Into The Sea

Under the fading moonlight, the latecomer pushed open the door to her home as the first light of dawn began to break.

Ji Xing tiptoed into the courtyard, heading towards her small room. As she passed the fragrant flower bushes, the door under the eaves creaked open.

Startled, she turned her head and met the calm gaze of the woman. “Chu… Aunt Chu? Why are you up so early?”

Chu Chunhan carefully closed the door and sat down on the bamboo chair under the eaves. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Couldn’t sleep?” Ji Xing’s eyes widened in confusion. “Don’t tell me… you were waiting for me?”

“No.”

“…Oh.” She fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, unsure of what to say next. Chu Chunhan, however, patted the spot beside her.

“Come…”

Ji Xing hesitated for a moment, clasping her hands together nervously before obediently sitting next to her.

“You,” Chu Chunhan said, her gaze lowered to the swaying flower branches in the yard. “Were you… close to Yueyao before?”

Ji Xing glanced at her in surprise and shook her head. “We… I wouldn’t say we were close. But I did follow her for a long time. In the beginning, it was just the two of us, wandering, fighting, and killing in the demon realm. Later, she became the Demon Queen, and more and more people gathered around her. I also had my own territory and didn’t stay by her side all the time… Although everyone thought I was Lan Yueyao’s closest confidant, the truth is, aside from giving me tasks, she rarely spoke to me.”

Chu Chunhan frowned. “Then, who did she talk to?”

“No one.” Ji Xing smiled faintly. “Sometimes, I even wondered if she was mute.”

The woman was silent for a moment before whispering, “Yueyao cares about you.”

“Does she?” Ji Xing crossed her arms and leaned back in the bamboo chair. “I think she’s only being kind because you’re here.”

“Why?”

“She’s a likable ghost now, but without you, she’d probably be a vengeful spirit.” Ji Xing said lazily. “We spent nearly a century together, yet we were no closer than strangers. But here in the underworld, it feels like we’ve actually grown closer.”

Chu Chunhan pursed her lips and said gently, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For staying by her side for a century.”

“I… I didn’t stay by her side just for her sake,” Ji Xing muttered guiltily. “I had my own reasons for getting close to her. I’m not that good.”

Chu Chunhan nodded. “Thank you.”

Ji Xing was speechless.

She awkwardly stood up and dusted off her clothes. “I… I’m going to rest now. I can sleep for another two hours before I have to go to Rebirth Residence to brew the soup.”

Chu Chunhan nodded. “Alright.”

Ji Xing glanced at her before hurrying to her room. Chu Chunhan remained seated, gazing thoughtfully at the dark sky until she heard the sounds of the early morning market outside. Only then did she return to her room.

Inside, the room was still warm and quiet. The sleeping mermaid lay curled up in the corner. Chu Chunhan carefully nestled behind her, wrapping her arms around her bare waist.

“Yueyao.”

This time, there was no response. The woman she had exhausted for half the night was truly tired.

“I’m sorry. I forgot,” she whispered, pressing her face against the woman’s shoulder. “You must be tired.”

* * *

In the fifteenth year since arriving in the underworld, Ji Xing had atoned for all her sins. With the Ghost Queen’s permission, she re-entered the cycle of reincarnation, bound for the human realm.

After spending her last night at home, Lan Yueyao and Chu Chunhan accompanied her to the Yellow Springs the next morning. The woman stopped at Naihe Bridge, just a few steps away from the path of reincarnation. Ji Xing felt a wave of hesitation.

“Will I live a good life this time?” she asked, turning back. Her usually bold and confident face now showed a hint of nervousness. “I always seem to mess things up. What if I ruin my next life too?”

“Maybe your next life will be better,” Lan Yueyao said with a helpless smile. “Aside from those destined for great fortune, no one knows what kind of life they’ll have. Even if it’s terrible, it can’t be worse than the monotonous life you’ve led in the underworld for the past fifteen years, right?”

“But I don’t think these past fifteen years have been terrible,” Ji Xing said softly. “Especially after meeting you two.”

Lan Yueyao was taken aback. “Since that’s the case, why did you refuse when the Ghost Queen asked if you wanted to become a permanent resident of the underworld?”

“Because… I still want to see more,” Ji Xing said, her eyes reddening. “I want to see the rivers and seas, the sights I’ve never seen before, and the people I want to meet. Even if I won’t remember her in my next life…”

“Then go,” the woman said gently. “Don’t be afraid. You’ll live a good life.”

Ji Xing asked, “What about you? In fifteen years, will you be willing to reincarnate as well?”

“Why do you ask?”

“If you don’t want to, Aunt Chu definitely won’t either. You can live in the underworld forever and never have to separate again.”

“Ah… that does sound tempting,” Lan Yueyao said, shaking her head. “But I won’t stay. I’ll re-enter the cycle with her.”

“Why? Aren’t you afraid of losing your memories of this life?”

“Of course I am. But these fifteen years together have been enough for me,” she said earnestly. “If we stayed in the underworld, we would be together forever, but that wouldn’t be fair to Chunhan. When I fell in love with her, she was a spirited young woman. She was free and able to travel the world, to make a name for herself. But if we stayed here, her incomplete soul would never be whole. No matter how hard she tried, she would always be a step behind. I can’t be that selfish.”

“But…”

“Ji Xing, I want her to become her former self, to be able to do whatever she wants. And who says we can’t be together after reincarnating?” Lan Yueyao smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll find her. No matter which life, we will meet again.”

Although she didn’t know why Lan Yueyao had such strong faith, Ji Xing was infected by her joy and gradually relaxed. “Is that so?”

“Alright, you little one, don’t worry about our affairs.” Lan Yueyao gave her a gentle push. “Go on, Granny Meng is getting impatient.”

“I’ve been brewing medicine for her for so many years. It won’t hurt to wait a little longer.” Saying that, she slowly walked onto the Naihe Bridge and accepted the bowl of soup that was offered.

After brewing the soup for over a decade, it felt different to drink it herself. She took a deep breath and turned to look at the two figures standing at the foot of the bridge. “Goodbye.”

Chu Chunhan raised her hand and waved. “Goodbye.”

The two stood side-by-side, watching as Ji Xing walk further and further away until she disappeared on the other side of the bridge.

After a long silence, Lan Yueyao sighed softly. “I didn’t expect I’d be so reluctant to see her go.”

Chu Chunhan turned to look at her and took her hand. “I’ll find you too.”

“Hmm?”

“In the next life, and every life after, I’ll find you,” she said solemnly. “If we both look, it’ll be faster.”

Lan Yueyao chuckled. “It’s too early to talk about that.” She shook Chu Chunhan’s hand, pulling her back. “We still have fifteen years. You should think about how to spend these fifteen years so they’re not wasted.”

“Wasted?” Chu Chunhan tilted her head in confusion. After a moment’s thought, she said seriously, “If you’re with me, it won’t be wasted.”

“Haha, you,” Lan Yueyao’s face lit up with a smile. “When you were alive, you were so serious and never said sweet words to make me happy. Now that you’re a bit slower, you’ve become so sweet. If this keeps up, I really won’t want to reincarnate.”

“Then don’t.”

“That won’t do,” Lan Yueyao squeezed her hand. “Like Ji Xing said, I want to be with you, to travel the world, to do what we love, to see the people we love. Chunhan, we have to go to the human realm together.”

“The human realm?”

“Yes,” she sighed gently. “The human realm where spring is warm and flowers bloom.”