Into The Sea

“Junior Sister.”

A soft voice called out as a hand gently cupped her face. Ji Lingyue squinted uncomfortably, shaking her head to avoid the touch, but instead began to fall backward.

“Ah!” the woman exclaimed, quickly steadying her. “You can’t drink? Then why did you drink so much?”

A man nearby said, “I told you, I’ve never seen Junior Sister Ji drink before, but you wouldn’t believe me.”

“What should we do? Should we take her back?”

Ji Lingyue blinked slowly, her thoughts sluggish as if moving through a fog. She managed to muster enough clarity to rasp, “No need, I’ll go back myself.”

With that, she slowly stood up, using the table for support. After a moment steadying herself with a hand pressed to her face, she turned unsteadily and began wobbling toward the stairs.

“Hey!” Seeing her about to stumble and fall, the woman hurried forward, putting her arm around her shoulder. “How can you go back like this? Do you even know the way? Can you balance on your sword? Should we call Danbai to take you back?”

Ji Lingyue pushed her away. “No need,” she said vaguely after a moment of silence, “Someone… someone’s coming to get me…”

“Who?”

She continued down the stairs, mumbling, “My… my beloved…”

“What?” The woman didn’t hear her clearly and tried to follow her, but the man beside her stopped her. “Forget it. If Junior Sister Ji doesn’t want help, don’t force it.”

“But…”

“She’s a cultivator in the Body Integration stage, what trouble could she get into?”

“…Fine.”

A moment later, Ji Lingyue walked out of the brightly lit tavern, her mind hazy as she stepped into the bustling crowd. By the time she became aware of her surroundings, she had somehow ended up at a quiet riverside.

The night breeze swept by, carrying with it a chill that made her shiver. She gazed at her reflection in the dark water below. Her blurred, rippling reflection stared back at her. After a while, she murmured to herself, “Am I really that bad?”

A withered leaf fell, causing ripples that blurred her beautiful face. Ji Lingyue sighed, hugged her knees, and squatted down, whispering, “Lan Wu…”

A golden spell formation appeared, and a little silver fish yawned, turning around and swimming out of it. She complained as usual, “Why do you always…”

She trailed off as she got a good look at the state Ji Lingyue was in. Her eyes widened, and she stopped mid-swim.

Ji Lingyue’s eyes were watery, and a faint blush had spread across her fair cheeks. She squinted and held out her hand to Lan Wu, saying softly, “Hug.”

Before she could react, the woman fell forward. Lan Wu quickly stepped forward, transforming into her human form as her arms went around her, catching her in her embrace. She lowered her eyes, smelling the strong scent of alcohol, and frowned. “When did you learn how to drink?”

Ji Lingyue rubbed against her, mumbling, “Today.”

Lan Wu was silent for a moment, then cupped her burning cheeks. “Why did you drink so much? It’s not like you’re the one becoming a Dao companion. Are you really that happy for them?”

Her cool touch made Ji Lingyue relax. Her brows smoothed out as she hummed contentedly, then muttered. “Then when… when will you become my Dao companion?”

Lan Wu was startled. “Why are you suddenly asking that?”

“I knew it,” Ji Lingyue pouted, looking wronged. “You don’t want to be my Dao companion at all!”

Lan Wu was at a loss for words, trying to follow Ji Lingyue’s erratic train of thought. Assuming it was just drunken nonsense, she brushed the loose strands of hair behind Ji Lingyue’s ear and asked, “Are you tired? Sleepy? Do you want to go back and rest?”

Ji Lingyue shook her head, opened her eyes, and looked at her for a while. Her eyes gradually turned red.

Lan Wu softened her voice. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” Ji Lingyue took a deep breath and exhaled shakily. Her voice wavered with sadness. “I think I might be… a bad person.”

“Why do you say that?”

Ji Lingyue raised her hand, touching Lan Wu’s cheek, her fingers tangling in the mermaid’s soft hair.

“Before… I didn’t think I did anything wrong. I didn’t want to let you go.” She squinted, speaking slowly. “But now, I think… maybe… maybe I was a little wrong…”

Lan Wu blinked, watching her quietly.

“But I still don’t want to let you go. I don’t want to dissolve our contract…” She asked softly, “Does that make me a terrible person?”

Lan Wu raised an eyebrow and lightly pinched Ji Lingyue’s cheek. “If I say yes, are you going to cry?”

Ji Lingyue frowned, thought for a moment, and said honestly, “Yes.”

“Then yes.”

Ji Lingyue blinked in confusion, her gaze locked on Lan Wu. She looked completely dumbfounded, like her mind had gone blank.

Lan Wu tilted her head and smiled slyly. “Why aren’t you crying now?”

“You—” Ji Lingyue stammered, glaring at her. “You’re teasing me!”

“You’re not that silly,” Lan Wu sighed, picking her up and cradling her. “You’re not a bad person. You’re just… afraid.”

Ji Lingyue instinctively wrapped her arms around Lan Wu’s neck, her tone stubborn. “No, I am a bad person.”

Lan Wu was speechless.

She realized that the woman couldn’t hear anything when drunk, so she just went along with her. “Okay, okay, you’re the worst, you bad girl. Do you want to go back to sleep?”

“No.” She leaned against Lan Wu’s shoulder, muttering, “I don’t want to go back.”

“Why?”

“It’s too cold,” she mumbled hazily, “You hate the cold.”

Lan Wu paused, looking down at the person curled in her arms, her heart melting completely. “Then where should we go?”

Ji Lingyue tried to think, but in her state, thinking was an extremely difficult task. After a moment, she gave up, dizzy and confused. “Just… I don’t want to go back…”

Lan Wu hummed, glanced at the bustling street not far away, and said, “In that case, let’s stay here for the night.”

After booking a room at an inn away from the main street, Lan Wu declined the hot water offered by the innkeeper. She helped the half-asleep woman remove her shoes and outer robes, using spiritual energy to cleanse her.

Ji Lingyue groaned, leaning against her, her soft chest pressing against her arm, spilling out of her robe. Lan Wu carefully pulled her hand away and was about to find a clean undergarment for her when Ji Lingyue grabbed her hem, clinging to the edge of the bed. “Don’t go.”

Lan Wu patiently pulled her back into the bed. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m just getting you something clean to wear.”

“Why do you need clothes?” She asked blankly, “Aren’t you going to sleep with me?”

Lan Wu was amused. “Can you even sleep like this?”

“Why not?” She tried to widen her eyes, slurring her words. “I… I don’t need to move.”

Lan Wu: “…You’re surprisingly self-aware.”

Lan Wu sighed deeply, brushing the hair from Ji Lingyue’s face. “I’m not sleeping with a drunkard.”

Ji Lingyue pursed her lips tightly, gazing at her with wide eyes. Slowly, the rims of her eyes turned red.

Lan Wu clicked her tongue, reaching out to brush the damp corners of Ji Lingyue’s eyes. “Are you going to cry just because I’m not sleeping with you?”

Ji Lingyue pushed her away, choking back sobs. “You hate me… You said you’d take the initiative…”

“I don’t hate you.”

But Ji Lingyue refused to listen. She whimpered softly, then suddenly grabbed her hand and pressed it against her neck. Lan Wu frowned, unsure what she was doing. “Ah Yue?”

“You’re mad at me for making you form a contract with me,” Ji Lingyue mumbled, her words thick with emotion. “But I’m not going to break it. If you’re angry, then get back at me! Take revenge!”

Lan Wu paused, then asked seriously, “Take revenge? How?”

Seeing her ask so seriously, Ji Lingyue felt wronged. Her eyes were about to spill tears, but she pretended to be strong. “Hit me.”

“Hit you?” Lan Wu laughed. “You’re a cultivator in the Body Integration stage, you’re tough. How am I supposed to hit you?”

“It doesn’t matter how you hit me.” She couldn’t help but sob, choking back tears. “I won’t resist.”

Seeing her so pitiful and stubborn at the same time, Lan Wu couldn’t stop herself from smiling. She looked at the teary-eyed woman, and suddenly reached out, slapping her butt. “Like this?”

A red mark instantly appeared on her fair skin. Ji Lingyue was stunned, staring at her blankly, seemingly forgetting even how to cry.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Lan Wu leaned closer, her bright face taking up Ji Lingyue’s entire vision. The mermaid smiled, her voice low. “You’re really not going to fight back?”

Ji Lingyue quickly closed her eyes, feeling dizzy again. She opened her mouth, and said as if possessed, “Really.”

Lan Wu hummed, her warm breath falling on her ear. “But I’m not so sure I can trust you.”

Looking at the woman curled up naked on the bed, she flicked her finger, and several thin vines appeared out of thin air, snaking around the woman’s thighs, chest, and forearms. They suddenly tightened, leaving red marks on her delicate skin.

“Ugh!”

Ji Lingyue groaned, her hands bound behind her back while her legs were spread wide open, forcing her into a suggestive pose. Lan Wu lowered her gaze, casually caressing Ji Lingyue’s breasts. The nipples hardened, standing out like two red plum blossoms against her pale skin.

She laughed, looking at Ji Lingyue’s teary eyes, and whispered, “It’s been so long, I almost forgot, I actually have both water and wood spiritual roots.”