Into The Sea

“Over the years you’ve been gone, the house has remained untouched. I’ve come by occasionally to clean it up, so it’s still tidy, though a bit old.”

The elderly woman hunched over, walking ahead with one hand behind her back, her voice carrying a nostalgic tone. “When we erected the tombstones for them, your body was the only one we couldn’t find. So I’ve always thought… the one who survived and buried everyone must have been you.” She smiled. “And indeed, you’re still alive, and you’ve even become an immortal.”

Ji Lingyue pursed her lips and slowed her pace to walk beside her.

“Ah… here we are,” the elderly woman said, walking up the stone steps. She pulled out a key from her sleeve, her hand trembling as she unlocked the lock on the door.

Pushing open the creaking door, they saw an empty courtyard. On the west side, there was a stone table with rusty tools on it. In front of the table, there was an apricot tree. It was winter, so the leaves had fallen, leaving behind dry, twisted branches.

Ji Lingyue looked around. The dusty, old houses were low and old, completely different from the newly renovated houses around them.

Ji Yan coughed, her voice full of concern. “Why don’t you stay at my place? This place has been empty for too long, and it’s not very lively. You won’t be comfortable.”

“It’s fine, we don’t mind the cold.”

The elderly woman nodded, smiling. “That’s right, you two are immortals. I was overthinking it.”

As she spoke, faint footsteps sounded outside. Lan Wu turned her head and saw a little girl struggling to carry a pile of bedding taller than herself, wobbling as she walked and calling out, “Grandma, grandma, I brought the thickest and softest blankets!”

Ji Yan chuckled, turning to Ji Lingyue. “This is my granddaughter, Lian’er. She usually studies in the city with a teacher. She came back with her parents for the New Year.”

Lan Wu stepped forward, taking the bedding from the girl. “Thank you, I can do it.”

Ji Lingyue glanced at her. “It seems you’ve been doing well.”

“Perhaps. Life just goes on, I suppose.” As she spoke, Ji Yan reached out her hand, her gaze gentle as she looked at Ji Lingyue. Ji Lingyue hesitated for a moment before placing her hand in the elderly woman’s palm, feeling the warm, wrinkled skin, rough with calluses. Her own hand, in contrast, remained smooth and youthful, untouched by time.

“It’s been so long, and I haven’t even asked… have you been well?”

Ji Lingyue pressed her lips together, her voice soft. “Of course. I’m doing very well.”

“Then why did it take you so long to come back?”

“I…” She blinked, at a loss for words.

Ji Yan sighed softly, her tone resigned. “I know you’ve always been stubborn. I remember when you were a child, you chased a deer for an entire day and night without coming home. We were all worried and searched the mountains for you. When we finally found you, you were sleeping in the snow, using the deer’s body as a pillow.”

Ji Lingyue said, “I don’t remember that…”

Ji Yan’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “All these years, you must have gone through a lot and suffered a lot.”

“It wasn’t so bad,” Ji Lingyue said, her voice trembling despite her efforts to stay composed, “Ah Yan, the demon that killed everyone… is dead.”

“Is that so?” The elderly woman paused, her eyes widening slightly. “Did you… avenge everyone?”

Ji Lingyue nodded, a misty look in her eyes. “I’m sorry it took me so long to come back.”

“It’s not too late. How could it be?” Ji Yan raised her hand, gently wiping away the tears from the corner of Ji Lingyue’s eyes. “As long as you’ve come back, that’s all that matters.”

The faint scent of smoke drifted in with the evening breeze, and from inside the house came Lian’er’s exasperated voice. “Are you really an adult? How can you be so clumsy? You don’t even know how to make a bed!”

Another gentle voice replied. “Sorry, sorry. I haven’t done this before. Thank you for your help.”

“You talk so strangely.”

“How is it strange?”

“Well… it just is!”

Ji Yan smiled gently. “Ah Yue.”

Ji Lingyue lowered her eyes, looking at her quietly.

“Before, we always huddled together with Ah Ying and Ah Lin, squeezing onto the same bed at night, whispering secrets behind our parents’ backs. Back then, you were the only one who said you didn’t have someone you liked.” The elderly woman raised her gray head, her voice warm as she asked, “Do you have someone now?”

Ji Lingyue paused, looking instinctively at the figure busy inside the house. She turned back, seeing the elderly woman’s eyes full of amusement. Ji Lingyue blinked, suddenly feeling embarrassed, as if she were a young girl again, caught by her closest friend with a secret crush. Her face turned red. “Yes,” she said softly. “I’ve had someone for a long time now.”

“Ha!” After successfully starting a fire, Lan Wu raised a piece of charcoal excitedly. “I’m a genius!”

No sooner had she spoken than she inhaled a mouthful of smoke and began coughing violently.

Ji Lingyue chuckled, patting her back. Seeing how badly she was coughing, she suspiciously cupped Lan Wu’s face. Lan Wu sniffled, her eyes watery, looking as if she might start shedding tiny pearls.

Hmm… she probably couldn’t shed them yet.

Ji Lingyue pulled her into the courtyard, wetting a handkerchief and carefully placing it over her red eyes. “Why are you so careless?”

Lan Wu closed her eyes, grumbling, “I’ve never started a fire before, and besides…”

Ji Lingyue leaned in and kissed her.

Lan Wu’s words faltered, her hands instinctively rising to rest on Ji Lingyue’s waist. “Doesn’t your friend find it strange?”

“What strange?”

“That you… like me,” She whispered, “Even though it’s not uncommon in the cultivation world, in the mortal realm, relationships between women are still rare, aren’t they?”

Ji Lingyue hummed. “She did find it a bit strange, but she’s old now. Some things don’t matter to her anymore, as long as I’m happy.” After she finished speaking, she changed the subject, raising an eyebrow. “Were you eavesdropping?”

Lan Wu blinked nervously. “I wasn’t eavesdropping! I was making the bed, and the sound just went into my ears.”

Feeling the flutter of eyelashes beneath the handkerchief, Ji Lingyue chuckled and kissed her again. “Are you hungry? Ah Yan gave us some New Year’s goods. I’ll make you a bowl of hot porridge to warm you up.”

“Okay,” Lan Wu said. “I’ll get some more water from the well. After we finish the porridge, we can take a hot bath.”

After they divided the work, they started to get busy. Ji Lingyue hadn’t cooked in years. After circling the kitchen a few times, she gradually found her rhythm. She started the fire, washed the rice, and heated the iron pot. She then poured in soybean oil and stir-fried some winter bamboo shoots and meat with simple seasonings.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Lan Wu had finally drawn the water. She buried her head in her storage ring, searching for a long time before finally accepting an unfortunate fact.

She hadn’t brought the fire pearl.

“Then let’s use the fire in the kitchen to heat the water,” Ji Lingyue said, placing the dish on the table. “Come eat first.”

Lan Wu went obediently. “Coming.”

After they finished eating, a large pot of hot water was boiling. The two of them went out for a walk, circling the edge of the village a few times.

“That’s the North Star, and that’s the Evening Star…” Ji Lingyue said, pointing to the stars in the night sky, her voice full of interest. “When I got lost in the mountains as a child, I always found my way home by the stars.”

Lan Wu looked up at the sky. “What about during the day?”

“During the day, I would look at the sun,” Ji Lingyue glanced at her, muttering, “But if it were you, looking at anything wouldn’t help. You just need to follow me.” She paused, then added, “Or you can just take me along.”

Lan Wu couldn’t help but chuckle. “Am I a must-have for traveling?”

Ji Lingyue scoffed. “No one else gets to take me along.”

Seeing that Lan Wu didn’t answer, but was still walking quickly, she blinked, deliberately slowing her pace. She then jumped on her back, her legs wrapping around her waist. Lan Wu swayed, catching her thighs steadily, laughing. “How childish.”

Ji Lingyue rested her chin on Lan Wu’s shoulder, lazily saying. “Elder Yao said I have internal injuries and need to rest properly. I shouldn’t move around too much.”

“Now you’re using that excuse,” Lan Wu clicked her tongue helplessly, adjusting her position. “Before we left, Elder Yao clearly said it was fine to move around a bit.”

Ji Lingyue hugged her neck tightly, whining. “But I’m tired. And I’ve already walked enough today.”

Lan Wu smiled and carried her slowly back home.

The moonlight illuminated the path ahead, and as they walked, a few snowflakes began to fall, one landing lightly on Ji Lingyue’s nose. She blinked, lifting her head to watch the snowflakes drift down. “It’s snowing.”

She nestled back against Lan Wu, pulling the hood of her robe over her head to shield herself and Lan Wu from the cold. “Lan Wu.”

Lan Wu hummed softly.

“Let’s go back,” she said softly. “I want to sleep.”