Into The Sea

At some point, her face had become wet. Lan Wu blinked, and the snowflakes clinging to her lashes silently fell away.

“Do you remember now?”

The woman’s voice was low and hoarse as she withdrew her finger from Lan Wu’s forehead. “Now that you know, will you still seek revenge for your father?”

Lan Wu trembled, stumbling back a few steps, using her sword to support herself to avoid falling. She lowered her head, her breath condensing into white mist before being dispersed by the cold wind.

It was all… for nothing.

Tears streamed from her eyes. Lan Wu shook her head, denying it with despair. “This isn’t… this isn’t real…”

“Isn’t it? Is that what you truly think? Or are you simply unwilling to admit that everything you’ve endured, the truth you’ve been chasing, has all been a joke?”

Lan Wu shook her head. “No, Lan Yuan…”

“Lan Yuan?” The woman looked at her with pity. “Do you think Lan Yuan wasn’t also stripped of her memories? He feared you, his daughter, would kill him. Do you think he would leave another daughter as a potential threat?”

“That’s a lie!” Lan Wu snapped her head up, her voice trembling. “Who are you?!”

“Can’t you guess?” The woman stepped forward, gripping Lan Wu’s collar tightly. “I am the Demon Queen, the one who should have become the Sea Empress, Lan Yueyao. I am also your dear father’s elder sister, your aunt!”

Lan Wu’s face paled. “Aunt… Aunt died long ago… She was killed by the sea demons…”

“Sea demons?” Lan Yueyao chuckled, her thin shoulders shaking uncontrollably. The thin white robe she had been wearing slipped from her shoulders, revealing a large expanse of skin. Lan Wu instinctively looked, but her pupils constricted in shock.

The woman’s pale body was covered in scars as grotesque as earthworms. Yet, the merfolk’s unique physiology meant that such scars could only form if the same area had been wounded repeatedly, thousands of times.

Lan Yueyao stared at her intently, each word dripping with venom. “Lan Wu, the reason I’ve become like this is all thanks to your father!”

Three hundred years ago, Lan Yueyao met Chu Chunhan for the first time in the vast expanse of the South Sea.

A woman and her brother were sitting cross-legged atop a whale’s back, chatting casually with their father, the Sea Emperor. Hearing a splash, the Sea Emperor turned to see two young merfolk clinging to the whale’s fin. He smiled warmly. “My friend, these are my son and daughter I told you about.”

Lan Yueyao blinked and looked up, meeting a pair of bright, starry eyes. Chu Chunhan gave her a small nod. Although her peach-blossom-shaped eyes naturally carried a hint of a smile, her overall demeanor was reserved and dignified.

At that moment, she heard her younger brother suck in a breath. Turning, she saw Lan Zhichuan staring intently at Chu Chunhan with a focus she had never seen before.

In truth, Lan Yueyao hadn’t liked Chu Chunhan at first.

If she had to say why, it was because Chu Chunhan was a human, and she was too young. Counting the years since her birth, Chu Chunhan might even be younger than her.

Yet, despite her youth, Chu Chunhan had been appointed by the Sea Emperor to become their teacher.

Lan Yueyao was confused and protested. She told the Sea Emperor about her dissatisfaction, but the usually gentle Sea Emperor tapped her head, saying, “She is a rare genius. You can learn much from her. Yueyao, you are my eldest daughter. One day, you will inherit the title of Sea Emperor. You must also learn to understand humans.”

“If, one day, we can erase the hatred between our races, the Merfolk will no longer have to hide away in the dark, forgotten corners of the Kunlun Sea.”

“But what can she teach me? She is human, and I am a demon. We are nothing alike.”

“Talismans and illusions know no boundaries between humans and demons.” The Sea Emperor said, “With her talent, one day, her name will be known throughout the land.”

He gently rubbed the spot where he had tapped her head earlier. “Do you know why she came to the sea? To find merfolk and take their blood to save her gravely ill father. But three months ago, when she found Little Six injured and unconscious, she didn’t take advantage. Instead, she stayed to protect her until she woke, and only then did she ask for some blood.”

Lan Yueyao was surprised. “She’s the benefactor Little Six spoke of?”

“Yes, now that her father has recovered, she’s returned to express her gratitude. I admire her greatly. We dueled at sea, and I realized she is truly extraordinary. But it was also thanks to Little Six that she agreed to become your teacher.”

Lan Yueyao fell silent for a moment before muttering, “Father, you’re way too old to be making… friends with humans.”

The Sea Emperor laughed heartily and patted her shoulder. “She’s a good human. You’ll come to like her.”

At the time, she had brushed it off, never imagining that the Sea Emperor’s words would come true.

In the years that followed, Chu Chunhan would occasionally come to teach them talismans and illusions, always on the broad back of a whale in the middle of the South Sea.

As time passed, the three of them grew closer, their bond becoming warm and natural. They even journeyed together to the human world, disguised as humans themselves, traveling across mountains, rivers, and seas with Chu Chunhan.

On this journey, Lan Yueyao witnessed the cycle of human life—birth, aging, sickness, and death—as well as their joys, sorrows, and partings. She saw the rise and fall of dynasties and the changing of landscapes.

She realized that, in the end, humans and merfolk weren’t so different after all.

On the night of the Qixi Festival, Lan Yueyao leaned against the brightly lit window of a tavern, gazing at the starry sky. When she looked down, she saw the her brother standing in the middle of the street, nervously handing a sachet to the woman beside him.

Lan Yueyao’s heart skipped a beat.

She recognized the sachet as one Lan Zhichuan had been secretly making in recent days. Unconsciously, she gripped the window frame tightly, her heart suddenly in turmoil. Without thinking, she turned and ducked back into the tavern room.

After a long time, the street noises died down, and the tavern was about to close. Lan Yueyao climbed out of the window, restless. Looking down, she unexpectedly bumped into a white figure.

Startled, she exclaimed, “Chu Chunhan?”

The woman moved, slowly raising her head. “Hm?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you.” Chu Chunhan said calmly, “It’s late. I was worried you’d get lost after drinking.”

“I didn’t drink!” Lan Yueyao protested. “And even if I had, I wouldn’t get lost around here!”

“But you got lost last time.” Chu Chunhan pointed out.

Lan Yueyao’s face gradually flushed. “Fine. How did you know I was here?”

“I saw you.”

“When?”

“When Lan Zhichuan gave me the sachet.”

Lan Yueyao fell silent. After a while, she asked hesitantly, “So… did you… did you accept it?”

Chu Chunhan lifted her head, looking at her quietly. “Do you care?”

Lan Yueyao’s eyes widened. “Hah! Why would I care?! It’s just a sachet! Whether you accept it or not is none of my business. It’s not like I care. I could go out right now, spend a silver or two, and buy a dozen of them if I wanted…”

“I didn’t accept it.”

“Really?!” Lan Yueyao blurted out, her joy showing so plainly that the corners of her mouth froze halfway through a smile.

“Lan Yueyao,” she said gently, “you’re really bad at lying.”