Unbeknownst to her, a faction struggle was unfolding among the children behind her as Sang Can reluctantly brought Chu Ming back to the inn where they were staying.
“I’m just saying,” she frowned and muttered, “how could the esteemed Yushan-jun be stepped on by an old hen?”
“That chicken was really hard to catch! I couldn’t hurt it, so I—”
Chu Ming was desperately trying to defend himself, but Sang Can found his explanation quite suspicious and instinctively moved a bit farther away from him.
“Chu Ming-shixiong can just go to my room to sort his clothes,” Yun Duan said with a neutral tone, allowing Sang Can to use her as a shield. “Acan and I can wait in the lobby.”
“Uh—”
His face showed some embarrassment as he cautiously glanced at Sang Can, his gaze seeming both tentative and pleading.
For some reason, today, Chu Ming didn’t appear as tortured as he had in their previous two meetings. He seemed more relaxed, and his behavior around Sang Can felt reminiscent of the past, making her instinctively show a slight expression of annoyance, as if to say, “What are you staring at?”
…No, no, keep calm, keep calm.
Fortunately, Sang Can quickly came to her senses, reciting in her mind three times, “I am the ruthless and heartless demonic cultivator Canzhe,” before putting on a blank poker face.
Having known Chu Ming for many years, Sang Can quickly grasped the meaning behind his gaze: It wouldn’t be appropriate for a big man like him to change clothes in Yun Duan’s room, right?
Tsk, that’s an understatement; this just shouldn’t be done.
Although Yun Duan didn’t seem to mind, Sang Can felt uncomfortable about the situation. She stepped a few paces to the inn’s front desk and knocked on the table.
“Are there any available rooms?”
Seeing the innkeeper nodding vigorously, Sang Can pointed at Chu Ming and said, “Then hurry and get Yushan-jun a room, the more luxurious the better; after all, Yushan-jun isn’t short on money.”
“And,” she leaned in closer to the innkeeper, lowering her voice, “the farther away from our two rooms, the better. Ideally, there should be several walls between us with no pathways at all.”
After seeing the bewildered Chu Ming led upstairs by the innkeeper, Sang Can finally relaxed her shoulders and let out a sigh.
“Are you tired?”
She thought her actions had been discreet enough, but it seemed Yun Duan noticed. Her voice sounded a bit heavy, and her lips were slightly pressed together.
“…It seems that every time you see Chu Ming-shixiong, you get quite nervous.”
Sang Can thought to herself that if Yun Duan weren’t present, perhaps she wouldn’t be so anxious about Chu Ming, who had already recognized her identity. But now that she heard Yun Duan say this, she was genuinely confused and looked at her quizzically.
“Why?”
Her bafflement must have been obvious, as Yun Duan looked at her for a while before admitting, “Earlier at the teahouse, Chu Ming-shixiong said he wanted to talk to Acan.”
As if “talking” was all that was on his mind—Sang Can could guess what he really wanted to discuss. She sighed heavily and advised, “Then you should just tell him, ‘There’s nothing to talk about; Acan definitely wouldn’t be interested.'”
“Since Yun Zhongjun is responsible for me—this phrasing makes me feel like a vicious dog being led by you, but whatever—I need you to take responsibility and make sure no cultivators besides you approach me; I’m allergic to that.”
Sang Can crossed her arms over her chest and stated sternly, “No way, Yun Zhongjun! Considering I’m still a notorious demonic cultivator, for the sake of my and Yushan-jun’s safety, you absolutely cannot do anything foolish.”
The situation wasn’t caused by Yun Duan but by that inexplicably persistent Chu Ming who had come to change clothes—Sang Can felt frustrated at the thought and finally said decisively.
“No matter what Yushan-jun is up to, Yun Duan, you need to keep him in check—”
“Is it absolutely out of the question?”
“…” The voice that came from behind sounded pitiful. Sang Can silently ground her teeth, turned around, and forced a smile. “Yushan-jun changes clothes quite quickly, huh?”
Chu Ming was already standing behind her, looking rather downcast.
“Just give me a moment; let’s have a chat, Sang—uh, Canzhe—no.” He quickly realized he couldn’t call her Sang Can or Canzhe in this situation. Shrinking back under her icy gaze, he tentatively tried, “A—Acan?”
“…Yun Zhongjun, look! What is Yushan-jun shouting about?”
Sang Can didn’t hesitate to grab Yun Duan’s sleeve, pointing at Chu Ming as if to complain, making it seem to any onlooker that Chu Ming had done something egregious.
Why does it feel so different when the same name comes from different people…
When called by Yun Duan, it felt like a soft, gentle poke to her heart—light and ticklish—
“Acan—”
Exactly like that.
“—Since Acan doesn’t want to, Sang Can suddenly realized Yun Duan was talking to Chu Ming. She came to her senses and looked at Yun Duan, who had a neutral expression, her dark eyes heavy.
“Chu Ming-shixiong shouldn’t pressure her any further.”
“…”
With a very complex expression, Chu Ming looked back and forth between the two of them before taking a deep breath as if he were ready to take the plunge.
“If you’re not going to talk to me,” the typically composed Yushan-jun crossed his arms and declared, “I’ll just stay with you two until I can shout Acan’s name until you can’t stand it anymore.”
Arriving at Chu Ming’s room, Sang Can leaned casually against the door, showing no intention of stepping inside.
“I have to say,” she dragged her feet as she followed him here, her tone tinged with disdain, “the methods Yushan-jun chooses are a bit childish.”
“As long as it works,” Chu Ming replied nonchalantly, his tone serious, “you should use whatever means are appropriate for the person.”
Sang Can turned on her heel to leave.
Of course, she was stopped by Chu Ming. He sighed helplessly, saying, “…Can we have a proper talk first? Sang Can, stop trying to report me to Yun Duan.”
Sang Can was taken aback, and before she could respond, Chu Ming interrupted, “At this point, it’s pointless for you to keep pretending with me.”
“Just admit your identity; I won’t say anything.”
“…”
What is up with him? He clearly looked pitiful before, but now he seems to have suddenly changed.
Although Sang Can still felt a bit uneasy, facing this unusual Chu Ming, she figured it was useless to keep up the act. So she quietly turned her head and muttered, “…Fine.”
“I’ll say this first,” after deciding to abandon her disguise, Sang Can stated solemnly, “if you want to ask me about the past or try to persuade me to go back, there’s no need.”
“…”
“Great, I guess that wraps up our conversation.”
Seeing Chu Ming’s sullen expression, Sang Can clapped her hands for her own satisfaction and turned to leave, only to be stopped again by Chu Ming. She shot him an annoyed glare, and he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
“Alright, alright, I won’t bring that up today. Let me ask you something else first.”
Chu Ming paused, then let out a long sigh.
“…What do you really think about Yun Duan-shimei now?”
Sang Can’s movements faltered, and she lowered her gaze slightly.
“I understood when you used to avoid her,” Chu Ming’s voice grew heavy, “but now…”
“Sang Can, you’ve been getting closer to her; you should be aware of it.”
What a pointless statement, Sang Can thought indifferently. Of course, they were getting closer; there were even rumors spreading in Yanyang City about them.
She couldn’t help but smile bitterly at the thought. Then she heard Chu Ming continue, “With things as they are now… is this what you want?”
“…” Sang Can fell silent for a moment before softly saying, “Not what I hoped for.”
“Then what are you thinking?” Chu Ming, usually gentle, pressed her with unexpected intensity. He furrowed his brows and hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice, “…Do you want Yun Duan-shimei to recover her memories about you?”
“No.”
Shang Can denied quickly, her voice crisp and decisive, like ice breaking.
“She’s fine just the way she is; it’s best if she never remembers me for the rest of her life.” She said softly, revealing a lonely smile. “But, it seems that being remembered as ‘Can Zhe’ by her is even more gratifying than I imagined.”
Chu Ming stared at her in silence for a long time before he finally sighed softly and averted his gaze.
“Alright, it’s your turn.”
Meeting Shang Can’s puzzled look, he shrugged and said, “You must have something to discuss with me too, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t come to me for such a silly reason.”
“… After not seeing you for so many years, you seem to have become a lot smarter than I remember.”
“Is that so? You seem to have gotten a bit duller compared to my memories of you.”
“Well, I’m sorry about that.” Shang Can offered a disingenuous apology before steering the conversation back on track. “I remember Qingyu conducts a physical examination for its disciples every year, along with a cooperation with Tianwaitian for the Heart’s Inquiry, right?”
“That’s true.” Chu Ming raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You used to skip it, complaining it was too troublesome. Why are you asking about it now?”
Knowing the reason for her inquiry, Shang Can didn’t want to clarify about Yun Duan’s dreamwalking, so she vaguely replied, “Once our matters are settled here, remember to keep an eye on Yun Duan and check on her.”
“She has injuries.” Shang Can blurted out, fabricating a story. “She might have been poisoned—yes, say that the demonic cultivators from Biluo Huangquan gave her something. Have the doctors from Yaoguang Peak examine her carefully. That poison is serious; it could cause her to develop mental issues. So when Tianwaitian inquires about her, they should be extra careful, and if she needs to recuperate, she should do so properly.”
Chu Ming clearly didn’t understand her intentions, but still nodded habitually, answering honestly, “I’ll remember that. When will your matters be settled?”
“I don’t think it’ll take long—can you be a bit clearer with your words?”
What does “your matters” mean? Shang Can rolled her eyes and decided not to dwell on that topic with Chu Ming, so she simply fell silent, ignoring his rambling explanations.
After a brief silence, she suddenly asked a seemingly random question.
“What about Fei Wang?”
“—”
Chu Ming stiffened, a heavy pain gradually showing on his face.
“… I don’t know.”
His tone carried a repressed disappointment, his hand clenched silently beneath his sleeve.
“After the news of your death spread, I was a bit dazed for a while. When I finally paid attention again—” He paused, his gaze sweeping over the sword at Shang Can’s waist, his voice involuntarily softening, “… only Wu You was left.”
“Is that so.”
Shang Can closed her eyes for a moment, surprisingly letting go of the topic easily.
“By the way,” when she reopened her eyes, her gaze was calm, almost incredulous, “it seems someone is speaking well of Can Zhe. Is that you?”
“… It’s not entirely me.” Suddenly mentioned, Chu Ming averted his gaze awkwardly. “You really helped Tianwaitian, and you never did anything harmful. Those who came looking for trouble and were beaten back by you had it coming.”
Hearing such obviously biased sentiments from Chu Ming was rare, and Shang Can laughed softly, burying her doubts and melancholy.
“Even if my reputation has improved, I won’t return to Qingyu…”
As she spoke, she turned and pushed open the door, casually waving goodbye to Chu Ming before stepping out of the room.
Without looking back, Shang Can walked away resolutely, her figure slender and upright, quickly disappearing from Chu Ming’s sight.
Having always seen her wearing a mask, the sudden sight of Shang Can’s back stirred many memories for Chu Ming.
This person’s back had always been like this: rebellious, living by her own rules, exuding a defiance that seemed to suggest nothing could bend her spine even if the sky fell.
Aside from the fact that she had become thinner, she hadn’t changed much; it felt as if calling her name would make her turn around casually, glancing at him on the bluestone path of Qingyu.
“… No, it won’t do.”
Chu Ming muttered to himself, clenching his fists tightly.
“It still won’t do…” His voice barely masked his bitterness, mixed with a sigh, “… Yun Duan.”
With quick strides, Shang Can soon returned to the inn’s main hall, and she found the slender figure in white sitting there as expected.
“Didn’t I tell you to go back to your room and sit for a while?”
She felt as if her heart, which had been tightly wound, suddenly relaxed, her tone rising as she approached Yun Duan’s calm gaze.
“I forgot.” Yun Duan’s dark eyebrows furrowed slightly as she said nonchalantly, “The tea here is good.”
Shang Can blinked, casually glancing at the full cup of tea on the table, noticing it was no longer steaming.
After staring for a while, she suddenly picked up the teacup and drank it all in one go. The tea was slightly cold, likely left untouched since it was poured.
A faint bitterness lingered on her tongue; Shang Can pursed her lips. She preferred sweet flavors and usually disliked bitterness, yet at this moment, she seemed to find a hint of sweetness in this lukewarm tea.
Though it wasn’t directly related, Shang Can suddenly recalled her earlier conversation with Chu Ming.
‘Is this the way you hoped it would be?’
She had answered, not as I wished.
—Not as I wished?
Gently tracing the edge of the white porcelain teacup, as if examining its patterns, she lost herself in thought for a moment before softly saying,
“… Yeah, this tea is quite good.”
This is bad.
Whether in the past or now, she seemed to always be longing for things that were not as she wished.
Comment