A pale blue glow spread across the endless sea. It looked as though the light from the Sea God’s Lamp had reached the water—or perhaps light had risen from the depths and traveled into the lamp to awaken it.
Either way, there could be no doubt: the lamp was working perfectly.
Its brilliant blue light was gentle on the eyes. It shone between Wen Sheng’s fingers and over his body, making his blue mermaid mask glitter like a jewel.
Lan Zhai stared, transfixed. A line came to mind:
“The Sea God has descended among us, and we are blessed to glimpse his face.”
He still couldn’t see the stranger’s features, yet he felt a profound sense of awe. So the lamp did more than give off a soft glow. It could blaze like this…
In its blue light, Yun Yin’s face was deathly pale. How could this happen? How?
The Sea God’s Lamp was broken!
Why had it shone for him a few days ago, but not today?
Yun Yin clenched his hands at his sides until his nails dug into his palms. The sting gave him just enough strength to remain standing.
Wen raised an eyebrow. Balala had lost his connection, which meant Yun Yin truly hadn’t been able to light the lamp.
That differed from the original story. When a mission agent entered a little world, events did not change unless the agent deliberately interfered. Balala had done nothing this time, yet the lamp had remained dark for Yun Yin.
How strange. Had the smallest flutter of Wen’s wings changed the course of events?
Still, this was excellent news.
Wen lifted his hand. The light vanished at once. Though the vast beach was full of people, it fell so silent that only the sea breeze could be heard. No one spoke. Even their breathing seemed softer, as if they were afraid of disturbing what they had just witnessed.
“Prince Lan Zhai, it seems the person you love truly is ill-fated.”
Wen’s voice was so gentle that, if not for the cruelty of the words, it might have sounded as though he were whispering something affectionate. An idle smile touched his lips, and a faint apology colored his tone—as if he genuinely regretted failing to prove, for Yun Yin’s sake, that the lamp was broken.
The crowd stirred. People whispered and cast uneasy, complicated glances at Lan Zhai and Yun Yin. Their expressions changed entirely when they looked at Wen: there was awe and respect in their eyes.
The Sea God’s Lamp belonged to the royal family, but royalty were not the only people capable of lighting it. Long ago, a palace maid had touched it while cleaning, and it had shone for her. The king had then arranged her marriage to a prince, making her a royal consort. From that day onward, palace maids were forbidden to enter the Sea God’s temple.
The royal family prized bloodlines, but they also revered the Sea God. They kept commoners away from the lamp because, if one of them lit it, the royals would have no choice but to honor the person the Sea God had accepted.
Hatred flashed through Yun Yin’s eyes. He could see now that this stranger had never meant well.
Wen had done it deliberately. He had set out to humiliate Yun Yin as thoroughly as possible.
Panic gripped him. The king already disapproved of his background. Now Yun Yin had failed to light the lamp and would be seen as someone without the Sea God’s blessing. Marrying into the royal family would be harder than ever. No. He had to marry Lan Zhai. He would be the consort. He wanted wealth, power, and status.
He was closer to the royal family than he had ever been. He couldn’t lose this chance.
Yun Yin was no minor character; he was this world’s shou protagonist. He wouldn’t break so easily. Wen watched him with a faint, knowing smile. Tears still clung to the corners of Yun Yin’s eyes, but he faced the people below with stubborn resolve and bowed slightly. Yun Yin was mute and couldn’t speak—or rather, he was pretending to be mute, so he couldn’t say a word.
After bowing, Yun Yin turned to Lan Zhai and removed the lovely silver necklace from his neck. A round pearl hung from it: one of Wen Sheng’s tears.
Wen had given that pearl to Lan Zhai as a token of their love. Lan Zhai had strung it on a pretty silver chain and “given it back” to someone else.
Wen Sheng owned many pearls, but this one was different. He had chosen the most beautiful pearl in his treasure chest for Lan Zhai.
A pity Lan Zhai didn’t deserve it. He truly didn’t.
After Wen Sheng found Lan Zhai, all Lan had needed to do was show a little patience and look into what had happened. If he had believed Wen even slightly, he would have discovered that Yun Yin had stolen Wen’s place.
Love could make a person blind. Yun Yin was at fault, but Lan Zhai was hardly innocent. What he thought of as protecting and cherishing his beloved had killed the person he should have loved.
Lan Zhai watched Yun Yin lay the necklace in his palm and press a gentle kiss to it. Yun Yin smiled, though tears blurred his eyes. He looked so pitiful that even Wen Sheng almost wanted to offer him a handkerchief.
“Yun Yin!”
Lan Zhai gripped the pearl necklace tightly. Watching Yun Yin leave in tears made his heart ache unbearably. He started after him without thinking, but the guards stopped him. He could not leave the ceremony now.
Wen’s smile deepened. Now this was interesting. Yun Yin had been unable to speak, yet he had left the original Wen Sheng unable to defend himself. This time, Wen intended to let Yun Yin discover what it felt like when no explanation would help.
How fortunate that Yun Yin hadn’t fallen apart here and now. If he had, what fun would there be later?
Unable to follow Yun Yin himself, Lan Zhai signaled to someone nearby to go after him. He couldn’t bear to let Yun Yin leave in such a state. Yun Yin was so gentle and fragile—what if he did something desperate? Lan loved him. He could not lose him. Yun Yin had saved his life. After three weeks together on the island, Lan had given him his heart and could no longer take it back.
If his father refused to let them be together, Lan would rather give up his title and wander the world with Yun Yin.
He would use that threat to make his father relent. His older brother lay unconscious, and the physicians had said he was unlikely ever to wake. The throne needed an heir. Lan was now the only prince able to inherit it. He would care for his people, but he also wanted to defy his father just once for the person he loved.
Lan faced the crowd below, the pearl clenched in his hand. Resolve filled his face as he raised his voice. “My dear people, the Sea God watches over every soul in this kingdom. Yun Yin saved me from dying in these waters. He is gentle, kind, and vulnerable. Even though he could not light the Sea God’s Lamp, he will still be my consort. Before the lamp today, I swear that Yun Yin will pray to the Sea God as devoutly as I do and ask for peace and prosperity throughout our land.”
The royal family commanded great respect, and Lan Zhai was the only prince currently able to succeed the king. Few people would openly challenge him, even if they did not believe someone who had failed to light the lamp could bring them safety and prosperity.
Wen watched him, the smile on his lips growing deeper. He wanted Lan to commit plenty of foolish acts for Yun Yin. Then, when the truth finally came out, his pain, regret, and despair would be all the greater.
The farce finally ended. Lan Zhai was exhausted, but he still remembered to have Wen Sheng invited to the palace. Anyone who could make the Sea God’s Lamp shine so brilliantly could hardly be ordinary. His father had heard what happened and specifically asked to meet Wen. The king was also furious about what Lan had said at the end of the ceremony.
“Have you lost your mind? Have you learned nothing from what happened to the royals before you? Do you want to die at someone else’s hands too?”
The king was so angry he could barely catch his breath. Lan was now his only child capable of inheriting the throne, yet he had lost all sense over a mute young man the Sea God had apparently rejected.
“I will never agree to this. If you dare go through with it, I will make sure you never see that mute again!”
Lan knelt before him. He would have been lying if he said his father’s words didn’t frighten him. But memories of their days and nights on the island filled his mind: a soft hand, bitter herbal medicine, quiet companionship. They convinced him that Yun Yin could not possibly be cruel.
“Father, there are exceptions to every rule. Yun Yin is so vulnerable. He saved my life; I cannot abandon him. If you refuse, then I’m willing to leave the royal family and live with Yun Yin as an ordinary couple.”
“Are you threatening me? You would threaten your own father for someone who cannot speak?”
The king stared in disbelief. He could scarcely believe his son would cast aside an entire kingdom for Yun Yin.
“I’m not.”
Lan met the king’s eyes, stubborn and unyielding.
Not threatening him? How could he possibly call that anything else?
The king was so furious that his whole body trembled. Lan Zhai had never been his first choice as heir to the throne. He had placed his hopes in Lan Zhai only because his eldest son had suffered an accident three years ago and had yet to wake from his coma. Fortunately, Lan Zhai was clever and hardworking. Never had the king imagined that a mute would be his undoing!
Ever since the prince who married someone unable to light the Sea God’s Lamp had met a gruesome end, no one had dared marry a person the lamp refused to acknowledge!
What position did Lan Zhai think this would put the entire royal family in?
The king was about to say more when someone entered. It was the attendant he had sent to fetch Wen Sheng. Hearing that they had found him improved the king’s mood a little. He turned to his stubborn son.
“Go back and think carefully. Think about whether I’m truly harming you by refusing to let you marry that mute!”
Lan Zhai rose, bowed, and left. His childish discourtesy seemed to be his way of showing that he would not change his mind.
An attendant led Wen Sheng to the king’s chambers. As he arrived, Lan Zhai happened to be coming out. Lan Zhai composed himself and smiled at him. Wen Sheng had not removed his mask.
As they passed each other, Wen Sheng spoke softly, his lovely, peach-blossom eyes meeting Lan Zhai’s through the mask.
“Prince Lan Zhai, finding the person you love is no easy thing. Cherish him. I hope you overcome every obstacle and get your heart’s desire.”
Wen Sheng’s voice was beautiful, like clear seawater carrying a pleasant coolness. Lan Zhai’s foul mood nearly vanished. He looked at Wen Sheng as though he had found a kindred spirit and nodded firmly.
“I will.”
Wen Sheng’s words filled Lan Zhai with fresh resolve. The person before him seemed to shine with an extraordinary light. Then again, that was only fitting. Throughout history, no one else had ever made the Sea God’s Lamp glow so brightly.
Seeing his expression, Wen Sheng’s smile deepened. He followed the attendant into the king’s chambers.
The king paused when he saw Wen Sheng. He had not expected the person who had drawn such brilliant light from the Sea God’s Lamp to be so young or so poised. Wen Sheng looked almost divine; merely standing there, he inspired a powerful sense of wonder.
This world had royalty, nobles, and commoners, but it differed from the second world Wen Sheng had visited. Here, a person could have only one legally recognized partner. Class distinctions existed, though they were less pronounced and the system was more humane.
“Oh, my heavens! My lovely young friend, was it you who lit the Sea God’s Lamp and made it shine so brilliantly? Might I have the good fortune of knowing your name?”
Wen Sheng raised a hand and removed his mask as a gesture of respect to the king. His exquisite face, like a jewel the Creator had dropped into the mortal world, came into view. The king paused, momentarily stunned.
“My name is Wen Sheng.”
The king stared at him for a long moment before collecting himself. He was unstinting with his praise.
“By the Sea God, I have never seen anyone so beautiful or heard a voice so clear. Mr. Wen Sheng, you are like an angel.”
Before, the king’s admiration had been prompted by Wen Sheng lighting the Sea God’s Lamp. Now he was praising Wen Sheng himself.
“I really can’t take the way these people talk,” Wen Sheng complained to Balala. He truly did prefer Eastern culture. To spare his ears any more flowery praise, he bowed in a proper courtly salute.
“Your Majesty, I have come at the Sea God’s request to awaken Prince Lan Tang.”
The moment was already dramatic enough. Surely a little bluffing wouldn’t be a crime?
Balala: The Sea God’s request, my foot! Since when had Lord Shiqing learned to make things up so brazenly?!
“The Sea God… sent you here?”
The king froze. His aging eyes widened in disbelief. No matter which god a nation worshiped, no one had ever truly seen a deity. Gods existed only in people’s imaginations. Yet now the king felt as though one stood before him.
Wen Sheng’s luminous eyes curved into a gentle smile, and his voice was calm and elegant.
“Perhaps you may call me the Sea God’s messenger.”
It took the king a long while to recover. Had anyone else made such a claim, he would have taken them for a fraud. For some reason, though, he found himself believing Wen Sheng. And if Wen Sheng truly was the Sea God’s messenger, it would explain how he had made the Sea God’s Lamp shine so brightly…
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