Looking back now, whether it was the reason for her anger or how she expressed it, Yun Duan remained unchanged from before.
Shang Can still clearly remembers the first time Yun Duan was angry.
It happened after Yun Duan’s first journey down the mountain. Due to the sabotage of several disciples from Qingshu Sect, she was attacked by a demon wave and even got injured. Fortunately, Shang Can, worried about her, secretly followed the group from behind; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
However, it wasn’t easy for Shang Can to rescue her that time. The influence of the blood from her flawless celestial body made the already raging demon wave even more ferocious. At that time, Shang Can was still very young, having just returned from her studies in the outer realms; her skills were far from what they were now.
According to Wang Yue, it was a miracle that she could pull Yun Duan out of such a large-scale demon wave, and they both managed to escape alive. This mainly referred to Shang Can, as she had sustained severe injuries, with several being potentially fatal. Luckily, her body was sturdy, and she managed to endure.
Despite not feeling like she had faced death, Shang Can thought she was in good shape. However, Wang Yue strictly forbade her from entering the training grounds and took away her sword. Every day, she insisted that Shang Can stay in her room to recuperate and forced her to drink bitter herbal medicine, which left Shang Can frowning and sighing.
Fortunately, Yun Duan was not severely injured and often came to keep her company. This was the happiest time for Shang Can during her recovery.
But once Yun Duan’s injuries healed, she had to return to her lessons. So, she could only visit Shang Can during her free time. At other times, Shang Can had to play the role of a layabout, wandering around Yuheng Peak. If she lingered even a moment longer on her sword, outer disciples would rush to find Wang Yue to report: “Wang Yue, Shang Can isn’t focusing on her recovery again!”
That period was truly frustrating for Shang Can. But she was not someone who would obediently follow orders. Eventually, one day, feeling overly restless, she quietly left Yuheng Peak during everyone’s lunch break, intending to stroll around Tian Shu Peak in hopes of running into Yun Duan after her class.
Though she snuck out, Shang Can was still cautious. She knew she was injured and her body was in bad shape, so she didn’t plan to stir up trouble. She carefully controlled her sword as she lightly landed on a branch of an ancient tree on Tian Shu Peak, a common route for disciples after class. She decided to lie in wait for Yun Duan.
“Hey, how’s it going over there? Haven’t gotten into trouble, have you?”
“No, don’t worry. Anyway, there’s no evidence. With only Yun Duan’s word, Yuheng Peak can’t come knocking at us for causing her trouble—”
Oh, but she didn’t wait for the rabbit; instead, she first caught sight of two… tortoises.
Shang Can discreetly turned her gaze toward the source of the voice and saw two sneaky disciples whose faces looked somewhat familiar.
The two of them were acting like thieves, finding a secluded corner and completely unaware that someone was perched on the branch next to them, whispering. With her sharp senses, Shang Can listened carefully and quickly understood what they were discussing.
So, these two were the ones who had caused Yun Duan to be trapped in the demon wave?
She hadn’t been able to confront them before, still recovering from her injuries, but now it seemed… it was easy pickings.
Shang Can closed her eyes, casually broke off a branch from the tree, and then jumped down.
She made no effort to conceal her presence, startling the two. One of them was about to get angry, but upon seeing Shang Can’s face, he turned pale and fled.
Shang Can lightly tapped her toes, kicking a stone toward him, hitting him in the knee. He cried out as he fell to the ground, feeling a numbing pain from the knee down.
Before he could get back up, he heard the terrified voice of his companion abruptly cut off, followed by a branch grazing his ear and plunging into the ground three inches away, a blunt wooden stick that felt as lethal as a finely honed blade.
“Why are you running?”
The voice was as warm as spring breeze, but the actions of the person behind him were anything but gentle. The top disciple of Yuheng Peak lightly knelt on his back, making him feel as if a thousand pounds were pressing down, unable to move.
Shang Can unceremoniously grabbed his hair, forcing him to look up, an action that made him feel like his body might snap, causing tears to flow.
“Crying already?”
Shang Can wore a polite smile, but her eyes were cold as if she were looking at trash. Her usually soft, captivating gaze was now filled with an unsettling indifference.
“I haven’t even done anything yet.”
The dangerous undertones in her words left the disciple horrified, and he shrieked, “Qingshu doesn’t allow private fights! You won’t get away with this with my master!”
“Oh really? You’re quite familiar with the rules of Qingshu, aren’t you? How terrifying.”
Shang Can feigned a surprised expression, then without a hint of hesitation, she pressed his head down into the ground with a thud.
“But thinking it over, I’ve already broken so many rules; one more won’t make a difference.”
“Repeat everything you just said from the beginning. Include whether anyone else was involved, and make sure to clarify everything.”
She leaned down, whispering softly in the trembling disciple’s ear, her tone as gentle as flowing water.
“Otherwise… you might really find yourself crying.”
“Yuheng Peak’s Shang Can, engaging in a private fight with weapons, injuring five disciples, two of them severely—this is rebellion! Rebellion!”
In the main hall of Yuheng Peak, the loud-voiced elder in charge of discipline shouted, his beard bristling with anger. Behind him stood three bruised disciples from Qingshu, all huddled together in fear, their master glaring fiercely at the figure in front of them.
“No weapons were used,” Shang Can, the center of attention, corrected seriously. “I only broke a branch. If you insist on adding charges, it should be for damaging public property.”
“Then it’s an even greater crime!” The elder, red-faced and furious, retorted, “You say it was just a branch—how could that possibly cause this kind of injury?”
“Why not?”
Shang Can lazily scanned her gaze over the group. The disciples avoided her eyes, hiding behind their master.
“Otherwise, you can pick someone from among them, and I’ll demonstrate again right here.”
“Shang Can, you—!”
Having lived for half a lifetime without encountering such a reckless disciple, the elder was at a loss for words. He turned to Wang Yue, who had remained silent behind Shang Can.
“Wang Yue, you saw it too; Shang Can not only injured people, but now she’s acting like this!”
Wang Yue frowned, glancing at the group seeking retribution, and asked in a deep voice, “Why did my disciple hit you?”
The three of them exchanged glances, not daring to look at Shang Can, each murmuring, “I… we don’t know.”
“Exactly, we should ask the one who did the hitting. It’s not our place to answer…”
Shang Can sneered repeatedly, her sharp intellect evident as they unified their narrative to claim she had attacked without reason—
“What a bunch of worthless cowards hiding behind their masters.”
“You… you again…”
Seeing that she not only refused to admit her mistake but also maintained such a wild attitude, the opposing party glared at Shang Can. Yet she paid no mind to their thoughts, feeling that she had gone too easy on them. She continued to stretch her wrist, causing the injured disciples to retreat in fear behind their master.
Seeing this, Wang Yue sighed softly and turned to Shang Can.
“… Why did you hit them?”
Shang Can lowered her eyes, remaining silent for a moment before replying, “Because they did bad things.”
“What bad things?”
“…” Shang Can shook her head, meeting Wang Yue’s gaze frankly, “I have no evidence.”
The implication being, “I don’t want to say; even if I did, it wouldn’t matter.” Wang Yue looked at her, his expression complex, and ultimately let out a long, helpless sigh, flicking her between the brows lightly.
“Shang Can, I’m grounding you at the top of Yuheng Peak for three months to reflect on your actions. Are you willing to accept this?”
“Sure.”
The top of Yuheng Peak was bitterly cold; even deeply skilled cultivators found it hard to endure, let alone Shang Can, who was still recovering from her injuries.
This punishment was not light, yet Shang Can responded without batting an eyelash, then turned back to the crowd below.
“If there’s nothing else, you should leave now. If you don’t, are you waiting for me to prepare dinner for you?”
She didn’t display any of the frustration typical of someone being punished, her attitude still arrogant. The others could only grit their teeth in silence, their wounds paining them anew, but upon realizing Shang Can would be stuck there for three months, likely losing half her life in the process, they felt a slight relief and walked out victoriously.
“Remember, after you leave, keep your mouths shut, and stay away from Yuheng Peak from now on.”
Shang Can’s languid voice carried a chilling undertone as it drifted back to them.
“After all, next time… I should be able to go out wearing my sword.”
The few disciples trembled in unison and fled from Yuheng Peak as if their lives depended on it.
Wang Yue’s words were not just empty talk.
Even if she personally believed that Shang Can wouldn’t attack someone without reason, without any evidence, as the head of Yuheng Peak, she could only come up with a solution that would satisfy everyone.
Shang Can had already thought of this when she acted; her mindset was essentially “even if I get punished, I still want to give them a beating.” Thus, she didn’t resist the punishment and obediently moved to live at the peak.
Yun Duan learned about this the next day.
Shang Can was lamenting how cold it was in the small hut at the peak when suddenly the door was banged open, letting in a rush of cold air that made her shiver in every sense of the word.
“What—ah, it’s Duan’er!”
Seeing it was Yun Duan, she relaxed and quickly pulled her inside, shutting the door while frowning as she grasped Yun Duan’s icy hand.
“It’s too cold here; you’d better not come over.” Shang Can busily tried to warm her up, chattering, “I’ll be able to leave in three months. It’ll be over before you know it.”
“…”
Yun Duan let her hold her hand, but a complex expression appeared on her delicate face as she finally asked, “… Why did Senior Sister get punished here?”
“Hmm? Didn’t Master tell you?” Shang Can looked up, “I beat up a few people I couldn’t stand.”
“She did.” Yun Duan met Shang Can’s gaze directly, her dark eyes unwavering, “But she said she didn’t know why Senior Sister would do that. So, I came to ask you.”
“…”
Shang Can held her gaze for a moment, then nonchalantly looked away and said casually, “I just didn’t like those people. It’s hard to explain; if I had to, maybe it’s because our fates don’t align—”
Before she could finish, Yun Duan pulled her hand away, her clear eyes swirling with complicated emotions. In the end, she pressed her lips tightly together and didn’t respond to Shang Can.
She quietly took out some medicinal ointment and said simply, “Apply the medicine.”
It was as if she was solely focused on applying the medicine; no matter what strange topics Shang Can brought up afterward, Yun Duan only answered lightly. Although she seemed to be acting normally, there was an inexplicable pressure that made Shang Can hesitate to continue her nonsensical chatter, and she obediently stripped off her clothes for Yun Duan to treat her wounds.
Shang Can had aggravated her injuries when she fought; many wounds that had already scabbed over burst open again. Although she had seen a doctor yesterday, and her wounds had been rewrapped, judging by how the doctor had lectured her for a whole tea time, she must have looked quite pitiful from behind.
Shang Can couldn’t see Yun Duan’s expression as she silently applied the medicine and wrapped her wounds again. The whole process was extremely quiet.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that Yun Duan’s fingertips trembled slightly whenever they touched her body.
Finally done applying the medicine, Yun Duan said goodbye calmly and turned to leave. Shang Can hurriedly threw on her clothes and jumped up, wanting to chase after her, but she was met with a sharp glance from Yun Duan and could only fumble to put on her outer robe before stepping outside. However, Yun Duan was moving quickly, and by the time she chased after her, she had already gone quite far, not looking back despite Shang Can’s shouts.
As someone under confinement, she couldn’t chase after her, forced to watch Yun Duan walk away without turning back, her heart sinking with unease.
It was the first time she had seen Yun Duan like this, and her instincts told her something was wrong. Sure enough, the next day, something happened again.
“…”
Shang Can stood at the door, tongue-tied, cautiously asking, “… Master, what’s this…?”
Wang Yue looked noticeably haggard, shooting her a glare before pulling Yun Duan in front of her, sighing, “Your junior sister will be staying here for a few days too—ah, you can ask her about the specifics. You two little troublemakers…”
With that, she closed the door, leaving Shang Can in shock and Yun Duan in silence together.
“I also went and beat up those five people yesterday.”
Before Shang Can could ask, Yun Duan spoke blandly, but the content of her words left Shang Can wide-eyed and leaping off the bed.
“What, you… huh??”
Shang Can struggled to comprehend what she just heard, only to see Yun Duan’s lips curve into a smile as she slowly walked toward her.
“Did Senior Sister change the medicine today?”
Instead of pursuing the previous topic, Yun Duan casually shifted the conversation, ignoring Shang Can’s astonished expression. She reached up to touch Shang Can’s shoulder, noticing the slight grimace of pain on her face, and promptly withdrew her hand.
“If you haven’t, let me help you change the medicine.”
Yun Duan met Shang Can’s gaze directly, her long black hair cascading beside her ears. Her dark eyes resembled a deep pool, reflecting Shang Can’s bewildered expression without revealing her own emotions.
“After all, even if Senior Sister tries to hide it… your injuries can’t be deceived.”
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