Chapter 18: Mustard Seed Space?
Liu Yao grabbed Ning Xiyue excitedly and said, “Xiyue, isn’t this such a coincidence? The female comrade and the male comrade who swapped seats with us are also going to Da’an County for rural support. What a fated meeting! If we’re all assigned to the same place, we can go home together later.”
The male comrade walked over with a smile and greeted her warmly, “Hello, my name is Xia Zhipeng. I’m also going to Da’an County. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Hello, I’m Ning Xiyue.”
Ning Xiyue nodded politely in response, though inwardly she was thinking that the five special sign-in locations she’d received must indeed be connected somehow. All of them were related to going to Da’an County. She just wasn’t sure if they would all be assigned to the same place.
But she estimated the chances were pretty high.
She also couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was inside her mysterious “grand gift package.” Surely it must be related to all this somehow.
The urge to check the grand gift package was growing stronger and stronger.
At that moment, Ji Yanming returned. Liu Yao, upon seeing him, leaned over to Ning Xiyue and whispered quietly, “So? Nothing happened, right?”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Ning Xiyue shook her head slightly. “You guys should go get lunch, it’s getting late. I’ll head back now — I always feel sleepy after lunch, so I’m going to take a nap.”
“Alright, see you when we get off the train.” Liu Yao glanced at Ji Yanming and added, “Take care of yourself.”
“Thanks.” Ning Xiyue felt a bit touched. Although Liu Yao could be rather loud and excitable, she was a good person.
Leaving the dining carriage and walking back to the door of her sleeper compartment, Ji Yanming gave her a few more words of advice.
Ning Xiyue was dying to go back and check the hidden gift box, but outwardly she remained calm as a dog, listening patiently.
“Alright then, that’s it. Go on inside.”
The moment she heard those words, they sounded like heavenly music to her ears. She nodded quickly. “Thank you, Comrade Ji. I’m going to take a nap now — my eyes can hardly stay open. Goodbye, Comrade Ji.”
Before the words had even fully left her lips, she was already inside the compartment with the door closed.
Ji Yanming looked at the closed door, chuckled to himself, and turned back to his own compartment next door.
Sitting on the bed, he pulled out the lunch money he’d received earlier from his pocket and sorted it out. He placed the coins in the center of the bills and folded them into a five-pointed star. Then, taking a wallet from another pocket, he carefully tucked the star into one of the compartments, storing it separately.
Finally, Ji Yanming pulled out a black-and-white group photo from the deepest part of the wallet and looked at it with a smile. “I didn’t think that person was telling the truth… turns out she really is that adorable and interesting.”
—
Meanwhile, Ning Xiyue had already eagerly opened the system backpack, joking as she did, “Little Turtle, if this gift package isn’t impressive, I’m going to hit you.”
“Don’t worry, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied. It’s definitely a big one.”
No. 3333, the turtle, patted its chest with its little paw in assurance.
“Alright, I’ll trust you.”
Ning Xiyue’s eyes locked onto the large, pitch-black gift box inside the backpack. Rubbing her excited hands together, she took a deep breath and tapped on the box, feeling just like someone opening a blind box — both thrilled and full of anticipation.
As the box opened, a burst of dazzling white light flashed out, making it impossible to see what was inside.
No wonder it was called a mystery box — it even had its own special opening effects. Such a dramatic entrance.
When the white light faded, Ning Xiyue finally saw the contents — and her eyes curved into crescents from smiling so hard.
The system had clearly prepared a supply package for her rural assignment!
One by one, Ning Xiyue counted the items inside, grinning like a fool: 100 jin (50 kg) of rice; 50 jin (25 kg) of high-grade flour; 25 jin (12.5 kg) of fresh pork; 25 jin (12.5 kg) of cured meat; 100 jin (50 kg) of rapeseed oil; And a sack filled with a full set of spices.
This was more than enough food to last her an entire year!
The system daddy really did love her.
System: “Oh, so when you get good stuff, I’m ‘Daddy.’ But when you don’t, I’m just a ‘little turtle.’ Women are truly fickle.”
┐(￣ー￣)┌ “How is this my fault?”
Ning Xiyue: “I wasn’t calling you that. You’re still Little Turtle. Rolls eyes JPG.”
“Huh? What’s this? There’s another small box in here?”
Curious, Ning Xiyue noticed a tiny, easily overlooked miniature gift box tucked among the supplies. She immediately pulled it out and sat on the bed, examining it.
“Little Turtle, what treasure do you think is inside this? Let’s open it and see.”
Slowly, Ning Xiyue opened the small gift box. Inside were two items.
One was a small glowing orb. The other — the moment she saw it — sent her into a frenzy of excitement.
Oh. My. God!
It was an ancient-looking ring. And the moment she saw it, her mind immediately jumped to thoughts of treasure spaces — all kinds of magical spaces filled her imagination:
Storage spaces, spirit spring spaces, farming spaces, trading spaces, interdimensional spaces… and more.
Trying to calm her racing heart, Ning Xiyue picked up the ring and asked, “Little Turtle, could this ring possibly be… the mustard seed space I’ve been dreaming about?”
The loss of her previous Spirit Spring Planting Space had been a real heartbreak. Who wouldn’t want a space like that? Farming was practically etched into the DNA of the Chinese people.
“Yes, Host.”
Little Turtle’s reply sent Ning Xiyue into a frenzy of excitement. “Should I drip blood on it to make it recognize me? Or what? Is there an instruction manual?”
Ding! [Host has obtained one ‘Mustard Seed Life Storage Space.’ To bind it, simply wear the ring on your right-hand pinky finger and silently think ‘Bind’ in your mind. The system will help you complete the soul binding with the space.]
“Once soul-bound, the host can enter and exit the space at will just by thinking about it. Also, any living beings obtained from sign-ins will automatically be stored in the space by default.”
Ding! [Would the host like to bind it now?]
“Bind!”
How could she hesitate? Ning Xiyue bound it joyfully — this was a space where she could store living beings and even enter herself!
Perfect for… ahem… robbing and looting — cough, no, for homesteading and traveling. After all, as the saying goes: “With a space system in hand, the world is mine.”
Ning Xiyue had no ambitions of becoming an overpowered world-dominating protagonist. She just wanted to live peacefully and steadily in this familiar yet strange world — to survive, stay safe, and never worry about food or clothing again.
Having a space meant having one more layer of security.
Even a second of hesitation would be disrespectful — to herself, to the space, and to Little Turtle.
Sliding the ring onto her pinky finger, it automatically adjusted its size and fit her perfectly.
Following the system’s instructions, she focused and silently chanted bind in her mind. With the system’s assistance, Ning Xiyue suddenly felt something new appear in her consciousness — the same ancient ring now glowing faintly with white light.
The ring on her right pinky faded from sight, becoming invisible to the naked eye, though Ning Xiyue could still feel its presence on her finger.
After binding the space, she also received its related information.
The space covered 200 square meters — containing 100 square meters of fertile black soil suitable for planting, and nothing else.
She could enter with just her consciousness or with her whole body.
Though this space wasn’t as heaven-defying as the Spirit Spring Planting Space that had been absorbed before, Ning Xiyue was more than satisfied. After all, she still had her infinitely capable Little Turtle.
With the space business settled, only the glowing orb remained.
The moment Ning Xiyue’s hand touched it, the orb suddenly acted as if alive and shot straight into her body — and the next thing she knew, she lost consciousness and fainted.
