Into The Sea

“Wow.”

Stepping onto the blackish-red soil, Danqing looked at the endless wasteland, unable to help herself. “It’s so hot here.”

Lan Wu agreed, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She turned and waved to the giant whale submerged in the sea before following the increasingly active black butterfly. The girl beside her transformed into a white bird, flapping her wings and soaring into the sky. After circling a few times, she excitedly landed back on her shoulder. “There are mountains a few dozen miles away, and it’s green!”

Lan Wu hummed, fanning herself while wondering, “How are you always so full of energy?”

With Danqing by her side, the journey was no longer lonely, but the constant chatter and excitement, except when they were resting, was starting to make Lan Wu’s head spin.

Such an energetic little bird.

Lan Wu felt dizzy from the intense sunlight. She summoned her silver sword and flew weakly for a while before Danqing seemed to realize something. “Master, are you afraid of the heat?”

Lan Wu hummed again. No matter how you looked at it, her body now seemed more human, but it still retained the habits of a mermaid—sensitive to both heat and cold, and very picky about temperature.

Danqing quieted down and thought for a moment. Then, she spread her wings and flew above Lan Wu’s head. Lan Wu was startled, squinting up at her and couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re too small to block the sun.”

Danqing tilted her head in frustration. After a moment, she suddenly had an idea, “Ah!” She flapped her wings and landed on Lan Wu’s head, instantly covering her face in shadow.

The little bird said proudly, “Now it’s blocked, right?”

Lan Wu fell silent, too embarrassed to say that the warm fluff covering her head actually made her feel stuffier. She could only say vaguely, “Yeah, yeah… not bad.”

With a bird on her head, she had no choice but to speed up. After flying several dozen miles, she finally saw the green mountains and clear waters Danqing had mentioned, and her spirits lifted.

In the distance, a clear river flowed gently, and a small dock seemed to have been built on the riverbank. The butterfly fluttered and landed on a boat at the dock. Lan Wu followed, landing on the ground and approaching the two figures on the boat. “Hello…”

The two turned around at the sound of her voice. Lan Wu saw their faces, and her steps suddenly faltered, her smile freezing on her face. The person on the left had a black, featureless face, as if they had no facial features at all. The person on the right did have features, but their lower face had three mouths.

“Uh…” She stood there, hesitating, unsure whether to ask them about Ji Lingyue’s whereabouts. While she was struggling with her decision, the two seemed to see something incredible and exclaimed, “A demon!”

“No, not a demon, a human.”

“You don’t have eyes, but I do. With such a flashy appearance, how could she not be a demon?”

“Demons smell much worse than humans. She doesn’t have that smell.”

“As if you have a nose.”

Seeing the two arguing endlessly, Lan Wu tried to interject, “Um…”

“Who cares if she’s a demon? Demons can be eaten too! Once we eat her, we’ll know if she’s human or demon!”

“I don’t like eating demons. Their meat is too tough, not as tender as human meat.”

“Having something to eat is good enough!”

As he spoke, the person with three mouths raised a long staff in his hand, stepping onto the shore.

Lan Wu widened her eyes in surprise, stepping back. “Ah, ah? Are we really going to fight already?”

The person grinned, his white teeth sharp like a beast’s. For a moment, his lower face was almost entirely filled with teeth. “Enough nonsense.”

He stepped forward, but his foot suddenly stepped into empty air. His body instantly fell into the wind, plummeting from a great height. All he could see was the black earth getting closer and closer.

“Ah!” A shrill scream escaped his throat. He struggled in the air, trembling like a leaf, yelling, “Help! Help me!”

Danqing tilted her head, looking at the person rolling on the ground and screaming. “Master?”

Lan Wu shushed her, winking. “Illusion.”

The person still on the boat frantically turned his featureless face, stammering, “What… what did you do to my brother?”

Lan Wu said, “I didn’t do anything.”

“Liar!” He was furious, and seemed like he also wanted to jump out of the boat, but the water beneath him suddenly began to churn. The sturdy boat slowly dissolved into ash, then reformed into colorful butterflies, fluttering towards the sky.

He fell into the water with a splash, struggling to stay afloat, his limbs flailing wildly. “I… I can’t swim! Help!”

Danqing stared at the featureless monster crying in the boat, thoughtfully. “Is that also an illusion?”

Lan Wu hummed, addressing them. “If you answer my questions honestly, I’ll save you. Deal?”

Half an hour later, Lan Wu, sitting on a small boat heading up the river, looked at the two brothers, who were as quiet as cicadas in winter, and said, “Do you recognize her?”

The two demons, or rather, the three-mouthed one, stared at the portrait for a long time, shaking their heads. “We don’t recognize her.”

“Really?”

“Really! Although our dock is the only way to the Flame Lands, there have been too many demons coming and going in the past ten years. It’s impossible for us to remember all of them.”

“Okay.” Lan Wu put the portrait away. “How far is it from here to the Flame Lands?”

“Once you get ashore, keep going west, and you’ll see the endless flame canyons. The Flame Lands are in the middle of the flame canyons. The powerful demons are all gathered there.”

Lan Wu nodded. “Thank you for taking me across the river.”

“You’re welcome, you’re welcome.”

Seeing them cowering together, Lan Wu sighed helplessly and closed her eyes to rest.

The cliffs on both sides of the river were steep and jagged, squeezing the sky into a thin line. The small boat cut through the water, slowly passing through the canyon. After an unknown amount of time, the view suddenly opened up, and a river surface bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun appeared in sight. The red evening sky stretched across the horizon, and birds occasionally skimmed the water, chirping.

Danqing had long since flown away from her shoulder, happily chasing the birds. Lan Wu let her play, and once they reached the shore, she turned back to ask, “By the way, I have one last question.”

The two brothers were gripping their oars, eager to leave. “Please, ask away.”

Lan Wu hesitated for a moment. “No offense, but… do all demons look as… unique as you two?”

“…”

After saying goodbye to the two disgruntled brothers, Danqing suddenly asked, “What if Ah Yue also grew three mouths?”

Lan Wu imagined it for a moment, then said uncertainly, “Ah Yue… Ah Yue is beautiful even with three mouths.”

“Really?” Danqing also imagined it, couldn’t help but shudder, and let out a disgusted “Ew.”

“If she had three mouths, I wouldn’t let her hug me anymore.”

“You talk too much,” Lan Wu pinched Danqing’s sharp beak, preventing her from saying anything shocking. “You’re such a chatterbox, little bird.”

A series of canyons gradually appeared in sight, red as if they were on fire. It must be the flame canyons that the two brothers had mentioned. Lan Wu quickened her pace. When she reached the entrance of the canyon, she stopped and muttered to herself, “This appearance is too conspicuous.”

She wiped her hand across her face, and her silver hair turned black. Her face also twisted, becoming similar to the faceless monster. “How is it?”

Danqing hopped on her shoulder, disgusted. “So gross.”

“…” Lan Wu helplessly flicked Danqing’s beak. “You’re such a talkative little bird.”

After passing through a long suspension bridge, a bustling settlement suddenly appeared before her.

Countless caves of varying sizes were carved into the bare stone walls, connected by aerial bridges.

 On the flat ground at the bottom of the canyon, two rows of stone houses of varying heights stood. Various goods were displayed in front of the houses, and vendors with strange appearances were hawking their wares.

They were no different from ordinary people in the human realm.

Lan Wu walked into the crowd, looking around. Soon, she spotted a row of jars filled with organs.

The vendor was enthusiastically promoting his goods, “Human hearts, just bought from the east at a great cost, very fresh! Ten demon coins a jar, don’t miss out, limited time only!”

Lan Wu frowned, suppressing her nausea. She looked to the other side, and finally found a demon that she found pleasing to the eye. She hurriedly approached. “Excuse me, Aunt…”

The white-haired elderly woman looked up at her, startled. She turned her head away, unable to bear to look at her. “What is it?”

Lan Wu was momentarily confused, then realized what was wrong. She touched her face and let out an “ah.”

So even demons find their own kind’s appearances repulsive!

She felt embarrassed. “Excuse me, is this the Flame Lands?”

“The Flame Lands? No, the Flame Lands are further in. Are you planning to go there?” The elderly woman said kindly, “I suggest you don’t. The Flame Lands are very dangerous. There are many powerful demons inside.”

“They fight each other for demon cores in the Unreturning Abyss, even devouring each other. It’s not a place for lesser demons to stay.”

Lan Wu hummed, taking out the portrait. “Have you seen this woman?”

The elderly woman looked at it. “Oh my, isn’t this Moon Lord?”

“Moon Lord?”

“Yes, a great demon in the Flame Lands. She has the best temper. When other great demons come here, everything gets turned upside down, and everything gets stolen. But Moon Lord always pays for her things.” The elderly woman smiled. “But, she doesn’t seem to like interacting with other demons. I haven’t seen her with any friends.”

Lan Wu pressed her lips together and asked, “Why do you call her the Moon Lord?”

“The great demons in the Flame Lands are basically divided into two factions. One faction is formed by humans who have fallen into demonic cultivation, and the other is formed by natural demons. The fallen humans are ranked by their cultivation, with the highest being the three Demon Lords. Her name contains ‘Yue’ for ‘Moon,’ so naturally, she’s the Moon Lord.”

“Is that so?” Lan Wu was a bit lost, muttering, “She’s become so powerful already?”

The elderly woman sized her up for a moment, then asked hesitantly, “Miss, do you know her?”

“Yes, I came to find her.”

“How fortunate. I heard that tonight, the great demons are holding a banquet at Changle Shore. If you go now, they probably haven’t left yet.”

Lan Wu was surprised. “Changle Shore? Where is that?”

The elderly woman raised her hand, pointing to a light on the cliff in the distance. “See? Above the waterfall, that’s the Changle Shore.”

The moon in the demon realm seemed much larger than the one at home.

As Lan Wu flew towards the top of the cliff in the evening breeze, she stretched out her hand toward the full moon, as if she could grasp it.

Danqing sighed in her ear, “Finally, we’ll find out if Ah Yue has three mouths.”

Lan Wu was silent for a moment, then couldn’t help but say, “Why don’t you go play somewhere else?”

Danqing thought seriously for a moment, then agreed. “Then… remember to call me back, don’t leave me behind again.”

Hearing her say that, Lan Wu felt guilty. She was about to say never mind when the snow-white gyrfalcon flapped her wings and flew off happily towards a bluebird that was chirping in the distance.

Lan Wu watched her fly away, and after a moment, she looked at the approaching Changle Shore again.

Landing on the flat ground, the buildings built against the mountain looked very similar to the taverns in the human realm. Looking up, the brightly lit top floor must have been several dozen feet high. Lan Wu’s heart was beating faster. She was about to walk through the door when she was stopped by a guard.

“Token.”

“What token?” Lan Wu asked, confused. “I’m looking for someone.”

“Someone? There are no humans here, only demons.”

Lan Wu could only say, “I’m looking for Moon Lord.”

“No token, no entry,” The guard had regular features, so he must have been a human who fell into demonic cultivation.

He looked at Lan Wu with disgust. “Besides, do you think you can see Moon Lord just because you want to?”

Lan Wu scoffed, about to roll up her sleeves and argue with him, when a black butterfly flew from her body, fluttering towards the brightly lit hall.

The demon’s expression changed instantly, and he turned to Lan Wu with a fawning smile. “Oh, why didn’t you say you were with the Moon Lord earlier?”

Lan Wu: “I did say I was looking for her.”

“My bad, my bad.” He respectfully ushered Lan Wu inside. “The Moon Lord is on the top floor. You’ll see her when you go up.”

Lan Wu entered in a daze, frowning at him before shaking her head and following the black butterfly up the stairs toward the most lively area.

As she reached the top step, a flurry of flowers and petals filled the air. Young men and women in thin red robes danced on a lavish stage, their bare feet adorned with jingling bells.

The surrounding area was filled with noise and clinking glasses. Lan Wu stood there, her gaze following the black butterfly as it flew through the petals and the crowd. She saw it finally land on a pale fingertip.

She looked up, following the black robe upward, her gaze tracing the slender neck and rosy lips until she finally saw the familiar face.

Ji Lingyue’s long hair flowed like silk. She was staring at the butterfly on her fingertip, lost in thought. After a moment, she seemed to wake up, and her red eyes looked directly at her.

A swarm of butterflies erupted from her body, flying through the crowd to Lan Wu, transforming into a tall woman. Ji Lingyue, dragging her loose robe, walked quickly towards her, then suddenly stopped.

She frowned, staring at Lan Wu, tilting her head as if confused.

Lan Wu called softly, “Ah Yue…”

She reached out, wanting to hold Ji Lingyue’s hand, but the woman suddenly took a step back, clenching her fist in resistance.

Lan Wu was stunned. “Ah Yue?”

Ji Lingyue bit her lip, gazing at her in silence for a long time before finally asking in a hoarse voice, “Are you… real?”