Wan Shao was not actually very clear on the past between Shang Can and Yun Duan.
Back then, she had only managed to pick up a dying Shang Can and bring her back to Biluo Huangquan; she knew nothing of why Shang Can had fallen into such a state. Even after she worked hard to nurse Shang Can back to health, she received no answers. Shang Can never spoke of it, and Wan Shao was tactful enough not to ask.
However, she could always see clues in Shang Can’s later behavior.
Even after joining Biluo Huangquan, Shang Can did not completely negate her entire past. On the contrary, she did not intentionally avoid topics regarding her life before joining or even regarding Qingyu; sometimes she would even use them as the subject of a joke.
She only began to consciously avoid news related to Yun Duan, and she ceased mentioning her to Wan Shao.
Wan Shao had known Shang Can since she was the head disciple of Qingyu’s Yuheng Peak, and thus she was more keenly aware of where the most intuitive changes lay. In the past, this person’s mouth was full of her junior sister, wishing she could praise her as something unparalleled in heaven or earth; now, she simply avoided the subject, as if silently guarding a scar that pained her at the slightest touch.
Over time, Wan Shao realized that on the day Shang Can was heavily injured, something must have happened between her and Yun Duan.
Before going to Tianwaitian, the last time they had discussed Yun Duan was shortly after Shang Can joined Biluo Huangquan. At that time, spies from Biluo Huangquan had gathered some news from Qingyu. Wan Shao considered it carefully and, feeling the news concerned Shang Can after all, braced herself and went to her residence, opening with hesitation.
‘I heard that Qingyu has officially determined you are dead. The Master of Yuheng Peak has sealed… your junior sister’s memories of you and strictly forbidden anyone from mentioning you in her presence.’
At the time, Shang Can was in the courtyard focusing intently on tending to some watermelon sprouts she had acquired from who-knows-where. She merely gave a perfunctory nod without even looking up.
‘Good.’
Wan Shao felt her heart full of questions she couldn’t ask; she didn’t want to rub salt in her friend’s wounds. So, she forced a change of subject: ‘How are your watermelons doing? This is the first time I’ve seen someone grow watermelons in Biluo Huangquan. There isn’t even a sun here; surely you can’t rely on roasting them with your fire?’
‘Not great.’ Shang Can stood up with a sigh. After patting her hands clean, she turned around, her voice calm. ‘There’s nothing to be done. We’ll just see what fate decides.’
That batch of watermelons never grew. Shang Can wasn’t upset; she simply planted them crop after crop. If they died, she replaced them. Nine years had passed since then.
It’s about time one of them grew, Wan Shao thought.
Earlier in the meeting, when she received the report that a cultivator had suddenly arrived outside, her heart had leapt into her throat. But after rushing to the scene and seeing it was Yun Duan, she immediately relaxed. She cheerfully signaled a night raven to go fetch Shang Can.
Though she didn’t know what had transpired between the two, she simply felt… it shouldn’t be like this for them. After all, she had seen quite a bit at Tianwaitian; these two were clearly different toward each other.
Especially Shang Can—since she clearly cared to death in her heart, why bother hiding so strictly all these years? It was a waste of time.
Wan Shao, who always did things only for her own amusement, couldn’t understand it. She glanced at her friend, who looked conflicted after taking out Yun Duan’s clothing, and her eyes darted around.
The Demon Lord of Biluo Huangquan focused her mind, silently summoning several thick vines behind Shang Can. Taking advantage of Shang Can’s lapse in attention, the vines lifted her up and tossed her straight out of the city gate.
Mmm, much better.
Wan Shao smiled so wide her teeth showed, leisurely watching the situation outside amidst the startled cries of her subordinates.
Distracted by Yun Duan’s act of hiding the jade plaque in the clothes, Shang Can had been successfully ambushed by Wan Shao. She only had enough time to frantically pull out her white jade mask and put it on while being coiled by the vines before she hit the outside world.
She managed to flip her body in mid-air like a large cat, maintaining her balance as she landed to avoid looking too pathetic. However, when Yun Duan’s cool, indifferent eyes looked over, Shang Can felt her earlier movements had likely not escaped that gaze.
She decided to pretend the previous moment hadn’t happened. Taking the green jade plaque out of the robes, she waved it at Yun Duan and then tossed it back with a flick of her hand.
“A clever tactic, Yun Zhongjun.”
Yun Duan caught the jade plaque and hung it back at her waist. She offered no explanation, merely saying softly: “It is because Can-zhe was too unguarded.”
Naturally, it was because she was unguarded that Yun Duan found an opening. It was the same old trick that worked every time; since they were children, Yun Duan had relied on this jade plaque to find her. It never failed.
Shang Can shook her head and chuckled. She had been busy these last two days and hadn’t had time to deal with Yun Duan’s clothes. Who knew Yun Duan would leave such a trick in them?
Since it had come to this, there was no use dwelling on it. It wasn’t polite to just throw the clothes back, so Shang Can walked over silently and handed them to Yun Duan, deliberately asking: “Is there a place to put them this time?”
The teasing intent in her words was obvious, but Yun Duan looked at her as if she hadn’t understood, shaking her head sincerely.
“No.”
“I didn’t bring your clothes either, so I cannot return them to you.”
“…”
Shang Can choked for a moment, saying oddly: “That isn’t really an issue… Are these clothes… do you intend to leave them with me again?”
“Not exactly, it’s just that I really have no place to put them.” Yun Duan’s expression remained unchanged as she added seriously: “There is definitely nothing else in the clothes now. If you are worried, Can-zhe may search them.”
“…”
Nonsense. She had already found this place and met her face-to-face; did it still matter if there was anything in the clothes?
The conversation was drifting into the far reaches of the horizon. Shang Can didn’t want to keep wandering off and let those folks inside the gate enjoy the spectacle, so she tucked the clothes back into the silk pouch and took the lead in asking.
“What has Yun Zhongjun come for? Surely it isn’t just to see me?”
Yun Duan was silent for a long time, answering with a question of her own: “Why did Can-zhe come out?”
“Do you not fear that I have come for Biluo Huangquan, simply waiting for someone to appear so I can fight my way in?”
Actually, I was thrown out by Wan Shao, who went crazy for a moment—Shang Can obviously couldn’t say that.
She looked at Yun Duan and smiled gently.
“Is that what Yun Zhongjun has come for?”
“…”
Yun Duan met her gaze for a long moment before finally shaking her head quietly. Her cold voice turned slightly heavier.
“Tianwaitian has already united the various immortal sects. They intend to come to Biluo Huangquan… to demand an explanation.”
Fortunately, the white jade mask hides my expression, Shang Can thought.
She froze for a long while before finally relaxing slowly. After a lengthy silence, a hint of suppressed anxiety entered her voice when she spoke again.
“…In that case, you shouldn’t have come here ahead of them under any circumstances.”
Yun Duan’s eyes flickered slightly as she said softly: “I thought you would question me on why the location of Biluo Huangquan was leaked.”
Shang Can found it hard to hide the complexity in her heart and shook her head heavily.
Do not even mention that she already knew Yun Duan wouldn’t do such a thing. Even taking ten thousand steps back, if it were Yun Duan who had told Tianwaitian the location, why would she take such a risk to come here today to deliver the news?
The so-called “demanding an explanation” was likely just a euphemism Yun Duan used to soften Tianwaitian’s goal. Since Tianwaitian had united with other sects, their intent was bound to be more forceful—or rather, more murderous.
The immortal sects had acted quickly this time; even the spies Biluo Huangquan planted in the cultivation world had not yet sent word. Yun Duan had likely heard of the matter as a member of the united front and then immediately came here, waiting to tell her.
Shang Can had thought Yun Duan would not believe that Biluo Huangquan was unrelated to the events of that day.
She knew Yun Duan’s family had been destroyed by demons, so she had never held any fondness for them; she only avoided excessive prejudice against demons as a whole out of her innate kindness. She always handled matters officially and impartially.
This was a truly remarkable thing, and Shang Can was often proud of her for it.
But Shang Can never imagined that Yun Duan would choose to commit such an act… an act bordering on betraying the immortal sects at a time like this.
“I thought Yun Zhongjun was a clever person.”
Shang Can’s heart was anxious, and her words became somewhat sharp: “If you were seen by others, it would be of no benefit to you—or to me. Why on earth did you—”
“Why?”
The habitually polite Yun Duan broke protocol and interrupted Shang Can before she could finish. Light swirled in her dark eyes, like a dark tide surging at night.
“Indeed, one should ask why.”
“Why is it that when I believe in Can-zhe and come to tell you news that is useful to you, you instead become unhappy?”
Her eyes, usually clear, now seemed veiled in a layer of mist, yet it inexplicably made Shang Can afraid to look further.
Shang Can turned her head away, staring only at the distant, shadowy mountains. She heard Yun Duan’s low voice rise again.
“If we must speak of ‘no benefit,’ at most it is just the empty title of ‘Yun Zhongjun’ that might be pointed at for a few words. Since I have come here, it means I do not care. Whereas Can-zhe—”
“—Can-zhe seems to care about me even more than I care about myself.”
“Indeed, the one who should ask ‘why’ is me.”
The calm in Yun Duan’s voice rippled. The mountain wind whipped through the deep valley; her wide robes danced in the gale as if they might carry her frail body away. Yet she took two steps closer to Shang Can against the wind before coming to a disciplined halt.
Unable to read any emotion from the white jade mask covering Shang Can’s face, a look akin to helplessness appeared on Yun Duan’s elegant features.
“…Why does Can-zhe treat me so? Even now, are you still unwilling to say?”
Treat her so?
Shang Can’s thoughts couldn’t help but tangle around those words, wondering exactly what kind of treatment Yun Duan meant.
Did she mean their night excursion to the outskirts to roast chicken? Did she mean her intervention to break the barrier at the Tianwaitian arena? Or did she mean how, upon hearing the news just now, her first thought was not for Biluo Huangquan, but to worry for Yun Duan instead?
If she thought about it carefully, only ten-odd days had passed from meeting Yun Duan at Tianwaitian until now, yet looking back, it inexplicably felt like an astonishingly long time.
Yun Duan asked her why.
As the “Can-zhe” of Biluo Huangquan, making these gestures truly warranted being asked why.
Shang Can was always most skilled at changing the subject. Even though she had been recognized by Chu Ming that day, she could stubbornly deny it with a thick skin, even attacking to make Chu Ming realize the person before him was no longer the one he sought.
But now, facing a Yun Duan who was not aggressive, but had merely lowered her brow slightly, Shang Can found herself at a loss for words.
Even across the white jade mask, she did not dare to meet Yun Duan’s gaze for even a second.
Why?
There was no “why.”
Shang Can closed her eyes behind the cover of the mask and spoke softly.
“Just consider it… a feeling of old friendship at first sight with Yun Zhongjun.”