Into The Sea

BOOM!

A loud thunderclap echoed outside the window, jolting Yu Shanye back to reality. Instinctively, she tightened her arms around the slender girl in her embrace and used a spell to close the window.

Instantly, heavy rain poured down, hammering against the ground.

The cold wind rattled the windowpanes, but the room remained quiet and warm, making one drowsy with comfort. Ah Li couldn’t help but yawn, relaxing her body and snuggling into Yu Shanye’s embrace. “Hmm?”

Yu Shanye gently stroked the back of her neck. “Weren’t you pretending not to know me earlier?”

“You started it,” Ah Li mumbled, crawling up to rest her head on Yu Shanye’s chest. “I really don’t understand why you’re so afraid of Master finding out about us. She’s not an unreasonable.”

“It’s because when she asked me to take care of you, you looked like a fourteen-year-old girl. There’s a whole generation between us. If she finds out about our relationship now, she’ll definitely think I’m some old pervert…”

Ah Li giggled. “What’s so old about you?”

Yu Shanye huffed. “Older than you, that’s what.”

The girl sighed, exasperated. “Master doesn’t think she’s acting inappropriately for her age. Why would she think you’re acting inappropriately for yours?”

“That’s different. She asked me to take care of you…”

“And you are taking care of me.”

“Taking care of you in bed?”

Ah Li froze, pushing herself up with a touch of annoyance. “Oh, so you still have a problem with it. In that case, let’s just end it—”

Yu Shanye quickly wrapped her arms around her waist. “I don’t have problem with it! I don’t have a problem with it at all!”

Things were different now than they had been when they were trapped in the Nightmare Forest. Back then, if the little girl got sulky, she couldn’t run away. Yu Shanye could always find her and coax her back home. But now, if AH Li decided to leave, she really could go a whole year without seeing her.

Sometimes, Yu Shanye even missed those days.

Ah Li looked at her suspiciously. “Really?”

“Really.”

The girl stared at her for a moment before pouting and lying back down. “We’re in a proper relationship. Why do we have to hide it? I’ll tell you the truth—this time, besides delivering Master’s birthday gift, I also came to confess our relationship to her.”

Yu Shanye was shocked. “When?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is her birthday. Are you…” She struggled for words. “are you trying to give her a heart attack on her special day?”

Ah Li pondered for a moment. “Then I’ll tell her the day after.”

“The day after?” Yu Shanye blinked. “Can you stay here until then?”

“Yes, I specifically asked the clan leader for time off. I can stay here for half a month.”

Yu Shanye recalled her brief encounters with Jiang Luan and couldn’t help but doubt. “She’s that easygoing? Doesn’t she always push you to cultivate?”

“The clan leader is really strict with me, but it just so happens that the Empress Dowager has returned from Kunlun Sea to visit her family. You know how it is—every time the Empress Dowager returns, the clan leader drops all her duties to accompany her, so she has no time to bother with me.”

As they spoke, a faint rustling sound came through the rain. Yu Shanye and Ah Li exchanged a glance before getting out of bed and stepping outside.

Not far from Jianzhi Courtyard was the residence of Lan Wu and Ji Lingyue. At this moment, that familiar figure braved the rain, forming seals and chanting incantations to clean a life-sized mirror in the courtyard.

Ah Li asked softly, “What is that?”

Yu Shanye shook her head. “She’s been fiddling with that mirror for half a month now. I don’t know what it’s for.”

After a while, Ji Lingyue also came out of the house and stood next to the mirror with Lan Wu. The two of them counted down softly before tapping the mirror.

Clang—

The once-solid mirror surface rippled like water, and when the image cleared, it revealed another figure.

The person stood in a pristine white palace, looking surprised at the scene outside the mirror.

Lan Wu beamed and cheered, “Sister, happy birthday!”

***

A rain fell in the forest.

It was late autumn, and the Nightmare Forest was shrouded in mist, the shadows of withered trees looming like monsters hidden in the fog. The light rain washed away the bloodstains on the ground, falling on her pale face and slowly draining her warmth.

So cold.

Her blood was almost completely drained, and her limbs were gradually growing numb. In the rain, someone knelt beside her, desperately trying to staunch her wounds while sobbing softly.

Who’s crying?

With the last of her strength, she turned her face toward the person. Fresh blood gushed from her wounds, staining the puddle beneath her a faint red. Finally, she could make out the desperate whimpers: “Yu Shanye…”

Ah Li.

No, I can’t stop here.

If I stop here, the people from Penglai will catch up.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t form a complete sentence. Just as consciousness faded, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the forest. The last thing she heard was a heart-wrenching cry before everything went dark.

“Hah…”

The sound of rapid breathing broke the silence in the room. Yu Shanye’s eyes snapped open, her chest heaving as a cold sweat drenched her back.

The rain continued to fall outside, pattering against the banana leaves by the door. She blinked and took a while to come back to her senses, but her arm felt pinned down by something.

She turned her head and met the girl’s peaceful sleeping face.

“…”

It was just a dream.

After a while, she carefully turned over and pulled Ah Li into her arms.

Thankfully, it’s all in the past now.

The girl in her arms murmured something incoherent, instinctively snuggling closer. The distant rumble of thunder echoed, and Yu Shanye held her tightly, feeling the chill that had seeped into her bones. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind—what if she had already died, and this peaceful, beautiful life was just a figment of her dying imagination?

Just as she was lost in her wild thoughts, a hand reached up and gently caressed her face. “Did you have a nightmare?”

She hesitated for a moment and whispered her thoughts to Ah Li.

The girl nestled quietly in her arms, frowning incredulously after listening. “What are you thinking about every day?” She took Yu Shanye’s hand and sighed. “Are you feeling cold again?”

Yu Shanye nodded, a hint of sadness in her voice. “I’m a fire spirit root. I shouldn’t feel cold.”

Ah Li sighed softly. “It must have been a terrible nightmare.”

As she spoke, she lowered her eyes and leaned closer to the woman, gently kissing the corner of her lips. Her free right hand moved to her waist, parting the undergarments and slipping inside.

“Hmm…”

Yu Shanye shivered in surprise, pinching her wrist. “What are you doing?”

“Didn’t you say you were cold?” Ah Li looked up at her with innocent eyes. “I’m just doing something to warm you up.”