Into The Sea

As soon as they entered the Kunlun Sea, Lan Wu felt that something wasn’t right.

All around them, vibrant shellfish demons shimmered with dazzling light, guiding them through a winding path. At the end of the path, a faint, ethereal song could be heard. Dolphins played, sharks swam, and colorful schools of fish darted among the vibrant coral. Even the white sand on the seabed was teeming with crustaceans.

This tranquil deep sea seemed to be hosting some kind of lively festival.

Lan Yuan glanced around and spotted a dolphin swimming nearby. She reached out and grabbed its tail fin: “Excuse me…”

The dolphin was clearly enjoying himself. He jolted in surprise when yanked back, and was about to complain—until he saw her face and froze.

“Second Princess? Third Princess?”

Lan Yuan nodded and asked. “What’s going on? Why is it so lively today?”

“You didn’t know?” The dolphin turned around, excited. “Today is the Sea Emperor’s 320th birthday! He’s hosting a grand banquet for all the sea clans, and every attendee will receive a Primordial Pearl.”

Lan Yuan was surprised. “That extravagant?”

“Yes. Isn’t that why the two of you came back?”

Lan Yuan exchanged a subtle glance with Lan Wu and smiled. “Oh, my memory must be slipping. I almost forgot. Alright, we’re fine now. You can go.”

The dolphin hummed, swished its tail, and swam away happily.

“Birthday?” Lan Wu crossed her arms, pondering. “That’s right… today is really our brother’s 320th birthday.”

“Why did it have to be today?” Lan Yuan frowned. “I was hoping to secretly discuss things with Mother, but if there’s a banquet today, she’ll definitely be busy accompanying him to meet the clan leaders. That means we won’t have a chance to talk to her alone.”

Lan Wu thought for a moment. “But maybe… this is actually an opportunity.”

“What kind of opportunity?”

“Most of the sea clans are here today. If we can’t take him down ourselves, they might be able to help.”

Lan Yuan narrowed her eyes. “You’re assuming they’ll believe us. But what if they don’t? What if they think what Lan Zhichuan did was justified? If we expose him in front of everyone and it backfires, what then?”

Lan Wu said, “I’ve thought about it. But as long as the most important clans stop supporting him, the rest won’t be able to cause trouble.”

Ji Lingyue instinctively asked, “Which ones are the most important?”

“The Shark Clan, the Dragon Clan, and the Whale Clan.”

In the end, it all came back to Jiang Xi.

“Our brother has already been replaced by Lan Zhichuan, but Mother still doesn’t know. She’s the princess of the Dragon Clan, and her sister is their current leader. So, as long as Mother believes us and stands with us, the Dragon Clan will too.”

Lan Yuan clicked her tongue. “So, we still need to find a way to tell Mother the truth before the banquet starts.”

“Right.” Lan Wu nodded. “We also need to find Fuyou. If the High Priestess comes forward to vouch for us, all the sea clans will believe us to some extent.”

Ji Lingyue caught on immediately. “Then we’ll need to split up.”

The group exchanged silent glances. Lan Yuan bit her lip, “Our brother is Mother’s only biological child. I don’t know how to tell her…”

“I’ll tell her.” Lan Wu said. “You take Ah Li to find Fuyou. Ah Yue and I will find Mother.”

Lan Yuan was stunned, looking at her intently. “Lan Wu…”

“It’s alright,” Lan Wu smiled: “Go. We’ll meet at the banquet.”

After some discussion, they split into two groups.

Lan Yuan and the small white dragon swam through the schools of fish, heading toward the High Priestess’s Temple. Lan Wu swished her long tail and turned gracefully, cupping Ji Lingyue’s face in her hands.

The woman paused, her long lashes fluttering as she looked at Lan Wu in confusion.

“Sorry, I need to change your appearance.”

A pale blue spiritual energy covered Ji Lingyue’s face, transforming her into a mermaid with blue hair and green eyes. She instinctively adjusted, and her legs fused into a shining, elegant tail.

Lan Wu smiled: “You’re really talented.”

Ji Lingyue clumsily swished her tail, her body swaying unsteadily as she tumbled into Lan Wu’s arms.

“Don’t worry,” Lan Wu held her wrist and helped her up. “Those are still your legs. They’re just temporarily fused together and can’t move. You’ll get the hang of it.”

Ji Lingyue looked up. “Why do I need this disguise?”

“Because you’re too famous.” Lan Wu said gently. “If they recognize you, they’ll know I’m with you. I don’t want to waste time being stared at and gossiped about. It’s easier to pretend to be Lan Yuan.”

Ji Lingyue struggled for a while, finally able to stay upright. She hesitantly placed her hand in Lan Wu’s palm. “I never knew tails were so hard to use.”

“It’s always awkward the first time. When I first transformed into a human, I thought legs were the worst.”

The deep, resonating sound of whales came from not far away. Lan Wu stretched her body and blended into the massive whale pod above them. She grabbed a whale fin and followed the beautiful creatures towards the Sea Palace.

The water flowing past her body was warm and gentle, like the touch of a feather. Small fish scattered as the whales passed, leaving them behind. Ji Lingyue glanced at the colorful fish swimming around them and instinctively tightened her grip on Lan Wu’s hand: “Lan Wu.”

“Just relax.” Her thick silver hair floated like seaweed behind her. Lan Wu intertwined her fingers with hers and looked back, smiling. “I’ve got you.”

Before long, they reached the merfolk city. The magnificent Sea Palace stood at the end of a sea cliff, glowing with a gentle white light.

Lan Wu left the whale pod and had just landed on the cold jade steps when she heard someone call out, “Your Highness?”

She turned around and saw Lan Yuan’s personal attendant, Feng Yi, swimming over with a plate of Biyou fruit. “When did you return?” she asked joyfully.

Lan Wu replied calmly, “Just now.”

“Did you come back to celebrate the Sea Emperor’s birthday?” Feng Yi said happily. ” His Majesty was just asking about you a few days ago. He’ll be thrilled you came.”

Lan Wu didn’t respond, and asked, “Do you know where my mother is?”

“The Empress Dowager?” Feng Yi recalled. “I just saw her in the Baicui Cave. She should still be there.”

Lan Wu hummed. “Thank you.”

She casually picked up a fruit and hurried off with Ji Lingyue. Feng Yi stood there, blinking in confusion. “…She said thank you?”

After a moment, she frowned, looking at Lan Wu’s departing figure suspiciously. “Was that… the Third Princess?”

Meanwhile, Lan Wu held the fruit up to Ji Lingyue’s lips.

The woman took a bite without hesitation and immediately shivered from the sour taste, tears welling up in her eyes.

Lan Wu, seeing her teary gaze, chuckled. “The first bite is always sour. It’s supposed to stimulate your appetite and refresh the mind. They always prepare these before the banquets in the sea. If you eat it again, it will be sweet.” Then, she offered her the other half. “Try it if you don’t believe me.”

Ji Lingyue backed away, wary. “You eat it first.”

Lan Wu sighed and took a bite in front of her. Ji Lingyue, seeing her expression was normal, then hesitantly took the other half from her hand and ate it.

The sweet taste quickly spread through her mouth. mellow. Ji Lingyue widened her eyes and gave a small nod. Lan Wu smiled.

Lan Wu smiled and looked ahead. The Baicui Cave was located on the cliff next to the Sea Palace. Its interior was lined with crystal-clear ice crystals, and the entrance was covered in vibrant red coral.

This place was usually reserved for entertaining distinguished guests. Lan Wu began to worry that if Jiang Xi was here, Lan Zhichuan might be here too.

Lan Wu pursed her lips and quickly swam to the entrance, looking past the guards.

Thankfully, only Jiang Xi was inside.

“Your Highness?” A merfolk guard said, surprised. “When did you return?”

Lan Wu didn’t have time to explain and pushed past them, swimming inside. “Mother!”

Jiang Xi was in the middle of a conversation when she heard the voice. She turned around in surprise. “Ah, my precious daughter is back!”

She took a few steps forward and embraced Lan Wu, cupping her face with a smile. “Let me see. Why have you lost so much weight? You’ve been gone for so long, and you didn’t even let us know you were coming back. Where’s your sister?”

Lan Wu hesitated, when another voice called out: “Lan Wu?” A tall man walked over, studying her intently: “Is that really you?”

Lan Wu looked up, feeling like she recognized him. “You are…?”

Jiang Xi chuckled, “You don’t recognize him? This is Sha Lang. When you were kids, you two were always fighting. You were always competing to see who could swim faster and who could catch more jellyfish. You caused so much trouble together. You even almost got engaged. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten?”

Lan Wu was speechless.

She glanced helplessly at Ji Lingyue—only to catch her giving her a look through her illusionary disguise. Half amused, half warning.

Jiang Xi continued, “That’s right. You two haven’t seen each other in a long time. While you were running around, Sha Lang became the heir of the shark clan. I wonder when you’ll finally settle down…”

“I need to speak to you alone,” Lan Wu cut in. “It’s urgent.”

“Now? Can’t it wait until I finish talking to Sha Lang?”

“No, it can’t.”

Sha Lang looked at them both, then said gently, “If it’s urgent, I don’t mind waiting.”

Jiang Xi sighed. “Look at you. When you were a child, you were just as much of a troublemaker as Lan Wu. But now you’re so mature. If Lan Wu had stayed with you back then, maybe she would have…”

“Mother!”

Lan Wu couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed Jiang Xi’s sleeve, pulling her deeper into the cave. Ji Lingyue, however, didn’t move. She crossed her arms and waited for them to move into the back before turning to look at Sha Lang, her expression blank.

A thick-skinned, fierce, and burly shark.

The shark who almost became Lan Wu’s fiancé.

Just looking at him was annoying.

Sha Lang stood there silently for a moment, but couldn’t ignore her intense gaze. He could only lower his head and ask politely, “Miss, do you need something?”

Ji Lingyue said, “No wonder Lan Wu doesn’t like you.”

Sha Lang’s eyelashes trembled. He stared at her. “What did you say?”

Ji Lingyue said again, “You wouldn’t fit in her shell.”

Sha Lang frowned, feeling increasingly confused. Ji Lingyue, however, had no intention of continuing the conversation. She turned and swam inside. Sha Lang quickly stepped forward and grabbed her sleeve. “Wait, explain yourself. Why doesn’t Lan Wu like me?”

Ji Lingyue looked back casually. “She just doesn’t like you. There’s no reason for it.”

Then, she curled her lips and added lightly, “Besides… she likes me. That’s all that matters.”

Sha Lang was stunned, his eyes widening in disbelief. At that moment, a crash came from the back of the cave, like something had shattered.

His heart jumped. He was about to move when Ji Lingyue stopped him with a palm. “You’re not going in there.”

Sha Lang clenched his fists, his voice rising. “Who do you think you are, daring to stop me?”

“I’m someone who will kill you if you take one more step.” Ji Lingyue’s expression grew cold. “If you don’t believe me, try it.”

In a room not far away, several pieces of a jade pot lay quietly on the ice crystals. Jiang Xi swayed slightly, holding onto a table, her voice hollow. “What did you say?”

Lan Wu said softly, “Mother…”

Jiang Xi didn’t let her finish, “If Lan Zhichuan never died… if he’s been Sea Emperor all this time… then what about Ji’er? What happened to my son?”

Lan Wu looked at her sadly. “When they went to the Abyssal Sea, nearly the entire force was wiped out. The only one who returned was Lan Zhichuan, disguised as my elder brother.”

“He even used the excuse of being severely wounded and losing his memory to explain the drastic change in his personality. All these years, he played the role of my brother flawlessly, without ever slipping up. And my real brother never showed up again. That can only mean…” She bit her lip, her voice strained. “My brother has already… already…”

Died.

Jiang Xi’s long eyelashes trembled, and a fragile red glow spread over her eyes. “How could it be…” She shook her head, stepping back in disbelief. “How could my child die… and I never even knew?