At first, Shang Can had no idea that she was a half-demon.
She was merely a traveler. When she arrived in this world, she found herself inexplicably standing in the wilderness, in the body of a young child, with no memory of this body’s past experiences.
Soon after, she was taken back to Qingyu by Wang Shao. Even the strict barriers of the Qingyu immortal sect failed to recognize her true nature, let alone Shang Can herself. She attributed her rapid progress in cultivation to her extraordinary talent, completely oblivious to anything amiss.
Even on the day she first went berserk, Shang Can did not understand what was happening to her. At that time, her heart was like dead ash, she was severely injured, yet miraculously alive, saved by Wang Shao, who had rushed over after hearing the news and had to exert great effort to awaken her.
“Shang Can…” Everything in front of her was blurry, and she could only hear a hint of hesitation in Wang Shao’s voice. Just after waking up, Shang Can moved her head slightly and heard her hesitantly utter an unbelievable phrase, “…You seem to be… half-demon.”
A sharp pain surged through Shang Can’s mind, and her eyes hurt terribly. Despite the discomfort, she managed to prop herself up, stumbling toward the copper mirror on the table. With great effort, she opened her eyes wide and saw for the first time the pair of crimson-gold eyes staring back at her.
She gazed at her reflection for a long time, and ultimately, she spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and fainted again.
Qingyu could not accommodate half-demons.
She could never return.
Even though her demon transformation quickly stopped and she reverted to her original state, and despite Wang Shao’s efforts to find any trace of demonic aura on her, Shang Can could not feel the slightest bit of joy. Sometimes she wondered why the heavenly path played such a cruel joke on her. If she was indeed a half-demon, why had she entered Qingyu, completely unaware of her true nature, only to ultimately harm Yun Duan with the blood of a demon she had hoped to awaken?
Fortunately, that script did not come true.
Shang Can admitted that she had indeed entertained thoughts of giving up on life.
Once she realized she was an anomaly in the world, she could clearly acknowledge that the days of her past could only be left behind, gathering dust in her memories. The burden of her new identity was so heavy that, during sleepless nights, she would suddenly think perhaps her life as Shang Can had already ended. What was the point of struggling to survive in this place?
However, the heavenly path did not intend to let her off so easily. By chance, Shang Can discovered a hidden compartment in the library of Bi Luo Huang Quan, which contained the personal notes of the previous demon lord.
Though it was called a journal, most of it was filled with prescriptions and insights on alchemy. Shang Can was not well-versed in medicine; she only marveled at how proficient the flower demon clan was in this area. Flipping through hastily to the end, she suddenly froze. That page contained only a few lines, yet she read it repeatedly for two hours. When she finally walked out of the library, she felt a dizzying blur before her eyes, and her legs gave out, causing her to stumble against the wall to steady herself, leaving deep impressions on the hard surface.
At this point, she finally understood the true effect of that medicine.
She had obtained that pill from Wang Shao. The two of them were very close, and neither would give in to the other. Once, during a drinking game, she had a stroke of luck and won repeatedly, causing the demon lord to become flushed with drink. Eventually, with trembling hands, she pulled out a delicate little vial from her belongings and stuffed it into Shang Can’s hands.
“This is… a medicine my mother made,” Wang Shao slurred, her words muffled. “It’s very precious… If I hadn’t discovered it only works on humans, I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t give it to you.”
Shang Can opened the vial skeptically and sniffed it, detecting a faint herbal scent. She then asked, “What is this medicine for?”
“I don’t know.”
The flower demon, inebriated, lay sprawled on the table, lethargically replying, “This is my mother’s legacy. She didn’t tell me anything before she passed away.”
“It’s definitely not something bad,” she waved her hand dismissively. “I did some research, and the key ingredient of this medicine is the Heart Lotus Seed. It must be a good medicine for longevity.”
“…I just don’t understand why my mother, a demon, would make this medicine… that only works for humans…”
Wang Shao’s voice gradually grew quieter until it transformed into soft snores. Shang Can found the situation amusing and had no choice but to pocket the pill, turning her attention back to the drunken mess beside her.
She had almost forgotten about this matter until, amidst the charred ruins, Yun Duan lost consciousness in her arms, and dark red flowers began to bloom slowly on her white garment.
In that moment, Shang Can nearly forgot to breathe. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she took out all the medicines she carried with her, applying them to the wound on Yun Duan’s chest, but it was all in vain; the powder was washed away by the blood gushing forth. Shang Can desperately tried to block it with her hands, but all she could feel was Yun Duan’s heartbeat growing weaker and weaker.
The wound clearly came from her own sword, and to Shang Can’s despair, she found herself thinking that Yun Duan’s blood smelled very sweet.
Heavy rain poured around them, mixing with the blood to spread a thin layer of dark red. Shang Can felt as if her mind had gone blank, as if everything around her was a void. Her vision began to blur, and warm liquid streamed from her eyes. Instinctively, she reached up to wipe it away, only to find her hand stained with bright red; her eyes had started bleeding, yet she felt no pain.
In desperation, Shang Can’s hand inadvertently found that vial of medicine.
Looking back now, perhaps it was fate. She knew almost nothing about this medicine, but as her blood stained the pill, she felt a surge of spiritual energy and ultimately chose to feed it to Yun Duan.
She cautiously tried to feed it to Yun Duan several times without success; by that point, Yun Duan could barely swallow on her own. Knowing time was short, Shang Can held the pill in her mouth and bent down.
Yun Duan’s lips were soft and icy. Shang Can pried them apart and tasted the sweet, pristine flavor of her blood.
Almost instantly, a pain exploded within Shang Can’s body as if it had burst open. She had no idea why Yun Duan’s blood tasted familiar; she could only desperately suppress the tremors brought on by the pain, focusing entirely on completing this innocent kiss.
Only when she confirmed that Yun Duan’s throat had twitched slightly did Shang Can feel as if a great weight had been lifted. But unexpectedly, as Yun Duan swallowed the pill, her brows furrowed in pain, and before Shang Can had time to panic, she suddenly leaned in again, her previously passive lips now brushing against Shang Can’s, increasing in intensity until they finally bit down on the corner of her lip.
Shang Can was at a loss for what to do as she allowed Yun Duan to take the lead, suddenly noticing Yun Duan instinctively licking the wound on her lip, and the pain in her brows seemed to ease a little.
It was blood.
In that instant, Shang Can realized the significance of Yun Duan’s actions. She hadn’t thought deeply about the implications, but she quickly pulled back and gripped the Wuyou sword tightly, forcefully drawing it out and bringing the wound to Yun Duan’s lips.
It didn’t matter if the blood flowed away. Shang Can thought, as long as Yun Duan could wake up.
It proved to be meaningful. As the blood flowed into Yun Duan, her breathing gradually steadied. Once Shang Can confirmed that Yun Duan was out of immediate danger, she released her stiff grip, finally noticing that dark, ominous clouds had gathered above them without her realizing it. Those clouds were darker and more foreboding than usual rain clouds, and deep purple lightning flickered ominously within.
Shang Can had seen such phenomena in books; it was the manifestation of impending heavenly thunder.
It could be the birth of a great demon attracting the heavenly path’s wrath or someone defying the heavens and incurring punishment. Shang Can didn’t know the origin of the heavenly thunder she was about to face, but it felt like both possibilities were likely. She stood unsteadily, her body inexplicably feeling heavier, as if it had lost much of its vitality. She had no time to dwell on it; she hurriedly carried Yun Duan to a rain-sheltered ruin, barely managing to set up a protective barrier with her spiritual energy before fleeing just ahead of the impending thunder.
She hadn’t run far before the first bolt of lightning struck. At that moment, the paper crane she had prepared to send a message was obliterated, instantly turning to ashes as the lightning landed squarely on her shoulder. Shang Can’s mind reeled, and the immense pain in her body felt trivial compared to the damage to her spirit. She barely maintained her consciousness and ran as fast as she could, putting distance between herself and Yun Duan.
Before the fourth bolt of lightning could strike, Shang Can finally managed to fold another paper crane. It was probably the ugliest paper crane she had ever made, crooked and misshapen. She held on with a breath and used a summoning technique to urgently relay Yun Duan’s location, not mentioning a single word about her own situation. With all her remaining energy, she protected the paper crane from the thunder, watching it fly towards Qingyu.
At that moment, Shang Can felt she had done all she could. She resolved not to run anymore, as she truly couldn’t move a step. She stood quietly in place, reflecting on how her body had indeed changed; if she were still an ordinary human, she likely wouldn’t be able to withstand even a single bolt of heavenly thunder.
When the sixth bolt struck, Shang Can fell to one knee. By the seventh bolt, she was curled up on the ground. By the eighth bolt, she simply wished for it all to end.
The thunder grew fiercer, as if the heavens were determined to eradicate her. The ninth bolt was especially terrifying; the thunder roared like an enraged dragon, and the fierce purple lightning descended from above, capable of reducing her to ashes. Shang Can should have perished beneath that bolt.
But she didn’t. The jade talisman of the Qingyu disciples activated in the nick of time, standing firm against the heavenly thunder, only to turn to dust.
Shang Can did not move. She couldn’t even lift a finger; she could only struggle to widen her eyes in a daze, staring at the dust falling from the sky. The storm clouds gradually dispersed, perhaps because the heavenly path had vented its anger, and the rain slowly stopped, as if nothing had ever happened.
This was fine, Shang Can thought.
Even if she had died as Shang Can, she was already dead.
Shang Can closed her eyes, surrounded by silence.
She jolted awake in pain.
Everything around her was pitch black, indicating it was still nighttime. The campfire that had burned earlier had long since died down. Shang Can hurriedly summoned heavenly fire to illuminate the cave once more.
It seemed she had unknowingly fallen asleep, and the scenes from her dream still lingered in her mind. Shang Can instinctively rubbed her temples, only to be startled by the sharp pain radiating from her palm, reminding her of her recent injury.
The wound from her dream overlapped with her real injury, and Shang Can stared blankly at her palm, momentarily lost in thought.
After a while, she slowly removed the silk pouch from her waist and took out a page of yellowed paper that seemed to have been torn from a book.
ã€Fate is difficult to measure, yet it can still be divided; still, to live and die together.】
Shang Can’s gaze flickered, and she sighed silently.
It was fortunate for her. The relics of her mother, which Wan Shao had failed to find, had been discovered by her accidentally, revealing the truth of what she had done for Yun Duan.
That truly was a unique spiritual herb in the world. It used blood as a medium, allowing her to successfully divide her life force in half for Yun Duan, enabling her to survive.
But this was not a one-time solution; Shang Can’s life was now bound together with Yun Duan’s. They were fated to live and die together; if anything happened to Shang Can, Yun Duan could not survive alone.
What did this mean… what did this mean?
Shang Can found it hard to articulate her feelings upon realizing this. She felt absurdly grateful; she had never been so thankful that she didn’t die under that heavenly thunder, never so thankful to still be alive.
Her own life was still tied to Yun Duan’s, like two people separated by vast mountains and rivers, yet connected by a flimsy, swaying thread. Yun Duan remained unaware of this, but at that moment, she fell into panic.
Her body had been severely injured by the heavenly thunder, leaving behind many incurable ailments, and for the rest of her life, she would likely have to coexist with bitter medicine. With such a fragile life, floating like a paper kite, she didn’t even know how long she could live. How could she ensure that Yun Duan remained tied to her?
Fortunately, there was still a way.
If she could give half, she could naturally give another half.
Shang Can didn’t tell anyone about this matter. After tearing out the last page of her notes that contained the prescription, she handed the notes to Wan Shao. She knew her actions were inappropriate, but deep down, she understood that if Wan Shao were to discover this, she would never allow her to do it. So, Shang Can decided to conceal it, letting Wan Shao believe that her search for the heart lotus seed was purely for healing.
She felt a lot of guilt toward her friend. She wouldn’t have made it this far without Wan Shao’s help and treatment. Over the years, Shang Can had done many things to assist the Bi Luo Huang Quan, but nothing could repay this debt of gratitude. Now that Wan Shao had returned to Bi Luo Huang Quan, she would surely see the cold and ruthless farewell letter Shang Can had written, and it would probably drive her mad.
She knew that in her haphazard life, she had accumulated many debts that would be hard to repay in the end, turning into a confusing mess, simply cut off hastily.
Shang Can knew she was reckless; she didn’t want to share a fate of living and dying together. She only wanted Yun Duan to live well, to live safely and steadily, unbound by anyone or anything, to have a long and peaceful life.
She knew that if she acted on her own, Yun Duan would surely be angry with her, just as she had been before.
But that was alright, Shang Can thought.
It might be better for Yun Duan to hate her than to love her.
Comment