Yun Duan had always been a meticulous person.
Unlike Shang Can, she never did anything impulsive or without careful consideration.
At the time, Shang Can thought Yun Duan must have had a backup plan, like informing Wang Yue or others about her coming here. Maybe there were already many people from Qingyu waiting outside, ready to storm in and rescue them—
“I didn’t tell anyone else.”
But that assumption was quickly dispelled by Yun Duan herself. She shifted her gaze away from Qin Yi and looked at Shang Can, who was struggling to sit up from the ground. She took an unconscious step forward, but Qin Yi deliberately blocked her view.
Yun Duan pressed her lips together tightly, her expression grave. “…What do you want to do? You can say it now.”
“Duanyer,” Shang Can struggled to speak, her trembling voice barely audible. The thin rope around her wrist had already cut deeply into her flesh, and thick blood dripped down to her fingertips. “Why even ask her? Don’t give in to her! Don’t do anything foolish!”
“…”
Yun Duan remained silent for a long moment, gripping the hilt of her sword, Fei Wang, tightly. Her distant, ethereal gaze darkened slightly. She spoke in a low voice, “…I won’t take any risks that might harm you, Shijie.”
“Yun Duan!”
Shang Can had rarely been this furious when calling Yun Duan by her full name. Her heart was a whirlwind of fear and regret, as though a raging fire had ignited within her, shaking her to her core.
But Yun Duan didn’t respond. Only Qin Yi laughed deliberately, the sound echoing harshly in the quiet room.
“You two are quite close,” Qin Yi said with a sinister smile. Her eyes, cold and snake-like, lingered on Yun Duan’s body. “You must know, since I let you see my face, there’s no way I’ll let you leave here alive, right?”
“Of course I know.”
Yun Duan’s gaze sharpened as she slowly adjusted her stance, ready to strike. Her voice was cold, “I came here with the same intent.”
…Don’t do this.
Shang Can could no longer bear to watch. She walked from the corner of the room to stand in front of Yun Duan. She looked at Yun Duan’s deep, obsidian-like eyes, her tightly pressed lips, and her calm but determined expression. Yun Duan looked so different now, compared to the version of her Qin Yi had once impersonated by the River of Forgetfulness.
Shang Can wanted to smooth the furrow in Yun Duan’s brow, wanted to take the sword from her hands. But all she could grasp was emptiness.
Don’t do this.
Suddenly, it felt like the blood in Shang Can’s body began to boil, her organs burning inside her. She doubled over in pain, struggling to breathe as violent thoughts filled her mind. Only a sliver of clarity kept her grounded.
No matter what, Qin Yi was still the acting leader of Tianwaitian and had great strength. Even though Yun Duan was exceptionally talented, she was still young, and Qin Yi had several subordinates here…
It was all her fault, Shang Can thought. If she hadn’t been captured by Qin Yi, if she weren’t so useless now, unable to do anything—
She knew. She knew that back then, these were the thoughts tormenting her.
In a haze, Shang Can heard the clash of swords, the sound ringing like an explosion in her mind.
Amidst the chaotic noise, one sound stood out clearly: the rope binding her wrists snapping.
She didn’t need to look back to know that the version of herself who had been writhing on the ground in pain had, at that moment, opened her eyes—eyes glowing with a fiery red-gold hue.
How had things come to this? Even Shang Can didn’t know.
The surrounding scene blurred into a wash of white light, and Shang Can realized this wasn’t some trick of Qin Yi’s. This was how her memory had always been.
She lost consciousness as the heat within her body reached its peak. When she woke again, everything had already… settled.
The scene around her gradually came into focus. The first thing she heard was the sound of something heavy crashing to the ground.
Then came the sound of a pavilion collapsing, mingled with human cries and the smell of burning flesh. An eerie, ghostly presence briefly filled the air but quickly dissipated, unable to withstand the flames.
Enduring the searing pain coursing through her, Shang Can tried to stand upright, but she suddenly bent over, dry heaving, though nothing came out.
She was about to return to hell.
Breathing heavily, Shang Can raised her head and saw a woman engulfed in red-gold flames. The Tianwaitian robe she had once worn so neatly had been burned beyond recognition.
Qin Yi’s throat emitted a guttural, inhuman growl as she extended her scorched, blackened arm toward Shang Can.
“Shang Can… Shang Can…!!”
But before she could reach her, there was a sickening crack, and Qin Yi’s outstretched arm broke off, falling to the ground.
“Ah… Ah—”
Shang Can watched coldly. Then she heard a trembling, fearful voice behind her. She let out a silent laugh and turned around wearily.
The younger version of Shang Can took two trembling steps backward. She had only just regained consciousness and couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Her face was a mixture of confusion and terror as she looked around at the devastation.
Fireballs continued to rain down from the sky, each one exploding into waves of flame, cutting off screams of pain as quickly as they began.
What had happened? Who had done this? Where was Yun Duan?
At that moment, the younger Shang Can likely had only those three questions in her mind.
What a pitiful sight, Shang Can thought silently, watching her past self. Unexpectedly, she felt a strange sense of calm and even managed a bitter smile.
She knew what would happen next. So she looked ahead, to the one person who occupied her every thought.
“…Shijie.”
The voice was weak but gentle.
Shang Can looked at Yun Duan, at the stark contrast between the white robes she once wore and the sudden burst of crimson staining them. She gazed at Yun Duan’s soft, kind eyes.
Yun Duan.
There were screams and wails all around her, countless lives being snuffed out in the divine fire she had called down, but she paid no attention.
Shang Can wasn’t even sure if her own body still hurt. She seemed to have become numb to the pain. All she did was quietly stare at Yun Duan, examining her from head to toe, as if trying to engrave every detail of this moment into her soul.
For the first time in her life, Shang Can found that she didn’t like seeing Yun Duan in white.
She only realized she had bitten through her lip when she tasted blood. The spiritual energy within her body had twisted into a chaotic knot, and even breathing brought pain.
It finally dawned on her that this was all Qin Yi’s illusion. Shang Can quickly shifted her gaze away, no longer daring to look at Yun Duan. Instead, she focused on her younger self, who still held the… blood-stained sword.
The words “Worry-Free” engraved on the sword hilt were now soaked in deep red, giving it an eerie, almost demonic appearance.
Suddenly, the young Shang Can’s grip faltered, and Worry-Free fell heavily to the ground, the fresh blood on its blade seeping into the soil.
She looked down at her bloodstained hands, her eyes wide with shock, unable to speak.
“Why… did I…”
Shang Can’s parched throat barely managed to squeeze out a few words. Like waking from a nightmare, she staggered toward Yun Duan, her voice trembling and almost breaking into sobs, “Duanyer, how are you? Let’s treat your injuries… Yes, we’ll go back to Qingyu, find a doctor—”
“Shijie,” Yun Duan whispered softly, grasping Shang Can’s hand as she tried to perform a healing spell. Yun Duan smiled faintly, “You’ve returned.”
Every part of Shang Can’s body burned, especially where Yun Duan had touched her. She felt like she was about to explode from the pain, but she couldn’t focus on herself. She responded in a daze, “I’m back… I’m back, Shijie. I’ll heal you now. Just hold on, you’ll be better soon…”
Her words were a jumbled mess, but Yun Duan just looked at her quietly, her gaze gentle, yet she shook her head slightly.
Shang Can froze, unable to understand the meaning of Yun Duan’s gesture, when suddenly, Yun Duan leaned forward and collapsed into her arms.
The sword Yun Duan had been holding, Feiwang, clanged as it fell to the ground. Shang Can felt Yun Duan’s arms slowly encircle her back, as if she wanted to meld herself into Shang Can’s very bones. Yun Duan hugged her tightly.
“…This is nice.”
Yun Duan’s voice came muffled from the crook of her shoulder, carrying a faint hint of a lighthearted laugh.
“I actually… have always…”
Her voice trailed off at her lips, and the arms around Shang Can’s back gradually lost their strength.
Yun Duan’s entire body seemed to go limp, like snow beginning to melt, her weight dissolving into Shang Can’s embrace.
Slowly slipping through her fingers.
Suddenly, the sky roared with thunder, and the rain began to pour.
The rain of July 17th no longer touched the current Shang Can. She stood quietly to the side, watching herself from the past, dazed as she held Yun Duan in her arms.
The fire meteors continued to fall, descending together with the rain. The rain could not extinguish the sky fire; instead, it evaporated instantly. Even in such torrential downpour, the ground around the two of them remained dry, with only wisps of mist rising around them. It was strangely beautiful.
“How does it feel to kill someone?”
An irritating voice suddenly sounded behind Shang Can. Qin Yi strolled leisurely to her side and smiled, “Does it feel good?”
“…”
Shang Can didn’t respond, as if she hadn’t noticed Qin Yi at all. She was still staring blankly at the two people in front of her.
She watched as the younger Shang Can finally snapped out of her shock and desperately tried to use healing spells on Yun Duan. Her hands shook so much that she had to slap herself to steady them. Yun Duan leaned weakly in her arms, the bloodstains on her clothes still spreading.
A raindrop fell onto Yun Duan’s face, and the younger Shang Can jolted, hastily wiping it away. Then she looked up at the sky, her amber-gold eyes blazing with unquenchable fury.
Shang Can followed her gaze to the heavens. The fire meteors, all of a sudden, became more numerous and violent, illuminating the overcast sky with blinding light. The area around them remained untouched by rain, and no other living beings were left in this place. The only sounds were the crackling of flames and the rumbling of thunder.
July 17th, in the rain.
She had thought more than once, on this day when everything changed, that it would have been better if this day had never come at all.
Shang Can gently closed her eyes, remaining silent for a long time.
“What’s the matter?”
Qin Yi clearly had no intention of giving her space to reflect. She spoke in a mocking, taunting tone, “Don’t want to keep watching? The real show hasn’t even started yet.”
“Have you forgotten what happened in between?” Qin Yi’s smile didn’t reach her eyes as she spoke softly, “You suddenly lost control, summoned the sky fire, and your junior sister tried to stop you but got injured because of it.”
“And then you conveniently came to your senses—”
She chuckled. “You probably didn’t notice, but I wasn’t dead yet at that point. I saw everything, including what you did to your junior sister afterward.”
“Oh, by the way, where did you get that medicine? It’s hilarious, really—killing someone with your own hands, and then being in such a hurry to save them—”
“Qin Yi.”
Shang Can, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke. Her voice was calm.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Shang Can opened her eyes and turned to look at Qin Yi. There was no particular emotion on her face, but she faintly curved her lips.
“This time, I’ll make sure you die.”
Her usually tender and affectionate eyes were now dark and empty, and in the depths of the black, a flash of brilliant crimson-gold flickered.
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