The sun was warm. Although the cold breeze still blew sharply against her face, it was a rare good day in winter. Shang Can squinted at the sun and remarked, “The weather is really nice.”
The person next to her, who had been silent for quite some time, didn’t respond. Instead, a vendor selling breakfast nearby chimed in, “Yeah, it was gloomy for the past few days, but today we finally get to see the sun.”
He spoke with familiarity as he greeted Shang Can warmly, “I haven’t seen you, little fairy, in days. Are the two sisters out to play today?”
Shang Can was caught off guard by the term “two sisters.” She discreetly glanced at the person beside her, who had a delicate profile cloaked in a layer of indifference. Her brows and eyes were slightly furrowed, and she appeared disinclined to speak, her low-pressure aura unmistakable.
In short, Yun Duan was probably angry with her.
After learning from Nanshuang that the news about Yunzhongjun having a partner had spread, the situation in Yuncheng became increasingly unstable, particularly in recent days. Shang Can thought it was understandable. After all, the outside world was rife with rumors of all sorts, but no one knew which lucky person had picked the rare and flawless immortal body. Meanwhile, Yunzhongjun remained as unperturbed as a mountain, showing no signs of revealing anything, leaving those with ulterior motives unable to inquire and thus only fueling their frustration as they searched everywhere.
When they arrived in Yuncheng, they hadn’t deliberately concealed their whereabouts, so it was only natural for them to be quickly discovered. However, out of courtesy, the cultivators, even though they knew Yun Duan lived there, didn’t come directly to their door—what reason could they have? It wouldn’t make sense to knock on the door just to ask if they could see Yunzhongjun’s partner. Instead, they were simply waiting expectantly in Yuncheng, causing business in the local inns to flourish without giving the two of them a share.
As for this situation, Shang Can didn’t feel the impending doom she had imagined. After all, she had come to terms with things recently—she had done everything in her past that she could, and there was no way to erase it. Rather than living in constant fear, it would be better to think about what to do after her identity was exposed.
But Yun Duan appeared much tenser. Ever since she first realized that cultivators were coming to Yuncheng because of them, Yun Duan had spoken less, often lost in thought as if she were hesitating about something. In contrast, the frequency of her physical contact with Shang Can had increased dramatically, almost to the point where she would lean into Shang Can’s embrace whenever she had a moment to spare, as if this were the only way to put her mind at ease.
As for why Yun Duan was angry right now—
The matter wasn’t particularly complicated. Although most cultivators maintained their decorum by just waiting inside the city, there were still some with ulterior motives, thinking of sneaking into the courtyard to see for themselves. Given that the two of them rarely went out, they had already sensed something was off when one such person crept up to the courtyard wall.
Shang Can didn’t want such a person to see Yun Duan, so relying on her ability to cast a spell that would make people forget her appearance, she rolled up her sleeves, hopped over the wall, and directly pinned the would-be intruder to the ground.
It was a young male cultivator, and as Shang Can twisted his arms behind his back, he cried out in pain. Shang Can watched him coldly, indifferent. Before she could say anything, the person beneath her managed to ask, “You… you are Yunzhongjun’s partner, right?”
It was rather impressive that he remembered this matter under such circumstances. Shang Can couldn’t help but feel a hint of admiration. Before knocking him out in silence, she decided to respond politely, “What does it matter to you?”
Then she simply knocked him out cleanly. When Shang Can stood up, pulling the unconscious person by the collar, the courtyard door opened silently. At that moment, Shang Can hadn’t sensed anything amiss; she smiled and raised her eyes to speak, “This cultivator is quite diligent; even when caught, he still wants to ask about my identity.”
To her surprise, she received no response for quite a while. Only then did she realize something was off and saw Yun Duan quietly standing at the courtyard door, her dark eyes filled with depth. After a long silence, she finally said softly, “…Then why didn’t you say anything? Do you not want to say?”
Ah, now Shang Can understood, but it was too late.
But by the heavens, she hadn’t meant to keep quiet on purpose. Her thoughts returned to the present as she cautiously withdrew her gaze from Yun Duan, blinking in distress. She merely thought that such a person with ulterior motives should be thrown out without knowing anything; that would be a fitting punishment.
However, the meaning of her words changed in Yun Duan’s ears. Yun Duan had already been concerned about this matter; she had been very open and aboveboard when speaking to the disciples at Qingyu, so naturally, she hoped to see a more resolute attitude from Shang Can than before. Since this was a “repeat offense,” Shang Can felt that trying to explain would likely come off as a feeble excuse. So she simply led Yun Duan out the door, intending to express her feelings through action.
Shang Can had always been the type to insist on doing what she believed in, and now, wanting to put Yun Duan at ease, she cleared her throat awkwardly, stepping forward to face the oblivious vendor, her expression becoming somewhat serious.
“We… we’re not sisters…”
Shang Can quickly realized that explaining this relationship to someone she knew but wasn’t very familiar with was particularly awkward. However, Yun Duan stood quietly half a step behind her, and the gaze she cast was so solid that it made Shang Can’s back tense up. With no choice, she could only harden her resolve and stammer out, “We… Yun Duan and I are…”
“Two sisters? What are you talking about!”
Just as her words were about to leave her lips, a loud and surprised voice interjected from the side. Shang Can turned, bewildered, and saw Aunt Wang, holding a basket of vegetables, walking over cheerfully. She earnestly explained to the confused vendor, “They are a couple!”
“…” Caught off guard by someone stealing her thunder, Shang Can fell silent for a moment, then nodded vigorously, silently repeating, “…a couple.”
Since they returned to Yuncheng, they hadn’t deliberately promoted or concealed their relationship. Those who were closer, like Aunt Wang, had already figured it out, while there were also people like the vendor who had misunderstood. Now, they were all suddenly enlightened and repeatedly apologized to Shang Can and Yun Duan, who waved her hands in response, stealing a glance at Yun Duan—ah, this seemed to be improving.
At least Yun Duan’s cold expression had eased, and she responded to the vendor’s words, thanking them together with Shang Can. Just as Shang Can felt a bit relieved, she heard the vendor exclaim, “Ah! Since you’re such powerful cultivators, will you two have children together?”
“…”
What on earth was this person worried about!
Shang Can’s mind went blank, and she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks even without looking in the mirror. While struggling to find the right words to explain that this had nothing to do with being a cultivator, Aunt Wang excitedly chimed in, “Yeah! When do you plan to have some? How many do you want?”
As if it was already a done deal! Shang Can couldn’t take it anymore and stepped back repeatedly, her heart racing. She felt inexplicably nervous, her mind racing with thoughts like, even though she was a half-demon phoenix, she and Yun Duan would definitely not be able to have children since their races were different, right?—no, no, upon further reflection, half-demons were actually the product of a union between demons and humans? So, they could have children? Huh?
What is going on here! The point wasn’t even about this!
Shang Can took a deep breath to clear her mind of the chaotic thoughts and rallied herself to explain, “Even for cultivators, women cannot have children!”
She had put a lot of effort into it, but the volume of her voice turned out to be too loud. Shang Can felt a sense of impending doom as she noticed that not just Aunt Wang and the vendor in front of her, but even the passersby on the street had paused to look over, all of them revealing friendly teasing smiles.
…She really couldn’t stay any longer; Shang Can fled with Yun Duan in tow.
They didn’t stop until they reached a secluded alley, where Shang Can’s embarrassment surged, and she couldn’t help but cover her flushed face with her hands, murmuring blankly, “…It feels like even stranger rumors will start spreading soon.”
Rumors that Yunzhongjun intended to have a child with her partner.
Her actions stirred a tickling sensation, prompting Yun Duan to lift her hand to halt the restless head beside her. After a prolonged silence, she countered with a gentle question, “Acan… do you like children?”
“?!” Shang Can was taken aback and quickly raised her head, momentarily lost for words. “Wh-what? Where did this child come from?”
Yun Duan was amused by the panic in her eyes, a light smile spreading across her lips as she softly replied, “I’m just asking if you like them.”
“Ah, I…” Shang Can’s heart raced unevenly, and she anxiously licked her lips, blurting out, “I don’t really have any strong feelings about it, and I haven’t spent much time with kids…”
Listening to her lover earnestly ponder her response, Yun Duan observed as Shang Can went from saying she had no feelings to reflecting on her inability to care for children, realizing she might need to start from scratch. The direction of Shang Can’s thoughts seemed increasingly off-track, almost like a self-reflection before having children.
Yun Duan didn’t interrupt, her brows slightly arching in amusement as a gentle smile bloomed on her face. Though she herself wasn’t particularly fond of children, if it were to be their child… Even aware that this was merely a fanciful thought, Yun Duan couldn’t help but entertain the idea, only to quickly realize her intentions weren’t so innocent. A pang of guilt swelled within her for that imagined child.
…If she wanted a child, her original purpose would surely have been to use it as a bargaining chip to keep Shang Can by her side. Yun Duan had never thought she would harbor such infatuated thoughts akin to those in the romance tales she had heard. She had often heard about using children to retain a man who was slowly drifting away, but back then, she had dismissed such street gossip without a second thought, feeling no twinge of sympathy. It was only now, with this topic suddenly placed between her and Shang Can, that Yun Duan realized she could also consider such actions. She accepted this new aspect of herself surprisingly quickly.
It was only natural, Yun Duan thought. The more “bargaining chips” she had to ensure Acan would never leave her, the better. Whether it was her eagerness to publicly announce their relationship or her extreme sensitivity to Shang Can avoiding the topic around others, all the reasons stemmed from the same desire—to prevent Shang Can from ever leaving her. It seemed she wouldn’t make a good mother after all.
Yun Duan sighed softly, and the person before her echoed the sigh, prompting Yun Duan to look up and see the conflicted expression on Shang Can’s face as she mused, “I suppose many people in the cultivation world would think it’s a pity that the legendary flawless immortal body has no descendants.”
How had her thoughts jumped to that? Yun Duan was taken aback, then couldn’t help but chuckle, “What are you thinking about?”
“Let’s not mention that this physique likely can’t be passed on to descendants,” Yun Duan’s gaze flickered, her voice dropping slightly, “Even I sometimes feel… having this physique isn’t necessarily a good thing.” Jealousy and desire surrounded it; if she were to be injured, it could lead to grave consequences. The demon tide triggered years ago had claimed countless lives. The benefits and troubles of this physique coexisted, and even now, the scrutiny of her relationship with Shang Can was largely due to the “merit” of this legendary body.
With her shoulder gently embraced by her lover, Yun Duan leaned against Shang Can’s shoulder and murmured, “I’ve privately speculated that the reason the flawless immortal body only exists in legends is probably because those with such a physique were discovered… beforehand…”
Shang Can’s heart tightened as she recalled their initial encounter, feeling a surge of anxiety at the thought of what might have happened if she had arrived even a moment later. Unable to help herself, she hugged Yun Duan tighter and hurriedly changed the topic, “Let’s not think about that. After all, the only flawless immortal body in the world is right here; no one else can do anything about it.”
As she spoke, her brows knit together, her voice dropping low, “If it weren’t for the injury you suffered back in the Outer Heavens, your physique shouldn’t have…”
Before she could finish, her words suddenly stalled as a peculiar thought flashed in her mind, causing her breath to hitch. The flawless immortal body, which only existed in legends and records, hadn’t appeared for centuries. Descriptions in texts were sparse, noting only that it was a supreme constitution beloved by the essence of heaven and earth—a natural material capable of enhancing one’s cultivation.
So why, why—
…Why was it that the moment Yun Duan was injured, a cultivator in the arena immediately recognized her as the flawless immortal body?
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