Volume One: Hidden Depths Chapter Forty-Six

When she returned to her bedchamber, Geng Yuan was nowhere to be found. Left alone, she lay down in her clothes and tried to sleep.

Elsewhere, in a secluded corner of the rear garden, Geng Yuan waited. It was at that moment that Jiang Ji appeared, accompanied by a young woman. As Geng Yuan turned, his gaze landed on the woman, and surprise flickered in his eyes.

The woman before him had a face identical to Nan Mo's. Yet, whereas Nan Mo’s eyes always held a sorrowful melancholy, this woman’s gaze brimmed with slyness and intrigue. Though their features were the same, they were utterly different in spirit.

“Who are you?” he asked.

Dressed in a fitted outfit with a belt adorned in shark patterns, she half-knelt on the ground, performing the ritual of the Shark Clan, and spoke reverently, “Greetings, my lord.”

Geng Yuan’s expression remained cold; he did not wish to believe a single word she uttered and turned his face away.

“You must be Lady Nan Mo’s sister. What is your name?”

“I am Nan Shuang.”

The ancient Shark Clan had always borne twins. Nan Mo had died, only for another woman, identical in appearance, to arrive. He suddenly recalled what Nan Mo had said to him before her death—she urged him to let go of hatred, to see the past with detachment, to look forward.

But how could it be so easy? The souls of countless sharks in the depths of the Southern Sea could not rest; the bones of countless soldiers in Xu’an Sea were still cold. Even if the usurper who seized power was slain, what would it change? The truth was yet to be uncovered, and the ancient Shark Clan still bore the stigma of infamy.

This hatred, ultimately, could never be let go.

The young man’s expression grew gloomy and stifled as he spoke in a low voice, “Why have you come to seek me?”

Nan Shuang kept her gaze lowered. “I know you mourn the Sea God and his kin, and that you refuse to abandon the search for the true cause of the Shark Clan’s demise. Thus, I have remained hidden here. Huancheng is where the Sea God fell.”

Years ago, when the Sea God fell, all the immortals believed he had taken his own life out of guilt, and so they were convinced the ancient Shark Clan had colluded with the Demon Realm and attacked the Celestial Pillar...

Geng Yuan stared coldly at the kneeling figure. His youthful face betrayed no emotion, making his thoughts impossible to discern.

“Rise,” he commanded.

Nan Shuang stood and lowered her gaze. “Do not grieve, my lord. My sister’s death was her own choice.”

Of course it was her choice. Geng Yuan knew Nan Mo’s heart well. She had raised him since childhood, endured humiliation to help him regain his position, married the Sea Lord, and did everything she could to become his lady. Yet, in the moment he left the Bu Zhou Palace, everything changed.

Nan Mo ceased to dwell on hatred, even sought to cleanse his mind, urging him to forget the past and grow well.

He still remembered that day—the day of grand wedding, when the Water Palace was filled with joy. The Southern Sea prized coral hues, pearl curtains hung everywhere, even Bu Zhou Palace was adorned with joy, decorated exquisitely with pearls, shells, and coral.

Those who defied destiny and betrayed him—how could Geng Yuan forgive so easily? Those who hurt him for the sake of others—he would never forgive.

An immortal couple fell before him, collapsed amidst celebration. He knelt slowly before Nan Mo and spoke softly, “Aunt, why did you betray me?”

Nan Mo cradled the corpse of the Crown Prince, her eyes brimming with tears, her words laden with remorse. “I truly regret it. I should never have said those things to you. If only you could have grown up well, perhaps you would not have become so cold and heartless.”

Blood beads hung on the handsome youth’s pale face, his lips vivid, the blood making him strangely beautiful.

“If you hadn’t told me to give up revenge, perhaps I would have become as you wished, kind and gentle like Ruan Ze. Aunt, do you regret how you once treated me?”

“Yes, I regret it. But I also do not regret it—not regretting teaching you to be sensible, not regretting urging you to let go of hatred, and certainly not regretting what I did today. The only thing I regret is rescuing you from the temple back then—never should have let your heart be filled with vengeance…”

“Aunt!” the youth roared, his eyes bloodshot. Nan Mo’s words were like blades, tearing his heart to shreds, inflicting unbearable pain.

Nan Mo had abandoned him, chosen her love.

Those who choose love are always weak. He would never tolerate weakness at his side.

He watched Nan Mo take her own life, still clutching Ruan Ze. He did not stop her; he simply left calmly...

When he returned to the bedchamber, he saw Jin Li in the garden, watering the flowers. The night in Huancheng was bitterly cold, chill seeping even through the garden.

The young woman wore a thin long robe, her black hair falling over her shoulders, pure and elegant. Standing under the moonlight amidst the frost, the cold seemed to transform into moon dew pouring down.

Moonlight draped her figure, rendering her sacred and untouchable.

“You’re back.”

Geng Yuan smiled and nodded, then walked over, removed his cloak and wrapped it around her, gently embracing her and breathing in her delicate lotus scent.

“Why are you so late?”

“It’s nothing. I was merely chatting with Prince Ce, an old friend. It became rather late. Why are you still awake?”

Jin Li looked up at him. “I was about to sleep, but after a long while, I couldn’t, so I decided to stroll in the garden.”

Geng Yuan’s warm hands enclosed hers, and together they went inside.

“Don’t come out at night anymore—it’s too cold. Your injury hasn’t healed, and it could relapse.”

“All right.”

They shared the same room, each with their own thoughts. Though their eyes were closed, neither found sleep that night.