. She hurried back, put the buns on the table, and began rummaging through her things. After a while, she realized she had overlooked a major issue—she didn’t have a single coin of this world’s currency. That was a real problem.

She searched her storage pouch. There was plenty inside, but very little that was actually useful. Most of the jewelry were magic items; pawning or melting them would be a reckless waste, something even a seasoned cultivator like her wouldn’t dare do. As for clothes, while the materials were good and some were ordinary, the styles were impossible to wear in this world. The rest—elixirs and talismans—was she supposed to go out and play the role of a charlatan?

It seemed her first task in this world was to make some money. From her memories, the county market would be in a few days. She could go and see if she could earn a little. With no money in her pocket, she felt insecure.

After tidying up her pouch, she went to the kitchen. There was a stove for cooking and a small hanging furnace—she could roast fish easily by removing the top. Very convenient.

At noon, she roasted one of the three remaining fish, sprinkling it with spices from the cultivation world. The whole house was filled with the aroma of fish. She’d always been a foodie; now she couldn’t resist at all and ate an entire fish in one sitting.

She knew how to enjoy herself. After lunch, she took a nap and slept until afternoon. Surprisingly, her first day here passed quite pleasantly.

The next morning, hearing noise from the street, she thought it must be late already. But when she opened her eyes, it was barely dawn. Since she had nothing pressing to do—no need for daily cultivation—she decided to indulge in a rare sleep-in. If the artifact spirit knew, it would probably cough up blood in outrage. How could she be so lazy? If this went on, she’d have trouble adjusting when she returned to the cultivation world.

Fortunately, this lazy spell only lasted the first day. That afternoon, she tidied up and set up a small spirit-gathering formation in the courtyard, enveloping the whole area. The village lay nestled between mountains and sea; there was little spiritual energy, but it was better than nothing. Plus, the spirit stones she’d brought could supplement her daily cultivation needs. The courtyard’s atmosphere improved noticeably, and anyone entering would find it much more pleasant.

She planned to plant some low-grade spiritual flowers in the courtyard in a few days—both decorative and capable of generating a bit of spiritual energy.

Li Mengze’s journey through worlds was going smoothly; she lived quietly, joining the villagers to collect treasures from the sea, enjoying wild delicacies from the mountains and the ocean—her days were carefree and untroubled.

One day, Aunt Wang, who rarely visited, knocked on her door.

"Xiaoze, your house is so well kept—just stepping inside lifts my mood," Aunt Wang said with a smile.

Li Mengze was quick to observe. From the moment Aunt Wang entered, she sensed that smile was forced. Though she didn’t go out much, she still remembered the dozens of families in the village. Aunt Wang was famous for being scatterbrained and boisterous, always talking and laughing loudly. Today she still joked, but there was a forced cheerfulness that betrayed her troubled heart.

"Aunt Wang, come in and sit. I don’t have much to do, just this one courtyard—if I couldn’t keep it neat, I’d have no face at all." She wasn’t one to meddle, but if someone came calling, it must be important. The village women rarely came to chat; they had little in common.

Aunt Wang managed a weak smile and followed her inside. Li Mengze poured water and set a basket of fruit on the table, pushing it toward her guest.

After a few idle remarks, Aunt Wang drifted off into thought. After a while, she said, embarrassed, "Look at me—your Uncle Wang and the others asked me to tell you: these days, just stay home and don’t go out unnecessarily. If you run out of anything, let us know. We’ll make sure you have what you need."

Li Mengze was puzzled. Why wasn’t she allowed to go out?

Seeing her confusion, Aunt Wang sighed. "It’s all because of the troubled times. You’re still young—you don’t know. When I first married into the village, there was word from the provincial capital: a divine turtle had appeared in the Mekong River, demanding annual offerings of boys and girls. If not, floods would drown the towns along the banks. Our local officials were good men and didn’t believe it at first—they even led teams into the river to investigate, but found nothing and let it go. When the time came, they didn’t present any offerings, and the next day, a massive flood struck. Many townsfolk died or fled. After a few years of sacrifices, things settled down. In recent years, it was said the divine turtle had moved on and no more sacrifices were required, so life returned to normal. But this year, the turtle appeared in dreams to the town’s people, demanding not only boys and girls, but also maidens who had not yet lost their maidenhood. We don’t understand these things, but the Daoist priest from the Bronze Temple explained that meant unmarried maidens. The whole city is in a panic—no one wants their children taken, so everyone is hiding their sons and daughters away. Our village is far enough from town, but if they can’t find enough in the city, they’ll come looking here. So we’ve all agreed: the children and young women should stay indoors for now." She looked at Li Mengze with affection. She’d watched the girl grow up, so gentle and sweet. They couldn’t bear to lose her. That’s why, as soon as the news arrived, her husband sent her to warn the girl.

What was this? Divine turtle? Sacrifice? Could it be true?

Li Mengze put on a frightened expression. "Really? There’s such a thing? Thank you, Aunt Wang. I have everything I need at home. Lately..."