Into The Sea

“You’re finally awake.”

Lan Wu blinked, tilting her head from the rocking chair to look at the woman who had somehow appeared, sitting next to her with her chin propped on her hand. “Yao Zhu?”

“Mhm.” The woman narrowed her eyes, her furry ears twitching. Leaning on the chair, she gossiped, “So, you and that little cultivator… are you really lovers?”

“…”

If it weren’t for the fact that the fox demon couldn’t maintain her human form, her ears and tail still visible, Lan Wu might not have guessed that she was seriously injured, given how energetic she seemed.

But even though Lan Wu knew that Yao Zhu wasn’t the same fox who had hurt her master all those years ago, seeing that smiling face still made her feel uneasy. She turned her head away, her voice cold, “I’m not telling you.”

Yao Zhu said in surprise, “Last time I saw you, you were such a friendly fish.”

Lan Wu retorted, “You’re as annoying as ever.”

Yao Zhu seemed confused by her attitude. “Weren’t you also hurt by that cultivator surnamed Qin? Shouldn’t we be kindred spirits?”

Lan Wu replied, “Who’s kindred with you?”

She reached out to push away the woman who kept getting closer, but Yao Zhu suddenly shifted, transforming into a fluffy, fiery red fox. She climbed up Lan Wu’s arm, brazenly standing on her stomach.

The fox giggled. “I heard that the little cultivator is the disciple of that Qin. You angered him so much, and then you stole his precious disciple. Well done!”

Lan Wu snapped, “Get off!”

She reached out to grab the fox’s ears, but Yao Zhu nimbly dodged, instead squeezing onto her arm and climbing higher. “Tell me, did his face turn green with anger?”

The fox was like an eel, impossible to catch. Lan Wu tried for a long time but couldn’t get her to leave. Annoyed, she struck a nerve. “With all this energy, why don’t you worry about your own problems? Does Xuan Yu even like you?”

The fox paused, displeased. “Whether she likes me or not, she can’t get rid of me.”

With that, she took another step, squatting down on Lan Wu’s chest. “Since you’re also a demon, you should help me. Tell me, how did you manage to steal that little cultivator?”

“I didn’t use any tricks.”

“Then what did you use?”

Lan Wu sneered. “I used my sincerity.”

Yao Zhu said, “…Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Believe it or not.”

Yao Zhu thought for a moment. “Alright, if you tell me your secret, I’ll tell you one of my own.”

Lan Wu turned over. “I’m not listening.”

“A secret about Haochen Mountain!”

Lan Wu scoffed. “How would you know a secret about Haochen Mountain?”

Yao Zhu shook her head, looking smug. “I know a lot. After all, Xuan Yu is the young mistress of Yunxiao Pavilion. I’ve been with her for years, and I’ve heard all sorts of things—things I shouldn’t have. For example, did you know that the sect leader of Haochen Mountain has a thing for Elder Ye Qingjun?”

Lan Wu froze, turning her head sharply. “What?”

After a moment, she frowned. “Are you making this up?”

“Why would I make that up? The high and mighty cultivators of Yunxiao Pavilion are the ones who said it.”

“Why would the cultivators  of Yunxiao Pavilion talk about Haochen Mountain?”

“Why do you think? Humans love this kind of boring gossip, even those cultivators who seem to be above worldly matters. They look all righteous, but inside, they’re no different from demons, all seeking immortality and power.”

Lan Wu’s expression darkened. After a long pause, she said, “She’s not worthy of my master.”

Yao Zhu tilted her head, confused. “Who?”

Lan Wu waved her hand, successfully pushing the fox off this time. She sat up straight, looking at Yao Zhu on the ground. “I thought I could be as open-minded as my master,” she said quietly.

But when she heard Ye Qingjun’s name being tossed around as unimportant gossip by Yao Zhu, she found it utterly ridiculous.

Lan Wu sighed and asked, “How long have you and Xuan Yu been together?”

“Five or six years, I think.”

Yao Zhu reminisced, “I could barely transform at a hundred years old. I was the ruler of my mountain until Xuan Yu passed by. I tried to steal her pills, but she was so powerful, she ended up capturing me instead.”

She said this casually, her tail swaying as if she wasn’t angry at all.

“But she’s always been good to me… until recently, when I used my charm on her, and we…”

“Wait?” Lan Wu interrupted, shocked. “You used your charm on her? So Xuan Yu didn’t actually want to?”

Yao Zhu scoffed. “I stopped using my charm after we took off our clothes. Everything after that was her own choice. But when I told her the truth later, she acted like the sky had fallen.” The fox gritted her teeth, her voice filled with anger. “The next day, she dissolved our contract and hid away in this place.”

Lan Wu pursed her lips. After a moment, she asked hesitantly, “Is it okay for you to just tell me these things?”

“Normally, no.” The fox raised her chin, smiling happily. “But now that she wants to forget everything and pretend it never happened, of course, I have to spread the word.”

Lan Wu was speechless.

Lan Wu closed her eyes, feeling a headache coming on. She got up from the rocking chair, intending to get away from Yao Zhu. But after taking a few steps, she noticed a white ball of fluff emerge from the grass nearby. Lan Wu turned, carefully observing it. It was a small cat.

The cat shook off the grass from its head and looked up at her. It opened its big, black eyes, meowing as it ran unsteadily towards her. Lan Wu was taken aback and instinctively bent down. The cat ran into her arms, its claws clinging to her arm, meowing urgently.

Lan Wu frowned, picking her up and stroking her head. “Where did you come from, little cat?”

As soon as she spoke, two figures emerged from the grass. Xuan Yu was carrying a bamboo basket, and Ah Li looked uneasy, her eyes darting around before finally settling on Lan Wu.

Lan Wu glanced behind them and asked, “Where’s Ah Yue? Didn’t she go to gather herbs with you?”

Ah Li blinked, then hesitantly raised her hand, pointing at Lan Wu. “Isn’t she… right there?”

Lan Wu looked confused for a moment, then it suddenly dawned on her. She raised the cat in her arms, shocked. “You mean this?!”

“Meow!”

Xuan Yu quickly explained, “Lingyue said she wanted to learn shape-shifting techniques from me, thinking they might be useful in the future. So I… taught her.”

“Shape-shifting?” Lan Wu was confused. “But she already knows how to change her appearance.”

“Not change her appearance, but change her species.” Xuan Yu hesitated. “This technique is quite obscure. Most people look down on turning into a spirit beast, and some even consider it heretical…”

Understanding her meaning, Lan Wu looked down at the listless cat in her arms. “Why did you suddenly want to learn this?”

In the silence, Ah Li tugged at her clothes guiltily, whispering, “It’s… it’s because I told her that she couldn’t enter the Kunlun Sea barrier unless she became a merfolk.”

Lan Wu was taken aback, and she understood everything. She couldn’t help but laugh. “You believed that? There’s no way a barrier would be so simple that just changing your form could fool it. Ah Li was teasing you. Didn’t you realize?”

The cat buried its head lower, meowing weakly. “Meow…”

Xuan Yu quickly tried to smooth things over. “She’s actually quite talented. For her first attempt, she managed to fully transform into an animal form. It’s really impressive. Don’t worry, Miss Lan. She’ll start turning back within three days.”

Lan Wu asked, “Can’t she turn back now?”

Xuan Yu said awkwardly, “She doesn’t have enough spiritual power, so she can’t turn back right now.”

Lan Wu nodded, changing her posture and carefully holding the cat in her arms. “I understand. I’ll take good care of her.”

Seeing that Lan Wu wasn’t blaming them, Xuan Yu breathed a sigh of relief. “In that case, you should continue resting. I’ll go prepare the medicine for you.”

“Thank you.”

Xuan Yu nodded, turning to leave with her basket. But as she walked away, she suddenly noticed something and paused.

Lan Wu instinctively looked over and saw that Yao Zhu, who had been jumping around a moment ago, had slumped to the ground, looking weak and sickly.

The sudden change made her frown, wondering if the fox was faking it.

Xuan Yu was clearly shocked. She bent down and picked up the fox, giving Lan Wu an embarrassed smile before hurrying away.

As the woman walked away, the fox, who was lying limply on her shoulder, quietly opened her eyes and winked at Lan Wu.

Lan Wu was speechless.

Of course. A fox always has a thousand tricks up its sleeve.