Into The Sea

“Ugh!”

The woman in the room stumbled, barely catching herself on the table by the window, coughing up blood.

She wiped the blood from her lips, bewildered. Before she could make sense of it, her heart was seized with a sharp, stabbing pain.

Ji Lingyue groaned, falling to her knees, clutching her chest.

Her soft white robes were instantly soaked with cold sweat, her long hair falling around her face. Veins bulged at her temples as she gasped for breath.

This sudden, inexplicable pain… there was only one explanation she could think of.

Her eyes wide with panic, Ji Lingyue quickly formed a hand seal, her voice choked with emotion. “Come forth!”

A golden light flashed, and a bloodied figure collapsed in the center of the formation. The sound of a sword clattering to the ground made Ji Lingyue jump. She stumbled forward, cradling the figure in her arms.

“Lan Wu!”

Lan Wu’s brow was furrowed, her robes drenched in blood. Blood seeped from the wounds on her neck and arms. She coughed, and more blood stained her chin.

“What happened? You…” Ji Lingyue’s eyes reddened as she frantically searched for a healing pill to feed her. But before she could act, a gust of wind howled outside, slamming the door open with a loud crash.

Under the serene moonlight, Qin Yu stood at the doorway, his sword resting on his shoulder, his robes billowing in the wind. His aura was suffused with killing intent. “Ji Lingyue.”

Ji Lingyue froze. “Master.”

“No wonder,” he said, shaking his head with a scornful laugh. “Who else would bring her here but you? Do you even realize what you’re doing?”

Ji Lingyue gritted her teeth. “This disciple knows.”

“You know?” Qin Yu’s voice was cold. “You know, yet you still protect her? Have you forgotten how close you came to death? How she deceived you? You’re beyond hopeless!”

Ji Lingyue retorted, “Yes, she deceived me, but she wasn’t responsible for my injuries. It was another mermaid…”

“Even if it was another mermaid, they came because of her, and they hurt you for her sake. Stop deceiving yourself!” Qin Yu took a step forward. “You have made her your contracted beast. Sooner or later, her companions will seek you out, maybe even hurt you to break the contract. The only way to avoid future trouble is to kill her. Ji Lingyue, if you repent now, I will pretend this never happened…”

“Master!” Ji Lingyue abruptly cut him off. A hot tear fell onto Lan Wu’s blood-streaked face, but the mermaid remained unresponsive, her eyes closed as if she had already lost consciousness.

Golden spiritual energy flowed from Ji Lingyue’s fingertips, drifting toward Lan Wu like fireflies. Ji Lingyue looked up at Qin Yu, her bloodied lips trembling as she forced a smile. “I have already… formed a life-and-death contract with her…”

In the dead of night, a figure hurried out of the room, stepping onto a flying sword.

A creak came from behind. The sleepy little girl, Ah Li, was leaning against the window, yawning. “Where are you going? It’s so late, why are you leaving?”

Yu Shanye paused, turning to look at her, her brow furrowed. “Did I wake you?”

Ah Li nodded listlessly.

Yu Shanye stared at her for a moment, then shook her head. “It’s nothing, just some sect matters. Go back to sleep. I’ll be back before dawn.”

Ah Li looked at her blankly, then agreed. “Okay.”

Seeing the girl obediently close the window and retreat inside, Yu Shanye sighed in relief and turned to fly toward the mountain peak. She soon landed outside Ye Qingjun’s courtyard and hurriedly knocked on the door. Before she could call out, footsteps approached from inside, and the door was pushed open.

Ye Qingjun’s serene face appeared. Yu Shanye instinctively said, “Master…”

“I know,” Ye Qingjun interrupted, stepping out with a wave of her sleeve. “Let’s go.”

Yu Shanye was momentarily stunned, only now noticing that her master was fully dressed, as if she hadn’t just woken up. She quickly followed, hesitating for a moment before asking, “Master, did you know?”

“I’ve known for a while,” Ye Qingjun sighed. “A spirit beast bound to Ji Lingyue, and one that looks exactly like the little fish Lan Wu once raised. If you think about it, it’s obvious who it is.”

“Then why didn’t you expose her?”

“Why should I? Besides you and me, who in Haochen Mountain remembers that insignificant little fish?” Ye Qingjun said, “If she hadn’t taken human form, if she hadn’t been seen by someone who knew her, she might not have been discovered… It’s better for her if she’s not recognized.”

She fell silent, then sighed. “But she was too reckless.”

The two rushed to the main peak. As soon as they entered the main hall, a voice said, “…death penalty can be avoided, but punishment is necessary. Now that Fang Yuan and Chang Lang are here, why not ask for their opinions?”

Ye Qingjun couldn’t help but speak up. “Elder Lin, if I remember correctly, the matter with Lan Wu was settled long ago, wasn’t it?”

Lin Heng’s ears twitched. He glanced at her, sneering, “Elder Ye is quick to arrive.”

Ignoring his sarcasm, Ye Qingjun walked to Chi Jinghe. “I endured a hundred soul-devouring lashes, and Ji Lingyue gave her blood to save lives. Was all of that for nothing?”

Chi Jinghe turned to her, her gaze landing on Ye Qingjun’s pale face. Her brow furrowed. “You should be resting.”

Ye Qingjun shook her head. “I’m fine. I just want to ask the Sect Leader one thing. Was the punishment we received back then for nothing?”

After a moment of silence, Chi Jinghe looked at her deeply and said, “No, they were not.”

Lin Heng was taken aback. “Sect Leader, Elder Ye endured those hundred lashes as punishment for letting a demon escape. Chang Lang’s near-death experience was entirely Lan Wu’s fault. Ji Lingyue offering her blood to save him was only right! All these years, Chang Lang’s cultivation has stagnated due to his injuries. He’ll never have the chance to ascend to immortality. Who will compensate him for these losses?!”

Chi Jinghe hesitated. “You make a valid point.”

Ye Qingjun pressed her lips together. She noticed a slender woman kneeling nearby, motionless like a statue.

It was Ji Lingyue.

But for some reason, she looked unusually unwell, her shoulders trembling, her head hanging low as if on the verge of collapse. Beside her stood Qin Yu, his face grim. The master and disciple seemed entirely detached from the ongoing discussion, yet an odd tension hung between them, making others hesitant to approach.

Chi Jinghe pondered for a moment, then said, “Regardless, the events of that year were indeed caused by Lan Wu. Even if she is now Ji Lingyue’s demon beast and poses no threat, she must still bear some punishment. Otherwise, how can I justify this to the discipless?”

As she spoke, her calm eyes fixed on Ye Qingjun, as if explaining her reasoning. Ye Qingjun clenched her fists, her voice hoarse. “Then, Sect Leader… what punishment do you intend to give her?”

“One hundred lashes, how about that?” Chi Jinghe said calmly. “The same as what you endured back then.”

Ye Qingjun stared at her, speechless.

One hundred lashes were lighter than destroying her cultivation or taking her life, but heavier than a normal punishment. Lan Wu would likely be carried out after that.

But in this situation, she couldn’t find a reason to stop it.

Ye Qingjun was about to concede when a hoarse voice spoke. “That’s not right.”

Everyone was startled, turning to the source of the voice. Qin Yu’s face darkened. “Ji Lingyue.”

Ji Lingyue said, “It shouldn’t be a hundred lashes…”

Chi Jinghe frowned. “What do you mean?”

Ji Lingyue was silent for a moment. She turned, revealing a pale face. “When Chang Lang was seriously injured, Lan Wu’s identity token was still intact. She was still a disciple of Haochen Mountain. Even if she must be punished, it should be according to the disciple regulations.”

Lin Heng laughed in disbelief. “What nonsense are you spouting? Lan Wu is a demon!”

Ji Lingyue retorted, “Our sect rules never stated that we cannot accept demons as disciples. But it does state that those who hold an identity token are disciples of our sect. Are those words not carved at the main gate of the peak?”

“Ji Lingyue,” Qin Yu said, displeased. “Enough!”

But she ignored him, defying her master for the first time. “Article Seven of the disciple regulations states that unintentionally causing severe injury to a fellow disciple warrants twenty lashes. Even if Lan Wu is to be punished, it should be twenty lashes, not a hundred.”

She looked directly at Chi Jinghe, her eyes bloodshot. “Isn’t that right, Sect Leader?”