Gold Sand

Chen Shouyi wiped the spit from his face, feeling for a moment like the worst kind of villain.

But he wasn't about to let her go.

He'd caught her with his own skill—why should he?

He set the Shell Girl down on the ground, tying the other end of the hemp rope to a blade of grass.

Then he picked up the Wooden Stick and prepared to practice his swordsmanship.

He immediately felt the difference from training on Earth.

Under this world's gravity, every movement felt sluggish and heavy, his muscles grinding like rusted machinery, taking immense effort. It was like being back in the early days of learning the sword, nowhere near the fluid ease he had on Earth.

And after just a few minutes of practice, his muscles began to ache and cramp, forcing him to rest.

But the harsher the environment, the more obvious the training effect.

He could sense that if he could train here in the Otherworld until his movements were as natural as breathing, his swordsmanship would reach a whole new level.

Meanwhile, whenever Chen Shouyi wasn't paying attention, the Shell Girl kept trying to escape.

First, she sweated profusely as she tried to untie the rope around her foot, but it was a tight knot, and with her weak, frail body, she couldn't loosen it no matter how long she struggled.

Then she went after that blade of grass.

Call it a blade of grass—to Chen Shouyi, sure. But to the Shell Girl, it was thicker than her own thigh.

She pulled with all her might, then finally bit down on it, until she'd exhausted every ounce of strength without snapping it.

She gave up at last. The breeze blew her fine hair, letting it drift gently as she collapsed limply to the ground, her face a mask of despair and numbness. Maybe she was thinking of her dark future, because a single tear slid slowly down her cheek—pitiful and heartbreaking.

Before long, she felt hungry. She flew to a nearby flower bush, drank her fill of nectar, then came back and sat down in resignation.

Time passed slowly. The sun gradually slanted westward. Chen Shouyi's stomach growled with hunger, and he finally stopped. He realized he'd miscalculated—he should have brought some food in.

Then he turned and saw the Shell Girl holding a grain of sand in her little hand, tossing it up and down, amusing herself.

At first, Chen Shouyi didn't pay it any mind. But then a glint of gold caught his eye, and he sharply sensed something off.

He walked over. The Shell Girl was so startled she threw the grain away and scrambled backward.

But Chen Shouyi wasn't after her—he was after the grain she'd dropped.

He picked it up carefully. It was only a little bigger than a sesame seed, but it gleamed with a golden luster.

That captivating color made his heart pound.

"Gold!" Chen Shouyi nearly gasped.

There was gold on this little island!

He quickly scanned the sandy ground, but found nothing.

"Where did you find this?"

"@#$%&@" The Shell Girl shook her head frantically, her face tear-streaked, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, speaking in some strange language.

From her expression, that was clearly no answer.

Chen Shouyi forced himself to be patient. He pointed at the Gold Sand, then at himself, then made a gesture that said "this is mine."

He tried to communicate several times, but the Shell Girl still looked completely clueless.

Chen Shouyi thought it over. He needed a gesture that would work across both worlds.

He pondered for a moment, then an idea struck him.

The next second, he opened his mouth, put the Gold Sand inside, chewed a few times, and swallowed—though really, he'd hidden it between his fingers.

Then he looked at the Shell Girl, his face twisted into a snarl.

To her, that mouth was no different from a blood-filled cavern. She was terrified, scrambling backward, her face pale as paper.

Soon, she seemed to understand. She looked left and right, then suddenly flew up.

After flying a few meters, she landed on the ground. Without even seeming to search, she quickly found another golden grain in her palm, then flew back and placed it in Chen Shouyi's hand, ingratiatingly.

His heart leaped with joy—there really was plenty here.

But he didn't show it. He pretended to stuff it into his mouth again and glared at the Shell Girl.

The poor Shell Girl, not even catching her breath, frantically flew off again, searching everywhere.

Chen Shouyi watched for a while, surprised. He noticed that the Shell Girl seemed to have a sharp intuition—she could accurately find Gold Sand buried in the dirt.

More than once, he saw her dig away the surface sand and pull out a grain from underneath.

In no time, the number of Gold Sand grains in Chen Shouyi's hand went from two to eighteen—some as small as a needle tip, others as big as a mung bean.

But the Shell Girl couldn't fly anymore. She collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat.

Seeing her utterly exhausted, Chen Shouyi finally felt a bit of shame and stopped pushing.

His stomach was growling louder, so he decided to go outside and eat.

He glanced at the Shell Girl, hesitated, then decided to leave her here.

He placed the shell she'd originally hidden in beside her. With that shell for protection, she should be safe enough—at least if she ran into an insect or something, she could hide inside.

Soon, he put on a completely nonchalant expression and left the Unfinished Building.

He pulled out his phone and turned it on.

A string of messages immediately popped up.

He glanced at them and saw they were all from Zhang Xiaoyue.

"So bored!"

"What are you doing?"

"Had my dad's cooking today—it was awful!"

A hint of a smile crept onto Chen Shouyi's face as he quickly replied, "Sorry, I was just practicing martial arts and only saw this now. What are you up to?"

Not long after, a reply came.

"I was napping and you woke me up, you jerk!" Zhang Xiaoyue lay on her bed, phone in hand, cheeks puffed slightly as she typed rapidly.

Come to think of it, she'd only really gotten to know Chen Shouyi this month, when they started senior year. Before that, he'd barely registered with her.

He was the kind of guy you'd easily overlook—someone with no presence in class.

It wasn't until one day, when he suddenly showed off his Sting Sword in martial arts class and stunned everyone, that she began to take notice of him.

Later, when they ran into the Barbarian at the bookstore, he grabbed her wrist and calmly shielded her as he pushed through the crowd. That was when she felt this guy had become as magnetic as iron.

"That's definitely because you're sleeping wrong!" Chen Shouyi replied with a grin.

"Oh yeah? Then tell me, what's the right way to sleep?"

Chen Shouyi couldn't help but think of some risqué jokes online and quickly typed, "There are plenty of ways—more than the Thirty-Six Body Tempering Forms."

Then, sensing something off, he swiftly deleted it. But no sooner had he erased it than she replied.

"You're so dirty. Didn't think you'd be such a sly one."

Chen Shouyi was taken aback and immediately sent a face covered in sweat emoji.

He found a malatang shop, ordered his food, and kept messaging: "What are you talking about? I have no idea what you mean!"

As he ate his malatang, Chen Shouyi smiled and replied. In the span of a single meal, they'd exchanged dozens of messages, as if they had endless things to say.

Finally, with immense effort, he ended the conversation: "I need to go practice my swordsmanship. Talk later!"

"Okay, give it your all!"

Chen Shouyi put down his phone after reading that, suddenly feeling full of motivation.

The Shell Girl sat on her shell, swinging her feet idly, when she saw the terrifying giant return.

She quickly shrank back into her shell.

Chen Shouyi glanced over and noticed that beside the shell, seven or eight more grains of Gold Sand had appeared, gleaming and eye-catching—clearly gathered while he was away.

Didn't expect the Shell Girl to have that kind of initiative.

Chen Shouyi figured he should treat her better from now on. After all, this was a goose that laid golden eggs!

In good spirits, he took a lap around the island to digest his meal.

Then he resumed his swordsmanship practice.

Time slipped by quickly, and night gradually fell over the Otherworld.

There was no moon, not even starlight.

Earth still couldn't figure out what kind of world the Otherworld truly was—it seemed utterly unlike a normal universe.

Aside from the "sun," which appeared relatively normal, no other celestial bodies were visible.

But that didn't mean there was no light at all.

Chen Shouyi saw countless specks of fluorescence on the ocean, gathering and dispersing like ribbons, like auroras—enchanting yet magnificent, stunning yet mysterious.

Even on the island itself, faint glimmers rose, mingling with wisps of thin mist, giving everything a magical hue.

Then, faintly, he heard someone singing. The voice was ethereal and mournful, as if drifting in from the distant sea, making one want to stop and listen.

But Chen Shouyi felt a chill run down his spine. The night in the Otherworld was terrifying—a realm of ghosts and spirits. Countless records about the Otherworld hammered this point home again and again.

He turned to look at the Shell Girl, only to find she had already hidden inside her shell.