After leaving Tianwai Tian, Shang Can and Wan Shao flew for dozens of miles in silence.
Finally, Wan Shao broke the quiet. She sighed deeply, slowed her pace, and turned her head to ask, “How is your body holding up?”
Shang Can nodded silently. “I’m fine.”
“I don’t believe you for a second,” Wan Shao stopped abruptly. “Look at yourself—you’re a mess. You’re telling me you’re fine? Take your medicine first.”
In matters like this, Wan Shao had the authority, so Shang Can obediently reached for her waist, only to find nothing.
She fumbled around her waist for a moment, eventually withdrawing her hand, and, meeting Wan Shao’s accusatory gaze, slowly admitted, “…I lost the pouch.”
“Shang Can, why don’t you just lose yourself while you’re at it?”
Knowing she was at fault, Shang Can came to a stop, standing obediently as Wan Shao, now furious, berated her.
“Why would you lose it? Huh? Don’t even try telling me it was an accident. Now look—no medicine, no pouch, and you’ve even ripped part of your sleeve! You’re going to drive me crazy!”
Wan Shao was furiously rummaging through her own stash of spare medicine when she suddenly caught sight of a flash of white sword light streaking across the sky from where they had come from, and her face went pale.
“Pursuers—”
Before she could finish, the sword light descended without warning, like snow falling from the sky. A woman, dressed in flowing white robes, quietly landed a short distance in front of them and turned to face them.
Wan Shao cursed inwardly. She no longer had the energy to scold Shang Can. She stepped back two paces, sneaking the medicine bottle she’d just found into Shang Can’s hand, and held her breath, nervously watching Yun Duan.
…Oh, great. Why is her junior so good at tracking them down? Were they really flying that slowly?
Her mood sank further. It seemed they were doomed to a fight. They hadn’t even done anything bad—well, not yet, anyway.
So much for their luck. Now they had no Dao Heart Lotus, and after helping those immortal sects clean up the demonic beasts, her junior was chasing them down for a fight—
“Are you injured?”
…Wait, was she here to fight?
Wan Shao was puzzled and followed Yun Duan’s gaze to Shang Can.
Shang Can glanced at the medicine bottle that Wan Shao had just handed her and casually tucked it into her robes. Avoiding the question, she asked instead, “Is Lord Yun here to stop us?”
“…”
The breathtaking figure before them did not move, simply gazing at Shang Can with a quiet patience, as if waiting for her to answer the question first.
Shang Can said nothing, and neither did Yun Duan. This left Wan Shao in a rather awkward spot.
For some reason, the demonic lord of Biluo Huangquan now felt incredibly out of place, like an outsider in this situation.
…If she just turned around and ran right now, would anything even happen?
She was calculating her odds when another sharp sword light fell from the sky behind them, its shrill hum betraying the owner’s unsteady emotions.
Wan Shao jumped in fright, spinning around to see another familiar face.
It was Yu Shan Jun, Chu Ming of Qingyu, who had also caught up with them.
In the world of cultivation, Yu Shan Jun was praised for his warm and gentle nature, his impeccable manners, and his respectful demeanor. Yet now, Wan Shao could see clearly that his usually serene face was filled with restlessness and unease, as if he were on the verge of losing control.
“…Can Zhe.”
He didn’t even greet Yun Duan, who had arrived first. Instead, he walked straight toward Shang Can, his voice dry and cracking, as though speaking was painful for him.
“I… need to speak with you privately.” Only now did Chu Ming seem to notice Yun Duan and Wan Shao. He glanced at them briefly, managing to steady his voice somewhat, but his eyes remained fixed on Shang Can. “May I borrow you for a moment?”
For someone who had just learned that Shang Can was the demonic cultivator Can Zhe, his tone was far too personal, almost unnaturally so.
Shang Can’s gaze drifted to the sky, finding no refuge, before finally closing her eyes and nodding slowly.
“Alright.”
The situation grew more surreal by the moment.
Shang Can quietly followed Chu Ming to a secluded forest not far from where they had been.
Yun Duan and Wan Shao remained where they were. Wan Shao, now fully aware of the situation, refrained from saying anything more due to Yun Duan’s presence. She could only watch anxiously as Shang Can walked off with Chu Ming.
It seemed that Yun Duan was the only one who didn’t fully grasp what was going on, but she didn’t ask. Instead, she cradled her sword and moved to the side, calmly stating, “One quarter of an hour,” before falling silent again.
This likely meant they had a quarter of an hour to talk. As for what would happen if they exceeded that time… Shang Can figured it would be best not to find out.
She’s surprisingly considerate, Shang Can mused absently. A truly thoughtful person, asking no questions.
“Palace Shang.”
Out of nowhere, Chu Ming broke the silence, speaking each word with deliberate emphasis.
“Should I call you that, or should I call you Can Zhe?” He turned to face her, giving a bitter smile. “You really are… quite the actor, aren’t you?”
“Yu Shan Jun is too kind,” Shang Can responded softly. “Just call me Can Zhe. That fake name never really suited me.”
Chu Ming’s face twitched as though he were struggling to contain something, his fists clenching tightly. Finally, he seemed to break down, his voice trembling as he spoke, each word dripping with sorrow.
“Why… why are you still pretending…!”
“Do you think I haven’t already recognized you, Shang Can!!”
Yes, of course, she’d realized he knew.
But even though she had suspected it all along, hearing her name shouted out loud by him still left her momentarily blank, as if a tidal wave had crashed over her, drowning her in an overwhelming sensation of suffocation.
What now? What now?
Where had she slipped up? She was terrible at acting.
Thank goodness Yun Duan wasn’t here.
Her mind raced, thoughts spiraling. Shang Can gently shook her head and let out a soft sigh.
“Say something, Shang Can! Look at me!”
Chu Ming let his sword fall to the ground with a clatter, then rushed forward, stopping just short of grabbing her by the collar. In the end, he merely clenched his fists, shaking.
“How… how could you become Can Zhe, become the Can Zhe of Biluo Huangquan?!”
Shang Can had never seen him like this before—so utterly distraught, his eyes bloodshot and filled with a blinding pain.
“If you’re still alive, then why…”
“Why did you never tell us, after all these years…”
Tears finally fell from his eyes, though it was impossible to tell if they were born from joy at their reunion or from the disbelief and anguish that wracked him. His voice was hoarse, choked with emotion, as if every word had been wrenched from his heart.
“They said you were dead… we searched for you for so long but found nothing, so I thought you were dead, Shang Can…”
“Master Wangyue was afraid Yun Duan would grieve too deeply, so she made Yun Duan forget you, and I didn’t even dare to mention your name again.”
“If you were still alive, then why—”
Chu Ming’s gaze shifted to Shang Can’s face, and he seemed to snap. Gritting his teeth, he reached out toward her neck, as if intending to tear away her mask.
But Shang Can moved swiftly, throwing the unsuspecting Chu Ming hard to the ground.
She stepped back, looking down at him with a cold, detached expression.
“What nonsense is Yu Shan Jun spouting?” Her tone was icy, her eyes calm and clear. “I didn’t understand a single word.”
“I don’t know the person you’re talking about.”
“I am Can Zhe.”
Shang Can’s voice was chilling as she repeated herself, emphasizing her identity.
“Can Zhe of Biluo Huangquan.”
Having said her piece, she turned to leave. Lying on the ground, Chu Ming remained silent for a long time before finally stirring, his voice hollow and distant, like a whisper carried by the wind.
“How many people in this world know that Yun Duan possesses a flawless immortal body?”
“Even I only found out by accident, just before we set out for the Dao Conference at Tianwaitian, overhearing Shishu Wangyue discussing it with the sect master.”
“I was repeatedly warned not to reveal this information to anyone. Apart from the elders of our Qingyu Immortal Sect, you were the only one who knew.”
He gazed blankly at the sky through the gaps in the branches, speaking as if in a dream.
“Why would Canzhe of Biluohuangquan, instead of capturing Yunduan to use her for cultivation, protect her and heal her the moment she was injured?”
“I’m not a fool, Shang Can.”
There was a long silence, so long that Chu Ming thought Shang Can had already left, but then he finally heard a cold, detached voice, devoid of any human warmth.
“I don’t know how many people knew about the Immaculate Immortal Body before, but now, within a day, the entire cultivation world will know.”
“Yushan-jun, rather than wasting time here rambling nonsense, you’d be better off hurrying back to Qingyu and guarding Yunzhong-jun properly.”
“So that a petty person like Canzhe of Biluohuangquan doesn’t change their mind.”
After that, there was no further response. Chu Ming heard the rustling sound of footsteps fading into the distance, but he felt as though all the strength had left his body, and he had no will to get up.
“Your acting is terrible, Shang Can.”
He wasn’t exceptionally gifted, but because of his steady temperament, his teachers valued him. This made it hard for peers to get close to him, except for Shang Can, who treated him no differently.
She was his only friend.
Chu Ming often thought Shang Can was far more talented than him. If she wanted, becoming the next leader of Qingyu was only a matter of time. Yet, their teachers always sighed when mentioning her, saying: “That child has too many worldly attachments; her Dao heart is not strong.”
He had cautiously repeated this to Shang Can, who only brushed it off with a laugh and casually tossed him a piece of candy.
“That’s pretty accurate.”
“I think this way is fine. I’ve got wine, the moon, friends, and my junior disciple-sister. What more could I want?”
“If I had to say I have a Dao heart, it’s probably that… I want my junior disciple-sister to live more easily. You have no idea how beautiful her smile is.”
Lost in thought, Chu Ming raised his hand to cover his eyes, shielding them from the harsh sunlight.
“…Shang Can, look at her. Does she seem to be living easily now?”
Chu Ming really wished he were a fool.
Shang Can walked out from the forest, the sunlight glaring. She squinted and walked to the shade of a tree, taking out a medicine bottle from her robe and swallowing two pills.
“……”
Someone was slowly approaching ahead, without trying to conceal their footsteps, stopping three feet away from her.
Shang Can didn’t look up, stowing the bottle back into her robe as she spoke indifferently.
“Is the quarter-hour over?”
“It’s passed.”
The cool female voice responded earnestly, and Shang Can couldn’t help but smile a little as she raised her head.
“Then I must apologize for making Yunzhong-jun wait.”
Yunduan let out a soft hum and extended her hand, offering something to Shang Can.
“You dropped this.”
It was the brocade pouch. Shang Can arched her brow slightly in surprise, reached out to retrieve it, and tied it back onto her waist. Casually, she asked, “Did Yunzhong-jun look inside?”
“No.”
So honest. Shang Can glanced up, meeting Yunduan’s calm, straightforward gaze, and then looked away, replying nonchalantly, “Actually, it wouldn’t matter if you had.”
Since meeting Yunduan at Tianwaitian, she seemed to always act unpredictably.
Like now, instead of asking about Chu Ming, who hadn’t come out with her, the first thing Yunduan did was return the brocade pouch.
It was hard to make sense of Yunduan’s actions and logic, so Shang Can gave up trying, lazily straightening her posture.
“Yunzhong-jun didn’t come all this way just to return something, did you?”
“If you’re here to take me back…” Shang Can glanced at the sky, sighing, “I won’t go willingly. If we start early enough, whoever wins between us might still make it back in time for dinner.”
Yunduan looked up at the sky too, then nodded seriously and asked, “Is Biluohuangquan’s dinner good?”
“Definitely better than Tianwaitian’s—why are you asking that?”
Shang Can looked puzzled, then suddenly noticed Yunduan’s waist. It was missing the famous sword, Wuyou, that was always meticulously fastened there, and—Shang Can’s brow furrowed—there were still unaddressed bloodstains.
Perhaps sensing Shang Can’s gaze, Yunduan spoke, as if answering her unspoken question.
“Because I, too, am going to Biluohuangquan.”
Under Shang Can’s astonished look, Yunduan raised her arm. The wide sleeve slid down, revealing her delicate wrist, pale and slender, with faint blue veins showing beneath her skin, as though it could shatter at the slightest touch.
And around that delicate wrist was a coil of vines intertwined. Shang Can quickly recognized the demonic energy within—it was Wan Shao’s handiwork, a spell to restrain spiritual power.
“I was captured by your companion.”
Yunduan’s tone was calm, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world, even though the words made Shang Can feel like she must be hearing things.
“At this moment, I am… a prisoner of Biluohuangquan.”
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