Tomorrow, the rumors that will spread through Yanyang can already be imagined by Shang Can.
With mixed feelings, Shang Can walked ahead, with the leisurely Yun Duan following behind.
Well, this is great; the demon tribe from Biluohuangquan thinks that Yun Zhongjun is the wife captured by the Cans, and soon people in the cultivation world will start to believe that the Cans have done something unspeakable to Yun Zhongjun—would she be hunted down by a group of cultivators seeking a fight?
Just thinking about it gave Shang Can a headache, while Yun Duan seemed completely unaware of the whirlwind of thoughts that her previous statement could provoke, still fixated on the earlier topic.
“Ah Can, you might not know, but Yun Zhongjun is just a title; my real name is Yun Duan.”
“… I know.”
Who wouldn’t know? Even if she weren’t Shang Can, anyone casually stopping someone in this cultivation world would know that Yun Zhongjun’s real name is Yun Duan.
Upon hearing her affirmative response, Yun Duan seemed much relieved and gently nodded, saying, “You don’t have to keep calling me Yun Zhongjun; just call me however you like.”
Shang Can thought to herself that she used to like calling her Duan’er, but now she couldn’t do that, no matter what.
“Alright, then… I’ll call you whatever I like.”
She sighed and conceded. When she heard Yun Duan lightly hum in agreement, seemingly satisfied, she didn’t say anything more.
… In fact, it didn’t matter what she called Yun Duan. Yun Duan wanted her to call her that to hide (an identity that might be exposed in a few days) from everyone else. Regardless of whether she called her “Yun Duan” or “Yun Zhongjun,” it wouldn’t change the attention Yun Duan attracted.
Perhaps calling her “wife” would make it even more noticeable.
Shang Can silently rubbed her temples and decided to temporarily put this matter aside.
Somewhat resignedly, she left this issue behind and arrived at the foot of the mountain, the intended destination.
“It looks like just an ordinary mountain.”
There were hardly any signs of human presence nearby. Shang Can walked back and forth at the foot of the mountain, unable to discern anything for the moment.
It seemed that it had long been neglected, and with spring in full bloom, the grass and trees on the mountain were thriving. A refreshing breeze blew through, cooler than in Yanyang City.
After examining for a while, Shang Can couldn’t help but frown and said, “Are you sure Wang Shao’s information is accurate?”
She pointed at the lush greenery, puzzled. “These grasses show no signs of having been trampled.”
“Even if those demons disappear after death, they still have physical forms before dying. If they really fled into this mountain, there should be some traces left behind.”
Yun Duan nodded in agreement and said, “I don’t feel any significant aura either. There shouldn’t be any demons in this mountain.”
The two fell silent for a moment. Yun Duan added, “But not only the demon lord from Biluohuangquan, even Jun Kunyao mentioned that this mountain is indeed suspicious.”
Shang Can absentmindedly responded and suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, lifting her head abruptly.
“No, the lack of traces of trampling—this is precisely what makes this place so problematic.”
Her expression grew serious, and Yun Duan quickly raised an eyebrow, “Indeed.”
“According to both Biluohuangquan and Tianwaitian, at least two teams have come here to investigate.”
As Shang Can spoke, she looked down at the wild, overgrown weeds, “So even if there aren’t traces of those demons at the foot of the mountain, there should at least be signs that the investigators had been here.”
“Yet, there’s absolutely nothing here… which is what’s most unusual.”
The two exchanged glances, neither showing any signs of fear on their faces.
Shang Can even smiled, her tone relaxed, “So, shall we go in and take a look?”
“Mm.” Yun Duan agreed, “But it’s best not to use too much heavenly fire.”
“Okay, okay, no burning the mountain.”
This exchange hardly sounded like the prelude to knowingly walking into a den of tigers; rather, it felt more like casual chatter before a spring outing. After speaking, the two made their way into the mountain.
The path was difficult, and as Shang Can glanced at the weeds nearly covering her calves and then at Yun Duan’s pristine white attire, she instinctively moved to the front to clear a path for Yun Duan, muttering to herself.
“Do you think we should just fly to the top of the mountain first?”
“If there are clues, they likely won’t be obvious at the summit. If Ah Can finds the path too difficult, how about I go first instead—”
“Impossible! Can some weeds stop me, the great Can?” Shang Can turned around, deliberately lifting her chin with an air of arrogance. “I just like being in front; please indulge me, Yun Zhongjun, and follow behind me.”
Seeing this, Yun Duan pressed her lips together, silently unfastening the Wuyou at her waist and handing it to Shang Can, signaling, “Here.”
Understanding Yun Duan’s intention, Shang Can blinked in surprise, incredulous. “… You’re really giving me your weapon?”
“I am, at least I’m a demonic cultivator from Biluohuangquan. How can you think we’re on the same path? You’re trusting me a bit too much, aren’t you?”
“And—” she pointed incredulously at Wuyou, her tone shocked, “Wuyou—are you really going to let me use it to… clear weeds?”
“Mm.” Yun Duan responded straightforwardly, pushing the weapon forward again, “It’s more suitable for you now.”
She added, “I’ll be behind, and it’s inconvenient for me to clear the way.”
… Is that really the problem? Isn’t it more about how Tianwaitian’s hard-earned spirit sword given to Qingyu is now being used for clearing weeds?
After all, the spirit swords from Tianwaitian have always been rare treasures, and this Wuyou was once highly sought after by cultivators who traveled to Tianwaitian. It took a great deal of effort to obtain it, and now…
Shang Can looked at Yun Duan with a strange expression, ultimately compromising and taking Wuyou, obediently drawing the sword and clearing the path.
The Wuyou sword glinted sharply, effortlessly cutting down a patch of grass, making the duo’s progress much smoother.
However, the sword’s surroundings emitted a mist-like light that seemed to flicker with discontent as Shang Can observed it.
… Legends say that swords crafted by Tianwaitian may develop spirits depending on the user. Shang Can sincerely hoped that Wuyou hadn’t reached that stage yet; otherwise, if the sword spirit became aware that it was currently being used to clear weeds—what if it was a particularly prideful sword spirit? Wouldn’t that lead to Wuyou breaking into three pieces out of shame?
As for Yun Zhongjun casually handing over her sword to the Cans from Biluohuangquan, unarmed and defenseless, following behind—Shang Can belatedly realized that she too had her back wide open towards Yun Duan, so she decided to keep her mouth shut about it.
“So, have you found anything strange?”
After walking for about a quarter of an hour without any findings, Shang Can could only rely on Yun Duan, pausing her steps for the moment.
However, Yun Duan also shook her head slightly, saying, “No—”
Before she could finish, Yun Duan suddenly fell silent. Shang Can tensed her body instinctively, leaning against Yun Duan and handing Wuyou back to her.
Suddenly, the surroundings grew quiet.
Not the kind of quiet where no one was talking, but rather the silence that fell over the mountain as soon as Yun Duan opened her mouth; it was as if all sounds had been muted.
The sound of the wind, the rustling of leaves, the chirping of insects, and the singing of birds.
All the sounds seemed to have been paused, not returning.
So soon, they couldn’t hold back? Shang Can thought to herself, feeling no fear, only gratitude toward whoever had set this trap for their impatience.
This was far better than making them walk up and down the mountain for two hours without anything happening; it saved a lot of time.
Shang Can thought happily, yet after holding her breath and concentrating for a while, there was still no movement, as if it was merely a test of their reactions.
She sighed silently, her expression dropping, and she lamented in disappointment, “What’s going on? Are they going to attack or not? Can they make up their minds?”
In the silent mountain, only Shang Can’s voice echoed. Yun Duan’s lips curled into a slight smile, seemingly amused by her, and she said softly, “Are you very anxious, Ah Can?”
“Yeah.” Shang Can replied, a hint of grievance on her face, complaining, “There are mosquitoes here, and they’ve bitten me several times.”
After this so-called “casual conversation,” movement immediately followed, perhaps the hidden person behind them was angered by their lack of tension.
Shang Can thought, her ears perked up as she turned her head toward the direction she was watching, hearing a sound like a creature stepping on the ground; probably a small branch snapped beneath someone’s foot, crackling loudly.
Then came low growls from all directions, accompanied by a thick aura of demonic energy charging toward them.
“Same old trick again.”
Shang Can muttered, turning toward the closest sound, already able to vaguely see the menacing shapes of the demon beasts through the trees.
“… I was going to say last time, why are all these demons so ugly?”
She spoke with a hint of disdain, turning to Yun Duan, “You saw it too; our Biluohuangquan demons are all good-looking, at least they can transform into human forms.”
“Even when revealing their true forms, they shouldn’t be this unattractive. These guys are just too sloppy with their appearances—”
The demon, displeased with its appearance, let out a roar and lunged towards Shang Can. She lightly tapped her toes, flicking a stone from the ground. The stone whistled through the air like an arrow, piercing effortlessly through the demon’s abdomen, causing it to crash to the ground without even a mournful cry.
The surrounding demons paused, hesitating, and lingered without daring to advance.
Shang Can had already stepped aside, watching as the demon’s form slowly faded from view, her frown never relaxing.
“… Indeed, they don’t look much like the demons from Biluohuangquan.”
Yun Duan remarked calmly, “I’ve heard that many demons take on human forms quite early, and some are born in human shapes, but they never resemble humans entirely; there are always some differences.”
“Exactly.” Shang Can replied, “For instance, Wan Shao is a flower demon, but she was born in human form and can’t turn into a flower. However, her fingers and toenails resemble petals, and she had to go to great lengths to conceal that when she went to Tianwaitian.”
“From the perspective of demon aesthetics, they prefer to show their human forms, revealing their true appearances only when necessary.”
As Shang Can spoke, she picked up a branch and poked at the now semi-transparent demon body. The sensation of touching something solid caused her brow to furrow.
This sensation didn’t feel like touching flesh; rather, it felt like—
Before she could think further, the demon on the ground suddenly vanished, and the surrounding demons surged forward as if given a command, roaring in unison.
The sound of the Wuyou sword rang out, its frost-like intent cutting through the already cool mountain air.
Those demons were weak, and with their numbers far inferior to those that had overwhelmed them in the Tianwaitian arena, Shang Can hardly needed to lift a finger. Instead, she focused on protecting Yun Duan, her mind whirring with the fleeting thought she had just experienced.
Suddenly, she acted, nimbly vaulting onto the back of a demon beast that resembled both a lion and a wolf. Grabbing its mane, she forcefully pinned it to the ground.
“Ah Can?”
Not dealing a fatal blow, she didn’t even harm the beast. It struggled violently under her, emitting deafening roars and cries of agony, which drew Yun Duan’s attention repeatedly as she fought. Shang Can gestured to Yun Duan not to worry and stuffed a handful of grass into the demon beast’s mouth to silence it.
“This thing is strange.”
Shang Can no longer referred to it as a demon but instead as “this thing,” pressing down firmly on its head.
“I’ve always killed them directly; I’ve never touched one like this before.”
“Now that I’m touching it, it feels just like… a water balloon?”
Yun Duan, not knowing what a water balloon was, looked at her in confusion. Shang Can thought for a moment before explaining, “It’s like… something wrapped in a layer of skin.”
The more she explained, the more the “demon” thrashed under her grip. Shang Can chuckled, “What’s wrong? Did I hit the nail on the head?”
“Looks like if we don’t break this layer, whatever is inside can’t escape?”
As she spoke, she pulled some ropes from her pouch, preparing to bind it, “Let’s capture one whole and take a look, then throw it to Pei Chen and the others—”
Before she finished her sentence, the “demon” suddenly stopped struggling, and then began to tremble violently. Shang Can swiftly pulled Yun Duan back ten meters. Just as they steadied themselves, there was a loud explosion.
The blast was massive, and although it dissipated quickly, Shang Can felt the chilling aura that surged forth at the moment of the explosion.
It didn’t belong to the demons but felt oddly familiar.
Shang Can’s breath caught in her throat, and she blurted out.
“It’s the Ghost Clan!”
The surrounding demons—ghosts wrapped in demon skins—rushed toward her more viciously. With the answer revealed, Shang Can had no intention of lingering; she snapped her fingers, and the oncoming beasts were instantly ensnared by sparks, quickly turning into fireballs that burned to ashes.
She had promised Yun Duan not to use large-scale heavenly fire, so she controlled her flames with precision, ensuring the sparks vanished before touching the ground.
After eliminating all the enemies, Shang Can was about to share her findings with Yun Duan when a chill suddenly crept up her back.
Yun Duan’s expression darkened, a fierce sword light slicing past Shang Can’s ear and out into the fray, followed by a muffled grunt.
Turning around, Shang Can saw a blurred figure, enveloped in black mist that obscured its features.
That figure had nearly lost its head from Yun Duan’s previous strike, with only a sliver of flesh still connecting to its neck, clearly on the verge of death.
But for some reason, the chilling sensation on Shang Can’s body did not wane; her brow knitted tightly as she held her breath, protecting Yun Duan while backing away.
“……”
Though it made no sound, the figure that should have collapsed dead seemed to smile silently, gradually lifting its head upright.
This horrifying scene shocked Shang Can, causing her to instinctively hold her breath. With a flick of her fingers, she summoned a crimson fire dragon that wrapped around the figure’s legs, instantly crushing them.
Yet it was ineffective; the figure, seemingly oblivious to the pain, pushed itself into the air, floating eerily.
Suddenly, the figure laughed dryly several times, then raised its voice, filled with vengeful malice.
“It’s you, it’s you! This fire, it’s really you!”
“—It’s you, Shang Can!”
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