Into The Sea

“Elder sister?” Yao Zhu looked at her curiously. “This demon realm of yours is really strange. People here even go around claiming to be family.”

“Don’t you remember me?” Lin Wantang took a step forward, her voice urgent. “I’m your younger sister!”

“Younger sister? All my siblings from the same litter were ordinary foxes. They’re all dead. Where did you come from?”

“I’m…” Lin Wantang froze, suddenly understanding something. “No, you’re already dead…”

Yao Zhu grew displeased. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you cursing people like that?”

Lin Wantang didn’t answer. She turned around blankly and ran back into the shadows. After a series of clattering noises, she returned holding a mirror, almost shoving it into Yao Zhu’s face. Yao Zhu instinctively took a step back, looking at her reflection in the mirror, puzzled. “What are you doing?”

Lin Wantang peered into the mirror, her eyes suddenly lighting up. “I knew it!” She turned to Yao Zhu, ecstatic. “You’re my elder sister!”

Yao Zhu: ?

“This mirror is called the Mirror of Reincarnation. It can show the past lives of all things. Your face in your past life… it’s the same as my elder sister’s! You are my elder sister!”

After a long moment, Yao Zhu finally understood what was going on. She wasn’t as excited as Lin Wantang, finding it rather strange to suddenly have a younger sister who was clinging to her and calling her ‘elder sister’ with tears in her eyes. It was giving her a headache.

She couldn’t help but ask, “How did your elder sister die?”

Lin Wantang corrected her. “You are my elder sister.” Then, she said with hatred, “She was killed by a cultivator!”

“Which cultivator?”

“Ye Qingjun from Haochen Mountain!”

Yao Zhu was shocked. “Ye Qingjun? Why did she kill your elder sister?”

Lin Wantang shook her head, choking back tears. “I don’t know. I was still young back then. Elder Sister, you raised me all by yourself. Then I got really sick and almost died. You went to beg the previous Demon King for help, but he demanded that you steal something from Haochen Mountain as payment. You were gone for years, and when you came back, you became silent and withdrawn. But you never told me what happened there.”

Yao Zhu was silent for a moment, then muttered, “But not long ago, she saved me.”

Lin Wantang looked confused. “Elder Sister, What did you say?”

Yao Zhu shook her head and sighed. “I’m not your Elder Sister. As you said, your Elder Sister is long dead. I have parents and siblings. I grew up in the human realm. I don’t have the surname Lin, and I’m not some demon lord. I came here to find someone, and now I also need to find my two friends who are in trouble.”

“I can help you,” Lin Wantang insisted. “Anyway, you are my Elder Sister.”

Yao Zhu frowned, looking at her hesitantly. “You can help me? But the ones who kidnapped my friends are demon lords. Can you defy them?”

“Maybe not elsewhere, but this is Yandu, a city guarded by the Demon Queen. The Demon Queen hasn’t been seen in public for many years. I’m basically in charge of all the affairs in the city. No matter how powerful Ji Xing is, she’s just the ruler of Xuandu. A local snake is stronger than a visiting dragon.”

Yao Zhu couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re the local snake?”

Lin Wantang nodded eagerly, her eyes sparkling, as if seeking praise. “Am I amazing?”

“Amazing,” Yao Zhu said, her eyes curving into a smile. She gently ruffled her hair. “You’re really amazing.”

***

On the quiet lake, a calm voice suddenly broke the silence, “What are you doing, bringing back contracted beasts?”

“Contracted beasts?” Ji Xing turned her gaze from the withered shoreline, raising an eyebrow. “So, Sister’s information network is really impressive. You even know about us bringing back contracted beasts.”

“Not only that, but I also know that you stole the Yunxiao Pavilion’s treasure, the Hundred Demon Scroll.” Lan Yuan frowned. “Are you crazy?”

“Why do you say that?”

“You’re asking me? The Immortal Sect Competition is their most important event. To be attacked and have the Hundred Demon Scroll stolen in front of everyone is a grave provocation.”

“Yes,” Ji Xing laughed. “That’s exactly what we wanted to do.”

She tilted her head lazily. “Since Sister already knows about the contracted beasts, it’s fine for me to tell you. This morning, those contracted beasts killed their contract masters with their own hands. The bodies have already been transported out of the demon realm and are on their way to Wangliang City.”

Lan Yuan looked up sharply. “What did you say?”

“Stealing the Hundred Demon Scroll was not only to give those cultivators a warning, but also because the scroll itself is a rare treasure. In human hands, it could have trapped demons for eternity. But the ones trapped inside ended up fighting and killing each other, sharpening their strength. Once they’re released, they’ll be the demons who hate humans the most—and they’ll be stronger than ever.”

“No, it’s not about the Hundred Demon Scroll,” Lan Yuan said, shaking her head, looking troubled. “I’m talking about the contract masters. As far as I know, many of the contract masters you captured are disciples of prestigious sects, and they are among the few cultivators who treated demons kindly. Why kill them and send their bodies to Wangliang City?”

Ji Xing laughed. “Exactly because they were kind to demons. That’s why killing them will provoke even more rage from the humans.”

Lan Yuan froze. After a long moment, she said softly, “You’re trying to start a war.”

“Why not?” Ji Xing suddenly raised her arm and said, “Sister, look at this demon realm. Look at the ordinary demons struggling to survive. This miserable land has brought so much disease and disaster. Why are we demons the ones who have to stay here? Why should humans be the ones to claim the best lands?”

Lan Yuan clenched her fist. “Is this also the Demon Queen’s will?”

“Of course.”

“But why use such a method?” Lan Yuan’s face darkened. “You could have negotiated with the humans. This makes me think you’re not just after their lands, but you want to incite a war between the two races.”

“Negotiate? Sister, you’ve been in the human realm for too long. Have you already forgotten the hatred of the past?” Ji Xing narrowed her eyes. “Your Kunlun Sea lies within the human realm. Though it did not endure thousands of years of desolation, it still suffered centuries of slaughter at the hands of humans. And now, you still feel pity for them?”

Lan Yuan’s face tightened. “I don’t pity humans.” She looked into Ji Xi’s eyes and said seriously. “You should know that if things escalate beyond the point of no return, countless innocent demons will die.”

Ji Xing snorted. “It’s a necessary sacrifice for a better future.”

“Really? After doing all of this, is your only goal to seize their lands?”

“Only?” Ji Xing scoffed. “Thousands of years of hatred have destined us and the human race to fight to the death. Now that the time has come, why should we still suffer through this? Sister, I’ve told you everything. What will you choose?”

Ji Xing slowly approached her and smiled. “Will you join this war that is destined to erupt, or will you return to Kunlun Sea, and like before, order the sea clans to withdraw from the world and hide from the chaos?”