Into The Sea

In the blink of an eye, nearly a month had passed since they arrived at Fenyin Valley. Since two days ago, a fine drizzle had lingered in the valley, never quite ceasing. Early in the morning, the valley was lush and vibrant, with dewdrops clinging to the grass and leaves. Xuan Yu put on her bamboo hat and whistled to summon a white wolf, swiftly disappearing into the misty rain.

As soon as she was gone, the fiery red fox transformed into human form, turned around, and reclined lazily onto a hammock beneath the eaves. Resting her head on her arm, she let out a long, frustrated sigh.

Lan Wu, accustomed to this scene, finished her medicine and popped a candied fruit into her mouth. “Did Xuan Yu chase you out?”

Yao Zhu groaned, “If I hadn’t coughed up blood again yesterday, she probably would have grabbed me by the neck and thrown me out last night.”

Lan Wu was silent for a moment before advising, “Vomitting blood all the time isn’t a solution, you know.”

“What else can I do?” Yao Zhu glanced at the elegant figure practicing swordsmanship not far away. “If only Xuan Yu could be as understanding as Ji Lingyue.”

Lan Wu paused, following her gaze. The woman in white was twirling among the flowers, her movements as light as a bird, not even bending a single daisy. The rain was deflected by her invisible sword energy, unable to dampen her robes.

She watched quietly for a while before saying, “Ah Yue didn’t immediately accept that I was a demon either. Besides… Xuan Yu is the young mistress of the Yunxiao Pavilion, burdened with heavy responsibilities. She can’t just abandon everything as easily as Ah Yue did. You…”

“I know.” Yao Zhu turned over, sulking and turning her back to her. “You don’t have to remind me.”

Lan Wu blinked and said, “Oh.”

By noon, the group gathered in the kitchen again, eyes eagerly fixed upon Ji Lingyue as she busied herself. Soon, the woman turned around, carrying a purple clay pot. She lifted the lid, and a fragrant, hot steam billowed out.

Looking down, they saw a rich, golden broth filled with succulent mushrooms dotting the chicken pieces, making everyone’s mouths water.

Yao Zhu, forgetting her earlier gloom, scooped a bowl of soup and eagerly took a sip, only to burn her tongue. “You can actually cook?”

Ji Lingyue said calmly, “I’m a hunter’s daughter. I’ve helped my parents with housework since I was little. Of course, I can cook.”

She then turned to give Lan Wu and Ah Li two bowls with a lighter broth. “This has been cooling for a bit. It shouldn’t be too hot.”

Lan Wu hummed in agreement, obediently sipping her soup with a spoon. “By the way, where did you get the chicken?”

Ji Lingyue raised her chin at Yao Zhu. “She gave it to me.”

Yao Zhu said, “I caught it in the valley.”

Lan Wu paused. “Was it one of the chickens Xuan Yu raises in the valley?”

“So what if it was? Chickens are raised to be eaten, aren’t they?” Yao Zhu said matter-of-factly. “Or are we supposed to let them cultivate into spirits?”

Lan Wu hesitated. “But… isn’t it rude to eat them without telling the owner?”

“It’s too late to say that now,” Yaozhu smiled mischievously. “Can you spit it back out?”

Lan Wu was speechless.

“There are so many anyway. She won’t notice one missing. Eat quickly. We’ll just clean up before she gets back.” As she spoke, she enthusiastically gave a piece of chicken to Ah Li, who was quietly drinking her soup beside her. “Here, your master doesn’t like meat, so you can have more.”

Ah Li turned to look at Lan Wu cautiously. Lan Wu nodded helplessly. “Eat if you want to.”

The girl smiled, just as she was about to put the chicken in her mouth, a wolf’s howl echoed from the distance. Yao Zhu startled, slamming her chopsticks down, and looked outside. “Oh no, why is she back so early? She usually doesn’t return until evening!”

She looked at the steaming chicken soup, then at the faint shadow in the distance. She coughed dryly, composing herself. “It’s fine. I’ll go explain. You all stay here.”

With three pairs of eyes on her, she stood up and walked out of the kitchen, maintaining an outward appearance of calm.

The white wolf was getting closer. Its fur, wet with dew, was as bright as snow, but there were dark stains on its neck.

It let out another howl, this one more piercing and urgent.

Yao Zhu paused, expression changed, and she rushed toward the wolf. Lan Wu and the others sensed something was wrong and followed. By the time they caught up to Yao Zhu, they heard her demanding, “Where’s Xuan Yu? Weren’t you supposed to be retrieving the message from her?”

The white wolf anxiously wagged its tail and whined, tugging on Yao Zhu’s sleeve. Yao Zhu looked at the bloodstains on the wolf and her face grew even more grim. She leaped onto its back. “Let’s go!”

“Yao Zhu!”

Ji Lingyue called out urgently, but Yao Zhu seemed not to hear, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Ji Lingyue frowned, turning to see Lan Wu’s serious face. “We need to follow them,” Lan Wu said.

“Okay.”

Lan Wu summoned her silver sword, pulling Ji Lingyue onto it. Turning back, she saw Ah Li’s worried face, and said, “Stay here. Don’t go outside.”

“But…” Ah Li asked anxiously, “When will you be back?”

“We’ll be back soon.” As she spoke, Lan Wu was already flying away on her sword, her voice fading, “Remember, don’t go out no matter what!”

The long sword pierced the misty rain and flew rapidly forward. They chased for about ten miles down the mountain before spotting the white giant wolf racing across the fields. Lan Wu said worriedly, “Two demons running around so openly will attract the attention of cultivators soon.”

Ji Lingyue looked down at the figure running below, replying, “If we encounter any, we can say they’re my contracted beasts. Xuan Yu must be in trouble. Yao Zhu won’t go back, and neither can we.” She made up her mind. “We have to help her find Xuan Yu.”

Lan Wu nodded. “Of course.”

Having decided, they descended and followed alongside Yao Zhu.

Yao Zhu’s ears twitched, and she turned to look at them, her long hair streamed behind her in the wind, revealing a face that was both beautiful and fierce, eyes still simmering with anger and anxiety. “Why are you following me?”

“To help you, naturally.”

Lan Wu spoke, promptly dropping Ji Lingyue onto the wolf’s back. “You won’t get far running like that.”

Yao Zhu pressed her lips together, then whispered, “Thank you.”