After finishing her internal song of praise and flattery, Xie Zhaofan looked back down at the ginseng. Soon, however, the excitement on her face turned into a conflicted grimace.
This thing was far too precious.
If she only took a small piece, she might be able to offer a flimsy explanation. But if the entire ginseng root suddenly vanished, Xie Jinyi would definitely notice the moment she returned.
What would she do then? She couldn't exactly say she’d smelled the fragrance from next door, climbed in, and accidentally ate the whole thing, could she?
Xie Zhaofan hesitated for a moment before finally gritting her teeth.
What was there to fear? Her relationship with Xie Jinyi was already like oil and water.
Besides, this was the first time she had discovered a new function of the system.
Two attribute points—this was two whole attribute points!
If she missed this opportunity, who knew how long she would have to wait for the next one?
“Just do it!”
Xie Zhaofan reached out and picked up the ginseng, but as she brought it to her mouth, she suddenly stopped.
“Wait...”
She looked at the intact ginseng root in her hand, her brow furrowing.
“How do I even eat this?”
In her previous life, she had watched some health programs and knew that ginseng was usually sliced and steeped in water or used as an ingredient in medicine. Who the hell just swallowed a whole root?
What if she over-supplemented and ended up dying from a massive nosebleed?
But just then, as if the system finally sensed her confusion, a line of text materialized before her eyes again.
【Consumption of the whole item is suggested.】
Xie Zhaofan blinked. “So you’re finally willing to acknowledge me?”
The system didn't respond, maintaining its usual cold and unresponsive demeanor. Xie Zhaofan rolled her eyes.
“Fine, I’ll trust you this once.”
She also knew that if she took the item out to boil it, it would inevitably leave traces in the kitchen, making it even more troublesome if caught.
Gritting her teeth, she stuffed the entire ginseng root into her mouth.
The next instant, her expression contorted.
“Mmph...”
The taste was incredibly intense—bitter, astringent, and fishy, all mixed with an indescribable funk that nearly made her gag on the spot.
“Are you sure this isn't just a tree root?”
Suppressing her nausea, Xie Zhaofan forced herself to chew and swallow the ginseng.
Almost as soon as the last bite went down, a surge of warm energy rose from her abdomen.
The warm current wasn't violent, but it was very distinct, feeling like a hot spring slowly flowing through her body and quickly spreading toward her limbs and bones.
Xie Zhaofan’s body trembled slightly. This feeling...
She was all too familiar with it. It was exactly the same sensation she’d felt when the system first awakened by the lake.
She could even clearly feel her body undergoing some kind of transformation—her muscles, bones, and internal organs felt as if they were being tempered by that power.
A moment later, the warm current completely dissipated. Xie Zhaofan stood where she was and slowly clenched her fist.
A sense of power, far more abundant than before, surged into her heart.
She could distinctly feel that her body had become more stable, and her endurance and recovery seemed to have been enhanced as well.
The attribute panel then materialized before her eyes.
【Host: Xie Zhaofan】
【Lifespan: ∞】
【Strength: 14】
【Agility: 4】
【Constitution: 5】
【Spirit: 6】
【Free Attribute Points: 0】
Xie Zhaofan stared at the panel for a long while, the smile on her face growing wider and wider.
Strength increased to fourteen, and Constitution increased to five.
Although it was only a single point in each, when applied to her, the change made her clearly feel she had grown significantly stronger.
“A normal, healthy adult male only has five points of Constitution.”
Xie Zhaofan clenched her fist, unable to resist feeling a bit smug.
“Right now, I feel frighteningly strong!”
Of course, what she looked forward to most was Agility; after all, her Strength was temporarily sufficient.
What she truly envied were those experts who could scale walls and leap over roofs. If she could find a spiritual medicine that increased her Agility attribute, she would absolutely consume it all without hesitation.
“I’ll have to keep a sharper eye out for these things in the future.”
Xie Zhaofan made a mental note, but now was clearly not the time for further study.
She had snuck in, after all. If Xie Jinyi suddenly returned, she wouldn't be able to explain why she was in someone else's boudoir, even with her monstrous strength.
Thinking of this, she quickly closed the empty jade box and restored everything to its original state as best she could.
Then she went to the back window. Before leaving, she couldn't help but look back one last time.
“Sister, I’ll accept this gift today. If there are more good things like this in the future, remember to prepare more for me.”
With a soft laugh, she turned and slipped out through the back window.
With her now-practiced wall-climbing skills, she quickly and silently returned to her own room.
From beginning to end, she hadn't alerted a soul.
...
In the afternoon, when Xie Jinyi returned, she paused involuntarily the moment she stepped into her boudoir.
She didn't enter immediately, instead quietly scanning the room from the doorway.
Everything in the room appeared normal: the window screens hung lightly, the books on the desk were arranged exactly as they had been when she left, the tea set on the table hadn't moved an inch, and even the brocade quilt on the bed showed no sign of disarray.
But for some reason, she just felt that something was off.
Xie Jinyi had been meticulous since childhood, particularly sensitive to minute changes around her.
She walked slowly into the room, her gaze sweeping over every corner, specifically checking the places where she usually kept jewelry and valuables.
Nothing was missing—at least not on the surface.
Her brow furrowed slightly as she felt increasingly puzzled. Was she just overthinking it?
However, the feeling that someone had quietly intruded grew stronger, as if some invisible order that belonged to her had been silently disrupted.
Xie Jinyi stood by the desk in deep thought for a moment. Her gaze idly scanned the tabletop and suddenly landed on the far corner.
In the next instant, her expression shifted drastically.
The exquisite white jade box was still there, but the lid's position seemed to have shifted a fraction from where it was when she left.
She walked over quickly and took the jade box in her hand. Upon opening it, her calm face instantly turned grim.
It was empty. The Century-Old Spiritual Ginseng had vanished without a trace!
Xie Jinyi’s breathing hitched for a moment.
She had put a lot of effort into obtaining this spiritual ginseng. Even the Prince behind her had expended quite a bit of influence to have someone track it down.
A century-old spiritual ginseng was no longer a common medicinal herb; its inherent medicinal power was extraordinary. To someone like her, who was proficient in medical skills, its value was far beyond what gold or silver could measure.
She had several formulas for treating persistent ailments that lacked this one primary ingredient. With it, she would have had several more degrees of confidence in the treatment.
More importantly, this sort of thing was a rare find that couldn't be sought at will; even if the Prince's estate wanted to find another, they might not be able to.
But now, it was gone.
Rate on N.U.
