Into The Sea

After searching for a long time, Lan Wu finally pulled out a dark green talisman disk.

The disk was plain on the outside, but smooth to the touch. She had assumed it was made of copper or iron, but when she held it, it felt more like jade.

Lan Wu flipped it over, discovering that its structure was more intricate than she had imagined. The talisman disk had three layers, stacked on top of each other.

The top layer was no larger than a teacup, painted with yin and yang symbols.

The middle layer was engraved with the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

The bottom layer was the largest, divided into nine sections, resembling blooming flower petals, each engraved with the names of the Nine Palaces. When rotated, it made a crisp clicking sound.

This talisman disk was surprisingly suitable, but after being immersed in demonic energy for so many years, there were still remnants of demonic power seeping out, making it slightly uncomfortable to hold.

Lan Wu pursed her lips and glanced subtly at Ji Lingyue, who was standing obediently to the side. Ji Lingyue immediately caught her gaze and stepped forward, taking the disk in her hands. Soon, the demonic energy flowed out in two streams, absorbed into her palms.

When she handed the disk back to Lan Wu, the talisman disk was crystal clear, spotless, and so thin that light could pass through it.

Ji Lingyue handed it to Lan Wu, still looking at her expectantly, though the pride on her face had lessened.

Lan Wu said indifferently, “Thank you.”

Ji Lingyue blinked, seeming to finally realize the seriousness of the situation. She awkwardly retracted her hand. “Is this all you want?”

Lan Wu nodded. “This is enough.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Lan Wu saw a dark figure flying up from below. She calmly wiped her face, and her features disappeared, replaced by a smooth, featureless surface.

Ji Lingyue fell silent for a moment, then gently tugged at Lan Wu’s sleeve, her voice soft. “Lan Wu, I can’t see your face anymore.”

Lan Wu sneered. “Aren’t you powerful? Can’t you see through my illusion?”

“I…” Ji Lingyue frowned, trying to think of a response when a hand clapped her on the shoulder. “You’re so attached to your little demon lover that you brought her here?”

Ji Lingyue stiffened, instinctively straightening her posture and pushing the woman’s hand away. “That’s none of your business.”

…She really had a way of putting on airs.

Lan Wu secretly raised an eyebrow, looking at the woman in blue beside Ji Lingyue. She realized that it was the same one who had sat with her last night. She was probably one of the other two demon lords.

The other demon lord also looked her up and down. After a moment, she raised her eyebrows. “Miss, you have quite a… unique appearance.” She then looked down at the gyrfalcon curled up in her arms. “This bird looks like a spirit beast. Are you planning to eat it?”

Danqing: !

The little bird couldn’t bear to hear such words. Her eyes widened, and she was about to retort when Lan Wu pinched her beak. “No, I’m keeping her as a companion.”

The other demon lord laughed heartily. “You’re really interesting, miss. I’m Yuan Qing. May I ask what your name is?”

“Lan Wu.”

Yuan Qing leaned in, her voice mysterious. “I’m really curious. Could you tell me how you and the Moon Lord met?”

Lan Wu hesitated. “I…”

“Enough,” Ji Lingyue suddenly interrupted, pushing Lan Wu aside. “We came here to save you. If you act so recklessly in the future, I won’t be able to help.”

Yuan Qing was startled. “What do you mean?”

“I’m leaving.” Ji Lingyue said calmly. “I don’t know when I’ll be back, maybe never. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“So soon?” Yuan Qing was shocked. “Where are you going?”

“Back home.”

“Back home?” Yuan Qing frowned. After a moment, she said, “You do realize you’re a demon, right? You know what you’ll face if you go back.”

“I know.” Ji Lingyue tentatively grasped Lan Wu’s fingertip. She turned her head. “But I have a reason I must go back. Thank you for taking care of me all these years.”

“It’s nothing.” Yuan Qing sighed. “I only took you in at the very beginning. The fact that you’ve become so powerful is mostly due to your own efforts.”

After a pause, she laughed. “But leaving without saying goodbye isn’t acceptable. Stay one more day. We’ll all gather tomorrow, as a farewell.”

Ji Lingyue instinctively looked at Lan Wu. “What do you think?”

Lan Wu glanced at her, confused. “Why are you looking at me? It’s Miss Yuan’s kind offer. One more day won’t make a difference.”

“Okay.” Ji Lingyue nodded. “Then I’ll stay one more day.”

Yuan Qing’s expression changed slightly. She looked at the two of them, surprised. “So… Miss Lan is the one in charge?”

Lan Wu shook her head. “What do you mean, in charge? We don’t divide things like that. We support each other and make decisions together.”

She then sighed dramatically, her voice tinged with sorrow. “Though lately, someone has become increasingly domineering, forcing me to obey…”

Ji Lingyue’s lips pressed together, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks, whether from embarrassment or shame. She quickly shoved the remaining weapons into Yuan Qing’s arms. “Here, distribute these to the others. Consider them my parting gifts.”

With that, she wrapped her arm around Lan Wu’s waist and left. Yuan Qing was stunned, watching her quickly leave. After a moment, she called out. “Then it’s settled! We’ll meet at the usual place tomorrow night!”

It had taken Lan Wu a long time to fly here, but on the way back, it felt as if she was riding the wind. The scenery on both sides blurred into a single image. Before long, the familiar lone peak was right in front of her.

Ji Lingyue landed with Lan Wu at the entrance, glancing in surprise at the struggling black mist still trapped inside. After a moment, she cautiously turned to Lan Wu. “Did you trap it yourself?”

Hearing those words, Lan Wu snorted, her voice sarcastic. “No, it was trapped by a ghost.”

She pushed Ji Lingyue’s hand away and lightly jumped to the entrance. Ji Lingyue hurried after her, flustered. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?” Lan Wu didn’t look back, casually placing Danqing on the windowsill as she headed toward the stone chamber where Ji Lingyue stored her paintings. “I’m going to study this talisman disk. You do whatever you need to do.”

Ji Lingyue’s eyes widened. She transformed into a wisp of black mist, slipping past Lan Wu and reforming in front of her. “Don’t be angry.”

“I’m not angry.” Lan Wu’s eyelashes curved, her lips red, her smile bright. “I’m just going to see how this artifact works. Why are you panicking?”

Ji Lingyue blinked, at a loss. “But it’s so late. Don’t you want to rest?”

“Cultivators don’t need to rest.”

Lan Wu stepped forward and lightly kissed her cheek, her voice gentle. “If you’re tired, you can go to sleep first.”

With that, she affectionately pinched Ji Lingyue’s ears, passed her, and walked into the stone room. Ji Lingyue stood frozen for a moment, then touched her ear, her lips pursed in confusion.

Was Lan Wu really not angry?

She stared at the entrance to the stone room, her brow furrowed in worry.

The moonlight was serene, and the rustling sounds outside gradually faded into silence.

Click.

Lan Wu rotated the bottom layer of the Nine Palaces disk, noticing a faint glow flickering across the engraved characters. She tried injecting spiritual energy into it, but there was no response.

After some thought, she pricked her finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the center of the disk. The blood quickly seeped into the carved patterns, and the artifact began to emit a soft light, casting a gentle glow in Lan Wu’s eyes, like scattered starlight.

She smiled, about to inject spiritual energy again, when she heard faint footsteps behind her—slow and cautious, like a careful cat.

Lan Wu paused, her lips pressing into a thin line as she turned to look.

The slender figure was standing barefoot not far behind her. Ji Lingyue seemed to have just bathed. She was emitting a scent of soap, and the heat was making her pale cheeks look pink.

She wore a thin robe, the collar open, water droplets trailing down her long, damp hair and soaking into the fabric, which clung to her body, revealing glimpses of her pale skin.

Lan Wu’s lashes fluttered as she realized that she was wearing nothing underneath. She unconsciously tightened her grip on the talisman disk.

“…”

Ji Lingyue took a deep breath, her face heating up under Lan Wu’s intense gaze, but she mustered her courage and walked over, carefully sitting on the desk in front of her.

Lan Wu remained silent, tilting her head to look at her.

Ji Lingyue’s bare toes curled nervously, her throat dry. A delicate blush spread across her cheeks, and after a moment, she straightened up, cautiously lifting the hem of her robe. Her eyes, glistening with moisture, met Lan Wu’s. “Do I look good?”