Into The Sea

The sea wine was indeed much stronger than the wine of the mortal realm.

After tasting it, Ji Lingyue immediately stepped forward to Lan Wu’s side, shielding her from the offered drinks. “I’ll take this one.”

Lan Wu visibly relaxed, dutifully trailing behind her, flashing a bright smile to each guest who offered a toast. By the time Lan Yuan approached, Ji Lingyue had already downed over a dozen cups, yet her expression remained unchanged, her gaze clear, as if she had merely been drinking water.

Lan Yuan gave her a dubious look, then glanced at Lan Wu. “Does she have to drink my wine for you too?”

Lan Wu quickly interjected, “Of course not! I’ll drink this one!”

She cheerfully clinked cups with Lan Yuan and downed the drink in one go, her face instantly scrunching up.

Tears welled up in her bright eyes. Lan Yuan chuckled, calmly finishing her own cup, and couldn’t resist teasing, “All these years, you have really been raised into a pampered princess.”

Lan Wu blinked back her tears and muttered, “It’s just that the sea wine is too strong, it’s not that I’m spoiled.”

Catching sight of Ji Lingyue about to clink cups with Yao Zhu, she hastily reached out and tugged at her sleeve. “Alright, even if you can drink, take it easy. What if you get drunk? I’ll have to carry you back.”

Ji Lingyue instinctively replied, “I won’t get drunk.” Then, realizing what she had said, she added, “Even if I do get drunk, is carrying me back such a bad thing?”

Lan Wu quickly shook her head. “Of course not, I’d be happy to carry you. But…” She leaned closer to Ji Lingyue’s ear and whispered a few words. A blush crept onto the other woman’s cheeks. She blinked and obediently put down her cup. “Alright.”

Yao Zhu across from them raised an eyebrow, sighing in mock disappointment. “Oh well, I’ll just have to drink this cup myself then.” Just as she was about to down it in one go, another voice stopped her. “Take it easy.”

Xuan Yu was dressed in a light green dress today, its hem fluttering as she moved. The jade pendant hanging from her waist swayed gently. Lan Wu’s gaze, however, was drawn to the fiery red tassel hanging below the pendant. The more she looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. “This… isn’t this…”

Yao Zhu said proudly, “It’s made from my tail fur, isn’t it pretty?”

Xuan Yu wasn’t as pleased. Her expression turned awkward as she explained, “This fox suddenly got the idea to pluck her own fur to make me a scarf. If I hadn’t stopped her in time, she might have plucked half her tail bald! But since it was already plucked, we couldn’t waste it, so I let her… let her make a tassel out of it.”

“Suddenly got the idea?” Ji Lingyue narrowed her eyes, glancing thoughtfully at Lan Wu. “Maybe she got the idea from someone else.”

Xuan Yu shook her head, laughing. “If that’s the case, then the person who gave her the idea isn’t exactly easy to deal with either.”

Lan Wu coughed awkwardly, shifting her gaze elsewhere. As she did, she spotted a figure swimming towards them from afar, and her eyes lit up. “Ah Yue, Yun’er’s back.”

Ji Lingyue instinctively turned around. Sure enough, she saw the familiar figure landing on the jade steps, followed by two or three cloaked figures in black.

“Sister,” Ji Yun said, striding forward with a smile. “I made it in time.”

Ji Lingyue couldn’t help but smile, grasping her hands and looking her up and down before turning to the others. “What’s with the outfits?”

Yuan Qing grumbled, “We thought wearing black would make us blend in, but who knew the sea demons here are so colorful? Wearing black just made us stand out more.”

Lan Wu recognized her as one of Ji Lingyue’s friends from the Flame Lands and said gently, “Don’t worry, no one here will care about your identities.”

“True, we rushed here, but the sea yaos were all busy with their own affairs and didn’t even notice us.” Yuan Qing changed the subject. “But the last time I saw you, Miss Lan, you were a faceless demon. Now, you’re quite the sight to behold.”

Ji Lingyue couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for? I wasn’t complimenting you,” Yuan Qing retorted. “When Ji Yun told us you were marrying a sea princess, we thought you’d abandoned your old love for a new one. But instead… you gave us quite the shock!”

“If it’s such a shock, why did you come?” Ji Lingyue said seriously. “Thank you for coming.”

Another person laughed. “You really should thank her. You have no idea how much courage it took for her to decide to come back here.”

“Is that so?” Ji Lingyue pondered for a moment, then pulled out a jade pendant from her robes. “In that case, I’ll return this to you.”

Yuan Qing was stunned. When she realized what it was, her eyes widened in alarm. “Why do you still have it? Didn’t I ask you to return it to my master?”

“I’ve been busy lately and haven’t had the chance. Now that you’re back, you can return it yourself.” Ji Lingyue smiled. “These kinds of complicated matters are best handled in person.”

“You,” Yuan Qing stammered. “I braved coming back here for you, and this is how you thank me?”

Ji Lingyue nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Yes.”

“You’re unbelievable, Ji Lingyue—”

“Don’t get angry,” Lan Wu quickly interjected. “It’s a joyous occasion. I’ll apologize for Ah Yue. But think about it, Miss Yuan, Ah Yue is right. Matters of the heart are best handled by the people involved. But since you’ve come all this way for our wedding banquet, why don’t you sit down, relax, and chat with everyone?”

Yuan Qing was ushered into the hall and had a cup of wine thrust into her hand before she could even process what was happening. After a long while, she finally said, “How did someone as infuriating as Ji Lingyue end up with someone as kind as you?”

Lan Wu laughed. “I guess we’re just a perfect match.”

Perhaps because there was no day or night in the sea, the grand banquet lasted for a long time. It wasn’t until the laughter and music gradually died down that Meng Changge brought the two tipsy little birds to their room and hurried back out.

Lan Yuan was still there, sitting on her grand throne. Her white robe flowed like silk, and her left hand, adorned with a jade ring, rested on her knee. Her other hand held the Sea Emperor’s Sword, planted firmly on the ground. She seemed deep in thought.

Meng Changge glanced around for the mermaid who always followed Lan Yuan around. Seeing her busy escorting drunken guests to their rooms, Meng Changge felt reassured and walked up the jade steps to stand beside the throne. “Tired?”

After a long pause, Lan Yuan finally looked up, squinting in confusion. “Who are you?”

Meng Changge was taken aback. She studied her for a moment, hesitating. “Are you drunk?”

“Nonsense!” Lan Yuan immediately sat up straight, her eyes wide. “Ji Lingyue isn’t drunk, how could I possibly be?”

Meng Changge stifled a laugh. “You don’t actually think you can outdrink my junior sister, do you?”

Lan Yuan frowned. “What do you mean? You think I can’t?”

Her reasoning was so clear that Meng Changge hesitated again, wondering if she really wasn’t drunk. Just then, Lan Yuan stood up unsteadily, dragging her sword along the floor. “Where’s Ji Lingyue? Find her. We’ll… we’ll continue…”

Meng Changge quickly steadied her. “She’s in the middle of her wedding night. Why are you looking for her? And why are you carrying a sword?”

“Wedding night?” Lan Yuan stopped, tilting her head in confusion. “With who?”

“Who do you think? With your sister, of course.”

“Oh…” Lan Yuan blinked, muttering, “With my sister.”

After a moment of silence, a pearl suddenly fell, landing on the floor with a soft thud. Meng Changge glanced down and then quickly looked back at her, alarmed. “What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly crying?”

Lan Yuan’s face remained expressionless as pearls continued to fall. “My sister… she’s grown up. She’s not a little fish anymore…”

Meng Changge: “Hasn’t she been grown up for a while now?”

Lan Yuan seemed not to hear her. “She used to be mischievous and always getting into trouble. After being scolded by Mother, she would run to me, all pitiful. She used to cling to me for everything. How did she grow up so suddenly?”

Meng Changge finally understood and couldn’t help but smile. “I never thought you’d have such sentimental moments. Don’t worry, she’s just getting married. It’s not like she’s dying or leaving you. If she knew you were dropping little pearls behind her back while drunk, she would probably…”

Lan Yuan’s expression hardened. “Don’t say that word!”

“…” After a long pause, Meng Changge sighed helplessly. “You really do love her.”

Meanwhile, the two women thought to be celebrating their wedding night had just left Ye Qingjun’s room. Lan Wu weighed the box in her hand, curious. “It’s so light. I wonder what Elder Yao sent.”

“Given her personality, it’s probably some rare medicinal herbs,” Ji Lingyue said, then turned to Lan Wu with sparkling eyes. “Where are we staying tonight?”

“Of course, in my palace,” Lan Wu said, taking her hand. After a moment, she added, “It feels like nothing’s really changed after getting married.”

“We have a soul contract now,” Ji Lingyue huffed. “If you ever change your heart, you’ll feel the pain.”

“Don’t you have one too?” Lan Wu chuckled, pushing open the doors to her palace. The first thing that caught their eye was the giant white seashell. It was Ji Lingyue’s first time seeing it up close. She walked around, looking at it in wonder. “It’s so big.”

Lan Wu hummed in agreement, pulling her closer. She carefully removed the crown, then patiently undid the sash and helped Ji Lingyue out of the heavy, intricate outer robe. Once that was done, she looked at Ji Lingyue’s face, so close to hers, and couldn’t resist kissing her rosy lips. She tasted a hint of sweetness.

“Did you drink fruit nectar earlier?”

Ji Lingyue hummed. “You told me not to drink too much, so when Lan Yuan challenged me to a drinking contest, I secretly switched it to fruit nectar.”

Lan Wu raised an eyebrow. “If Sister finds out, she’ll be furious.”

“That’s a problem for tomorrow,” Ji Lingyue said, stepping closer to kiss her. But Lan Wu stopped her with a finger to her lips. “Do you want to take a dip in the hot spring?”

Ji Lingyue asked in confusion, “There’s a hot spring in the sea?”

“Of course, it’s man-made. It’s in my palace,” Lan Wu said with a smile. “Though a cleansing spell would do the trick, soaking in the hot spring is quite relaxing once in a while.”

“Alright.”

“Then I’ll go set it up.”

With that, Lan Wu left. Ji Lingyue, left alone, noticed the box on the table and couldn’t resist opening it.

What could it be?

Curious, she opened it and found only a teapot wrapped in golden velvet cloth. Ji Lingyue took it out, lifted the lid, and sniffed. A floral fragrance wafted into her nose.

She blinked, thinking it smelled quite nice. She placed it back on the table. Just then, Lan Wu returned, spotting the opened box. “What is it?” she asked.

“A pot of medicinal wine.”

Lan Wu nodded, noticing a piece of paper inside. She picked it up and read aloud, “Spring… Passion… Concentrate.”

A moment later, she exclaimed, “Spring Passion Concentrate?!”

Ji Lingyue looked confused. “What’s that?”

“Spring Passion Concentrate is…” Lan Wu hurried over, cupping Ji Lingyue’s face in her hands. “It’s an aphrodisiac! Back when I was at Haochen Mountain, Elder Yao was researching it. Did you drink it? Please tell me you didn’t taste it!”

Ji Lingyue blinked, slowly realizing what it was. But seeing Lan Wu’s flustered, red face, she couldn’t help but feel a bit mischievous. “I…”

Lan Wu asked nervously, “Did you drink it?”

“I did,” Ji Lingyue said, her eyes narrowing as she wrapped her arms around Lan Wu’s neck and leaned in close. “What should I do? I feel so uncomfortable.”