Li Xing was unconscious for a full three days, and when she woke up, she was already lying in a hospital ward.
A slender blonde woman sat beside Li Xing's bed. As soon as Li Xing opened her eyes, the woman let out an excited little gasp.
"You're awake!"
Li Xing turned her head and saw the genuine concern on the woman's face, which warmed her heart. She gave the woman a small smile.
The girl's smile, with her big watery eyes and the shallow dimples due to her thinness, was irresistibly cute. Anna was overwhelmed with maternal affection, feeling like her heart might melt, wanting to hug the girl immediately yet fearing that her rough movements might hurt her delicate limbs.
"How do you feel? Is there any discomfort anywhere?"
Li Xing shook her head.
With her Dantian shattered and unable to draw in Spiritual Energy, she could no longer feel the joy of Spiritual Energy coursing through her meridians. Every inch of her muscles and bones craved Spiritual Energy. The aftereffects of her blood and flesh sacrifice left her body sore, while the Chaotic Power's corrosion added insult to injury, making Li Xing feel very uncomfortable.
It's a pity about her storage bag, lost in the spatial turbulence, and all those Spirit Stones and Elixirs she rarely used. Who knows which lucky world might have benefited from them.
In any case, having received basic aid now, her situation was much better than expected. Li Xing didn't want to complain, nor did she want the gentle woman in front of her to worry.
"My name is Anna, I'm Captain Li Yi's wife. You were in bad shape when you arrived, and the hospital said someone had to accompany you for treatment. Yi Ge and the others are all men, and they didn't know how to care for children. Unable to find a willing caretaker, and since I was available, they asked me to look after you for a few days."
"Th-thank you, Aunt Anna."
As she spoke, Li Xing realized her voice was as weak as a thread. No wonder they couldn't find a caretaker; they were probably afraid of a liability if she died, so no one wanted the job.
"You're such a lucky child. Falling from such a height, you only have some scrapes, and your internal organs aren't damaged. The doctors said your main issue now is malnutrition and a severely weakened body. But there's no need to worry; they said that with proper meals, rest, and timely nutritional injections, you'll be discharged soon."
Li Xing nodded, struggling to sit up. Anna quickly stepped forward to help adjust the bed angle so that Li Xing could comfortably recline without straining to look up at her.
"I heard from Yi Ge that your name is Li Xing. Can I call you Xiao Xing?"
"Of course, Aunt Anna."
"Yi Ge said you—" Anna's blue eyes were full of guilt as she looked at Li Xing, silently praying that her words wouldn't cause the child psychological harm. "—that you're a second-generation slave. Logically, Yi Ge is well-informed, and his analysis shouldn't be wrong, but I still want to ask little Xing, are you really...?"
Li Xing gently nodded. Although being a slave wasn't honorable, it at least made sense. She certainly couldn't claim to be a time traveler from the 21st-century Blue Star.
With a confirmed nod, tears shimmered faintly in Anna's eyes.
"Does little Xing know the names of her parents? Did they ever talk about your hometown?"
Li Xing's parents were attempting to break through in the Li Family Land and wouldn't be back for several years. Even if they returned, they would never guess their only daughter had traveled through time. They were so engrossed with each other, their attention focused solely on each other, leaving no thought for this love obstacle. Li Xing shed a metaphorical tear for herself and silently shook her head.
Seeing Li Xing's forlorn look, Anna's expression grew more apologetic: "Do you have any memory of the place you lived, little Xing?"
Of course, but she couldn't say, so she continued to shake her head.
"Aunt Anna, I don't know why, but I can't remember anything from before. I'm truly sorry."
Anna waved her hands quickly: "I'm the one who should apologize. I shouldn't have asked those questions and made you uncomfortable, Xiao Xing."
Second-generation slaves seldom had names, and some couldn't even speak well, but Li Xing was different. She spoke clearly, even having a complete name, and although her clothes were tattered, they appeared to be adult women's shirts, with high-quality material and craftsmanship.
Li Yi speculated that Li Xing, unlike other second-generation slaves raised in captivity from birth, might have lived with her mother for a while. So he asked Anna to find clues from Li Xing. Even though Li Xing had no ID, her mother must have one. If she remembered her mother's name, they could find her immediate family and entrust Li Xing to them.
Furthermore, if Li Xing provided enough clues, not only could they uncover her identity, but they could also track and dismantle the human trafficking rings, rescuing more slaves. Unfortunately, this child remembered nothing. But who could blame her? How old was she?
"It's just as well if you don't remember your time in the slave factory, Xiao Xing. From now on, just remember to live happily."
"Yes!"
Human traffickers would pair attractive slaves to ensure the second-generation slaves' looks were appealing for a high price. Most were sold into brothels or became playthings for perverted rich people, facing tragic fates. It was indeed a stroke of luck that Li Xing escaped early from such dangers. Looking at her innocent smile, Anna secretly rejoiced for her.
"Oh dear, I almost forgot!" Anna took out a small pendant from her pocket and handed it to Li Xing with both hands.
"This Jade Pendant is the only identifiable item on you, possibly left by your family. Yi Ge believes this clue is very important and has already scanned and uploaded it to the database on the Star Network during your coma. The Star Network has a large audience, so if anyone recognizes the Jade Pendant, it could significantly help in your search for family. Yesterday when he returned it, you were still unconscious, so I kept it for you. Here it is now."
A leaf-shaped, mottled gray-green Jade Pendant lay in Anna's palm. The craftsmanship was crude, and the quality was low-grade, inferior even to Yi Wu's twenty-dollar wholesale stones.
Who would have guessed that the Jade Pendant, disregarded even if it lay on the ground, would be the Li Family's heirloom, with an impressive name—The World's Finest Spiritual Pendant.
During the era of declining magic, cultivators with Spirit Roots became rare. With her unique Wood Spirit Root and perfect purity, Li Xing was a standout among the younger generation of the modern cultivation world.
After she completed drawing Energy into her body and stepped onto the path of cultivation, the Li Family Patriarch solemnly bestowed The World's Finest Spiritual Pendant upon her, using family laws and rules to compel her to carry it for nurturing at all times.
Back then, Li Xing, still young, was brainwashed by the Patriarch's passionate speeches into believing she had received a remarkable treasure from the family, feeling both terrified and grateful, often taking it out to admire.
It took her several years to realize it was no treasure. Bah! It was just a useless and unsightly Jade Pendant!
Recalling those moments when she naively flaunted the Jade Pendant in front of her family, and their struggled-to-suppress laughter, Li Xing felt a deep sense of being duped. Yet, bound by family rules, she could only continue to wear it discreetly, never exposing it again.