Wan Shao looked at the dark circles under Shang Can’s eyes and hesitated to speak.
Since arriving at Tianwaitian, those shadows hadn’t faded once. Even if Tianwaitian’s morning bell rang early, could a dignified cultivator really be reduced to such a haggard state just from waking up? If she didn’t know that Shang Can was under significant psychological pressure, she would genuinely suspect her of having nightly trysts behind her back.
“I found the array core last night,” Shang Can said, immediately dispelling her suspicions. Wan Shao looked at her with a mix of shock and guilt; Shang Can was half-closing her eyes listlessly, failing to notice her friend’s changing expression. “I was afraid of alerting them if I undid it then. Tonight, we’ll dismantle the barrier and leave.”
“Fine—wait, what?” Wan Shao stopped mid-sentence, her eyes flashing with renewed suspicion. “We? You and me? What about the Heart-Dao Lotus Seed? Is it coming with us?”
“Great question. Why don’t you go ask it yourself?” Shang Can turned away gloomily, exhaustion written all over her face. “I’ve tried looking. Given that it’s nowhere to be found, it’s probably tucked under the Sect Leader’s pillow. If you want to go poke around there, I won’t stop you, but don’t drag me into it.”
“If we just go back like this, wasn’t this whole trip just a vacation?!”
Seeing Wan Shao’s eyes widen and her voice rise, Shang Can cleared her throat and began a serious-sounding load of nonsense.
“Look, even if I stay, I might not win the top prize. Don’t get angry, listen—even if I did win, I’d have to beat the Lord of the Clouds and Lord Yushan. I’d become the center of attention, which is definitely not a good thing.” Shang Can shot Wan Shao a look, signaling that their fake backgrounds wouldn’t survive close scrutiny. Then she shifted gears: “Besides, just because I leave today doesn’t mean I can’t get the seed later.”
“I can just snatch it from whoever wins. It’s much easier than fighting through days of matches, right?”
…It sounded logical, but in this context, it was highly dubious.
Wan Shao wasn’t fooled. She gave a scornful laugh. “And if Yun Duan wins?”
Shang Can’s expression was earnest: “I’ll snatch it.”
“Your eyes are wandering. Look at me when you say that.”
“I’ll snatch it. I’ll snatch it.”
“Everything you say sounds like a lie!”
Choosing to be selectively deaf to Wan Shao’s protests, Shang Can felt the most important thing in the world was to escape Yun Duan’s vicinity. Everything else could wait. Although she couldn’t pinpoint the source of her ominous premonition, she felt that if things continued this way, nothing good would happen—for her or for Yun Duan.
Finding the array core had taken longer than expected. It had been three days since her last encounter with Yun Duan. Thanks to her tightrope-walk of caution, she had successfully avoided her for those three days.
This state of constant vigilance was exhausting. Shang Can had tossed and turned all night, falling into a fitful sleep only to wake up screaming from nightmares of Yun Duan’s frost-cold face and emotionless questions.
Why?
The most common of words, yet between them, it was heavy with complexity. Shang Can could think of several specific directions that question could take, but none she could answer clearly. If possible, she wanted to ask “why” too—like why she had to avoid the Junior Sister she once adored like a plague, or why—
“The matchups for the next round are out, Senior Sister.”
The sudden call made Shang Can jump. She glared at the nonchalant Wan Shao, cut off her train of thought, and followed the other cultivators toward the arena to draw her lot. Even though she planned to flee tonight, she had to act normal until then to avoid suspicion.
Soon it was her turn. Shang Can lightly touched the bamboo cylinder and injected a wisp of spiritual energy. The cylinder rattled and spat out a wooden slip into her palm.
Shang Can took one look, and her face instantly changed.
The seal script on the slender slip seemed to mock her. No matter how many times she blinked, it didn’t change. The rage and shock were so overwhelming that she actually started laughing.
Three hundred and seventy-five: Yun Duan of Qingyu
Great. I refuse to believe there isn’t some backroom manipulation going on here…! Who is behind this—
Shang Can gritted her teeth and stepped down from the stage, her head spinning. She tried not to think about whether Yun Duan already knew. She just thought bitterly that she really did have a few “whys” to ask now.
…Why was it that since coming to Tianwaitian, she and Yun Duan were like two magnets? Why couldn’t she escape?
“I don’t want to go.”
Shang Can was squatting on the ground like a mushroom, her voice muffled. Wan Shao stood beside her like a temple guardian, arms crossed, sneering repeatedly.
“Senior Sister, your match is about to start. What are you doing squatting there?”
“Watching ants move house. And can you stop calling me that?”
“You didn’t hold back when you were calling me ‘Junior Sister,’ did you?”
What a vengeful spirit. Shang Can ignored her and focused on the ants.
“What’s so interesting?” Wan Shao leaned in, then pulled back, impatient. “If you don’t go over there, that acting Sect Leader is going to shout your name across all of Tianwaitian—even the ants would be embarrassed for you!”
What’s there to be embarrassed about? They’re shouting a fake name anyway.
Shang Can didn’t speak. She slowly fished out a piece of candy, unwrapped it, and placed it on the ground, seemingly prepared to watch ants eat sugar until nightfall.
“You’re wasting food!” Wan Shao snapped, trying to yank Shang Can up by the sleeve. “It’s just one fight! You—”
She suddenly cut off. When she spoke again, her voice was uncharacteristically weak and submissive: “Lord… Lord of the Clouds.”
Shang Can jolted up as if facing a mortal enemy, but looking around, she saw no one.
Realizing she’d been tricked, she looked gloomily at the snickering Wan Shao and folded her arms.
“Oh, look at you.” Wan Shao, the unrepentant liar, winked mischievously. “Since you care so much, just be direct.” She glanced at Shang Can and shrugged. “I don’t know the full story between you two, but in my opinion… haven’t you been quite happy lately?”
Shang Can opened her mouth reflexively, but her mind was empty of rebuttals.
“Being a little selfish won’t bring down divine punishment.” Wan Shao spoke with righteous conviction, patting Shang Can’s shoulder. “You cultivators worry too much. If something makes you happy, do it. You just said you’d steal the seed from the winner, but now you won’t even fight a match? You’re definitely lying to me—”
She started getting angry again, but Shang Can was no longer listening to her.
If asked if she was happy lately—Shang Can searched her heart. She was, just a little. She hadn’t seen Yun Duan for a long, long time. If only life were as simple as “refreshing rain after a long drought” or “meeting an old friend in a foreign land.”
“…Fine. I’ll go.”
Shang Can suddenly changed her mind and wandered toward the arena. Consider it a way to make up for a “take care” she never got to say.
Being selfish won’t bring divine punishment. I hope.
Shang Can arrived at the arena just in time. The cultivators waiting to see the Lord of the Clouds in action were growing impatient, urging her to get on stage.
The person on the stage remained silent, watching her quietly. Her white clothes were like snow, yet she possessed a daunting aura.
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
Her tone was unreadable. Shang Can smiled faintly. “A victory by forfeit—wouldn’t that be good?”
Yun Duan shook her head. Her right hand slowly rested on the hilt of Wuyou. Her ink-black eyes gazed directly at Shang Can standing below the stage.
“You are strong.”
“Do not hold back.”
Their brief exchange had already sparked whispers in the crowd, and Yun Duan’s direct praise made the cultivators stare at Shang Can with renewed interest.
“The Lord of the Clouds actually praised someone as strong…” “I think I know her. She won her last match in one move without even drawing her sword.”
Shang Can was no stranger to such awe-filled gazes. For a moment, she felt as if she had returned to her days as the brilliant, spirited Shang Can of Qingyu.
In a daze, she asked instinctively, “And if I do hold back?”
“…”
Yun Duan tilted her head, pondering for a long while before speaking hesitantly.
“…A few days ago, you ate my sugar cakes.”
Unbelievable. She makes it sound like I stole them. What a way to twist the facts, Lord of the Clouds.
Shang Can wanted to laugh. She curved her lips, rested her hand on her sword, and sighed.
“Then there’s no helping it. Since I’ve committed such a heinous crime, it seems I must—”
Mid-sentence, a sudden chill washed over Shang Can. She kicked off the ground, drawing her sword in a blur. In an instant, she charged toward the edge of the crowd, thrusting her blade toward a cultivator without hesitation.
The strike was unadorned but incredibly fast. No one around could react. The cultivator watched the blade approach, unable even to scream, and instinctively closed her eyes.
“…Huh?”
The sound of a blade entering flesh followed, but the pain didn’t. The cultivator opened her eyes trembling, just in time to see Shang Can pulling her sword back from beside her ear, several strands of her hair having been sliced off.
Behind her, a heavy object thudded to the ground, accompanied by a dying, raspy shriek. The cultivators finally reacted and turned to see a grotesque, monstrous beast lying on the ground. Its crimson eyes and the thickening aura around it revealed its identity—
“A… a demon! It’s a demon!”
Chaos erupted. Pei Chen, the acting Sect Leader of Tianwaitian, stepped forward. His face paled at the sight of the demon corpse. He shouted to the disciples: “Check the array core! How did a demon get in?!”
The disciples scrambled to obey, but Yun Duan, having already stepped off the stage, blocked their path.
“Don’t go.”
She didn’t look at them as she spoke. She looked deeply at Shang Can, then toward the Tianwaitian mountain gate, her brow furrowing.
“It is too late.”
Indeed, it was too late.
Shang Can gripped her hilt tightly and looked for Wan Shao in the crowd, but found her looking just as bewildered as the other cultivators.
The demonic energy thickened with terrifying speed. Weaker cultivators were already struggling to breathe. Such pressure suggested hundreds, if not thousands, of demons surrounding them—close enough to appear at any moment.
But why? Moments ago, everything was calm. Shang Can hadn’t sensed a thing. It was as if all these demons had appeared out of thin air in a single heartbeat.
As panic peaked, the Tianwaitian bell suddenly rang. It wasn’t the scheduled time, but the bell rang a dozen times in mockery. Then, an emotionless voice boomed.
“—Tsk. Listen up.”
Shang Can snapped her head up. The tone matched perfectly with the fake Canzhe from the outskirts of Yanyang.
“I’ve come for the Heart-Dao Lotus Seed.”
“—By order of the Biluo Huangquan (Underworld).”
The demon corpse Shang Can had killed twitched once and abruptly vanished