Into The Sea

On the third day, they finally left the desert and entered a vast forest.

It was here they discovered that directions within the secret realm were different from the outside world, and they could no longer rely on the rising and setting of the sun for navigation. With only four days remaining of the seven-day limit, they quickly changed course and flew toward the temple.

Fortunately, Ah Li’s location also pointed towards the temple, so Lan Wu didn’t insist on leaving, choosing instead to silently follow the group of cultivators ahead.

As night fell, the temperature dropped sharply, and a thick fog suddenly enveloped the area, making it impossible to see anyone more than three steps ahead. To avoid getting lost, the cultivators leading the way conferred amongst themselves and decided to make camp by a lake until daybreak.

Lan Wu, feeling weary, quietly walked to the side and sat against a tree. Not long after, someone stood in front of her, motionless.

Lan Wu frowned and opened her eyes to see Gu Changli’s serious face. “You… you stay away from my Senior Sister! Or else, don’t blame me for being rude!”

Lan Wu blinked, taking in Gu Changli’s appearance. It dawned on her that he had chosen this moment when Ji Lingyue wasn’t around to confront her. She couldn’t help but laugh. “Shouldn’t you be telling that to your Senior Sister instead?” she said, raising an eyebrow. “She’s the one who won’t let me go.”

Gu Changli refused to acknowledge that it was his senior sister who insisted on keeping Lan Wu close. He clenched his fists. “You must have tricked her somehow! My Senior Sister has never liked demons and would never form a contract with one. Tell me, what kind of demon magic did you use on her?!”

Lan Wu replied impatiently. “Are you even listening? Your precious Senior Sister refuses to let me go. Shouldn’t you be worried about her decisions instead of bothering me? What’s wrong? You like her or something?”

Gu Changli froze, then widened his eyes in panic. “Don’t talk nonsense!”

Lan Wu raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so you do.”

“You!”

“Changli.” A voice called out from behind. Gu Changli spun around to see Ji Lingyue emerging from the fog, holding a rabbit. “What are you doing here?”

Gu Changli tensed up and nervously said. “I was just…checking. Senior Sister, why did you catch a rabbit? Haven’t you transcended the need for food?”

Ji Lingyue hummed in acknowledgment, saying coolly, “But it doesn’t hurt to indulge every now and then.”

Seeing him rooted to the spot, Ji Lingyue frowned, subtly dismissing him. “You should find a safe place to rest. We have an early start tomorrow.”

“Oh, right.” Gu Changli nodded, scratching his head awkwardly as he shot a venomous look at Lan Wu before finally retreating into the fog.

Once he was gone, Ji Lingyue walked over to Lan Wu with the rabbit. Lan Wu sat with her eyes closed, her whole body radiating hostility and indifference. Ji Lingyue’s lips tightened at her cold reception. Without a word, she settled down nearby and began preparing the rabbit.

Soon, the crackling of a fire and a delicious aroma filled the air. Lan Wu’s eyelids twitched, and she folded her arms, leaning away to the other side.

Ji Lingyue roasted the rabbit for a long time until the skin turned a crispy golden brown, glistening with savory fat. She sprinkled some spices she had found in the forest and cut the meat into small pieces, skewering them.

Seeing Lan Wu still facing away, Ji Lingyue approached cautiously and gave her a gentle poke. “Lan Wu, it’s ready to eat.”

Lan Wu knew she was trying to make amends but still kept her eyes closed and didn’t move.

She had figured it out: Even if they reconciled temporarily and stayed together peacefully, as long as the underlying issues remained, they would inevitably fall into another round of conflict.

In that case, it was better to stay cold and distant.

Ji Lingyue stood there silently for a while before abruptly turning and walking away. Lan Wu’s eyes fluttered open just slightly, but Ji Lingyue had already disappeared into the thick fog.

The nearby campfire gradually died down, releasing a final wisp of smoke before fading into embers.

Lan Wu stifled a yawn. She casted a protective barrier to ward off the cold, spread a thin blanket on the ground, and lay down. The forest was quiet, with the only sounds being the distant voices of other cultivators.

A moment later, Ji Lingyue reappeared, passing through the barrier without resistance. She hesitated briefly before lying down beside Lan Wu.

After a moment, she snuggled closer, wrapping her arms around Lan Wu’s waist. “Lan Wu,” she whispered, “I apologized to her.”

Lan Wu kept her eyes closed, saying nothing. Ji Lingyue pressed even closer, tightening her embrace and saying dejectedly, “I shouldn’t have destroyed her flower. Please don’t be angry anymore.”

“Lan Wu… Lan Wu…” She called softly but got no response. She couldn’t help but clutch Lan Wu’s clothes, feeling wronged, “Don’t ignore me.”

Her voice was so pitiful that Lan Wu finally sighed and said. “I’m not angry about the flower.”

She turned to face Ji Lingyue. “You know exactly what’s bothering me.”

Ji Lingyue stiffened, but instead of responding, she buried her face in Lan Wu’s chest, refusing to budge.

Lan Wu knew she was avoiding the topic. Lan Wu frowned and refused to let it go.

“I know what I did before hurt you, and it’s only natural that you don’t trust me. That was my fault. And for your sake… I can accept forming a beast contract with you, but I won’t endure it forever. Ah Yue, even though I’m a demon, I still have my pride. I don’t want… I don’t want us to end up resenting each other.”

She gently stroked Ji Lingyue’s hair, sighing. “Let’s set a time limit, alright? Until then, I’ll listen to you, make you happy, and always be by your side. But when the time is up, you’ll release the contract, and we’ll go back to how things were before. Is that okay?”

“Can we really go back to how things were?” Ji Lingyue lowered her eyes and asked, “You’re a merfolk, a mermaid princess no less. Without the contract, can you really stay with me?”

“Why not?” Lan Wu whispered. “Once I’ve finished what I need to do, we can go live in the mortal realm together. We’ll find a place where no one will bother us. We can go wherever you want, do whatever you want. I’ll be with you.”

“Really?”

Lan Wu nodded. “Really.”

Ji Lingyue looked at her seriously for a long moment, “Then promise me.”

“This time, I’ll keep my promise. So about the contract…”

“Five years,” Ji Lingyue added. “Five years, and I’ll release it.”

Lan Wu frowned. “Five years…isn’t that a bit too long?”

Ji Lingyue pressed her lips together, hesitated for a while, and reluctantly said, “Then three years.”

Lan Wu was about to negotiate further when Ji Lingyue suddenly accused, “You didn’t pick a flower for me.”

Lan Wu blinked, confused. “Huh?”

“Yesterday, when I wanted one, you wouldn’t help me pick it… but you gave one to that girl instead.” Ji Lingyue clung to her. “That’s why I acted like that. I wouldn’t have been so petty otherwise.”

That’s debatable.

Lan Wu swallowed those words, thinking for a moment before nodding. “I was in the wrong. But you’re not entirely blameless either. You get angry too easily, and you don’t talk about what’s bothering you. Whenever you’re upset, you act out instead of just saying it.”

“Ah Yue, I’m just a demon, not a deity. If you don’t tell me what’s on your mind… I’ll never understand what you’re thinking.”

She looked into Ji Lingyue’s dark eyes, hesitantly caressing her face as she said softly: “So, from now on, let’s be honest with each other. We’ll share what we’re thinking and feeling, no matter what. Alright?”

Silence stretched between them before Ji Lingyue finally murmured, “Okay.” She buried her face in Lan Wu’s embrace once more.

Lan Wu sighed in relief, feeling as though a heavy burden had been lifted. The knot of anxiety in her chest loosened. Though the future remained uncertain, at least they were finally starting to communicate.

She closed her eyes, resting her hand on Ji Lingyue’s waist, ready to drift off to sleep. Just then, she heard Ji Lingyue ask, “Lan Wu, what exactly do you need to do?”

Lan Wu’s eyes flew open. These matters were deeply personal, secrets of the merfolk. But she had just promised to be honest. How could she go back on her word now?

After a moment of hesitation, she spoke softly. “My father, the emperor, is dead.”

Ji Lingyue’s eyes flickered, and she instinctively looked up at her.

Lan Wu’s expression was calm, as if she were telling someone else’s story. “He died looking for me. When I returned to Kunlun Sea, I was punished and had to guard the Sea Prison for twenty years. By the time I got out, they still hadn’t found my father’s killer, and my only surviving eldest brother had lost his memories of that time. I couldn’t accept it, so I went to the Abyssal Sea where he was killed to search for answers. After many years, I finally found a clue, and I came here following that lead.”

Ji Lingyue instinctively held her tighter, asking hoarsely after a long moment. “Is that…what happened back then?”

Lan Wu nodded, burying her face in Ji Lingyue’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for leaving you without any explanation back then.”