Into The Sea

On the way back, Ye Qingjun said calmly, “After the battle in Wangliang City, City Lord Qing died. Only one tenth of the Qing family survived, and Qing Zibai was one of them. But… he changed after that.”

“Changed? More like he was scared out of his mind.” Meng Changge snorted, glancing at the unconscious person floating in the air. “As a direct disciple of the former sect leader, a senior brother to many disciples, he never dared to fight. Now he even changed his appearance to sneak away. If we hadn’t bumped into him, he would have really escaped.”

“If he doesn’t want to stay, why force him to come back?” Lan Wu said in disgust. “Why not just let him go?”

Ye Qingjun sighed, shaking her head. “It’s not our decision to keep him. It’s the Qing family’s wish. He’s the current head of the Qing family, and aside from him, the rest of the Qing family is determined to seek revenge and hopes to one day return to Wangliang City. The elders of the Qing family asked me to look after him. Now that we’ve found him, how can we not bring him back?”

Lan Wu nodded, seeing the city gates drawing closer, she said, “Then we’ll wait outside for the next few days. We can go in after they make a decision in three days.”

“There’s no need for that.”

Ye Qingjun looked back at them, four tokens appearing in her palm. “One for each of you. Hold onto them.”

Meng Changge paused, hesitating. “Sect Leader…”

“Hm?”

“It’s fine to give them to Junior Sister and Lan Wu, but the other two… we don’t know their backgrounds…”

“Who are you talking about!” Lan Yuan glared at her. “I’m Lan Wu’s older sister! Besides, I’m a merfolk. Aren’t I more reliable than your demon junior sister?”

Ye Qingjun paused thoughtfully. “That’s true.”

She gestured for Ji Lingyue to come over and grasped her wrist, leaving a blue mark that looked like a power-suppressing curse.

Lan Wu was shocked. “Master!”

“Why the panic?” Ye Qingjun said calmly. “With her current cultivation, this thing is useless to her. It’s just for show.”

“Oh, is that so?” She blinked, glancing at her sister, whispering, “Then maybe put one on her too. She’s got a bad temper. What if she gets into a fight with someone…”

“Lan Wu, are you looking to die!”

Ye Qingjun laughed. “There’s no need. But, who is this?”

She looked at Ji Yun, who had been silently following them, and asked curiously, “I can’t sense any life force in her. In this world, only inanimate objects gaining sentience would result in something like this.”

“That’s right,” Ji Lingyue answered for her. “Yun’er is a jade spirit. Don’t worry, she’s a healer, she only uses her cultivation for self-defence, she won’t hurt anyone.”

“Is that so? Then she’ll definitely get along well with Elder Yao.”

As they spoke, the group successfully entered the city gate. Lan Wu looked around, then suddenly remembered something, turning her head to ask, “By the way, Master, we’ve been here for a while, but I haven’t asked—where’s Shanye?”

Ye Qingjun paused, suddenly falling silent. Meng Changge also pursed her lips, lowering her head uncomfortably.

Lan Wu’s gaze swept across them, the joy on her face gradually fading. “What’s wrong? Did she… did something happen to her?”

Ji Lingyue frowned, looking over uneasily.

Ye Qingjun said in a low voice, “The last time someone saw Shanye was in Wangliang City. At that time, she was running to save a mother and daughter.”

Lan Wu paused, her face turning pale.

“After that… no one has seen her again.”

“What do you mean?” Lan Wu said tremulously. “Are you saying that she’s also… she’s also trapped in Wangliang City?”

“Lan Wu,” Meng Changge said hoarsely, “Those trapped in Wangliang City can’t possibly be alive.”

The autumn wind blew silently. In the silence, Lan Wu suddenly staggered back, covering her head, groaning in pain. “Ugh…”

Ji Lingyue was shocked, quickly supporting her. “Lan Wu?”

“I…” She was panting heavily, closing her eyes. Her head was throbbing, and she was putting almost her entire weight on Ji Lingyue. Just then, a steady voice echoed through the street, calling out, “Sect Leader Ye.”

Ye Qingjun turned around, looking at the young man walking towards her. “Young Island Master.”

Young Island Master?

Lan Wu shook her buzzing head, looking at the man in a daze.

Chu Ji smiled politely and said, “I just arrived and heard that Sect Leader Ye had called many seniors to go out. My father asked me to come and see what happened. If there’s anything that our Penglai Island can help with, I hope Elder Ye will not hesitate to tell us. We will do our best.”

“Penglai Island?” Lan Yuan murmured, turning around, staring at him. “You’re from the Chu family?”

Chu Ji was taken aback, looking at Lan Yuan. “This fellow cultivator is…?”

“Fellow cultivator?” Lan Yuan sneered, glaring at him coldly. “Who’s your fellow cultivator? Disgusting.”

Chu Ji’s expression changed slightly. “We’ve never met. Why the hostility?”

“Of course, we’ve never met,” Lan Yuan said with disgust. “But everyone on Penglai Island is so disgusting, just being near you makes me nauseous.”

“You!” Chu Ji widened his eyes, looking at Ye Qingjun. “Sect Leader Ye, she is… she…”

Ye Qingjun looked at Lan Yuan suspiciously, but said soothingly, “Young Island Master Chu, please don’t be angry. This girl has a stubborn personality and is used to being arrogant. Please don’t take it to heart.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t hold a grudge against a mere woman. But she insulted my sect for no reason! Should this matter just be dropped?”

“A mere woman?” Lan Yuan sneered. “If you’re not convinced, then fight me. I’m afraid you’ll even have to call me ‘Aunt’. Let me tell you, you Penglai people are just a bunch of bea… ugh!”

Meng Changge quickly covered her mouth, smiling apologetically at Chu Ji. “Fellow cultivator, don’t be angry. This person is a friend I invited. She’s not bad at heart, just has a foul mouth. You’re the young master of Penglai, after all. Surely you wouldn’t take such a nobody seriously?”

She was already tall, and after years of hard training, her body was even more slender. She grabbed Lan Yuan like she was a small chick, hiding her behind her, revealing Lan Wu.

Lan Wu’s face was pale. She hadn’t changed her appearance with an illusion. After making eye contact, Chu Ji paused, staring at her.

“Fellow cultivator…” He frowned, hesitating. “It’s been a long time.”

Lan Wu opened her eyes, saying wearily, “It’s been a long time.”

Chu Ji averted his gaze, catching sight of Ji Lingyue beside her. He forced a friendly smile. “After all these years, the two of you are still so close. I remember back then, the three of you from Haochen Mountain came to Penglai together, and I was the one who hosted you. Speaking of which, where is that other fellow cultivator?” The surroundings fell silent once more. Ji Lingyue turned her head, glaring at him fiercely. Her lips parted, and she spat out a single word, “Get lost!”