Chapter 6 — I Won't Save You in This Life Again

Zhao Van Tranh rushed to appease her, "Is it not enough that you alone hold my heart?"

"But..."

"If you continue to be so selfish and consumed by jealousy, I shall have no further need of you!"

My stepsister, naturally frightened, immediately conceded. "Very well, very well then... we shall make room for her!"

"Naturally!"

Yet, Zhao Van Tranh, who was easily manipulated by her, proved unable to restrain his own carnal impulses. Soon, he began bestowing favors upon a second woman, then a third, and a fourth. He locked all of them within the Zi Duong Palace, forcing my stepsister to toil away at cultivating crops to feed them. Overwhelmed and miserable, she finally thought of me. My prediction had been correct. Each dimension within the system only remains accessible for one year. Having moved on from the future-tech dimension, I had transitioned to a forest domain. I built a small wooden cabin surrounded by a farm, where the chickens, ducks, and geese I had brought along had grown to maturity. At that moment, I was hunched over, collecting eggs.

"Sister, oh dear sister..."

My stepsister’s voice drifted in from the outside. I promptly exited the dimension and appeared directly before her. Seeing me dressed in simple peasant garb, clutching fresh eggs, she froze in shock.

"Sister, you possess actual eggs?"

As she spoke, she could not help but swallow hard. I cut straight to the point: "Why have you come again?" Only then did she recall her purpose.

"Sister, could you possibly share some supplies with me? I fear the crops I grow are not enough to feed everyone!"

I refused without a second thought. "Absolutely not! I barely have enough for myself!" My stepsister reached out to grab my arm, pouting in a pathetic attempt at endearment.

"Then at least let me into your system dimension for a quick look, I beg you, sister!"

"It is so sweltering out here; I only wish to step inside to escape the heat for a moment. I promise I will not take any of your belongings!"

"Have you forgotten, sister? I am the only family you have left in this world!"

I brusquely shook her hand away.

"My apologies, but strictly speaking, you are not my family, for I am a transmigrator!"

Though she did not understand what a transmigrator was, she clearly grasped that I had no intention of letting her into my sanctuary. Her face shifted in an instant, her expression contorting into one of vicious spite. She pulled the hairpin from her hair and lunged at me.

"If you refuse to acknowledge me as your sister, then do not blame me for my cruelty!"

Regrettably for her, I had long anticipated this move. I instantly ducked back into my dimension, vanishing into thin air right before her eyes.

Surveying the empty Zi Duong Palace, my stepsister panicked. She searched every corner, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Sister, where are you?"

My voice echoed directly into her ears from the void.

"In a place you will never enter as long as you live!"

She stood paralyzed, and then, as if all strength had left her limbs, she collapsed to the floor.

"How could this be..."

She had clearly chosen the cultivation system first; how could she still be losing to her sister? At that same moment, a horde of people burst into the Zi Duong Palace. They were the refugees who had stormed the imperial grounds, and they circled my stepsister tightly. The leader pointed a finger at her and barked:

"Zhao Van Tranh has already confessed. He said that because you possess the cultivation system, they have been able to survive this long!"

It turned out that the refugees had breached the palace, taking Zhao Van Tranh and his favorite concubines captive. Upon discovering the vast stores of grain in his quarters, they had beaten him until he was forced to reveal the source. Initially, he had resisted, but after receiving a brutal thrashing, he had no choice but to betray her.

"Quickly, use your system to grow food for us!"

"Yes, start by growing ten thousand catties of rice!"

The mob was bloodthirsty; it was clear that if my stepsister refused, they would kill her on the spot. She huddled into herself, trembling as she replied, "I cannot grow that much! Each crop is limited to one thousand catties, and once a type has been grown, it cannot be planted again!"

The men did not care for her excuses. "One thousand catties will suffice for now! Start with that!"

"Indeed, or we shall beat you to death!"

As they spoke, they pressed a jagged blade against her throat. Terrified, she could only obey. Seeing that she truly could materialize food, the greed in their eyes ignited.

"Grain, it really is grain!"

"We are saved! We are saved!"

"Hurry, keep going! Now, grow us some sweet potatoes!"