I Start with a Mysterious Island

Chapter 327 - 257: The Enviable "Ugly Salted Fish

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The hotel they were staying at was only two or three hundred meters from the beach—extremely close.

Lin Li walked down a slope and arrived on the sand.

There, he froze, staring at the beautiful figures coming and going before him.

’So many beautiful women in swimsuits...’

It was evening, with over an hour to go before sunset. The sun wasn’t as scorching as it had been in the afternoon, so the beach was packed with tourists going for a swim.

The beautiful figures in their swimwear formed a stunning panorama.

Lin Li, who had never been on a beach vacation before, had only ever seen such a scene in movies or swimsuit commercials. This was his first time witnessing it up close.

SMACK.

A figure came up behind Lin Li and slapped him hard on the shoulder.

"HUFF..." Su Yue, who had chased him all the way here, was panting from exhaustion. When she saw Lin Li just standing on the beach, gawking foolishly at the swimsuit-clad beauties walking by, looking utterly pathetic, she couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed.

"Oh, you’re here!" In contrast to the panting Su Yue, Lin Li’s expression was normal. You couldn’t tell at all that he had just been running.

"Lin Li, it’s only natural to appreciate beauty. I get that you’re looking at the girls in swimsuits, but can you not gawk at them like some slack-jawed pervert?" Su Yue said with a look of disdain, her eyes narrowing.

"What are you talking about? I wasn’t gawking like a pervert..." Hearing Su Yue accuse him of ogling the women in swimsuits, Lin Li felt a pang of guilt. He refuted her claim while nervously glancing at the passersby.

A few men and women in swimwear passing by happened to overhear what Su Yue said to Lin Li. They immediately shot him looks of utter astonishment.

They seemed to find it very strange that a guy with such a beautiful girl by his side would still be ogling other women like a creep.

In truth, Lin Li hadn’t actually been gawking at the girls like Su Yue claimed.

Su Yue only said that to get back at Lin Li for calling her an "old auntie" earlier, and also because she was slightly irritated that he had been staring blankly at the other girls.

"Hee hee." Seeing the embarrassed look on Lin Li’s face, Su Yue burst into a carefree laugh, and her small bit of annoyance vanished in an instant.

"Stop laughing. The sun’s going to set in an hour or so. We need to hurry up and change into our swimsuits to go for a swim."

Noticing more and more passersby looking their way, Lin Li quickly called out to Su Yue and headed toward the changing rooms in the distance.

Seeing Lin Li walk off toward the changing rooms, Su Yue hurried to follow, the smile never leaving her face as her bell-like laughter continued to ring out.

...

There were free changing rooms set up on the beach. People who wanted to swim in the ocean could change into their swimsuits there, and they could also rinse off there after their swim.

The line for the men’s changing room was rather long. By the time Lin Li emerged from the changing room in his swim trunks, Su Yue was already out, waiting for him at the entrance.

"Eh?!!!"

As Lin Li came out of the changing room, he saw Su Yue standing prettily before him in a two-piece swimsuit. He was instantly captivated.

Even a loose-fitting sundress couldn’t hide Su Yue’s curves. Now that she had changed into a swimsuit, her scorching-hot figure was on full display. The visual impact was staggering.

A few other girls in swimsuits who came out of the changing rooms glanced at Su Yue standing by the entrance, then immediately scurried away.

After all, comparisons are brutal. Standing next to Su Yue, they couldn’t help but feel a little insecure.

"How can anyone have a body that good? It’s fake, it has to be fake..." the fleeing girls muttered, as if this was the only way they could regain a shred of their confidence.

’My nightly workout routine has really been paying off!’

Seeing Lin Li’s dumbstruck expression after he saw her in a swimsuit, Su Yue was overjoyed, and a beautiful, enchanting smile unconsciously bloomed on her face.

"Lin Li, don’t just stand there! Let’s hurry and get in the water!" Su Yue beckoned to him.

"Ahem..." Lin Li snapped out of it, faking a cough to cover up the embarrassment of his gawking.

Then, he silently recited the Purifying Heart Spell from the other world in his mind.

Unfortunately, Su Yue in that swimsuit was overwhelmingly effective. No matter how many times Lin Li recited the Purifying Heart Spell, it had no calming effect whatsoever.

’To avoid making a fool of myself, the only thing to do now is jump into the ocean to cool down.’

"Lin Li, why are you walking so fast?" Su Yue asked, puzzled, as she saw his pace quicken.

"It’s so hot, I want to get in the water as soon as possible..." Lin Li said, making an excuse as his pace quickened even more.

"But it’s much cooler now than it was this afternoon..." Su Yue started to say, but before she could finish, she saw Lin Li had already reached the water’s edge. He took a leap and dove headfirst into the sea.

"Hey! Didn’t you say you haven’t swum in years? Diving in headfirst like that is dangerous!" Su Yue shouted from the shore.

SPLASH.

Lin Li, who had plunged into the sea, quickly resurfaced. He began to swim with stiff movements, calling out to Su Yue on the shore, "Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing! Nothing will happen!"

’Are you kidding me? I’m a Second Order High Rank Cultivator. I can hold my breath for at least twice as long as a normal person.’

’If I drowned from a simple dive like that, I might as well just die and save myself the embarrassment. I can’t bring shame to Second Order High Rank Cultivators.’

Seeing Lin Li resurface and start swimming with extremely stiff movements, Su Yue breathed a sigh of relief. However, from her perspective, his swimming form was just plain ugly.

On the beach, many eyes were fixed on Su Yue.

A girl with such a pretty face and a sizzling-hot body, more beautiful than many big-name celebrities, made most of the young men on the beach stare with wide eyes.

A few of the more confident young men muttered among their friends for a moment, planning to go over and hit on the gorgeous girl.

However, just as they were about to make their move, they saw the girl—who was even more beautiful than a celebrity—jump into the ocean.

Then, like a mermaid, she swam swiftly toward an "ugly salted fish" not far away, which made them immediately abandon their plans.

"Ah, so she’s already taken!"

"That guy’s swimming form is so lame!"

"Damn, talk about a flower on a dunghill."

"Let’s go, let’s go. Let’s find a place to get a drink..."

Watching the beautiful mermaid circle an "ugly salted fish," letting out continuous peals of bell-like laughter, the young men on the beach who witnessed this scene had eyes full of jealousy. In the end, they left the beach with dejected expressions.

"You’re so annoying! Can you please stop circling me?"

Lin Li, trying to recall the swimming techniques he had learned back on Earth, was doggy-paddling in the sea. Su Yue, an excellent swimmer, circled him endlessly, constantly teasing him and leaving him completely helpless.

"Nope..." Su Yue replied earnestly. She then dove underwater. A moment later, she popped up not far from Lin Li and slapped the water, sending a splash his way.

SPLASH.

Lin Li, who got a face full of water from Su Yue’s splash, grew agitated and immediately retaliated by slapping the water back at her.

Unfortunately, Su Yue had already ducked back underwater, and his splash hit nothing but empty air.

...