Into The Sea

The night was deep, and a massive serpent, its scales almost indistinguishable from the shadows, slithered across a forest ravine. It paused by a secluded forest stream, its cold eyes gleaming in the moonlight as it surveyed its prey.

Lan Wu’s slender body was coiled tightly in the serpent’s tail, hanging upside down. It wasn’t long before dizziness overtook her, and darkness clouded her vision.

Rustling noises echoed in her ears—the sound of hard scales scraping against the ground. An icy serpent tongue flicked across her cheek, sending a violent shiver through her. She jolted awake, eyes snapping open.

Crimson snake eyes were mere inches from her face, reflecting her frail silhouette.

“I haven’t seen a living mermaid in a hundred years,” the serpent hissed. “What’s a little mermaid like you doing in the human realm instead of hiding away in the Kunlun Sea?”

A jolt of panic shot through Lan Wu. She shook her head quickly, “What are you talking about? I’m not a mermaid!”

The serpent demon hissed, a chilling sound that echoed through the night. “Don’t play dumb. I was gone only a moment, and when I returned, my wounds had already healed. The only explanation is that when I bit you and drank your blood, it healed.”

“That human is also alive and well now. It must be because you fed him your blood. Only mermaid blood has such power.”

“Even if you’re not a mermaid, you’re something very valuable. If I eat you, my cultivation would greatly increase.”

Lan Wu froze, her face turning pale as she stared at the serpent’s flickering tongue. “If… if you let me go,” she stammered, “I… I can be of great use to you.”

“Great use?” The serpent tilted its head, its voice a low hiss. “As a cultivation furnace?”

Lan Wu was taken aback. She hadn’t anticipated this. Before she could respond, the serpent let out a guttural laugh, “Ah, what a brilliant idea! Keeping you as a cultivation furnace is far more beneficial.”

The serpent happily flicked its tail, venom dripping from its fangs. It turned her around and began to coil tighter around her body, its massive head sliding up to her chest and nuzzling her neck.

“W-what are you doing…?” Lan Wu shivered from the cold scales.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Despair filled her heart. She closed her eyes in fear but suddenly heard an angry shout.

Compared to the serpent demon’s sudden attack, Ji Lingyue was more like a venomous serpent herself—silently shadowing them, relentlessly pursuing all the way.

Exhausted and drenched in sweat, her eyes were bloodshot, yet she narrowly evaded each assault.

After being viciously stabbed, the black serpent went into a frenzy, hissing angrily, “You dare challenge me!”

It released Lan Wu and lunged at the girl. Ji Lingyue rolled behind a tree, scrambling to her feet. As the serpent demon struck, she instinctively raised her dagger to block.

Clang!

The weapon was knocked from her hand, and she was sent tumbling by the impact of its hard scales.

The serpent wasted no time. Its tail shot out, coiling around Ji Lingyue’s ankle, yanking her off her feet. Ji Lingyue’s eyes widened in terror as she watched the black serpent open its blood-red maw.

The serpent struck.

Sharp fangs pierced her skin, injecting icy venom into her bloodstream. Ji Lingyue gasped, her face instantly losing all color as her body went limp.

Seeing her lose consciousness, the serpent demon raised its head, its thick body coiling around the girl, ready to crush her to death.

“Hey!” Suddenly, a clear shout came from behind. Lan Wu trembled but mustered her courage, stammering, “Let her go! Or… or I’ll destroy my mermaid pearl, and you’ll get nothing!”

“You?” The serpent demon sneered. “A weak, pampered little mermaid like you? You wouldn’t dare.”

“If you’re going to eat me, I’ll die anyway! Being your cultivation furnace would be worse than death. I’d rather kill myself!” Even though she had no demonic power left and couldn’t control her pearl, Lan Wu bluffed, “Think carefully. She’s just an ordinary human. Let her go, and you lose nothing.”

The serpent demon paused, its slitted red eyes fixated on her, seemingly considering her proposal.

After a moment, it slowly uncoiled its tail from around Ji Lingyue, dropping her unceremoniously to the ground. “Fine.”

Lan Wu bit her lip, resigned, “Come over here. I’ll be your cultivation furnace.”

“How troublesome,” the serpent grumbled, slithering towards Lan Wu. Its cold eyes flickered towards the unconscious human. “Now I have to start all over…”

Just then, the little mermaid, who had been standing nearby, suddenly lunged forward, flinging a handful of white powder directly at the serpent’s face.

The powder exploded in a cloud of white, coating the serpent’s black scales. Time seemed to stand still as both predator and prey froze, their gazes locked in a silent battle.

After a moment, Lan Wu asked softly, “Does it… does it hurt?”

“You!” The serpent hissed, its vision blurring as a searing pain erupted across its eyes. “What have you done?!”

Seeing the powder take effect, Lan Wu felt a surge of confidence and laughed boldly, hands on her hips. “It’s a special potion made by the High Priestess of the merfolk. Enjoy it!”

“I’ll kill you!” It went berserk, sweeping its tail toward her but hitting nothing but air. Lan Wu had already dashed over to Ji Lingyue’s side.

The blind serpent, in a frenzy, began destroying the forest around them. Debris flew everywhere. As Lan Wu dodged, she grabbed the fallen dagger, hoisted Ji Lingyue onto her back, and stumbled deeper into the woods.

Fueled by a desperate will to survive, her back no longer ached, and her legs no longer hurt. Before long, she had shaken off the serpent demon, hearing only its anguished hisses in the distance. Ji Lingyue stirred, letting out a faint groan. Relieved, Lan Wu set her down in a clearing and whispered, “Ah Ji?”

Ji Lingyue slowly opened her eyes, staring blankly at Lan Wu. After a moment, she murmured, “The Snake…”

“Snake? What snake?” Lan Wu cut her off, not wanting to bring up that cursed creature. She tried to help Ji Lingyue up to move further away. “I tricked it and blinded it. That snake wasn’t very smart; its brain was too small…”

“Blind?” Ji Lingyue gasped, her breath catching in her throat. She paused abruptly, her hand instinctively reaching for her side. “Where’s my dagger…”

Lan Wu froze for a moment before handing the dagger back to her. “What’s wrong?”

Without hesitation, she turned and began walking back. “I’m going to kill it.”

“Kill it?” Lan Wu exclaimed, incredulous. “It’s blind, but that doesn’t mean we can defeat it. We’re lucky to have escaped with our lives!” She grabbed Ji Lingyue’s arm, pulling her in the opposite direction. “Let’s go. It’s not safe to stay here. What if it catches our scent?”

Ji Lingyue struggled but couldn’t break free. She turned to Lan Wu, eyes tinged with red. “All demons deserve to die. We need to strike while it’s down. Why would I let this opportunity slip away?”

Lan Wu was stunned for a moment and then released her grip.

Ji Lingyue gave her a weary glance, turned around, and continued back into the darkness.

“All demons deserve to die?” Lan Wu’s heart ached at the words.

She pursed her lips and, out of spite, quickly walked in the other direction. But after a while, she stopped in frustration, raking her hands through her hair and shouting, “This is so annoying!”

She stomped her foot, turned around, and, face full of resentment, chased after her.

Unfortunately, her poor sense of direction had her wandering aimlessly in the forest for a long time. By the time she finally found the right spot, the battle was over. The area resembled a hurricane’s aftermath, trees uprooted and scattered like discarded twigs. Ji Lingyue sat alone on a fallen log, a severed serpent head lying at her feet.

Lan Wu was horrified by the scene, which resembled a slaughterhouse. The headless serpent body lay limp, its heart almost reduced to mush, and a golden demon core the size of a date lay in a pool of blood.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Ji Lingyue turned. Her blood-smeared face lit up the moment she saw Lan Wu.

A slow smile spread across her lips as she opened her arms, gesturing to the carnage around them. “How does it look?”

Lan Wu’s breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t bring herself to meet Ji Lingyue’s eyes and instinctively took a step back.

Ji Lingyue’s smile faltered, replaced by a look of confusion. After a moment, she seemed to understand, casually wiping the blood from her face. “Oh, sorry. I suppose it’s a bit messy.”

“You…” Lan Wu’s voice trembled, the unsettling feeling from before returning with full force. “Are you crazy?”

To not fear demons, to hate them, to revel in their slaughter…

Was that normal for a young human?

Ji Lingyue blinked, then suddenly stood up and staggered towards Lan Wu, hugging her tightly.

Lan Wu froze, her body stiffening in surprise.

The body in her arms was cold, the bones pressing painfully against her, but the voice was unusually soft, like soothing a child. “It’s okay now. It’s all over. The demon is dead. Don’t be afraid.”