Chapter 5: Emergence of Spiritual Spring

Su Zhi, taking her homemade remedies and purchased medicines, found that the itching on her body had become less frequent. However, the patches of discoloration remained, causing her distress despite her optimism.

“Was my second chance at life meant to be a trial?” Su Zhi muttered to herself, gazing at the patches on her hand, scabs that healed only to reveal new discolorations. As a woman, even with patience, the sight of these marks weighed heavily on her. When the itching resurfaced, she sometimes wished she had not been reborn. Only Shen Zi’an’s constant comfort by her side brought her some relief.

Thinking of Shen Zi’an, Su Zhi pondered how kind he must be to tolerate being deceived into marrying her and not want to return her to the Zhao family. With her illness, not as glamorous as Xi Shi’s^[1]Xi Shi is a legendary beauty, and one of the renowned four beauties of Ancient China, she knew her facial skin was flawed. Yet, Shen Zi’an’s gaze showed no hint of disgust or avoidance, making her consider him a good man.

“If I can recover from this illness, being a rural couple with him would be wonderful. With his care, I would surely be happy,” Su Zhi thought, filled with hope, but unsure of when her illness would finally improve.

Su Zhi felt the itch intensify, gently trying to soothe it without scratching too hard. As she thought more about her situation, the frustration grew within her, leading her to mutter complaints.

“Damn heavens! Why, after giving me such a good man, must you make me endure so much suffering? Others, even in rebirth, might not receive special powers, but at least a healthy body. Why is it different for me?” Su Zhi was not one to complain about fate. Despite facing hardships since childhood, she had always been optimistic, striving to improve her life through her own efforts.

However, this time, she truly felt that fate was being unjust. She couldn’t help but think about how fortunate the heroines in novels were. Even if they were ordinary, with the benefits of rebirth, they gained wealth and beauty. Money wasn’t her concern; rather, she longed for the kind of miraculous rejuvenation those heroines experienced, finding a spring to drink from or bathe in to cure all ailments.

Lost in these thoughts, Su Zhi inadvertently voiced her desires, only to witness a miraculous sight unfold before her eyes.

Inside the thatched cottage, white lotus flowers began to bloom from the earth, resembling snow and emitting a faint fragrance. These lotus flowers grew in a pond of crystal-clear water, reflecting a vivid emerald hue, almost as green as the lotus leaves themselves, tempting one to scoop up a handful and take a sip.

“What is happening?!”

Su Zhi stared wide-eyed at the scene, forgetting her itch as she blinked repeatedly, realizing that the white lotus flowers remained. Suddenly, she understood that her complaints might have been heard by the heavens!

“So, there truly are benefits! Heaven has not overlooked me!”

Filled with euphoria, Su Zhi couldn’t resist jumping off the bed and reaching her hand into the spring water, feeling its coolness, confirming it wasn’t a trick of the eye or a dream. Just like the heroines in novels, she had been bestowed with a heavenly benefit – this Spiritual Spring.

Excitedly, Su Zhi immersed her hand in the spring water for a while, then, upon inspection, felt a tinge of disappointment as the discoloration on her hand remained. She hastily cupped some water and took a few sips, finding it quite refreshing. Yet, as she quietly observed her body’s reaction, her disappointment returned – the discoloration persisted, and the itching remained unabated.

Why is it like this? Others drink a few sips of water or take a bath, and all their ailments vanish, transforming them into beauties. How come nothing seems to work for me?

Disappointed, Su Zhi sat on the ground, disregarding the dirt and cold. The immense joy had quickly turned into deep disappointment, leaving her, someone who had experienced many hardships, feeling lost and forlorn.

“Do I have to wait for some time like medicine to take effect?” Su Zhi couldn’t believe that Heaven had merely provided her with ordinary spring water. She found a reason to calm her mind, tightly clenching her fists, convincing herself that this setback was insignificant. If it didn’t work, she was certain she would still survive. As long as she lived, there was hope. Besides, it wasn’t a total loss – she had a pond of spring water now. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about drinking water in the future.

Optimistically consoling herself, Su Zhi suddenly noticed the pond of spring water vanish before her eyes.

“Can this be true…?”

Su Zhi felt the soil with both hands, touching nothing but solid ground. She was left feeling tearful and exasperated, thinking, “Heaven, are you being stingy? I only wanted assurance that I could survive even without the spring water. I never asked you to take it away. I don’t find it useless at all. Didn’t I say I would rely on it for water?”

“Even if I complained, this is no way to toy with me!” Su Zhi, experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions, clenched her fists in frustration and forcefully pounded the ground. In a blink of an eye, the spring water reappeared, splashing back into the pond.

With a twitch at the corner of her mouth, Su Zhi wondered what was happening. Suddenly, a flash of insight struck her – recalling from novels that heroines often discovered their special spaces unexpectedly. Some found their spaces in objects like necklaces, bracelets, rings, or jade ornaments, while others had birthmarks or moles on their bodies. The methods of accessing these spaces varied as well – some required a touch, a specific password, or just a mere thought.

Su Zhi didn’t have a special space; she only had this pond of spring water. However, the same principle seemed to apply.

Recalling her memories about spaces earlier, she remembered she had also thought about it. Attempting to make the spring water disappear, she uttered numerous phrases, including directives for it to vanish or remain, but the water persisted. Thinking through it again yielded the same result. Su Zhi wondered if she needed to touch something, but she hadn’t touched anything specific before. After careful consideration, she clenched her fist, focusing on making the spring water vanish, and this time, it worked!

Trying it again, she clenched her fist to make it reappear, and the spring water returned.

Suppressing her joy, Su Zhi tried not thinking about anything while clenching her fist, but the spring water remained as lush as ever. When she relaxed her fist and willed the water to disappear, it stayed put.

Finally understanding, Su Zhi realized she needed to clench her left fist and mentally command either the appearance or disappearance of the spring water for it to work.

“Why does it have to be the left fist? Why doesn’t the right one work?”

Su Zhi opened her left hand and carefully examined it, discovering a small, faint green mark on her palm, about a centimeter in size, resembling a tiny crescent moon. Due to the discoloration on her hand, Su Zhi had never paid close attention to it before and had never noticed it.

Looking at this small green crescent, Su Zhi suddenly realized why she had this pond of spring water.

In her past life, before she died, Su Zhi had been holding onto a jade pendant in the shape of a crescent moon, a family heirloom passed down by her grandfather. The pendant was the same shade of green as the spring water, and the water itself formed a crescent shape. She believed that her rebirth and possession of the spring water were all due to that jade pendant.

“Grandfather, thank you. I will live well,” Su Zhi whispered as she touched the green crescent, tears welling up in her eyes, grateful even if the spring water couldn’t cure her illness.

At that moment, the door creaked open, and Shen Zi’an walked in.