Into The Sea

The Sea Empress’ day begins with the first rays of sunlight scattering across the ocean surface.

Lan Yuan rose early, sitting in the Red Coral Palace lazily, awaiting Feng Yi’s arrival with the new reports sent from the Four Seas. Instead, she heard a series of panicked cries.

She raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “What’s happening outside?”

A guard in silver armor quickly clasped her fist. “Your Majesty, please wait. This subordinate will investigate.”

With that, the young mermaid energetically swished her tail and swam out, but quickly returned in a fluster. “Your Majesty! Minister Feng Yi has been… been carried off by a huge fish!”

Lan Yuan: ?

She lifted her robes and swam out of the Red Coral Palace. Not far away on the ceremonial platform, a massive shadow was stirring up violent waves, leaving only wreckage in its wake. Further down, guards in white robes were spread out to both sides of the city, calmly evacuating the residents. As for her personal attendant, Feng Yi…

Lan Yuan narrowed her eyes and quickly spotted the attendant caught in the whirlpool. The mermaid was single-handedly battling the giant creature, and despite being tossed around, she still clung tightly to the stack of reports with her other hand.

The young mermaid beside her puffed out her chest. “Your Majesty, don’t worry! I’ll go save Minister Feng Yi!”

Lan Yuan paused. “Wait—”

Before she could finish, the young mermaid shot off like an arrow, only to be violently flung back the moment she touched the whirlpool surrounding the giant creature.

“Ah—!”

The intricately carved white jade walls of the Sea Palace loomed closer. Just as she was about to close her eyes and brace for a painful crash, a hand gently guided her waist, safely returning her to her original spot.

She opened her eyes in surprise, only to see Lan Yuan’s retreating back. “Stay back. That’s a Kun fish.”

Subduing this rare fish wasn’t particularly difficult. In fact, Feng Yi could have easily subdued it if she hadn’t been so determined to protect the reports.

Lan Yuan clicked her tongue in annoyance. Her billowing robes were whipped behind her by the violent waves, and her neatly arranged silver hair came undone, but she moved as if unbothered. A faint blue light emanated from her palm as she struck the Kun fish’s flexible body with a resounding thud.

Crack—

White ice crystals spread from her palm, rapidly growing like flourishing branches. In the blink of an eye, the frenzied giant was completely frozen. The waves calmed, and Feng Yi let out a sigh of relief, struggling to pull her left arm free from the creature’s mouth. She wobbled back to Lan Yuan’s side. “Your Majesty…”

Lan Yuan glanced at her sideways. “Who are you?”

Feng Yi blinked, completely confused. “I am… your personal attendant?”

“Is that so?” Lan Yuan snorted coldly and turned away. “I thought these reports were my personal attendants.”

Feng Yi chuckled brightly. “Your Majesty, you’re so funny. Reports are inanimate objects. How could they be your attendants?”

“…” Lan Yuan shot her an exasperated glare.

An attendant who couldn’t grasp sarcasm was truly infuriating.

Just then, a chorus of gasps and exclamations rose from behind. Lan Yuan turned to find that the merfolks who had been hiding earlier had now gathered around, some even daring to bring their children closer to the frozen fish.

She frowned and instructed, “Send the children to school later. Don’t let them near this fish. It’s dangerous.”

Feng Yi blinked. “But Your Majesty, didn’t you freeze it?”

“Do you expect me to keep it frozen forever?” Lan Yuan lifted her robes and entered the Red Coral Palace. “This is a young Kun fish. It must have wandered in by accident. I’ll take it away when I have time. When I have time, I’ll take it away. Otherwise, it’ll be troublesome when its mother comes looking for it.”

“A Kun fish? A young Kun fish?!” Feng Yi exclaimed incredulously. “It’s so big, and it’s still a baby!”

Lan Yuan glared at her again, barely holding back her frustration. “Did you forget everything you read? Have you already forgotten the first chapter of The Chronicles of the Sea Gods?”

Kun fish, Kun fish, or perhaps, its more well-known name, Kunpeng.

Feng Yi finally remembered and glanced back at the giant creature before quickening her pace to catch up. “Your Majesty, those were just stories from my childhood. Forgetting them is… is understandable, right?”

“Merfolk are in those stories too. Why haven’t you forgotten yourself?”

Feng Yi finally realized that her Majesty was in a bad mood today. After thinking for a moment, she decided to change the subject. “Your Majesty, there are fewer reports than usual today. Shall I read them for you?”

“Go ahead.”

Feng Yi cleared her throat and opened the first one. “Hmm… This is a report from the Shark Clan of the western sea. It says that the new clan leader, Sha Huai, has happily welcomed a daughter and requests that Your Majesty bestow a name upon the little princess.”

“I’m not her mother. Why should I name her? Reject it.”

“Understood. The next report is from the Dragon Clan. The Dragon Clan leader, Jiang Luan, hopes that the Empress Dowager can stay in the Dragon Cave for a few more days and requests Your Majesty’s permission.”

“That’s for my mother to decide. Why bother asking me?”

“Next is a report from the eastern sea. The sect leader of Haochen Mountain wishes to meet with you to discuss the usage rights of Penglai for the next fifty years… Huh?”

Lan Yuan turned back. “What is it?”

Feng Yi pinched a red letter that had fallen out of the report. “To Lan Yuan, personally,” she frowned, flipping it back and forth. “Your Majesty, it doesn’t say who sent this.”

Lan Yuan coughed lightly, feigning nonchalance as she took the letter. “I know who it’s from. Don’t worry about it. Continue reading.”

“Alright.”

As the moon rose and the sun set, signaling the end of a busy day, the woman changed out of her elaborate robes, removed her silver crown, and left the Sea Palace with the Kun fish.

Under a sky full of stars, Lan Yuan walked across the vast, moonlit ocean. She took out a short flute and played a melodious tune.

As if in response, a deep, resonant call echoed from the sky. A colossal beast, obscuring the heavens, slowly swam from the clouds, blocking the shimmering moonlight that fell upon the world.

Whoosh—

With a gentle flap of its wings, the beast stirred a chilling gust of wind, easily scattering Lan Yuan’s long hair. Compared to its immense size, the empress of the Four Seas was no bigger than a sesame seed. Lan Yuan handed the young Kun fish over and turned to leave. “Be careful. Keep a closer eye on your child from now on.”

She hadn’t taken more than a few steps when a gust of wind arose again, almost causing her to stumble. She turned back, frowning, only to see the young Kun fish carefully flying toward her, its massive head nuzzling affectionately against her.

“Thank you, but please don’t.”

She couldn’t handle such a massive creature’s affections. After politely refusing, she was about to leave again when her body suddenly felt light.

The ocean surface rapidly receded below her. Lan Yuan found herself kneeling on the Kunpeng’s back, quickly shielding her face from the howling wind. Just as she was about to form a hand seal to cast a spell, the wind suddenly vanished. She blinked, slowly lowering her arm, her eyes reflecting the vast sea of clouds bathed in moonlight.

The full moon, like a white jade plate, seemed close enough to touch. Lan Yuan finally relaxed, retracting her gaze and reaching out to touch the beast beneath her. “Thank you. Could you take me to Xizhou?”

The Kunpeng let out a long cry, flapped its wings, and flew west.

After a long day, Meng Changge fed her little red horse and returned to her tent to rest.

A few days ago, she had single-handedly slain a wicked demon that had haunted the area for a long time. The residents of the grasslands were celebrating this event with a half-month-long feast. People came from miles around, showering her with fruits, melons, cattle, and sheep. Even though she repeatedly declined, stating that she would be leaving soon, it did not diminish their enthusiasm in the slightest.

As for why she was staying here, it was because she had heard that there was a field of Dream Lotus flowers in Luoxing Valley, a dozen miles to the north. The flowers were about to bloom, and it was a rare and beautiful sight in the world. If she were fortunate enough to see it, she could brag about it to Lan Yuan.

A gentle breeze stirred the wind chimes hanging outside her tent. As night fell, the area finally quieted down. Meng Changge blew out the candle and lay down, but just as she turned over, she heard a faint rustling outside.

She paused, silently sitting up and gripping the long saber leaning against the bed.

Who would come to her door at this late hour?

Meng Changge held her breath, tiptoed to the tent entrance, and used the hilt of her saber to lift the curtain. Not far away, a slender figure stood with their hands clasped behind their back in front of her little red horse. Her usually fierce little horse was affectionately nuzzling the person’s shoulder.

Since when was my horse so friendly?

She walked out suspiciously. Hearing her footsteps, the woman turned around. Silver hair spilled from beneath the cloak, and serene, blue eyes met hers. “Awake?”

Meng Changge stopped in her tracks, surprised. “Lan Yuan?”

Lan Yuan hummed in acknowledgement, casually looking up at the sky. “You were right. The moon here is indeed bigger than in the South Sea.”

Meng Changge snapped out of her daze, a smile spreading across her face as she hurried forward.

“When did you arrive? Are you allowed to leave Kunlun Sea?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? It’s not like they are incompetent. They won’t fall apart just because I’m gone for a few days.” She lazily narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin. “In any case, the esteemed Sea Empress has decided to take a vacation.”

Meng Changge chuckled. “So, you came to find me?”

Lan Yuan pursed her lips, neither confirming nor denying. “You said in your letter that the Dream Lotus blooms are beautiful. So, I came to see for myself.”