They spent quite a long time in the apothecary. Wan Shao seemed somewhat satisfied with the herb supplies in Yun City, writing out three prescriptions with ease and instructing the shopkeeper to prepare the daily amounts. Out of respect for Yun Duan, the shopkeeper was exceedingly enthusiastic, volunteering to take on the task of delivering the herbs to them every day.
Finally, they left the apothecary. The sickly Shang Can, who had been sitting idly by without being of any help, let out a long sigh, prompting Wan Shao to laugh, “You look like a dog that finally escaped after being rolled around by someone.”
In a sense, she wasn’t wrong. Exhausted from dealing with Yun Duan’s relatives, Shang Can didn’t bother to respond.
The warmth of Yun City’s people didn’t wane once their task of buying medicine was complete. Yun Duan had initially wanted to take Shang Can and Wan Shao for a stroll around Yun City, but everywhere they went, they encountered acquaintances. As a result, most of their time was spent in conversation.
This was mainly true for Yun Duan and the people of Yun City. Since she was already not very talkative, after Shang Can joined the conversation, she spoke even less, merely holding onto Shang Can’s hand tightly, showing no intention of letting go.
Seeing her like this, Shang Can found it hard to suggest that she face things alone and had to adopt a modest and polite demeanor, taking over the conversation from time to time while inwardly cursing the idle Wan Shao beside them for being such a low-maintenance companion.
When lunchtime came, the three of them casually found a restaurant. Shang Can finally managed to catch her breath, but just as they finished their meal and stepped outside, she heard a loud voice nearby. Aunt Wang, calling out energetically, greeted her, “Little Immortal, you’re here to eat too?”
Great, now the whole street knew that Shang Can was the disciple of Qing Yu who had saved Yun Duan during the demon tide in Yun City.
The people of Yun City became even more enthusiastic, rushing over without giving Shang Can and the others a chance to refuse. They chattered away, finalizing plans for a banquet that evening. Shang Can felt both amused and helpless, looking to Yun Duan for help, but she simply nodded lightly and said, “That’s fine; Ah Can should eat more at the banquet.”
… Sigh, she had already eaten quite a bit these past few days, but it seemed her junior sister still thought it wasn’t enough.
“You wouldn’t understand,” Wan Shao said with a sigh, placing a hand on her shoulder, speaking in a tone of profound wisdom. “Unless you suddenly gain a few pounds and your eyesight improves without injury for a year or two, Yun Zhongjun will always think you’re not eating enough.”
Shang Can remained silent and shrugged Wan Shao’s hand off her shoulder.
That night, in the restaurant.
After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere was quite lively. Although Shang Can couldn’t see, the noise indicated that there were definitely a lot of people.
Although this banquet was ostensibly set up for her, most attendees were likely there for Yun Duan. After all, she didn’t enjoy noisy places, and it was a rare occasion to have Yun Zhongjun in attendance. Therefore, Yun Duan was surrounded by people, making it hard for her to escape.
With her delicate appearance and good conversational skills, coupled with her eyes covered by a white cloth, Shang Can naturally evoked the pity and affection of the older generation. The people of Yun City quickly warmed up to her, engaging her in conversation almost as much as they did with Yun Duan. However, most of the topics still revolved around Yun Duan: “I heard something happened at the Tianwaitian debate conference a while back. Did you attend, little girl?”
She thought to herself, not only did I attend, but most of the trouble can be attributed to me. Shang Can smiled calmly and replied, “I went. Yun Zhongjun has profound cultivation and didn’t suffer any losses.”
The injury to someone hadn’t been investigated yet, and Shang Can didn’t plan to mention it here to cause concern. As expected, she heard a sigh of relief from the person next to her, who lamented, “Cultivating immortality is still dangerous. Both you and Yun Duan look so frail; how can you withstand the attacks from those demons and monsters?”
There was a note of worry in their words, clearly perceiving the two of them as fragile girls. Understanding this was an elder’s concern, Shang Can felt it was rare to experience this. She paused for a moment before responding, “… There’s no need to worry too much; I will protect her…”
“That’s not how it works! Look at your eyes; you need to take care of yourself first,” a middle-aged woman sighed, suddenly changing her tone, asking teasingly, “By the way, little girl, are you married yet? I have a son who should be about your age. If you’re not married, I can introduce you…”
What the heck!
Shang Can jumped in shock, never expecting to receive such an invitation in Yun City. She quickly refused, saying, “No, no need! I… I’m not thinking about that at the moment. I wish your son finds a good match soon…”
But the person in front of her clearly wasn’t ready to give up. Shang Can found it hard to handle such topics and, after a few more exchanges, excused herself to go wash her face and left the banquet.
She slipped outside, letting the cool evening breeze brush against her flushed cheeks. She hadn’t really lied; she truly couldn’t handle her liquor and couldn’t drink much. Now feeling a bit dizzy, she planned to rest for a while before returning, at least before Yun Duan noticed she was gone.
However, just two minutes after stepping outside, she heard Wan Shao’s surprised voice: “You—what are you doing here? Go back in and drink!”
Her tone seemed to carry a hint of guilt, and Shang Can noticed that her words were somewhat slurred. She raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, “How did you come back? What did you eat?”
Wan Shao discreetly swallowed the chestnut cake she had sneaked out to buy and replied, enunciating clearly, “I didn’t eat anything; you must have misheard.”
Shang Can was half-convinced but didn’t intend to dig deeper. She lazily waved her hand and said, “I just felt like I couldn’t drink anymore, so I came out to get some air.”
“Oh, actually, I feel the same way,” Wan Shao quickly agreed. “It’s rare for Yun Zhongjun to let you out, so I might as well talk to you about something serious.”
Her earlier statement sounded too natural, making Shang Can frown and retort, “What do you mean by letting me out? You make it sound like she’s holding me captive… What’s so serious?”
After all, she hadn’t seen Yun Zhongjun loosen her grip on her all day. If there were conditions, wouldn’t it be true that she could really keep you confined? Wan Shao shook off those thoughts and said seriously, “I’ve already sent Night Crow to look into Qin Yi’s whereabouts, and I’ve set up some undercover guards in Yun City. Safety should be somewhat guaranteed.”
“Okay.”
Shang Can nodded and replied, “Thank you for your trouble—won’t sneaking out to move the Bi Luo Huang Quan’s men get you caught by the Elders?”
“… Don’t mention that. If they want to catch me, I won’t be able to escape anyway.”
Wan Shao wearily rubbed her face and then changed the topic, “I also heard from Night Crow that Pei Chen, the leader of Tianwaitian, stated earlier today that the incident at the debate conference had nothing to do with Bi Luo Huang Quan—he’s a good person. Although he doesn’t have substantial evidence, since he spoke up, the public opinion on this matter should change soon.”
Shang Can tightened her lips, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her, and quietly said, “… Then I owe him a favor.”
“Let’s not talk about that,” Wan Shao said, not here for formalities. She added excitedly, “The slander against Bi Luo Huang Quan for attacking Tianwaitian can be resolved, and we know who took the Dao Heart Lotus—getting it back shouldn’t be difficult! Even your reputation has benefited a lot from spending time with Yun Zhongjun these days, and everything is moving in a positive direction now!”
Noticing that she had more to say, Shang Can tilted her head, and indeed, she heard Wan Shao lean in closer and whisper, “… Once we retrieve the Dao Heart Lotus and heal your body, will you be able to—”
The last part of Wan Shao’s sentence trailed off, and Shang Can felt annoyed at herself for understanding the implication. After a pause, she raised her hand and pushed Wan Shao’s head away, saying disdainfully, “Stop talking nonsense.”
“How can this be nonsense!” Wan Shao immediately retorted, not pleased, and argued, “Look, everyone in Yun City seems to like you two together. I see that the portions in your bowls are larger than anyone else’s—why not just settle down here afterward? You won’t even have to buy a house.”
What a load of nonsense! Shang Can quickly wiped away the image conjured by her words and leaned back against the wall, the coldness seeping through her clothes cooling her heated body. She chuckled and said, “What’s this? Is Bi Luo Huang Quan trying to kick me out?”
Just as she finished speaking, she felt Wan Shao suddenly pinch her face, catching the unseen Shang Can off guard. She quickly raised her hands to swat at Wan Shao, but the latter was relentless, and they ended up in a playful scuffle for a while until Wan Shao finally released her grip, panting with irritation.
“I’m not joking with you,” Wan Shao panted, angrily scolding her, “Stop dodging my questions and changing the subject—just tell me, once we get the Dao Heart Lotus back, what are your plans?”
“…”
Shang Can silently rubbed her sore cheek, sighing inwardly at how merciless Wan Shao’s grip had been, and replied faintly, “I have no plans; I’ll just handle things as they come.”
“Why not?”
Angered by her unreserved determination, Wan Shao barely managed to suppress her raised voice, gritting her teeth as she said, “We’ve come this far, what more do you want to say? You’ve finally recognized your junior sister, and she hasn’t blamed you. You’ll be living here in Yun City together for the next few days—what’s so bad about that?”
Of course, there was nothing bad about it.
Shang Can paused her breathing, slowly retracting her hand and folding her arms across her chest.
Perhaps because this was Yun Duan’s homeland, the people here were gentler towards her. It had been a long time since she received such a warm welcome; having spent so long as a demon cultivator, she had grown accustomed to being scorned wherever she went.
Yun City was a beautiful place, radiating the gentle warmth of a Jiangnan water town. It was no wonder that someone as pure and ethereal as Yun Duan could arise from such a locale.
If it weren’t for the upheaval caused by the demon tide, Yun Duan would have grown up in such a city, surrounded by the fervent love of the people, eventually being asked about marriage by the neighbor’s aunt, and living a happy and peaceful life.
“What are you daydreaming about?”
Wan Shao interpreted her silence as unwillingness to cooperate. The usually serious flower spirit lowered her voice, revealing genuine irritation, “Shang Can, don’t tell me that after all this, you still think of her only as your junior sister?”
What else could she think? She only had Yun Duan as her junior sister.
Wanting to laugh it off and steer the conversation elsewhere, Shang Can found her throat inexplicably tight, unable to speak. She couldn’t help but continue to ponder her previous thoughts: if it hadn’t been for that demon tide—or if Yun Duan hadn’t been the flawless immortal body.
She likely wouldn’t have had a junior sister, and instead, she would have lived her life as the sole descendant of Yuheng Peak, a prodigy.
They would have never crossed paths again; their trajectories would remain forever apart. Perhaps one day, while passing through Yun City, she would simply brush past that person on the street and sigh, acknowledging the beauty of Jiangnan’s water towns.
If she had known it would be so heartbreaking.
Now, after having made so many mistakes, she had to first rectify those errors before she could entertain any feelings of love or attachment—
As for how she felt about Yun Duan, or even how Yun Duan felt about her…
Shang Can fell silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up and softly called out, “Yun Duan?”
“…”
From a concealed spot at the entrance, a figure emerged, dressed in white that gleamed like snow, their stunning features half-hidden in the night. The person wore a calm expression, and Wan Shao couldn’t tell how much she had heard, only able to watch in fear as she walked towards Shang Can.
“Why are you out here?” Shang Can smiled as if nothing had happened, straightening from her lean against the wall. “The people inside must be eager to speak with you.”
“I didn’t see you at the table,” Yun Duan replied, her voice steady and calm. “So I came out to look for you.”
“Is that so?” Shang Can smiled lightly, casually patting the hem of her garment. “Then let’s go back.”
Without waiting for a response, Shang Can turned and walked back into the tavern, her silhouette appearing somewhat frail.
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