Watching the night raven sent by the Biluohuangquan sect fly away from the window, Shang Can heard the sound of a door opening next door.
She didn’t wait and walked directly to the door, opening it and calling out, “Did you sleep well?”
“Not really.” Yun Dand shook her head, her brow slightly furrowed with fatigue. “It seems I had a terrible dream.”
“Is that so? That’s truly unfortunate.”
Shang Can replied and walked over to the table, smiling as she said, “Let’s eat first and then regain our spirits.”
The two didn’t go to the hall for breakfast today, instead having the waiter bring their meal to Shang Can’s room. The atmosphere at the dining table wasn’t particularly stiff; their actions were just as usual, but Shang Can knew that something had changed.
Yun Dand seemed to have little appetite, barely eating a few bites before putting down her chopsticks, remaining silent as she sat quietly.
Shang Can paused for a moment, then followed suit, looking at Yun Dand.
“Yun Dand.”
Called by her name unexpectedly, Yun Dand stiffened slightly, sensing something, and looked up to meet Shang Can’s gaze.
“There may be things you care about regarding me.”
This was the first time Shang Can had brought up the topic herself. Her voice was gentle, revealing a hint of seriousness.
“I admit that I’ve kept many things from you.”
“But I… will only admit to this much.”
Meeting Yun Dand’s slightly tense gaze, Shang Can bit her lip and quietly said, “After all, I suppose I am quite stubborn.”
“I just want to tell you… I hope you won’t worry anymore.”
“No matter what kind of relationship we had in the past,” Shang Can lowered her gaze, pausing for a moment before continuing, “right now, we are merely a demon cultivator from Biluohuangquan and the Yun Zhong Jun of Qingshan Qingyu, with a temporary cooperative relationship.”
“……”
Once her words fell, there was a long silence across the table, and the room became very quiet.
The porridge was getting cold, Shang Can thought.
She looked at the bowl of porridge left half-full in front of Yun Dand, subtly beckoning with her fingers to heat it up again without making a sound.
“…… So,”
After a long while, Shang Can finally heard Yun Dand speak, her voice low, as if suppressing some emotion.
“So you… have known me since before, right?”
Shang Can casually traced a small indentation on the edge of the table, smiling nonchalantly, “Who in this world doesn’t know Yun Zhong Jun?”
“…… Shang Can.”
Oh no, she was called by her full name again.
Shang Can sighed softly, suddenly reaching out to grasp Yun Dand’s slender wrist, the smile on her face fading into silence.
“You were already angry with me yesterday.” Her tone carried a sigh as she looked at Yun Dand with bright eyes, causing a tremor in the heart, “Please don’t be angry today, okay?”
Seeing Yun Dand still wearing a cold expression, Shang Can pretended to look pitiful, her brows drooping.
“Things must progress step by step.”
She softened her tone and defended herself, saying, “Compared to before, I’ve made a lot of progress, so consider my progress—”
As she spoke, Shang Can pushed Yun Dand’s bowl towards her, smiling innocently.
“Just finish your porridge first, okay?”
“……”
Yun Dand glanced at the bowl of porridge, then looked back at Shang Can. Her dark brows furrowed, and her bright eyes swirled with complex emotions, but in the end, she seemed to give in, lowering her eyelids and softly saying, “You…”
“I’m not that great,” Shang Can smoothly replied, picking up her own spoon again, “I’m not worth worrying about.”
Yun Dand didn’t engage with that, instead asking, “Why did you suddenly faint yesterday? Are you injured or ill?”
“……” Surprised by her sudden question, Shang Can paused, then mumbled, “…It’s nothing, just an old problem that doesn’t usually flare up.”
“I was injured before, leaving some lingering issues that are hard to treat.”
Having learned from yesterday’s lesson, Shang Can didn’t hastily deny it but stirred the porridge aimlessly with her spoon.
“But as long as I don’t overthink things, it doesn’t actually affect me.” Her voice was warm and her tone calm, “You see, during the time I’ve known you, I’ve only fainted once yesterday, and after taking medicine, I was fine. So don’t worry.”
Perhaps because her attitude was indeed much better than yesterday’s, Yun Dand fell silent for a moment, then gently nodded, pursing her lips in silence.
After another period of silence, Yun Dand finally spoke again, her voice cool: “Since you said we should take things step by step, there must be a conclusion.”
“…… Yes, there must be a conclusion.”
Realizing what she meant, Shang Can didn’t look up but continued drinking her porridge.
“For me, the best outcome would be to successfully resolve the issue with the false Shang Can, and then—”
She paused here, raising her eyes to look at Yun Dand, smiling, “We can talk about the rest when we get there.”
“To have a conclusion, the first thing we need to do is to track down that person from yesterday. Isn’t that right?”
Seeing Yun Dand frowning in silence, Shang Can pressed on with her argument, pointing to the bowl in front of her: “But right now, my top priority is to watch you finish your breakfast properly.”
Perhaps feeling there was no way to counter Shang Can’s nonsense, Yun Dand pursed her lips and obediently finished the porridge, finally pushing the empty bowl towards Shang Can, earning her a satisfied nod.
“Alright, now we should discuss the real business.”
Shifting the topic somewhat forcefully, Shang Can cleaned the table and said seriously, “I thought about it last night. While I can probably guess the identity of that person who can’t die, I have no real way to confront her directly.”
“But we have other paths to explore. The matter of the Ghost Clan deserves more attention and is easier to investigate.”
Half-serious and half selfishly wanting to cover up the slightly awkward atmosphere created by the previous topic, Shang Can spoke quickly, pouring out the information she had organized throughout most of the night.
“So, in the end, it all circles back to Tian Wai Tian.” Shang Can pouted, “After all, those Taoists from Tian Wai Tian probably understand the Ghost Clan better than anyone else. I heard that they previously claimed that all the connections between the Underworld and the cultivation world had been sealed off—now that sounds completely absurd.”
After finishing, her expression suddenly showed hesitation, and after a moment of contemplation, she said, “Actually… I know a place that might be an entrance not sealed by the Underworld, but…”
Shang Can struggled for quite a while before finally sighing, “…but I don’t want to go there.”
“That’s fine. We just won’t go.”
To her surprise, Yun Dand didn’t ask further but accepted the matter straightforwardly. What she said next made Shang Can stand up in shock.
“Just go to the entrance I know.”
“…What?”
Shang Can suddenly doubted her hearing, staring wide-eyed in astonishment.
Yun Dand, making such an astonishing statement as if it were casual conversation, remained unaffected and explained earnestly, “I know a place, and I can confirm it’s an entrance to the Underworld.”
“……”
Shang Can was left speechless, feeling it was somewhat absurd to think that this entrance was as common as a pebble on the roadside. As she was inwardly cursing whether Tian Wai Tian was really doing anything productive, she heard Yun Dand add, “But it can only be accessed at night; it won’t work during the day.”
“Hmm, why not?”
“The guide we need is busy during the day.”
Yun Dand’s response to Shang Can’s question was concise, and she didn’t intend to elaborate on the identity of this “guide.” Instead, she looked up at Shang Can, blinking gently.
“We can only wait until nightime.”
Still immersed in the shock of Yun Duan knowing about the entrance to the Underworld, Shang Can hadn’t yet processed whether they would simply be waiting during the day when she heard Yun Duan continue speaking.
“If Shang Can doesn’t have anything else to do during the day, could you accompany me?”
“I don’t have much to do…”
Responding instinctively, Shang Can paused for a moment, considering that it was rare to hear Yun Duan extend an invitation. She then asked, “What do you want to do?”
Compared to when she first entered, Yun Duan’s mood had evidently improved; a faint smile even flashed across her delicate features, captivating.
“I want to… stroll around Yan Yang.”
The streets of Yan Yang were bustling with people.
Of course, Shang Can thought, since it was the perfect time for everyone to be out shopping.
And just like that, without any hesitation, less than a quarter of an hour after Yun Duan’s invitation, the two of them were leisurely walking along the streets of Yan Yang.
From Yun Duan’s demeanor, it was clear she hadn’t had many such experiences. Although she still maintained a cool and composed appearance, her gaze was frequently drawn to the curious sights along the roadside, sometimes staring at something for a while before realizing and pulling her gaze back.
Shang Can was quite familiar with the area. Noticing Yun Duan’s expression, she stopped and tugged at her sleeve, leading her to the stall where she had been gazing. “If you want to see, just look.”
“It’s not every day we get to come out; we should check out everything that catches our interest,” Shang Can said confidently, drawing from her own experience. “Once this opportunity passes, it won’t come back. If you don’t take a good look now, you might regret it when you’re lying in bed tonight.”
Seeing Yun Duan nod in understanding, Shang Can felt an inexplicable sense of achievement, as if she were leading a good student astray.
They arrived at a stall selling weapons. Unlike a typical weapons shop, the items here were incredibly shiny, clearly polished to perfection, making them quite eye-catching. But Shang Can only gave a cursory glance before spotting two or three familiar-looking weapons.
She took a step back, glancing up at the long banner flanking the stall, which boldly proclaimed, “All weapons from renowned immortal sects available here, fair prices guaranteed for all customers.”
“…” Shang Can realized, “It’s selling merchandise.”
“What’s merchandise?”
Yun Duan, still captivated by the various weapons, didn’t miss Shang Can’s muttering. She turned to look at her, and Shang Can waved her hand dismissively, saying, “It refers to items whose collection value exceeds their actual value—oh, isn’t that Wu You?”
As she spoke, her eyes lit up, pointing at a sword displayed prominently at the stall. The blade gleamed brightly, and a long red tassel hung from the hilt, very similar in appearance to the Wu You sword at Yun Duan’s waist.
“It is Wu You…”
The stall owner, clearly taken aback by the sudden appearance of the sword’s rightful owner, began to sweat nervously. Stammering, he would occasionally sneak glances at Shang Can, and just as she was about to respond, he recoiled in surprise.
Shang Can raised an eyebrow but said nothing, leaning closer to examine the sword, smiling at Yun Duan, “It really looks quite similar, doesn’t it?”
“Mm.” Yun Duan unsheathed her genuine Wu You and held it beside the replica for comparison. “Aside from the crack that should be on the blade, everything else is quite alike.”
“Well, that can’t be helped; after all, the owner has to sell it, so they can’t just create a perfect replica of a crack.”
Shang Can said sympathetically, and Yun Duan nodded in agreement, then continued to examine the stall.
“Tian Huo… can’t create merchandise, right?”
“Of course not,” Shang Can chuckled. “I don’t need weapons; asking the owner to make a Tian Huo would be too unreasonable.”
“…Mm.”
Yun Duan appeared slightly regretful, but soon returned to normal, suddenly extending the Wu You towards Shang Can.
“If you want it, you can have Wu You.”
Her eyes were clear, showing no sign of jest. Shang Can was taken aback for quite a while before realizing what was happening. She quickly jumped aside, laughing, “What are you saying?”
“Just take it; you don’t want to scare the owner.”
Noticing that the owner had turned pale from their conversation, Shang Can raised her hands in surrender. After a moment of consideration, she picked up the replica Wu You from the stall, placing a silver ingot in exchange.
“…I’ll buy this; just don’t let what just happened slip out.”
The owner was too frightened to accept the silver, hastily nodding in agreement.
With no other option, Shang Can forced the silver onto the table, then hugged the fake Wu You and stepped aside. She had planned to wait for Yun Duan to finish looking, but Yun Duan immediately followed her without any hesitation.
“What’s wrong?” Shang Can waved her hand. “You can take your time; I’m just resting over here.”
“…”
Yun Duan shook her head, hesitating before asking, “Is it… exposed?”
“Hmm, it’s not really a matter of exposure…”
Shang Can shrugged, glancing around at the many passersby who occasionally cast curious glances at her, indicating, “It’s only a matter of time. They’ve probably figured out that the person following Yun Zhong Jun is the Can Zhe by now.”
Although she had expected the news to spread quickly, it was clear that Yun Duan hadn’t made any efforts to disguise herself, making her identity glaringly obvious.
While she had resigned herself to this outcome to some extent, Shang Can couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
…At least, she hoped tomorrow wouldn’t bring rumors of “Yun Zhong Jun gifting the Wu You sword to Can Zhe as a token of affection.”
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