Into The Sea

In the quiet of the night, the woman lying in bed slowly opened her eyes.

She turned over, gazing at the contours of Lan Wu’s face in the dim light. After a long moment, she carefully climbed out of bed, put on a thin robe, and went outside.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, she was greeted by the shimmering surface of the sea.

Under the cold moonlight, a slender figure was sitting alone on the beach, hugging her knees. The figure, with long silver hair cascading down her back, had her bare feet submerged in the water, washed over and over by the waves.

Ji Lingyue pressed her lips together, walking slowly towards her.

“It’s so late. Why aren’t you asleep?” Lan Yuan said.

Ji Lingyue replied, “You’re not sleeping either.”

Lan Yuan glanced at her, then turned her head away. “You should go back. If Lan Wu sees you, she’ll get angry again.”

“I’ve been lying down for too many days. It wouldn’t hurt to move around a bit.” Ji Lingyue sat down beside her. “Lan Wu is just overly concerned.”

Lan Yuan snorted, looking out at the endless sea. “It’s rare to see her so nervous. You must be secretly pleased, aren’t you?”

Ji Lingyue didn’t deny it. She also looked at the calm sea, asking softly, “Where will you bury her?”

“Penglai.”

Ji Lingyue was taken aback. “Penglai?”

Lan Yuan nodded. “The details of the treaty with the humans have to wait until I officially ascend the throne, but Penglai… perhaps out of guilt, they agreed to hand it over to me. This island… will belong to the merfolk from now on.”

Ji Lingyue thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. “That’s good.”

Lan Yuan tilted her head, looking at her. “Did you come out in the middle of the night just to ask me that?”

“Yes… and no.”

She hesitated. “I killed her. Do you hate me?”

Lan Yuan paused. After a moment, she sighed. “Ji Lingyue.”

Ji Lingyue blinked, turning to look at her eyes.

“It wasn’t you who killed her.” Lan Yuan said with a hint of melancholy. “It was the sins she carried. Everything was just… karma.”

“Is that how you see it?”

Lan Yuan pressed her lips together, turning her head away again, her fingers playing with the wet sand. “Sometimes, I just think… What if I had spent more time with her?”

After rescuing that lonely little black cat from the sea, she should have asked more questions.

“Maybe if I had asked more, she would have told me her true identity. Even if Lan Zhichuan didn’t acknowledge her then, at least I would have known,” she paused, whispering, “I would have known… she was my sister.”

A breeze swept by, carrying the faint sound of waves from the distant sea. Behind them, the rustling of footsteps grew closer. The newcomer sat down beside Ji Lingyue, wrapping her tightly in a blanket. Ji Lingyue was startled, instinctively turning her head. “Lan Wu…”

Lan Wu said calmly, “If you want to come out, at least dress warmly. You haven’t caught a cold since you were nineteen. Do you want to experience it again?”

Ji Lingyue clutched the edge of the blanket, her voice guilty. “I… I forgot.”

Lan Wu crossed her arms, glaring at her coldly before asking, “Sister, how did you convince the elders to leave?”

“I didn’t persuade them. I just scolded them and told them that if they kept hovering around me, I’d give the Sea Emperor’s Sword to some random sea clan.” She scoffed. “That scared them. They are more afraid of me giving the throne to another clan than me staying on land. But I did promise them I would return within two months, to prepare for the coronation.”

“Then these two months…”

“I’ll go to Penglai, then to the demon realm.” Lan Yuan said. “There are some things I need to discuss with the new Demon Queen.”

Lan Wu nodded. “I’ll go with you. Mother’s remaining soul… is still in Aunt’s palace.”

“Then let’s go together.” Lan Yuan leaned on her knees, slowly standing up. “Alright, let’s not sit here anymore. Let’s go back to rest.”

Lan Wu nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Lan Yuan paused, giving her a sidelong glance. “Don’t be like that.”

She brushed off her clothes and turned to walk back. Lan Wu smiled and turned to Ji Lingyue, only to find her also trying to suppress a smile. She immediately straightened her face, “You think this is funny?”

Ji Lingyue’s smile froze, her eyes wide and innocent.

“Who told you to sneak out at night?”

Ji Lingyue blinked, mumbling, “I… I couldn’t sleep.”

“Even if you can’t sleep, you should stay in bed.” Lan Wu poked her chest sternly. “Elder Yao said you have internal injuries. You can’t get out of bed; you  need to rest! Were you just not listening?”

Ji Lingyue mumbled in protest, “You said it was to rest. So, sometimes… sometimes moving around, taking a walk, isn’t a big deal…”

Lan Wu was silent for a moment, narrowing her eyes. “Have you been deliberately going against me these days? Are you trying to make me angry?”

“No!”

“No?” Lan Wu scoffed, bringing up the past. “I told you not to use your most draining sword techniques, but you insisted on using them. And don’t think I haven’t noticed you dodging your medicine—getting you to drink a bowl is harder than getting Danqing to eat carrots. Honestly, you’re nearly eighty and still act like a child when it comes to bitterness…”

Ji Lingyue couldn’t help but protest. “But that medicine is not normal bitter.”

Lan Wu raised her chin. “How bad could it be? Back in Haochen Mountain, I drank so many bowls of Elder Yao’s medicine to repair my core. I endured it. You can’t?”

Ji Lingyue paused. “You secretly poured them out back then!”

“Nonsense. I didn’t.”

“You did.” Ji Lingyue accused. “You secretly poured it out by the window! I caught you! The flowers outside your window died from all the medicine!”

“…”

Lan Wu felt like she had shot herself in the foot. She awkwardly averted her gaze, clearing her throat. “Let’s not change the subject. We’re talking about you sneaking out of bed.”

Ji Lingyue couldn’t win against her. She grew more aggrieved, pouting. “I like moving around, okay? I need to move. If I stay in bed all day, I feel like I’m rusting!”

Lan Wu raised an eyebrow. “You like getting out of bed and moving around?”

Ji Lingyue straightened her face. “Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Lan Wu smiled slightly. “We could have found other ways to… move around.”

Ji Lingyue paused, turning to look at her. The beautiful mermaid leaned forward, capturing her lips in a kiss.

Splash…

The salty sea breeze ruffled the hair on her forehead. Ji Lingyue’s lashes trembled, her breathing hitched. She closed her eyes and shyly returned the kiss.

“Mmm…”

A cool hand caressed her neck, tenderly stroking a few times before sliding into her thick hair, cradling her head. Their lips met softly as they drew closer.

Ji Lingyue’s lashes were damp, and just as she was about to raise her arms to wrap around Lan Wu’s neck, a sharp pain shot through her chest, causing her body to tremble.

The intoxicating scent left her. She instinctively grabbed Lan Wu’s clothes, whining as she raised her head, trying to kiss her again. But a finger stopped her lips.

The woman’s eyes were smiling. “Does it still hurt?”

Ji Lingyue blinked, nodding slowly. “Yes…”

Lan Wu’s smile widened. “You see, if you don’t recover properly, you can’t even do something as simple as kissing. Not to mention anything else. So, will you finally listen and rest, so we can do… more later?”

“…”

Ji Lingyue looked at her speechlessly. After a long moment, she said unwillingly, “You’re right.”

“Of course I’m right,” Lan Wu said smugly, scooping her up. “I’ve lived longer than you for a reason.”

She walked towards the courtyard. On the way, Ji Lingyue, who had been silent for a long time, hugged her shoulder, resting her head on it. “Then should I call you… elder sister?”

Lan Wu’s steps faltered. She looked down at Ji Lingyue in shock. “You… what…”

Ji Lingyue lowered her head. Lan Wu could only see her slightly curved lips. “Can’t I call you that? Elder Sister?”

Lan Wu’s heart skipped a beat. Sweat broke out on her palms. “No… I, you…”

“Hmm?” Ji Lingyue lifted her head, lazily resting it on Lan Wu’s shoulder. The lingering warmth from the kiss hadn’t completely faded, and her eyes were soft and tender, gazing at Lan Wu with a teasing smile. “Elder Sister?”

Lan Wu was speechless.

She couldn’t help but clench her hands, as if making a decision. But just as she leaned in slightly, Ji Lingyue quickly blinked and covered her mouth with a yawn. Their eyes met, and Ji Lingyue slowly lowered her hand, her expression returning to its usual seriousness. “I’m tired.”

She said, “Let’s go back to bed, Lan Wu.”