Into The Sea

The fox demon narrowed her eyes, then, after a long pause, drawled, “I remember you, a disciple of Haochen Mountain.”

She twirled her sword with a flourish, a teasing smile curving her lips. “Since we’re acquainted, little cultivator, why don’t you come closer, and we can reminisce about old times?”

Looking into her bewitching eyes, Ji Lingyue felt her body relax. For a fleeting moment, she was truly entranced and involuntarily took a step forward.

Crack.

Another crisp sound beneath her foot snapped her out of it. She froze, shaking her head as if waking from a dream, and clenched her fist. “Don’t use your charm on me, fox demon,” she said coldly.

The woman frowned and clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Do you think I want to?”

She barely finished speaking before lunging forward with her sword. Ji Lingyue, still injured and unarmed, she dared not meet her head-on. She spun, using the tree trunk as leverage, and with a powerful push, flipped over the fox demon, landing behind her. She jabbed a broken branch toward the nape of her neck.

Caught off guard, the fox demon felt a searing pain where she had been struck. Her teeth bared, her eyes glowing with green light, she turned and slashed her sword toward Ji Lingyue’s right hand. Ji Lingyue quickly retreated, but the branch in her hand snapped. A fierce gust of wind followed, whipping her hair and creating an invisible blade that sliced through the surrounding trees as the sword swung.

Ji Lingyue felt a tightness in her chest. After regaining her balance, she raised her sleeve to cover her mouth and said hoarsely, “We have no grudge between us. Why are you so intent on killing me?”

“You are from Haochen Mountain. That is reason enough for me to hate you.”

The fox demon sheathed her sword, her fingernails lengthening into sharp claws. Her emerald eyes glowed with a sinister light. “Hand over the jade token!”

Ji Lingyue was slightly taken aback. “You want this?”

“Enough with the nonsense!”

Ji Lingyue still didn’t understand. “Did Xuan Yu forbid you from entering?”

Her words seemed to have struck a nerve. The woman let out a fox howl, her body suddenly swelling to several times its original size. A fiery red fox burst from the human shell and pounced on her.

Ji Lingyue stood still, raising her hands before her chest, her fingers flying as she formed a seal. A golden lotus bloomed beneath her feet, releasing a soft glow that enveloped her in a dome-shaped barrier.

Clang!

The fox’s claws struck the dome, unable to penetrate further.

Ji Lingyue looked up at her furious eyes and asked, “Xuan Yu already released you from the contract. Why haven’t you left?”

“I didn’t let her break it,” the fox demon said bitterly. “She formed the contract without my consent, and now she’s dissolved it without asking me? Am I just a pet she can summon and dismiss as she pleases?!”

Ji Lingyue hummed, as if realizing something. “So, Xuan Yu doesn’t want you anymore.”

“You!” she said, exasperated. “You’re just like all those despicable Haochen Mountain cultivators! I’ll kill you!”

Even though she had left Haochen Mountain, Ji Lingyue couldn’t help but ask, “What did Haochen Mountain ever do to you?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” She raised her claws again, bringing them down with a powerful surge of demonic energy. “You attacked me without a second thought. You Haochen Mountain cultivators treat lives—no, demon lives—so carelessly!”

Ji Lingyue’s brow furrowed, something clicking in her mind. “You…were you hurt by someone from Haochen Mountain before?”

“What do you think?”

Ji Lingyue hesitated. “Was it a man who hurt you?”

The fox’s eyes narrowed. “How did you know?”

“And after that, was it a woman who saved you?”

“Saved me?” She scoffed. “You’re all from Haochen Mountain. One plays the villain, the other the hero. Do you expect me to be grateful?”

Ji Lingyue was silent for a moment, then said seriously, “You shouldn’t say that.”

“Enough talk!”

The fox demon let out a growl, her claws digging into the golden barrier. Her body continued to swell, blocking out the moonlight. Ji Lingyue clenched her fist, looking up at the mountain of a beast. She was ready to face the fox demon’s full attack when she heard a voice call out, “Yao Zhu, stop!”

In an instant, the giant fox shrank as if deflated, and the beautiful woman with seductive eyes reappeared, standing not far from Ji Lingyue. She turned to face the newcomer with a faint smile. “You finally decided to show yourself?”

The woman in yellow walked forward slowly, her face cold. “Why haven’t you left yet?”

“Why should I leave?” Yao Zhu raised her chin and giggled. “You know very well what you’ve done to me.”

Xuan Yu pressed her lips together, glancing at Ji Lingyue, who stood motionless nearby. She forced a polite smile. “You should go back now. Miss Lan must be worried.”

Ji Lingyue nodded, stepping through the open barrier as if nothing had happened, and walked away without looking back.

As she passed through the forest and over the hills, she saw someone sitting alone outside a wooden house, staring intently in her direction. Ji Lingyue paused, gathering her thoughts, then quickened her pace. “Lan Wu.”

Lan Wu instinctively wrapped her arms around Ji Lingyue when she ran over, patting her back gently. “What’s wrong?”

Ji Lingyue shook her head. After a moment, she whispered, “I saw the fox demon.”

“The fox demon?” Lan Wu tilted her head. “Xuan Yu’s fox?”

Ji Lingyue lowered her eyes and said slowly, “She… she seems…”

“Hmm?”

“She… she might be Elder Ye’s fox too…”

Lan Wu was stunned for a moment before finally understanding what Ji Lingyue meant. “Lin Yao?”

“It’s Yao Zhu,” Ji Lingyue said, burying her face in Lan Wu’s chest, her voice tinged with confusion. “Why is it that someone so deeply remembered by Elder Ye can…can forget everything so easily and love someone else?”

Lan Wu blinked, her hand sliding down Ji Lingyue’s back to her waist. “Maybe it’s because death is just that—death. Even if you are reborn, you are not the same person you once were.”

Ji Lingyue murmured, “Is that so?”

“Yes.” Seeing her unusually melancholic, Lan Wu couldn’t help but soften her voice, comforting her. “Master has already come to terms with it. So, you don’t need to feel sad for her. Master doesn’t need anyone’s pity.”

Ji Lingyue was silent for a while before whispering, “But I still think it’s not worth it.”

“Whether it’s worth it or not is not for us to judge.” Lan Wu sighed, cupping her face and wiping away the dirt from her chin. “Why are you so dirty? Did you roll around outside?”

Ji Lingyue was taken aback and quickly raised her sleeve to wipe her face. After a moment, she muttered, “I really need to get a sword.”