The forest was quiet.
No birds. No animals. Only the rustling of leaves high above and the sound of wind brushing through tall trees. Sunlight streamed through the branches, soft and golden, lighting up the ground in patches.
Jiang Liuyue opened her eyes.
Her head ached slightly. The air smelled fresh — too fresh. Like flowers, rain, and something unfamiliar. She blinked up at the sky, confused.
Where was she?
She slowly pushed herself up, realizing she was lying on soft moss. Her hands sunk slightly into the earth. Everything around her was green, alive, and way too big. The trees stretched high above her, thicker and taller than anything she had ever seen in real life.
She sat up completely, heart pounding.
"I was at home," she whispered. "I was in my apartment…"
She remembered it clearly,the sound of the news playing in the background, a glass of wine in her hand, her phone lighting up with a notification. She had been tired. She must've fallen asleep on the couch.
So how did she get here?
She looked down at herself. Her clothes were gone. She was naked, but her body was clean. There were no wounds, no bruises, not even dirt on her skin. She wasn't cold. The sunlight was warm, almost too perfect.
Her chest rose and fell faster now.
"Am I dreaming?"
She stood up slowly, looking around, hugging her arms across her chest. There was no sign of people, buildings, or roads. Just endless trees, strange glowing plants, and wind that didn't feel quite natural.
Then, a soft sound echoed in her ears.
Ding!
A message appeared in her vision, floating in the air like a screen made of light.
System Booting…
Welcome, Host: Jiang Liuyue
Initializing Breeding Interface…
Syncing with World Laws…
Objective: Unlock your power through Clan Bonds
Primary Mission: Bear the Sacred Heirs
She stared at the floating words.
"What the hell is this?" she whispered.
She tried to wave it away, but it followed her eyes. The text pulsed faintly, glowing with a soft golden light.
"A system?" she said aloud, taking a step back. "Like in those webnovels?"
She shook her head. This couldn't be real. She couldn't have just… fallen asleep and ended up in another world. A world where some kind of strange voice was telling her to do things she didn't understand.
"What do you mean, bear heirs?" she said sharply. "What heirs? What is this place?"
The screen didn't answer.
But the wind shifted.
She turned around quickly. Something had changed in the forest. A faint sound in the distance. Leaves crunching. A low growl, carried by the breeze.
Jiang Liuyue's heart skipped.
She wasn't alone anymore.
And whatever was coming... had already picked up her scent.