The past cannot be held onto.
At this time yesterday, Shang Can was still in Yun City, veiling her crimson-golden eyes, putting on a facade of innocence and frailty, living a peaceful life free from conflict.
Today, however, she could only wake up in a concealed, dim cave, venturing out to fetch clean water, then carefully feeding it to the still-sleeping Yun Duan.
Shang Can knew she had little time. Firstly, the immortal realm was likely in chaos, and it wouldn’t be long before they began searching for her, the culprit responsible for releasing the evil spirits. Secondly, she was worried about Yun Duan’s health; although she had chosen mild medicines, if she slept for too long, it would still likely cause some discomfort.
Fortunately, over the years she had scoured the world, and apart from the Dao Heart Lotus Seeds, she had gathered all the other ingredients from the prescription. Now, she just needed to concoct the medicine. Shang Can had secretly studied pharmacology over the years, and now she could handle it with considerable skill. The wound on her hand, which had stopped bleeding, was cruelly reopened as she squeezed it, causing fresh blood to drip into the medicine pot, releasing a faint red mist.
She spent an entire day forming the pills, and the process went surprisingly smoothly. Perhaps even the heavenly path wanted to end this all quickly, Shang Can thought. After living all these years, she was finally approaching self-destruction; surely the heavenly path that hadn’t killed her back then would be pleased.
After a decade, Shang Can finally obtained this pill, trembling slightly as she held it in her hands.
This nameless pill could exchange lives. Here, there were two individuals left with only half a life each; whoever consumed it would receive a complete fate from the other person.
Although Shang Can was already very weak, she felt an inexplicable urge to smile. To this day, the reason her friend Wan Shao’s mother had created this medicine was no longer traceable, but without it, both individuals in the cave would have likely perished in that incident years ago—she would certainly have died alongside Yun Duan, a thought she had never doubted.
Now, if one person could survive, it was already a tremendous stroke of luck.
Shang Can quietly approached the stone bed, gently cradling Yun Duan in her arms, momentarily holding her breath.
She wondered if after entering the ghost realm, she would have a chance to thank this flower demon elder in person.
Shang Can silently smiled, then carefully placed the pill into Yun Duan’s mouth, watching as she swallowed it.
At the moment she saw Yun Duan’s throat move, the weight that had hung over Shang Can’s heart finally lifted. She felt immensely relieved, exhaling a long breath of relief, allowing herself a moment to bury her face in Yun Duan’s hair, secretly inhaling the unique, cool fragrance of the person in her embrace while she was still asleep.
As soon as Shang Can sensed Yun Duan’s shoulders slightly tense, she immediately raised her head. Indeed, she saw Yun Duan’s brows furrowed slightly in pain, a situation Shang Can was no longer unfamiliar with. She casually sliced open her own wound, pressing her bleeding palm against Yun Duan’s lips—
Yun Duan gasped, suddenly turning her head away.
She clearly wasn’t fully awake yet, and the pain in her expression was still evident, but her rejection was unmistakable and resolute, as if it were a reflex.
Shang Can was taken aback, watching helplessly as her blood dripped onto Yun Duan’s white robes. She awkwardly reached out to wipe it away, only making it worse.
After hesitating for a moment, she carefully leaned closer, testingly wiping her blood on Yun Duan’s lips, and indeed saw the pain in her brow lessen slightly.
Shang Can felt relieved and tried to feed her blood again, but Yun Duan stubbornly kept her lips sealed. Shang Can couldn’t tell if the person in her arms was aware, yet she unconsciously softened her voice, gently whispering in Yun Duan’s ear, “…It’s alright.”
“Yun Duan… Duan’er, it’s alright.”
Her voice was soothing, carrying a power that eased tension, gently coaxing, “It will be alright soon.”
The long standoff finally shifted, and sensing the life force ebbing within her, Shang Can felt a breath of relief. She didn’t dare look at Yun Duan too long; her gaze darted around, instinctively passing over Yun Duan’s waist, and then suddenly stopped, staring blankly for a while.
That mark must have disappeared, Shang Can thought, or at least it should be nearly gone.
When Yun Duan had wandered through Bi Luo Huang Quan at night, she had seen that mark but didn’t understand it at the time. When she saw it again the second time, she had been forced to touch it, realizing something was subtly different—Yun Duan seemed to instinctively want her to touch that spot during her night wandering.
She only had a vague understanding of the fate division, but she thought that the appearance of that mark at that moment must be related to it. Shang Can even began to suspect that Yun Duan’s night wandering was connected to this matter, after all, night wandering was also known as the soul-separation syndrome; if one quantified a person’s life in terms of the three souls and seven spirits, Yun Duan was indeed incomplete.
If, after today, Yun Duan’s night wandering could be cured, that would be even better.
She just didn’t know what the significance of that mark was, Shang Can thought. Perhaps it was to highlight her mixed blood identity as a demon, but even Wan Shao had never seen such a totem.
As for what exactly kind of demon she was, Wan Shao couldn’t uncover the truth either. Shang Can couldn’t transform into a regular demon form; when partially transformed, she only had a pair of crimson-golden eyes. Her awakened heavenly fire ability was unique, but it was too unique; even the oldest elder of the demon clan had said he had never seen such an ability, and Shang Can could only give up.
Pretending to be a demonic cultivator was Wan Shao’s idea. On one hand, demonic cultivators’ techniques were often strange and could adequately explain her unprecedented heavenly fire; on the other hand, it could also conceal her half-demon identity in Bi Luo Huang Quan—after all, being a half-demon that had never existed before, if exposed to someone with ill intentions, she would likely be beset by a mob of madmen wanting to capture her as a collectible.
It was quite unfortunate; she was just an ordinary transmigrator, yet she had ended up as a unique half-demon in the entire world. She truly had never been very lucky.
Not knowing how long she had been lost in thought, when the sky outside began to brighten, Shang Can gently laid Yun Duan back down, gazing intently at her peaceful slumber on the stone bed, her lips tinged with a faint hue of red, an unexpectedly charming color.
Shang Can quietly watched for a moment, and in the end, hesitantly reached out to slightly lift the hem of Yun Duan’s clothing.
On her fair and delicate waist and abdomen, the originally ancient and rounded patterns of the totem had completely disappeared.
Shortly after the spirit paper crane flew out, Shang Can heard the sound of sword flight piercing the sky from afar.
Had Chu Ming arrived so quickly?
She raised her brow in confusion but quickly dismissed the thought. The sword sounds were not just one; there were many, too numerous for her to count. The sounds were sharp and unpleasant, and it was easy to discern the anger and murderous intent of the owner within.
It seemed her whereabouts had been exposed, Shang Can thought, faster than she had imagined.
However, she wasn’t overly flustered; after all, she had known that this day would come eventually. Their arrival being a bit earlier wasn’t a problem; it only slightly disrupted her plans.
Shang Can stood up and took a deep look at Yun Duan. Yun Duan lay there asleep, her demeanor calm as snow, her once-knitted brows now relaxed. She slept peacefully, the morning light glimmering on her long lashes, as if she were dreaming something beautiful, and no one in this world would dare disturb her.
Perhaps this would be the last glance, Shang Can thought. Should she do something?
But what should she do? Should she hug Yun Duan? Should she leave a paper crane? Should she say something to her?
It seemed like she could do anything, yet also like nothing would be right. Shang Can didn’t know how to describe the conflicting feelings in her heart and finally just silently lowered her gaze.
She turned and slowly walked out of the cave, not looking back.
When she reached the edge of the sky, Shang Can realized she felt somewhat weak, as if she were a person who hadn’t seen the sun in a long time. When she looked up at the sky, she felt a blinding dizziness.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she confirmed that the hidden barrier she had set was functioning, and then she left alone.
Walking through the mountains as if enjoying the spring, Shang Can continued until she sensed a warning energy approaching, causing her to stop. She saw a talisman suddenly fall a short distance in front of her.
She paused for a moment, slowly raised her eyes, and offered a gentle smile to the person before her, but hidden behind the white jade mask, he probably didn’t see it.
“…Long time no see. Are you here to find me?”
Before her stood Pei Chen, his shocked expression betraying his usual composure, his eyes filled with disbelief and anger at being deceived. His shoulders trembled violently as he spoke in a low voice, “…Your eyes… you, you really are a half-demon?”
Catching the words in his speech, Shang Can raised her brow in confusion and asked, “‘Really’? Has someone already told you about this before?”
“…”
Logically, this should have been impossible; after all, apart from her, only Wan Shao knew about her half-demon identity. But Pei Chen fell silent, his once-handsome face gradually contorting with an unexpected bitterness.
“…I’ve indeed heard something,” Pei Chen finally spoke after a long while, his voice dripping with barely contained hatred. “I initially thought it was just nonsense; I never expected that what she said was true…”
“Then the other thing she told me must also be…”
Shang Can sensed the dangerous chill in his eyes from a distance. Her hand instinctively moved to the hilt of her sword—
Shang Can froze, suddenly realizing that she had brought Fei Wang with her. She hadn’t intended to do so, planning to leave both Fei Wang and Wu You with Yun Duan. It wouldn’t have been useful for her to take them, so it was better to leave them with Yun Duan, as they might still have some utility.
In an instant, the situation before her changed. Cultivators who arrived slightly later than Pei Chen quickly descended on their swords, forming a crowd behind him. Each one glared at Shang Can with anger, but within those gazes was also a hint of unfamiliar emotion. Perhaps it was an uncomfortable reaction to her crimson-golden eyes; Shang Can felt a twinge of fear from their stares.
“Deputy Sect Master, that’s her—”
“Those eyes… she’s not human!”
“Shang Can… Shang Can is actually a demon… no wonder she was in Bi Luo Huang Quan…”
From their exclamations, it seemed that the news of her being a half-demon hadn’t spread far. Shang Can felt a bit puzzled but couldn’t ask Pei Chen in front of so many people. She tentatively glanced at him, only to meet his lifeless gaze.
Pei Chen’s expression was flat, as if he had gathered his emotions, and he stepped forward slowly, raising his hand to signal the cultivators behind him to be quiet. They immediately understood and fell silent.
“Shang Can.”
He spoke in a low voice, devoid of any emotion, but Shang Can heightened her vigilance, hearing him ask, “A few days ago, the Ghost Gate was breached, allowing many spirits to return to the mortal realm, causing heavy casualties.”
“The source has been traced to Tianwai Tian, which is now a wasteland, scorched earth, clearly the work of heavenly fire.” Pei Chen paused. “Do you have anything to say in your defense?”
This sounded like he was giving her a chance to explain, but Shang Can could sense that Pei Chen was merely going through the motions, pretending to be fair.
That was fine; after all, she had no intention of defending herself. Without hesitation, Shang Can nodded decisively, her voice gentle, “It was indeed me.”
Her admission caused a stir among the cultivators. Shang Can quietly listened to their angry curses while seeing Pei Chen’s grim smile. He raised his hand again to silence them, his eyes fixed intently on Shang Can as he called out, “Shang Can has already confessed!”
“Today’s events are a personal affront to me,” he said through clenched teeth, his voice filled with loathing. “I received news the other day—our Tianwai Tian’s Frostfall Monarch and the previous Deputy Sect Master, Qin Yi, both died at the hands of this fiend. Pei Chen today… will certainly seek justice!”
The long-held grudge was deeper than the sea, and suddenly, Shang Can understood whose scheme this was. She found it amusing, and laughed quietly.
She had always struggled to understand what Qin Yi truly intended and had no desire to ponder it further. Shang Can acknowledged that she indeed committed these acts, unafraid of what others might say; after all, she herself admitted that her deeds weren’t noble. She had no plans to deny it, but neither would she bow her head in surrender. Even if she had given her life to Yun Duan, she was only a step away from running out of time, yet she still wished to keep her whole corpse intact. Whoever wanted her head would have to earn it themselves.
Shang Can wasn’t sure what to make of her own feelings. She was clearly at peace with her mindset but felt a twinge of rebelliousness. Among the eager cultivators behind Pei Chen, there were no members of Qing Yu. A brief glance was enough to drain her interest, and her grip on the sword hilt tightened before she relaxed it again.
The people from Tianwai Tian recognized this sword; she couldn’t use it.
She felt somewhat fatigued.
Before the battle erupted, Shang Can shifted her gaze from Pei Chen’s hate-filled eyes to the horizon, squinting against the blinding sunlight.
Today was a fine day with gentle winds and warm sunlight; it wasn’t too bad after all.
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