At the moment when her name was called, Shang Can wasn’t all that surprised for some reason.
Naturally, she wasn’t someone who could hide and scheme for long. Once she realized that she had already been discovered, she might as well reveal herself. And now, she didn’t intend to deny it outright. Instead, she smiled evasively and asked, “Why is Qing Lianjun here alone?”
The woman in front of her quietly looked at her for a while, then turned her head to the lotus flowers in Qing Lian Lake and said calmly, “Enjoying the lotus.”
It was clearly their first conversation, yet there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if this wasn’t their first meeting. Shang Can also followed her gaze. The sight of the lotus flowers stretching across the lake was breathtaking, but the chilling wind brought with it a sense of dissonance, creating an absurd, disjointed feeling, preventing one from fully immersing in the beauty.
“Lotus blooming in winter,” Shang Can stood straight, her voice steady, “defies the natural order. Qing Lianjun must have put a lot of effort into this lake, I imagine.”
“Indeed,” the woman beside her remained as composed as ever, but Shang Can faintly sensed an undercurrent beneath her detached tone. “…I put in a great deal of effort.”
Shang Can smiled subtly, without revealing much, and said, “Surely it’s not just for appearances?”
For a rare moment, Qing Lianjun also smiled slightly, glancing at her as she blinked. “Since you already know, I thought you wouldn’t reveal yourself so soon.”
It seemed she didn’t intend to beat around the bush anymore. Shang Can tightened her fingers within her sleeves, meeting her inscrutable gaze with a warm smile. “Since the acting head has already discovered me, there’s no point in hiding anymore.”
Qing Lianjun also smiled at her, though it didn’t reach her eyes, and her tone carried a hint of contemplation. “You really haven’t changed much.”
She spoke frankly, and so Shang Can straightforwardly asked, “You know me?”
“I do.”
“To what extent?”
“How much do you think I should know?” Qing Lianjun responded mildly, her words measured and deliberate. “The chief disciple of Yu Heng Peak, Shang Can, also known as the demon cultivator Can Zhe from Bi Luo Huang Quan, and the Daoist companion of Yun Zhongjun, who possesses a flawless immortal body… How much do you think I should know?”
As she said this, she gazed directly at Shang Can, a flash of coldness in Shang Can’s eyes as she held her breath for a moment.
A blatant provocation. As if she wasn’t concerned about what Shang Can’s reaction might be. But this wasn’t something that should be happening now. After all, Tianwaitian had just reopened its gates to visitors, and many of the cultivators who had arrived early for the Dao Discussion were already visiting. In this situation, this acting head of Tianwaitian should be the one most worried about any potential mishaps.
Yet, Qing Lianjun seemed intent on provoking her anger and hostility, making the whole scenario seem a bit odd.
Shang Can exhaled a long breath and, instead of answering, countered with a question of her own: “Last time at the Dao Discussion, on your arena platform, was it you who injured Duan?”
Perhaps she hadn’t expected such a question at this moment, Qing Lianjun hesitated briefly before responding, “If I said it was me, what would you do?”
As she spoke, she slowly blinked at Shang Can, her expression unreadable, but her tone carried an unmistakable hint of incitement.
It was a rare thing; ever since their meeting, Shang Can had felt that this woman was shrouded in a dense fog, making it hard to discern her true emotions. Now, as she was being provoked, Shang Can found herself unexpectedly calm.
When she first met Qing Lianjun, she had sensed something was off, but she hadn’t figured out what. Now, she seemed to have caught hold of a clue.
It was the eyes. No matter how often Qing Lianjun blinked, her pupils didn’t move.
Even as she spoke such barbed words, her eyes remained like a pool of stagnant water, devoid of any ripples, whether looking at the sky, the water, or the lotus flowers. It was as if—
As if she had the eyes of a dead person.
Shang Can had always been someone who acted on her instincts.
Perhaps Qing Lianjun thought she would get angry, question her, or even draw her sword, so when Shang Can did something entirely different, her reaction was a fraction too slow. Her movement to dodge appeared stiff and slightly clumsy.
Qing Lianjun moved quickly, and Shang Can only touched her for a brief moment, but that was enough. She had worn this thing before and knew exactly how to remove it easily.
Shang Can relaxed her shoulders slightly, her eyes quietly glancing at the thin mask now held in her hand, her lips curling into a faint smile.
Not far away, the once composed and calm woman’s breathing now seemed uneven, and her entire being was like a taut bow. Shang Can slowly and methodically spread out the mask in her palm and looked up at Qing Lianjun.
“Qing Lianjun,” her eyes shone with a knowing light, and her refined face showed a playful expression. “You asked what I would do. Well, before asking that, shouldn’t you first show your true face?”
The face beneath the mask was drastically different from before. Her features were so strikingly beautiful that the lotus flowers behind her paled in comparison. The austere robes of Tianwaitian, symbolizing discipline and rules, seemed entirely out of place on this face. This face was meant to be adorned with fine rouge worth its weight in gold and paired with flowing red silk, captivating countless onlookers with a single graceful turn.
Her eyes, which should have been full of life and charm, remained eerily still, devoid of any emotion. Even the small mole beneath her eye seemed dull, lacking any vitality.
“…What a coincidence,” she lightly laughed, initially planning to ask Wan Shao to come and take a look, but it seemed unnecessary now. “Qinglian Jun, you resemble a friend of mine quite a bit…”
The Outer Heaven is bustling with visitors.
Over the past few years, as the demon clan gradually seized control of the cultivation world, today’s gathering includes not only the invited cultivators but also those who came specifically to celebrate the blooming of the lotus flowers in Qinglian Lake after hearing of the remarkable event. The atmosphere is lively and filled with the sounds of many people.
Yun Duan is not good in such situations, yet her reputation is undeniably large. Even with Chu Ming’s diligent efforts to protect her, he cannot stop all the cultivators eager to greet her or curry favor. Although the cultivators from Outer Heaven might behave with a bit more restraint, engaging with everyone one by one is still mentally exhausting, especially since her thoughts are far from here at the moment.
“Where is Yun Zhong Jun’s partner? Did they not come?”
Here it comes again.
Yun Duan scanned the crowd before her. Everyone was looking at her with smiles, revealing varying degrees of interest in her partner.
A wave of complex emotions surged in her heart. She lowered her eyes and responded coolly, “They are here.”
Yun Duan has never hesitated to mention her partner to everyone. If Shang Can were here beside her, she would probably take their hand directly and tell everyone asking about her, “This is my lover.”
But Shang Can is not by her side now. Just thinking about it made her feel a tightness in her chest. Yun Duan lowered her eyelashes to hide her emotions and responded indifferently to the socializing in front of her. Perhaps noticing her current mood, the cultivators were tactful enough not to press further, and soon, they changed the topic.
Despite having repeatedly reminded Shang Can to be careful and not to act recklessly before parting, her heart is still restless. She wants to find her but is aware that her task as Yun Zhong Jun is to attract attention and keep an eye on the movements of the cultivators here. The person beside her had spouted some nonsense about expertise and insisted she should stay back. Softly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, urging her to agree. Looking into those innocent, beautiful eyes, Yun Duan couldn’t bring herself to say no.
Yun Duan knows Shang Can often only says half of what she means. While it is true that she is more suited to attracting attention, it is also true that she wants her to be safe. The reasoning she offered had successfully persuaded Yun Duan: even if Qinglian Jun wanted to attack her, she wouldn’t choose such a broad daylight. Just going to take a look wouldn’t lead to anything significant, but paying attention to the cultivators is the most troublesome thing.
Not for the first time, Shang Can’s seriousness made Yun Duan unable to stop herself from thinking about saying, “Why don’t we just ignore everything?”
Her Acan cannot tolerate sand in her eyes, yet all Yun Duan sees is Shang Can. She believes that being together with Shang Can is enough; whether they live in hiding or on top of Tianshan Mountain doesn’t matter. No matter what kinds of evil plots the Outer Heaven and the reopened discussion meeting have in store, they are not helpless. If they want to hide, there will always be a way.
Whatever the case, Yun Duan has always been like this.
But she knows Shang Can’s nature. Just like that time during the demon tide when she traveled down the mountain, Yun Duan herself had no desire to pursue her traitorous sect members, but Shang Can insisted on dragging her wounded body to confront them, always the same.
Always the same, her beloved Acan has always been this way.
Humans are contradictory. Yun Duan craves this kind of passionate and open affection but is reluctant to let Shang Can take even the slightest risk. She thinks that she should have gone with Acan; that person shouldn’t be allowed to slip by, and she should bite back.
Suddenly, her heart tightened, followed by a sudden surge of spiritual power stirring in her meridians.
“…Yun, Yun Duan, Shang Can—”
With Wan Shao’s hurried transmission, Yun Duan suddenly looked up and saw a reddish-golden light emerging in the sky towards Qinglian Lake like the early sun.
The sounds of clashing swords echoed continuously.
The Fei Wang in her hand emitted a constant buzzing sound. Shang Can could feel the sword spirit’s restlessness but had no time to soothe it.
She was battling against the wind. Clearly, there was nothing before her, yet everywhere were sharp blades.
“Why do you know?”
The instigator stood a few steps away, her voice as cold as ice, complementing her emotionless face.
“Is that the only question you will ask?” Shang Can, irritated by the seemingly endless surge of spiritual wind blades, spoke in a gentle yet pointed tone. “Since you wore a mask, Qinglian Jun should be prepared to have it taken off.”
“…”
After silently enduring her taunt, the depths of Qinglian Jun’s eyes darkened as she coldly replied, “…I didn’t actually dislike you that much in the first place.”
“I even considered letting you off the hook. It was during the time when you were picked up by Biluo Huangquan like a stray dog.”
“But now that you’ve brought yourself here, I can’t be blamed.”
She spoke slowly, and as her wind blades abruptly halted around Shang Can, the chill surrounding her remained unrelenting, instinctively bringing a sharp pain like needles, revealing an immense threat gathering.
“If there’s anyone to blame, it’s yourself, Shang Can.”
Qinglian Jun stood there casually, while Shang Can, without any hesitation, formed a hand seal. The heavenly fire she had intended to avoid using burst forth suddenly, manifesting behind her in the shape of massive fiery wings. The intense spiritual energy seemed to peel away some of the bone-chilling cold brought by the person in front of her.
In the next moment, two forces of spiritual power collided in silence, disturbing the stillness of the lotus pond.
Shang Can took a single step back, her crimson-golden eyes lifting to gaze at the person before her. Even now, with so many cultivators visiting the Outer Heaven, the acting sect leader stood calmly after striking first without hesitation. The shattered lotus petals fluttered past her brilliant lips, presenting a kind of breathtaking beauty.
“…If there’s anyone to blame, it’s yourself.” She repeated softly, her eyelids lowering slightly with an almost sluggish movement. “You should have just stayed as the half-demon you were… Why did you have to get involved with… with the cultivators?”
“Demons and cultivators…” Qinglian Jun murmured to herself, her voice soft, as if lost in thought. “Demons and… cultivators…”
Shang Can had no idea what else this person wanted to say, because before she could finish, Qinglian Jun abruptly launched a second attack without warning. There was no elaborate technique—just pure, overwhelming spiritual energy, carried on the wind, forming massive invisible arrows that forced Shang Can to summon the heavenly fire and focus her mind in defense.
But this time, she misjudged. Her body unexpectedly leaped back of its own accord, an unfamiliar loss of control. Shang Can was startled, and a sudden feeling struck her. She turned in shock, only to see a familiar figure in white descending gracefully from the sky. The pristine, snowy sword light soared, accompanied by a resounding sword cry, as if frost and snow swept across the land, leaving a light layer of frost on the pink and white lotus petals.
Only then did Shang Can regain control of her body. Her heart raced wildly as she rushed forward to take Yun Duan’s hand. She had wanted to say something—perhaps something like, “Don’t fight her, Duan’er; suddenly attacking like that is too dangerous,” or maybe something teasing like, “So, your puppet technique really works after all.” But when she saw Yun Duan’s ethereal and pure face, Shang Can found herself unable to say a single word.
Yun Duan was staring at her intently, her deep eyes as dark as ink, making her pale face seem even more colorless. Her lips, now bloodless, were pressed tightly together, as if in the next moment, they would be bitten and leave delicate teeth marks.
Seeing this, Shang Can threw all her words aside. She tightened her grip on Yun Duan’s hand, finding it as cold as ice. She took a small step in front of Yun Duan, mindful of Qinglian Jun still standing there, and didn’t do anything drastic. Instead, she whispered softly, “You came.”
The person she was holding said nothing, remaining silent for a while before faintly squeezing her hand, lightly pinching her palm.
Shang Can guessed this meant there would be some reckoning later. It felt like being lightly scratched by a kitten, making her want to laugh at the inappropriate timing. But now was not the right time. In the distance, she heard faint noises, probably the cultivators from the Outer Heaven who had noticed the commotion and were about to arrive.
Qinglian Jun, who had been standing motionless since Yun Duan’s sudden appearance, as if stunned, also seemed to hear the noise from the approaching cultivators. She slowly raised her head, but didn’t look anywhere else, only fixing her gaze directly on Shang Can and Yun Duan.
“Demons and cultivators…” She continued from where she left off, her voice heavy, yet tinged with a barely audible sigh. “…should not stand together.”
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