There Is No Romance Between Me And My Junior Sister - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After hearing Shang Can’s words, Yun Duan nodded slightly, accepting her explanation, and raised her hand to recall Wuyou, which was still embedded in the ground.

“It is currently curfew. Do not wander about.”

Seemingly having no intention of asking what she was doing out, Yun Duan’s voice was as cold as mist, her gaze drifting briefly over Shang Can.

The dream-like tableau fractured. Shang Can lowered her eyes inconspicuously and bit the tip of her tongue with some force.

She was not one to frequently indulge in self-pity or melancholy, but seeing Yun Duan inevitably shook her. The sharp pain caused the surging emotions of a moment ago to recede like a tide. Shang Can told herself: Alright, the time for sentimentality is over.

Things had come to this.

Shang Can was no longer in the mood to scout Tianwaitian. At this moment, she only wanted to leave quickly; after all, facing a Yun Duan who treated her like a complete stranger was doing no favors for her mental health.

Then again, Yun Duan had learned how to lecture people—she’d certainly improved since the old days… but wasn’t she herself out wandering around while saying such things?

Thoughts aside, it was impossible for Shang Can to say this out loud. She decisively admitted her “fault” to bid farewell.

“I just couldn’t sleep. I’m truly sorry for disturbing the Lord of the Clouds. I’ll head back—”

“I was temporarily entrusted with the night watch for Fengya Residence, as I am likely the person with the highest cultivation here.”

Without warning, Yun Duan began speaking of her own accord. It took Shang Can a moment to realize she was explaining her presence there.

Fengya Residence was the area where they were staying; cultivators who passed the Discourse Assembly’s preliminary rounds were all housed here. Not counting Shang Can herself, Yun Duan was indeed almost certainly the strongest among the rest. Her words didn’t sound like boasting…

…But nobody asked her? Why did Yun Duan suddenly bring this up?

Occupied by the thoughts of “Yun Duan actually took the initiative to talk to someone” and “Is there really no one left in the vast Tianwaitian that they have to trouble a guest with night watch duties?“, Shang Can wasn’t sure which attitude to use in response. Feeling that neither was quite right, she gave a non-committal reply.

“…Is that so.”

Realizing the response sounded too dismissive, and finding it difficult to pinpoint the persona she should be maintaining, Shang Can quickly reined in her scattered emotions. She cupped her hands in a perfunctory salute: “The Lord of the Clouds has worked hard.”

Well-versed in the art of conversation, Shang Can knew that a dialogue required back-and-forth to continue. She did the opposite: after a polite remark, she shut her mouth completely. Her desire to end the topic was palpable; she was just waiting to bid Yun Duan farewell and turn the page on this bizarre encounter.

“Yes. Many seniors have gone directly to the outskirts.”

But Yun Duan clearly didn’t pick up on Shang Can’s mood and, uncharacteristically, continued the conversation.

Even though Shang Can wanted nothing more than to flee, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of doubt at these words. Finally, she couldn’t resist asking: “…The outskirts?”

Yun Duan nodded slightly, remained silent for a long moment, and eventually spoke.

“At nightfall, the demonic cultivator ‘Canzhe’ appeared in the outskirts.”

“Do not go out.” Yun Duan’s ink-jade eyes looked toward Shang Can again, the star-like light in them trembling slightly as she added, “It is dangerous.”

The actual Canzhe, who had been obediently staying inside Tianwaitian waiting for her meals since nightfall, stood silently before her, feeling very conflicted.

…That fake Canzhe is actually out making trouble. It seems they might just get caught by the Tianwaitian cultivators tonight.

Shang Can was tempted to see the situation for herself, but knowing she’d have to find a way past Yun Duan to slip out, she silently abandoned the idea. She put on an expression of shock and fear: “T-there is such a thing? That wicked demonic cultivator—”

…Why did she have to speak ill of herself in front of Yun Duan?

At this thought, Shang Can’t spirit deflated. She managed to maintain a fearful facade and tried once more to conclude the dialogue.

“Thank you for informing me, Lord of the Clouds. I shall take my leave and return to my room.”

Finally seeing Yun Duan nod, Shang Can secretly breathed a sigh of relief and turned to walk back the way she came.

But that relief lasted less than two breaths before it was yanked back up. Shang Can stopped her steps and turned back with a touch of helplessness, only to see that person—who had no intention of hiding her presence—standing three paces behind her, meeting her gaze with a calm face.

Shang Can forced a smile and asked kindly, “Is the Lord of the Clouds returning to her room as well?”

To her surprise, Yun Duan shook her head candidly and denied: “It is not yet time.”

Perhaps Shang Can’s “Then why are you following me?” expression was too obvious. Yun Duan stared at her for a while before explaining: “The fifth.”

“…What?”

“Tonight, you are the fifth person to sneak out.”

Shang Can didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She secretly chuckled at how “dishonest” these cultivators were; no wonder Yun Duan was so practiced at catching people.

Just as she was about to offer some diplomatic words stating she wouldn’t do it again, Yun Duan, who had been staring at her as if uneasy, spoke again: “Some suspect Canzhe is after the Heart-Dao Lotus Seed and has an inside agent within Tianwaitian.”

As she spoke, Yun Duan seemingly idly performed a sword flourish, her deep gaze sweeping over Shang Can with pointed meaning: “So, do not wander about.”

Shang Can—what else could Shang Can say? She could only let out two dry laughs and offer pale reassurances. She privately decided that when she saw Wan Shao tomorrow, she must warn her not to slip up and end up as the scapegoat.

However, it seemed she had already piqued Yun Duan’s interest. The other woman appeared determined not to leave until she saw Shang Can back in her room. For once, Shang Can felt a measure of frustration. Had she known, she would have come out even later.

To her, spending ten minutes chatting with Yun Duan was far more agonizing than a whole day of fighting.

How the tables have turned. In the past, only Yun Duan would find her too talkative; who knew a day would come when she found chatting with Yun Duan painful.

But no matter how noisy she had been, Yun Duan never seemed to dislike her. Despite Yun Duan’s cold and unapproachable appearance, the girl actually had an incredibly good temperament. Back then, Shang Can feared nothing and did many reckless things, yet Yun Duan had never been angry with her—

…Wait? Had she ever been angry? Or had she not?

A blurry feeling of “seeming to remember something” troubled her. Lost in this vague impression, Shang Can absentmindedly pushed open her door and stepped inside. She turned to close the door, watching that white figure—who had followed her silently the whole way—slowly be obscured by the closing panels.

Just as the door shut completely, Shang Can suddenly remembered.

She had been angry. Only once. Yun Duan had been angry with her once.

The next day, the weather was clear and bright.

Shang Can, however, looked listless, appearing out of place in such good weather.

The morning bell of Tianwaitian rang far too early. She had already stayed up late enough last night, yet at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), that piercing bell wouldn’t stop ringing. It made her grit her teeth as she climbed out of bed. Reluctantly following the other cultivators of Fengya Residence back to the arena square, she found a corner to shrink into and zone out.

Even when she was at Qingyu, she never woke up this early, let alone during her years of being “free-range” in the Underworld. If she didn’t sleep until noon, it was considered an early start.

Shang Can let out a massive, unceremonious yawn, her heart becoming more set on finding the Heart-Dao Lotus Seed quickly and stealing it.

Wan Shao found her during her sixth yawn, deftly weaving through the gaps in the crowd to stand by her side. She glanced at Shang Can and said gloatingly, “What happened to you? Did you go out to steal chickens last night?”

“Good point. I’ll try the Tianwaitian kitchens tonight and see if I can snatch a chicken,” Shang Can leaned lazily against a nearby stone pillar and said listlessly. “At least it’s unlikely Yun Duan will be on night watch there.”

Amidst Wan Shao’s shocked gaze, Shang Can sighed and briefly recounted last night’s events. Wan Shao’s expression shifted from confusion to indignation, then from indignation to realization. She pointed a delicate finger at Shang Can, her eyes gleaming with relief.

“So you’ve actually moved on! I was worried you’d have some bad reaction and dragged you away yesterday… Wait, then why did you cough up blood yesterday? Was it just internal heat?”

“…” Shang Can gave a cooperative, dry smile. “Yes, yes. So, Lord Zhengyu, aside from those things, do you have nothing to say about the fact that ‘Canzhe’ reappeared in the Yanyang outskirts?”

“Ah.”

As if waking from a dream, Wan Shao put on an indignant front and fumed, “Where did this ignorant fool come from? Just wait until Tianwaitian lets me out today; I’ll head to the outskirts immediately and settle this personally to clear your—cough.”

Under Shang Can’s glare, Wan Shao barely managed to swallow the word “name” and smiled sheepishly at her. Before she could say more, a voice suddenly interjected from nearby.

“Acting rashly is not a sound strategy.”

Wan Shao jumped—someone was standing right there! How had she not noticed! Her alertness was truly too low!

Fortunately, they hadn’t said anything that would expose their identities… While relieved, Wan Shao felt a surge of anger: How can a cultivator be so rude! Don’t they know eavesdropping is impolite! Even a female cultivator with a pleasant voice cannot be forgiven!

She turned around, ready to glare and snap at the rude person, only to be pulled forcefully behind Shang Can. While Wan Shao was still confused, she saw Shang Can—who had been leaning lazily against the pillar—straighten up and speak in a humble and polite voice.

“The Lord of the Clouds speaks the truth.”

The Lord of the Clouds… who was that again? Sounds familiar?

The extremely long lifespan of the demon race made Wan Shao’s memory a bit poor. Her mind blanked for a second, and she curiously poked her head over Shang Can’s shoulder. After seeing the person’s face clearly, her mouth fell open in a daze. After three seconds of silence, she cried out: “Yun Duan!”

Before the sound could even fade, she was hit firmly in the abdomen by Shang Can’s elbow. Wan Shao, looking miserable, was pulled close by a smiling but clearly “fake-smiling” Shang Can, hearing her say in a kind but warning tone: “What are you shouting for? Are you that close with the Lord of the Clouds?”

You cultivators sure have a lot of rules! If you’re so polite, tell your junior sister not to eavesdrop!

Wan Shao bit her lip resentfully. By seniority, she could be Yun Duan’s grandmother, yet now she had to use a respectful title because Yun Duan was the head disciple of Qingyu’s Yuheng Peak… Had she known, she would have picked someone with a higher status to impersonate! Curse it!

“I-it was my rudeness… I hope the Lord of the Clouds can forgive me…”

The young but high-ranking Lord of the Clouds had been staring at her since a moment ago. Woe is me—please stop looking at her like that! It’s scary when there’s no expression at all! So hard to read! Is she cursing me in her head?!

“We meet again.”

“Eh?”

Unexpectedly, the other woman withdrew her gaze as quickly as she’d given it. Her eyes drifted lightly past her to land on Shang Can. Wan Shao let out a comical noise and turned to look at Shang Can as if for help.

Shang Can had never expected Wan Shao to be able to save the situation. Ignoring her, she suppressed her internal confusion and cupped her hands toward Yun Duan: “I’ve disturbed the Lord of the Clouds again.”

She had noticed Yun Duan appearing silently nearby while chatting with Wan Shao, but she had decided to intentionally act as if she hadn’t seen her. She didn’t expect Yun Duan to take the initiative to speak… Sigh, having progress in social interaction is a good thing, but the current situation is truly complicated.

Meeting Yun Duan was entirely outside her plans. Although she didn’t want to become enemies, Shang Can had no intention of striking up a friendship either. It would be best if, after one encounter, they went their separate ways like two intersecting lines.

However, given the current state… Shang Can grew slightly more alert, only to see Yun Duan nod slightly, acknowledging her greeting, and then look forward again without further action, as if the conversation had already ended. If not for her blinking, she would have truly looked like a jade statue.

All the thoughts in Shang Can’s mind came to naught. She rubbed her nose with a self-deprecating smile.

…It seems she was being overly self-conscious. Yun Duan likely just heard Wan Shao’s bold words and offered a kind word of caution.

The corner that had been ignored became conspicuous after Yun Duan appeared. With a glance, Shang Can saw three or four people casually wandering over while looking toward them, likely planning to cozy up to the Lord of the Clouds.

She wouldn’t participate in this mess. Shang Can gave Wan Shao a look, and the two of them slipped out before the crowd could surround Yun Duan. Just as they walked a distance away and stood still, they saw a man wearing the robes of Tianwaitian hurriedly walk to the center of the arena.

“Who’s that?” Wan Shao squinted to look closely and wondered, “His clothes seem a bit different from the Tianwaitian disciples I saw before…”

“Of course they’re different,” Shang Can glanced lazily and looked away quickly, answering nonchalantly. “The head disciple of Tianwaitian’s Lord Shuangjiang, and currently the acting Sect Leader, Pei Chen. His attire is naturally different from ordinary disciples.”

“You know him? Is he powerful?”

“Average. Not as good as me.”

…For some reason, her tone felt a bit off.

While Shang Can was indeed a person with quite a bit of pride, she rarely spoke so arrogantly and bluntly. Wan Shao became curious, wondering how to pry the details out of her, when the man named Pei Chen bowed slightly to the crowd and spoke loudly.

“Fellow Daoists who did not complete their matches after yesterday’s draw, please take the stage in order today—”

“But before that, Tianwaitian has urgent news to inform everyone.”

He swept his gaze over the whispering cultivators below. Worry and hesitation flashed across his brow, but he spoke nonetheless.

“After nightfall yesterday, ‘Canzhe’ appeared again in the Yanyang outskirts and injured three cultivators.”

He raised his voice, his magically amplified words drowning out the sudden burst of gasps from below, and said decisively:

“Tianwaitian has already dispatched personnel to capture Canzhe. Please do not act rashly.”

“Canzhe’s goal is very likely the top prize, the Heart-Dao Lotus Seed. However, a barrier has been set up around Tianwaitian to ensure everyone’s safety. You need not worry. Fellow Daoists who did not successfully advance may also remain in Tianwaitian for now, lest Canzhe find an opening when you leave.”

“For safety reasons, please try not to leave Tianwaitian during the Discourse Assembly, especially after dark.”

“That demonic cultivator is cunning and treacherous. Be careful in all things.”

Perhaps because they felt relieved hearing about the barrier, the atmosphere below gradually shifted from fear and unease to indignant condemnation. The young people righteously criticized Canzhe’s cruelty and expressed concern for their injured peers; it was quite lively.

Only Shang Can and Wan Shao looked on like outsiders with cold eyes. Their lack of conformity was soon noticed. A male cultivator stepped forward and spoke to Shang Can warmly: “Does this Fellow Daoist have something she doesn’t understand?”

Thinking he had mistaken their calmness for a failure to grasp the situation, Shang Can simply went along with it. She nodded politely and asked: “The two of us live in a remote area and haven’t heard of Canzhe’s name. We don’t know what evil she has done to make everyone so…”

“That demonic cultivator can command Heavenly Fire!” Before she could finish, the male cultivator’s eyes widened, and he looked at her in disbelief. “Heavenly Fire! The scale and power were so great that back then, the demon rebels of the Underworld had no power to resist. Within a ten-mile radius, everything was burned into a wasteland overnight… It was truly unheard of!”

Shang Can’s eyes flickered. Her expression remained unchanged, but her voice became even softer: “What else?”

“And… and…”

The male cultivator hadn’t expected this reaction and was momentarily stumped. He muttered things like “She’s done all kinds of evil” and “Everyone was burned to ash, who knows how many people she killed,” before finally becoming impatient. He waved a hand and said gruffly:

“Canzhe is a demonic cultivator! She’s in league with those demons from the Underworld. Naturally, she is the enemy of all of us cultivators!”

“Don’t you think so, Fellow Daoist?” He squinted his eyes, a glint of distrust in his gaze as he took a small step back. “For such an extremely dangerous demonic cultivator, who among our generation wouldn’t want to personally slay this scoundrel!”

Shang Can watched his movements with cold eyes. No ripples formed in her heart; she simply turned slightly to hide Wan Shao, whose face had become too ugly to mask. Her gaze drifted toward the distance, and the instant she caught a glimpse of that plain white sleeve, she retracted her eyes as if burned.

Yes, I think so too.”

She gave the male cultivator a brilliant, flawless smile.