Into The Sea

Long ago, the Qing family of the Western Desert welcomed a pair of twin daughters. The elder sister was named Qing He, and the younger sister was Qing Miao. They were born in the city of Wangliang and grew up there, inseparable and deeply devoted to each other. At the time, Wangliang was just an ordinary town in the vast desert.

Qing He was gentle, composed, and dignified. Her younger sister, on the other hand, was bold and carefree—fearless of heaven or earth. As soon as she reached the Foundation Establishment stage, Qing Miao left to wander the world, seeking adventure and justice. Years later, this troublesome sister returned home, bringing with her another woman.

At first, Qing He did not know the woman’s identity. She only noticed her proud and aloof demeanor, someone who only smiled when she was with Qing Miao. It was only later that she learned the woman’s name: Zisang Chu, crown princess of the distant borderland state of Zisang.

Qing He had heard of the Zisang Kingdom. Although small in territory, its people were brave and warlike, worshiping the white wolf as their totem and upheld matriarchal rule. Though generations of the royal family were mere mortals, Zisang Chu alone had embarked on the path of cultivation.

But choosing that path meant renouncing the mortal world. When Qing He asked her why, Zisang Chu simply said, “Even if I’m gone, I have a sister. Zisang will never be without an heir.”

Then, she smiled at Qing He. “I had never left Zisang before. I didn’t realize the world was so vast. Now, I want to explore countless landscapes and spend endless seasons with Qing Miao. There are so many things I want to do with her.”

But beautiful days are fleeting.

Wangliang City, being the closest town to the demon realm, had experienced numerous conflicts with the demons since Qing He’s birth.

One such conflict proved especially devastating.

Qing He and Zisang Chu, both of higher cultivation, had left to confront the demons outside the city. They didn’t know that nearly a hundred lesser demons had already infiltrated behind them. By the time they rushed back, Wangliang was a city of the dead.

Her lover and her sister had both perished in the disaster.

In the years that followed, Qing He rebuilt Wangliang from its ashes, turning it into an impregnable fortress standing tall in the vast western desert, serving as the first line of defense against the demons.

During those long years, she occasionally heard news of Zisang Chu: that she never gave up searching for a way to bring her lover back; that rebellion erupted in Zisang and the queen and heir were killed; that at the brink of collapse, Zisang Chu returned to quash the revolt and became the new ruler…

After that, she entrusted Wangliang to a branch of the Qing family and departed with her beloved’s remains. She disappeared into the body of the ancient beast that swallowed the sky, Tuntian, forever trapped in suspended time.

“After Zisang Chu became queen, she faced a kingdom riddled with mounting crises. Though she was determined to find a way to revive her lover, she could not abandon her people. Unfortunately, with neighboring nations eyeing her kingdom hungrily, even her cultivation couldn’t save Zisang from destruction.” Zhong Heng said calmly, “The kingdom was crumbling, and she was powerless to stop it.”

Lan Wu frowned. “But I’ve heard that historical records say she started the war herself. After the losing the war, she was overthrown by her enraged subjects and disappeared.”

“Historical records?” Zhong Heng chuckled. “Aren’t human histories always written by the victors?”

Lan Wu fell silent.

“Zisang Chu tried to save her kingdom and her people, but she failed. Countless lives were lost. From that battlefield, a single Guling flower bloomed… She was also gravely injured in the war. When the kingdom fell, her loyal general, Chu Qingchan, fled with her.”

“On their journey, she was on the verge of death, but Chu Qingchan, in a desperate attempt to save her, fed her the flower to save her.”

Lan Wu was startled. “That flower… was used on Zisang Chu?”

“Yes. After eating the flower, Zisang Chu recovered. Together, they fled east, crossing the entire continent, and eventually settled on an unknown island in the sea.”

“…Penglai,” Lan Wu whispered.

Zhong Heng nodded. “Interestingly, Chu Qingchan is actually one of your ancestors.”

Lan Wu shook her head. “If what you say is true, that Zisang Chu ate the flower and gained eternal life… then who is buried in that underground palace?”

“It’s her.”

Before Lan Wu could question her, she continued, “As I said earlier, the Guling flower shouldn’t exist in this world, and no one should gain immortality through it. So I found Zisang Chu and offered her a deal: one wish in exchange for her immortality.”

“She agreed?”

“Yes,” Zhong Heng said. “She asked me to resurrect Qing Miao. So I did.”

“That wasn’t resurrection,” Ji Lingyue said coldly. “You gave her an empty shell.”

“She never said it had to be exactly the same.”

“You!” Ji Lingyue clenched her fists. “You’re twisting words! You were just deceiving her.”

“I believe she already knew,” Zhong Heng glanced at her calmly. “When she saw the revived body, she asked me, ‘Why hasn’t Qing Miao returned?’ I explained: true resurrection is only possible if the soul is intact and still lingers in this world. But Qing Miao’s soul had long since entered the cycle of reincarnation.”

Lan Wu paused. “She…”

“You might think she would be devastated, but she just smiled and thanked me for telling her the truth.”

Zhong Heng shook her head. “After the deal was completed, I took her lifespan as agreed. That empty body had no consciousness, only a killing instinct. To prevent it from causing chaos, Zisang Chu buried herself with it in the tomb and ordered Chu Qingchan’s descendants to guard the site.”

“Then why did ‘Qing Miao’ become a vine demon?”

Zhong Heng sighed. “You can ask your aunt. When she and the other demons stormed Penglai, they left countless corpses in the tomb. That body had starved too long and it consumed nearly every demon core there, becoming the monster you saw.”

Then, Zhong Heng narrowed her eyes, “But… there is one thing that still puzzles me. After Lan Yueyao broke the entrance to the underground palace, that body could have taken the opportunity to escape, but it never seemed to have any intention of doing so. Even without a soul, it still had the instinct to protect Zisang Chu. Isn’t that strange?”

Lan Wu pressed her lips together, “Who are you, really?”

“Haven’t you figured it out yet?” Zhong Heng slowly stepped forward. Her body was illuminated by the Changling Lantern in Lan Wu’s hands, but her feet were still empty.

Ji Lingyue quickly glanced down.

There was no shadow.

“I was once human, but I died a long, long time ago,” the woman said calmly. “Now, I am the ruler of the underworld, the guide of souls, the Ghost Queen, Zhong Heng.”

Lan Wu was startled. “…The Ghost Queen?”

Zhong Heng extended her hand. “Now, do you wish to make a deal with me?”

Lan Wu stared at her. “Can you grant any wish?”

“If it is within my power.”

“Can you bring back my mother and my aunt?”

“I’m sorry,” Zhong Heng said. “Lan Yueyao’s soul has already entered the underworld. As for your mother, her soul is incomplete. Even if she were revived, she wouldn’t be the same. But if you insist, I can…”

“Never mind.” She shook her head. “If I refuse to make this deal with you, what will be the consequences?”

Zhong Heng narrowed her eyes. “You don’t want to know.”

“I guess, it’s actually you who will be punished, right?” Lan Wu hugged the lantern tighter, lost in thought. “If, as you say, using the Guling flower to gain immortality violates the natural order and is forbidden by the heavens, then the Ghost Queen, who’s supposed to maintain the balance of life and death, would be the first to face punishment.”

The surroundings suddenly fell silent. After a long while, Zhong Heng raised her eyes, her gaze no longer as gentle as before. “You are very clever.”

Lan Wu nodded and continued, “And because of the law that the three realms cannot interfere with each other, you cannot directly attack me. I have to give you the flower willingly.”

Zhong Heng said nothing.

“It seems I’m right,” Lan Wu smiled. “I can give you the flower.”

Zhong Heng was surprised. “Really?”

“But you can’t just grant me one wish. I want two.”

“…What?”

Lan Wu asked, “Can an incomplete soul be made whole again?”

“You want to restore your mother’s soul?” Zhong Heng shook her head. “A soul cannot be repaired. It can only slowly regenerate over several lifetimes. After many reincarnations, they can become whole again.”

“Then here are my wishes,”Lan Wu said seriously. “First, in every lifetime, I want my mother to live a safe, fulfilled life. Second, I want her to meet my aunt again in every one of those lifetimes.”

Zhong Heng frowned. “I’m not the Matchmaker. I can’t tie their red strings of fate.”

“You don’t need to tie their strings. Just make sure they meet,” Lan Wu said gently. “They will make their own choices.”

Zhong Heng was silent for a moment. “Is that your wish?”

“Yes.”

“I accept.” the woman raised her hand, and a black scroll with golden characters appeared in the air. “Then, let us sign the contract.”

***

She had been waiting by this blood-red river for a long time.

The figures passing by never seemed to stop. Some wept bitterly, others rejoiced, and some, like her, wandering aimlessly near the Naihe Bridge, unwilling to cross over.

Most of these souls didn’t want to forget their past lives, but she was different. She was just waiting for someone.

Clang.

The chains on her feet made a crisp sound. A nearby ghost guard turned his head, saw she hadn’t done anything more than move, and went back to chatting with his fellow guards.

After a while, a short ghost guard dressed in black approached her. “The day’s almost over. Time to go back.”

“I’ll go back when it’s over,” she said lazily. “It’s not like I’m in a hurry.”

The guard clicked his tongue. “The crimes you’ve committed mean you’ll have to do hard labor in Yanluo Prison for thirty years before you can reincarnate. Tomorrow’s your deadline. Whether or not the person you’re waiting for shows up, you’ve got to go. Understand?”

She nodded. “I understand.”

She let out a faint sigh, “Still haven’t tied up that last loose end… That little fish really is unreliable.”

Just then, the ghost guard beside her suddenly jumped up in a panic, “Y-y-your Majesty, I wasn’t slacking off, I swear!”

Lan Yueyao blinked and turned to look. A tall woman in black was approaching slowly. She had seen this person before, during her trial in the Ghost Queen’s palace. The woman had sat on the high throne, resting her chin on her hand as she listened to the judge recount her deeds.

Lan Yueyao pursed her lips and was about to look away when a flicker of white at the woman’s side caught her eye.

“…”

Her eyes widened, and her body moved involuntarily, rising from the ground. She took two steps forward, then stopped, staring intently at the figure behind the Ghost Queen. The familiar face gradually came into view.

The woman’s expression was calm, her eyes empty, her snow-white robes like the only light in this dim underworld.

Lan Yueyao pressed her lips together and waited until the woman stopped in front of her before reaching out. “Chunhan?”

Her fingertips touched warm skin, and she suddenly let out a soft laugh, tears welling up as she stepped forward and hugged her tightly. “Chunhan…”

The person in her arms remained still, but she was real, and she could touch her.

Lan Yueyao hurriedly wiped her tears, holding on for a while longer before letting go. Chu Chunhan blinked, looking at her quietly, her eyes devoid of emotion, like a newborn child, innocent and unknowing.

Lan Yueyao forced a smile. “It’s okay. I just wanted to see you. Just seeing you is enough.”

Then, she stepped back, the chains on her feet making a crisp sound. “Go on now. Go reincarnate. I won’t stop you.”

Zhong Heng glanced at her and continued forward, but Lan Yueyao suddenly remembered something. “Wait, she…”

“She lived an honorable life and never committed any evil deeds. Her next life will be one of wealth and prosperity,” Zhong Heng said, anticipating her question. “Do not worry. She will be fine.”

“That’s good.” Lan Yueyao smiled. Seeing that Chu Chunhan was still looking at her, she waved “Go on, go. I should go too.” She turned to return to the ghost guard, but her sleeve was pulled.

“Chunhan?” Lan Yueyao was startled and turned back, softening her voice. “What is it?”

Chu Chunhan still did not speak, but her grip tightened.

“Chunhan,” Lan Yueyao tried to pull her sleeve out. “You need to reincarnate. Let go.” As she spoke, she took a step back, but the motionless figure also took a step forward, following her.

Zhong Heng narrowed her eyes, watching them thoughtfully. A ghost guard cautiously approached her, reminding her, “Your Majesty if you don’t take her soon, there won’t be any Meng Po Soup left for today.”

“I know,” she pondered for a moment. “Are there any empty houses in the ghost capital?”

“Of course.” Then, the ghost guard said in surprise, “Your Majesty, are you planning to let her stay?”

“Is that not allowed?”

“It is allowed. Those who have no sins and do not wish to be reincarnated can stay in the underworld and become residents. But… this one’s missing parts of her soul, and her mind is not clear. She won’t be able to work…”

“She won’t stay long. Once the thirty years are up, she’ll reincarnate with Lan Yueyao,” Zhong Heng looked at the surprised mermaid. “What do you think?”

Lan Yueyao pressed her lips together, then shook her head. “No… let her reincarnate.”

“That’s not up to you,” Zhong Heng said lazily, pointing at Chu Chunhan’s hand. “It seems she doesn’t want to reincarnate just yet.”

Lan Yueyao stared at the hand, then up into those blank, clear eyes. “Why…? She doesn’t remember anything.”

“I know,” Zhong Heng murmured. “And yet… even a body without a soul retains the instinct to protect the one it loved. Even a soul without memories is drawn to its beloved. Strange, isn’t it? I have not quite figured it out.”

“But I still have to serve my sentence…”

“Do not worry. Every third and twenty-first day of the month, you can leave Yanluo Prison and return to Ghost Capital to see her.”

Lan Yueyao was silent for a while before finally stopping her attempts to free her sleeve and instead gently holding Chu Chunhan’s hand. “Thank you.”

Zhong Heng blinked and snorted. “Thank your clever niece instead.”

“Lan Wu?”

The woman hummed, displeased. “That little fish is far too sly. She bargained with me and got more than she deserved.”

Translation note:

Except for the Ghost Queen… Meng Po, Naihe Bridge and River of Forgetfulness are all part of Meng Po’s mythology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meng_Po