Fanli turned around and found that it truly was Xinghai.
She had met him again in the same place, in the exact same way. Only this time, the person embracing her from behind was no longer Su Shiye in disguise. She had felt fine before seeing him, but the moment they were reunited, a surge of complicated emotions overwhelmed her. She reached out to wrap her arms around his waist, burying her head against his chest.
To Xinghai, they had only just shared a moment of physical and spiritual union the day before. He felt no sorrow, only pure sweetness. He smiled tenderly and gave her a tight, reassuring embrace.
She closed her eyes in contentment, breathing him in deeply.
That day, Fanli told Xinghai a "varnished" version of the truth: because of his unique constitution, his lifespan was much shorter than that of a typical Hunter, so she had temporarily placed him in stasis until a way to extend his life was discovered. It was now the year 1765 of the Radiant Era, and there were many historical events he would have to explore on his own.
Since they were back in the Red Moon Sea, they stayed in Luoya for a few more days. Through various inquiries, Xinghai discovered many secrets on his own, including the truth of Su Shiye’s passing. However, he said nothing. Fanli knew she couldn't hide everything from him; she figured that as long as he didn't know he was merely a "mimic life," she could be honest about the rest.
"During the long time you were asleep, I thought you were dead, so I..."
"There’s no need to explain," Xinghai said with a smile. "Fanli, I know you’ve endured a lot of pain. Those are your scars; I don’t want to reopen them. I only want to help you heal."
No matter how much time passed, he remained unchanged. He was like the older brother from her youth, yet he lacked the sharp defensiveness he’d had back then.
That evening, they returned to the slum alleyway where she used to live. They reminisced about the little things, like how he used to pick her up for school. Because so many years had passed, she had forgotten much, but for him, these events felt like they had happened only a year or two ago—the memories were still vivid.
It was as if this youth had stepped across time from the past into the present, gifting her their shared youth once more.
They also swam out from their old departure point toward the surface of the Red Moon Sea. That night, a heavy rain lasted for over four hours. Dark clouds shrouded the night sky, dolphins leaped toward the heavens in the middle of the ocean, and a gale swept through the shrubs on a lonely island. They spoke loudly in the rain, watching the fish jump and the waves churn, spending four wild, frantic hours darting through the storm.
Eventually, the rain ceased and the clouds dispersed, revealing a clear sky of ten thousand stars. Fanli suddenly grew quiet.
She could only hear the sound of the sea.
This was beneath the stars that remained unchanged for eons, amidst the storm, upon the great ocean. Here, the merfolk sang at dusk and the seabirds cried.
The ocean was so vast, home to the Sea Gods, the Hunters, the Oceanids, and tens of thousands of marine species. In these deep waters, coral could live for four thousand years, and devoted Sea God couples could stay together for ten thousand. Logically, with such long lifespans, they should have plenty of time to forget the past, move toward a new life, and find new love. Yet, she realized with a pang of sorrow that no matter how long she swam, even until she was exhausted, she would never encounter that man again.
Su Shiye.
Her Lord of Ether, her only deity, was gone.
Once, he had been trapped beneath the Well of Storms, suppressed by the deep sea and surrounded by fel energy, unable to roam the surface with her or hold her in an intimate embrace. Back then, she had already prepared herself to never see him again. But as long as she knew he was still in some corner of the world, she had never felt this sense of being adrift in an endless, empty universe.
What pained her most was that even after all these years, whenever she thought of Su Shiye, she didn't just remember his dazed, intoxicated gaze in the deep sea or the lonely silhouette of his back every time he turned away. She remembered every moment of his impact within her body; she remembered the marks his affectionate kisses left on every inch of her skin.
She remembered his burning kiss as he pressed her against the rock wall; she remembered the joy of the first time they had truly become one.
Everything about him was so clear, as if he had never left.
But he would never return.
*Deep Blue, Master of the Endless Ocean, my predecessor, my Lord, my unattainable existence—please forgive my sins.*
*Tonight, I have disappointed you again.*
*I have turned back into the version of myself you were most afraid to reveal to the world. Fearless, and loving that man with all my heart.*
*Su Shiye, Su Shiye...*
*Where are you? Can you hear even a whisper of my call?*
In the sea breeze, she was but a tiny grain. In the night, the starlight was so moving it turned her into a speck of sand lost between heaven and earth. She opened her mouth wide, her chest heaving violently with each syllable as she sang a long, mournful song. Sleeping whales surfaced, and countless dolphins leaped across the water, seemingly bewitched by her cursed melody.
"Fanli."
In the illusion woven by her song, she heard him whispering in her ear, like a long-lost, ancient dream.
"Come here. Let me hold your hand."
Xinghai spoke those words as if he were right before her eyes.
She remembered years ago, she had once told him, *You really are my ideal lover.*
"Fanli, you aren't my ideal lover." He had smiled, his gesture of stroking her forehead full of elegance. "You are my ideal wife."
In that instant, it felt as if the entire Holy City had passed through winter and burst into bloom.
Since Su Shiye’s departure, Fanli truly hadn't been sad for long. She believed that as long as she could bring Xinghai back, it would be like bringing back half of Su Shiye, and she would be happy. But now that Xinghai was back, aside from a sense of relief and warmth, she felt only the intense emptiness that had accumulated over 214 years.
For all these years, she had told herself that even if only Xinghai returned, time would cause all intense emotions to fade. Time would make her forget everything.
But oh, Time, have you stopped your forward march?
This ridiculous, self-deceiving fantasy had numbed her for a moment, only to ruin the rest of her life.
Xinghai and Su Shiye looked exactly the same, but she couldn't take him to see their children, she couldn't discuss the politics of the Radiant and Abyssal Seas with him, she couldn't hold his hand and go to Phili Town, and she couldn't call him "Brother"...
Some people are destined to live only in memories. All the beautiful futures with him would only ever appear in dreams. There would be no more reunions.
He truly was never coming back.
At that thought, even with Xinghai by her side, despair opened its dark maw and began to eat away at her from the inside, causing her to collapse inward. She was powerless; she could only hold Xinghai tightly and tell herself not to think about the impossible anymore.
***
Later, Fanli and Xinghai returned to Saint Yegana, where she accompanied him as he finished his studies at Saint Yegana University. Fearing they would run into too many old friends, they moved through several different sea regions after graduation before finally returning to the Red Moon Sea. Racial discrimination was much less prevalent than before. With Xinghai’s education and ability, he easily found a job at "Sea-Race Vessels," while Fanli worked at the Luoya Potion Regulatory Bureau. They bought a house in Luoya and traveled to the Starry Sea for their wedding.
"This is my hometown." Passing through Phili Town, Xinghai pointed to the town buildings that were all too familiar to Fanli. "My parents and I used to live here."
Regrettably, due to the modifications made by Su Shiye’s team, he had no memory of his younger sister.
"Yes, it's beautiful," Fanli said with a smile.
And so, one hundred and fifty years of happiness passed until Xinghai, as a mimic life, reached the limit of his lifespan. They had spent a century and a half of the purest married life together, and both felt their lives were without regret.
On the day he passed away, his bodily functions declined significantly, and he sensed his end was near. He refused to let Fanli take him to the research institute. Instead, in the bedroom of their little home, he held Fanli’s hand and slowly closed his eyes.
Until the very end of his life, Xinghai wore a smile. She stroked his forehead, watching his body grow more relaxed, his heartbeat becoming faint and slow until it stopped completely.
After handling Xinghai’s funeral, Fanli didn't wait for Xitian to find her; she took the initiative to return to Saint Yegana.
The following year, Saint Yegana held a ceremony of unprecedented grandeur to celebrate the birth of the city's Sovereign. The news of the High Priestess Sui’s return spread throughout the Radiant Sea, causing a massive stir. Overnight, the number of visitors to Saint Yegana broke the historical record set during the Burning Era. On the high platform in front of the Holy City’s Creation Gate, after a stirring speech by the City Magistrate, he shouted to the crowd of over a hundred thousand below: "Now, please welcome the Sovereign of Saint Yegana, the Divine Wisdom of the Deep Blue—Sui Fanli!"
Fanli swam up holding the High Priestess’s scepter. The Holy Sea Feather swayed gently in the waves, like a petal that had just landed on her hair. She wore a white dress that flowed like waves, and her long blue tail swayed slowly, the holy light on her tail fin shimmering more brightly than any jewel in the palace.
Even after over a thousand years of silence, many young sea-folk recognized her face and believed her awakening was the salvation of the Radiant Sea, the most incredible of miracles.
She looked up, as if she could see through the waves to that supreme God who had abandoned her and now resided in the infinite universe. She possessed all the secular emotions of the Deep Blue, yet she had never entered the cosmos and could not understand the realm of the Deep Blue. In the end, she was selfish; she could only act as a guide, overcoming her primal desires to love her followers.
Fanli took a deep breath and raised her scepter. "May the God protect Saint Yegana."
In the next moment, cheers shook the entire Holy City.
Now, Fanli had gained fame and power. In this golden age of peace for the ocean, she possessed the ability to command the winds and clouds. She could participate in politics, devote herself to her divine duties, or hold a nominal position and pass the time with family and friends... However, for the vast majority of her time, she chose solitude.
One day, one hundred and seventy-three years later, at dusk, Fanli swam alone near the Radiant Sea Temple. Because the city was so large, the sea-folk in the heart of the Radiant Sea didn't look like they were swimming; they looked like dandelion seeds blown by the wind, drifting aimlessly through the ocean. With the integration of the Radiant Sea and Abyssal cultures, many bubble cafes, bookstores, and dessert shops opened by Abyssal entrepreneurs appeared on the streets of Saint Yegana. On this day, whether it was these shops, the clock towers, or the bus-vessel stations, they were all covered with newspapers featuring front-page headlines. The striking gold-inlaid font broke the city's tranquility: "Sui Fanli Returns!"
While the streets and alleys were caught in a heated discussion on this topic, Fanli swam down the Well of Storms alone and arrived at the Temple of Memories.
Although this building was a replica, it had weathered nearly two thousand years. Its original had a lifespan of 330 million years and remained one of the three largest temples in the ocean to this day. This was because the Lord of Ether himself had created it. It was once a holy site for the Abyssal race to find their memories, it had once carried the hymns of tens of thousands, and it had seen much hardship. Now, it had become a major tourist attraction for sea-folk travelers. To accommodate the lower-class sea-folk, the tickets were not expensive, so anyone passing through the Twilight Zone was easily drawn here.
Looking around, sea-folk were constantly entering and exiting the eighty exhibition rooms. Fanli, draped in a white cloak and wearing the Holy Sea Feather, drifted with the crowd. As she toured the halls, she noticed many things that hadn't been there before, such as large, open stone books with gilded edges, containing stories written in Ancient Sea-Tongue and comic-strip-like depictions of wars and revolutions. There were also items used by the Abyssal race during the Barbarian Era, mostly rings and harpoons. They were displayed in glass cases, with silver plaques below indicating their names, Ancient Sea-Tongue names, dates, historical events, and so on.
On the second floor, Fanli saw a platinum ring that Su Shiye had once used. After all this time, its appearance hadn't changed in the slightest. She still remembered how much she had liked this ring because it matched his hair color perfectly. Apparently, it had been lost during a mass gathering of ten thousand people in Bamanboya. How interesting—if she hadn't seen the description, she wouldn't have even remembered that gathering...
"High Priestess Sui."
Hearing that voice, Fanli froze for a moment, then looked up to see Yejia’s face, his glasses removed. She gave him a slight smile. "Long time no see, Xiao Ye."
"It's been so long, yet you didn't even notify me when you came back. You don't even look excited to see me. I'm truly heartbroken. I was so excited I didn't sleep all night."
"I may look indifferent on the surface, but inside, my heart is a churning sea." Fanli looked around and saw he was also alone. "Why are you here by yourself?"
"I'm just bored." Yejia tilted his chin, signaling her to walk with him toward the balcony.
"It seems your work at Saint University is still too easy for you. How about you come work with me at the Radiant Sea Temple?"
"No need for that. Aside from work, I'm not really interested in anything."
"Then why..."
"I'm especially uninterested in work."
"..."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 耀光时代 | Radiant Era | The current historical era in the story. |
| 拟态生命 | Mimic Life | A biological construct or artificial life form designed to resemble a specific person. |
| 以太之主 | Lord of Ether | A title for Su Shiye. |
| 深蓝 | Deep Blue | The primordial deity or the original form of the protagonist. |
| 圣灵海羽 | Holy Sea Feather | A sacred ornament or symbol worn by the High Priestess. |
| 苏伊 | Sui | A prestigious title or sect name associated with the High Priestess. |
| 宗主 | Sovereign | The supreme leader or ruler of Saint Yegana. |
| 智慧宗神 | Divine Wisdom | A religious title for Fanli. |
| 创世门 | Creation Gate | A landmark in Saint Yegana. |
| 海族舰艇 | Sea-Race Vessels | A company or organization involved in underwater transportation. |
| 落亚魔药监管局 | Luoya Potion Regulatory Bureau | The government body overseeing potions in Luoya. |
| 星辰海 | Starry Sea | A geographical location in the ocean. |
| 回忆神殿 | Temple of Memories | A temple dedicated to the history and memories of the sea-folk. |
| 暮色区 | Twilight Zone | A specific district or depth zone in the ocean. |
| 巴曼薄亚 | Bamanboya | A location mentioned in historical context. |
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