Chapter 4: The Space Filled with Yellow Sand

“Sanya, you and Wuya sleep in the east room. Qiusheng and I will sleep in the west room.”

The scorpion was found in the west room. Song Chunsheng thought that since he and Xiaodi were sleeping there, if they woke up startled at night, they could check things more carefully.

Song Jinxiu knew that although this elder brother was only seventeen, he cared deeply for his younger siblings.

Actually, this boy should be sixteen. Because the people here all spoke in traditional East Asian age reckoning, he was just at the age of graduating junior high.

“Brother, we’ve all cut ties with our old home, so don’t call me Sanya anymore. Call me Jinxiu. In the future, I want to have my own Jinxiu Manor.”

It felt more comfortable to be called by her own name.

“Jinxiu? Song Jinxiu? Hmm, sounds nice.” Song Chunsheng nodded, feeling that his sister’s name sounded prosperous and quite good.

Wuya was envious and quickly said, “Then I won’t be called Wuya either. I’ll be called, called Jin, Jin…” Wuya hesitated for a long time, unable to think of what to pair with Jin, looking to her sister for help.

Song Jinxiu thought for a moment and said, “Jinfang.”

“It means abundance and plenty, having no worries about food or clothing. My sister will surely have a bright future, prosperous and fragrant with wealth.”

“All right, I’ll be Jinfang. Just Jinfang. I like Jinfang.” Wuya was very happy to have a name.

After a long day, the four siblings chatted for a while before going to sleep separately.

Watching her sister fall into a peaceful slumber, Song Jinxiu, however, could not sleep.

Thrown off guard by the sudden transmigration, it was only now that she had time to sort through her thoughts.

In her past life, she was a gifted one, with a pair of golden eyes that could see through illusions. Having solved several major international cases, she attracted the pursuit of criminals and eventually fell off a cliff…

She didn’t know whether her abilities and the space had come with her.

Lost in deep thought and meditation, a familiar space appeared before her eyes.

As expected, the space connected to her soul was still there. Only her abilities—at least for now—were gone.

The space was her secret sanctuary, with mountains, rivers, flower fields, and a two-story small building.

However, the scene inside the space startled her.

Was a sandstorm blowing?

The entire space was filled with swirling yellow sand.

Beside the towering bodhi tree, her two-story small Western-style house stood quietly, like a fortress carved from sand. Even the doors and windows were sealed shut by the yellow dust.

The flowers that once bloomed in front and behind the house were gone.

The mountains were bare; the orchards that once covered the hillsides had vanished. The flower fields were nothing but swirling yellow sand.

The creek that wound through the forest and the hydroelectric station she had painstakingly built seemed to have lost all life, now just a huge mound of sand.

Song Jinxiu anxiously ran to the mountaintop and saw the clear spring quietly rippling.

Fortunately, the original spring was still there.

She glanced at the spring, then at the solitary bodhi tree beside the small house, swaying and glowing faintly.

Only then did Song Jinxiu feel at ease.

As long as the original spring remained, life could still be nurtured; green trees would grow dense, and flowers would bloom—it was just a matter of time.

The bodhi tree was the pillar supporting the space. As long as the bodhi tree stood firm and unyielding, the space would not vanish.

She had no intention of entering the small house while the yellow sand raged; she feared that if she opened the door, the interior would be buried by sand as well.

Song Jinxiu lay helplessly beneath the bodhi tree, gazing at the space filled with swirling yellow sand. After striving for countless millennia, she felt as if she had returned to square one in an instant.

“Plop.”

A drop of dew fell from the bodhi tree’s leaf, landing right into Song Jinxiu’s mouth.

Immediately, a refreshing coolness spread through every fiber of her body.

Startled, Song Jinxiu hurriedly and clumsily began collecting the bodhi spirit dew.

This was a precious substance, cleansing the bones and marrow while nourishing the mind and skin.

In her past life, it took her ten years to gather just a small vial—like those ten-milliliter bottles of Shuanghuanglian oral liquid!

She hadn’t expected that just after transmigrating to another world, the bodhi tree would present her with such a profound gift.

The spirit dew was precious, but her current body couldn’t handle much of it.

Three drops were already her limit.

Frantically, she used a bodhi leaf to catch a few more drops of the spirit dew, then had to give up. She sat down to meditate and channel energy, guiding the surging spiritual energy within her to repair and clear the meridians in her body.

This bone-cleansing, marrow-washing pain was unbearable for most people.

Only after a full hour did Song Jinxiu feel refreshed and invigorated, as if she had been reborn anew.

There was only one clear spring in the space, so to avoid polluting the water source, she decided to keep her foul odor at a distance.

But the stench coming from her body had to be washed away quickly.

In the end, Song Jinxiu bathed with the yellow sand from the fields.

Rolling around in the sand reminded her of a donkey rolling and a horse rolling, giving her a shiver.

Still, it was effective—at least the smell wasn’t as strong, so she didn’t have to worry about waking her sister.

Having just left the space, she saw her sister sleeping soundly. Quietly, she found a gourd ladle with a broken spout.

The kitchen held two buckets of water that Tietou had brought. Using the gourd ladle, she scooped water and managed to wash herself.

But her clothes were too dirty to wear. With only this one set, if she washed them, she’d have to stay naked until they dried.

As Song Jinxiu was struggling with this dilemma, she heard a noise at the main room’s door.

“Sanya, is that you in the kitchen?”

“Brother, it’s me. You should go back to sleep. I want to wash my clothes first and rest once they’re dry.”

The kitchen didn’t even have a door, so she let her big brother know in advance to avoid any awkwardness if he came by.

“All right.”

Only then did Song Jinxiu feel at ease enough to undress. She definitely couldn’t use the buckets to wash her clothes, so she decided to use a clay pot instead.

“Sister, I’m coming.” Wuya’s voice came as the little girl ran over.

Song Jinxiu smiled, “Did I wake you up?”

“Mm. brother was worried you’d be cold and wanted you to wear his clothes. Sister, you should boil some hot water to wash.”

“No need, it’ll be done soon.”

Taking the clothes from the girl’s hands, Song Jinxiu noticed that her brother’s shirt carried a strong odor. Having just washed herself, she really didn’t want to wear that smell, so she decided to wash it too.

Without detergent or soap, it was impossible to get the clothes completely clean—just making sure they didn’t stink was enough.

“Sister, I’ll start a fire. Clothes dry faster when warmed by fire.”

“All right.”

With a fire going, Song Jinxiu boiled water in the clay pot and helped her sister wash roughly, then washed her sister’s clothes as well.

By the time the two sisters put on their clean clothes, the east was already tinged with dawn’s pale light.

A new day had begun.

Thinking of the space filled with yellow sand, Song Jinxiu felt a growing sense of urgency.

“Wuya, I’m going to the creek on the east side to fetch water. You wash the clay pot and water ladle thoroughly—wash them twice.”

That battered clay pot had been used to wash their dirty clothes; soon it would have to be used for cooking as well. Just thinking about it made her queasy.

She needed to deal with the yellow sand in the space quickly and open the small house—maybe the things inside could still be used.

Pouring the last bit of water into the clay pot, Song Jinxiu shouldered the water bucket and set off.

Behind her, Wuya protested, “Sister, my name is Jinfang.”

“All right, Song Jinfang,” Song Jinxiu smiled and waved.

According to the original owner’s memory, a creek flowed at the foot of the mountain to the east.

Though it was spring, the morning wind was still chilly.

The creek was shallow, fast-flowing, and icy cold.

To draw the original spring water down from the space, a conduit was needed. This mountain creek, clear to the bottom, was perfect for channeling the water.

The creek babbled gently, its waters crystal clear. Song Jinxiu was pleased.

As she plunged her hand into the water, a wave of cold washed over her, making her shiver.

Enduring the icy discomfort, the creek’s water flowed continuously into the space.

At the same time, the spring atop the mountain resisted the creek water. Like a playful child, it pushed and splashed, finally sending a tall spray of water soaring.

Quickly, Song Jinxiu guided the splash back toward the winding creek around the mountain.

The water gurgled steadily from the spring’s mouth, winding its way along the creek.

Gradually, mist began to rise on the mountain, spreading slowly down to the fields, which became shrouded in a white haze.

The clear spring was nourishing the entire space, and the yellow sand was visibly blending into the soil.