Into The Sea

“Lan Wu, Lan Wu.”

A small hand gently shook her head. Lan Wu groggily opened her eyes to see a round, adorable face. “Why are you sleeping here? Mother is worried sick.”

“Sister?” Lan Wu rubbed her eyes, yawned, and mumbled, “This shell is more comfortable than mine.”

“If you like it, take it back.” Lan Yuan took her hand and pulled her out of the pristine white shell. “Next time you go out to play, remember to bring the guards, or at least tell Mother. She’s been looking for you all day.”

Lan Wu nodded obediently. “Where’s Father?”

“Father went to the Eastern Sea. He probably won’t be home for a few days.”

The two little mermaids swam side-by-side into the deep sea. Soon, they arrived at a dazzling coral reef. They swam through schools of fish, holding onto the tails of dolphins as they descended. In the distance, they could see a faint outline of white buildings. A figure stood at the entrance, surrounded by a group of servants, arms crossed as she watched them approach.

Lan Wu pursed her lips guiltily. As expected, the woman’s angry voice pierced the water. “Lan Wu, where did you run off to again!”

She shuddered, swimming to the woman with her head drooping, trying to play the innocent. “Mother, I saw a lost jellyfish. I helped her go home.”

“Helped her for a whole day?”

“Yup.”

“Liar. Little fish who lie don’t grow tall.”

Lan Wu was silent for a moment, then mumbled, “After helping her, I was too tired, so I took a nap.”

“Where did you nap?”

Lan Wu was silent again. Jiang Xi’s face hardened, her voice suddenly turning stern. “You went to the shallows again.”

Before she could get angry, Lan Yuan said, “Mother, there were no humans there. Please don’t be angry.”

“If you had seen them, it would’ve been too late!” Jiang Xi grabbed Lan Wu’s pointy ear, dragging her towards the city. “You’re too reckless. Until your father returns, you’re grounded in your palace. No going out!”

After swimming for a while, she turned to Lan Yuan, raising an eyebrow. “What are you standing there for? Come home.”

Lan Yuan quickly followed, holding Jiang Xi’s little finger, obediently. “Mother, I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“You? If you’re not helping her sneak out, that’s already good enough.” Jiang Xi sighed. “Lan Wu, why can’t you be more like your brother and sister? Give me some peace of mind.”

Lan Wu pouted, feeling wronged, but said nothing.

***

In the depths of the sea, sunlight couldn’t reach, but in the merfolk city, the grand and orderly buildings were coated with fine luminescent powder. The small round nests hanging on the corals were also adorned with glowing stones. Countless sea pearls illuminated the area as bright as day. At night, the clam spirits would collect the sea pearls, and the city would fall asleep.

Lan Wu’s shell was beautiful. Lying inside, she could see the wavy patterns on the smooth inner walls. The bottom was covered with soft, transparent aquatic plants that felt springy to the touch. It was said that the giant clams that could grow this large were hundreds of years old, but her father had used one as her bed. The space inside was large enough for four or five little mermaids to roll around in, but when she was quiet, it felt empty, making her heart ache.

She tossed and turned for a long time, unable to sleep, and finally slipped out of her shell, swimming to the tightly closed shell next door. She squeezed inside with some effort. The little mermaid inside was curled up, sleeping soundly on the soft seaweed. Lan Wu wriggled her little tail and snuggled into her arms, soon waking her up.

Lan Yuan yawned, putting her hand on her back. “Why aren’t you sleeping…”

Lan Wu found a comfortable position and finally settled down. “Sister, today… I actually saw a human.”

Lan Yuan said groggily, “A human…”

Lan Wu continued, “That person was holding… holding a bamboo flute. The sound it made was so beautiful.”

“A bamboo flute…”

“It’s… a type of human instrument. I’ve seen it in a book.” Lan Wu hesitated for a moment, then whispered, “Sister, do you know that there’s a human locked up in the forbidden area? She’s so beautiful. She was the one who showed me that book.”

Lan Yuan was silent. Lan Wu blinked, looking at her face, only to realize that she had closed her eyes and was sleeping soundly. After a long moment, Lan Wu sighed like an elderly woman, then lay back down, hugging one of Lan Yuan’s arms, slowly drifting into sleep.

***

The next morning, Lan Yuan got up early to go to her lessons. Although Lan Wu was confined to her palace, she didn’t stay idle. She was always at the door, secretly watching. When the two merfolk guards weren’t paying attention, she transformed into a little fish and slipped away.

She swam to the northwest corner of the Sea Palace, entering through a gap in the barrier. Her body suddenly felt heavy, and she landed on the ground with a thud.

Even after coming here many times, she still hadn’t gotten used to the sudden loss of water. Lan Wu clumsily formed legs and stood up, wobbling forward on the cold jade floor. Before her was a plain white palace. Lan Wu crossed the threshold and looked around. She quickly saw the woman sitting at a table, reading a book.

She took a breath, carefully approaching. Seeing that the woman didn’t react, she sat down cross-legged on the floor next to her and picked up a book from the table.

“Shouldn’t you be studying?”

Lan Wu was startled. She looked up, but the woman was still looking at her own book, not even glancing at her. She first breathed a sigh of relief, then felt a little dejected. “I am reading a book,” she mumbled.

“You should be reading merfolk books, not human books.” She turned a page, continuing, “You’ve read all the books here. You don’t need to come anymore.”

Lan Wu mustered her courage. “I’m the third princess of the merfolk. This entire sea belongs to me. I can go wherever I want. You can’t stop me from coming here.”

The woman was silent for a moment, then finally turned her head to look at her. “Is that how your father taught you?”

Lan Wu looked at her face for a long time, then said, “Father doesn’t spend much time with me. It’s always Mother who’s with me.”

Seeing that the woman had turned her head away again, she grabbed the book and finally asked, “How long have you been here? This is a forbidden area. Father never lets anyone in. Is it… is it because of you?”

“What does it matter to you?”

Lan Wu was not discouraged. “What’s your name?” she asked.

The woman simply didn’t respond. Lan Wu pursed her lips and sat quietly for a while before suddenly calling out clearly, “Chu Chunhan.”

The action of turning a page paused. Chu Chunhan looked at her again. “How did you know?”

Lan Wu raised her head, stubbornly. “You tell me first. Why are you here? How long have you been here?”

Chu Chunhan looked at her quietly. Under her long lashes, her clear black eyes reflected the little mermaid’s anxious face. “Lan Wu,” she asked softly, “Is that really what you want to ask?”

Lan Wu blinked, unconsciously clenching her clothes. After a long moment, she finally asked, her voice trembling, “Why… why do you look so much like me?”

***

When Lan Wu was very young, she often heard such remarks.

“The two little princesses are so clever and cute. But, why do they look so different from the Emperor and Empress?”

Of course, that was just the idle chatter of the maids. But after hearing it so many times, Lan Wu couldn’t help but wonder. She secretly asked Lan Yuan, “Do we really look so different from Father and Mother?”

Lan Yuan glared at her. “Who said that children have to look like their parents? Look at Duan Yun. His parents are so beautiful, but he’s so ugly.”

Lan Wu was amused by her and soon forgot about it. Until one day, her pet jellyfish accidentally wandered into her father’s study. She sneaked in to find it, and discovered a box in a hidden corner.

Opening the box, an old painting floated out. The young man sitting in the chair had handsome features. Although he had black hair, it was definitely her father. The other two people were unfamiliar women. Lan Wu stared at the painting for a long time, drawn to the woman standing behind.

She had a faint smile, dressed in white, her bright eyes like stars. Her face was unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar.

Lan Wu thought for a long time before finally realizing.

This woman looks like my sister!

Wait, doesn’t that mean…

Lan Wu’s hand trembled, and the painting fell to the ground with a thud.

After this incident, she suddenly wasn’t as carefree as before. She began to observe her mother more often, secretly watching her interactions with her father. But they were so harmonious, deeply in love, and affectionate. Her suspicions began to waver again.

What if… it was just a coincidence?

Until she accidentally entered the forbidden area’s barrier, and the water around her suddenly disappeared. She fell onto the hard ground, tears welling up from the pain, when she heard footsteps approaching.

She looked up, her eyes red, and saw the woman standing under the pear blossom tree.

How could a tree that belonged on land grow in the depths of the sea? But inside the barrier, a large area of soil had been created, nourished with demonic energy, and blooming with white pear blossoms.

The woman looked at her, her voice cold. “Whose child are you?”

That night, Lan Wu sneaked back into the study and unfolded the painting. This time, she finally saw the faint words at the bottom.

“Lan Yueyao, Lan Zhichuan, Chu Chunhan…”