Shang Can was not a particularly ambitious person.
Even in her youth, though she was full of vigor, her dedication to cultivation was merely a natural progression. Later on, she worked diligently to protect Yun Dan, and despite the discussions within Qing Yu Sect about her potential to succeed as the sect leader, Shang Can had never entertained such troublesome thoughts; she had never harbored grand aspirations. So when she heard Wan Shao’s suggestion, it was difficult for her to conceal her astonishment.
“Why don’t you just come to Bi Luo Huang Quan and become the Demon Lord?”
The current Demon Lord spoke with a serious expression and a tone so earnest that it almost intimidated Shang Can. She meticulously listed her reasons: “Look, you are the only phoenix in the world. It’s been ages since we’ve seen such an ancient demon.”
Shang Can did not outright disagree, but she corrected her, “I’m a half-demon. At most, I’m half a phoenix.”
“That’s fine! Bi Luo Huang Quan hasn’t seen a single feather of a phoenix in all these years.” Wan Shao waved her hand nonchalantly and continued, “Besides, becoming the Demon Lord would benefit you as well, especially in relation to your situation with Yun Zhong Jun; it would create a new avenue for you.”
Though she had no expectations of Wan Shao’s unspoken words, Shang Can still cooperatively asked, under the urging of Wan Shao’s bright eyes, “What new avenue?”
Wan Shao clapped her hands in delight and announced, “It’s about seizing people!”
“So what if you’re a Demon Lord? Just seize a cultivator to make as your captive wife in Bi Luo Huang Quan!” Her words were remarkably assertive, and despite Shang Can’s dumbfounded expression, she boldly declared, “Anyone who disagrees can come fight! After all, there aren’t many who can beat you—or you could consider marriage alliances, like in the novels: hand over the most beautiful woman from your country, or I’ll wage war!”
Shang Can couldn’t bear to listen anymore. She pressed down on Wan Shao, who was overflowing with ideas, and bewilderedly asked, “… Are you out of your mind? Why are you talking nonsense?”
Wan Shao, now halted, grew indignant, raising her delicate fingers and exclaiming, “How can you call this nonsense? Don’t think I’m speaking lightly; I’ve thought this through. This plan has surprising feasibility.”
“After all, if you really became the Demon Lord, along with Bi Luo Huang Quan’s power, those cultivators would surely be wary of you. If you seized someone, they wouldn’t dare recklessly attack.” Wan Shao pointed to Yun Dan, who had remained silent, “Plus, since Yun Zhong Jun is willing, Qing Yu won’t interfere—basically, it’s only Tian Wai Tian that poses a threat. They might come with some lofty pretense to fight, but we should be able to handle them; after all, their official leader is still in closed-door training, and the rest can’t put up much of a fight.”
After her long explanation, she took a sip of tea, sighed, and continued, “… And besides, Tian Wai Tian will eventually target Bi Luo Huang Quan anyway. It’s better to do something wrong now, so we don’t end up being innocent victims and getting ourselves all riled up.”
Shang Can finally picked up on some clues and raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, asking, “Are you… hearing something? Is Tian Wai Tian preparing to attack Bi Luo Huang Quan?”
Once she mentioned it, Wan Shao’s expression turned gloomy, her cheeks puffing up. It was Yun Dan who took over the conversation, explaining to Shang Can, “A Can, you might not know, but Tian Wai Tian has indeed been quite harsh on the demon race these past two years, seemingly intent on extermination. If it weren’t for Bi Luo Huang Quan being cautious and avoiding Tian Wai Tian’s attention, they might have already found an excuse to come knocking.”
“… Yes.” Wan Shao sighed heavily, her expression despondent. “It’s made me overly cautious; I’ve never worked this hard since I was born.”
Noticing that she was genuinely troubled, Shang Can blinked and tried to lighten the mood by joking, “I wondered why the Demon Lord suddenly wanted to abdicate and help me seize Yun Zhong Jun. So it turns out you just want me to take over and assist in fighting against Tian Wai Tian?”
Wan Shao immediately straightened her face and firmly denied, “That’s a separate matter; seizing Yun Zhong Jun has nothing to do with Tian Wai Tian. I just think it’s a missed opportunity if we don’t seize it, and we could quell those arrogant cultivators’ arrogance at the same time.”
It was easy to imagine Wan Shao provocatively taunting the incoming Tian Wai Tian cultivators by declaring, “Hahaha, Yun Zhong Jun is already our Can Zhe’s wife!” Shang Can felt that such reckless actions should be avoided at all costs, so she proposed a more practical and cautious approach: “Why don’t we take the initiative and find trouble with Tian Wai Tian first?”
“…” Wan Shao was momentarily speechless, turning to Yun Dan with confusion. “… Yun Zhong Jun, please manage your friend here. She’s casually spouting off some radical ideas.”
Yun Dan nodded in understanding and spoke with a calm demeanor, “Let’s deal with the current acting head of Tian Wai Tian first; the other disciples are merely following orders and aren’t worth worrying about.”
Wan Shao fell silent, realizing that these two were indeed well-matched partners, discussing declaring war on Tian Wai Tian as if it were a casual meal. In contrast, she, a genuine demon, felt like the most conservative one in comparison; she couldn’t help but wonder where the problem lay.
On this matter, Shang Can didn’t fully agree with Yun Dan’s perspective. She pursed her lips slightly, her expression becoming serious as she said, “Even without this acting head, there will be another one. It will go on endlessly, and who knows if the next one will be worse?”
As she spoke, she furrowed her brow and crossed her arms, slowly adding, “… I’ve always felt that there’s something fundamentally wrong with that sect, Tian Wai Tian.”
Wan Shao didn’t understand her meaning and looked perplexed. “What do you mean? Are you still holding a grudge? But then again, Tian Wai Tian has meddled a lot in your affairs. Thinking about it, they’ve consistently caused trouble…”
Shang Can snorted coldly, her gaze turning sharp as she said quietly, “… I still haven’t found the person who injured Dan Er at the debating conference back then.”
Perhaps not expecting Shang Can to still remember that incident, Yun Dan was slightly taken aback. She then soothingly intertwined her fingers with Shang Can’s and shook her head, “It’s been so long; there’s no way to investigate it now. Don’t dwell on it.”
Feeling downcast, Shang Can playfully swayed Yun Dan’s little finger and, not willing to let go, held that slightly cool hand tightly. She replied with lingering concern, “Back then—after the debating conference, I did try to investigate, but I found nothing. I was hiding so many things in my heart and was repeatedly distracted by more pressing matters, so in the end, it all just came to nothing…”
“Later, when I stayed at Fei Wang, I finally had time to calm down and reflect on the entire past.” Shang Can’s voice lowered, her eyes darkened. “… It wasn’t just Dan Er getting hurt at the debating conference; even before that, from the time we went to Tian Wai Tian to study, there were signs that something was off.”
She paused, placing a hand on her chest, and said solemnly, “First, the inquiry at Tian Wai Tian had to be suspicious.”
“The inquiry is a technique used to test a cultivator’s heart for the Dao. I’m a half-demon, so I don’t know if I possess something that could be called a heart for the Dao, but during my time at Qing Yu, I never struggled with the inquiry. I passed it every time, except for the inquiry at Tian Wai Tian’s Qing Lian Lake…” Shang Can recalled, carefully adjusting her words, “… I never passed the inquiry at Tian Wai Tian even once.”
Wan Shao opened her mouth in realization and echoed, “Speaking of which, you did spit blood during that first inquiry at the debating conference at Tian Wai Tian, but at least you passed.”
As soon as she said this, Yun Dan reacted even faster than Shang Can, immediately looking over and repeating, “Spitting blood?”
Thinking that the blood spitting was probably due to the shock of suddenly seeing Yun Dan, Shang Can didn’t want to worry her any further and reassured, “… It’s nothing. I was just a bit unsettled at that time; it’s all in the past.”
Yun Dan didn’t seem entirely relieved but merely squeezed Shang Can’s hand gently, understanding that her intent was to discuss the details more thoroughly when they were alone. Shang Can smiled at her warmly, then smoothly returned to the main topic, “Aside from the inquiry, there’s also Qin Yi’s actions.”
Upon mentioning the name that had not been heard for a long time, Shang Can couldn’t help but frown, recalling, “Her actions back then were truly insane… She said she wanted to ensure that Tian Wai Tian could maintain its position as the number one sect in the cultivation world. To do this, she kidnapped me, clearly intending to silence me. Moreover… she referred to me as the ‘first,’ implying that I wasn’t the only one targeted, and that she was aiming at the young cultivators from all sects besides Tian Wai Tian.”
“She was just a temporary leader,” Shang Can emphasized the word ‘temporary,’ “How could she have the audacity to make such a decision that, once exposed, would turn her sect against the entire cultivation world?”
Wanshao pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement, “Although I haven’t interacted with that Qin Yi, based on what I’ve heard from you all, it seems reasonable for her to do something like this. It aligns quite well with her character.”
Shang Can was momentarily taken aback, suddenly feeling that Wanshao’s words made some sense. Just as she was contemplating, Wanshao sighed, “It seems you really had nothing to do during your time in Fei Wang, to have thought so deeply about these old matters. By the way, what was Fei Wang like? I’ve never been to Jian Li, can you still go back there now?”
Thinking to herself, Do you think it’s a scenic spot that you can just visit? Shang Can was about to respond when Yun Duan unexpectedly interjected, “With the sword spirit present, the environment is never as bad as you imagine. Compared to the outside… it’s not much different.”
She paused slightly when she reached the latter half of her sentence, her gaze lingering on Shang Can for a moment before drifting away, continuing lightly, “But you can’t get in anymore.”
Upon receiving the negative response, Wanshao nodded regretfully. She listened without a care, but Shang Can felt a surge of curiosity and looked at Yun Duan in surprise. However, Yun Duan didn’t meet her gaze and seemed to focus on something else, her eyes subtly shifting as if rippling with unnamable emotions.
Temporarily setting aside the many questions regarding Tian Wai Tian, Shang Can seized the opportunity to ask Yun Duan a question that had been bothering her since earlier: “Do you know what Fei Wang is like?”
Probably anticipating her question, Yun Duan maintained a calm expression, replying steadily, “I do. I also know that Fei Wang used my appearance to stay by your side during that time.”
“…” With widened eyes, surprised for a moment, Shang Can quickly reacted, exclaiming, “So that day… the one who wrote ‘wait’ on my hand was—”
Yun Duan smiled slightly, looking directly at Shang Can with a hint of enigmatic amusement in her voice: “Are you only just realizing this now?”
Shang Can was momentarily at a loss for words, stunned for a while before stumbling out, “Why… why didn’t you speak back then? I felt like Fei Wang was different from usual, but… how did you get in there?”
While asking, her gaze unconsciously flickered toward the sword resting quietly against the wall. Although it looked like a serene sword, Shang Can felt an odd sensation as if she was discussing it in front of others. However, her glance was quickly blocked by Yun Duan stepping forward. Shang Can instinctively looked up at her, seeing her lover’s refined and unparalleled features, who replied nonchalantly, “Fei Wang has a way to draw you in, so naturally, there was a way for me to enter as well.”
“It’s just that she wasn’t too willing at that time,” Yun Duan continued, slightly lowering her eyelashes, casually leaning closer to Shang Can. “So it took quite some time.”
It was hard to imagine what kind of communication occurred between Yun Duan and Fei Wang at that time, but Shang Can sensed that her lover wasn’t feeling very happy at the moment, so she restrained her curiosity and instinctively said, “I should mention that although Fei Wang looks like you, I’ve never regarded her as you.”
She had to admit that this instinct was quite useful; Shang Can clearly felt that Yun Duan’s mood improved a bit upon hearing her words. In front of others, her reserved and polite lover became bold when alone; Yun Duan slowly raised her arms to wrap around Shang Can’s waist, leaning into her embrace. After holding her quietly for a moment, she suddenly spoke, “I actually wanted to call out to you back then.”
Realizing that this was a response to her previous question, Shang Can gently stroked Yun Duan’s hair, saying softly, “So why didn’t you call out?”
The person in her arms fell silent for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice sounded a bit muffled, “Because just before I opened my mouth, I suddenly remembered that when I thought you had left me, I had resolved that when I saw you again, the first thing I had to tell you was just how much I liked you.”
“So I held it back.” Yun Duan’s voice gradually lowered, sounding almost like a sigh, “Who would have thought that when I finally saw you awaken, the second half of that sentence was about how much I hated you?”
The memory of that day remained vivid; a sharp pain struck Shang Can’s heart, and her hand instinctively reached up to gently brush Yun Duan’s hair.
“But actually, from the moment I realized that I found it unbearable even with the sword spirit by your side, I had already noticed.”
Yun Duan held her lover a little tighter, as if she wanted to meld Shang Can into her very bones and blood.
“My hatred for you and my love for you… essentially, they are one and the same.”
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