The waters of the Great Wilderness Sea were dark, waves rising on every side.
On the seabed stood an opulent coral palace, its glazed tiles gleaming and luminous pearls glittering, lighting the sunless depths. Within, gold and jade shone everywhere. Every furnishing had been carved from fine jade, and spiritual energy was abundant. No seawater entered the palace; a cool fragrance filled it, and laughter drifted from inside.
Rows of crystal lamps stood along the walls, each containing a kneeling Merfolk maiden. All were beautiful, each with her own charms, and all were corpses sealed in a thin coat of wax. A golden wick had been inserted into each mouth, burning the flesh and fat within while leaving the exterior unchanged.
At the center of the great hall, upon a throne carved from coral and fine jade, sat a blue-black yaksha. His face was blue, his fangs exposed, and his red hair blazed like fire. Bare-chested, he watched a dozen clam spirits dancing below and drank without pause.
A female yaksha stood quietly beside him. She looked much like a beautiful human woman, save for her blue-black skin. Checking a jade register, she said softly:
"Great King Po Xiong, we've caught nearly all the Merfolk near the South Mist. If we want more, I'm afraid we'll have to search farther afield."
"The immortals of the Mirage Path still want another hundred or so mermaid lamps, and they're paying well. But these Merfolk have wised up. They know we can't stray too far from the Heaven Pool, so they flee early. We can barely catch any."
The yaksha named Po Xiong frowned at this, then dragged over one of the dancers below and began kneading her body at will, saying bitterly:
"Those merfolk are sly. Nowadays, they run as soon as