Into The Sea

“I’ll be back soon.”

With those words, Ji Lingyue transformed into a swarm of black butterflies and flew out of the cave, disappearing into the distance.

Lan Wu called out, “Wait!” She was about to chase after her when something tightened around her waist. She looked down in confusion and saw a tentacle-like black object wrapped around her, firmly anchoring her in place.

“Ah Yue?” She frowned, trying to stepping back. The thing obediently released her waist, drooping limply, as light and fragile as a wisp of smoke that could be blown away by the wind.

“…”

Lan Wu understood its meaning. She covered her mouth with her fist, coughed, and pretended to walk back into the room. But halfway there, she suddenly turned around and ran towards the door.

The thing, however, was incredibly agile. Seeing her trying to leave, it quickly climbed up her ankle, pulling her back. Lan Wu was startled, grabbing the doorframe the doorframe and shouted angrily. “Ji Lingyue!”

The black mist trembled at her shout but didn’t let go. Realizing that Lan Wu was secretly moving towards the door, it disregarded her resistance and pulled her back into the room.

Lan Wu wasn’t strong enough, and was quickly lifted into the air. She called out, “Danqing!”

“Yes,” Danqing answered from afar, flying out of one of the inner rooms. Seeing the scene, her eyes widened. “Oh my, what is that thing?”

“Never mind that,” Lan Wu said, barely able to speak, pointing towards the Flame Lands. “Go, follow Ah Yue…”

“Got it.” Danqing flew out of the cave, disappearing into the distance.

Lan Wu paused, turning to look at the motionless black mist, annoyed. “Why aren’t you stopping her?!”

The black mist didn’t react. After dragging her back to the center of the room, it shrank back into a ball, nuzzling her face in a way that seemed soft and harmless.

“Don’t touch me.” Lan Wu slapped it away, glaring at it before climbing up and walking towards the bedroom. “Fine, I won’t go. But when you get back, you’ll see how I deal with you.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the thing secretly following her. Even though it was just a shapeless black mist, it somehow seemed sneaky.

Lan Wu sat cross-legged on the bed, looking at it with annoyance. “Don’t come over here. Just seeing you annoys me.”

The black mist paused, then drooped to the ground. After a moment, it slowly stood up, changing shape several times before cautiously moving closer.

Lan Wu crossed her arms, giving it a sidelong glance. “What do you want?”

It moved even closer, shaking the fluffy ball on top of it. Lan Wu frowned, finally turning to examine it closely. After a moment, she said hesitantly, “Is that… a flower?”

It wiggled excitedly.

Lan Wu was amused. “Where did you get such an ugly flower?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the black mist quickly shrank into a ball, looking like a wilted eggplant. Lan Wu sighed. “Why are you upset? You’re the one who won’t let me leave. I’m the one who should be upset.”

With that, she lay down on the bed, placing her hands neatly on her stomach. “Fine, I’ll rest. You can go outside and keep watch.”

The black mist hesitated, floating back and forth near her bed, not leaving. Lan Wu glanced at it, surprised. “What, are you afraid I’ll jump out the window and run away?”

It straightened itself, shaking up and down, as if nodding.

Lan Wu was speechless.

She turned to look at the wide window next to her, remaining silent for a moment. “You’re really annoying.”

With a sigh, Lan Wu got out of bed again, aimlessly wandering around the rooms, muttering, “So controlling, saying one thing and doing another. This morning, you wanted me to stay by your side, and now you’re running faster than a rabbit…”

Seeing it shamelessly following her, Lan Wu suddenly turned around, her face stern. “I’m talking to you! Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me!”

The black mist shrank, but after a moment, it continued to follow her as if nothing had happened. Lan Wu was speechless, feeling like she had punched a cotton ball. No matter how much she fussed, she only ended up making herself angry.

As night gradually fell, the stars could be seen twinkling through the window. After wandering around the stone room for a while, Lan Wu finally grew tired, and she reluctantly held out her hand. “Come here…”

Before she could finish, the black mist jumped into her palm, rubbing against her pitifully.

Lan Wu poked it gently. “I won’t hold it against you this time. After all, you’re just looking out for my safety.”

It wiggled, visibly perking up, and rolled around in her hand. Lan Wu chuckled, cupping it gently in both hands. “Then, I hope you won’t hold it against me either.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a faint blue light burst from her palm. Walls of light, covered in runes, appeared around the black mist, forming a square cage.

Lan Wu threw it away and turned to run. The black mist suddenly swelled, and with a sharp buzzing sound, the runic cage shattered into firefly-like sparks.

However, Lan Wu hadn’t expected to trap it for long. The brief delay was enough for her to leap out of the cave. She turned to face the massive wave of black mist surging toward her, raising two fingers to her lips with a bright smile.

“Activate.”

Dense blue formations instantly appeared in the air, covering the entire stone room. The black mist rushed to the door, but was slammed back with a thud.

It looked anxiously at Lan Wu, who had stepped onto her flying sword. It tried to break through several times. When it realized that it couldn’t get out, it flew to find other exits.

Lan Wu laughed. “Don’t bother looking. I sealed all the exits while I was wandering around earlier. If I can’t trap your main body, I can at least trap you.”

Seeing it stubbornly try to break through other windows, Lan Wu shook her head, waving her hand. “I’m leaving. You stay here obediently.”

Without the annoying demonic mist, she felt light and free. She flew towards the Flame Lands, where the red sky still glowed.

Halfway there, she noticed a small white dot approaching her. After a moment of thought, she formed a seal with her hand, chanting the summoning spell.

A blue light flashed, and Danqing appeared before her with a poof. Seeing who it was, she stopped flapping her wings and fell straight down. Lan Wu quickly caught her, surprised. “What’s wrong?”

The little bird lay limply in her palm, her voice weak. “It’s too hot. I can’t take it.”

“Why aren’t you using your spiritual energy to avoid the heat?”

“That’s not the kind of heat you can block with spiritual energy.” She tilted her head, pressing against Lan Wu’s cool palm, spreading her wings comfortably. “There are so many caves down there, and some of them even spew fire. But I saw which cave Ah Yue went into.”

“Good.” Lan Wu coated Danqing’s wings with a layer of moisture. “Feeling better now?”

Danqing hummed, slowly rolling over to lie on her stomach in Lan Wu’s hand. “Let’s go. I’ll guide you.”

Lan Wu waited for her to take flight. “Lead the way.”

Danqing whined, “I can guide you with my beak.”

Lan Wu sighed, and had no choice but to carry her towards the fiery sky. When they entered a rugged canyon, a loud hum filled the air, followed by a scorching gust of wind that hit her face.

She instantly broke into a sweat. The ground beneath her feet was no longer flat, but rather pitted and uneven, as if it had been poked full of holes. It was covered with dense caves. As Danqing had mentioned, some of them were spewing red flames that were dozens of feet high.

Lan Wu avoided the scorching pillars of fire, following Danqing’s directions. The little bird’s feathers were ruffled by the wind, and she buried her head under her wing, her voice muffled. “Keep going straight. There’s a mountain that looks like a camel’s hump. The taller one has a huge cave at its base. It looks really scary…”

“Did she go in there?”

“No, the one she entered is further ahead.”

Lan Wu was speechless.

Lan Wu couldn’t take it anymore and pushed her. “If it’s so hot, why are you talking so much nonsense? Stop lazing around in my hand and fly on your own.”

“Noooo,” Danqing shifted her position, settling more comfortably in Lan Wu’s palm. “I’m too tired. I can’t fly.”

Lan Wu took a breath, closed her eyes, and sneered. She felt like she was going to be driven crazy by these two. “With the two of you, I’m really blessed.”