The Prodigy of the Hidden Realm

That evening, the family wrapped some sweet potatoes in mud and buried them in the fire. The delicious, sweet aroma lingered on their lips, and Lily's mind suddenly sparked. " Granny, what vegetables can be planted in winter?"

"Cabbage, radishes, green onions, all of those work," Abigail replied without thinking.

"Dad, can you buy me some vegetable seeds tomorrow? I want to plant a garden in front of the house," Lily said, her eyes shining as she hurriedly turned to Thomas.

"That's nonsense. It's already past the planting season, and nothing will grow. Besides, you're a girl—just sit with your mother and do embroidery. Why are you worried about planting vegetables?" Thomas disapproved, his face full of concern.

His daughter was his precious gem, and no matter how poor or tired he and Mary were, they had never allowed Lily to do a single chore.

"Dad, just get me some seeds. I'll plant them for fun, and who knows, maybe they'll grow, and we'll never have to worry about vegetables again. Please?" Lily's voice softened into a sweet, coaxing tone.

Thomas's heart softened at her words. His daughter wanted to help the family, even at such a young age.

He sighed heavily. It was his fault. His own inadequacy was now making his six-year-old daughter worry about their livelihood.

"Seeds? I've got some radish seeds. Take these, and play with them," Abigail said, taking out a few seeds and handing them to Lily.

"Granny, is this all?" Lily looked at the handful of radish seeds with a slight frown. There were only about seven or eight seeds, and she felt a bit disappointed. Even if they grew, there wouldn't be many radishes. They wouldn't even be enough to eat, let alone sell.

"Not enough? If I weren't worried about your dad spending money, I wouldn't even give them to you. Do you know radishes should be planted at the start of autumn? These seeds will just go to waste," Abigail grumbled, feeling both protective of the seeds and frustrated with her son for indulging Lily so much.

Thomas, agreeing with his mother, added, "Your grandma's right. Just play with these seeds. Don't waste any more time."

Lily's shoulders slumped, and she lowered her head, dejected.

Well, it's better than nothing.

She comforted herself. After all, she had the space. She would definitely be able to grow the radishes in no time. She just needed to prove it.

The next day, Thomas went to the town. Lily sneaked into her space to study radish planting techniques, then enlisted Jacob to help her prepare the soil.

Although the seeds would grow instantly in the space, she still needed to act like she was doing something. It was all about appearances.

Jacob, being her doting older brother, quickly grabbed the hoe and started loosening the soil. But since he was still too young, holding the hoe, which weighed about four to five jin, was a struggle for him.

Abigail saw them and scolded Lily. "You little brat, why don't you have any sense? Your brother's hands are for writing, not for working the fields!"

She snatched the hoe from their hands and, in just a few swift movements, loosened the soil for them.

"Thank you, Granny! You're the best!" Lily wasn't scared by Abigail's reprimand. She smiled brightly, as though Abigail had just done her a huge favor.

Abigail was taken aback by Lily's cheeky gratitude and scowled, but she didn't bother saying anything further. She couldn't help but feel a little more tolerant than before. After all, Lily was just a little girl, and it wasn't worth getting upset over.

Lily watched Abigail's retreating figure with a smile. The old woman, though occasionally gruff and biased toward boys, wasn't really unkind. In a time when girls were often neglected or even killed at birth, Abigail wasn't that bad. She might scold her now and then, but it was nothing severe.

"Brother, what do we do now?" Jacob blinked, clearly excited and curious. This was his first time doing farm work, and it seemed fun and new.

"We just need to dig small holes in the dirt like this, drop in the seeds, cover them with soil, and water them," Lily explained, demonstrating with ease.

The soil and water she used were from her space. She told Jacob that the soil from the mountain corner was better for planting.

Of course, she only took a small amount of the magical soil from the space and mixed it with the normal dirt outside. Otherwise, the plants would grow way too quickly, which would be very suspicious.

Jacob followed her example and soon, all the seeds were planted.

"Brother, you'll need to water them every day from now on," Lily said, assigning the task to her brother. Since she was going up the mountain to look for herbs, it was only fair that he helped with the watering.

"How soon will we be able to eat the radishes?" Jacob asked eagerly, his mouth watering at the thought of fresh, homegrown radishes.

Lily wasn't sure, so she gave a vague answer, "Maybe in a month or so."

With the task assigned, Lily quickly slipped away to the mountain corner.

Although her family lived at the foot of the mountain, it was still a bit of a walk to get deeper into the hills. Village was nestled against Tigers Mountain, a vast range that remained lush and green all year round. Small animals roamed freely, and hunters often ventured into the mountain, returning with plenty of game.

However, the mountain got its name—Tigers Mountain—because, according to legend, a group of tigers had once been spotted deep inside the mountain, terrifying a hunter who nearly lost his life. It was said that tigers didn't fight each other and peacefully coexisted on the mountain, a phenomenon that baffled the locals.

Ever since, no hunter dared venture into the deepest parts of the mountain. They only hunted in the middle regions.

Of course, these were just stories, and no one knew if they were true.

Lily didn't plan to go too deep into the mountain anyway. It was dangerous, full of snakes, insects, and wild animals. For now, she'd just stick to the outer edges and wait until she had enough money to buy snake-repellent powder.

Though they lived at the mountain's edge, the area was largely ignored by other villagers because of the wild beasts. Most people didn't recognize herbs, so Lily was able to find quite a few growing around the area. The downside was that the plants were young, having only recently sprouted.

But, as always, having something was better than nothing.

It doesn't matter if they're young, Lily thought. I've got my space, and I can make them grow in no time. I'll make a fortune once I sell them!

She carefully dug up the herbs, following the instructions from her book, and tossed them into the space. She planned to secretly plant them there later, in a hidden spot.

Just then, as she was digging, she suddenly had a strange feeling. She glanced up at the mountaintop and froze. Ever since she drank the Spring water and expelled the impurities from her body, her vision has become remarkably sharp.

A young boy in white appeared at the very top of the mountain, and before Lily could even blink, he vanished!

Her heart skipped a beat.