Volume One: Hidden in the Azure Abyss Chapter Seventeen
Jinli sensed trouble—she must not let Gengyuan know of the past feud between Ruan Tu and him. She looked back at Gengyuan, their eyes meeting. He gave her a gentle smile. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s nothing. I have something to attend to outside. Be good while I’m gone.”
Gengyuan nodded. After Jinli left, he slipped off the meteorite ring, his long, elegant fingers turning it slowly. Water droplets at his fingertips condensed into a blade. He watched it with a playful expression, then with a casual flick, the water blade pierced straight through a thick tree trunk nearby.
When Jinli arrived at the Butterfly Clan’s residence in Pear Blossom Valley—
“Greetings, Lady Sovereign.”
“At ease.” Jinli's gaze fell on Ruan Tu, gravely wounded on the bed. “Where did you find him?”
“In the Pear River. He was soaking in the water, covered in wounds, and had turned the river red. We thought he was beyond saving, but he still had a breath left, so we brought him back and hurried to inform you.”
Jinli approached Ruan Tu, feeling his pulse: a broken tail, pearl lost, primordial spirit nearly destroyed—clinging to life by the thinnest thread.
Her brow furrowed. She immediately administered a medicinal pill to keep him alive. With a glance, she signaled to Yun Xiang. Understanding, Yun Xiang summoned a series of medicinal herbs to float in the air. Jinli quickly selected several, closed her eyes, and with a wave of her hand, blue flames consumed the herbs, leaving a supreme-grade pill in her palm. She used its power to heal Ruan Tu’s wounds.
Blue and purple light enveloped him, penetrating his body. Soon, the deathly pallor faded from his face, and the tense atmosphere in the room eased.
Jinli checked his pulse again—thankfully, it had grown stronger.
Handing the remaining herbs to Yun Xiang, she said, “Go decoct these.”
Yun Xiang nodded and withdrew.
Jinli turned to the Butterfly Clan. Knowing their migratory habits, it was unwise to keep Ruan Tu with them. Once Yun Xiang finished preparing the medicine and administered it, she instructed, “Prepare a hidden room in Lotus River. Take the Second Prince there to recuperate.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Jinli addressed the worried crowd, “There’s no need to worry—he’s out of danger. But let this matter go no further.”
“Rest assured, Lady Sovereign. We won’t speak a word,” the clan leader said, leaning on his staff.
Jinli looked at the sleeping Ruan Tu, at his wounds, the blue immortal light flickering there. A familiar sensation made her heart tremble, her hands beginning to shake.
Was this immortal technique Gengyuan’s doing?
She dreaded to imagine the consequences if it truly was.
The Butterfly Clan knelt in farewell as Jinli had Yun Xiang settle Ruan Tu, then set off for the Ninth Heaven.
If she was to inquire about the war in the Southern Sea, there was no one better than the God of War in the Ninth Heaven.
Transformed into mist, she arrived at Tang Jiu’s palace. The divine guards did not stop her.
“Where is the God of War?” Jinli asked a celestial attendant.
With utmost respect, the attendant replied, “A few days ago, the God of War went to quell the rebellion in the Southern Sea. He has not yet returned. Please, Lady Sovereign, wait a moment.”
Led to the rear garden, Jinli was served tea as she waited.
Before the tea cooled, the God of War returned. Tang Jiu, still clad in his dark armor, changed into celestial robes with a wave of his hand upon seeing Jinli, and smiled lightly. “What brings you here today, Lady Sovereign?”
Jinli went straight to the point. “It’s been a while, God of War. You remain as distinguished as ever. I came to ask you about certain matters.”
“Please, speak freely.”
“Has the instigator behind the Southern Sea rebellion been found?”
“...No. The rebellion was an internal affair, unrelated to the Celestial Clan. We merely suppressed those with divided loyalties.”
Jinli’s brow grew heavier. Sensing her worry, Tang Jiu reassured her, “There is no need for concern. The Four Seas are now at peace. At the investiture of the new Sea Lord, you will know all.”
“Lady Sovereign, has anything unusual occurred in Lotus River recently?” asked the Star Lord.
“What do you mean by that?”
“There have been changes in the Four Seas, related to the boundary arrays and sigils.”
At these words, Jinli went cold, her mind buzzing, deaf to all else.
Boundary sigils, formation arrays.
Could it really be Gengyuan?
How much was he hiding from her?
Passing by the banks of the Forgetting River, she unexpectedly encountered Bai Wanting, currently stationed there for a hundred-year term.
“Lady Sovereign, what brings you here? Is something urgent?”
Jinli fixed her with an icy gaze. “Out of my way.”
Bai Wanting pretended not to hear. “I beg your pardon?”
“Don’t act so superior. It’s because of you that the Four Seas were nearly plunged into chaos. The Celestial Clan and Heavens already know everything. I could bind you and deliver you as a criminal—let’s see how long your arrogance lasts.”
“My guilt or innocence is none of your concern. Now, get out of my sight!”
“Oh? Are you angry, Lady Sovereign? All the better. Seize her!”
With a wave, Bai Wanting’s soldiers surrounded Jinli. She sneered coldly. “Bai Wanting, have you thought this through?”
Bai Wanting’s arrogance was palpable. “I am a descendant of Bai Ze. My ancestors have served with distinction for generations—even the Celestial Emperor must honor us. If I am fallen, it is your doing. Now you are a fallen deity; I am upholding the heavens’ will. Why hesitate? Take her!”
The soldiers surged forward. Though Jinli repelled some with a gesture, her primordial spirit was depleted from healing Gengyuan’s tail. She was outnumbered and could not fight head-on for long.
In the fray, blood seeped through her sleeve.
“Do you understand the consequences of this, Bai Wanting? Stop now—there are repercussions you cannot bear.”
Bai Wanting laughed madly. “What consequences could frighten me now? Jinli, remember—today, the banks of the Forgetting River will be your grave!”
Jinli’s powers waned. As she was wounded, waves surged before her, coiling around her as if alive.
Amid the gasps of the crowd, a striking young man with silver hair and blue eyes emerged from the surf, Jinli in his arms.
Bai Wanting’s face twisted. “You!”
Gengyuan’s lips parted, unleashing arrows of blue water-light that pierced the attackers’ bodies. Unable to withstand him, Bai Wanting fell to her knees.
Holding Jinli, Gengyuan looked down at Bai Wanting. “You will not harm her.”
Bai Wanting sneered. “She’s merely a disgraced deity. Soon, she’ll be nothing, and then we’ll see what a demon merman like you can do.”
Gengyuan ignored her, raising a brow to render her unconscious.
He carried Jinli back to Lotus River.
The youth gently stroked her dark hair.
Just a little longer—only one final step, and they could be together, rightfully and forever.
When Jinli awoke, she could not tell if it was night or nearly dawn outside her window. The Southern Sea Crystal remained missing, and chaos threatened the Four Seas.
Somewhere in the Southern Sea—
The Sea Crystal was in Gengyuan’s hand. The once-clear blue waters had turned dark and foul without it.
Jiang Ji spoke. “Young Lord, are we not saving Lady Nanmo?”
The youth’s black eyes gleamed. “If I did that, she might never forgive me.”
He had promised to take her to Xingji Cliff, Sunset Gorge, and the most beautiful places in the Southern Sea.
Jiang Ji asked, “What about Lady Sovereign?”
“I will handle it myself.”
When Jinli woke again, she was in her own room, aching all over. The faint light outside signaled dawn.
She transformed into mist and entered the secluded chamber. Activating the Moon Shadow Mirror, she saw Gengyuan unleashing ruthless power to drive off Bai Wanting’s followers—his gaze dark and cold, utterly unlike his usual self.
She saw him extracting the Sea Crystal, saw the Southern Sea’s raging waves, and vengeful souls pouring out from the abyss into the mortal world, nearly overwhelming the immortal disciples.
What was he trying to do?
“Jin,”
She withdrew her spell. “What is it?”
“Are you feeling better?”
Hearing the youth’s gentle concern, Jinli felt torn. Should she trust the images from the Moon Shadow Mirror, or the young man by her side, who had accompanied her for a year?
Gengyuan was attentively preparing medicine for her. Jinli could not reconcile this with the ruthless figure she had seen.
Then Gengyuan spoke, “Jin, I’ve returned the Sea Crystal. The Four Seas are peaceful again.”
The Sea Crystal?
In her mind, she saw that ruthless, commanding youth, looking at all beings as if they were ants.
Startled, she dropped her porcelain spoon, which shattered on the floor.
Gengyuan looked back, then smiled gently, “What’s wrong? Did I scare you?”
He took her hand lightly, blowing on it.
Jinli looked at him and asked directly, “Where did you find it?”
“Perhaps it was lost in the chaos of battle. I found it deep in the Southern Sea,” he replied without hesitation.
Jinli was conflicted. She could not make sense of what had truly happened. Withdrawing her hand, she rose. “All right, Gengyuan, I understand. Let’s go eat.”
In the following days, she sent Yun Xiang to the Ninth Heaven and the Southern Sea to investigate, but no matter the news, she could not shake the suspicion that all of this was connected to Gengyuan. Yet whenever she tried to divine the truth, the arrays were a chaotic jumble, impossible to read.
Her heart grew ever more restless.
The eighty-thousand-year seal was soon to expire. The Evil Bone would return, the Demon God awaken, the Ninefold Emperor still missing… She could not escape her fate.
Several times Jiang Ji, on Gengyuan's orders, invited her to meals and outings. Jinli refused, shutting herself in seclusion for seven days.
When she emerged, a persistent voice urged her to seek out Gengyuan.
His voice, his face, his hands—every part of him seemed magnified in her mind. For a fleeting moment, Jinli felt Gengyuan was like a drug—impossible to resist.
Only his touch could diminish that gnawing ache in her heart.
She must be ill.
Thus, in the days that followed, Jinli deliberately avoided Gengyuan. She no longer took her meals in Lotus River. One day, Gengyuan blocked her way and asked, “Jin, are you avoiding me?”