“The people of Yuan Yin listen to sorrowful songs, only to search for happiness that once was. A kiss upon you, a longing for love—so why do the tears in my heart carve deeper than ever—”
The girl cleared her throat.
She really had no idea how her biological clock had become so out of sync, but thanks to Xie Yu breaking her concentration, she was now told it was already 2 in the afternoon.
“Mei Long, it’s getting late. We shouldn’t delay any further.” Shen Ning said to the person in front of her. “May I ask what I’m supposed to do here?”
She looked ahead to the vast expanse of sand, endless grains tumbling down from above, under the white clouds and the dome of the sky, looking just like snow falling in a dream.
No one replied, because Mei Long wasn’t in front of her anymore. While the girl was admiring the scenery, he had run off to the edge of the sand and only returned after quite a while.
“Shen, catch!”
Shen Ning instinctively reached out, and in an instant, found a handful of sand in her palm.
“What is this?”
“Yi Chen Sand. It’s a name I came up with in the past couple days. It’s more in line with your culture, I think,” Mei Long said, “It has a lot of history.”
Shen Ning examined the sand in her hand, then glanced up at the sand dunes, pausing for a moment in surprise. “This… is that the one?”
“Yes.”
“I mean, did you scoop it out from the sand dunes yourself?”
“Of course.” Mei Long didn’t quite understand why the Queen liked poetry so much, but after thinking about it, he explained, “Things in the Institute are different from those in the human world. What seems like a solid, formed building actually has edges like mist. I just stuck my hand in and took a handful out.”
So that’s how it is.
Shen Ning lowered her head to examine it more closely. Its texture truly wasn’t like sand, more like the drifting steam from the steamer racks at the Breakfast Shop, misty and light, flowing softly through her fingers.
“What am I supposed to do with it?” she asked.
“I don’t know either.”
Silence.
“I honestly don’t know what you’re supposed to do,” Mei Long pressed his palms together, “I just think this is something good, and thought it would be worthy to offer it to you.”
He walked half a circle around the girl, introducing the “Yi Chen Sand” in her hand like a peddler hawking his wares.
“When I first came here, I felt my consciousness being shaken, as if I was about to turn into someone like Ning and become trapped in this place. If you have this, you can soak your head in it for a long, long time and it will help preserve your rational mind.”
Shen Ning carefully piled the sand higher in her palm.
“So what exactly does it do?”
Xu Chuyao was having a lovely Lunch at the Interrogation Office.
As the highest-ranking officer in the Institute, no matter what people thought of her, nobody dared treat her poorly.
After eating, Li Yao sat down to make her final record for the day, and the Director came to personally see her.
“I don’t know why you’ve detained me, accusing me of conducting Violation Experiments in secret. I’m just a student who hasn’t even graduated yet. With so many people in school, how could I pull something off right under their noses? And honestly, if I don’t tell you, would you even know what the Violation Experiment you keep mentioning is supposed to be?”
Confronted with the girl’s challenging soul-searching, the Director nervously twisted the pen in his hand.
Truth be told, he didn’t know either. He only knew there was some Violation Experiment, but what it was or how it worked, he had no idea—it was all highly classified.
“Miss Xu, the record is finished. If you wish to leave, you may do so at any time.”
“Does leaving mean leaving the Institute?” Xu Chuyao countered. “Can I leave Aisi City?”
The Director hesitated for a moment, then braced himself and said, “I don’t have the authority to grant you an exit permit or make any promises. However, Salier Lord said he would summon you in a few days. After he’s done asking his questions, you’ll be free to go.”
Salier Lord himself is coming?
“Alright then,” Xu Chuyao yawned, “I’ll go back for now. The food here is decent, and even the view from the ‘prison’ isn’t bad.”
It was already afternoon by now; it was about time to return to Shen Ning and the others.
Leaving the Interrogation Office, she reunited with her two teachers and took a car back to the Zheng District Manor.
“You’re back!” The little steward waiting in the yard came to greet them. “Shen Ning disappeared again, I really didn’t know where to look for her, so…”
“It’s fine, you don’t have to worry. Leave the rest to me.”
Xu Chuyao didn’t waste any time. She grabbed Pang Tian, used the last small piece of luminous stone she had, and pressed it firmly onto the ground in the courtyard. After a faint purple glow flashed, the girl’s figure gradually appeared.
Her eyes were gentle, her expression calm, as if she had just woken from a long nap.
“Shen Ning, are you back with us now?” Xu Chuyao waved a hand in front of her face. “Can you hear me?”
The girl nodded lightly.
“Looks like she’s awake, just a little dazed,” Li Yao said to the others, then turned back. “So, how did it go on the other side? Was your plan successful? Did you gain anything?”
Shen Ning gradually became more alert. She slowly opened her hands, showing her girlfriend the sand she was holding.
“So, you dug up some dirt and brought it back from there?” Xu Chuyao squinted at her.
“This isn’t ordinary dirt…”
Even though she was back in the human world, the Yi Chen Sand still shimmered with a starlit brilliance, making it clear at first glance that this was no ordinary thing.
Shen Ning briefly explained, and Mei Long had told her that with this sand, if you enter the Dream, you can see memories buried deep within your heart—those you thought you had already forgotten. It’s a truly extraordinary thing.
Xu Chuyao nodded again and asked a small question, “Is it really that amazing?”
She didn’t feel anything at all.
Shen Ning was a bit taken aback, momentarily unsure who was at fault here.
In the Institute world, it was indeed impressive. It could help slow the process of Sanity Loss for some people, and even cure those with non-human symptoms, returning them to humanity. Isn’t that impressive?
So if it didn’t work here, perhaps it was simply because everyone was already human.
“If you don’t need it, give me a bit,” Yu Jing pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, “I’ll try it out.”
Shen Ning agreed happily; after all, there was plenty more back at the sand dune. She split off a portion and gave it to her friend.
Yu Jing wrapped that little bit of Yi Chen Sand in her handkerchief, carefully stowing it in her pocket.
Xu Chuyao hesitated for a moment, then reached out her hand. “Give me some too.”
No other reason, just that seeing someone else use it made her want to try as well—just like when she saw Xiao Lu eating something tasty, she’d want a bite for herself.
But Shen Ning didn’t give her any. “I’ll bring it back into the Dream for you.”
Even though this stuff felt as soft as gauze, it was still sand. Shen Ning didn’t want to get her girlfriend’s hands dirty.
Back in her room, she found a small pouch and put some in, tying it off with a thin string. That would do for a makeshift sachet.
“Emmmm, judging by the content, I think this thing works better as a sandbag,” Xu Chuyao whispered.
Shen Ning’s face twitched, but she didn’t respond to this out-of-the-blue comment. She simply craned her neck, quietly inspecting the two pouches—one placed next to her girlfriend’s pillow, the other under her own.
Xu Chuyao slipped out of her jacket and lay down straight away.
“Let me see, then, what unforgettable memories I have!”