Shang Can’s voice was slightly raspy, lacking its usual clarity.
This abnormality was easily detectable. Yun Duan lowered her shoulders slightly and slowly shook her head.
“You are still unwilling to speak.”
Even though Yun Duan’s face remained calm, Shang Can seemed to detect a trace of desolation.
Shang Can’s gaze fell blankly upon the horizon. After a long moment, she suddenly walked toward Yun Duan.
“I have already spoken; it is simply that Yun Zhongjun does not believe me.”
Shang Can kept walking, her steps never faltering. Under Yun Duan’s unblinking gaze, she reached her and suddenly reached out, shamelessly giving Yun Duan’s shoulder a gentle push.
“Don’t move, Yun Zhongjun.” Touching Yun Duan’s shoulder was easier than she had imagined. Shang Can suppressed the bitterness in her chest and said softly, “I don’t want to strike you.”
Confusion filled Yun Duan’s eyes, yet she offered no resistance, retreating two steps as she followed the force. Seeing this, Shang Can leaped backward in silence, landing exactly at the entrance of Biluo Huangquan. She pressed her hand against the barrier, and a faint golden light of gathered spiritual power glowed in her palm.
She did not look back. She raised her head toward the sky once more. Yun Duan, as if sensing something, looked in the same direction.
“Have you been waiting for a long time?”
Shang Can asked softly, her voice tinged with apology.
“The night ravens probably watched you for a long time before they were sure you knew this place was the entrance. It would have been better if I had come to check sooner.”
From the horizon came the distant, whistling sound of swords cutting through the wind. Yun Duan’s gaze sharpened, and she immediately turned toward Shang Can. When she tried to step forward, however, she found her feet restrained by thin, winding dragons of flame. They merely prevented her from moving toward Shang Can, offering no heat at all; without a close look, they seemed like patterns on her snow-white boots.
“…Can-zhe, you—”
“I should have taken you to eat something first.”
Shang Can’s low voice was drowned out by the growing roar of sword-riding. She watched the small black dots on the horizon gradually approach and resolve into clear human forms, her brows curving upward with feigned ease.
By the time the first cultivator landed, Shang Can had just finished strengthening the barrier. It would keep those outside from breaking in, and prevent the demons inside from rushing out.
“My, quite a crowd has gathered.”
Appearing before her were cultivators from various immortal sects, at least a hundred of them.
Such was the influence of Tianwaitian; it seemed the entire cultivation world had to show them respect.
After all, Tianwaitian was not only the most prestigious but also the most powerful. Rumor had it that their Sect Leader, who had been in secluded meditation for thirty years, was the person closest to ascension in the current world. More importantly, Tianwaitian was generous; they accepted disciples from other sects for exchange programs every year and gifted spiritual tools they crafted to the most outstanding among them. Tianwaitian specialized in smithing, and their creations were never ordinary.
The sword “Wuyou” that Yun Duan currently used was also a product of Tianwaitian. It could be said that Qingyu owed Tianwaitian many favors, making it difficult to decline their invitation.
Shang Can scanned the crowd, spotting many faces she had seen just days ago at Tianwaitian. She couldn’t help but find it somewhat farcical.
“It’s Can-zhe!”
The cultivators had clearly not expected to see Shang Can the moment they landed. The first few to descend cried out in shock. One man reacted particularly violently, immediately driving several talismans toward Shang Can, only for them to burst into ash mid-flight. Not a single one reached Shang Can, who was standing lazily.
“You… you demonic cultivator…!”
Shang Can glanced over. The man gritting his teeth was not a stranger; he was the same cultivator who had lectured her and Wan Shao below the stage about how “the demonic cultivator Can-zhe is extremely dangerous.”
She thought for a moment and finally couldn’t help but speak to him gently: “Have I offended you?”
“Evil and unorthodox ways are to be executed by all!” The man did not back down, shouting from his diaphragm. “From the day you, as a cultivator, joined Biluo Huangquan, you offended the entire cultivation world!”
“I see.” A very reasonable answer. Shang Can nodded understandingly. “So, I haven’t offended you personally.”
“It’s fine. I think you’re quite alright. At least you actually strike, unlike those—how does the saying go? Ah, barking dogs don’t bite?”
The man’s face turned a deep shade of liver-red. Shang Can ignored him and turned her gaze subtly toward Yun Duan.
The restriction she had placed at Yun Duan’s feet had not been retracted, nor had it been discovered by the late-arriving cultivators. Yun Duan was currently surrounded by many people, their praises and exclamations swirling together—things like “Yun Zhongjun arrived truly fast, your courage is peerless” or “To face Can-zhe alone, you are truly a model for us cultivators.” They had essentially left her, the “dangerous figure,” to the side.
At the center of the crowd, Yun Duan neither responded to them nor moved. She simply stared straight at Shang Can from beginning to end, saying nothing.
“Since Can-zhe has already revealed herself, many complications can be spared.”
A familiar, clear voice rang out. Pei Chen of Tianwaitian stepped out from the crowd, stopping cautiously about ten meters away from Shang Can. He cupped his hands and spoke loudly.
Shang Can followed the flow and turned her gaze toward him, avoiding the persistent stare that insisted on finding her through the thick wall of people. Yet, she felt that gaze was almost tangible, making one side of her body go numb.
Yun Duan had been like this since they were children.
She was close to Shang Can, but that didn’t mean she would unconditionally agree with all of Shang Can’s thoughts and actions. Whenever she disagreed but couldn’t persuade Shang Can, she would look at her silently. Those beautiful eyes were clear and bright; though she said nothing, her presence carried more weight than any number of earnest words. It always took very little time for Shang Can to admit defeat.
Wang Yue used to joke that Shang Can had met her match. Shang Can was always indignant, thinking secretly: what kind of heart of stone would it take to remain unmoved by such a Yun Duan?
She never expected that one day, she herself would become that heart of stone.
Shang Can couldn’t help but laugh, becoming even more unrestrained under the cover of the white jade mask. She laughed so much that even Pei Chen, who was carefully choosing his words to negotiate with her, noticed the anomaly. He asked in confusion: “What is Can-zhe laughing at?”
“Ah, my apologies.” Shang Can finally stopped laughing, waving a hand apologetically. “I just think that the current scene… is quite funny.”
Her words were easily misunderstood, causing a massive uproar among the cultivators. Pei Chen struggled to hold back the agitated crowd, furrowing his brows and speaking in a heavy voice.
“Can-zhe, mind your words. If Biluo Huangquan had not first attacked my Tianwaitian and stolen the Dao-Heart Lotus Seed, why would we all be gathered here?”
Actually, that wasn’t what she meant—but Shang Can decided to just let the misunderstanding stand. She let out a sigh.
“Let me confirm something first.”
“The Dao-Heart Lotus Seed… is it truly lost?”
Pei Chen’s expression stiffened, showing a trace of self-reproach. He frowned and replied: “Indeed. Although I do not know when it was stolen, by the time I noticed, the Dao-Heart Lotus Seed was gone.”
“…”
If she didn’t know that scolding these people was useless and would only make things worse, Shang Can would have started a vicious tirade right then.
The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous it felt. She couldn’t help but laugh again, stopping after only a few chuckles.
“Fine, the name of Biluo Huangquan was taken in vain by some unknown petty thief.” Shang Can’s tone was gentle, but her words held a touch of irony. “Even the prize of the Discourse Meet was snatched by an impostor.”
“All of you famous figures from the immortal sects gathered together, yet not one of you could see something was wrong. Everyone only thought they finally had a handle on us and rushed here in a hurry to find trouble—is that not funny?”
The sharp words ignited the cultivators’ anger. An elderly cultivator wearing the robes of Tianwaitian stepped forward, pointing at Shang Can and shouting: “Shameless demonic cultivator! Are you still speaking nonsense even now, trying to turn black into white!”
“Elder Huang is right! The evidence of Biluo Huangquan’s attack on Tianwaitian is irrefutable. What is there to argue!”
“Everyone, do not listen to this demonic cultivator’s flowery words! Be careful of her tricks!”
Shang Can had met this Elder Huang before. He was the elder at Tianwaitian responsible for regulating disciple etiquette, the most old-fashioned of men. She had dealt with him plenty during her exchange at Tianwaitian. From being caught once every three times she messed up at the start, to later coming and going as if in an uninhabited land—her “lightness” skill reaching its current height was partly thanks to Elder Huang.
As an Etiquette Elder, he actually had some merits, but in the current situation, it was hard to hope for any persuasion. Shang Can knew further talk was useless; she sighed and prepared for a fight.
“…As Can-zhe says, I will set aside the demons who claimed to be from Biluo Huangquan for a moment.”
Unexpectedly, Pei Chen, who had been silent for a while, suddenly changed his tone. His brows were tightly knit as he questioned Shang Can.
“But at the time of the incident, Can-zhe was disguised and mingling in my Tianwaitian Discourse Meet. This… I saw with my own eyes.”
He emphasized the last four words, looking at Shang Can inquiringly, as if waiting for her explanation. The cultivators behind him were dissatisfied, shouting that “Kunyao-jun should not easily trust a demonic cultivator.” Pei Chen only slowly shook his head, his brow full of worry.
This surprised Shang Can. Incredible—this upright and rigid acting Sect Leader was actually the only person present capable of listening to her. One really shouldn’t judge people by their labels—
“The selection criteria for the Discourse Meet did not include a rule ‘no demonic cultivators allowed’.”
It wasn’t Shang Can who answered. A cold voice rose from among the cultivators, like breaking ice or cutting snow, making everyone who heard it shiver.
Shang Can was startled. She hurriedly performed a hand seal, only to find the restriction had been broken. When she tried to add another, it was subtly repelled by the other party.
Her heart hung precariously in mid-air. With complex emotions, she looked in that direction.
The crowd instinctively parted to create a path. Yun Duan stepped forward gracefully, looking like a fallen immortal. However, her brow was slightly lowered, showing a rare trace of displeasure.
The surrounding cultivators were awed by her transcendent presence. They remained silent for a good while before finally realizing what she had said, looking at each other in disbelief.
“A-although there indeed isn’t such a rule, this sort of thing should be an unwritten law…”
“Yun Zhongjun, why do you say this? Have you believed Can-zhe’s lies?”
“Right! A demonic cultivator who has strayed from the path and tried to mingle with righteous cultivators should have some self-awareness!”
“Someone with such a divided heart for cultivation, how could she have the intention of participating normally? She surely intended to cooperate from the inside to catch Tianwaitian off guard!”
“Off guard?” Shang Can couldn’t help laughing at their baseless speculation, offering a kind reminder: “If I truly had that intention, do you think you’d still have a life to stand here and talk such nonsense?”
The cultivator choked, responding righteously: “You clearly summoned Celestial Fire that day and destroyed many parts of Tianwaitian. It was only because our movements were swift that we weren’t injured by it—”
He completely ignored the fact that the fire had killed numerous demon beasts, only angrily counting the damage Shang Can had caused. He attributed the fact that no one was hurt to the cultivators’ own skills, finally saying with disdain: “That fire was so massive, it must have been difficult to control. Did Can-zhe not intend to remove the cultivators, or was the spirit willing but the strength lacking?”
The moment he finished speaking, a sudden heat flashed across his brow and the corner of his lip. With a soft “hiss,” the heat vanished.
Before he could react, he saw those around him staring at his face as if they’d seen a ghost. The cultivator slowly realized something was wrong and hurriedly reached up to touch the area.
“A fine ‘spirit willing but strength lacking’.”
Along with leisurely clapping, Shang Can’s gentle voice drifted from afar. After the cultivator felt around his face for a while, his expression suddenly became extremely ugly.
“Celestial Fire is indeed astonishingly powerful and difficult to manipulate. I suppose it truly would be hard for someone like you to achieve.”
The content was mocking, but the tone was as sincere and polite as could be. Shang Can nodded amiably, fumbled around in her silk pouch, and tossed a small mirror toward the cultivator.
“Coincidentally, I happen to be someone who can control Celestial Fire. Your Excellency might as well take a look; which side of your face looks more pleasing now, the left or the right?”
The cultivator didn’t reach for it, but the exquisite little mirror seemed to have eyes of its own, floating before him to reflect his terrified face.
The left side was missing half an eyebrow; the right side was missing half a mustache. He looked exceptionally ridiculous.
“You… you…”
His voice trembled, unable to speak for a long time. His earlier arrogance had completely vanished. Not even the other cultivators could find words to scold Shang Can for him.
Using Celestial Fire to burn away half an eyebrow and half a mustache without harming the skin happened in an instant; no one had time to react. Shang Can’s strike was so effortless, it was as if she were taking something from her own pocket.
This act not only proved her absolute control over the fire but also demonstrated that the distance between them was entirely within her attack range.
For a moment, no one spoke. Shang Can let out a short laugh, recalled the mirror with some boredom, and summarized: “I indeed disguised myself to attend the Discourse Meet because I wanted that Dao-Heart Lotus Seed. I admit to that.”
“But the so-called ‘Can-zhe’ causing trouble in the outskirts of Yanyang those few days was not me. As for who it was, I’d like to know myself.”
“As for Biluo Huangquan attacking Tianwaitian later—”
“That is utter nonsense. Wanting the seed was my private matter and had nothing to do with Biluo Huangquan. I intervened because I couldn’t stand the impostor’s actions; my targets were those demon beasts. No humans were hurt because I didn’t intend to hurt them, not because I couldn’t.”
“I will take responsibility for what I did, but I won’t for what I didn’t.”
She finished speaking and lazily opened her hand, a ball of golden flame suddenly igniting in her palm.
“I have said everything that needs to be said.” Ignoring the cultivators’ heightened state of alert, Shang Can said warmly, the flame in her palm swaying obediently, “To fight or not to fight, give me a definitive answer.”
Better make it fast, Shang Can thought.
Behind her, the spiritual barrier sealing the entrance to Biluo Huangquan had reached an uncontrollable state of riot. It hadn’t stopped since she sealed it.
Even without seeing it, Shang Can could imagine how Wan Shao, on the other side of the barrier, was cursing her in a fit of rage.
Fortunately, the cultivators were quite far away and had their attention captured by her speech. No one thought to make a move against Biluo Huangquan; they were all stealing glances at one another with varying expressions, waiting for the leaders to voice an opinion.
The cultivators present had all come at Tianwaitian’s call. At most, only the immortal mountain Qingyu might not be bound by Tianwaitian’s constraints. After all, one was reclusive while the other was engaged with the world; they were the two most famous sects, and their status was usually equal.
The older generation of cultivators had gradually stopped interfering in worldly affairs. The central figure among the cultivators present should be Pei Chen, the Acting Sect Leader. However, he remained silent for a long time. The cultivators then thought to follow the lead of the famous figures from Qingyu, but—
“She is telling the truth.” Almost immediately after Shang Can finished, Yun Duan answered without hesitation. She took a few more steps forward, leaving the crowd of cultivators completely. “On the night of the second day of the Discourse Meet, I went to the outskirts of Yanyang with her and fought that fake Can-zhe.”
She stared at Shang Can for a long while before finally looking away to the complicated-looking Pei Chen. She said heavily: “This… I also saw with my own eyes.”
Mirroring Pei Chen’s earlier questioning of Shang Can, Yun Duan also emphasized the four words “with my own eyes.”
Shang Can’s face showed nothing, but her heart let out a long sigh, filled with a faint ache.
It’s still the same.
The two of them had always put each other before themselves. This sometimes caused conflicts in their actions, just as it was now.
In the past, she could laughingly scold Yun Duan for being disobedient, say she was angry, and demand Yun Duan promise never to do it again. Every time, Yun Duan would obey submissively, yet the moment something happened, it was back to the old way. In the end, even now, Yun Duan hadn’t truly changed.
Even though she had forgotten her, she remembered this pattern perfectly, as if it were carved into her very bones.