Into The Sea

As dawn broke, the rain still hadn’t stopped. Heavy dark clouds pressed down on the sky, making the world dim. Although they had managed to shield themselves from the rain, being submerged in the water for hours had left them soaked. Lan Wu managed better, but after being submerged for hours, Ji Lingyue gradually began to shiver.

Her spiritual energy was nearly depleted, and using it to keep warm or repel water would be a waste. She had been enduring the cold to avoid distracting Lan Wu, but now, pressed against Lan Wu’s chest, her trembling became impossible to ignore.

Lan Wu let out a sound of surprise, feeling a pang of guilt as she lifted Ji Lingyue higher. The riverbanks were no longer lined with towering trees. Instead, there were steep mountain ridges of varying heights. Lan Wu found a rocky shore, and waded out of the water, quickly drying Ji Lingyue’s damp clothes and pulling a fire pearl from her storage pouch for her to hold.

Ji Lingyue instinctively reached for her hand, but Lan Wu shook her head and pulled away. “My hands are too cold.”

Ji Lingyue paused. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly noticed something, her eyes narrowing as she looked up. “Who’s there?”

Lan Wu reacted immediately, drawing her sword in a swift, fluid motion. A massive serpent head was poking out from the rocky wall several feet above them, its golden eyes staring directly at them. Lan Wu tensed, her pupils narrowing as she gathered her demonic energy. But before she could act, a clear voice rang out, “Wait, don’t attack!”

The serpent slid further down, revealing a young girl in yellow riding on its back. The girl glanced down in surprise, “Senior Sister Ji?”

Ji Lingyue frowned. “Who are you?”

“I’m Lin Jingzhe from Yaoxian Valley.” Seeing that Ji Lingyue still looked confused, she patted the serpent’s head. “Back in Yueya Village, when Bai Zhi stole a chicken, you let her off lightly after I pleaded with you. You even gave her to me afterward. Don’t you remember?”

Ji Lingyue vaguely remembered the incident. “Oh, it’s you.”

Lin Jingzhe nodded and jumped down from the serpent, which transformed into a tall, black-haired woman who stood protectively by her side.

The girl said happily, “It’s such a relief to run into you here, Senior Sister Ji.”

“Is it?” Ji Lingyue frowned, looking her over, a little surprised. “You haven’t been targeted by other demons?”

“Of course we have.” Lin Jingzhe shook her head. “We ran into quite a few demons when we first came in. But later, I ground up Bai Zhi’s old molted skin into powder and sprinkled it on our clothes. It masked our scent and made us a lot safer.”

Lan Wu sheathed her sword. “That’s a good idea.”

She turned to walk towards the water. Ji Lingyue quickly grabbed her. “What are you doing?”

Lan Wu said matter-of-factly, “I’m going to pull off a few scales.”

Ji Lingyue was shocked. “Won’t it hurt?”

“They’ll grow back,” Lan Wu said nonchalantly. “The scales at the tip of my tail naturally fall off after a while, and new scales grow in their place. I’m just pulling them off a little early.”

“Naturally shedding is different from you ripping them off yourself.”

“I’m not afraid of pain.”

Seeing that they were about to argue about this, Lin Jingzhe hesitated, raising her hand. “Senior Sister Ji, I still have some of Bai Zhi’s snake skin. Would you like to borrow some?”

Ji Lingyue paused. After a moment of silence, she said stiffly, “Then… thank you.”

After sorting things out, the four of them decided to travel together, hoping to encounter other contracted beasts and their masters. Lan Wu, however, became noticeably quieter. When Ji Lingyue tried to take her hand, she was gently rebuffed. Lan Wu rarely acted like this, and Ji Lingyue was both surprised and confused. After much thought, she could only attribute it to their argument about pulling scales.

After walking along the rocky shore for a while, Ji Lingyue glanced at the two people walking ahead. She tried to hook her fingers with Lan Wu’s again, softly calling, “Lan Wu, Lan Wu, Lan Wu…”

After being called like that for a while, Lan Wu finally said, “What?”

Ji Lingyue tentatively leaned closer, but Lan Wu quickly pulled away. “You smell like a snake demon. Don’t get too close.”

“You don’t like snake demons?”

Lan Wu scoffed. “It’s not that I like or dislike them. It’s just too strong, it’s suffocating.”

Ji Lingyue hummed, suddenly curving her lips into a smile. “Is it that it’s too strong, or that it’s too strong on me?”

Lan Wu blinked, feigning nonchalance. “What do you mean?”

Ji Lingyue cut straight to the point. “You’re unhappy because I don’t smell like you anymore, aren’t you?”

“What are you talking about?” Lan Wu quickly denied. “I’m not one of those wild animals who mark their territory with scent. I’m a mermaid. I don’t have such childish habits!”

Ji Lingyue smiled. “I didn’t say you wanted to do that.”

Lan Wu was speechless, looking back at her in surprise. She realized that the other woman was much sharper now, not so easy to trick. Ji Lingyue lowered her eyes, snuggling closer to her, saying softly, “You always tease me. It’s only fair I learn from you.”

After a moment, Lan Wu chuckled. “You’re quite the quick learner.”

“Thanks to a good teacher.” Seeing that no one was paying attention, she turned her head, quickly touching Lan Wu’s cheek. “Don’t be upset anymore.”

Lan Wu didn’t respond, but took her hand, asking, “Are you still cold?”

Ji Lingyue shook her head. “Not anymore.”

The group continued on their way. For two days, they didn’t encounter any demons specifically tracking them, but they did witness a few battles between demons. Trapped here for years, with no idea when they could leave, most of the demons had gone mad. They were killing each other. Along the way, they saw many demons who had died after losing their demon cores.

This made Lan Wu worry about Yao Zhu. She had thought that since she wasn’t a contracted beast, and had no humans with her, she wouldn’t be in danger if she fell in. Now it see med that was an optimistic guess.

As evening approached, the sky blazed with crimson clouds and birds flew to their nests. Lan Wu wandered alone to the stream to fetch water, but suddenly felt the ground beneath her feet shaking. The stones on the shore were jumping as if they were alive.

The scene was strange. She struggled to keep her balance, turning back to shout, “Ah Yue!”

In the distance, several figures burst out of a cave they had planned to rest in for the night. Massive boulders came tumbling down the cliff face, sending up clouds of dust. Ji Lingyue stumbled toward Lan Wu, unable to keep her balance.

With a deafening roar, the world seemed to flip upside down. Mountains crumbled around them, and the earth split open. Lan Wu barely had time to grab Ji Lingyue’s hand before they were flung into the air, spinning uncontrollably like leaves caught in a whirlwind.

Dizzy and disoriented, Lan Wu tightened her grip on Ji Lingyue, pulling her into a tight embrace. Her words were lost in the howling wind, so she had to shout, “Are you hurt?”

Ji Lingyue shook her head, her hair whipping around her face, blocking their view of each other. Time seemed to stretch endlessly until, without warning, the floating sensation vanished. Both of them plummeted downward.

Lan Wu reacted quickly, twisting her body to cushion Ji Lingyue’s fall. The next moment, they hit the ground with a heavy thud.

“Ugh!”

The impact knocked the breath out of Lan Wu, leaving her gasping for air. Ji Lingyue, alarmed, scrambled off her and asked urgently, “Are you okay?”

Before Lan Wu could respond, a shadow loomed over them. Demons began raining down from the sky, crashing to the ground like hailstones. Ji Lingyue quickly used the last of her spiritual energy to create a simple barrier, shielding them from being crushed by the falling demons. When the demon rain finally stopped, she lowered her hands, panting, and looked around. Her eyes widened in shock.

In a short time, the area was filled with groaning demons, numbering in the hundreds.

Ji Lingyue’s face grew cold. She looked down, carefully helping Lan Wu up. Lan Wu coughed a few times, opening her trembling lashes. She saw a slender figure nearby. The person had a seductive face, ruby lips, and sparkling white teeth, brushing dust off her clothes in irritation. Noticing Lan Wu’s gaze, she turned her head.

Their eyes met. Lan Wu blurted out instinctively, “Yao Zhu?”

Yao Zhu froze for a second before hopping nimbly over the fallen demons to reach them. “You’re here too?”

“It’s a long story.” Lan Wu stood up, clutching her chest, looking around. Yao Zhu glanced at the gradually noisy group of demons, and together they sandwiched Ji Lingyue between them. “This doesn’t look good…”

Lan Wu lowered her voice. “You don’t have to tell me.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a strong demonic force swept through them. The weaker demons were blown away, and the stronger ones changed their expressions. Lan Wu was shocked—she quickly shielded Ji Lingyue, absorbing the brunt of the blow herself. She felt a heavy pressure crush against her chest, making her cough painfully.

After the attack, the noisy group of demons fell silent, looking ahead. A black palanquin was floating in the air. A woman in black, with hair that reached her knees, leaned against it, expressionlessly looking at the demons below. Behind her, another person sat quietly, their eyes closed, as if lost in thought.

After a moment, the woman in black tilted her head, rubbing her temples, clicking her tongue in annoyance.

“What a waste of my precious time with my sister.”