Another Village in the Shade of Willows and Bright Flowers

Ji Family Mansion.

"The line between absurdity and brilliance is often razor-thin."

Liu Qingyue spoke with fervor, her eyes blazing with intensity, her expression one of exasperation. "Young Mistress, since this ring appeared out of nowhere, what harm is there in trying an unconventional method? Besides, Li Guanqi from the Li Family used the same method to unlock the ring’s storage function!"

Opposite her, Ji Qingyi sat by a stone table, a cup of steaming tea in front of her. She sipped quietly, though her face was visibly darkened—Liu Qingyue was pressuring her, and the matter had indeed wounded her pride.

It was true about Li Guanqi; Liu Qingyue hadn’t lied.

But the problem was, Ji Qingyi had already reprimanded her maid harshly over this matter. Now, to admit that the method was correct would be a direct blow to her dignity.

Especially since she harbored an intense aversion to using electronic devices—this only made her even more reluctant to concede.

"Does the Young Mistress not wish to know the ring’s origins and effects? This may very well concern your lifelong happiness—perhaps even the fate of the entire Ji Family."

Liu Qingyue continued to persuade, her face filled with determination and hope, the earnestness in her eyes impossible for Ji Qingyi to ignore.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Ji Qingyi coldly said, "Leave me for now. I need time to consider."

At this, Liu Qingyue’s face lit up with joy. She bowed respectfully and withdrew.

With her departure, the courtyard fell into silence.

Ji Qingyi sank into contemplation.

"A spatial ring with storage capabilities?"

She gently stroked the ring, her expression growing slightly more solemn. After all, such a miraculous object…

Earlier, her maid had recounted how Li Guanqi possessed an identical ring—and it wasn’t a lie. Hearing this, Ji Qingyi had been astonished, though a trace of disbelief lingered.

"A space that can store anything except living beings? Even grains of sand?" Ji Qingyi murmured to herself.

According to her maid, it sounded like something out of legend—utterly astonishing.

If fully understood, the Ji Family could reap unimaginable benefits. The entire world might even be thrown into upheaval.

But still…

"Does this ring truly possess such power?"

Ji Qingyi’s brows furrowed deeper. Even if her maid hadn’t lied, the matter was so fantastical, so unsettling, that she simply couldn’t bring herself to believe it.

"Activate with blood…"

She muttered under her breath, hesitating. It wasn’t the pain she feared—it was the humiliation of admitting her maid had been right all along.

She had once dismissed her maid’s interests as worthless. Now, to reverse her own judgment was… unbearable.

Yet, she truly wanted to uncover the truth. And so, she found herself trapped in a dilemma.

At this point…

"Enough!"

With a sigh, she picked up her teacup again, took a sip, and gazed at the ring in her hand. If only there were no need for blood…

But the moment this thought crossed her mind—

The cup in her hand vanished without a trace.

Ji Qingyi’s pupils shrank, then dilated abruptly as she stared at her empty palm.

"Impossi—"

Her shoulders trembled, as if she wanted to cry out in shock, but her throat seemed blocked, rendering her speechless.

Finally, she clenched her empty hand, confirming the absence of the cup. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and scanned her surroundings.

"I know you’re watching."

Her voice trembled slightly—the impact of what had just happened was too great.

A moment after she spoke—

"Congratulations, Young Mistress, on successfully activating the ring."

The short-haired maid materialized not far to Ji Qingyi’s left, her face alight with relief.

"I didn’t use my blood to verify anything," Ji Qingyi retorted, rejecting the implication.

"Ah."

The maid chuckled awkwardly and clarified, "Young Mistress, it seems I was mistaken. Blood isn’t necessary—it responds to mental commands."

Hearing this, Ji Qingyi looked back at her palm.

Sure enough, the vanished cup reappeared in her grasp. She brought it to her lips, sniffed it to confirm its unchanged state, then took a careful sip.

"The temperature hasn’t changed. The taste is the same…"

Ji Qingyi closed her eyes, savoring the moment before reopening them, her face now filled with bewilderment. "Does time not pass within the ring’s storage?"

"My junior Li and I discussed this. Your guess is correct," the maid confirmed.

Ji Qingyi fell silent. After a pause, she suddenly stood. "Have you uncovered the ring’s origins?"

"No."

Liu Qingyue sighed, offering a wry smile. "Though we understand its functions, we’ve found no clues about its source."

"I see…" Ji Qingyi nodded but said nothing more. Instead, she turned and walked slowly toward a nearby pond.

Liu Qingyue followed, awaiting further instructions.

"If not for the fact that it’s now bound to me, I might have discarded this ring as worthless."

Ji Qingyi sighed, stroking the ring gently as a flicker of life stirred in her otherwise still, jade-like eyes.

"Young Mistress…" Liu Qingyue opened her mouth as if to speak but hesitated, her expression conflicted.

Noticing this, Ji Qingyi turned to her. "What is it?"

"Do you plan to report this to the main family?"

"Not yet. Now that we know the ring’s capabilities, our priority is determining its origin," Ji Qingyi mused.

"Understood, Young Mistress."

Liu Qingyue exhaled in relief. Thank goodness the ring bonded with her. Otherwise, given her nature, she’d prioritize the Ji Family’s interests above all else.

Ji Qingyi gave her a sidelong glance before continuing toward the pond. As she walked, she murmured, "If there were items already stored inside the ring, retrieving them might provide clues…"

She paused mid-step, her gaze fixed on her palm as if preparing to withdraw something.

Yet, after a moment, her hand remained empty. Ji Qingyi frowned. "Strange."

"Li and I tested this. Even if there were items inside, we couldn’t retrieve them."

Liu Qingyue chimed in, then added, "Because the Young Mistress lacks the conceptual understanding of the items within, extraction is impossible."

"Oh?"

At this, Ji Qingyi’s frown deepened. She stared intently at the ring, as if grasping something profound.

A moment later, she suddenly realized something and hesitantly asked, "If there was already a pen inside, and I put in another one, is it possible that the pen I take out later could be the other one?"

"Technically, it's possible. But it’s like cracking a permutation lock—it would require immense patience and luck to succeed."

Liu Qingyue nodded in agreement.

She and Junior Li had also experimented with this before, having Li Guanqi close her eyes while Liu Qingyue described the concept of the item to be stored. Once confirmed, they placed it into the ring and later attempted to retrieve it. But every attempt ended in failure. They tried almost everything they could think of, yet all efforts proved futile.

Eventually, even Li Guanqi herself gave up.

Hearing this, Ji Qingyi looked up at the bright moon and, after a long silence, murmured, "It seems this is no easy task."

Meanwhile, Liu Qingyue stood beside her, staring at the ring in Ji Qingyi’s hand with a conflicted expression, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Ji Qingyi noticed and turned to her. "What is it?"

Liu Qingyue had no choice but to explain, "Young Miss, my intuition tells me there’s something in the ring that concerns me."

"What is it?"

"I don’t know exactly, but my intuition has never lied to me. It’s definitely there."

"Here, see if you can extract it."

To her surprise, Ji Qingyi responded with unexpected swiftness, not hesitating at all as she removed the ring and handed it over.

"Young Miss…"

Liu Qingyue was momentarily stunned, then said with deep emotion, "But if you take it off, won’t you feel uncomfortable?"

"The discomfort is temporary," Ji Qingyi replied flatly, waving her hand. "Otherwise, having you constantly eyeing my ring would irritate me."

At these words, Liu Qingyue’s earlier gratitude instantly vanished. Her face flushed red, and she lowered her head, nearly muttering, "Give me back my moment of gratitude."

"Hurry up and try to retrieve it," Ji Qingyi urged when Liu Qingyue remained motionless.

"Y-Young Miss, please be patient."

Liu Qingyue put on the ring, took a few deep breaths, then slowly extended her hands, focusing on the item she wanted to extract.

However…

Several seconds passed.

Nothing happened.

"As expected, without a clear concept, extraction is impossible."

Liu Qingyue sighed in frustration, removed the ring, and carefully returned it to Ji Qingyi’s palm.

Ji Qingyi glanced at her expression but showed no reaction. Instead, she put the ring back on and turned away, saying, "Let’s rest. Tomorrow, invite that Li girl to the club."

With that, she walked off.

"Yes, Young Miss."

Liu Qingyue bowed respectfully as she watched her leave. Originally, she had wanted to arrange a meeting between her Young Miss and Li Guanqi to test whether the interaction between their rings would produce any effects. But now that Ji Qingyi had brought it up herself, there was no need to say more.

After all, her Young Miss was exceptionally intelligent—she didn’t need anyone to tell her what to do.

……………………

Master Bedroom.

Standing beside the large bed, Ji Qingyi stared at it in deep contemplation, as if pondering something.

After an unknown length of time, she suddenly bent slightly and gripped the edge of the bed with both hands.

Though the action lacked her usual elegance, there was no one else in the bedroom to witness it.

The next moment—

Something astonishing happened. The massive bed, which normally required several people to move, slid effortlessly aside as she shifted the frame, revealing the floor beneath.

She approached a specific floorboard and lightly tapped it. The wooden square popped up, exposing a hidden black wooden box beneath.

Without hesitation, she reached in, stored the box in her ring, then restored everything to its original position. The room looked exactly as it had before.

She walked to the desk, summoned the black box, and gently wiped off the dust with a handkerchief, her face softening with rare nostalgia.

Though the box had preservative properties, storing it in the spatial ring was still the best option.

Once cleaned, she carefully opened it.

Whenever she felt sentimental, she would open this box. The moment she did, the scent of time would greet her, and the items inside would transport her back to the past.

But this time—

When she opened it, she froze.