Into The Sea

A light rain began to fall in the night, a chill seeping in through the window. Lan Wu woke up from her dream, groggily sitting up. After a moment of spacing out, she realized that the bed beside her was empty.

She threw off the covers and stepped onto the cold floor, walking barefoot toward the door.

A slender figure was lying alone in the rocking chair under the eaves. Hearing the sound of footsteps, she turned her head to look. Under the moonlight, Ji Lingyue’s eyes were dark, her long lashes distinct, her face pale but with a faint flush at the corners of her eyes.

Seeing Lan Wu approach, she moved over, making room. After Lan Wu lay down beside her, Ji Lingyue nestled into her chest without a word.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Lan Wu gently stroked her back, her voice soft, “Were you here crying by yourself?”

Ji Lingyue silently nuzzled against her. After a while, she murmured, “The last time I saw her, I hit her.”

Lan Wu didn’t respond, her hand resting on Ji Lingyue’s waist.

“I also said terrible things to her,” Ji Lingyue clenched her fists, her voice hoarse. “I shouldn’t have said those things.”’

“It’s not your fault.” Lan Wu sighed softly, tilting her head to rest her chin on her forehead. “I brought Ah Li out of the sea, but I never took care of her. She disappeared with Shanye. I’m the one who’s most irresponsible. I was… her master.”

Ji Lingyue closed her eyes. After a while, she said, “I don’t believe she’s dead.”

Lan Wu hummed. “I don’t believe it either.”

“Lan Wu.”

“Hm?”

“I want to go to Wangliang City.”

“Okay.”

Ji Lingyue was taken aback, raising her head to look at her. “You’re not going to stop me?”

“Why would I stop you?” Lan Wu said. “I’m going too.”

Ji Lingyue instinctively refused. “No.”

Lan Wu raised an eyebrow helplessly. “Why not?”

“Wangliang City is on the other side, and that area has already become demon territory. It’s dangerous,” Ji Lingyue emphasized. “You can’t go.”

Lan Wu pinched her nose. “You really won’t let me go?”

Ji Lingyue blinked, saying in a muffled voice, “No!”

Lan Wu chuckled. “Think about it. Who’s less likely to make it over there?”

She said slowly, “There are thousands of cultivators guarding this barrier day and night. The only entrance is outside the west gate of Shiling City. And only those who have the joint permission of the three great immortal sects can pass through the barrier. Tell me, how do you plan to get through?”

Ji Lingyue frowned, asking suspiciously, “Who told you that?”

Lan Wu scoffed. “Of course it was Master. Did you think I didn’t ask her anything when I saw her today?”

She poked Ji Lingyue’s forehead. “In the eyes of outsiders, neither of us is trustworthy. But compared to me, you’re a terrifying demon who can steal people’s cultivation. Who do you think is more likely to get through?”

Ji Lingyue was silent for a while, then sighed. “Annoying cultivators.”

Lan Wu burst into laughter, but after a moment, she sighed again, instinctively holding Ji Lingyue tighter. “When I came here, I never thought I would meet the people of Penglai again.”

Ji Lingyue blinked, asking, “Are you thinking about how to deal with them?”

Lan Wu hummed in acknowledgment. “Those things happened three hundred years ago. Maybe the current disciples, the current Chu family, don’t know what their ancestors did. But can they be considered innocent?”

“Shanye used to say that the disciples of Penglai always cultivate faster than their peers. They may not know anything, but they have unknowingly benefited from it.” She closed her eyes, murmuring, “If that’s the case, are they guilty?”

Ji Lingyue was silent for a while, then said in a low voice, “You always seem to think the best of humans.” She hesitated, then continued, “If it were me, I wouldn’t care if they’re innocent or not. If they’ve benefited, whether they knew or not, they should take responsibility.”

Lan Wu stared at her. “I wish I could be as clear-headed as you. Unfortunately, I seem to be a hesitant, strange demon.”

Ji Lingyue’s eyes curved into a smile. “But because you’re such a demon, you couldn’t bear to leave me behind back then, and you even went with me to seek discipleship.” She said seriously, “No one can be perfect, not even demons. Lan Wu, we have so many flaws, but we’ve managed to get this far. Why are you so hard on yourself?”

Lan Wu blinked, unable to resist reaching out to pinch her cheeks. “You’re surprisingly reliable sometimes.”

Ji Lingyue pouted. “You always say that. I’ve always been reliable.”

“True, I’m the childish one,” Lan Wu propped herself up, looking down at her. “You’re right, I should follow my own heart. But for now, we’re all on the same side. It’s not the time to settle scores with them.”

With that, she leaned down to kiss Ji Lingyue’s forehead. “Alright, let’s go back to sleep. It’s late.”

She was the first to get up. Seeing that Ji Lingyue was still lying down, she reached out to pull her up. The woman leaned into her arms, saying softly, “My legs hurt.”

Lan Wu looked down, hooking her arms under her legs, picking her up, teasing, “You really like to be spoiled.”

***

Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, there was a knock on the door.

The person was very polite, knocking twice, waiting for a while, and then knocking twice again when there was no response. When Ji Lingyue opened the door, Danbai’s hand was still in the air.

She asked, “Is there something wrong?”

Danbai lowered her eyes uncomfortably, saying stiffly, “The Sect Leader has asked you to come over.”

“Alright.”

Ji Lingyue turned her head, calling into the room, “Lan Wu, Elder Ye wants us to come over.”

Danbai couldn’t help but peek at her. When she turned her face back, she immediately lowered her eyes, as if she was trying to bore a hole into the ground.

Ji Lingyue looked at her suspiciously. “Are you afraid of me?”

“No.”

“Then why won’t you look at me?”

Danbai paused, her eyelashes fluttering, raising her eyes carefully. “I… it’s just been so long…”

Before she could finish, footsteps came from behind her. Danqing jumped onto her back with a “hey!”, saying happily, “What are you guys talking about?”

Danbai staggered, barely catching the door to keep from falling on Ji Lingyue, saying through gritted teeth, “Get down!”

“Fine, fine, no need to be so harsh.”

Danqing grumbled as she slid down, running into the room to pull a yawning Lan Wu out, then grabbed Ji Lingyue, and excitedly walked out. “Let’s go! If we hurry, we can catch the fresh buns on Ping’an Street.”

“What are you buying buns for?” Danbai said angrily. “The Sect Leader wants to see them!”

After calling Lan Yuan and Ji Yun, they went out together. On the way, Lan Wu saw four people from Penglai again. Compared to Chu Ji, these people were more unfamiliar. The young woman walking in front had a serious expression, and soon disappeared around the corner of the street.

Seeing her staring, Danbai said, “That’s Qing Zibai’s wife, a branch of the Chu family, Chu Jiao.”

Lan Wu was taken aback. “What, wife?!”

“Yes, they got married five years ago.”

Lan Wu was shocked. “He married someone from the Chu family? Wait, if he already had a wife, why did he sneak out by himself yesterday?”

Danbai said with disgust, “That’s why he’s a coward.”

Lan Wu agreed. “I always thought he was annoying. Now I see there’s a reason.”

After she said that, everyone around her glanced at her silently. Ji Lingyue, however, curved her eyes, imperceptibly raising the corner of her lips.

There weren’t many people in the small courtyard at this time, but to avoid drawing too much attention, she changed her eye color, tied up her hair, and put on a jade hairpin. At first glance, she looked no different from the other cultivators passing by.

Lan Wu couldn’t help but look at her a few times. Ji Lingyue raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a smile, waiting for her to praise her. But instead, she heard her mutter, “After getting used to your red lantern eyes, it’s a little strange to see you back to normal.”

Ji Lingyue was speechless.

She glared at Lan Wu. “You’re so fickle!”

“Am I?” Lan Wu laughed, reaching for her hand. After they went upstairs and entered Ye Qingjun’s room, they smelled a fragrance.

She looked closely and found several bowls of porridge and dishes on the table. Meng Changge was already sitting at the table, looking at them with Ye Qingjun. “You’re here.”

After the group was seated, the table was crowded. Ye Qingjun said, “Now that everyone is here, let’s start eating. This place has the best porridge in Shiling City.”

Lan Wu asked, puzzled, “Master, did you call us here just to eat?”

“Of course not,” Ye Qingjun said, “I called you here because there’s something important.”

“What is it?”

Ye Qingjun turned to look at Lan Yuan, saying directly, “I’d like to ask for your help, Miss Lan Yuan.”

Lan Wu paused, instinctively looking at her sister. The woman was holding a bowl of porridge, not yet having taken a bite. “Me? Help?”

Ye Qingjun nodded, saying gently, “We’ve received reports from the Nightmare Forest. Recently, there have been unusual movements. It seems something is trying to break through the barrier and come out.”

“You sealed Nightmare Forest too?”

“Yes, as a precaution,” Ye Qingjun said, “The Nightmare Forest is on the edge of the desert, it wasn’t sealed with the other side of Shiling City. Its barrier was set up separately.”

Lan Yuan frowned. “But what does this have to do with me?”

Ye Qingjun explained, “The Nightmare Beasts and the merfolk are two unique races among the demons. Although they are demons, their clans have always lived in the human realm and coexisted peacefully for many years.”

“Since the sealing, the Nightmare Beasts have been quiet, but recently, they’ve become restless. Something must have happened. Miss Lan Yuan, you’re a mermaid, and a noble princess of the merfolk. Your words should carry more weight with the Nightmare Beasts, who are also demons.”

“Peaceful coexistence?” Lan Yuan put down her bowl, scoffing. “What peaceful coexistence? All these years, haven’t we been hiding and avoiding you to escape being hunted down?”

Lan Wu coughed. “Sister.”

Lan Yuan was silent, saying stiffly, “I see. You want me to be a mediator, to persuade them to behave, right?”

“Yes.”

Lan Yuan frowned. “Don’t you think that’s too much? You’re the ones who sealed them up, and now you want them to stay quiet. Don’t you humans have a saying… something about even a rabbit will bite when cornered?”

Ye Qingjun nodded. “To be honest, I also think it’s inappropriate. In the beginning, the Nightmare Forest wasn’t moving much. We just sent people to keep an eye on them, we didn’t seal them. But after Wangliang City was destroyed, they suddenly became restless, and they were sealed by the Penglai elders who were there at the time.”

“Penglai,” Lan Yuan sneered. “It’s always Penglai.”

Ye Qingjun raised her eyes, hesitating. “Since yesterday, I’ve noticed that Miss Lan Yuan seems to dislike Penglai.”

Lan Yuan scoffed, tilting her head. “It seems Lan Wu didn’t tell you everything.”

As soon as she finished speaking, several pairs of eyes looked at Lan Wu. Lan Wu blinked, stammering, “That… that’s because I was in a hurry to go out and find Ah Yue yesterday, I didn’t have time to explain.”

“Never mind,” Ye Qingjun sighed. “If there are some things that are very important to you, that you can’t easily say, then I don’t need to know.”

Lan Yuan raised an eyebrow, glancing at her, then at Lan Wu, who was looking down silently, finally saying, “Fine, I can help, but I can’t guarantee it’ll work.”

“Thank you.” Ye Qingjun turned her head. “There are many checkpoints along the way. To avoid trouble, Changge will go with you.”

“Cough! Cough cough…” Meng Changge choked, barely catching her breath, saying in surprise, “Me?!”

“Yes, you’ll escort Miss Lan Yuan.”

“I don’t need an escort.” Lan Yuan refused. “Her cultivation isn’t even as high as mine.”

Meng Changge sat up straight, saying angrily, “Who says your cultivation is higher than mine? Besides, do you think I want to escort you? Your temper is so bad, it’s torture to be with you!”

“Enough arguing,” Ye Qingjun said. “Regardless, Changge is well-respected. With her around, no one will question you. It’ll make the journey smoother.” She added, “They’re in a hurry, so it’s best if you leave as soon as possible.”

Lan Yuan clicked her tongue, crossing her arms lazily. “I just got here and I already have work to do, my butt hasn’t even warmed up. Sect Leader Ye really knows how to use people.”

Ye Qingjun smiled. “Better early than late, right?”

“Fine,” Lan Yuan patted her clothes, looking at Lan Wu beside her. “While I’m gone, I hope Sect Leader Ye will take good care of my sister and not let her suffer.”

“Of course.”

Lan Wu was stunned, turning to look at her.

Lan Yuan smiled, pinching Lan Wu’s earlobe casually. “Now you see how important it is to bring me along, don’t you?”