Although Wan Shao’s words were quite unreliable, when it came to medicine, she should still be fairly dependable.
After a satisfying meal, Wan Shao calmly took Yun Duan’s pulse. After pondering for a long time, she spoke seriously, “…It’s probably due to excessive worry causing the night wanderings.”
“Such a completely useless comment.”
Shang Can mercilessly swatted Wan Shao’s hand off Yun Duan’s wrist, sighing, “At least have some confidence in your tone! You sound like one of those shady street doctors.”
“I can’t help it!” Wan Shao protested, feeling aggrieved. “Night wanderings are hard to diagnose. In the end, it always comes down to having something on your mind. Taking her pulse can only reveal her physical condition—this is actually pretty good; her pulse is steady, much healthier than you!”
Getting a diagnosis of little reference value, Shang Can sighed repeatedly. It was Yun Duan who spoke up to ease the tension, saying, “I’ve privately consulted physicians before, and most of the results are similar… A Can, don’t be anxious.”
Before Shang Can could respond, Wan Shao, perhaps ignited by the comparison to other physicians, shouted, “Let’s not talk about the night wanderings… What about the mark on Yun Zhong Jun? Can you show it to me? It’d be best if I could touch it!”
“…”
Those words sounded rather abrasive.
Shang Can frowned, casually interjecting between the two, asking, “Is your sense of smell good?”
“Ah?” Wan Shao replied, confused. “I guess it’s okay. I could smell that the fish we had earlier got burnt.”
Isn’t that something anyone could smell?
Shang Can sighed inwardly, responding, “So what do you think of our scents? As fellow flower demons, Yung Ge can definitely sense something unusual.”
“? Are you saying I’m not as good as her??”
Wan Shao became furious and leaned in closer to Shang Can, sniffing her, which made Shang Can quite uncomfortable. Finally, she declared firmly, “You and Yun Zhong Jun smell the same, but isn’t that to be expected? You’ve already slept together!”
What a mouthful of nonsense. Shang Can expressionlessly pushed her aside and explained, “That mark on Yun Duan’s waist… it’s probably related to me.”
Seemingly having her own speculations, Yun Duan didn’t show much surprise, simply saying, “I thought so too. After all, this mark appeared after A Can left, and…”
Her voice lowered slightly, her tone becoming a bit awkward. “It… didn’t feel any different when I touched it myself, but when A Can touched it… it was very strange.”
The phrase “very strange” conjured up many thoughts. Shang Can struggled to suppress the memories rising in her mind and shifted the topic. “Does Master—Wang Yue know about this?”
“Yes,” Yun Duan nodded in response. “Master has researched many texts regarding it, but there has been no yield. A Can, do you know what this is?”
Shang Can mentally sketched the appearance of the mark, pondering for a moment before replying, “I don’t know why it takes this form, but it must be related to the medicine I gave you when I saved you from your injuries back then.”
“Medicine?”
Catching onto the keyword, Wan Shao exclaimed in surprise, interrupting, “Are you talking about—could it be, A Can, is it the one I gave you, the one my mother concocted, with unclear effects?”
If only you had done more reading in the library at Bi Luo Huang Quan, you wouldn’t say its effects are unclear. Shang Can nodded nonchalantly, “…Yes, that one.”
Before the astonished Wan Shao could speak, Shang Can quickly added, “But at that time, I was certain it was a healing medicine, so I used it.”
Wan Shao was dumbfounded and after a long silence finally sighed, “It seems you were really… just desperate.”
“And then?” Wan Shao kindly brushed aside that past matter, asking, “How does giving Yun Zhong Jun medicine relate to the fact that you both have similar scents?”
“…” After a moment of silence, Shang Can replied, “That medicine took effect because it was mixed with my spiritual energy, so it probably influenced Yun Duan and me to create a connection.”
ã€You said you shared half your life with her back then… why did you even bother?】
Subconsciously recalling that dark night and Qin Yi’s somewhat sarcastic words, Shang Can closed her eyes and changed the subject.
“In any case, this is just a guess. But nearly ten years have passed now, and it seems this mark probably won’t have any adverse effects on Yun Duan’s body—at least not for now.”
“I think we should find a good place to rest and let me observe for a while.”
Seizing the right moment, Wan Shao spoke up, “After all, it’s medicine concocted by my mother, so it’s unreasonable for me not to figure out its effects. I didn’t investigate it carefully before, but now that I have a sample—cough, I mean someone who has taken the medicine, I should be able to find out something.”
“And you.” Wan Shao turned fiercely toward Shang Can, saying ominously, “You come back from a trip all beaten up, and who knows when that enemy of yours named Qin Yi will come looking for you again—you need to rest quietly! Don’t use spiritual energy without my permission!”
Shang Can, knowing she was in the wrong, shrugged in submission, saying, “I can’t just rest in the inn forever, can I? Are we really going back to Bi Luo Huang Quan?”
“…If I go back, I’ll get scolded. Can we find another place?”
Although Shang Can felt that Wan Shao’s desire to escape was utterly pointless, she still seriously considered her suggestion, hoping that Wan Shao could help Yun Duan recover.
However, Shang Can truly had nowhere else to go. Her only two places to stay were Qing Yu and Bi Luo Huang Quan, neither of which she could visit at the moment, leaving her in a bind.
“I have a suggestion.”
While she was pondering, Yun Duan suddenly spoke up, and both of them turned to her, listening as she thoughtfully proposed, “What about… going to Yun Cheng?”
Yun Cheng is only about a hundred miles from Yan Yang, and the three of them could walk fast enough to get there before dark.
Shang Can, who was forbidden to use her spiritual energy by Wan Shao, jumped down from Yun Duan’s sword. Although she still couldn’t see anything in front of her, she felt a different atmosphere from Yan Yang, as if the wind brushing past her ears was more humid, carrying the misty waters of the southern city.
“This is my first time in Yun Cheng.” Wan Shao excitedly stepped forward, speaking with curiosity. “I didn’t expect Yun Zhong Jun’s home to be in Yun Cheng before he came to Qing Yu—oh right, Yun Cheng’s ‘Yun’ is a prominent surname. I should have thought of that. By the way, Shang Can, where are you from? I’ve never heard you mention it.”
Thinking that revealing it would only lead to nonsense, Shang Can casually replied, “Don’t worry about me; I just popped out of a rock. I have no home.”
Clearly not believing her words, Wan Shao mumbled that she was talking nonsense again. Soon, she perked up and asked hopefully, “Is there anything good to eat in Yun Cheng? Is it better than Yan Yang?”
Yun Duan pondered for a moment and hesitated, “I haven’t been back to Yun Cheng many times in recent years, but it feels like… it’s about the same as Yan Yang.”
Upon hearing Wan Shao’s disappointed tone, Shang Can smiled, saying, “But the chestnut cake in Yun Cheng is delicious. You can’t find it in Yan Yang.”
Wan Shao cheered up again, just about to respond happily when she suddenly realized something and asked in confusion, “Hmm? You’ve been to Yun Cheng too?”
After a moment of silence, Shang Can chuckled softly, reaching out to grab Yun Duan’s wrist, lifting it and shaking it.
“Of course I’ve been here before. I found Yun Duan here and brought her back to Qing Yu.”
Strictly speaking, that might be somewhat off, as the actual place where she found Yun Duan was in a forest to the southwest outside the city, not within it.
At that time, she was still quite young, only sixteen years old, having been in this world for just four years. Shang Can was still the pride of Qing Yu.
At that time, Shang Can had accepted a small mission to find medicinal herbs and was traveling down the mountain with a few fellow disciples. While searching for herbs in the mountains, she suddenly received a message from Chu Ming, saying that Yun City was under attack by a monster tide and needed help.
Monster tides generally refer to the changes in resting places that occur during the ecological reproduction of monsters. This was something that should have shown signs a few months in advance, so it was the first time she had heard of such a sudden occurrence. The elders in Qing Yu had already begun to mobilize manpower for assistance. Since they were close to Yun City, they could meet up with Chu Ming and others ahead of time.
But by the time they arrived, Yun City had already been ravaged by the aftermath of the monster tide. The city was filled with the chaotic energy of monsters, a scene of devastation, yet for some reason, there was no trace of blood in the air. It seemed as if they had merely passed through without harming anyone.
While Shang Can and the others were puzzled, the residents who had been hiding inside the city cautiously peeked out and explained the situation to them.
“You mean to say…” Shang Can raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, “that your city lord is a wandering cultivator who discovered the monster tide beforehand, ordered everyone to stay indoors, and then took some people to lead the monsters away from the east gate?”
The man nodded vigorously. Shang Can pondered for a moment and exchanged silent glances with Chu Ming before leaping back several paces, her sleeves slipping from Chu Ming’s outstretched hand.
“Shang Can!” Chu Ming exclaimed in exasperation, “Don’t do anything reckless. That city lord must have something that attracts monsters on him; it’s possible the monster tide came because of him—this isn’t something we should interfere with! Just wait for the elders to arrive and then make plans!”
With a reckless grin, Shang Can drew her sword, which hummed as it floated in the air. She jumped onto it and shot off like a bolt of white light, disappearing into the distance in an instant. All that remained was a paper crane that flew gracefully to Chu Ming, who looked pale and exasperated, delivering Shang Can’s teasing voice mixed with the wind.
“I’ll go take a look. There’s no need to follow. If I’m not back by the time the elders arrive, you can come looking for me then.”
At that time, she was filled with a kind of youthful arrogance, naturally possessing an obstinacy that said “nothing can buy my willingness.” She understood what Chu Ming was saying; there must be a reason the monster tide was following the city lord. Since the city lord was also a cultivator, there might be some hidden means. Rushing over might lead to danger. Yet, she thought, since she had heard the news, she had to see if she could help.
But in the end, it was too late. Along the way, Shang Can saw many corpses—of both people and monsters—tragically mangled, their blood filling the air. She flew over, heavy-hearted, silently vowing to return later to properly bury them.
Eventually, she reached a forest, stopping at the edge of the mountain. She saw many monster tracks leading into the woods, with more abruptly stopping right there.
She coldly surveyed the scene before her. At the boundary of the outermost tree in the forest lay a multitude of monster corpses, the stench of blood rising into the air, not a single living thing in sight. A figure leaned against that tree on the ground—a middle-aged man, his eyes tightly shut, his face still showing traces of youthful handsomeness. Shang Can looked down and saw that the lower half of his green robe was almost entirely stained dark red with blood.
Shang Can felt her throat tighten as she cautiously reached her hand out to check for breath under his nose, but the man suddenly opened his eyes wide and grabbed her hand tightly, his pale face flushed with a sickly color, his eyes burning with a feverish intensity, as if it were just a fleeting moment of revival.
“…You’re from Qing Yu?”
The man asked hoarsely, his voice barely audible. Shang Can knew he was beyond saving and that he might have something to convey, so she silently nodded and showed him the jade token at her waist, engraved with her name as a symbol of her identity as a disciple of Qing Yu.
He stared at the jade token for a long while, and the hand that gripped her arm tightened even more, his once-handsome features twisting in pain.
“My daughter… I told her to escape into the forest.”
“Save… save her. She can’t outrun the monsters… please, save her…”
“Please, you—”
Shang Can winced from his grip, and before she could utter a word, she saw the middle-aged man’s face quickly turn ashen, and he no longer moved.
Her heart raced as she slowly reached to check for his breath again, but this time there was no response.
Only his hand still tightly gripped her wrist, his gaze locked on her, filled with a sorrowful longing.
Shang Can remained silent for a long moment, carefully prying his hand open and gently closing his eyes.
Slowly, she stood up, feeling momentarily unsteady, as if her feet had gone numb.
Shang Can had only been in this world for four years. Although she had traveled down the mountain a few times, she had never truly faced danger and had little experience with monsters, having only seen blood on a few rare occasions.
That was the first time she witnessed death, and it was Yun Duan’s father.
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