“Meridian disorder, depleted spiritual energy…”
After finishing the diagnosis for Shang Can, Wan Shao leaned back in her chair, pointing her finger at him with a fierce expression. “With your current condition, you’re even worse off than that ancient tree demon in the Bi Luo Huang Quan that has lived for nearly a thousand years.”
“Well, I can’t compare to them; I certainly won’t live for a thousand years.”
Completely unaware of her criticism, Shang Can innocently lowered his sleeves and asked, as if it didn’t concern him, “Your statement makes me feel like it’s not that big of a problem… Is it hard to treat?”
Wan Shao furrowed her brows and pondered for a moment before sighing softly, “… It’s not too difficult, considering how troublesome you’ve been in the past.”
There was a hint of resignation in her words, and Shang Can pretended to tidy up the white cloth on his body, hiding a smile. Knowing that he had often given this friend a headache over the years, he rarely apologized sincerely and said, “Then I’ll have to trouble you again. I’m really sorry.”
“Alright, alright, enough with the formalities.”
Not fond of trivial courtesies, the demon lord waved her hand dismissively and impatiently pressed on, “First, tell me why you used so much spiritual energy back at Yan Yang, burning that area in the countryside to such an extent?”
Before Shang Can could respond, she hurriedly added, “I heard you had no choice after encountering Qin Yi, but don’t try to fool me with that excuse.”
“Yun Zhong Jun might believe you unconditionally, but I won’t.” The self-proclaimed clear-headed demon lord crossed her arms warily, casting a suspicious look at Shang Can. “You know your body can’t handle too much strain; you’ve been cautious all these years. I can understand your helplessness in the ghost realm, but when you encountered Qin Yi, you were in Yan Yang.”
“There were plenty of people from the Outer World in Yan Yang. If you didn’t want to make a move, there were many ways for you to escape.”
Wan Shao’s voice grew stern, “You’d better come clean. If you dare to use ‘I didn’t think of a way’ as a rough excuse to fool me, you’re finished, Shang Can.”
With all escape routes blocked, Shang Can inwardly lamented how much the demon lord had improved over the years; she was no longer the naive demon that could be easily persuaded with simple reasons.
After contemplating for a while, Shang Can finally sighed and admitted, “… I did have the intention to kill when I acted.”
Wan Shao was completely unsurprised and prompted her to continue, saying, “I see. Just yesterday when we arrived here, didn’t we mention that Yun Cheng had experienced a demon tide?”
“I remember.” Wan Shao thought for a moment and replied, “That was the demon tide that brought you and Yun Zhong Jun together, right? Why bring it up now?”
Shang Can tilted her head slightly, her fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table. After listening intently to the sounds around her, she only spoke in a low voice after confirming no one was outside.
“Maybe it’s just my bad luck, but I’ve encountered two demon tides, something most people might never see in their lifetime.”
Feeling tense due to her secretive demeanor, Wan Shao instinctively lowered her voice and exclaimed, “That’s so unfortunate! I’ve always thought you had terrible luck; it seems I was right!”
“…”
Even though Shang Can’s eyes were covered by the white cloth, Wan Shao somehow felt she had just rolled her eyes beneath it. Containing her expression, Shang Can continued, “The first time was in Yun Cheng, but I didn’t have a direct confrontation with the demon tide; I only saw some of its residual effects at the end.”
“The second time was different.” She paused briefly, her tone turning somewhat wistful. “It was when Yun Duan descended the mountain for the first time. I was worried about her, so I secretly followed her group, afraid she might encounter any danger.”
Thinking back, she realized that Shang Can had been so concerned about Yun Zhong Jun since then, yet she was still reluctant to confront her feelings directly. Wan Shao remained silent, waiting for Shang Can to continue. Soon, she heard Shang Can softly say, “As it turned out, she really did encounter danger; they ran into a demon tide.”
Wan Shao, being a good listener, gasped in response, “Oh no! Yun Zhong Jun’s luck isn’t very good either. Has she been infected by your bad luck for staying around you too long?”
Shang Can couldn’t keep a straight face anymore, laughing and scolding, “Exactly! I’m a dangerous person; nobody close to me can escape! You’d better prepare yourself mentally!”
“Me?” Wan Shao suddenly realized, puffing her chest proudly, “I’m not afraid! The old tree demon read my fortune and said my life was rather ordinary, except for my exceptionally good luck!”
“That doesn’t sound much like a compliment.”
Impressed by Wan Shao’s optimism, Shang Can succinctly summarized her harrowing tale, “In short, I genuinely went through the demon tide that time, and it nearly cost me my life. But in the end, I survived, and Yun Duan wasn’t harmed.”
“Oh, that’s great! This hero saving the beauty routine has really earned you some fame!”
Wan Shao clapped at the right moment, and after a few claps, she realized something was off and questioned, “So? What does this have to do with your murderous intent towards Qin Yi?”
The expression on Shang Can’s face turned serious again, and after a moment of silence, she let out a heavy sigh and said, “I know the ghost clan is skilled at using illusions, but I didn’t expect illusions to be so convenient—Qin Yi used an illusion during our confrontation and replayed this past event.”
“Including even the details I’d completely forgotten,” Shang Can frowned in disgust. “I don’t know if all the ghost clan members are as capable as her, but what Qin Yi exhibited was less about showcasing an illusion and more about manipulating memories, digging up some bloody scars.”
“That’s incredibly… incredibly…” Shang Can’s voice trailed off, her mood darkening. “Very unpleasant.”
Her words were vague, and Wan Shao didn’t fully grasp what Qin Yi had done to her. However, she could see her friend’s unabashed aversion towards Qin Yi from her expression. Hesitating whether to inquire further, she heard Shang Can return to her previous lighthearted tone, casually saying, “I quickly realized that Qin Yi seemed to be able to see through my memories—once that thought crossed my mind, I lost my composure and acted without restraint.”
“After all, in my mind…” Shang Can paused, laughing, “It seems like there are quite a few things I can’t say out loud.”
Even the carefree Wan Shao agreed with Shang Can’s sentiment from a personal perspective; everyone harbored some secrets that they could not reveal. Just the thought of being targeted by someone who could see into her heart sent a chill down Wan Shao’s spine. Nodding in agreement, she said, “I see. I can understand that.”
“Right. Although I still couldn’t get rid of her, at least she won’t be causing trouble for this month.”
Feeling that they had wrapped up the heavy topic, Shang Can returned to her usual carefree demeanor, lazily tapping the table and declaring seriously, “Don’t mention what we just talked about to Yun Duan, alright?”
Wan Shao was confused, unable to understand what could possibly be unspoken about the previous conversation. She directly asked, “Why? Yun Zhong Jun experienced the demon tide too; this just sounds like Qin Yi being unreasonable. She wouldn’t come looking for trouble with you, would she?”
“I’m not afraid of her causing trouble for me.” Shang Can shook her head with a smile. “What’s the point of mentioning the demon tides to her? Both times left her with bad memories; she was even angry with me after that demon tide.”
Wan Shao was astonished; she hadn’t expected Yun Zhong Jun could be angry. Curiously, she asked, “Why? Was it because you were too severely injured?”
Shang Can waved her hand, saying seriously, “Because I hid the reason for fighting from her.”
“…”
Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing right now?
This question popped into Wan Shao’s mind, and she felt that Shang Can had likely not noticed it. Unsure of what to say, she coaxed, “… I think you should just come clean. Perhaps Yun Zhong Jun would really want to hear it.”
Seeing Shang Can smile noncommittally, Wan Shao, who was becoming anxious, was just about to repeat her advice when she suddenly heard footsteps from outside the door. She hurriedly closed her mouth and looked at Shang Can. The latter clearly heard it too, instinctively raising her hand to adjust her collar.
The door was gently knocked on, and Yun Duan’s voice came from outside, “I found some medicinal herbs. Can I come in?”
Before Wan Shao could respond, Shang Can stood up first, walked over, and opened the door, lightly laughing, “Isn’t this your own home? Why are you being so formal?”
Yun Duan, standing at the door with a few bottles in her arms, blinked her eyes. Her usually calm expression softened slightly upon seeing Shang Can. She said, “I was afraid Wan Shao was treating your injuries and didn’t want to disturb you both.”
As she spoke, she entered the room with Shang Can, placing the bottles on the table. She spoke softly, “There’s no need for you to come open the door for me; you still can’t see, so it’s better to move around less.”
At the table, Wan Shao, who was fully attentive and had all her limbs intact, couldn’t sit still. She hurriedly raised her hand to defend herself, saying, “It’s not that I was lazy and didn’t come to open the door! It’s just that Shang Can was too quick; I didn’t have time to react!”
As soon as she finished speaking, both of them paused. Shang Can shot her a cold glare, disdainfully remarking, “I see your reactions are quite fast now, aren’t they?”
Wan Shao chuckled awkwardly, obediently closing her mouth and turning her attention to the herbs Yun Duan had brought. Her eyes lit up as she inspected them one by one, exclaiming, “These herbs are quite good, and this bottle looks nice too. I think Shang Can can take these right away. Anyway, with your dilapidated body, any medicine should come in handy…”
“… They say doctors have kind hearts, yet you could say something so cold just now.”
Shang Can instinctively shifted away from Wan Shao, murmuring in a somewhat aggrieved manner, while Yun Duan’s voice beside her carried a hint of amusement, “… I didn’t expect that after all this time, A Can still doesn’t like taking medicine.”
“Who likes taking medicine?”
Shang Can retorted with conviction and added, “As the saying goes, ‘All medicine is three parts poison.'”
She had always disliked taking medicine.
Initially, it was simply because she hated the taste; Shang Can had a sweet tooth, making her even more averse to the lingering bitterness left in her throat after taking medicine. She felt a bit childish, as if she were acting like a child, so she forced herself to finish taking the medicine each time, pretending to be wronged when Yun Duan brought it to her, begging for candy.
Later, after her second disillusionment in Tianwai Tian, she had been prescribed a bunch of medicines by the physicians there after falling into the water. She had even seen that scene again in the illusion after falling into Wangchuan. Shang Can felt that her body had only started to show abnormal symptoms after taking those medicines. Since then, she had become even more resistant to them, only taking them because of the trust she held for Wan Shao.
However, as time passed, the lingering doubts from the past had already faded, yet suddenly, on that fateful night when she unexpectedly met Qin Yi, Shang Can learned of some unspeakable past, piecing together fragments from memories never before revealed. Just as Wan Shao had said, it seemed her luck had never been good, and the opportunity to uncover the truth had come too late, too inopportune.
Perhaps it had started much earlier, beginning with that youkai tide—
She had seen it in Qin Yi’s illusion.
At that time, the youkai tide was raging; she had taken Yun Duan into a cave to hide temporarily but lost consciousness due to her severe injuries.
Shang Can did not know whether what she saw afterward was the real past or, logically speaking, a fabrication by Qin Yi. After all, she remembered that she had indeed passed out, her mind only recalling the memory of struggling to escape with Yun Duan after regaining consciousness.
But when Shang Can witnessed the pale Yun Duan unhesitatingly drawing a long, deep wound on her wrist with a sharp blade and tremblingly bringing it to Shang Can’s lips, desperately trying to make her swallow the blood flowing from her, Shang Can could only feel blankness in her mind.
She suddenly realized that this seemed to be the truth; the cruel yet strangely beautiful scene before her soon became too unbearable to look at. Following that was an unbearable pain, and her spiritual power surged uncontrollably, shattering the illusion under her overwhelming strength. In her last moments of escape, she deeply imprinted the two bloodied figures in her mind, and as her consciousness faded, she seemed to taste something metallic and sweet rising in her dry throat.
Had it been in the past, upon learning of this matter, Shang Can would have sought out Yun Duan to ask for clarification with surprise and heartache. But now, Shang Can found it impossible to approach Yun Duan about it. Too much time had passed, long enough for all circumstances to change, long enough for the consequences of that action to have fully surfaced.
Shang Can’s eyes, hidden beneath the white cloth, dimmed slightly, and a faint bitter smile appeared at the corners of her lips.
—Perhaps it was from that moment on that her body had begun to show signs of distress.
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