Into The Sea

Sexual content warning.

While eating, Lan Wu pondered how to say goodbye.

By the time she finished her bowl of wontons, cleaned down to the last drop, she still hadn’t found the words.

As they walked into the inn, she was still thinking about how to part ways. That’s when she heard Ji Lingyue tell the innkeeper, “One double room, please.”

Lan Wu was speechless.

Alright, she thought, I’ll tell her tomorrow.

The so-called “double room” had a single large bed with a low divider in the middle. After washing up, Lan Wu instinctively lay on the outer side. To her surprise, Ji Lingyue hesitated by the bedside before softly saying, “You sleep on the inside.”

Lan Wu tilted her head, “Why?”

“It’s… safer inside.”

“Safer?” Lan Wu chuckled. “Are we expecting bandits in the middle of the night?”

Ji Lingyue mumbled, “You never know.”

Lan Wu was speechless, suddenly feeling as though Ji Lingyue’s eighteen years of life had been far more eventful than her own two hundred.

Turning on her side, Lan Wu propped up her head lazily, “If that’s the case, why offer me the inside? Are you planning to protect me?”

Ji Lingyue looked up, hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “I know how to fight. You don’t.”

In her eyes, Lan Wu, with her delicate features and graceful demeanor, fit the image of a sheltered young mistress incapable of defending herself. Perhaps it was this air of innocence, or maybe it was simply an instinctive urge to protect, but despite Lan Wu being older, Ji Lingyue couldn’t help but feel protective of her.

“That’s not entirely…” Lan Wu began, raising her fist before dropping it with a sigh, realizing it wasn’t very convincing. “Fine, I’ll sleep on the inside.”

She rolled over, settling into the bed with her hands folded neatly over her stomach. It wasn’t long before she heard soft rustling sounds coming from the other side. Glancing over, she hesitated. “Ah Ji, I…”

“Hmm?” Ji Lingyue pulled the blanket up to her chin, turning to face her.

Meeting her clear eyes, Lan Wu felt her throat tighten. She averted her eyes, murmuring, “It’s nothing. Let’s talk tomorrow.”

Ji Lingyue blinked in confusion, nodded, and extinguished the candle before lying down straight, pulling up the quilt.

The room fell into darkness, leaving only the sound of their hushed breathing in the silence. It was as if they were afraid of disturbing each other. After a long while, Lan Wu finally succumbed to sleep, her eyelids fluttering closed as she drifted into a hazy dream.

In the dead of night, she was awakened by faint sobbing sounds.

“Ah Ji?” Lan Wu sleepily opened her eyes and turned her head.

Pale moonlight streamed through the window, casting faint shadows across the room. Even so, it was still too dark to see clearly, and Lan Wu could only make out the outline of Ji Lingyue’s curled-up figure, her shoulders trembling.

“Ah Ji?” She blinked again, her mind slowly clearing. Sitting up, she leaned over and gently shook Ji Lingyue’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

Ji Lingyue stiffened, then let out a choked sob.

“Are you…?” Lan Wu’s heart clenched with worry. She gently turned Ji Lingyue towards her, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of tear-stained cheeks. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” she asked softly.

Ji Lingyue sniffled, looking at her with sorrowful eyes, her voice hoarse. “Lan Wu…

“Yes?”

“I… I think I’m dying…” Her long lashes trembled as tears streamed down. “I’m going to die…”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Lan Wu looked at her in confusion. Seeing her tear-streaked, flushed face, she couldn’t help but wipe her tears, only to be startled by the burning heat of her skin. Lan Wu’s eyes widened in shock. “Is it happening again?!”

Ji Lingyue choked back a sob, burying her cheeks into Lan Wu’s cool palm, her voice a muffled plea. “Lan Wu, Lan Wu…”

Lan Wu froze, her mind going blank.

She thought the poison had subsided after the previous night’s episode. Who knew it would be so relentless!

What a vicious snake demon!

If this continued, how could she ever leave Ji Lingyue?

Pressing her lips together, Lan Wu lowered her gaze, silently observing the girl beside her. At some point, Ji Lingyue had inched closer, clinging to her arm like a lifeline, looking utterly pitiful.

After a moment, Lan Wu sighed and made up her mind. She bent down and leaned over Ji Lingyue, softly calling, “Ah Ji.”

Ji Lingyue frowned, instinctively looking towards her.

Lan Wu brushed away a stray tear, her other hand reaching down to gently lift the hem of Ji Lingyue’s clothes, coming to rest on the smooth skin of her stomach.

“Don’t cry,” she whispered. “I’m here with you.”

Ji Lingyue stared up at her, her tears subsiding, replaced by a haze of confusion and need. In a trance, she simply lifted her head and buried her face against Lan Wu’s shoulder.

“Such an obedient girl,” Lan Wu murmured, more to herself than to Ji Lingyue. Her fingers trailed lower, slipping past the waistband of Ji Lingyue’s pants, effortlessly slipping into the damp heat between her legs.

“Good girl, spread your legs.”

Trembling, Ji Lingyue obeyed, her legs parting to grant Lan Wu access. With practiced ease, Lan Wu’s fingertips easily glided into the slick folds, peeling back the plump petals. The moment her fingertips brushed against the quivering entrance, it greedily enveloped them, secreting sticky nectar.

Ji Lingyue moaned softly, her legs wrapping around Lan Wu’s waist as she surrendered to the touch.

“You…” Lan Wu breathed into Ji Lingyue’s ear, a mixture of tenderness and something akin to despair lacing her voice. “I suppose I owe you this.”