Into The Sea

“Senior Sister Ji.”

“Greetings, Senior Sister Ji.”

“Senior Sister Ji.”

A young woman ascended the mountain steps, her serene face framed by long, dark eyes as cold and distant as stars. A black sword was strapped to her back as she hurried along, her entire demeanor radiating a chilly aura that kept strangers at bay. Yet, she still acknowledged the greetings of the outer disciples with a polite nod as she passed.

Her white robe fluttered like a butterfly as she walked. Reaching a fork in the path, she turned towards Qianyun Peak, with its lush green slopes and sparkling streams.

Along the way, several senior brothers and sisters greeted her familiarly. “Junior Sister Ji, coming to see Lan Wu again?”

Ji Lingyue gave a soft “Mm,” and casually asked, “Is Lan Wu on the mountain?”

“She is. I saw her just a moment ago.”

Thanking them, Ji Lingyue quickened her pace and soon arrived at Jianzhi Courtyard.

The courtyard was filled with flowers and spiritual trees with birds chirping melodiously. Ji Lingyue looked around but didn’t see anyone, so she walked to the southeast corner of the courtyard, beneath a towering parasol tree, and looked up.

Amidst the dense green leaves, a corner of white robe peeked out. Ji Lingyue smiled and called out, “Lan Wu.”

After a moment of silence, rustling sounds came from above, and a head peeked out from behind the tree trunk.

“You’re back?” Lan Wu’s soft black hair fell down as she looked, her eyes sparkling with life.

She flipped upright and lightly floated to the ground. Startled, Ji Lingyue instinctively reached out to catch her, but Lan Wu brushed her off casually.

Seeing her land steadily, Ji Lingyue asked in surprise, “You can control spiritual energy now?”

Lan Wu hummed proudly, “While you were away, I finally reached the Foundation Establishment stage!”

Although she had only managed to form an incomplete danxin, it required her to absorb far more spiritual energy than others to achieve even this much. Still, it was a vast improvement from the previous five years, where she had made no progress at all.

“That’s wonderful!” Ji Lingyue smiled happily, but after a while, her smile faded. Hesitantly, she said, “But I… I didn’t find the medicine this time.”

After entering the Qi Refining stage, Haochen Mountain disciples were allowed to take on simple sect missions, accompanying their seniors to hunt demons. Ji Lingyue often traveled far and wide searching for medicines, each trip taking one or two months.

Lan Wu paused, looking at the girl now almost as tall as herself, and softened. “It’s alright. I’ve already formed my danxin. It just means my cultivation will be slower. Don’t worry about the medicine anymore.”

“No,” Ji Lingyue shook her head, thinking for a moment before pulling her towards the back mountain. “Let’s ask Elder Yao again.”

Unable to refuse, Lan Wu allowed herself to be dragged along. As they approached Elder Yao’s courtyard, they spotted her squatting on the ground, feeding a spoonful of spiritual medicine to a white cat. The cat meowed in protest, its tongue sticking out from the bitter taste. Seeing visitors, it quickly leaped into Lan Wu’s arms.

Ji Lingyue frowned, reaching out to grab the cat by the scruff of its neck. “Get down,” she ordered.

“Hey, be nice,” Lan Wu chided. She knew Ji Lingyue disliked demons and even if they were spirit beasts that couldn’t yet transform, but this snow lion had become quite familiar with her over the years at Qianyun Peak. She couldn’t help but defend it a bit. “There, there, go play somewhere else,” she said, gently stroking its fur.

Lan Wu set the snow lion down, watching as it disappeared into the grass before straightening up. She noticed Ji Lingyue was about to speak but seemed to think better of it. They entered Elder Yao’s courtyard, Ji Lingyue leading the way.

Over the years, their visits with Elder Yao had become more frequent, and their conversations longer.

After examining Lan Wu, Elder Yao said, “With her current condition, she can cultivate, but she’ll progress much slower than others, possibly taking dozens of times longer. To progress normally, forming a complete danxin is still the ideal solution.”

“Yes,” Ji Lingyue replied softly. “We’re only missing the Yunzhi Fruit and the Sea Pearl.”

Lan Wu shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

The Yunzhi tree bore fruit only once every forty years. As for the Sea Pearl… it was essentially a mermaid’s tear. Unfortunately, in her current state, even when she cried, all that emerged were ordinary water droplets, not the precious pearls.

These two ingredients were extremely difficult to find. Lan Wu opened her mouth, trying to persuade her once more, “Maybe we should just let it go…”

Ji Lingyue interrupted her, “I can find them. Don’t worry about it.”

Lan Wu’s expression was a mixture of guilt and unease. She couldn’t shake off a feeling of dread as they left Elder Yao’s courtyard. On their way back, they bumped into Yu Shanye, who was cradling the snow lion in her arms.

“Oh, there you are!” Yu Shanye exclaimed, her eyes lit up upon seeing them. “I was just looking for you two.”

“What’s up?”

“Master mentioned there might be a Yunzhi Tree on Penglai Island that’s about to bear fruit.” Yu Shanye stroked the white cat in her arms. “Penglai’s been struggling these past few years and has accepted quite a bit of help from our Haochen Mountain. Master wants the three of us to deliver medicine on her behalf—a gesture of goodwill. And who knows? They might feel inclined to return the favor.”

Lan Wu’s eyes widened. “I can go too?”

“Yes,” Yu Shanye confirmed. “Master said you’ve been stuck on this mountain for five years. It’s good for you to get out and see the world.”

Lan Wu was practically bouncing with excitement. Ji Lingyue’s lips curved into a smile. “That just leaves the Sea Pearl,” she murmured, more to herself than anyone else.

Lan Wu stiffened, starting to feel anxious again.

A few days later, after Lan Wu had handed in a mountain of handwritten scriptures to Elder Bai as punishment for skipping class, the three finally set off on their journey.

Yu Shanye had been roped into helping this time and complained as her hands grew sore from copying. “You’ve probably filled half a room with all the scriptures you’ve copied over the years,” she grumbled.

“Probably,” Lan Wu agreed, climbing onto Ji Lingyue’s white crane. “I could recite the Heart Cleansing Scripture backwards by now.”

Yu Shanye turned to see them sitting comfortably and then looked at the flying sword under her feet, feeling annoyed. “Can’t you two make some room for me too?”

“No,” Ji Lingyue said flatly. “Danbai doesn’t like strangers.”

“Since when am I a stranger?” Yu Shanye stared at her in disbelief. “I’ve fed her hundreds of spirit fruits over the years!”

“Still no,” Ji Lingyue insisted, stroking the crane’s neck. “Danbai, let’s go.”

“Hey! You two…” Yu Shanye watched in disbelief as they ascended into the sky. With a huff, she urged her sword forward, speeding after them. “You two are so annoying!”

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, on the shores of Luoluo Island in the Southern Region, a shadow emerged from the water.

A slender figure walked step by step onto the shore, leaving wet footprints behind as droplets of water fell from her bare feet.

A light blue robe materialized, perfectly fitting the woman’s graceful body.

Lan Yuan paused as her cascading silver hair slowly darkened until it matched the deep black of ink. Her azure eyes shifted, turning pitch black. She narrowed her gaze at the clear sky above, her lips curling into a faint smile. With just a flick of her wrist, dozens of transparent, fish-shaped creatures formed from the surrounding water vapor, suspended weightlessly in the air around her.

“Go find her,” she commanded softly.