"Ah!" Tang Tang woke up suddenly, opening her mouth to find warm water pouring in.
In a subconscious reflex, she held her breath and closed her mouth, opening her eyes to find she was underwater. Through the blurred vision, she vaguely saw a figure swimming upwards.
She felt intense chest pain, a complete lack of strength, and the inability to hold her breath any longer. There was no time to consider the strange circumstances; her only thought was survival.
Desperately, she pushed off the underwater stone towards the surface, extending her hand to grab onto… the person's trouser leg.
The other party seemed surprised, struggling vigorously to shake off her hold. To her astonishment… he slipped out of his pants.
Tang Tang let go of the silk trousers in her hand, flailing her hand in panic until she finally found a more secure grip, clutching onto a slippery patch of skin.
With her life hanging by the thread that was Tang Tang's grip, the stranger had no choice but to drag her to the surface.
As they broke the surface, cold air carrying the scent of sulfur poured into her lungs. They had emerged in a hot spring, steam rising up from the water's surface.
"Cough cough cough..." Tang Tang coughed and gasped for breath simultaneously.
Water droplets trickled off her pallid albeit beautiful face, rolling down before finally slipping off her chin onto her smooth neck— an image of breathtaking beauty.
However, the man remained uninterested in her beauty as his hand reached for her neck, "Back off! Let go!"
Tang Tang suddenly regained her senses, aware of his murderous intent. Instead of letting go, she tightened her grip, "Let go? Then you'd choke me. Do you think I'm stupid?"
Enraged, the man wished to choke her on the spot, but he was at her mercy, staring at her with murderous eyes. His eyes were star-like beneath his furrowed brows, and the fury in his beautiful eyes was palpable. Even his fierce features could not conceal his extraordinary beauty.
In a negotiable tone, Tang Tang said, "You let go first. I meant no offense. I merely held onto the only lifeline in a dire situation."
Lifeline? His eyes filled with murderous intent, he shouted, "Let go!"
"Young Master?" An attendant on the bank heard the noise and glanced over in their direction.
In a panic, Tang Tang exerted strength in his hand and threatened, "Stay quiet, or I'll pop it!"
Unable to muffle the other's mouth, he took advantage of his pain. He wrapped his other arm around his neck and bit his lips.
Through the misty fog, the attendants saw their young master embracing a woman, in a heated kiss. The young master even seemed to snobbishly wave them off.
Were they....not to disturb him?
The attendants exchanged ambiguous glances, swiftly turning their backs. Little did they know, in the water, one was choking the other, while also pulling at his crotch.
The attendants quietly gossiped, "Who's that lady?"
"Can't tell."
"Wouldn't believe it, the young master is finally taken by someone…"
"All of you, get over here! Seize that woman!" Their master's furious voice startled them, they 'plop plop' dived into the hot spring and hastily swam over.
The young master pointed in a direction, his face filled with frustration, "That woman ran that way, catch her, skin her, rip her apart!"
"Yes!" The attendants dispersed, searching along the bank.
Assisted by his close attendant, the man managed to get to the shore. He walked with difficulty, his face expressing the discomfort in his groin.
The attendant noticed the only piece of clothing on him was gone, and there were scratch marks across his waist and thighs. His eyes sparkled. Could it be...their young master was...taken by force?
After applying medicine and getting dressed, the attendants who had gone to search for the woman gradually returned.
"Nothing to the east!"
"Nothing to the west!"
"Nothing to the south!"
This place, an outdoor hot spring, was flanked by a cliff to the north. The person who went up the cliff to investigate was slower in returning, "Master, there are traces of a fight on the cliff, with a fair amount of blood. However, judging from the coagulated blood, it should have been there for more than an hour."
"The person must have dived down from above. It's not safe here anymore, Young Master, let's head down the hill."
Actually, Tang Tang was hiding in the hot spring, with only her eyes and nose visible. She had sustained heavy injuries and felt weak, so she didn't dare to flee far. At the bottom of the cliff was a bed of scattered rocks; the steam from the hot spring making it difficult to spot her amidst the rocks.
After those people departed, she heaved a sigh of relief, seemingly in a dream.
She was a special agent from the 21st century, who, while seizing a national treasure, a jade ring, had been blown up alongside the criminal who detonated the bomb strapped to him.
How could she possibly be alive?
A whirlwind of shock and disbelief surged in her heart. An incredible guess dawned on her - could she have… teleported? But why?
【Ding! The system has successfully bound with your soul! Body repair completed!】
Suddenly, a mechanical little girl's voice sounded in her ears, scaring Tang Tang out of her wits.
She looked around warily and yelled in a stern voice, "Who's there? Show yourself!"
【Greetings, Master! I am the system administrator for the Jade Ring, located in your consciousness. You can communicate with me using your thoughts!】
"Jade Ring System!" Tang Tang remembered the national treasure jade ring and her eyes lit up, "Did you bring me here? Take me back, quickly!"
"Master, at that time, it was the Grand Conjunction of the Seven Stars, coinciding with the opening of a black hole. The explosion from the blast swept your soul into this black hole. Meanwhile, your blood splattered onto the jade talisman array's focal point, linking your soul with mine. It was you who brought me here, I have no ability to traverse through time and space!"
Tang Tang felt exasperated, complaining, "Then, what can you do?"
"Master, I am currently powerless; all my energy is being used to repair your broken body. You need to gather energy for me to level up, undertake tasks to earn points, and then exchange goods within the system."
Only then did Tang Tang notice that a warm current was flowing through all her meridians, providing an extreme sense of comfort and ease. At this time, the memories of her previous life began to play out like a movie in her brain.
The previous owner of her body was also called Tang Tang, with the surname Ji. She was the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy merchant in the Shu territory during the Da Zhao dynasty. Born at the exact same time as Ji Miao Miao, she was deemed a misfortune for Ji Miao Miao by a Daoist. The stepmother drove her and her birth mother to the countryside.
In the countryside, Ji Tang Tang happened to meet the second prince of Shu, Yun Mu Lin. His noble demeanor and handsome looks drew Ji Tang Tang in, who fell head over heels for him.
Two months ago, she was suddenly summoned back as the Ji family intended to marry her off to the prince who had been unconscious for a year, Yun Mu Chen, for good fortune.
Reluctant to accept this, she asked Yun Mu Lin to meet her at the back hill, hoping that he could help. Instead, she was ambushed by a masked assassin and thrown off a cliff into a hot spring.
Now, with her memories back and calm restored, Tang Tang asked, "How can I gather energy?"
The voice in her head replied, "Master, you can gather energy even by doing nothing. But this method is too slow, it may take at least eight to ten years for even a single level up. There is a shortcut, though. By getting close and personal with someone whose destiny is filled with riches, you can gather energy more quickly!"
Tang Tang frowned, "By draining humans of their Qi
energy
? Isn't that harming them?"
The assistant in her head retorted, "I am dutifully following the rules! People with great destinies have strong magnetic fields, which aids in gathering energy. In return, it nourishes their bodies too. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement."
Tang Tang's eyes sparkled. In Shu, who were the most privileged people? The King, the Queen, the Crown Prince of course! If she could gain the access to the royal residence, surely it wasn't difficult for her to make an exit once she got what she wanted?
With this idea in mind, Tang Tang swam out of the hot spring and descended the mountain.
"There she is! Miss Ji is over there!" A bunch of people came running over.
"Sister!" A beautiful young girl pushed through the crowd, anxiously looking at Tang Tang, her face full of worry. "Finally, we found you. I know you wish to elope with your beloved, but you should also think about the lives of over two hundred people in the Ji Family!"
