Into The Sea

After the piercing cry of the sword faded, the sky that had briefly been lit with red light dimmed once more. Several bodies collapsed heavily to the ground.

Lan Wu collapsed beside Ji Lingyue, cradling her limp body and brushing away the tangled hair sticking to her face.

“Ah Yue, Ah Yue…”

Ji Lingyue whimpered faintly as blood gushed from her mouth and nose, staining one side of her face. Lan Wu frantically raised her head, searching her storage ring for a medicinal pill. The woman trembled as she opened her lips, swallowing the pill whole, but her stomach burned as if on fire, forcing her to gasp for breath.

“Ugh…”

Her heart felt like it was being pierced by thousands of needles. Ji Lingyue’s body convulsed, tears falling uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes. Even in her pain, she struggled to turn her head, looking at another figure not far away.

Lan Wu followed her gaze and froze.

A silver-haired mermaid knelt alone on the surface of the sea. Her spine arched, shoulders trembling, blood streaming down her arms and dripping into the cold water.

Lan Wu pressed her lips together, carefully lifting Ji Lingyue, walking towards her step by step.

As they approached, the figure lying in Lan Yuan’s arms became clearer. Ji Xing’s face was covered in blood, her breath long gone.

Lan Wu stopped, her eyes fixed on her.

“She said…”

Lan Yuan’s voice was hoarse. “She was happy… to be my sister…”

Lan Wu remained silent.

“She also said… she was sorry…” The woman slowly raised her eyes, her tear-filled gaze drifting toward the two before her. “For everything…”

“I’m sorry.”

Ji Lingyue froze, her eyes lingering on Ji Xing’s face for a moment before she buried her face in Lan Wu’s chest.

After a long time, Lan Wu sighed softly, kneeling in front of Lan Yuan. “Sister,” she lowered her fingertips, picking up the blood-stained longsword, offering it to the woman. “It’s time.”

Lan Yuan’s lashes trembled, her arms instinctively tightening around the body in her embrace. Her red-rimmed eyes stared at the woman in her arms for a long time before she finally exhaled a shaky breath, tears falling with a soft plop.

She gently cleaned the blood from Ji Xing’s face, revealing her delicate features again. The woman’s eyes were closed, her brows relaxed, as if she were merely asleep.

Lan Yuan lowered her head, gently laying Ji Xing down. She then pushed herself up, swaying unsteadily as she stood.

The Sea Emperor’s Sword was now in her hand. The mermaid turned, walking forward into the salty sea breeze, using her last bit of demonic energy to project her voice. “All sea clans, hear my command—!”

Her sharp voice carried on the wind, reaching every corner of the battlefield. The combatants, their eyes bloodshot from the fight, paused and turned toward her.

Lan Yuan slowly raised the sword in her hand, her silver hair dancing in the wind. “Sha Lang is dead! Lan Zhichuan is dead! The Sea Emperor’s Sword is here!”

Her body trembled as she shouted, “In the name of the Sea Emperor, I command all sea clans—retreat!”

***

A few days later.

Warm, bright sunlight bathed the narrow alley as a young girl with both arms wrapped in bandages ran briskly through the crowded streets, calling out cheerfully, “Danbai!”

A girl who had just stepped out of a medicine pavilion paused, turning her head. “Danqing?”

Before she could say more, Danqing’s energetic figure had already rushed up to her.

Danbai braced herself, expecting the girl to crash into her and spill the bowl of medicine she was holding. But the girl stopped just in time, a wide smile on her face. “Master sent me to pick up some medicine!”

Danbai frowned. “Medicine? Didn’t we already send your batch over?”

Danqing nodded. “But we need more for one more person today.”

“Whose?”

“Senior Sister Meng’s.”

“Senior Sister Meng?” Danbai understood. “She’s moving into your courtyard.”

“Really?” Danqing’s eyes widened in surprise. “But she said she was just coming to visit.”

Danbai scoffed. “You’re such an idiot.”

Before Danqing could get angry, she asked, “How are you going to carry the medicine back with your arms like that?”

Danqing blinked, looking down at her tightly bandaged arms. She frowned, then her eyes lit up. “You can hang it around my neck!”

Danbai sighed helplessly. “Fine. After I deliver this bowl of medicine, I’ll go back with you.”

Danqing was delighted. “You’re the best!”

“I’m going to see Ah Yue, not to help you.”

“That’s fine too!”

***

Soon, the two girls were walking side by side towards the edge of the town. The small town had limited available housing, so they had to arrange for everyone to live together as much as possible.

To make it easier for Lan Yuan to receive guests, Ye Qingjun and the others had moved to a courtyard by the sea. Though remote, the location was quiet and perfect for recuperation.

Hearing this, Danbai asked, “It’s been three days. Is the Sea Empress still receiving guests?”

“Nonstop!” Danqing grumbled. “They never stop, from morning till night. I never knew there were so many different kinds of sea yaos. There are fish, shrimp, turtles… and all kinds of weird things I can’t even name. They are so ugly.”

Danbai couldn’t help but chuckle. In the distance, the outline of the seaside courtyard came into view, with a crowd of dark figures kneeling outside the gate.

“What’s that?”

“Those are the elders of the shark, whale, and merfolk clans,” Danqing explained. “The shark and whale clans are here to beg for forgiveness. As for the merfolk, I heard Master say that they want to take Sister Lan Yuan back to the sea to recover, but she doesn’t want to. So they’re kneeling here.”

Danbai hummed, glancing at them curiously as she walked closer, before turning to step into the courtyard.

As soon as she entered, she saw her senior sister, Meng Changge, holding a broom and yelling at a figure with an octopus head. “I already said no visitors! Why won’t any of you listen? Don’t you know your Empress is injured and needs to rest?”

“But…”

“But what? Do you want to exhaust her to death?”

“No, no, of course not—”

Danqing walked past them as if it were the most normal thing in the world, but Danbai stopped, belatedly saying, “Senior sister… I put your medicine in the room.”

Meng Changge paused, then quickly set down the broom, a faint blush appearing on her face. “Oh, thank you… thank you for going out of your way.”

“It’s nothing.”

She followed Danqing into the house, bowing respectfully. “Sect Leader.”

Ye Qingjun, holding a bowl of hot tea, smiled warmly, “Danbai, you’re here. Is the medicine pavilion not busy anymore?”

“It is. I have to go back soon.”

Ye Qingjun nodded. “Thank you for helping my junior sister these past few days. When we return to the sect, feel free to ask her for any medicinal herbs you need.”

Danbai shook her head quickly. “Everyone is injured. I’m still able to move around, so I’m happy to help however I can. Elder Yao is the one who’s really working hard.”

“No need to be so modest,” Ye Qingjun said, her eyes curving into a smile. “You’re here to see Ah Yue, right? She just drank her medicine. She’s in the inner room.”

“I’ll go see her then.”

After speaking, Danbai turned towards the west wing. Passing through the archway, she saw a narrow corridor. Three bedrooms were arranged along the corridor. Yu Shanye was staying in the outermost room, Xuan Yu and Yao Zhu in the middle, and Lan Wu and Ji Lingyue in the innermost.

As she passed through the corridor, a fiery red fox lounging under the eaves noticed her and lazily lifted its head. “Aren’t you that little cultivator from the medicine pavilion? Have you seen my Xuan Yu?”

Danbai glanced at her. “She’s busy making medicine.”

The fox sighed, lying back down. “She’s going to be busy until midnight again.”

Danbai ignored her and walked to the innermost room, gently knocking on the door.

No response.

She hesitated for a moment before carefully pushing the door open.

Sunlight streamed into the room through the crack, leaving a long, narrow stripe of light on the floor.

Danbai looked up to see Lan Wu lying in a wicker rocking chair, a thin blanket draped over her, fast asleep. Nestled in the crook of her shoulder was another head of fluffy hair. The person, also with her eyes closed, had one hand curled on Lan Wu’s chest, her body rising and falling gently with each breath.

Danbai blinked, instinctively holding her breath as she quietly closed the door and turned to leave.

The fox raised an eyebrow. “Leaving already?”

Danbai nodded. “They’re sleeping. I don’t want to disturb them.”

As she reached the gate, a familiar voice came from the other side of the courtyard. “Yu Shanye, Yu Shanye, the fire is going out!”

Another voice replied, “I’m coming, I’m coming! You little bird, how can you be so disrespectful? Since you are Lan Wu’s disciple, you should at least call me senior sister.”

Danqing immediately corrected herself. “Senior sister, you promised to make sweet and sour fish for me today.”

Yu Shanye lowered her voice. “I didn’t forget. Keep your voice down. Don’t let Lan Wu and the others hear…”

“Hurry up,” Danqing whispered. “Danbai is leaving soon. I want her to try it too.”

Danbai paused, retracting her foot from the threshold. She turned back.

Well… staying an extra hour probably wouldn’t hurt.