Yun Duan herself was unaware of this matter.
Shang Can first discovered it about a month after Yun Duan joined Qing Yu. That day, she happened to be awake late and suddenly heard the sound of a door opening from the adjacent room where Yun Duan was staying. Worried, she opened her door to check, and that’s when she discovered Yun Duan’s sleepwalking condition. She didn’t know if it had occurred before that day.
This frightened Shang Can quite a bit. That night, she prevented the sleepwalking Yun Duan from leaving the room, watching as she lay back down and fell asleep again. Unsatisfied, Shang Can ended up guarding the door and stayed awake all night, only sneaking out at dawn to find Wang Yue for a solution.
Wang Yue took the opportunity of a routine examination to have Yun Duan come in for a check-up. In the end, they only reached the ambiguous conclusion that it might be due to unresolved worries stemming from the drastic changes at home.
‘… Or should we tell Duan Er? At least locking the door every night would be a bit safer—’
‘Don’t say that.’
Shang Can firmly rejected Wang Yue’s suggestion, stood up, and stretched lazily.
‘With Duan Er’s temperament, I’m afraid that if she knows, she’d rather stay awake than cause any trouble for others.’
‘She’s still young; she’s still growing.’
Considering this, Shang Can kept this matter to herself, remaining on edge during the nights for that period, paying close attention to the noises coming from next door.
Yun Duan was always regular with her schedule and usually went to bed around the beginning of the Hai hour unless something unusual occurred. After observing for a long time, Shang Can found that Yun Duan’s sleepwalking episodes were most frequent around the Zi hour; after that time, she would not sleepwalk again.
So every night, she waited until after the Zi hour. If she heard any noises, she would rush into Yun Duan’s room to stop her and return only after confirming she was asleep.
This vigilance lasted over a year. It was only after Yun Duan hadn’t had an episode for six consecutive months that Shang Can dared to relax her guard a little. Indeed, there hadn’t been any sleepwalking incidents after that.
However, during that time, Shang Can had stayed up late, which caused her to struggle to get up the next day, leading to some unhealthy sleeping habits, naturally causing her to skip quite a few classes—though she already had a reputation for being undisciplined, so it didn’t raise too much suspicion.
She never expected that after all these years, Yun Duan’s condition, which should have long since healed, would resurface.
Shang Can felt a wave of doubt rising in her heart, accompanied by a sense of lingering fear.
The courtyard door wasn’t very secure; fortunately, this time, Yun Duan sleepwalked to her room. What if she had unknowingly wandered onto the streets of Bi Luo Huang Quan and was seen by some demon?
Shang Can’s chest tightened, and the arm she had around Yun Duan’s waist instinctively tightened as well.
Even without mentioning the peculiarities of the flawless celestial body, just looking at Yun Duan’s appearance was already dangerous enough.
With her mind swirling with strange thoughts, Shang Can furrowed her brow, forcing herself to concentrate on the sleeping beauty in her arms.
Just as she had done in the past when she heard noises from next door in the middle of the night, Shang Can gently stroked Yun Duan’s long hair.
It was the same way one would soothe a child to sleep, and it was very effective with Yun Duan. The person in her arms obediently leaned her head against Shang Can’s shoulder, appearing slightly dazed.
In the past, as long as Shang Can held Yun Duan like this for a moment, perhaps the warmth of her body would provide comfort, and Yun Duan would quickly become docile, obediently falling asleep.
“……”
With their bodies pressed closely together, the cool fragrance of Yun Duan enveloped Shang Can. The thin fabric of her nightclothes revealed Yun Duan’s warmth emanating from the contact point, which made Shang Can feel a sudden heat.
… She wondered if Yun Duan had just begun sleepwalking when she came over. What if she had been wandering outside for a long time? It was still chilly in the spring nights; she didn’t want her to catch a cold.
After so many years apart, this was the closest they had been since their reunion. Although Shang Can felt a bit awkward, her heart inexplicably relaxed.
Perhaps this version of Yun Duan wouldn’t call her “Can Zhe,” wouldn’t probe her intentions, and wouldn’t make her… feel troubled.
“… Yun Duan.” Driven by inexplicable emotions, Shang Can spoke softly, “You—”
Why have you started sleepwalking again?
What has happened to you over these years?
You haven’t… remembered anything, have you?
There was so much she wanted to say, but she could only dare to ask when Yun Duan was unconscious.
Suddenly, Shang Can found it absurd, sighed softly, and fell silent. Yet, the person in her arms suddenly moved, lifting her head from Shang Can’s shoulder.
“What’s wrong?”
This was different from before. In the past, when Yun Duan sleepwalked, she was extremely compliant; as long as she was held, she wouldn’t move a muscle. Shang Can raised her brow in surprise, nervously watching Yun Duan.
Yun Duan’s otherworldly beautiful face showed little change, her eyelashes still low, and a few strands of her usually meticulous black hair now fell beside her cheeks. Unlike her usual aloof demeanor, this added a hint of innocence.
Yun Duan stood quietly for a moment, suddenly taking Shang Can’s hand and slowly walking to the side of the bed.
“…?”
Shang Can didn’t dare to disturb her and followed her lead, sitting on the bed while looking up in confusion.
Yun Duan stood in front of her, slightly lowering her head, her long eyelashes fluttering before she slowly raised her eyes. In her dark, profound gaze, flickers of light appeared, illuminating her slightly vacant expression, making her look incredibly beautiful.
She stared at Shang Can for a long while, suddenly raising her hand to gently touch the corner of Shang Can’s eye.
The cool fingertip lightly brushed against Shang Can’s face, as if Yun Duan were tracing her features.
Shang Can felt a ticklish sensation but didn’t dare to pull away, resigning herself to Yun Duan’s gentle exploration. As her thoughts wandered, she quietly used her spiritual energy to silently close the door, blocking the cold wind from outside.
She didn’t know what Yun Duan was thinking at that moment; all she knew was that Yun Duan was particularly focused, carefully tracing her way from her eyes to her lips, leaving no part of her neck untouched.
Yun Duan’s fingers lightly pressed against Shang Can’s throat, causing her to shiver involuntarily, and she couldn’t help but grasp Yun Duan’s wrist.
“… It tickles. What are you doing?”
Her voice came out slightly hoarse, and Shang Can was puzzled as to why her heart was racing so fast. She tried to calm herself, but when she saw Yun Duan’s head lowering slightly, she appeared somewhat unhappy.
Shang Can’s heart skipped a beat, and she unconsciously loosened her grip on Yun Duan’s wrist. The moment she did, Yun Duan seemed to have received some kind of signal, becoming even bolder, placing a hand on Shang Can’s shoulder and pushing down, as if trying to topple her.
… What on earth is she trying to do?
Shang Can had no choice but to follow her strength, falling back to see what Yun Duan intended to do.
Unexpectedly, after achieving her goal, Yun Duan seemed satisfied, getting onto the bed and curling up into Shang Can’s arms.
“… Wait,”
What was going on? Did Yun Duan want to sleep with her?
Shang Can, who used to enjoy being depended on by her junior sister, felt a mix of emotions—today was different from the past; they couldn’t do this now. If tomorrow Yun Duan woke up and found herself in this situation, there would be no way for Shang Can to explain herself.
She hesitated, contemplating whether she should wait until Yun Duan was fast asleep before carrying her back to the guest room. But unexpectedly, the person in her arms was restless, raising her arm to wrap it around Shang Can’s neck, startling Shang Can into sitting up hastily.
… Even in the past, she had never seen Yun Duan act this clingy.
Seeing Yun Duan’s mood drop again, Shang Can was confused. As she looked around helplessly, her gaze suddenly swept across Yun Duan’s waist, and she froze.
Yun Duan’s movements as she lay down had left her clothes a bit disheveled, allowing Shang Can to catch a glimpse of snow-white skin peeking through the gap of her nightgown, but what drew her attention wasn’t that.
The way the nightgown was disarranged was just right; if she lifted it a little more, she would be able to see what that unknown mark on Yun Duan’s waist looked like.
“……”
Shang Can’s eyes remained fixed on that spot, her mind in turmoil.
… just a gentle lift of the hand would reveal it.
Seeing Yun Duan in this state, she likely wouldn’t resist; even when she woke up the next day, she probably wouldn’t remember this incident. If she wanted to look, now was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, perfectly timed as if it were deliberate.
But, but isn’t this still too awful? Doing something like this to a somnambulist would surely bring her retribution in the future, right?
“Wanting to see what’s going on” versus “a basic moral sense as a human” clashed violently in Shang Can’s mind, but in the end, morality won out.
With her mind made up, Shang Can gritted her teeth and turned her head away. The person who had slipped away from her embrace suddenly moved, sitting up. Shang Can instinctively tensed, quietly shifting towards the edge of the bed.
Under Shang Can’s vigilant gaze, Yun Duan silently caught hold of the hem of her nightgown and slowly lifted it.
… She lifted it.
Shang Can was taken aback.
This action was so unexpected that Shang Can didn’t react in time to stop her; she watched in disbelief as Yun Duan raised her nightgown, nonchalantly exposing the mark she had been curious about for so long.
“—What is this?”
Before the panic in her heart could subside, Shang Can was drawn in by the sight of the mark that suddenly appeared on Yun Duan’s pale abdomen, her mind filled with confusion and doubt.
This was definitely not just a birthmark or a scar.
Although the ancient patterns made it difficult to understand its exact meaning, with just a glance, Shang Can could confirm — it was a complete, meaningful mark, like some kind of totem.
If she didn’t know that tattoos didn’t exist in this world, she would likely mistake it for a tattoo design.
… What is going on? How could Yun Duan have such a mark on her body?
With the recurrence of her sleepwalking and the appearance of an unknown mysterious mark, Shang Can felt her heart spiral into chaos. What on earth had happened to Yun Duan during the years she had been away?
Shang Can was in turmoil, but the person who had lifted her clothes seemed unaware of her feelings. It seemed that holding up the garment had made her tired, as Yun Duan lightly released her grip, allowing the nightgown to fall back down.
However, before Shang Can could breathe a sigh of relief, Yun Duan caught her hand and silently guided it to the position of the mark—
“—?! Wait, wait a minute…”
Misunderstanding Shang Can’s resistance, Yun Duan fixed her gaze on her for a moment before simply taking her hand and slipping it beneath the nightgown.
“?!”
The delicate, jade-like touch of her skin sent a shiver through Shang Can, freezing her in place as she dared not breathe.
… So this is what they mean by “soft jade and warm fragrance,” she thought.
Shang Can’s mind was flooded with thoughts like “Is this how a girl’s abdomen feels?” completely uncharacteristic of her identity, almost making her want to compare it to her own abdomen, but she managed to suppress the ridiculous impulse.
Perhaps it was fortunate that Yun Duan showed no intention of moving her hand further; she simply stopped at the mark and then, like a cat, nuzzled into Shang Can’s embrace, becoming still.
Shang Can didn’t dare move a finger, feeling that her hand, which had ventured beneath Yun Duan’s clothing, was now stuck in limbo; it was hard to tell if it was her warmth or Yun Duan’s. In any case, the palm that touched Yun Duan’s skin was burning, nearly making her break into a sweat.
She remained there, frozen like a statue for what felt like an eternity, until she finally noticed the rhythmic sound of breathing from Yun Duan’s neck, awakening her from her stupor.
“… She’s asleep.”
Unbelievably, the series of surprising actions from Yun Duan had led her to fall into a peaceful slumber, completely unaware of the storm of emotions that were raging inside Shang Can.
Shang Can couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time, her tense shoulders finally relaxing.
She had to hurry and carry Yun Duan back to her guest room.
With that thought in mind, she attempted to withdraw her hand from Yun Duan’s abdomen, but perhaps due to her rigidity, she accidentally brushed against Yun Duan’s waist when pulling away, eliciting a soft hum from the girl.
Startled, Shang Can froze again for a while, hesitating repeatedly before finally summoning the courage to gently stroke Yun Duan’s waist, tracing the area where she remembered her injury had been, lightly rubbing several times. After confirming that the area was smooth and devoid of any scar-like irregularities, she carefully retracted her hand.
Thank heaven, throughout this process, Yun Duan had only hummed softly at the start and made no further moves to wake up.
Shang Can breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as though she had successfully defused a bomb.
As for that unknown mark, it appeared as if it was simply drawn on Yun Duan’s body; she hadn’t felt anything out of the ordinary.
Though she felt uneasy, Shang Can knew it wasn’t the right time to delve deeper into this matter.
Gently, she lifted Yun Duan, carried her out of the room, placed her comfortably on the bed in the guest room, and then tucked her in before quietly exiting.
The world outside remained shrouded in darkness, and Shang Can stood outside Yun Duan’s door in a daze for a while before finally letting out a sigh of resignation.
Fine, I might as well stay here and watch over her for the night.
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