100 points for one piece—the equivalent of ten thousand taels of silver!

Now this feels more like proper squandering!

"Exchange for one Low-Grade Spirit Stone!"

[Ding! 100 points consumed. Obtained Low-Grade Spirit Stone x1.]

With a flash of light, a stone roughly the size of a pigeon's egg appeared in Qi Xiao's hand. It was crystalline, emitting a soft white glow and a rich, dense spiritual energy.

Feeling the pure energy, Qi Xiao narrowed her eyes in contentment. While this amount of spiritual power was negligible to her true self, for this mortal body and this resource-barren world, it was a rare treasure.

Holding the spirit stone, she walked out of her room.

Chun Xian was still sitting in the courtyard, clutching the gold ingot as if it were a live bomb, her mind utterly blank.

"Chun Xian, stop sitting there dumbfounded," Qi Xiao called to her. "Come, accompany your young mistress for a stroll in the garden!"

Although the Lin family garden couldn't compare to the Jia family's Grand View Garden in extravagance, it was still small and exquisite, complete with pavilions, water features, rockeries, and ponds.

Qi Xiao wandered to the edge of the lotus pond, watching several plump koi fish swimming within.

A mischievous idea sparked in her eyes. To squander wealth, one must do it spectacularly, unthinkably!

She pulled out the Low-Grade Spirit Stone and, under Chun Xian's horrified gaze, casually tossed it into the pond!

"Young Mistress! What priceless treasure did you just throw in?!" Chun Xian shrieked. The stone was glowing! It was clearly no ordinary object!

[Ding! Host has successfully squandered wealth, consuming one Low-Grade Spirit Stone (Valued at 10,000 taels of silver). Reward: Cultivation - Qi Refinement Stage 5!]

[Points +100!]

[Additional Reward: 10,000 taels of silver!]

[Title 'Junior Prodigal' is in effect. Additional Cultivation Reward: Peak of Qi Refinement Stage 5!]

Boom!

Spiritual energy surged within her once again! The peak of Qi Refinement Stage 5!

The koi fish, drawn by the stone's potent energy, swarmed frantically around it, their bodies faintly beginning to glow with a spiritual light.

"Hmm, from now on, the fish in this pond shall be fed spirit stones!" Qi Xiao clapped her hands, satisfied as she looked at the now 'lucky koi.' "One Low-Grade Spirit Stone per day. Increase it if it's not enough."

Chun Xian: "..."

She was numb.

Has the young lady, since recovering from her illness, not only become wealthy but also... lost her mind?

Just then, a timid, melodious voice, weak yet clear like a oriole's song, came from nearby. "Qi... Qi Xiao, elder sister?"

Qi Xiao turned to see a girl of about five or six, dressed in plain white robes. With features delicate as a painting and an aura of fragile beauty, she resembled an exquisite porcelain doll. She was being led by a nursemaid, standing under the covered corridor not far away, her eyes—seemingly always on the verge of tears—wide with a mixture of surprise and fear as she looked at Qi Xiao, and at...

The still-glowing stone in the pond.

It was none other than the Daughter of Providence, the future fated partner of the Son of Heaven—

Lin Daiyu!

Well, well. Here comes the main character herself!

A playful smile curled on Qi Xiao's lips.

So this was the famed "Lin Daiyu," whose "heart was more intricate than Bi Gan's and whose sickness surpassed Xi Shi's"?

She was indeed a beauty in the making, just far too frail—looking as if a strong gust of wind could blow her over.

"It's Daiyu, little sister." Qi Xiao imitated the original host's manner, offering a 'kind' smile as she walked forward.

Lin Daiyu instinctively shrank back slightly.

Her impression of this distant cousin was vague, remembering her as always being timid and rather unnoticeable.

But today... she had thrown a glowing, precious stone into the pond to feed the fish?

Moreover, she seemed... completely different, not the least bit shy?

Her eyes were strikingly bright.

"Elder Sister Qi Xiao, what... what was that you threw into the pond just now?" Lin Daiyu couldn't help her curiosity, asking in a small voice.

"Oh, that?" Qi Xiao waved a hand dismissively. "Just a stone. It looked shiny, probably some scrap piece of luminescent pearl or something. Worthless."

Worthless?! Though young, Lin Daiyu knew luminescent pearls were treasures.

A scrap piece? Since when did scrap pieces glow and attract fish?

The nursemaid holding Daiyu's hand was Nanny Wang, a trusted servant of Jia Min. She had also witnessed the scene, her heart filled with doubt and suspicion.

This cousin... why were her actions so... bizarre and extravagant?

Looking at Lin Daiyu's pale little face, Qi Xiao recalled the "chronic mixed toxin" the system had detected when scanning Jia Min. She figured this girl had probably inherited the poison in the womb, hence her weak constitution.

An idea struck her. She spent 10 points in the system shop to exchange for one [Body Tempering Pill (Mortal Grade)].

The pill appeared in her palm, emitting a faint medicinal aroma.

"Little sister Daiyu, I see your complexion isn't good. Here, elder sister offers you a 'sugar bean'." Qi Xiao presented the pill to Lin Daiyu.

Nanny Wang immediately stepped forward protectively. "Cousin, our young lady does not accept things of unknown origin."