The transition from my bedroom to the Divine Space felt like being pulled through a needle's eye—a brief, crushing pressure followed by an explosion of fresh, cool air. My lungs, which had been heavy with the cloying scent of Rose's poisoned jasmine incense, suddenly expanded with a sweetness so pure it made my chest ache.
I stood on grass that felt like velvet, staring at the silver spring bubbling in the center of the misty field.
"Close your mouth, Master. You look like a landed fish," the silver-haired boy said, circling me in the air. His golden eyes were bright with a mixture of mischief and ancient wisdom. "And stop clutching that jade pendant. It's a part of your soul now. It's not going anywhere."
I forced my hands to relax, though my heart was still hammering against my ribs. "You said this is the Divine Space. How is it possible? My mother... she never told me it was more than a family heirloom."
The boy landed on the ground, his small feet barely disturbing the grass. "Your mother didn't know the half of it. The pendant has been dormant for generations. It needed a catalyst to wake it up—something powerful. A soul's final, desperate cry for vengeance was just the spark I needed."
He puffed out his chest. "I am the Space Spirit, but you can call me Bai. And you, Lin Xia, are currently a mess. You've been breathing in 'Soul-Wither' incense for weeks. Your meridians are clogged, and your face looks like a wilted cabbage."
I looked into the reflection of the glowing silver water. He wasn't lying. Even though I was seventeen again, my skin was pale and sallow from the low-grade poison Rose had been feeding me. I looked weak—an easy target.
"The water," I whispered, remembering the legends of spirit springs. "It can heal me?"
"It's the Spirit Cleansing Spring," Bai said, waving a hand toward the pool. "It will wash away the toxins, but I'll warn you now: it isn't a bath at the spa. Breaking through the poison to rebuild your foundation hurts. Are you strong enough, or should I just send you back to drink your sister's 'tea'?"
I didn't hesitate. I thought of the dagger in my heart. I thought of Prince Yan's cold eyes as he ripped the jade from my neck.
"I've already felt what it's like to have a hole in my chest," I said, my voice hardening. "This is nothing."
I stepped into the spring.
The moment the silver water touched my skin, it didn't feel like liquid. It felt like liquid fire. I gasped as the water seemed to seep through my pores, lashing at my veins. It was as if thousands of needles were scrubbing the inside of my bones.
[AAAAAAAGH!] I didn't scream out loud, but the mental shock was deafening. Black, oily residue began to seep out of my skin, turning the clear water around me dark for a few seconds before the spring's own energy purified it.
The pain lasted for what felt like hours, but as the fire receded, it was replaced by a cool, surging power. My muscles felt light, and my vision sharpened until I could see the individual veins on the leaves of the distant trees.
I climbed out of the spring, shivering as the air hit my new skin. I looked at my reflection again. The sallowness was gone. My skin was now like white jade, glowing with a faint, healthy translucence. My eyes were brighter, more piercing. I didn't just look healthy; I looked dangerous.
"Not bad," Bai remarked, though he tried to hide his impressed expression. "You didn't faint. Most mortals would have been screaming for their mothers."
"I don't have time to scream," I said, wringing out my hair. "I heard Rose's thoughts. She wants me dead by the end of the month so she can take my place at the Autumn Banquet. If she can't poison me, she'll try something else."
"She will," Bai agreed, walking toward the white marble library. "Which is why you need to start the 'Heart-Mirror Cultivation.' It's the technique that powers your mind-reading. The more you cultivate, the further you can hear. At the first level, you can only hear people within ten paces. At the peak... you can hear the secrets of a whole city."
He stopped at the library steps and looked back at me. "But remember the pact, Lin Xia. The Space gives, but it also takes. Every time you use the Space to change your fate, the 'Karma' of this world will try to balance itself. For every enemy you crush, a stronger one will appear."
I looked at my hands, feeling the new strength humming in my blood. "Let them come. In my last life, I died with nothing but regrets. In this life, if I have to fight the whole world to stay alive, I'll do it."
"Good. Now, sit," Bai commanded, pointing to a meditation mat inside the library. "We have three hours before your maid comes to check on you. In here, that's three days. Don't waste a second."
I crossed my legs and closed my eyes, sinking into the silence of the library. As I began my first session of cultivation, I focused on the dark, scratchy echo of Rose's voice in my head.
Wait for me, sister, I thought. I'm coming for everything you own.