The three of them, led by Yun Duan, arrived in front of her family home. Shang Can heard Wan Shao’s exclamation nearby: “Yun Zhong Jun’s family has such a large courtyard! It’s clear they come from a prestigious background!”
When Shang Can had come to Yun City to clean up the aftermath years ago, she had visited this place as well. In her memory, the decor was antique and elegant, the courtyard neatly maintained. It was easy to see the owner’s serious and upright nature, which was indeed a good match for Yun Duan. Although she couldn’t see it now, Shang Can felt a sense of nostalgia about returning to an old place. Yun Duan was pulling her inside, saying, “It’s just an ancestral home; it’s nothing remarkable.”
Wan Shao didn’t know about the past events that had occurred in Yun Duan’s family. Concerned that Wan Shao might inadvertently touch on sensitive topics, Shang Can was about to change the subject when suddenly, a woman’s surprised voice rang out not far away: “Little Immortal!”
Shang Can stopped in her tracks, understanding immediately that the woman was calling for Yun Duan. After all, Yun Zhong Jun was well-known in the cultivation world, and in her birthplace of Yun City, she was held in high regard.
The woman hurried over and greeted Yun Duan warmly, “Yun Duan, you’re back! It’s been so long since I last saw you; you’ve become even more beautiful!”
The familiarity in her tone showed no fear of the cultivator; it was more like the concern one would show for a neighbor’s daughter. Shang Can was puzzled as to why the woman had just called Yun Duan “Little Immortal” when she noticed the woman rushing up and grabbing her hand, leaving her startled and stiff.
“Little Immortal, you’ve finally returned to Yun City!” The woman’s face lit up with joy, and her words carried a hint of nostalgia. “Back when the demon tide hit Yun City, you helped out, and you were the one who helped find my son’s body…”
Shang Can was taken aback and quickly realized that the woman before her was a relative of one of the victims from that demon tide incident. She hadn’t encountered such situations often and awkwardly apologized, saying, “I… didn’t really help much. I couldn’t save him; I’m truly sorry…”
“What are you saying!” The woman patted her hand with concern. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even have known where my son died. And besides, you saved Yun Duan! I’ve wanted to thank you for looking after Yun Duan in Qingyu all these years, and now I finally have the chance!”
“…”
Shang Can was momentarily stunned. She instinctively turned toward Yun Duan, who timely spoke up, her voice slightly awkward: “Aunt Wang, we plan to stay at my home for a while. A Can has just arrived; let her rest first.”
“Alright, alright.” Aunt Wang finally let go of Shang Can. Before leaving, she enthusiastically added, “It’s rare for you to bring friends back; if you need any help, just come find Aunt Wang. Don’t be shy!”
After Aunt Wang left, Shang Can remained dazed. She hesitated for a moment before speaking up: “…All these years, you…”
Seemingly choosing her words carefully, Yun Duan’s tone conveyed a hint of confusion: “I haven’t returned here often these years; I’ve been relying on Aunt Wang to take care of things. Whenever I came back, I’d sometimes talk with her about you, but she never… mentioned your departure from Qingyu…”
It was the first time in nearly a decade that someone who didn’t know the truth treated Shang Can as if she were still from Qingyu, leaving her feeling a bit lost. Her thoughts were somewhat scattered, and before she could figure out what to say, she heard Wan Shao, who had been quietly observing, suddenly ask, “You talked about Shang Can? What did you say?”
Her tone was openly inquisitive, clearly provoking, which made Shang Can’s momentary awkwardness vanish in an instant. She gave Wan Shao a light pat on the shoulder, playfully scolding her, “Didn’t you just hear? Of course, they were praising me. What, do you really need to hear Yun Zhong Jun say it again?”
“No, no, just let Yun Zhong Jun repeat it in your ear,” Wan Shao said, smiling as she chuckled, then curiously added, “But didn’t Yun City have a demon tide before? That sounds really unfortunate. After all, demon tides are unpredictable; even if they’re just minor demons with fledgling intelligence, their numbers alone can be deadly…”
Recalling the horrific scenes she had witnessed outside the city, Shang Can didn’t want to discuss it any further and shook her head, saying, “It’s all in the past.”
Noticing her desire to change the topic, Wan Shao cleverly raised her voice, “Can we go in now? It feels weird just standing at the door.”
With Yun Duan nodding in agreement, Wan Shao bounded inside like an excited puppy, while Shang Can followed at a leisurely pace. As she entered the courtyard, she heard Yun Duan quietly remind her about the threshold, so she obediently stepped over it.
At this point, whether the demon tide from years ago was purely an accident or caused by Yun Duan’s clear heart was uncertain. Shang Can hoped everyone wouldn’t dwell on that possibility, but knowing Yun Duan’s intelligence, she must have already considered this angle after her physical constitution was discovered. Thus, Shang Can could only do her best to keep Yun Duan’s focus away from the demon tide, lightly asking, “Do you think Aunt Wang has heard of the name Can Zhe?”
Yun Duan replied with a calm voice, “She must have heard of it. The name Can Zhe of Bi Luo Huang Quan is well-known everywhere.”
Rather than “well-known,” it would be more accurate to say “fearsome.” Shang Can thought to herself, feeling self-deprecating: “If she knew that the ‘Little Immortal’ she just welcomed was Can Zhe… it would definitely scare her. I’d better hide my white jade mask and heavenly fire well.”
After she finished speaking, Yun Duan suddenly stopped, turning to face her, looking a bit perplexed.
“It’s not really connected.”
Yun Duan’s tone was calm, laced with an imperceptible warmth.
“You are Can Zhe, you are also the ‘Little Immortal,’ the one who saved me during the demon tide, the chief disciple of Yuheng Peak, and my… senior sister.”
“In my eyes,” she continued softly, “there’s no conflict.”
After reuniting, it had been a long time since Yun Duan had called her “senior sister.”
Shang Can sipped her tea, casually reflecting.
She had only been addressed that way a few times after revealing her identity; afterward, it had never happened again. Perhaps Yun Duan had sensed her discomfort regarding that title, which must have troubled her.
However, having heard Yun Duan call her “A Can” so often, this name that once made Shang Can uncomfortable had gradually become familiar. Now, hearing Yun Duan refer to her as “senior sister” suddenly brought a feeling of falling from the sky to the ground.
I am her senior sister. Shang Can felt a mix of emotions in her mind, unknowingly becoming frustrated. But why do I always think about strange things?
“This place is so clean!”
Unaware that her friend was lost in introspection, Wan Shao happily sat beside her, reporting excitedly, “Everything is in perfect order! It doesn’t look like no one has lived here for a long time, and there are even some ingredients stored! It seems that Aunt Wang we met at the door is truly a nice person!”
This carefree attitude of hers was somewhat enviable. Shang Can quietly set her tea cup down and replied, “The former city lord of Yun City was generous, and naturally, the citizens are grateful to him. But it’s indeed rare for them to still care after all these years. We should visit her to express our thanks.”
“Oh!” Wan Shao replied cheerfully, at least aware enough not to ask about the situation at Yun Duan’s home. Glancing around, she asked, “Yun Zhong Jun seems to have a lot of rooms in the house. What’s the plan for tonight?”
Her words were clearly suggestive. Shang Can, who had just been reflecting, could no longer bear to hear such things. She retorted, “Since you’ve already said there are enough rooms, obviously everyone gets their own. Or do you not want to stay?”
“Of course not!” Wan Shao quickly backtracked but then changed her tone. “But this place is still Yun Zhong Jun’s home; we should see how she arranges things, right?”
After saying that, she intentionally sighed, saying, “Poor Shang Can, who can’t see, must be so worried being alone. It’s a new environment, and what if she bumps into something in her room…”
She didn’t continue, but the implication was clear; she was just short of directly saying, “Otherwise, let Yun Zhong Jun and Shang Can share a room so she can look after her.”
Shang Can was so exasperated she rubbed her forehead, feeling that Wan Shao was always looking for amusement, doing strange things just to annoy her. She turned to Yun Duan to refute, “Don’t listen to her nonsense. Even though I can’t see, I’m still a cultivator. I can manage my own life and don’t need anyone to worry about me.”
After a moment of silence, Yun Duan finally conceded, “Then I’ll… stay in the room next to A Can. If she needs anything, just call me.”
One could tell from her tone that she had been influenced somewhat by Wan Shao’s words. Fortunately, she still retained some rationality and didn’t plan to share a room with Shang Can. Shang Can felt relieved and readily agreed, “Don’t worry.”
Rest assured, she definitely wouldn’t call out once.
Yun Duan then arranged a room for Wan Shao. The failed “scheme” seemed to leave Wan Shao feeling disappointed, but since they were guests, she obediently accepted the result without raising any objections. Soon, she shifted her focus to the next topic: “Speaking of which, it’s already dark. What should we have for dinner?”
… Why does this flower demon always think about food? Is the food from Bi Luo Huang Quan not good? — It really isn’t that great.
Recalling the meals in Bi Luo Huang Quan, Shang Can thought they were at least a bit better than those in Tian Wai Tian, but they were still limited. She shrugged and sighed, “Let’s just find a place to eat something. It’s nothing serious.”
However, for some reason, her words sparked a fierce protest from Wan Shao. The flower demon huffed and began to criticize her, “Shang Can, you’re so irresponsible! We’re going to be in Yun City for a while, and if you keep eating out every day like this, we won’t have enough money!”
Picking up on the underlying issue, Shang Can raised an eyebrow in realization and asked, “How much did we have to pay for the damages at the inn for Yan Yang?”
“…It was ridiculously expensive.” The demon lord slumped like a wilted eggplant, exclaiming in exasperation, “I’m out of money!”
It was quite a pathetic sight.
Shang Can lamented how this truly damaged the image of Bi Luo Huang Quan. She compassionately offered, “I still have some silver on me. I could lend it to you at three percent interest a day. What do you think?”
“Heartless!”
Wan Shao was incensed by her words, angrily accusing Shang Can of being cruel. Unfazed, Shang Can remained calm and advised her that talking too much would only make her hungrier. At that moment, Yun Duan stepped in to defuse the tension, gently saying, “It’s alright. Since we’re in Yun City, let me handle everything.”
“No way!” Wan Shao seemed hurt, her pride stung by Shang Can’s remarks. She firmly rejected Yun Duan’s offer, stating, “I can’t just eat for free! At least… at least we can’t eat out every day! That would be too expensive!”
She had rejected the idea but hadn’t completely turned it down. Shang Can secretly chuckled, maintaining a serious demeanor as she asked, “So what do you want to do? You said earlier that you have ingredients at home; why not cook?”
Wan Shao’s confidence instantly faltered, and she mumbled, “…I can’t cook.”
“Oh.” Shang Can nodded knowingly, unfazed. “I can cook, but you can’t expect someone who can’t see to do the cooking. That would be truly heartless.”
Defeated, Wan Shao leaned her head on the table and suddenly had a brilliant idea. “How about we go thank Aunt Wang now? We can also mooch a meal!”
…It’s impressive that she could come up with such a shameless plan.
Shang Can rolled her eyes in silence, just as she was about to end her little revenge on Wan Shao’s odd comments when she unexpectedly heard Yun Duan speak up.
“Then I’ll take care of it.”
The sound of a chair moving indicated that Yun Duan had stood up, her voice tinged with a hint of nervousness as she declared, “I’ll cook.”
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