Into The Sea

The sound of splashing water echoed as Lin Wantang, who had been waiting on the shore, quickly stepped forward. She pulled Yao Zhu aside to inspect her, then turned her attention to the person they had just rescued. At the sight of Lan Wu, her eyes widened in shock. “Second Princess?”

Lan Wu froze. “You know my sister?”

“Sister?” Lin Wantang reacted, drawing a sharp breath. “Could it be? You’re the Third Princess of the Merfolk? Ji Xing actually imprisoned the Third Princess in the water prison??!”

It was hard to tell which revelation shocked her more.

Yao Zhu, confused, glanced between the two of them. “Lan Wu, is there something else you haven’t told me?”

Before Lan Wu could answer, Lin Wantang said excitedly, “This makes things much easier! Your sister is currently in the city. Once you reunite with her, no one will dare lay a finger on you.”

“She’s in the city?” Lan Wu was completely bewildered. “What is she doing here?”

“You can ask her yourself once we get out.” Lin Wantang said, “The Second Princess is staying in Dongchi. You just need to go out of the Wanxiang Gate and walk three streets. I’ll take you to her right now.”

Lan Wu nodded, finally showing a hint of a smile. “Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble.”

The three of them entered the pitch-dark tunnel. They hadn’t gone far when they heard a muffled rumbling sound from the end of the tunnel. Lin Wantang stopped abruptly, pulling them into a small, inconspicuous side passage. She placed a finger to her lips, shushing them.

Footsteps echoed from the darkness, growing closer. Then, they passed by their hiding place. Lan Wu glanced out and saw two tall demon guards clad in black armor, chatting as they walked towards the cold pool.

Yao Zhu whispered, “What do we do? Do we keep going?”

Lin Wantang replied, “Wait a bit longer. The noise from going up will be too loud. They’ll hear us.”

“How long do we have to wait?”

“Hmm…” Lin Wantang hesitated. “Until the next shift change?”

Yao Zhu’s face fell. “That’s three hours from now!”

The atmosphere grew tense. Lan Wu stood up straight, resigning herself to waiting for three hours. Then, a muffled roar came from the direction of the dee cold pool. It sounded like it came from under the water, desperate and piercing, followed by the sound of something hitting the iron cage, stirring the still water.

One voice said, “What’s going on? Why is that snake going crazy?”

Another said, “Ignore her. She’ll get tired soon.”

“But it’s too loud.” The first voice hesitated, then decided, “Alright, I’ll go down and take a look.”

Hearing this, Lin Wantang’s eyes lit up. She whispered, “Quick, while they’re distracted by the snake, let’s go.”

Lan Wu froze, instinctively following. She glanced at the turbulent water of the cold pool one last time before leaving.

When they reached the surface, Ah Qi, who was guarding the gate, let out a sigh of relief. “Those two guards came early. It scared me. I thought you were going to be discovered.”

Lin Wantang tossed him the key. “We’re not that unlucky. The rest is up to you.” Then, she gave Lan Wu a cloak. “Put this on, Your Highness. If everything goes well, we’ll see the Second Princess in half an hour.”

Lan Wu asked, “Can’t we just fly there?”

“There are eagle guards patrolling the sky day and night. If you fly, they’ll probably spot you before you even leave the Wanxiang Gate.”

Lan Wu nodded, pulling the hood over her head and obediently following Lin Wantang. After a while, as they moved silently under the shadows of the trees, Lan Wu felt a cold sensation on her lashes. She looked up, and a snowflake landed on the tip of her nose.

“Snow…” She reached out, feeling the coolness of the snowflake melting in her palm. “Snow in Summer…”

Lin Wantang didn’t think much of it. “It’s not that strange. The climate in the demon realm is chaotic. It’s not a big deal if it snows in the summer. It could be…” She suddenly stopped, looking up at the firelight that had appeared in the distance. Her brow furrowed. “Is something… happening over there?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Yao Zhu urged. “Let’s go. Can that Second Princess help me find Xuan Yu too?”

“Maybe.”

Lin Wantang snapped back to reality and continued forward. Lan Wu, who was walking behind them, slowed down, her heart uneasy as she looked at the flickering firelight. Seeing the other two getting further away, she quickened her pace. As she passed a small alley, she suddenly heard a whooshing sound, followed by the smell of blood.

Lan Wu was startled and turned to defend herself, but she was still knocked to the ground. The person on top of her was breathing heavily, holding a sharp wooden stake. Without hesitation, they tried to pierce her eye. Lan Wu’s pupils shrank. She quickly grabbed their wrist. As they struggled, the hood fell off her head. Her silver hair, illuminated by the moonlight, flowed out, spreading behind her. The person’s breathing hitched, as if they had suddenly lost their strength. Lan Wu easily flipped them over.

She gasped for air, about to reach for their throat, when the other person unexpectedly wrapped their arms around her, hugging her tightly. “Lan Wu…”

Lan Wu’s hands froze in mid-air. After a long moment, she carefully pushed away the tangled hair from the person’s face. “Ah Yue?”

Ji Lingyue flinched. “Don’t… don’t look at me.”

She frowned, burying her face in Lan Wu’s chest. But in that fleeting moment, Lan Wu had already seen everything. One of the woman’s eyes was red, while the other was jet black. The black eye was filled with bloodshot veins, making her look terrifying.

A lump rose in Lan Wu’s throat, blocking her words. Ji Lingyue trembled and stammered, “I didn’t… didn’t become a demon…”

“I know.”

Lan Wu got up, bending down to hug her. But the woman couldn’t even stand. Her ankles were torn and bloody, the bones almost visible. She had to let Ji Lingyue lean on her as she held her hand. Ji Lingyue groaned, instinctively pulling back.

Lan Wu paused, gripping Ji Lingyue’s hand tightly to prevent her from withdrawing. She looked down and saw that both of Ji Lingyue’s little fingers were limp, the joints red and swollen, as if they had been broken on purpose.

Seeing Lan Wu’s unwavering gaze on her injuries, Ji Lingyue bit her lip, her voice trembling. “It doesn’t hurt anymore… I… I did it myself. I knew how much I could take…”

Lan Wu nodded, wiping her tears with her sleeve. She turned around and carried her on her back. “Let’s go. Once we find my sister… everything will be alright.”

Ji Lingyue murmured, “Sister?”

“Yes. And there are some merfolk guards too,” Lan Wu whispered. “Once we see Lan Yuan, we’ll be safe.”

She held Ji Lingyue’s legs and hurried forward, soon catching up with Yao Zhu and Lin Wantang, who had turned back to look for her. Yao Zhu, her face full of frustration, was about to scold Lan Wu when she noticed the person on her back and gasped.

“Ji Lingyue? Where did you come from?”

“It’s a long story,” This time, it was Lan Wu who urged them on. “Let’s go.”

Lin Wantang was thoroughly confused but kept pace anyway. As they hurried along, she muttered incredulously, “How do you even randomly pick up a person in a place like this?”

“Isn’t it great? We rescued everyone in one go,” Yao Zhu said cheerfully. “Maybe it’s a sign of good luck.”

Lin Wantang’s eyes curved into a smile, agreeing. “Elder sister is right. It is…”

But before she could finish the sentence, she abruptly stopped, causing Yao Zhu to crash into her back.

The fox cried out, rubbing her shoulder. “Why did you stop so suddenly?”

Lin Wantang turned to look at her, her expression now serious. “Something’s wrong.”

“What’s wrong?”

Lan Wu stepped forward. Standing under the Wanxiang Gate not far away was a woman clad in black. She raised her head, her long hair cascading past her knees, and her crimson eyes gazed impassively at the falling snow.

“Ugh…”

Just then, Lan Wu felt the person on her back shudder violently. Even through the thick fabric, she could hear the stifled, pained whimper in Ji Lingyue’s throat.

“Ji… Ji Xing…”