The second day of Yang Yang's rebirth wasn't much different from the first. She woke up and found her way to the temple on her own since the green-robed woman never came. Only a handful of people were meditating inside, and by the time she climbed onto the altar, panting, the Second Elder was nowhere in sight—only the Sacred Pearl glowing warmly by itself.
*"Sacred Pearl, looks like it's just you and me today!"*
Mimicking yesterday's posture, Yang Yang once again drifted off into her thoughts, repeating the same routine.
On the third day, when she followed the maid to the dining hall, only the Grand Elder was waiting for her. Throughout the meal, no matter what he said, Yang Yang listened with a polite smile, rarely speaking unless absolutely necessary. It wasn't that she didn't *want* to talk—she just feared saying too much and giving herself away.
After lunch, Yang Yang decided to return to the temple. She had already prepared food for Xiao Bai before leaving, and her room had been thoroughly ransacked with nothing left to explore. The Sacred Pearl's comforting presence drew her back, and after some deliberation, it won out over the temptation of her bed.
By afternoon, the temple was nearly empty. Seeing no one on the altar, Yang Yang knelt by the stone pillar again. The first time, she had sat farther away like the Second Elder, but today, with no one around, she stayed right beneath it—because in her mind, the closer to something precious, the better!
Boredom eventually lulled her into sleep.
When she woke, the sky had darkened. She stood to leave, but her legs, numb from kneeling, gave way. With a yelp, she toppled backward.
*"Ah! Ugh—gulp—*cough* *cough*!"*
Once the coughing fit subsided, Yang Yang's heart sank. The pillar holding the Sacred Pearl had toppled over, and the pearl itself—which should have been floating above—was gone.
*Swallowed. By her.*
*"Shoddy craftsmanship! A pillar this important should be sturdier! What if it's poisonous? And even if it's not, they'll kill me for this—accident or not, 'Saintess' or not. I have to get out of here."*
Stealing a glance around the altar, she sighed in relief—everyone else had left. She hurried down, pausing only to eye the luminous pearls embedded high on the walls. Too far to reach. With a resigned sigh, she abandoned the idea of taking one.
Back in her treehouse, Yang Yang ransacked the place.
Large items went into a sack, smaller ones into the Phoenix Pouch—a sleek dark-red bag. After stuffing it full, she paused. The pouch looked unchanged, despite the sheer volume inside.
*"Huh? How?"*
Dumping everything onto the bed, she gaped at the pile. Alongside her stolen trinkets were things she'd never seen before—larger gems, pouches of seeds, fresh purple mushrooms, flour-like powders, neatly folded clothes, and… a wand?
*"A spatial pouch? Like in those novels?"*
Giddy, she tested it—stuffing things in, pulling them out, over and over.
*"I'm rich! I'm rich!"*
With a grin, she emptied her larger sack and went on a second sweep—books she'd skipped before, strange wooden boxes, every last snack.
The room was stripped bare.
Only the wall-grown bed, the empty shelves, and Xiao Bai—who stared at her like she'd grown a second head—remained.
*"Xiao Bai, let's go!"* Plopping the creature onto her head, Yang Yang marched out without looking back.
The night was eerily silent—no insects, no birds, no snores. Just suffocating stillness.
The treehouses loomed like watching monsters. Yang Yang quickened her pace.
She didn't know where she was going, but she believed if she kept moving in one direction, she'd escape eventually.
After fleeing all night, dawn tinged the sky. Exhausted, she collapsed into the grass, not caring about her dirtied robes.
*"Far enough, right?"*
Looking back, the treehouses were long out of sight.
*"You really think you can just leave like this?"*
The sudden voice sent a chill down her spine. Slowly, she turned.
**Will she survive?**