Fellow Daoist, you must be joking. That Canzhe’s cultivation is exceptionally strong; she is clearly not someone an ordinary person could match.” Chu Ming treated her words as a joke, though his tone remained probing. “The arena match you had a few days ago was truly magnificent.”
“I personally feel it was just luck. But if Lord Yushan says my skills are good, then it must be true.”
“Indeed. It is rare for a Daoist to possess such a chivalrous heart—daring to seek out Canzhe alone and even successfully severing one of her arms.”
“I am ashamed. It was mere reckless bravery. As for severing the arm—that was all due to the Lord of the Clouds’ divine prowess. I simply picked up the scraps.”
Shang Can’s gaze was pure and innocent as she added: “Besides, I felt Canzhe might not have been in top form; she seemed a bit weak. If she had even half the strength of the legends, I wouldn’t have been able to touch so much as a corner of her sleeve.”
After a few more pleasantries, the inquisitiveness in Chu Ming’s eyes hadn’t faded a bit. He continued to study Shang Can meticulously. She had no choice but to double down on her “unrefined country expert” persona, smiling until her face felt stiff, while cursing her own carelessness in her head.
“Correct.”
It was Yun Duan who spoke, breaking her silence since sitting down. She gave Chu Ming a slight nod and added: “She was a bit weak. She didn’t use the rumored Heavenly Fire either.”
“Exactly. If that was the full extent of Canzhe’s power, it would be quite…” Shang Can seized the chance to pivot the topic. Her face showed confusion as she turned to Yun Duan. “Moreover, I’ve never heard of Canzhe using such a ‘golden cicada shedding its skin’ technique. I wonder if the Lord of the Clouds found any clues in the clothing she left behind?”
“No.”
Yun Duan shook her head frankly. ” I saw nothing. I handed it over to Tianwaitian to investigate, but no news has come back yet.”
Compared to Chu Ming and his double-edged questions, a Yun Duan who answered exactly what was asked was practically adorable. Shang Can hummed thoughtfully, stole a glance at Chu Ming—who looked a bit disapproving of Yun Duan’s openness—and cleared her throat with a sigh of regret.
“If only I had timed it better and ripped off her mask—maybe I should go out again and try?”
“Absolutely not,” Chu Ming said firmly, his voice dropping. “The matter of Canzhe should be left to Tianwaitian. Acting alone is too risky. There’s no guarantee she will be as easy to deal with next time. You must not act rashly.”
“Understood. Thank you for the guidance, Lord Yushan.”
Shang Can had been waiting for that exact dismissal. After thanking him, she stood up briskly, gave a formal salute, and gestured toward the exit.
“Does Lord Yushan have anything else? If not, I shall—”
Chu Ming blinked, stunned by her sudden exit. He hurriedly returned the salute. “Nothing… I apologize for taking up your time.”
He clearly had a stomach full of questions left, but being the polite gentleman he had always been, he couldn’t bring himself to stop her.
Shang Can had no intention of reminiscing. Now that she knew the clothes were a dead end, there was no need to keep them company. She bowed to them both and turned to leave, only relaxing her shoulders once she was out of their sight.
On one hand, she had a guilty conscience—more talk meant more mistakes. On the other… keeping up an act in front of those two was exhausting.
Her lack of progress regarding the fake Canzhe only added to her frustration. She slowed her pace, walking back to her quarters while mulling over her options.
Yun Duan and the others thought the “Canzhe” was just strange, but Shang Can knew it was a fake. It would be best to let the righteous sects know this, but she couldn’t think of a way to do so without exposing herself. She couldn’t exactly go out as the real Canzhe and cause a scene. That was too dangerous.
She was still stuck with unknowns: the imposter’s identity, their goal, and the nature of that strange magic.
This fake is harder to deal with than I thought.
Shang Can felt stifled. She wanted the prize, but she didn’t want the restrictions of the assembly. No such thing as a free lunch, she mused. Regarding the prize, she hadn’t even begun looking for the Heart-Dao Lotus Seed.
Tonight, I have to sneak into the main mountain. I need to find the core of their barrier array. Secure an exit first.
Lost in her thoughts about how she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since arriving, she realized she had reached her living quarters. She decided to sleep through the day since she couldn’t do her “shady” work until nightfall anyway.
Lately, she hadn’t accomplished much except getting tangled up with Yun Duan.
She wondered if the Heavens had it out for her. In a place as big as Tianwaitian, two normal people—like her and Wan Shao—had to struggle to find each other. Yet her probability of running into Yun Duan was absurdly high. You turn around, look up, and there’s that white-clad figure… just like the one standing right in front of her door right now.
Shang Can stopped dead. She blinked several times, making sure it wasn’t a hallucination born of overthinking.
The figure turned around. Yun Duan’s exquisite face appeared before her once again.
Shang Can felt dizzy. When she left the pavilion, Yun Duan had been sitting with Chu Ming. How had she gotten here first? Was I walking that slowly?
Silence between them would be too awkward. Shang Can forced a sheepish smile and asked cautiously, “Is the Lord of the Clouds… just passing by?”
“No.”
The hope was crushed instantly. Yun Duan’s deep, ink-like eyes looked straight at her, calm and unfathomable.
“I am waiting for you.”
Shang Can spent five seconds mentally reviewing every single move she’d made since arriving at Tianwaitian. There were too many suspicious things to choose from. She picked the most recent one. “So… does the Lord of the Clouds have more questions about last night?”
Yun Duan shook her head. As Shang Can began to relax, the other woman hesitated, then slowly nodded.
“Which is it…?”
Bewildered by the contradictory signals, Shang Can even forgot her formal honorifics. A ridiculous thought popped into her head: Was my roast chicken so good that she can’t forget it?
No, a more terrifying thought: Was the taste so familiar that she’s remembering something? Impossible. Master’s memory seals can’t be that flimsy, right?
While she panicked internally, Yun Duan suddenly pulled out a small oil-paper bundle and handed it to her.
“Do you want to eat?”
“Eat? Eat what?”
Dazed, Shang Can caught the faint scent of something sweet. Her nose twitched. It was familiar.
“Sugar cakes.” Yun Duan tilted her head, her face remaining expressionless. “Did you not say yesterday that you wanted to eat them?”
It’s been too long. I can’t understand what my Junior Sister is thinking anymore.
Shang Can chewed the cake dryly. She was too confused to taste anything. It was even still warm.
“…So, the Lord of the Clouds went out this morning… to buy sugar cakes?”
Sitting across from her, eating a plain sugar cake with an air of noble grace, Yun Duan added: “Not just that. I was also questioned by Senior Brother Chu Ming this morning.”
Shang Can knew that, obviously. She’d just come from the same interrogation. She poured a cup of tea and pushed it toward Yun Duan.
The two of them were now in Shang Can’s room, eating cakes in strange harmony. Shang Can hadn’t been able to bring herself to kick her out after taking the gift. When she’d tentatively asked “Do you want to come in and sit?”, Yun Duan had agreed without a second’s hesitation.
Shang Can looked at her cake and finally asked, “Why?”
She looked up, meeting Yun Duan’s clear, calm gaze. “Why go out and buy sugar cakes?”
Shang Can felt a sudden surge of guilt and bit her lip, looking away. “What is it about me that you… care about?”
The question felt wrong. By this logic, her next line should be “I’ll change, just leave me alone.”
She closed her eyes, forcing herself to face reality. It was obvious Yun Duan treated her differently. But if the reason was that she had remembered something…
Shang Can’s hand tightened unconsciously. Red sugar filling squeezed out from the side of the cake, sticking to her fingers. For a split second, it looked like blood.
“I do not know.”
The light answer made Shang Can’s panic feel like it had hit a wall of cotton. She looked up in shock.
“I do not know why,” Yun Duan said calmly. “I simply wanted to do it.”
Yun Duan looked at her, her expression as breezy as a spring day. She handed over a handkerchief. “Is that not allowed?”
“No… I mean, what?”
The casualness was unexpected. Shang Can stammered, ignored the handkerchief, and pulled out her own to messily wipe the sugar from her hands. Her mind was a mess.
Is this just a whim? From Yun Duan?
This meant Yun Duan hadn’t remembered anything; it was just an unprompted gesture of closeness.
This is terrible. Either way, it’s deadly.
Shang Can stole another look at Yun Duan, who was waiting patiently for an answer. Suddenly, a surge of reckless irritation rose in Shang Can. She dropped her guard, and a sharp, cynical glint appeared in her eyes.
“It’s allowed. Of course it’s allowed.”
Shang Can’s tone turned flippant. She leaned forward boldly, her hand skimming near the ends of Yun Duan’s hair.
“But last night, the Lord of the Clouds was so focused on pushing me away. Why the change of heart today?”
Yun Duan stiffened slightly but didn’t move away. She met Shang Can’s burning gaze. “…Yesterday, you were closer than you are now.”
“I see.”
Shang Can chuckled low. She pulled back to a safe distance, leaning back lazily and staring at the ceiling before looking at Yun Duan again.
“Does the Lord of the Clouds want something from me?”
The disguise was gone, replaced by a casual, roguish air. Though she still used the title “Lord of the Clouds,” her tone was no longer formal.
Yun Duan showed no surprise. She watched her calmly for a long moment, then suddenly stood up.
” I haven’t decided.”
She walked to the door and pushed it open. Before leaving, she looked back at Shang Can, her eyes flickering.
“When I have decided, I will tell you.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned and left, politely closing the door behind her.
Left alone, Shang Can was so frustrated by the woman’s headstrong behavior that she actually laughed. Her temples throbbed.
I was being blunt and offensive, and she didn’t hit me? She didn’t even ask a single question? She just left two cryptic sentences as if making an excuse to see me again… Who did she learn this from?!
Her Junior Sister had grown up, and her thoughts were harder to read than ever. Forget it!
Shang Can stood up and paced the room like a trapped animal. Finally, she gritted her teeth.
Run! Tonight, I’ll shut down the barrier. Tomorrow, I’m out of here!