The next day, when the escape of the demonic cultivator Pei Chen was discovered by Tianwaitian, Shang Can was just receiving her breakfast from the innkeeper in the tavern’s lobby.
Before she could take a bite, Chu Ming rushed in through the door and dragged her upstairs in a panic. In a blur, he also pulled in Wan Shao and gathered them all into Shang Can and Yun Duan’s room. After locking the door and casting several soundproofing spells, his face turned ashen as he confronted Shang Can, “…This was your doing, wasn’t it?”
Wan Shao looked confused, but Shang Can remained expressionless. Having confessed to Yun Duan the night before, she casually pushed a bowl of wonton soup toward Yun Duan and replied nonchalantly, “Are you asking about Pei Chen? Yes, that was my doing.”
“You’re too reckless!” Chu Ming was alarmed, scolding her in a hushed voice. “Last night, you said you were only going to take a look, promising not to do anything extreme… But look at this! You trespassed into a restricted area and released someone imprisoned by Tianwaitian. You— you—”
While Chu Ming was deeply worried, practically bleeding with every word, the one responsible for the chaos remained composed, sitting calmly at the table. Her voice was unhurried, “I didn’t do anything extreme. No one died, after all.”
Her definition of “extreme” was much too lenient!
Seeing Chu Ming’s rising agitation, Shang Can quickly laid out her findings and reasoning from the previous night. Then she shrugged casually, “—So that’s the situation. Don’t you think this was a pretty good approach compared to causing more chaos?”
Chu Ming’s head began to throb as he listened, feeling his temples pulse with frustration. Rubbing his forehead, he sighed, “Alright, alright, what’s done is done. There’s no way to catch Kunyao-jun again now… But you could have warned us earlier! I nearly had a heart attack when I heard the news.”
“I came back pretty late last night,” Shang Can said with a slight pout, her eyes innocently sweeping over Chu Ming before shifting to Yun Duan, who was eating wonton soup with perfect posture. Her voice took on a playful tone, “I did tell Yun Duan though, and then I didn’t really have time to find you.”
Chu Ming, still clueless, was mumbling about how two sentences couldn’t possibly take that long when he heard the clink of a spoon against a bowl. He turned his head to find Yun Duan lowering her gaze, quietly apologizing for the accidental noise and quickly straightening her spoon with careful etiquette. But was it just his imagination, or did his junior sister’s face seem a bit red? Maybe the wonton soup was too hot?
Before he could dwell on it, Shang Can spoke again, “Has the news of Pei Chen’s escape spread throughout the city already? I thought Tianwaitian would try to cover it up.”
“No, it hasn’t spread yet. It’s just that I couldn’t sleep after our failed attempt yesterday, so I went to snoop around Tianwaitian’s entrance early this morning. I overheard a few things from the disciples at the gate,” Chu Ming explained, frowning with concern. “But it seems like things are chaotic inside. The two disciples didn’t even notice me hiding nearby, and they hurried back to close the gate after exchanging a few words. It looks like they’re going into lockdown for the day— What should we do? If you plan to sneak in again to see if Qinglian-jun shows up, won’t that be extremely dangerous?”
“What a foolish idea.” Shang Can chuckled. “I have no intention of taking such a risk in broad daylight.”
Seeing Chu Ming’s confused expression, she held out her hand, and a subtle pulse of spiritual energy flickered between her fingers— a technique Chu Ming was all too familiar with.
“I sent out some surveillance spirits before I left Tianwaitian last night,” Shang Can explained. “I placed them in various spots to keep watch. As long as they’re not discovered, they’ll keep sending me information.”
Chu Ming’s confusion cleared up, but before he could say anything, Wan Shao, who had just been catching up on the situation, squeezed past him with a sense of urgency and asked, “Can those spirits show images?”
“They can, but using more spiritual energy increases the risk of being discovered,” Shang Can replied straightforwardly. “Are you still unsure about Qinglian-jun’s appearance? Want another look?”
“…That’s right,” Wan Shao muttered, ruffling her hair in frustration. “After all, I— ugh. Can your spirits show anything? Has she appeared?”
Shang Can shook her head slowly, lowering her gaze. Her tone grew heavier, “…Since Pei Chen’s escape was discovered by Tianwaitian’s patrol, the acting sect leader has yet to make an appearance.”
“I thought she would at least inspect the scene, so I kept an eye on the area where Pei Chen was imprisoned.” She glanced at Yun Duan and shook her head again. “But this person really hasn’t shown up. From morning until now, it’s only been the disciples of Tianwaitian rushing around. I overheard them talking, and it doesn’t seem like they’re even looking for her— Maybe she gave them prior instructions.”
A moment of silence fell over the room as they exchanged thoughtful looks. Something felt off. Even though something major had happened, the acting sect leader hadn’t appeared— at least not in the areas Shang Can had been monitoring. As she pondered whether to check again later, Yun Duan spoke up, “You said you sent your spirits to several places, but Tianwaitian is vast. Where did you place them?”
Shang Can nodded in understanding and thought for a moment. “Besides the ones I stationed near the prison, I randomly guessed and sent others to the main hall, the arena, the dining hall, and the empty residence areas… Oh, and Qinglian Lake.”
“I actually wanted to take a look around the lake last night, but for some reason, it had the strongest barrier in all of Tianwaitian. To avoid alerting anyone, I decided not to approach for the time being,” she paused, recalling something, “Then, before Pei Chen left, he told me to pay special attention to that lake.”
Maybe out of some lingering sense of duty to his sect, Pei Chen hadn’t been very clear. He simply gave a vague warning, but Shang Can could see the seriousness in his expression. He had even repeated himself: ‘You must keep an eye on Qinglian Lake.’
The warning had been cryptic, but Shang Can could tell it was important. So, she didn’t press for more and silently took it to heart, sending several more surveillance spirits to the area around the lake’s barrier.
Now, as she recalled Pei Chen’s warning, an idea struck her. Since Qinglian-jun still hadn’t shown up, she suggested, “Why don’t we take a look at Qinglian Lake? Maybe we’ll see someone meddling with the barrier and find a way to slip in.”
No one objected to the plan, so Shang Can flipped her hand over, focusing her spiritual energy to create a projection screen. But as she glanced up at the image, her brow furrowed.
Due to the barrier, the surveillance spirits had been placed far from the lake, and the angle of the image was skewed. For some reason, the image was blurry, rippling with instability.
Even in the unclear projection, though, they all noticed it— a faint flash of pinkish-white on the surface of Qinglian Lake, which should have been frozen over in the middle of winter.
The word “flash” was misleading. The color didn’t just flicker and disappear; it appeared clearly for a brief moment before the entire image began to tremble violently. Shang Can’s eyes flickered as she hurriedly tried several techniques to stabilize the projection, but the connection to the surveillance spirits started to feel off.
Suddenly, Shang Can raised her head, and just before her surveillance spirits were seized, she caught sight of the person who took them.
Dressed in the distinctive robe of Tianwaitian’s acting sect leader, their expression was composed but unremarkable, their eyes devoid of emotion. Even while capturing a spy within the sect, they remained as calm and lifeless as a stagnant pool of water.
Just as the projection completely faded, Shang Can suddenly caught a faint whiff of a delicate, lingering fragrance.
In less than half a day, the city of Yan Yang was already blanketed by the scent.
With the Dao Conference fast approaching, cultivators had begun to arrive in Yan Yang one after another. The moment they landed, they could smell the invigorating fragrance in the air, which was enough to refresh their spirits.
“Have the lotuses of Tian Wai Tian bloomed?”
Hearing the widespread rumors as soon as she stepped outside, Shang Can raised an eyebrow, her mind swirling with doubts. “In the dead of winter? Lotuses don’t bloom this time of year, do they?”
“Of course not,” Wan Shao, who was the most knowledgeable among them, furrowed her brows, sniffing the air. “Lotuses don’t bloom in winter—besides, even if they did cover the entire lake, no lotus could spread its fragrance for miles like this.”
Catching Shang Can’s questioning glance, Wan Shao shook her head and added, “…I can’t detect anything wrong with this scent. At least, it doesn’t seem to be poisonous…”
“Better to be cautious and avoid breathing it in too much,” Yun Duan said, casting a slight frown as she used a technique to slow her breathing. “It’s strange. We should be careful.”
The streets were bustling, filled with a festive atmosphere as people took the sudden blooming of winter lotuses at Tian Wai Tian as a sign of good fortune. Yet, Shang Can and her companions were the only ones troubled, their faces marked by unease. Unlike the joyous crowds, they remained wary of the rich fragrance and sought to avoid it as much as possible.
Initially, they had only gone out to investigate the smell, and the news of the lotus blooms had spread swiftly through the city. In no time, they uncovered the source of the commotion, along with another surprising piece of information: Tian Wai Tian had opened its gates to guests.
This made no sense. The escape of Lord Kun Yao had been swiftly overshadowed by the blooming winter lotuses, as if the incident had never occurred. It seemed that Tian Wai Tian had no intention of dealing with it. Even their earlier decision to close the gates now seemed more like preparation for the lotus blooms than anything else, with the rest brushed aside, as if pretending nothing had happened would make it so.
Everyone privy to the situation was here, but none of them could openly inquire about it, given that they had either caused the issue or learned of it through unconventional means. However, they could still go take a look.
With Tian Wai Tian now open, even the barriers that once repelled demonic and spiritual energy had been graciously lowered. Many cultivators were happily paying their respects. Shang Can and her companions decided not to wait any longer. They stuck to their plan from the previous day—two of them, with respectable identities, would enter openly through the front gate to gather information, while the other two, less legitimate, would sneak in and lie in wait for an opportunity.
From a distance, they watched as Yun Duan and Chu Ming entered Tian Wai Tian. Shang Can and Wan Shao, meanwhile, crept along the walls. Wan Shao, lacking Shang Can’s grace in stealth, relied mostly on Shang Can’s assistance. Wan Shao had initially hesitated, worried she would only slow Shang Can down, but Shang Can waved her off nonchalantly.
“The cultivators of Tian Wai Tian won’t be able to detect us,” Shang Can had said. “And even if they do, it won’t make much difference whether I brought one more person along or not.”
“Besides, I may need your help,” Shang Can had added as she skillfully led the way, communicating through a sound transmission technique. “I’ve never met your mother. If we run into Qing Lian Jun, I’ll need you to take a good look.”
Wan Shao was just puzzling over what help she could possibly offer, especially given that Qing Lian Jun bore no resemblance to her mother, when Shang Can abruptly stopped, almost causing Wan Shao to bump into her.
Puzzled, Wan Shao raised her head and found that Shang Can had led them straight to Qing Lian Lake, where lotus flowers were now in full bloom. The delicate pink and white petals were layered across the water’s surface, and the overpowering scent filled the air, so strong that it made one feel as if they were standing in the heat of midsummer, not the dead of winter.
By the lakeshore stood a lone figure. The person had their back to them, but just as they noticed, the figure slowly turned as if sensing their presence, casting a calm and unmistakable gaze in their direction, despite their efforts to remain hidden.
That gaze, as calm and unsettling as the day before, sent a shiver through Wan Shao, and she almost lost her focus. Just as she was about to steady herself and quietly ask Shang Can what they should do next, she saw, to her astonishment, that Shang Can had casually blinked, flipped over, and lightly jumped down from the rooftop.
The movement was so sudden that Wan Shao didn’t even have time to grab her. Instead, she felt the concealing spell surrounding them grow stronger, thanks to Shang Can’s reinforcement. As the only half-phoenix in existence and Yun Duan’s unparalleled Dao companion, Shang Can’s cultivation was so profound that Wan Shao couldn’t even begin to comprehend its depth. However, she had the distinct feeling that Qing Lian Jun could still see them, though the figure didn’t seem to care much.
Shang Can gracefully dispelled her concealing spell midair, meaning that from the outside, it would appear as though someone had simply appeared out of nowhere. Yet Qing Lian Jun didn’t so much as bat an eye, her gaze falling on Shang Can as she stood up straight and slowly walked towards her with a calm, unhurried air.
Shang Can stopped a few paces in front of Qing Lian Jun, boldly sizing her up with clear eyes and a seemingly friendly smile tugging at her lips. “Qing Lian Jun,” she greeted.
The woman before her remained unchanged, showing no signs of surprise. Without so much as a flicker in her eyes, she gave Shang Can a faint nod and responded coolly, “Shang Can.”
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