Into The Sea

“You… You dare show your face in front of me again…” Yu Shanye’s face darkened, and she stormed towards Lan Wu.

Ji Lingyue frowned, quickly stepping between them. “What are you doing?”

Yu Shanye glared at her, furious. “I should be asking you that! Have you forgotten what she did back then? How she lied to all of us?”

Lan Wu pressed her lips together, lowered her gaze, and stood silently.

“Master.”

A cheerful voice suddenly rang out as a girl leapt into Lan Wu’s arms, hugging her waist tightly. “Did you come to find me, Master?”

Lan Wu was taken aback, then gently patted her head. “I ended up here by accident, but I’m glad you’re safe.”

Ji Lingyue glanced at them before releasing Yu Shanye.

Yu Shanye hadn’t noticed, her initial surprise giving way to even greater fury. “So you’re her master?”

She grabbed Lan Wu’s collar, yanking her forward. “You’re unbelievable! As a friend, you lied through your teeth, and as a master, you left your disciple behind! I must’ve been blind to think you were my best friend, and you tricked me into keeping your secrets! Did you ever feel even a shred of guilt when you lied to me?”

Ah Li stood confused for a moment before instinctively trying to push Yu Shanye away. “Don’t touch my master!”

“This has nothing to do with you!” Yu Shanye waved her hand, pushing the girl aside. Ah Li stumbled, nearly falling, but a hand caught her just in time.

She looked up in shock to see a cold, beautiful face.

“Th-thank you…” she stammered.

Ji Lingyue looked down at her, slowly breaking into a gentle smile. “No need to thank me.”

Ah Li felt a surge of warmth towards Ji Lingyue. Just as she was about to smile back, she heard her master cry out, “Not the face!”

They both turned around instinctively and saw that, in no time, Lan Wu had already fallen into the water with a splash. Yu Shanye jumped in after her, pulling her back up, her fist raised to strike again. But then, her gaze landed on the faint golden lotus mark on Lan Wu’s forehead.

She suddenly froze, turning to Ji Lingyue in disbelief. “You… formed a contract with her?”

Ji Lingyue stood by the water’s edge and nodded slightly. “Yes.”

Yu Shanye stared at her, her brow furrowed in confusion. She then looked down at Lan Wu, who was curled up in the water.

Lan Wu looked up at her too. Soaked from falling into the water, with a red mark on her face, she looked utterly pitiful.

Yu Shanye clenched her fists, taking a few deep breaths before finally releasing Lan Wu’s collar.

“I really… I really don’t understand you two…”

The dark cave fell silent again. Not long after, the extinguished fire was rekindled.

“Master,” Ah Li asked in a hushed voice once the other two had walked away, “what is a contract?”

Lan Wu was slightly taken aback. She subconsciously glanced at Ji Lingyue’s back, then lowered her head and replied gently, “A contract creates a bond between us. During this time, I must protect her, help her, and stay with her no matter where she goes.”

Ah Li nodded, seemingly understanding. “Isn’t that the same as a Dao companion?”

Lan Wu coughed awkwardly and waved her hand. “Don’t say such things! Just remember, never let anyone form a contract with you. I only agreed to this because I have a very good relationship with her.”

“But Master, you were avoiding her just a few days ago,” Ah Li pouted. “How did you become so close so quickly?”

Lan Wu was speechless for a moment before poking Ah Li’s forehead with a sigh. “That’s just how adults are, complicated and confusing. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

“Understand what?” A familiar voice came from behind. Ji Lingyue stepped forward, sat beside her, and gently tilted Lan Wu’s face towards her.

Lan Wu blinked uncomfortably and tried to pull back, but Ji Lingyue held her face gently and whispered, “Don’t move.”

The warmth of Ji Lingyue’s fingers brushed over the red, swollen marks, and the pain quickly dissipated. Lan Wu froze for a moment and then stopped trying to pull away, obediently resting her chin in Ji Lingyue’s hand.

Yu Shanye scoffed, crossing her arms and looking away to avoid getting irritated.

As if oblivious to Yu Shanye and Ah Li, Ji Lingyue spoke softly to Lan Wu. “Although we don’t know what swallowed us, it can’t be bottomless. If we keep swimming forward, we’ll eventually reach the end. Let’s rest a bit more and then continue.”

Lan Wu nodded. “Alright.”

In the complete darkness, their sense of time grew confused. Lan Wu and Ah Li swam quickly, each carrying one of the others. Even flying on spirit swords couldn’t have matched their speed.

After swimming through the water for a long time, a white light appeared in the distance. The closer they got, the faster the current beneath them became. Even without moving their tails, the rushing water pushed them forward.

As the dazzling light grew brighter, Lan Wu slowed down, using one hand to stir the water. Suddenly, a realization struck her. “It’s a waterfall!”

No sooner had she spoken than they were swept through. The darkness vanished as they emerged into a vast open space, where a pale “sun” hung in the clear sky above endless green plains.

After splashing into the pool below the waterfall, Lan Wu quickly surfaced and crawled onto shore, returning to human form. She turned around, pulled Ji Lingyue out of the water, and then went to help Ah Li and Yu Shanye.

Just then, an unfamiliar voice rang out. “Who are you?”

Lan Wu froze and instinctively looked up. Not far from them, a young woman was standing with a bamboo basket, looking at them with confusion.

Lan Wu found her somewhat familiar. After studying her for a moment, she asked warily, “Who are you? Why are you inside this monster too?”

“Monster?” The woman frowned. After a moment, she said, “You mean Tuntian?”

“Tun what? Tuntian?” Yu Shanye climbed out of the water, drying her clothes as she raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You know this thing?”

The woman nodded and replied slowly, “An ancient beast called Tuntian. Its body is like a mountain, its mouth as big as a basin, and its belly contains a whole world. I’ve been living with it for a long time now. It’s gentle by nature and wouldn’t harm anyone intentionally. You were probably caught up in its feeding by accident.”

Yu Shanye clicked her tongue. “That’s all very interesting, but is there a way out?”

“Of course,” the woman nodded. “Follow me.”

Her straightforwardness surprised them. They exchanged glances, and as the woman walked away, Ji Lingyue took Lan Wu’s hand and followed her. Yu Shanye hesitated for a moment before reluctantly trailing behind.

After a while, she couldn’t help but ask, “Do you think she looks a bit familiar?”

Lan Wu blinked and replied, “You think so too? I thought the same thing.”

Yu Shanye ignored her and nudged Ji Lingyue. “What do you think?”

Ji Lingyue was silent for a moment before replying hesitantly, “She does seem a bit familiar.”

“So it’s not just my imagination,” Yu Shanye muttered. After a moment, she lowered her voice and said cautiously, “I’m just going to say this, but it’s just a wild guess, so don’t take it too seriously. I might be wrong, after all, it’s been so many years…”

Ji Lingyue glanced at her and interrupted, “Just get to the point.”

Yu Shanye paused, licked her lips, and leaned closer to them. “Doesn’t this woman… look like… the vine demon we met in the underground palace on Penglai Island?”