Into The Sea

As dawn approached, Lan Wu and Ji Lingyue returned together to the entrance of Jianzhi Courtyard.

Perched on Lan Wu’s shoulder was a majestic gyrfalcon. Its talons were as white as jade, its form as sharp as an eagle’s. Its dark eyes gleamed with intelligence, and a faint blue marking adorned its forehead, the imprint left by its new master after forming a contract.

Compared to its fierce struggle when she first caught it, the gyrfalcon was now much more docile, obediently staying by Lan Wu’s side. It tilted its head, observing the two as they said their goodbyes.

After seeing Ji Lingyue off, Lan Wu returned to her room with a smile. Lan Yuan, who had been waiting for a long time, glanced at her with a hint of boredom. She swam a few circles in the water basin, she couldn’t fathom why Lan Wu was so happy about catching a dumb bird.

Lan Wu played with the bird for a while, feeding it a few spiritual pellets before letting it fly free. In the soft morning light, the bird soared into the sky, a small silhouette against the distant Jixue City, which still twinkled like stars. Lan Wu stared blankly for a moment, then turned her gaze to Lan Yuan. Slowly, she shuffled over and draped herself over the table, staring at the fish.

The two stared at each other for a long time until Lan Yuan couldn’t help but flick her tail and said, “If you’ve got something to say, just spit it out.”

Lan Wu frowned and hesitated. “Can you… cry some pearls for me?”

Lan Yuan: “…What did you just say?”

“I mean, just shed a few tears.” Lan Wu, feeling guilty under her gaze, lowered her voice. “If my pearl was not sealed, I’d have done it myself already.”

“And what do you need them for?”

Lan Wu couldn’t bring herself to reveal her true intentions. ” I just… need them for something,” she mumbled.

Lan Yuan eyed her suspiciously. After a moment, she said, “No, you know as well as I do that I can only cry pearls when my powers are at their peak. In my current state, how am I supposed to cry out pearls for you?”

Lan Wu, however, was not discouraged. “Then wait until you recover and then cry them out.”

She had it all planned out. Once Lan Yuan recovered and gave her the Sea Pearls, she would have just enough time to fix her danxin and leave the sect with Ah Yue. Lan Yuan couldn’t keep an eye on her forever. Once she left, she could sneak back.

Lan Yuan tilted her head, convinced that Lan Wu was up to something. “Don’t forget our agreement. You can go anywhere in the human realm, just not in an immortal sect.”

“I know, I know.”

Still suspicious, Lan Yuan suddenly demanded, “Give me the medicine.”

Lan Wu blinked, then obediently took out a few pills. As she was about to toss them into the basin, Lan Yuan snapped, “Crush them first.”

Lan Wu chuckled, sprinkling the crushed medicine into the water, “What? Are you not worried about me feeding you fish food anymore?”

Lan Yuan snorted. “I need to recover quickly so I can make you decide sooner. The longer I stay here, the more uneasy I feel.”

“Am I really that untrustworthy?” Lan Wu muttered to herself. Just then, she heard a noise from the next room. Yu Shanye was already awake. After washing up, she headed to the kitchen to get busy.

Smoke rose lazily from the chimneys, and soon the aroma of food filled the air. But Lan Wu could only sigh, her heart heavy with worry.

She had been here for several years, cultivating at sunrise and returning to the mountain at sunset. She had her friends and her routine, living a life free of worry. She truly didn’t want to leave this peaceful existence.

“Lan Yuan,” she said softly, “is there really no room for negotiation?”

“None whatsoever,” Lan Yuan stated firmly. “I know you feel comfortable here, but that’s all based on them thinking you’re human. Lan Wu, have you thought about what would happen if one day they discover you’re not human?”

“But what if I can keep it a secret forever?”

Lan Yuan scoffed. “Even you know that’s a big ‘if.'”

Lan Wu fell silent, closing her eyes as she sighed. “I understand.”

Life at Haochen Mountain seemed to return to its usual peaceful rhythm. Lan Wu resumed her routine of early mornings and returning late.

One morning, as she descended Qianyun Peak with Yu Shanye, they reached the fork in the path that led to the main peak. Standing beneath a blossoming peach tree was a girl in snow-white robes. She was tall and slender, as graceful as bamboo.

Despite the bustling crowd around her, she seemed at peace, her gaze fixed on the dew-kissed petals above. The morning sunlight cast a soft glow on her face, turning her dark eyes a shade of amber.

Yu Shanye paused and asked. “So, you two made up?”

“We did, a few days ago. We just happen to have the same class today.” Lan Wu replied.

“That’s good. I was worried when you two were on bad terms.”

Lan Wu chuckled. “What were you worried about?”

“How could I not be?” Yu Shanye said casually. “If she really stopped liking you and got together with Qing Zibai, I’d feel too awkward to ask her for sword lessons.”

Lan Wu stumbled over her words. “W-what do you mean ‘liking me’? We’re just good friends.”

Yu Shanye frowned, looking at her strangely. “What else would it be?”

Lan Wu was speechless.

She pursed her lips, pressed her lips together, suddenly feeling both embarrassed and flustered. She quickened her pace toward Ji Lingyue.

A gentle breeze rustled the branches, sending a shower of peach blossoms fluttering down. Ji Lingyue carefully caught a petal, infused it with her spiritual energy, and transformed it into a small koi fish pendant that lay quietly in her palm. Hearing the familiar footsteps, she turned her head, her bright eyes smiling. “Lan Wu.”

Lan Wu responded but felt a flutter of nerves after meeting her gaze. She quickly looked away and asked softly, “Have you been waiting long?”

“Not really.”

As she spoke, Ji Lingyue stepped closer, carefully attaching the pendant onto the Identity token that hung from Lan Wu’s waist. “There. It looks good on you.”

Too close, way too close.

Lan Wu blinked nervously, not daring to move. All she could see was Ji Lingyue’s lowered eyelashes and rosy lips. She tried to look away, but her eyes couldn’t help but stay fixed on her.

After fastening it, Ji Lingyue looked up at Lan Wu, as if waiting for praise. But instead of her usual bright smile, Lan Wu averted her eyes and stammered, “Okay, let’s… let’s go.”

Ji Lingyue blinked in surprise but obediently said, “Okay.”

Once they reached the lecture hall at the main peak, however, Ji Lingyue turned serious, efficiently steering them to the front row. Yu Shanye grumbled as she was pushed into her seat. “It’s not like we’re learning talismans or spells today. It’s just Elder Bai reading from the medicine compendium. Everyone’s fighting for the back row seats, but here we are in the front…”

“If you don’t want to learn, don’t drag Lan Wu down with you,” Ji Lingyue retorted. “It never hurts to learn a little more.”

Yu Shanye clicked her tongue. “Listen to you. Someone who didn’t know better might think you’re Lan Wu’s dao companion with how much you care.”

Lan Wu gripped her robes, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. “Shanye, what are you talking about?”

“What? What did I say?” Yu Shanye looked genuinely puzzled. “I’ve always talked like this, haven’t I?” Then she frowned, looking at Lan Wu suspiciously. “You’ve been acting really weird these past few days. What’s going on? Are you hiding something?”

“I…”

“Ahem!” A dry cough echoed from the front of the hall. Elder Bai, his white beard flowing down his chest, glared at them with sharp, hawk-like eyes. “Silence!”

The three girls immediately fell silent, lowering their heads obediently.

Satisfied, Elder Bai nodded, surveying the hall full of disciples before opening his book. He began to read from the medicine compendium in a slow, deliberate voice. “Mortals pursue immortality through cultivation, but without progress, their lifespans will eventually run out. Foundation Establishment cultivators may live a hundred years, Qi Refining cultivators two hundred, and those who reach the Golden Core stage up to five hundred years. To break the limits of destiny, our ancestors scoured the six realms, finally uncovering a secret. There exist three mystical medicines, said to grant eternal life: the Guling Flower, the Heart of the Divine Dragon, and the Blood of the Phoenix…”

Yu Shanye, barely containing her boredom, muttered under her breath, “What about merfolks?”

Lan Wu retorted softly, “Where did that myth come from? Who started that rumor? Eating a merfolk might increase your cultivation a bit, maybe even help you live a little longer, but immortality? Impossible. If it were that easy, merfolks would just take a bite out of themselves.”

Ji Lingyue glanced at her, “Lan Wu, you seem to know a lot about merfolks…”

Lan Wu stiffened immediately. “D-do I?”

Ji Lingyue nodded, lowering her eyes as she hesitated. “You were angry with me before because of a mermaid. Lan Wu, do you… really like merfolks?”

Lan Wu lowered her head in a panic, wondering how to respond. But before she could speak, two more coughs rang out from the front. Elder Bai glared at them angrily. “You three, sitting in the front row and still so easily distracted! You’re disrupting the other disciples. Go outside and stand!”

Yu Shanye paused, sneaking a glance at the group behind them, many of whom were dozing off. She couldn’t understand who they were supposedly disturbing.

As soon as they were out of the lecture hall, Lan Wu turned to leave. “Lan Wu, Elder Bai told us to stand here as punishment,” Ji Lingyue pointed out.

“Who cares about standing around?” Lan Wu shook her head. “Why are you so obedient? I need to go back and feed my fish.”

Ji Lingyue hesitated for a moment, then hurried after her. “I’ll come with you.”

She walked faster, trying to keep pace with Lan Wu, but noticed that Lan Wu kept shifting her steps, almost as if she was avoiding getting too close. Ji Lingyue hesitated, her pace slowing until she eventually stopped altogether, silently watching Lan Wu’s back.

Lan Wu took a few steps, sensing something was wrong. When she turned around and saw Ji Lingyue standing still, she raised an eyebrow. “Why aren’t coming?”

Ji Lingyue pressed her lips together, avoiding eye contact and saying nothing.

She looked so pitiful, like an abandoned puppy, Lan Wu’s heart softened. She returned to Ji Lingyue’s side and asked gently, “What’s wrong?”

“Lan Wu,” Ji Lingyue called her name softly, “are you still upset with me?”

“Why would I be upset? Didn’t we just make up?”

“Then why are you avoiding me?” Ji Lingyue’s gaze fell on the fish pendant swaying from Lan Wu’s waist, and she recalled her odd behavior earlier. “Don’t you like it? If you don’t, just tell me, and I’ll take it back…”

“No!” Lan Wu quickly covered the pendant with her hand. “I like it! Who said I didn’t?”

“But you’ve been distant today,” Ji Lingyue couldn’t help but complain, her voice tinged with hurt. “You didn’t smile at me, didn’t walk with me, and wouldn’t even look at me.”

Lan Wu blinked nervously. “That’s… that’s because… I woke up early today. I’m not a morning person.”

“You’ve never had a problem with mornings before.”

“How would you know? We don’t live together.”

“We used to,” Ji Lingyue suddenly looked up, staring at her intently. “We used to share a room.”

Lan Wu stared back, realizing what she meant, and felt her face flush. But Ji Lingyue’s expression remained calm, as if she didn’t find her words embarrassing at all. “Back then, whenever I woke you up, you were never upset.”

Lan Wu couldn’t take it anymore. She stepped back, covering her burning face with her hands. “Well, I’m not a morning person now!” she mumbled, turning to flee.

Ji Lingyue blinked, noticing her reddened ears. A thought struck her, so absurd yet so fitting, it had to be true. “Are you… blushing?”

“No!”

Ji Lingyue hurried after her, persistent. “You never used to blush. Why are you blushing now?”

“I told you, I’m not.” Lan Wu sighed, dropping her hands only to find them captured in a firm grip. Ji Lingyue seemed a bit anxious as she asked, “Lan Wu, do you like me?”

Lan Wu froze, turning to look at her. “Of course I like you! We’re best friends! Don’t you like me?”

“I do.”

Ji Lingyue said seriously, “Lan Wu, I like you.”