"If you don't agree, I won't get up." Cang Shu gritted his teeth, kneeling stubbornly on the ground, refusing to rise no matter how Yun Di pulled him.
"If he wants to kneel, then let him kneel." A cool, clear voice rang out. Only then did Cang Shu look up in a daze to see the warmth and elegance beneath Ye Lan Shan's smile, hiding a cold indifference.
He was like a god, looking upon the world with eyes that seemed to pity all beings but were in truth ruthless and merciless.
"Lan Shan." Yun Di was at a loss for words. Though he had once been ruthless and merciless himself, enduring humiliation for his own life and his mother's vengeance, wearing a false mask, and killing countless people with blood on his hands, there was always a soft, pure place in his heart. At this moment, Cang Shu had touched that softness, stirring his compassion.
"Only the weak kneel. I have no obligation to help a weakling." As they stood stunned, Ye Lan Shan had already passed them, drifting lightly to somewhere unknown, leaving only those words, cold and crisp, piercing their ears.
A faint, cool breeze brushed by. Ye Lan Shan leaned gently against a tree, closing her eyes to silently recall everything she had encountered since arriving on this continent.
It seemed like nothing was connected, yet she always felt as though everything had been orchestrated for her. She deeply disliked this feeling, but once the gears of fate began to turn, could they stop just because she disliked it?
"Regardless, you should stand up first. Kneeling like this makes it look like we're bullying you." Yun Di looked helplessly at Cang Shu kneeling before him.
Before Yun Di could finish, Cang Shu stood up and hurriedly chased after the direction Ye Lan Shan had gone. He knew she was the one who truly held the power; he had realized earlier that Yun Di deferred to this person called Shan Luo in everything.
Yun Di watched Cang Shu quickly get up and run off, his emotions a tangled mess. He had thought the boy was pitiful, but it turned out he was clever.
Cang Shu stumbled along, searching for any trace of Ye Lan Shan, but found nothing.
"You're quite at ease here. That little boy has been searching for you like crazy." Yun Di had somehow settled onto another tree branch.
"What does he want from me? Once I decide on a plan, how could it be derailed by his petty request?"
Don't blame her for being heartless; this method was the most convenient and quick, with the greatest chance of not exposing Shangguan Xin. Besides, he himself had already agreed. If she didn't involve him, how could she force him onto her side?
Yun Di fell silent. All of this was to help him reclaim the Sima family's position. Everyone had the right to blame her, except him.
And was this truly heartless? Anyone else would do the same. After all, with the formidable aid of the Xuan Emperor, the odds of taking over the Sima family had increased immensely.
Because they had wandered off, the two slept in the tree that night. It wasn't until dawn, when birds broke the stillness, that Ye Lan Shan opened her eyes. But there was no grogginess upon waking; instead, her gaze was startlingly clear.
"Shan Luo, I want to make a deal with you." Cang Shu finally found Ye Lan Shan, his face lighting up as he rushed over.
Ye Lan Shan's clothes, damp from dew, were still not dry, and even her hair was slightly moist. Yet this made her seem more real—like a man stepping out of a landscape painting, but without that ethereal quality that made him seem like a breeze could whisk him away.
"What deal?" Ye Lan Shan gazed at him calmly, her eyes serene without the biting cold, yet it made her seem even more heartless.
"I have a strange fire inside me. I'll trade it for your promise not to involve Grandpa Sima when you fight the Sima family." Clearly, he had mustered great courage to say this.
It was well known that having a strange fire enter the body was a thousand times more painful, yet people endured even greater suffering willingly to grow stronger.
Extracting the strange fire was equally agonizing, and with its removal, one's strength would decline. Not to mention he was an alchemist—the importance of strange fire for alchemy hardly needs elaboration; everyone knows it.
Ye Lan Shan was silent for a moment before saying, "Even if we don't involve him, Sima Cheng will force him to choose."
Cang Shu's face paled a shade, but he wasn't naive. On the contrary, his orphaned upbringing had made him wiser than most children his age. He understood what her words meant. Whether Grandpa Sima wanted to or not, he would have to make a choice, and whichever he chose, his heart would be filled with guilt.
"To protect someone, the only way is to become strong—strong enough that no one dares to provoke you. Likewise, to seek revenge, you must become strong—strong enough to make even your enemies tremble." Ye Lan Shan looked at his pale face and found herself saying this.
Whether she said it for him or for herself.
Strong? I will become strong, strong enough to protect Grandpa Sima. Cang Shu etched those words deep into his mind.
Yun Di opened his mouth as if to speak but said nothing, finally letting out a heavy sigh.
"You're here. Please, sit." Sima Yan Guang rarely showed such kindness; he usually faced outsiders with a stern expression.
"Hmm." Ye Lan Shan sat down and took a small sip of the tea. Though not the finest, it carried a faint herbal fragrance, a comforting scent. For a moment, she felt as if she were back with her master.
Her master loved tea. Back then, they would bask in the sunlight, savoring the tea sip by sip, its flavor tinged with that same subtle herbal aroma.
After Ye Lan Shan sat down, Sima Yan Guang seemed to have made up his mind. "I have a request. I wonder if you'd agree."
But Ye Lan Shan didn't speak. Her eyes were filled with endless longing as she gazed faintly at the cup of tea. Master, where are you? I miss you so much.
"Shan Luo? Shan Luo?" Yun Di gently shook her, and she blinked, snapping back to reality.
"Speak." Ye Lan Shan's cool voice carried a hint of warmth, showing she was in a good mood.
"I hope you'll take Cang Shu as your disciple."
"Alright, but first, I need to know one thing. Cang Shu is your own blood, isn't he?"
Sima Yan Guang was taken aback. He didn't know how Ye Lan Shan could be so certain, but Cang Shu was indeed his only bloodline, his sole family besides his wife.
"Yes, that's right. He is my blood, my only grandson." Sima Yan Guang spoke heavily, his grief spreading slowly, seeping through his entire being. Even Ye Lan Shan and Yun Di could feel his sorrow.
"Grandpa Sima, you... what did you say?" Cang Shu had just run in from outside, heard the words, and froze on the spot, as if unable to accept this truth.