The next morning.
After finishing her grooming, Shang Can sauntered into the kitchen. She hadn’t dressed very neatly; her long, inky hair hung lazily over her shoulders, and she didn’t bother to adjust it. Standing at the kitchen door, she paused to watch the figure in white at the stove, impeccably dressed, a playful smile curling at the corners of her lips.
“Why did you run off so early?”
She said this in a gentle voice as she walked up to the figure, unabashedly wrapping her arms around their waist from behind, effortlessly pulling the person into her embrace. With a teasing hint, she tugged at the well-tied waist sash, letting it loosely wrap around her fingers.
As expected, the person in front, with their porcelain-like ears, gradually flushed red but didn’t resist the clingy embrace. In a soft voice, they replied, “I didn’t run off; it’s just time to get up.”
“So you left me alone in bed and got up by yourself?” Shang Can feigned a pitiful tone, lowering her voice dramatically, “Last night, it wasn’t like this at all—really—”
The moment the words “last night” left her lips, the warm body in her arms stiffened for a moment. Then, as if to stop her, the person caught Shang Can’s restless hand at their waist and interrupted awkwardly, “I didn’t mean to leave you behind. I—I just…”
Last night’s intimate scenes flashed in Shang Can’s mind, and she smiled with delight, teasing her bashful lover: “Since it was the wedding night, there’s nothing to be shy about. I really enjoyed it.”
Even without turning around, she could imagine Shang Can’s cheeky and flirtatious tone, just like when she was coaxing her the night before. Yun Duan endured for a moment, finally blushing, wanting to shake off this irreverent person who had been teasing her since the morning, yet unable to do so. Eventually, she replied with a slight frown, “I won’t drink again in the future.”
Shang Can nearly burst into laughter but held it back, still managing to say, “But we still have to drink the wedding wine. A little drinking is good for the mood.”
Yun Duan turned her head in annoyance to glare at her, yet was unaware that her action was misinterpreted by the innocent-looking person. Shang Can immediately leaned closer, only for Yun Duan to hurriedly raise her hand to block her, whispering in embarrassment, “There are still people at home.”
“Those two drunks won’t be getting up anytime soon,” Shang Can replied, her tone assertive. After a moment’s thought, she added thoughtfully, “Let’s not even talk about last night. I saw with my own eyes that they were dead to the world, definitely not hearing a thing. Plus, we cast a spell to muffle sounds in our room—”
“…”
Under Yun Duan’s weak glare of embarrassment, Shang Can decided to drop the topic, turning to consider the day’s pleasures instead, her innocent eyes sparkling as she asked, “Can I have a kiss?”
…This was a request Yun Duan had heard far too many times. Every time she believed it, yet few times did they end after just one kiss.
Regardless, a sense of caution arose. Yun Duan deeply realized that the person in front of her, though seemingly innocent, was hardly trustworthy. However, despite her rational instincts warning her that they were in a public area, her emotions had already flicked the green light—she could never turn down Shang Can’s advances, especially when they were initiated by her.
Shang Can was blissfully unaware of the internal struggle within Yun Duan. To her relief, she had genuinely only intended to ask for a good morning kiss. She had no idea that her credibility had plummeted in Yun Duan’s eyes. She only saw Yun Duan lightly press her lips together, then slowly close her eyes, clearly granting a tacit consent.
With a smile lighting up her eyes, Shang Can leaned in.
Just as she leaned closer, unsteady footsteps were heard from outside the kitchen, approaching with a stagger. Both in the kitchen immediately recognized who it was. Shang Can sighed silently, glancing at Yun Duan’s slightly flustered expression, before stepping closer, pecking lightly before pulling away, then striding to the kitchen entrance, amused as she watched the figure staggering towards them.
“Isn’t that Shang Can…” Wan Sha, who hadn’t experienced such a hangover in a long time, approached with a pale face, rubbing her temples as she asked friendly, “Are you here to get some water too?”
Shang Can stared at her for a while before responding lightly, “I’ll go dig a well in your room later.”
Hearing the sounds from outside, Wan Sha mumbled something about how she couldn’t drink that much, and Shang Can, without further ado, took the dazed flower spirit from the kitchen, dragging her away. Yun Duan was left unsure how to react but definitely couldn’t step out—she touched her flushed cheeks, realizing they must be burning.
What was merely a fleeting kiss had turned into something that stirred her heart inexplicably.
Perhaps it was the awareness that Wan Sha was approaching, but Shang Can’s eagerness was too obvious. The brief moment they had just shared left Yun Duan feeling a bit wronged, as if they hadn’t intended to end things so lightly had they not been interrupted.
Yun Duan had every reason to scold Shang Can—whether it was for how she had coaxed her into saying all those embarrassing things after drinking last night or how she casually wanted to push further today. Yet, she felt no anger; instead, she felt a secret sweetness, needing to suppress the fluttering emotions in her heart, lest Shang Can notice.
She adored this kind of unguarded affection, just like—just like the fervor of newlyweds.
This wasn’t wrong, was it? Yun Duan thought to herself, a bit nervously lowering her gaze, secretly smiling.
Having drunk the wedding wine and spent their wedding night together, she was undeniably Shang Can’s wife now.
“I’ll say this first.”
Before preparing to leave, Chu Ming spoke gravely, “Although the fact that Yun Duan has a partner hasn’t spread yet—I did tell the gatekeeper disciple to keep it quiet. But who knows if he can truly keep it a secret… In any case, I think you should be prepared.”
Shang Can, disinterested, asked flatly, “What kind of preparation? To be beaten up?”
“Preparation for when your identities get exposed!”
Chu Ming pointed at her as if facing a formidable enemy, earnestly explaining, “With your multiple identities, if they were to be revealed, it would be a serious matter. I suggest three paths: first, you both live in seclusion, finding a place where no one recognizes you and live quietly. Second, you could adopt a false identity. I can help with that, perhaps get you a name at Qing Yu, which wouldn’t be too difficult; Master Wang Yue would definitely lend a hand. Third, Yun Duan could keep your situation under wraps and say that your partnership is just a rumor if anyone asks—”
“I won’t say that.”
Before he could finish, Yun Duan interrupted coldly, her voice as crisp and clear as breaking ice, leaving no room for discussion. Chu Ming glanced at her expression, silently swallowing his words, turning to Shang Can with a gesture, “…See? That leaves you with two options.”
“I don’t think there are even two options.” Shang Can pondered briefly and pointed out, “Where in this world is there a place where no one knows Yun Zhong Jun? If we search in that direction, we might as well go live atop Tianshan Mountain, where there’s nothing.”
She only intended to joke, but to her surprise, Yun Duan suddenly spoke up seriously, “I think that could work.”
“What do you mean it could work?” Shang Can couldn’t help but laugh, sighing, “A perfectly splendid Yun Zhong Jun, with an endless future ahead, hiding away under a false identity to avoid people… If that’s the case, I think Chu Ming’s third option is quite good; I could meet with Yun Zhong Jun privately every day. I should be good at that—ow!”
Because of her candid remarks, Yun Dan secretly pinched Shang Can’s hand. Shang Can laughed and cried out in pain, fully aware that Yun Dan was pretending, but she quickly loosened her grip and gently rubbed it instead. Nevertheless, when she shook her head, her attitude was resolute: “If anyone asks, I’ll just tell the truth.”
The runaway demon king, who was planning to hang around for some time, could no longer stand the sweet nothings exchanged between the two. She interjected, “If I didn’t think that moving to Bi Luo Huang Quan would trouble Yun Zhong Jun, I’d say coming here would be nice… By the way, Shang Can, do you still plan to take on the role of Can Zhe again?”
Hearing this, Shang Can stopped smiling and looked more serious. After a moment’s thought, she replied apologetically, “… I don’t think so. Right now, only Yun Zhong Jun’s reputation is noteworthy. If I take on the title of Can Zhe as well… it would be hard to have a peaceful day again.”
As she spoke, she revealed a teasing smile, raising her eyebrows playfully: “At that point, I’d have to worry about whether anyone was following me even when I came to meet Yun Zhong Jun. I’d really be complicating things for myself.”
Watching as Yun Dan quietly pinched Shang Can’s hand again, Wan Shao, who was trying to maintain a serious demeanor, jokingly said, “I don’t think it’s impossible. The roles of Can Zhe and Yun Zhong Jun are basically aligned; during the day they’re at odds, and at night they won’t give in to each other…”
The last four words were said with deep significance. Shang Can teased back, warning her to be careful about what she read, or Yun Zhong Jun might kick her out. Wan Shao laughed it off, thinking to herself that Shang Can didn’t know Yun Zhong Jun had already seen all that.
Sensing that Yun Dan was starting to feel awkward again, and knowing her partner was shy, Shang Can took the initiative to change the subject. She turned to Chu Ming, who hadn’t quite understood what was said earlier, and said, “Well, it seems like there aren’t many paths left; they’re mostly blocked.”
“What to do then?” Chu Ming frowned with worry, suddenly feeling adventurous. He suggested, “How about the second option? I’m almost ready to take on apprentices. Why don’t you…”
Shang Can was taken aback, incredulous. “You want me to be your apprentice?? What kind of dream are you having, Chu Ming? Why not just go directly to Yun Dan and ask?”
Chu Ming was caught off guard and answered bluntly, “Qing Yu doesn’t allow apprentices to become partners.”
“…” Shang Can nearly laughed in frustration. She chuckled and said, “So does Qing Yu allow a new disciple to become partners with her very own Xu Cang’s little junior?”
Ignoring Chu Ming’s muttering that she was a junior from a different sect, Shang Can waved her hand dismissively. “Forget it, forget it. I’ll think about this myself. Hanging a name under Qing Yu is just too unreliable—your suggestion is not even as good as me just jumping out and saying, ‘I, Shang Can, am alive again.’ At least that way, I’d still be a peer to Yun Dan, and there’d be a tiny chance that Qing Yu would accept our relationship.”
Chu Ming couldn’t come up with anything more constructive, so he nodded gloomily, patting Shang Can’s shoulder and sighing, “It’s alright. At least you’re back now, so it’s not a big deal.”
As he said this, he frowned again and warned, “But you should still be cautious these days. Since Jun Kun Yao went rogue, the Heavenly Realm has become even more extreme toward the demon race. I’ve only met the new acting head a few times, but I feel something is off. The Heavenly Realm is completely different now than when Jun Kun Yao was in charge. Given your special identity, you must be careful not to give anything away.”
Despite still feeling uneasy, Chu Ming knew that staying too long as the Yushan Jun would only bring trouble for both of them. After saying this, he reluctantly took his leave. Shang Can reflected on his words and sighed in frustration, “… I really don’t have a good impression of that place. They all seem so dangerous.”
Yun Dan turned to her and said softly, “It’s alright. I won’t let anyone from the Heavenly Realm come after you.”
Her words made her sound like a kept woman, but Shang Can gladly accepted it. She thought to herself that she also didn’t want anyone from the Heavenly Realm to approach Yun Dan, as there was nothing good that could come from it.
All those not-so-pleasant past events had stemmed from the Heavenly Realm, and there were still some strange doubts that hadn’t been clarified. However, many days had passed, and it seemed difficult to pursue them now; she didn’t know if there would ever be a chance to get to the bottom of it.
Forget it. As long as the Heavenly Realm doesn’t come to bother them again, it should be fine. Shang Can temporarily set aside her concerns, turning her thoughts around and smiling, “What should I be to deserve Yun Zhong Jun?”
Yun Dan’s answer came quickly, clear and concise: “Just being A Can is enough.”
Now that was the most touching line anyone could say.
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