After leaving the Demon Sovereign Palace, the two returned briefly to Shang Can’s residence.
Though she said she needed to pack, Shang Can had very few belongings to begin with. After a hurried cleanup, she returned to the guest room and sat down.
“Though it’s a bit late to bring this up…”
So much had happened yesterday that Shang Can hadn’t found the time to think about this. Now that she finally had a moment, her expression grew stern. “Back there in front of those cultivators, I didn’t have much of a choice. Ah—I don’t mean that I don’t want to cooperate with you, Yun Zhongjun—”
She was searching for a plausible excuse when she saw Yun Duan nod with great understanding.
“There is no need to say more,” Yun Duan said. “I know that at the time, Can-zhe originally wanted to swap me for someone else.”
“…There was that, but it wasn’t exactly like that either.”
She hadn’t expected Yun Duan to still remember that bit. Shang Can gave a dry laugh and vaguely brushed the topic aside.
“I mainly felt that the cultivators traveling with me were too dangerous—but let’s put that aside. I think since we are going to cooperate, we should at least exchange the information we have first, shouldn’t we?”
“Fine,” Yun Duan replied concisely. “Ask. I will tell you everything I know.”
Shang Can thought to herself that it was finally her turn again. She couldn’t let herself be defeated like yesterday by asking trivial questions. She narrowed the scope of her inquiry to the attack on Tianwaitian, musing, “First, when exactly was the Dao-Heart Lotus Seed discovered to be missing?”
“I wasn’t present when it was discovered, but I heard it was shortly after you and I left.” Yun Duan frowned slightly, her tone faint. “It was likely only when the immediate crisis was resolved that everyone had the spare energy to worry about it.”
Though her tone remained unchanged, there seemed to be a hint of Yun Duan’s personal feeling in her words. Shang Can, the party involved, didn’t seem to care much. Instead, she followed up immediately: “That day on the stage, how were you injured? Did you ever look into it afterward?”
Her words carried a certainty that Yun Duan had been injured by a cultivator on the tournament stage. Yun Duan showed no surprise, only shaking her head with a neutral expression.
“I didn’t find them.”
Those four simple words made Shang Can’s shoulders slump. Refusing to give up, she pressed on: “Then… can we at least rule out the people who attacked you later?”
“We can,” Yun Duan said with certainty, revealing as if in passing, “Those people were lacking in cultivation. They have already been handed over to their respective immortal sects to be dealt with.”
“With their level of cultivation, it is impossible for them to have been the one who injured me on the stage that day.”
After she spoke, both fell into silence. Shang Can felt slightly relieved to hear that the attackers had been dealt with, but her expression soon grew solemn again. She hesitated for a long time, but in the end, she didn’t voice the words stuck in her throat.
The person who injured Yun Duan not only had to possess great strength but, most importantly, had to know the secret of Yun Duan’s constitution.
Shang Can absolutely did not believe that Yun Duan’s injury was a simple accident.
That person had to at least know that Yun Duan’s injury would lure demons, and they must have been unwilling to let the two of them open the spiritual barrier. That was why they chose to strike at that moment, using the demons and cultivators to stall them—
But right now, there was no one who could think of anyone meeting those criteria.
As Chu Ming had said the other day, Yun Duan’s “Flawless Immortal Body” was highly classified information. Originally, aside from Shang Can, only their master Wang Yue and elders above the rank of Peak Master at Qingyu knew about it—and none of those people had come to Tianwaitian at that time.
Her thoughts hit a dead end. Shang Can didn’t want to act on mere broad suspicions—she couldn’t exactly go around harassing every cultivator who was on the stage that day, could she? Though, that did sound like something a demonic cultivator would do.
She etched this matter into her memory, deciding to set it aside for now. She changed the subject: “Also… if you can’t answer this question, then don’t say anything.”
“I want to know—from where exactly was the entrance to Biluo Huangquan leaked?”
It had been hundreds or even thousands of years since Biluo Huangquan was established, and the entrance had been well-guarded all this time. It was too convenient that the secret was out just when Biluo Huangquan was being framed. It was hard for Shang Can not to think of conspiracy theories.
“…I am not clear on the specific source of information either.” Yun Duan also seemed somewhat puzzled. “I only received an invitation from Tianwaitian to join the assault on Biluo Huangquan, but it never mentioned how they found the place.”
“If you need, I can ask Kun Yao Jun—”
“No need,” Shang Can rejected her quickly. “That’s not something you can just ask. Besides, even if you ask that ‘Quiet Gourd,’ you won’t get anything out of him. It’ll only end up causing unnecessary trouble.”
If anyone was to ask, she should be the one to do it; she couldn’t keep causing trouble for Yun Duan. Thinking this, Shang Can stood up. “Let’s discuss other questions later. If you have nothing else, Yun Zhongjun, it’s about time we set off.”
After all, it wasn’t a good thing for Yun Duan to stay in Biluo Huangquan for too long. There was no guarantee that the forces of Tianwaitian, who appeared to have retreated, weren’t actually watching the entrance like hawks. Leaving early was definitely the right move.
With the exchange of information temporarily concluded, the two set off from Biluo Huangquan and returned to the desolate mountains outside the entrance.
Not wanting to alarm the demons of Biluo Huangquan, Shang Can tried to leave as quietly as possible. When she was spotted by a few demons while leaving the city, she simply told them she was going out to play with Yun Zhongjun and would be back soon.
This time, Wan Shao couldn’t accompany her like before. After all, the cultivators had come knocking at the door. The exposure of the Biluo Huangquan entrance alone left her with a mountain of meetings to attend, which made her so angry she practically wanted to gnaw on her handkerchief.
‘I’ve prepared everything I can that might be useful. If it’s not enough, don’t force yourself. Even if you don’t have time to come back, at least find a spy from Biluo Huangquan to bring word back for you.’
She nagged like an overprotective mother, filling Shang Can’s storage pouch—which was large enough to fit an elephant—halfway. Finally, she patted Shang Can’s shoulder with a sentimental look.
‘Of course… if you and Yun Zhongjun make any progress, don’t forget to share it with me—’
Shang Can turned and walked away immediately.
…How should I put it? This “enjoying the drama” attitude of hers is truly infuriating.
Shang Can grumbled inwardly while crunching on the sesame candy given to her by some children at the city gate. She tilted the paper bag toward Yun Duan. “Want some? It’s sweet.”
Yun Duan was silent for a moment before graciously picking out a piece to eat. “Can-zhe is quite popular with children.”
“I suppose so, though I think they just see me as a peer. They have no sense of seniority.” Shang Can thought about it and corrected herself, “Actually, that’s not wrong. Even though they look small, they might actually be older than me.”
A faint smile appeared on Yun Duan’s lips. She stepped onto her sword, Wuyou, and looked at Shang Can. “How does Can-zhe intend to travel this time? Riding ordinary iron must be quite exhausting.”
“…” Recalling the experience from that night, Shang Can sighed. “It really is quite exhausting.”
This time, Shang Can truly didn’t want to experience that shaky feeling again. So, without any pretense, she condensed her twin wings of flame and followed closely behind Yun Duan, arriving smoothly at Yanyang.
They traveled quickly. It took only half a day, and the sun hadn’t set yet. Shang Can calculated in her head and suggested, “How about we go tell Pei Chen about our movements today, find a place to stay, and wait until tomorrow to head to that mountain?”
Yun Duan said, “As you wish.”
She’s really easy to talk to.
And so, they didn’t continue further and walked into Yanyang together. The city still featured the same bustling, prosperous street scenes Shang Can had seen a few days ago, only it suddenly grew tumultuous with their appearance.
“Yun—it’s Yun Zhongjun!”
“Hey, don’t push me!”
“It’s really her… truly ‘a beauty like a flower across the clouds’… oof.”
—Yun Duan was simply too famous.
Shang Can looked silently at Yun Duan. The latter’s expression showed no ripples, as if she were long accustomed to this.
Yet Shang Can knew that Yun Duan had never liked crowded places, let alone being the center of attention like this. Shang Can thought that getting used to such a life must be very tiring. Her tone carried a hint of genuine sympathy: “…Truly impressive.”
Catching the hint of a smile in her voice, Yun Duan glanced at her and spoke softly.
“If Can-zhe were to take out her white jade mask and wear it, I imagine there would be quite a spectacle as well.”
She wouldn’t do something so stupid as to announce her own identity. Wearing her “disguise” mask, Shang Can was fearless. She stepped forward in front of Yun Duan and cleared her throat.
“Don’t push, don’t push! Yun Zhongjun has business to attend to. Don’t delay her important matters!”
Mimicking the Night Raven’s behavior from earlier in Biluo Huangquan, Shang Can took up the job of clearing the path.
Though the pedestrians didn’t know who she was, seeing that the Yun Zhongjun behind her had no intention of stopping her, they obediently moved to the sides of the road in small groups, no longer blocking the way.
Shang Can found this “borrowing authority from the tiger” quite fun. She walked happily the whole way, blocking the crowds in front of Yun Duan like a bodyguard.
She stopped at a stall along the way, signaled for Yun Duan to wait a moment, and quickly returned with an item.
“Put this on first.” Shang Can carefully placed a bamboo hat with a hanging veil on Yun Duan’s head and smiled. “Yun Zhongjun is too beautiful; I’ll have to trouble you to hide for a bit.”
Amidst the sighs of regret from the surrounding crowd, Yun Duan’s cold, ethereal, and peerless face was blurred behind the veil.
Yun Duan didn’t pull away. she stood there obediently, letting Shang Can put the hat on her and straighten it.
Inwardly marveling that a beauty is truly a beauty—even with her face covered, it only added a hazy aesthetic of “holding a lute to half-hide one’s face”—Shang Can only realized belatedly that her actions might have been a bit too familiar. Keeping her expression neutral, she withdrew her hand and took two steps back. “There, that should make things a bit more comfortable.”
When she finished speaking, Yun Duan didn’t respond. The veil prevented Shang Can from seeing her expression clearly, but she could feel those beautiful, ink-jade eyes looking at her.
Just as she began to feel awkward, Yun Duan finally raised a hand to steady the hat and said softly, “Thank you.”
Her heart lightened, and Shang Can felt a strange sense of relief. She waved her hand grandly. “It’s nothing. After all, I am Yun Zhongjun’s…”
She rolled her eyes and said, “Yun Zhongjun’s subordinate.”
Very satisfied with this temporary identity she had thought of on a whim, and seeing Yun Duan remain silent, Shang Can took it as tacit agreement. She resumed leading the way toward Tianwaitian, “dutifully” dealing with the pedestrians coming for Yun Duan along the way.
“No, no, Yun Zhongjun doesn’t give autographs. And certainly not on blank paper!”
“You say you want to give this spiritual jade to Yun Zhongjun? That won’t do; Yun Zhongjun is a person of high integrity—what? Fine, sugar cakes are acceptable. Then I’ll give you this sesame candy in return.”
“What is this now? A book? Let me see—The Chronicles of Kun Yao Jun and Yun Zhongjun… Hey! Which fellow wrote this fabricated nonsense! Tell me the author’s name; I’m going to sue them for spreading rumors!”
She truly couldn’t relax for even a moment. Shang Can worked diligently, and by the time they finally reached the gates of Tianwaitian, she felt like the back of her neck was dripping with sweat.
If she hadn’t been afraid that her signature flame wings would scare the citizens of Yanyang, they would have planned to fly directly here—sigh, she had also underestimated Yun Duan’s popularity. Next time they entered the city, they’d better find a way to avoid this ordeal.
Just as Shang Can was about to pull out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat, a hand suddenly reached out from the side, holding a plain white cloth and gently touching the side of her neck.
A faint, cold fragrance wound around her like a fine net. Shang Can’s body stiffened, but she couldn’t pull away. She looked slowly up along that slender, fair wrist and met Yun Duan’s ethereal gaze hidden behind the veil.
“…What are you doing?”
“Wiping your sweat.” Her tone was as calm as ever, as if stating the most ordinary fact. “Is it not expected for one to care for their subordinate?”
Subordinate—Shang Can realized what was happening and hurriedly reached up to snatch the handkerchief from Yun Duan’s hand, wiping herself haphazardly before tucking it into her robe.
“I’ll return it after I wash it. Also… if people saw that just now, absolutely no one would think Yun Zhongjun was ‘caring for her subordinate.'”
“Is that so?” Yun Duan tilted her head, asking simply because she didn’t know. “This is my first time having a subordinate, so I don’t quite understand. What would they think that looked like?”
That wasn’t particularly important. What was important was that Yun Duan’s sense of distance toward her was becoming more and more like it used to be. This was bad!
Alarm bells rang in Shang Can’s heart. While she was thinking of how to answer Yun Duan, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind, and she spoke it as if possessed.
“…They would probably call it The Chronicles of Can-zhe and Yun Zhongjun.”