It was nearing midnight, and most of the lights in Yanyang City had been extinguished, with only a few scattered places still glowing.
“The candied pancake stall is closed.” As Shang Can passed by the stall where she had bought candied pancakes on her first day, she couldn’t help but pout in disappointment. “That place had really tasty pancakes, and I was hoping to buy some since I finally came out… Are you hungry, Yun Zhongjun?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Oh, I see. But Yun Zhongjun, you’re too thin; I think you should eat more.”
She received no response to her words. Turning her head, Shang Can noticed that Yun Duan was quietly standing beside her, her dark eyes indifferent, and it was hard to tell what she was thinking.
Ah, after so many years apart, it’s difficult to guess her thoughts.
The two of them had just exited Tianwaitian and were heading towards the outskirts of Yanyang.
Even now, Shang Can couldn’t understand why Yun Duan had so easily agreed to let her go, then followed her out with such a nonchalant attitude. The behavior was so natural that it almost caught her off guard.
“…Is Yun Zhongjun going out to do something?”
“Mm.”
Though Yun Duan gave a simple affirmative response to her question, her current demeanor clearly indicated that she was just following Shang Can.
Even when Shang Can deliberately delayed by looking for candied pancakes, Yun Duan insisted on following, patiently waiting by the roadside.
Shang Can felt she couldn’t continue to stall forever; now that they were out, it was time to get things done.
Resolute, she stepped closer to Yun Duan, glanced toward the outskirts, and spoke candidly.
“Shall we fly over?”
Noticing Yun Duan looking at her with curiosity, Shang Can decided to be frank, raising an eyebrow: “Yun Zhongjun knows where I’m going, right?”
“…”
Yun Duan didn’t respond, and Shang Can caught a glimpse of her slightly pursed lips, prompting a knowing smile filled with curiosity.
“…Is Yun Zhongjun following because she’s interested in Can Zhe, or—” she paused, leaning closer to Yun Duan, her voice soft like a lover’s whisper, though her smile faded, “are you interested in me?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she was met with a solid thump from the hard sword hilt against her shoulder, forcing her to take a step back.
Yun Duan, holding her sword, displayed an expressionless face, exuding an air of aloofness that discouraged closer inspection.
“I’ve heard the name ‘Can Zhe’ many times,” Yun Duan said, her voice cold and sharp as if it could cut through metal. “But I’ve never crossed swords with you.”
“There are many who patrol the skies outside; I am not unique.”
With that, Yun Duan fell silent, sheathing her sword and placing it back at her waist.
Ah, so she’s explaining that she is only interested in Can Zhe.
Although the two options were essentially indistinguishable, Shang Can thought as she rubbed her sore shoulder, feeling slightly relieved.
Whatever the reason Yun Duan had, as long as it wasn’t interest in her, she was fine with it.
“I was just joking. My apologies for offending you, Yun Zhongjun,” Shang Can feigned a humble demeanor, bowing slowly before looking up as if nothing had happened. “Shall we fly over then?”
Yun Duan nodded, and in the blink of an eye, the sword flew out of its sheath, its radiant light retracting as Yun Duan landed on it.
Meanwhile, Shang Can struggled to get her ordinary iron sword to levitate, wobbling dangerously in the air, which even drew a few concerned glances from Yun Duan.
“It’s alright, it’ll fly just fine.”
Shang Can laughed awkwardly, tilting and wobbling as she flew toward the outskirts, with Yun Duan following closely, keeping a watchful eye on her.
When they finally reached the landing spot, Shang Can jumped down safely, but her sword disobeyed her command, darting forward and embedding itself into a tree trunk. Sighing in exasperation, she stepped forward to retrieve it and reattached it to her waist.
“Oh dear, I’m really embarrassing Yun Zhongjun, haha.”
She blushed not at all and caught her breath as she apologized for her poor sword control, while Yun Duan’s gaze lingered on the iron sword at her waist for a moment before she suddenly spoke.
“This sword of yours is merely ordinary iron.”
Of course it was ordinary iron; she had bought it for a few coins from a random stall in Yanyang before heading to Tianwaitian.
Shang Can thought for a moment before casually making up an excuse. “Yun Zhongjun may not know, but this sword’s radiance is subdued; it looks like ordinary iron, but in another twenty years, its true form will show, and it will become an extraordinary sword.”
“If it truly were ordinary iron, how could I wield it? It takes great effort to control and stand upon it; I would have fallen off long ago.”
Yun Duan blinked and stared intently at her “extraordinary sword,” seeming to hesitate, but ultimately just averted her gaze, saying nothing.
Ah, I should have thought ahead and procured a spiritual sword; this is exhausting.
Shang Can shook off her thoughts and looked around. They had now arrived at the outskirts of Yanyang, far less lively and bustling than the city. The area was still wild, overgrown with weeds and trees, and under the night sky, it felt even more eerie.
“Are you afraid of the dark, Yun Zhongjun?”
“Not afraid.”
Perhaps having grown accustomed to Shang Can’s random questions, Yun Duan replied flatly. Shang Can nodded in understanding and responded, “I’m quite afraid.”
“…”
Yun Duan turned to look at her. Shang Can felt she could see some puzzlement in her clear eyes, stifling a laugh as she composed herself.
“Does Yun Zhongjun think Can Zhe is afraid of the dark?”
“…It is rumored that Can Zhe is skilled in wielding heavenly fire, so perhaps not afraid of the dark.”
Yun Duan quickly picked up on the implication in Shang Can’s words, continuing to respond calmly while her hand rested on the hilt of her sword, gazing intently into the depths of the forest.
“True, if it’s dark, I can just light a fire,” Shang Can said, though it was somewhat pointless. Mimicking Yun Duan, she grasped her battered sword hilt and looked toward the woods, grinning. “Not only can it provide light, but it can also scare away certain… unaware cultivators.”
“What a pity.”
Her eyes reflected the murderous intent emanating from the approaching white flames among the black trees, her voice almost filled with excitement.
“You’ve kicked a hornet’s nest! Fool!”
Almost as soon as she finished speaking, the sharp white sword light shot forth, and the surrounding temperature seemed to plummet instantly. A fresh and icy aura surged forth, creating a thin layer of frost over the leaves despite the spring weather.
In the blink of an eye, the white flames that appeared like ghostly fire paled under the awe-inspiring sword light.
“…Tsk.”
“What’s with the tsk? Is that all Can Zhe is capable of?”
The figure hidden among the ghostly flames finally realized that Shang Can, who had just stood beside Yun Duan, had vanished. Swiftly twisting around, they were still unable to evade Shang Can, whose hot blade easily severed their right arm, causing it to fall to the ground.
However, after landing a clean hit, Shang Can frowned, as she gracefully twisted her body midair and swung her sword again from below.
The figure, however, twisted away like a ghost, avoiding Shang Can’s blade with a movement no human could achieve, before swiftly retreating at incredible speed, as if the wound hadn’t affected them at all.
Shang Can realized that if she waited until she landed to pursue, it would turn into a chase, which would undoubtedly alert the other cultivators who were already searching for Can Zhe in the outskirts. In a split second, she summoned her sword light to chase after the retreating figure.
The figure again evaded her with an uncanny agility, yet Yun Duan seemed to have anticipated this and gracefully pursued, the sword buzzing as it pierced the figure’s shoulder, pinning them to the ground.
All of this transpired in an instant. Shang Can exhaled and turned to look at Yun Duan, who was gazing back at her. Meeting her eyes, Yun Duan nodded slightly, then withdrew her gaze and approached the struggling figure.
But just a few steps later, her movement faltered, and by the time she hastened forward, it was already too late.
Shang Can saw everything clearly and followed her to the front of the sword, her expression serious.
On the ground lay a set of dark clothing missing the right sleeve, alongside a white jade mask.
The figure that had just moments ago been pinned to the ground while wearing this outfit had vanished into thin air like a bubble before their eyes.
Before the cultivators from the outer realm arrived to capture the “Zan” (the person of interest), both individuals—who had acted inappropriately—quickly gathered their things and left the scene, stopping only after retreating ten miles away.
The doubts from earlier still lingered in Shang Can’s mind as she and Yun Duan traveled in silence. Eventually, they found an open area to pause, and she was the first to speak: “Was that an illusion?”
“An illusion that can be seen by both of us is certainly not a common spell; I didn’t sense any fluctuations of spiritual energy.”
“True, then it must be that person who is problematic.”
“Can you clarify?”
“Oh, right, the ‘Zan.'”
Using “that person” by instinct, Shang Can hurriedly corrected herself and shifted the topic: “When I cut off her right hand, it felt too light, lacking any real resistance.”
“And…” she tilted her head, showing her disdain, “she was way too weak.”
“…” Yun Duan accepted her assessment and added, “She probably appeared so quickly because she heard the sound of you using your sword.”
This was a rare moment of tact from Yun Duan. Shang Can understood the implication: her clumsy swordsmanship had likely led the fake Zan to believe she was an easy target, prompting her to rush out. Who would have thought she would run into two formidable opponents instead?
With a composed expression, Shang Can nodded, “Indeed, thanks to me.”
“…”
Yun Duan remained silent and nodded in agreement.
Feeling pleased, Shang Can’s lingering worries about the fake Zan momentarily faded.
She was actually quite startled by how quickly Yun Duan had acted earlier.
It was probably an old habit; even though Yun Duan had now grown into the esteemed and admired “Yun Zhong Jun,” Shang Can still felt she should stay further away from danger—especially when she was around.
Fortunately, the fake Zan was not as formidable as her name suggested; otherwise, if Yun Duan had been injured, it would have been disastrous for Shang Can.
This thought made Shang Can feel a wave of relief, and she resolved to handle such matters herself in the future, minimizing the risks for Yun Duan, who was unaware that the Zan was a counterfeit.
She then patted her stomach and casually changed the subject.
“Does Yun Zhong Jun like roasted chicken?”
How unpredictable life was! When Shang Can first met Yun Duan in the outer realm, she never imagined they would end up in the wilderness together, roasting chicken just days later.
The chicken she had sneakily taken from the kitchen was finally put to good use—though it hadn’t served as an excuse for night adventures, it was quite delicious.
They divided the roasted chicken, with Shang Can devouring her half eagerly, while Yun Duan maintained a graceful demeanor, slowly nibbling on her drumstick.
After finishing her portion, Shang Can found herself with nothing to do. Once she washed her hands, she leaned on her chin, watching Yun Duan intently.
She was so obvious in her staring that Yun Duan could not ignore her gaze. She lifted her glass-like, clear eyes to meet Shang Can’s and asked, “What is it?”
“I thought Yun Zhong Jun wouldn’t agree to roast chicken in a place like this.”
Shang Can glanced away, poking at the fire with a long stick to stoke the flames.
She had only asked casually, but to her surprise, Yun Duan nodded seriously and brought a neatly chopped pile of firewood with her.
In fact, when Yun Duan realized they had no fire-starting talismans, she hesitated for a moment before sharpening a small stick and awkwardly began to rub it against another piece of wood.
Shang Can, puzzled, asked what she was doing. Yun Duan, with a face as serene as a fairy, replied earnestly that she was trying to create fire by friction.
…By the time she managed to create fire, they might already be reported missing by the entire city of the outer realm. Shang Can had no choice but to exclaim loudly, “Oh, look, I found a fire-starting talisman, haha!” and, when Yun Duan wasn’t paying attention, she secretly ignited the firewood with her celestial flame.
As for roasting the chicken, that was entirely Shang Can’s responsibility. It was clear Yun Duan wanted to help, but there wasn’t much she could do, so Shang Can instructed her to keep an eye on the fire she had summoned, which wouldn’t be easily extinguished without her consent.
By the time Shang Can prepared the chicken for roasting, Yun Duan was still attentively watching the fire, her eyes fixed and unblinking. When Shang Can approached, Yun Duan finally relaxed and nodded at her, clearly pleased to have fulfilled her task.
Yun Duan’s high level of cooperation throughout the process had left Shang Can a bit confused—could it be that Yun Duan was also hungry?
“Didn’t you say so yourself?” After finishing her chicken leg, Yun Duan looked at her calmly, “I’m too thin; I should eat more.”
“Ah, right.”
That offhand remark had stuck with her. Shang Can mumbled to herself, thinking that it would be the same to eat more when they returned to the outer realm. She joked, “I didn’t expect Yun Zhong Jun to take it to heart. Or do you actually have that awareness yourself?”
What started as a light topic prompted Yun Duan to pause, lowering her gaze slightly.
“No, that’s not it.”
“I just… feel like I’ve heard something similar before. But I can’t recall who said it.”
“For some reason, I just feel like I should heed this advice.”
It was rare to hear Yun Duan speak so much; once she finished that sentence, she fell silent.
Shang Can continued tending to the fire, her tone relaxed as if they were merely chatting.
“Whoever dares to speak such words to Yun Zhong Jun must be a reckless person like myself.”
“People like that probably just say things without thinking.”
“If you forget, then it’s forgotten; it’s no big deal.”
With a crackle from the fire, Shang Can finally noticed Yun Duan’s cold gaze drift away, as if awakening from a dream. She lifted her head and stared at the nearly extinguished fire for a moment before discreetly reigniting it.
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