Shang Can is strong.
That was an undeniable fact. She hadn’t even turned eighteen yet and hadn’t officially ventured into the world of cultivators. But anyone who had seen her would regard her differently, with some even believing she had the potential to ascend to immortality, her future limitless.
However, the impression Shang Can left on others wasn’t exactly that of a conventional Qingyu disciple. Many claimed she was reckless, relying on her exceptional talents to act without regard for rules. As a result, her reputation was always a mix of praise and criticism, especially at Tianwaitian, where things were even more delicate. After all—
“…Did you know? Yesterday, I overheard one of the Tianwaitian instructors using you as a negative example in a lecture to the disciples.”
Walking between the pavilions of Tianwaitian, Chu Ming sighed. “‘Shang Can of Qingyu lacks a firm Dao heart, which is why she failed the heart-reflection test’—something along those lines.”
“Ugh, the same old story. They said the same thing last time I came for the study trip.” Shang Can rolled her eyes in disdain. “Why does Tianwaitian always have to bring me up? They never change their tune.”
Chu Ming gave her a sympathetic look. “Probably because they’ve never seen someone like you before—failing the heart-reflection yet still being so powerful.”
“…Yeah. I’ve never seen it either.”
Shang Can sighed deeply, still unsure herself.
In the world of cultivation, it was widely believed that the most important thing for a cultivator was to cultivate their heart. The firmer one’s Dao heart, the greater their cultivation would be. The heart-reflection test was traditionally used to assess a disciple’s Dao heart, and those with unwavering resolve were never supposed to fail it.
But after failing the heart-reflection test twice and still being so strong, Shang Can inevitably attracted some strange looks.
“In the end,” Shang Can sighed, “I don’t really understand this whole Dao heart thing.”
“Huh? Isn’t that the first lesson Qingyu teaches its disciples?”
Chu Ming was stunned and immediately launched into a crash course. “In simple terms—it’s your reason for cultivating.”
“While it varies from person to person, there’s always a reason for embarking on the path of cultivation, right? For some, it’s to become an immortal, for others, it’s for longevity, or maybe to protect someone—”
He counted on his fingers before spreading his hands. “But the concept is indeed vague, and it changes gradually over time. Typically, as one progresses in cultivation, they come to understand their true heart more clearly. The more they comprehend it, the smoother their cultivation journey becomes.”
Shang Can nodded, half-understanding, and asked, “So, what’s your Dao heart?”
“At first, I wanted to learn sword-flying,” Chu Ming reminisced. “When I was little, I went out to play and saw a cultivator swoosh through the sky on a sword. It struck me right in the heart, and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s so cool!’ After that, I begged my family to let me come to Qingyu.”
“…That’s a pretty simple Dao heart.”
Shang Can’s reply was dry as she reflected on her own reason for cultivating, frowning silently.
There was no real reason. Back then, she had suddenly been transported into this world, her age regressed, and if Wangyue hadn’t taken her back to Qingyu to cultivate, she would have had no choice but to die. Did she really have any other options?
Unable to come up with anything, Shang Can resolutely declared, “Then my Dao heart is probably just to survive.”
“That’s heavy.”
Shang Can retorted sarcastically, “What do you know? It’s the ultimate Dao heart.”
Ahead of them, a small group of Tianwaitian disciples passed by, led by a stern-looking woman who appeared to be their elder. The disciples respectfully bowed from a distance upon seeing Shang Can, and she returned the gesture with equal decorum. After a slight nod, they continued on their way.
“…Was that Pei Chen from Tianwaitian?”
Chu Ming craned his neck to take a look, but when he turned back, he saw Shang Can’s expression had soured, her previously composed demeanor now clouded by irritation.
“It was him.” Shang Can’s brow furrowed as she sighed. “I’ve heard he’s the top disciple under Frostfall Lord, the rising star of Tianwaitian, with a limitless future.”
“Ah!”
Chu Ming suddenly remembered something and clapped his hands in realization. “He’s the one Wangyue Shishu mentioned in the letter! The one Tianwaitian wants to pair with Yun Duan Shimei as a Dao companion!”
“…That’s him.”
Chu Ming instantly regretted his words, covering his mouth. Sure enough, when he turned to look at Shang Can, her face had darkened considerably. She frowned and muttered, “I have no idea what Tianwaitian is thinking. Duan’er is still so young.”
“Exactly, exactly.” Chu Ming hurriedly agreed. “It’s completely unreasonable! They should at least let the two of them decide for themselves—”
“…That’s exactly what the Tianwaitian envoy said.”
Shang Can’s mood worsened.
Chu Ming wisely chose to stay quiet after that.
It had been a few days since the matter came up. Apparently, Tianwaitian had sent an envoy directly to Qingyu, and if it hadn’t been for Wangyue’s letter, Shang Can and the others might have remained completely in the dark.
Shang Can and Yun Duan had returned to Qingyu the day they received the message, and ever since, Shang Can had been extremely averse to discussing the matter. As a result, Chu Ming only knew bits and pieces, primarily that “Tianwaitian wanted a disciple named Pei Chen to pair with Yun Duan as a Dao companion.” And that had led to his current misstep.
“They say, ‘Oh, they’re still young, no need to rush, they can get to know each other slowly’—”
Shang Can shook her head, frustrated. “It’s obvious they’re targeting Duan’er’s extraordinary talent, coming up with some scheme to snatch her.”
…It seemed that whenever something involved Yun Duan, Shang Can always spun it into a conspiracy.
Chu Ming, quietly impressed by this rare side of Shang Can, cautiously asked, “So… what happened next?”
“What do you mean, ‘what happened next?'” Shang Can shot him a glare. “Of course, we refused.”
“That makes sense.”
If they had agreed, Shang Can probably would have turned around and left the moment she saw Pei Chen earlier.
Chu Ming, now curious, asked, “Was it because of their age?”
He refrained from mentioning how it wasn’t uncommon for girls Yun Duan’s age in ordinary families to be betrothed, as he didn’t want to make Shang Can’s already terrible mood worse. But after hesitating for a moment, Shang Can shook her head.
“I don’t know,” she replied, sounding a little glum. “They didn’t let me be present when they discussed the matter.”
“…I see.”
Chu Ming felt he understood why Wangyue Shishu had arranged it that way. With Shang Can’s “Yun Duan is the best in the world” attitude, it wasn’t hard to imagine her getting upset mid-discussion and kicking the envoy out of Qingyu.
But he wisely kept those thoughts to himself. Hoping to improve her mood, he quickly changed the subject. “Isn’t Yun Duan Shimei almost done with her class? Shall we go pick her up?”
“Yes, that was the plan, wasn’t it?”
Shang Can’s mood visibly brightened. She decided to put the unpleasant memories of Pei Chen behind her. Chu Ming added, “Yun Duan has been performing brilliantly these past few days. The Tianwaitian instructors can’t stop praising her.”
Of course. Shang Can swelled with pride, slightly puffing out her chest. That was their Duan’er.
Several days had passed since her heart-reflection failure, and while many things had happened, life had remained peaceful and comfortable.
This time, Shang Can was here as a team leader and didn’t need to attend classes. Even Elder Huang, who was responsible for discipline, turned a blind eye to her activities. Yesterday, when she snuck off to Yan Yang to bring back a bunch of snacks, he pretended not to notice—perhaps because even he knew Tianwaitian’s food was dreadful.
With nothing to complain about, it felt like time was flying by in this easy-going life.
Shang Can paused suddenly, a thoughtful look crossing her face.
Chu Ming, still in the middle of praising Yun Duan, stopped as well, turning back with a puzzled expression. “What’s wrong?”
Shang Can couldn’t quite explain it. She stood there, lost in thought for a moment, then asked abruptly, “What’s today’s date?”
“…July sixteenth,” Chu Ming answered, confused. “Why?”
“…”
Shang Can was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, “Just one more month until my birthday.”
“What?” Chu Ming looked a bit exasperated as he followed her steps. “I thought something important was going on. Is that all you wanted to say?”
“What do you mean, just? Isn’t it important?”
“Yes, yes, it’s important. I’ve remembered. Is there anything special you want for your birthday this year?”
“Not really. I’m beyond desires at this point.”
“That’s way too enlightened…”
They laughed as they walked, and Shang Can glanced up at the sky, momentarily blinded by the sunlight filtering through the leaves.
…It seemed like it had been nothing but sunny weather ever since they arrived at Tianwaitian.
A world where everything goes smoothly—is that even possible?
“It’s time for your medicine.”
Of course not.
Shang Can’s face scrunched up as she looked at the bowl of medicine placed in front of her. The black liquid made her hesitate, and the strange smell that hit her from a distance was even worse.
She hesitated for a long time, then looked up pitifully.
“…I’ve been drinking this for over ten days. I’m sure I’m almost better by now.”
“No.”
The voice came from a strikingly beautiful woman whose words, though gentle, were far from comforting to Shang Can. “You’ve already been taking it for over ten days, so you can’t give up now.”
“The medicine is cooling,” Yun Duan said as she sat down beside Shang Can, urging her. “Hurry up and drink it, senior sister.”
Seeing Shang Can’s hesitation, Yun Duan’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her eyes lowered with a trace of disappointment. She softly added, “…I took a long time to brew it.”
Alright, there was no contest.
Steeling her resolve, Shang Can closed her eyes, tipped her head back, and downed the entire bowl in one go. The bitter taste made her stick out her tongue in disgust. Yun Duan, as if expecting this, handed her a cup of tea and offered a candied fruit to her lips.
“Ugh.” Shang Can rolled the candy around in her mouth before speaking, “It’s still so bitter.”
“You’ll feel better soon. Just take it easy, senior sister.”
Yun Duan’s voice was gentle as she cleaned up the empty bowl. Just as she was about to stand, Shang Can quickly snatched the bowl from her hands and rushed to the door.
“I’ll clean this up. You should rest.”
Feeling that she, as the senior sister, should at least do something, Shang Can hurriedly cleaned up the bowl and the leftover medicine with an air of vengeance, as if she were getting back at the unpleasant experience.
…She had no idea what kind of medicine the physicians at Tianwaitian had prescribed, but it was truly awful.
After tidying everything away, Shang Can felt refreshed. She returned to the room and, without wasting time, pleaded again.
“Do I really have to drink it tomorrow? It’s so terrible.”
Yun Duan seemed unable to resist Shang Can’s straightforward gaze. She looked a little uncomfortable, turning her head to the side before shaking it slightly. “There’s only one dose left. Once you take it tomorrow, you’ll be done.”
Shang Can deflated but still tried to negotiate. “But, I think tomorrow is the day of your final tournament match, right?”
“After the match, you’ll be exhausted for sure,” she said with righteous determination. “How could I let you, already so tired, brew medicine for me?”
Yun Duan smiled faintly. “It’s no trouble.”
“There is trouble, lots of it!” Shang Can argued, mixing pleading with playful antics. Finally, Yun Duan relented a little, with a hint of helplessness in her voice. “Let’s see how things go after the match tomorrow. It should finish early.”
Noticing Yun Duan’s lack of unnecessary modesty, Shang Can happily nodded and then added, “Be careful not to get hurt.”
When Yun Duan nodded in agreement, Shang Can felt reassured and suddenly remembered something. “I heard that the prize for this year’s champion is a famous sword, and it already has a name. I think it’s called—”
“Feiwang,” Yun Duan answered calmly. “That’s its name.”
“…That’s a strange name,” Shang Can muttered, puzzled. “I thought the swordsmiths at Tianwaitian usually name the sword after the victor is decided. Does this mean they’ve already assumed you’ll win? But why such a weird name…”
“Is it strange?” Yun Duan seemed unconcerned, taking a sip of tea as she spoke softly, “I don’t think it’s that odd.”
“Well—if you like it, then it’s fine.”
Shang Can quickly changed her stance, stretching with a contented yawn.
“Feeling sleepy, senior sister?” Yun Duan asked.
“…A little, yes.”
Recently, it seemed like she always got tired early. Rubbing her brow, Shang Can noticed Yun Duan preparing to leave.
“Then get some rest, senior sister. I’ll head back.”
“…Alright, goodnight.”
Shang Can felt a sudden reluctance to part with Yun Duan, wishing they could talk longer, perhaps about how she had run into Pei Chen earlier. But on second thought, there wasn’t really much to say about that either.
Her interest waned, and she sighed inwardly. Lately, she felt like something was off with her health. Maybe when they returned to Qingyu, she should consult a physician. She escorted Yun Duan to the door.
Before closing the door, Shang Can glanced up at the night sky. The stars were sparse, but the moon was bright, casting a deep blue hue across the night.
It looked like tomorrow would be another clear day.
Suppressing the faint sense of unease stirring within her, Shang Can shut the door.
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