Into The Sea

“Senior Sister!”

“Ah!”

Lan Wu was jolted awake by a scream. When she opened her eyes, the person in her arms had already flown away like the wind, disappearing into the thick fog. Realizing what was happening, she immediately jumped up and flew toward the direction of the sound.

Bursting through the dense fog and reaching the lake’s edge, Lan Wu looked up and was immediately stunned by the sight before her.

A massive black creature, slick with sticky fluid, thrashed in the shallows. Several tentacles writhed in the air, ensnaring several struggling figures. One of them was Gu Changli.

Lan Wu stared at the creature’s bulging red eyes, a wave of disbelief in her eyes. It was a gigantic octopus.

But how could an octopus survive in a freshwater lake in the middle of a forest?

Before she could think further, a flash of white caught her eye as Ji Lingyue soared through the air, her sword tracing a brilliant arc of gold.

Blood splattered as the tentacle holding Gu Changli fell to the ground with a thud. The gigantic octopus screeched, flailing its remaining tentacles, and quickly dragged the remaining cultivators into the water. Ji Lingyue frowned, gripped her sword, and without hesitation, dove in after it.

“Wait!”

Lan Wu hesitated for a moment. Just as she took two steps, her vision blurred, and ripples seemed to spread across her sight. Frowning, she shook her head. When she opened her eyes again, her surroundings had completely changed.

A thick tentacle swung toward her face, and Lan Wu, startled, stepped on the water and quickly dodged to the side.

Ji Lingyue had somehow summoned her directly into this underwater battle.

Turning her head, she saw her summoner surrounded by multiple tentacles, golden light flashing through the darkness as red blood clouded the water. The cultivators who had broken free were swimming desperately upward, but Ji Lingyue was being dragged deeper into the abyss.

Lan Wu’s expression shifted as she dove down without hesitation.

A pale blue light began to emanate from her body, illuminating the murky depths. Her long hair fanned out behind her, and her ears elongated, tapering to delicate points. Her robes floated like silk around her before dissolving into the water, revealing smooth, pearly scales that shimmered beneath the water. The scales trailed down her hips, flowing into a magnificent tail that shimmered with otherworldly grace.

Her tail fin was long and delicate, floating like a dancer’s skirt in the water.

With one powerful flick of her tail, Lan Wu surged forward, the silver bracelet on her wrist dissolving into sharp silver threads, weaving into a net that shredded the attacking black tentacles to pieces.

With no more obstacles, she dove to Ji Lingyue, hooked her arm around her waist, and swam back toward the surface.

Ji Lingyue clung to her neck, instinctively glancing back to check if the monster was still pursuing them. But instead, her eyes caught on Lan Wu’s long, glimmering fish tail—and then slowly drifted upward, drawn to her transformed face.

A golden lotus bloomed on Lan Wu’s forehead, pure and dignified, yet her blue eyes held a hint of demonic aura, creating a strange beauty.

Lan Wu sped through the water, moving as fast as she could. The light ahead grew brighter, spurring her on. Just as she was about to break the surface, she suddenly sensed a surge of hot breath behind them.

She glanced down, catching only a flash of red in her peripheral vision.

What is that…

Ji Lingyue cried out, “Lan Wu!”

A putrid smell hit her, and as Lan Wu broke the water’s surface, she finally saw what was latched onto her back.

A gigantic mouth.

Her eyes widened in shock, but before she could push Ji Lingyue away, everything went black. She tumbled and fell through a soft, sticky substance, the world spinning around her. In the midst of the chaos, a hand reached out and grabbed hers, and she instinctively returned the grip, pulling the person into her arms.

After what felt like an eternity, they plunged into icy water with a splash.

Lan Wu quickly steadied herself, holding Ji Lingyue as they surfaced. After catching her breath, she looked around—they were surrounded by pitch darkness that seemed to stretch endlessly in all directions.

Ji Lingyue coughed a few times, lifting her head to look around in confusion. “Where are we? Weren’t we just eaten?”

“We definitely were eaten.”

Lan Wu couldn’t shake the feeling that it was strange to say it out loud. She spat out the foul taste and began to swim slowly, holding Ji Lingyue close. “Are you hurt?”

Ji Lingyue shook her head and glanced around. “There’s light over there,” she said suddenly.

Lan Wu turned her head and indeed spotted a faint glow in the distance. A surge of hope filled her, and she propelled herself forward, her tail swishing through the water.

Ji Lingyue couldn’t help but admire, “You swim so fast.”

Lan Wu replied instinctively, “Of course, I used to race against Shark Clan in the sea, and even they couldn’t keep up with me…”

She trailed off, a flicker of unease crossing her face as she looked at Ji Lingyue. To her surprise, Ji Lingyue didn’t seem displeased; instead, she was watching her closely.

“Why did you stop talking?”

Lan Wu hesitated for a moment before asking, “Don’t you hate demons? Do you like hearing me talk about these things?”

Ji Lingyue paused for a moment, then wrapped her arms around Lan Wu’s neck and said, “But I don’t hate you. I like you.”

Lan Wu blinked, noticing how much more relaxed Ji Lingyue seemed. Maybe their earlier conversation had made a difference. Whatever it was, the tension between them had faded.

Lan Wu relaxed and continued, “I used to hate cultivation practice and would often mess around with other sea yaos. But their tails were stronger, and they could swim faster than me. I hated being left behind, so I practiced every day.”

“Eventually,” she said, her eyes glinting with pride, “I became the fastest little mermaid in the sea.”

She sighed and mumbled, “It’s too bad, huh? All that speed, and I still got eaten.”

Ji Lingyue couldn’t help but laugh as they continued swimming toward the light.

The glowing light grew closer, revealing the outline of a small floating island. Lan Wu was about to speed up when they both heard faint voices. They exchanged a glance and, understanding each other, approached quietly.

The voices became clearer, sounding like two people arguing.

One of them said tearfully, “It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t insisted on taking this route, we wouldn’t have been eaten!”

The other replied sheepishly, “We’re not dead yet, what are you so worked up about?”

“You… you promised we’d be safe if I followed you! You’re completely unreliable. If I’d known… if I’d known, I would have gone to find my master by myself!”

Lan Wu frowned and swam forward, poking her head out to finally see who was sitting on the island.

One was Ah Li, and the other was…

Yu Shanye casually glanced across the water. Suddenly, her eyes widened in horror as she spotted two heads. She scrambled back with a yelp, pulling Ah Li along. “W-w-water ghosts!”

Ji Lingyue clicked her tongue and climbed out of the water first. “What are you doing here?”

Yu Shanye blinked hesitantly. “Ji Lingyue?”

Ji Lingyue hummed in confirmation and turned around. “Come up, Lan Wu.”

Yu Shanye was stunned, looking behind her in shock.

The silver-haired woman emerged from the water, her fishtail smoothly transformed into legs as a white robe materialized to cover her body.

She stepped onto the shore barefoot, water droplets trickling down and forming small pools at her feet. She stopped beside Ji Lingyue, lifted her head to look at Yu Shanye, and attempted a smile that came out more as a grimace. “Long time no see, Shanye.”

Translation note:
sea yao – I did not want to use sea demon here since sea demons are different and are more malevolent. I am going to use sea yao for ordinary sea demons who aren’t malevolent.