A Mountain of Worries
There was a mountain of things to worry about.
Without much time to relax, Shang Can hurriedly finished tidying herself up and went to the Biluo Huangquan Demon Lord’s Hall to find Wan Shao. Upon reaching the entrance, she saw the other woman surrounded by several elder demons, all of them bristling with indignation and glaring with bulging eyes. Encircled in the middle, Wan Shao had a long, dejected face, muttering soft agreements in the face of the elders’ verbal onslaught.
Shang Can waited patiently outside. Only after the elders had departed did she poke her head in and walk over to Wan Shao, who was now sprawled dejectedly across the table.
“…I’m sorry. I caused you to get scolded.”
“It’s fine. I insisted on going out on my own authority this time; I was bound to get a lecture anyway.”
Wan Shao grumbled as she sat up, rubbing her temples wearily.
“To put it simply: we are officially the scapegoats.”
“According to what the old men just said, word has already spread that Tianwaitian was attacked by Biluo Huangquan, including your intervention—” She suddenly became indignant as she spoke. “If you hadn’t summoned that fire, people definitely would have died at Tianwaitian, yet these rumors don’t mention a single word of that!”
“But that’s not even the most infuriating part! You won’t believe it. Even after you cleared the field like that, those useless people at Tianwaitian actually—”
Wan Shao stood up and slammed the table in anger.
“—They actually let that group of impostors, acting in Biluo Huangquan’s name, steal the Dao-Heart Lotus Seed anyway!”
Shang Can was momentarily speechless, asking instinctively: “…Are you serious?”
“How could it be fake! Pei Chen, that Acting Sect Leader, said it himself!”
Wan Shao sat back down with a huff, gritting her teeth in frustration. “They really are just hollow shells. If I’d known the Dao-Heart Lotus Seed was that easy to snatch, we should have struck first and taken it ourselves. Dammit!”
Compared to Wan Shao, Shang Can appeared much calmer. She quickly shed the sense of absurdity and furrowed her brows slightly.
“…That’s a bit strange.”
She felt something was fishy.
At the time, the demon beasts had charged straight for the stage; thinking back, it was likely because Pei Chen was carrying the Dao-Heart Lotus Seed on his person then.
Though Shang Can had once said Pei Chen wasn’t as good as her, for him to become the Acting Sect Leader of Tianwaitian, he must have some skill. Once she had broken the spiritual barrier, it should have been impossible for a disorganized horde of low-level beasts to snatch the seed from Pei Chen’s hands once his spiritual power was restored.
Did something happen after they left? Or…
Shang Can’s gaze grew cold as her thoughts returned to the arena.
The incident had happened so suddenly and devolved into chaos so quickly that she hadn’t been able to investigate, but one thing had been weighing on her mind.
Who hurt Yun Duan?
Shang Can was confident that while fighting side-by-side below the stage, she hadn’t lost sight of Yun Duan for a second. When Yun Duan suggested going to open the barrier, she was perfectly fine. Even after fighting in the demon tide for nearly an hour, Yun Duan’s white robes hadn’t been touched by a single drop of blood, looking like the first patch of snow in that asura hell.
If there was a moment Shang Can’s attention shifted away from her—it was only for an instant. Just one instant.
It was after they returned to the stage.
At that time, she had naturally let her guard down, thinking that with the demon tide held at bay by the cultivators on the stage, they could find a moment to breathe.
And yet, that was exactly when Yun Duan was injured.
Shang Can’s mind inevitably replayed the scene she saw when she spun around in panic. It was as if time slowed down; she watched helplessly as dark red blood slowly seeped into Yun Duan’s spotless white clothes.
She could still feel the phantom sensation of the blood in her own body turning cold.
Shang Can closed her eyes tightly, shaking off the chill.
Impersonating Biluo Huangquan and my title, making Pei Chen lose the Dao-Heart Lotus Seed, and wounding Yun Duan on the stage.
Her voice lowered, turning somber.
“Among those immortal sect cultivators… there is a traitor.”
Even with such a deduction, without any evidence, this theory was currently of no help to Biluo Huangquan.
After concluding her discussion with Wan Shao, Shang Can dragged her feet back to her pitch-black residence. She didn’t bother lighting a lamp, falling heavily onto her bed.
Belated exhaustion and dull aches spread through her limbs. Shang Can tried to push herself up but failed, only managing to force her clouding mind to think about her conversation with Wan Shao.
What should Biluo Huangquan do?
Only the two of them knew for certain that the demon tide at Tianwaitian wasn’t Biluo Huangquan’s doing. But the fact remained that they had disguised themselves and snuck into Tianwaitian; Shang Can had even fought, exposing her identity before numerous cultivators, which perfectly aligned with the recent tracks of the “Fake Can-zhe.”
With Tianwaitian attacked and the Dao-Heart Lotus Seed now stolen, the cultivators would undoubtedly pin the entire debt on Biluo Huangquan.
Shang Can felt guilty about this.
She knew her intervention had directly led to this outcome. If she hadn’t summoned the Celestial Fire, Biluo Huangquan might have had some room for argument. Instead, they were now left with what the cultivators called “irrefutable evidence,” unable to defend themselves.
The residents of Biluo Huangquan treated her incredibly well. Years ago, she had helped suppress a rebellion in Biluo Huangquan to repay a favor, and the demons had remembered it to this day, treating her like kin. Even though her actions might endanger the current peace of Biluo Huangquan, Wan Shao and the elders never mentioned her fault.
Shang Can truly did not want to bring trouble to Biluo Huangquan, but…
But Shang Can knew clearly that even if given a second chance, she would likely make the same choice.
While the list of things to consider was as high as a mountain—even setting aside Biluo Huangquan, Shang Can herself had to think about the impact of Chu Ming recognizing her, and Yun Duan’s inexplicable obsession born of a blurred memory—any one of these was enough to give her a splitting headache.
But Shang Can gave up on thinking further. She thought self-mockingly that she would cross those bridges when she came to them, and allowed her consciousness to sink into darkness.
Right before falling into a deep sleep, a muddled thought suddenly drifted through her mind.
I hope… that wound on her waist doesn’t leave a scar.
A day passed, and Shang Can finally caught a moment of respite.
Wan Shao hadn’t been the Demon Lord for very long, and she still needed to consult the elder demons when handling affairs. As an outsider, Shang Can didn’t participate in the discussions of such meetings. However, as Wan Shao’s close friend and the “gold-lettered signboard” of Biluo Huangquan to the outside world, she would attend every meeting, serving as a dutiful piece of background scenery until the end.
Today’s meeting theme was, naturally, the matter of being scapegoats. The demons were engaged in a heated debate over whether they should endure it or not.
The faction advocating for endurance argued that the matter was difficult to explain clearly. If they showed their faces, a direct conflict with the immortal sects would easily occur. It would be better to rely on the fact that Biluo Huangquan’s entrance was hidden and unknown to endure for a while; after all, Biluo Huangquan’s reputation wasn’t great to begin with.
The faction advocating against endurance was filled with righteous indignation. They argued that they shouldn’t take the blame for things they didn’t do. They didn’t expect the cultivators to show gratitude for Can-zhe’s help, but returning kindness with enmity was simply too much. They insisted on having it out with the cultivators, then finding that group of impostor demons and giving them a thrashing!
The two sides were at a standstill until Wan Shao finally set the direction. The woman, resplendent in a vibrant red dress and smiling like peach blossoms in spring, spat out a blunt phrase from her crimson lips without hesitation.
“Endure my foot.”
And so the matter was settled. Immediately following that, the next meeting began seamlessly, with the theme: “How to explain the whole thing logically and make people believe it (excluding the use of force).”
Shang Can had been kicked out by Wan Shao a short while ago under the pretext of: “Since ‘force’ has been excluded, what are you still doing here?” Knowing Wan Shao did this out of a kind desire to give her some rest, Shang Can accepted gladly. She found a random stall and sat down, eating noodles while wondering if the argument “If I actually had that intent, the Acting Sect Leader of Tianwaitian would have been dead long ago” could convince those immortal sect cultivators.
No, no good. They just said no threats of force; that sounded exactly like a provocation.
While lost in thought, a night raven suddenly flew in from the sky, fluttering down onto Shang Can’s table. It opened its beak in a panic and spoke in human tongue.
“Can—Can-zhe-sama! This is bad! The brothers guarding the gate saw the silhouette of a cultivator at the entrance!”
The voice sounded like a youth still in the middle of a voice-break, his tone thick with anxiety. Shang Can’s chopsticks paused. She frowned. “Are you sure they’re coming for Biluo Huangquan?”
“Yes!” The night raven hopped in place, speaking urgently. “If it were just a passing cultivator, I wouldn’t bother you, but that person is clearly lingering at the entrance without leaving. Though they haven’t made another move, it’s obvious they know there’s something strange about that spot!”
“The Demon Lord has already headed to the city gate and told me to find you, saying—” The raven’s face took on a human-like expression, mimicking Wan Shao’s tone perfectly: “‘If you don’t come soon, the person’s going to leave!'”
That didn’t sound like the urgent tone one should have when the secret entrance to Biluo Huangquan has been discovered.
Shang Can wanted to say something but stopped. The slight sense of crisis she had felt instantly vanished.
“M-maybe you should finish your noodles first?” After mimicking the message, the night raven seemed to feel a bit awkward, waving its wing toward Shang Can’s half-finished bowl. “Anyway, I don’t think that person is leaving anytime soon. I heard that irregular eating habits lead to stomach illnesses.”
Good grief, the tension this night raven displayed when it first arrived was like an act; its words were becoming increasingly inconsistent.
Shang Can grumbled internally about “like leader, like follower,” but she placed some silver on the table and stood up, sighing softly.
“Lead the way. It won’t be too late to finish eating when I get back.”
The night raven immediately perked up, flying ahead joyfully to lead the way, chirping loudly as if afraid others wouldn’t hear: “This way! Can-zhe-sama, this way!”
This didn’t look like leading her to see a (suspected) intruder; it looked exactly like a little tour guide for Biluo Huangquan.
Shang Can felt suspicious, taking the opportunity during the walk to ask: “How many people? Did you see what they look like?”
The boy’s voice rang out vibrantly, excited: “Just one! Wearing white clothes, and they look… they look—”
He suddenly ran out of words, waving his wings anxiously. He wracked his brain before finally coming up with a description.
“Extraordinarily beautiful!”
Only after saying this did the night raven notice that Can-zhe-sama had somehow stopped following. It hurriedly flew back, adding a flurry of clarifications: “Can-zhe-sama is also very beautiful! Extraordinarily beautiful! But that person is… a different type than you, Can-zhe-sama—”
Little did it know that the more it spoke, the more Shang Can’s heart raced.
She felt her heart leaping into her throat. She hesitated, standing in place for a long moment, before finally gritting her teeth in resignation.
…Whether it was her or not, she had to see for herself.
With that thought, Shang Can’s speed increased several-fold, nearly summoning her Celestial Fire to form wings and fly to the gate. Even the night raven, known for its speed, could barely keep up. Upon reaching the destination, it collapsed on the city wall with its wings spread out, panting heavily.
“You got here pretty fast, huh?”
As soon as Shang Can reached the entrance, she saw Wan Shao sitting nearby composedly. Her tone was incredibly teasing; she didn’t look at all like a Demon Lord whose secret entrance had been exposed.
Shang Can was eighty percent certain now. Ignoring Wan Shao, she walked straight to the circular mirror used for scouting the outside world and looked in.
Inside the mirror was an ordinary, desolate mountain range with sparse vegetation.
Shang Can had heard from Wan Shao that the great demon who opened the path between the Demon Realm and the Cultivation Realm had specifically chosen such a plain, unattractive place to ensure that unwitting cultivators wouldn’t stumble upon it by accident.
But now, a figure stood in those wilds. She was tall and slender, possessing the grace of frost and snow. Her sword was tied meticulously to her waist, and the red tassel on the hilt swayed gently in the wind, looking particularly striking against her plain white long robe.
There was clearly nothing in these mountains, yet she seemed not to care, her face showing not a hint of impatience. She simply stood there quietly, her elegant profile calm and indifferent. The woman looked truly like a sculpture of ice and snow, untouched by the slightest trace of the mortal world.
One couldn’t tell how long she had been standing there. She gave off a mysterious feeling—as if she were waiting for someone she wasn’t sure would come. If they came, it was well and good; if they didn’t, so be it.
Even the most ordinary wilderness appeared extraordinary because of her presence.
Shang Can stared fixedly at the familiar silhouette for a long time. Suddenly, she took the silk pouch from her waist and reached in to pull out a set of neatly folded white silk robes. There was still a patch of red staining the waist.
Ignoring Wan Shao—who had jumped aside as if facing a great enemy, complaining, “The smell of Flawless Immortal blood is drifting over, stay away from me!”—Shang Can gently unfolded the garment, which hadn’t been touched since its owner folded it.
Beneath the top layer, a green jade plaque that had been hidden by the clothes appeared. On it, clouds were carved with refined craftsmanship, alongside the two neatly written characters: “Yun Duan.”
Shang Can suddenly smiled. Looking back at the person in the mirror, she unconsciously smoothed her brow. When she spoke, her voice carried a trace of doting helplessness.
“I’ll give it to you—you’re quite clever.”