Yun Duan had been gone for a while, and Shang Can felt increasingly anxious, frequently glancing towards the door.
Next to her was the carefree Wan Shao, who had just returned from the kitchen, unable to contain her amazement. “I can’t believe Yun Zhong Jun can actually cook! It’s simply incredible!”
Indeed, Shang Can found it hard to imagine Yun Duan cooking, and she instinctively frowned.
“…What is she wearing?” Even though she didn’t want to reveal her concern for Yun Duan, she slowly asked Wan Shao, compelled by an unexplainable emotion, “I hope she isn’t still in that white outfit. Don’t let her get it dirty; why don’t you go help her?”
“Oh, you make a good point.” Wan Shao stood up as if suddenly awakened, but then hesitated. “But Yun Zhong Jun just sent me back, saying something like, ‘You should keep Shang Can company; I’m fine here.’ By the way, how good is Yun Zhong Jun’s cooking?”
“…”
Shang Can thought to herself, If she knew, would she still be sitting here so restlessly? After a pause, she replied dryly, “I don’t know; I had no idea she could cook, let alone how it tastes.”
“…” Wan Shao was left speechless for a moment, before finally stuttering out, “…So, I saw Yun Zhong Jun cooking before you did? I-I didn’t mean to! Please don’t take revenge on me for this.”
Is this really the time to be saying such things?
Shang Can was at a loss for how to respond to Wan Shao’s peculiar thought process. Gritting her teeth, she patiently replied, “Don’t worry; if I ever do take revenge on you, it won’t be for this… Was it good?”
“Good.”
Wan Shao answered without hesitation, leaving Shang Can at a loss for words. However, she quickly fell back into a practical concern, lowering her voice in worry, “…We’ll be able to eat tonight, right?”
Shang Can also felt uncertain. After a long silence, she finally said, “Let me say this first.”
“No matter what she serves,” Shang Can’s tone was unusually serious, “you can only say it’s delicious.”
“Delicious!”
Wan Shao’s voice echoed at the dining table, not out of compliance with Shang Can’s command but as a genuine compliment.
“Unbelievable, Shang Can!” Wan Shao excitedly clumsily dropped a piece of tofu into Shang Can’s bowl, enthusiastically recommending, “Yun Zhong Jun’s cooking is amazing! You should try her tofu!”
“…”
Her words made it impossible to pick up the chopsticks.
Shang Can felt stuck, and in the end, Yun Duan quietly removed the tofu from her bowl and replaced it with a piece of fish belly, explaining to Wan Shao, “Shang Can doesn’t really like tofu.”
“Oh, Shang Can, you’re just too hard to please. If you’re picky, you won’t grow tall.”
“How tall do you want me to be?”
Muttering to herself about “being fed and still complaining,” Shang Can carefully took a bite of the fish, pausing for a moment.
“…How is it?”
She heard Yun Duan’s slightly nervous voice beside her, as if she had been watching Shang Can closely during this time. Shang Can hurriedly swallowed her food and turned to her with a smile, saying, “It’s really good.”
Not just flattery; the fish was tender and juicy, clearly well-cooked—far beyond what one could whip up on the spot. What caught Shang Can’s attention even more was how familiar the taste was.
“It’s like the flavors from Qing Yu.”
Her statement felt disjointed, causing Wan Shao to look puzzled, but Yun Duan immediately understood and nodded in response, “I learned it at Qing Yu.”
“Impressive.” Wan Shao set down her chopsticks, sincerely applauding, and sighed, “I’ve heard that cultivators like you value fasting, and I used to scoff at it. What’s so great about fasting? Without delicious food, what’s the point of living? —But now, it seems we share the same view. Even a model cultivator like Yun Zhong Jun takes the time to learn cooking on top of her training!”
Shang Can had an inkling that Yun Duan’s motivation for learning to cook was likely unrelated to Wan Shao’s comments, so she silently finished her meal, softly thanking Yun Duan, “Thank you.”
Yun Duan’s cooking was probably learned in the cafeteria at Qing Yu.
The cafeteria at Qing Yu was called “Shi Bu Yan,” which, as the name suggests, emphasized the importance of etiquette during meals for the disciples. The food there was quite good, but unlike Tian Wai Tian, where many disciples were practical and worldly, Qing Yu had fewer disciples, and being far from the mundane world, the atmosphere leaned toward what Wan Shao had just described: valuing fasting above all. As a result, only a handful of people would go to the cafeteria at mealtimes.
But Shang Can was different. Having crossed over, she placed great importance on the insatiable hunger that the Qing Yu cultivators avoided. She frequented the cafeteria for every meal and eventually became friends with the elderly chef there, who was gruff on the outside but kind on the inside. He would always call her “Shang Girl,” jokingly scolding her for coming to mooch off the midnight snacks.
When Yun Duan joined the school, Shang Can naturally wouldn’t leave out her only junior sister. She always felt Yun Duan was too thin and was determined to help her gain some weight. So, whenever she went to eat, she always brought Yun Duan along. Yun Duan had a small appetite but would obediently finish her meals with Shang Can every time. The old chef sometimes couldn’t stand it and would say Shang Can was forcing Yun Duan to eat, but Yun Duan would quietly shake her head, saying her senior sister was just keeping her company, and she was very happy.
In those days at Qing Yu, apart from some excursions down the mountain, Shang Can always shared meals with Yun Duan.
Now, nearly ten years later, Shang Can thought she would never taste the meals from Qing Yu again. Suddenly experiencing that familiar flavor gave her a strange sense of time turning back.
Everyone at Qing Yu believed her to be dead, and Yun Duan had painfully sealed her memories away under Wang Yue’s order, making her forget. What must the old chef have thought when Yun Duan suddenly came to “Shi Bu Yan” wanting to learn cooking? Given how much Yun Duan’s skills resembled what she learned from him, it surely took more than a day to achieve. Did he just remain silent, or did he feel a sense of nostalgia throughout the process?
Shang Can wasn’t quite sure what her thank-you was for; it could have been for the meal today or for every meal she had missed sharing with Yun Duan in the past.
Whether Yun Duan understood the complex feelings behind Shang Can’s gratitude was uncertain, but she quietly collected Shang Can’s dishes, softly saying, “If you liked it, I’ll keep cooking for you from now on.”
After they were all full, Wan Shao’s enthusiasm hadn’t waned. She insisted on dragging Shang Can and Yun Duan to the pavilion in the courtyard to sit and “enjoy the moon.”
“What moon? I can’t even see you.”
Shang Can didn’t hold back, replying coolly, “The Flower Demon Lord has such high spirits! Wanting someone to accompany you to see the moon; that’s quite an imperial demeanor.”
“Call it what you want.” Having eaten, Wan Shao felt fearless and replied lazily, “You’re technically my subordinate, so what’s wrong with keeping me company? As for Yun Zhong Jun—do you really think she’s here to keep me company? Do you have any idea who she’s really here for?”
“…”
Shang Can felt taken aback and didn’t want to engage with her. She simply turned to Yun Duan and said, “If you don’t want to stay, you can head back to your room. It’s a bit chilly at night; don’t catch a cold.”
Before Yun Duan could respond, Wan Shao remarked quietly, “Can a cultivator really catch a cold from the night wind?”
Shang Can paused, raising a gentle smile as she replied, “If that’s the case, why don’t you, the Flower Demon Lord, stay outside all night and prove whether you can catch a cold from the night wind?”
“It’s fine to stay a little longer, but don’t overdo it.” Seeing the two about to argue again, Yun Duan interjected calmly, “Let’s head back after a while and take a hot bath to warm up.”
“Yun Zhong Jun knows how to speak! Shang Can, take notes!”
Very satisfied with this arrangement, the Flower Demon Lord happily sipped her tea, enjoying the moon that couldn’t be seen from Bi Luo Huang Quan, when suddenly she turned to Shang Can with a start, as if facing a formidable enemy.
“Hot bath!”
“…What?”
Her voice almost broke, and Shang Can was baffled, sarcastically replying, “Your mind is racing too quickly. You want to head back to take a bath not even ten minutes after looking at the moon?”
“Ah, no!”
Wan Shao sounded very excited, speaking in a conspiratorial whisper that had a hint of schadenfreude.
“How can you wash when you can’t see?”
“…”
Shang Can nearly spilled the tea in her cup at Wan Shao’s comment.
Wan Shao’s unexpected remark caught her completely off guard. In a moment of confusion, Shang Can could only force herself to stay calm and respond, “It’s just a bath; I don’t need my eyes for that.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Wan Shao was now clearly enjoying the upper hand, puffing herself up with unwarranted pride. “What if you slip and fall out of the tub? That would be incredibly dangerous! You wouldn’t want to be remembered as ‘Shang Can, who drowned in a bathtub,’ would you?”
…That would be too humiliating to bear.
Shang Can was at a loss for words, realizing she had been grasping at straws. However, she understood the underlying intent behind Wan Shao’s words; she absolutely couldn’t let this meddlesome flower demon get her way. So, she wracked her brain, trying to think of a way to convince her otherwise.
She considered saying that she wouldn’t bathe today, but recalling how she had only done a quick wash of her face and head at the inn yesterday, she realized that not bathing today would be rather uncomfortable. Hesitating for just a moment allowed Wan Shao to seize the opportunity, excitedly turning to Yun Duan and saying, “How about Yun Zhong Jun helps Shang Can out?”
“No need!”
Without caring for any further explanations, Shang Can hurriedly set down her teacup, ignoring the loud clatter, and repeatedly rejected the idea, “I can do it myself, no need to trouble Yun Duan; I—”
“Hey, don’t be so modest!”
Before Yun Duan could speak, Wan Shao began to persuade Shang Can, saying, “I know you must be… cough, a bit shy, but think about it carefully; we’re all women here. Whatever you have, Yun Zhong Jun has too. She definitely won’t take advantage of you. We’re doing this for your safety!”
Her words carried a sense of earnestness, and if she hadn’t been unable to suppress her laughter, one might have genuinely thought she had pure intentions.
Shang Can felt her face heat up, fearing that Yun Duan might actually agree to help her, which would be the end of her—especially since the thought of being watched by Yun Duan while bathing was enough to make Shang Can feel breathless with anxiety.
“Wait a moment, this is Yun Duan’s house; she just finished cooking and shouldn’t be working so hard for me. I mean…”
Internally cursing Wan Shao a hundred times, she dared not let Yun Duan speak. Just when she felt trapped in a corner, a sudden idea struck her, and she stood up abruptly.
“—You have a point; I can’t see, so it is a bit dangerous.”
Shang Can’s tone suddenly became much steadier, and Wan Shao clenched her fists inwardly while smiling broadly as she replied, “Yes, yes, so let Yun Zhong Jun—”
“But I’ve already taken up so much of her time and effort. It feels a bit rude to keep bothering Yun Duan.”
Her words came out with an air of calm, but Wan Shao suddenly sensed something amiss. Before she could pinpoint what was wrong, she heard Shang Can continue, “Seeing you enjoying the moon here, I assume you’ll have nothing else to do later. Why don’t you come and help me instead?”
“…”
Wan Shao was momentarily left speechless, her mouth agape as she stammered, “…What?”
“I mean,” the previously flustered Shang Can now appeared entirely composed, revealing a warm, spring-like smile to her, “I’d like the great Flower Demon to help me with my bath.”
Wan Shao was rendered speechless, her first reaction not to respond to Shang Can but to glance at Yun Duan beside her. She saw the delicate young woman, who had remained silent throughout this discussion, pause her hand that was refilling Shang Can’s cup, causing tea to overflow.
Wan Shao bit her lip and silently set the teapot aside. Her exquisite features didn’t show much disturbance, but her lowered gaze and downturned eyes revealed a hint of displeasure through her long, quivering eyelashes.
This is bad.
Wan Shao cast a resentful glance at the oblivious Shang Can, internally lamenting, I might have to sleep under a bridge tomorrow.
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