The Amnesiac, Sickly Beauty Is Pregnant With My Dragon Cub - Chapter 24

In the blink of an eye, sand and stones rolled as the wind whipped up. Before Yu Xuanji could speak to stop them, the two were already fighting. She quickly snatched off her bamboo hat, preparing to throw herself in front of Cang Lan, but was blocked by a pale gold protective barrier.

Cang Lan stood with her arms crossed, her gaze icy as she stared at the death-defying golden eagle before her. She said coldly, “A few days ago, you sneaked into the cave to covet my wife. If she hadn’t been kind-hearted enough to release you, you would have long since become a ghost under my spear. To dare slander this King here—you truly must be tired of living!”

The golden eagle said in a rage, “The filthy affairs between you and this female demon have spread throughout the Desolate Lands! How can you face your human wife? No matter what, she is my savior; even if I have to risk this life, I will seek justice for her!”

Cang Lan was about to pull the black iron long spear from behind her head, but upon hearing the golden eagle’s words, she paused her movements and slowly descended to the ground.

The golden eagle’s eyes were sinister. She gripped her trident tightly and lunged toward Cang Lan with all her might.

At that moment, Yu Xuanji stepped in front of Cang Lan, using her back to shield her from the golden eagle’s sudden attack. The golden eagle’s eyes nearly split from the shock; it was too late to withdraw her weapon.

She cried out in alarm, “No—!”

The expected sharp pain did not come. Instead, a dragon’s roar echoed through the heavens, and a hundred-foot-tall black-armored giant dragon appeared behind Yu Xuanji. In the blink of an eye, the trident shattered into dust, and the golden eagle was struck by the giant dragon’s ferocious aspect, sent flying a hundred meters away.

Cang Lan was blinded by the piercing golden light. Before she closed her eyes, she seemed to see a massive black dragon emerging from Yu Xuanji’s back.

When she opened her eyes again, the black dragon was gone. Cang Lan was being held tightly by Yu Xuanji, the tip of her nose filled with the woman’s faint fragrance.

The golden eagle sat on the ground clutching her chest, a fishy, sweet taste of blood welling up in her throat. Looking at her weapon, which had been vibrated into fragments by that spiritual power, she couldn’t help but shiver. It was fortunate she had reacted quickly; otherwise, her end would have been the same as the trident.

However, the golden eagle knew she had committed a grave error. She had actually mistaken her savior for a female demon and nearly stabbed her.

Cang Lan held Yu Xuanji, shielding her behind her back as she slowly approached the golden eagle, who was unable to get up from the ground. Just as the karmic fire in her palm was about to spill forth, Yu Xuanji grabbed Cang Lan’s arm and shook her head at her. “A-Lan, let her go.”

Cang Lan turned her head, staring at Yu Xuanji in disbelief. “Wife, I already let her go once in the cave the day before yesterday. She wanted to eat you then, and she almost killed you just now. I will absolutely not forgive her.”

The golden eagle slowly crawled up, knelt on the ground, and lowered her head to admit her fault. “Savior, I mistook the person. I thought the Black Dragon had abandoned you and eaten you, then married another female demon. I… I thought you were that female demon.”

Cang Lan’s face grew darker and darker. She said coldly, “To dare slander this King, I see you truly are weary of life.”

Yu Xuanji quickly grabbed Cang Lan’s wrist and shook her head. “A-Lan, don’t be impulsive. Let’s listen to the golden eagle’s explanation first.”

The golden eagle then recounted the news spread by the crow spirits word for word. After finishing, she stood up limping and continued, “I slipped into the cave to take a look and found no sign of my savior. There were only some clothes on the bed, so I guessed she might have been eaten.”

Yu Xuanji smiled. “It was just a misunderstanding, nothing more than an ‘Oolong’ (a blunder).”

Cang Lan sneered. “Hmph, this bird has never harbored good intentions; I don’t believe her.” Immediately after, she stiffened her neck and asked stubbornly, “Also, what kind of dragon is an ‘Oolong’? My wife is mentioning other dragons in front of me again.”

Yu Xuanji couldn’t help but laugh. “An Oolong is not a dragon. I’ll explain it to you when we get back. Let the golden eagle go home first; she already knows she was wrong.”

Cang Lan had always been at odds with the golden eagle, and having just been cursed at so viciously for no reason, she was naturally unwilling to let the matter drop. She grabbed the “smelly bird” by the scruff of the neck, lifted her up, and said angrily, “Hmph, since my wife is pleading for you, this King will temporarily spare you once more. However, while you are exempt from the death penalty, you cannot escape punishment.”

For the first time, the golden eagle had the “nape of her destiny” gripped by the Black Dragon. She struggled a few times, feathers falling all over the ground, as she was dragged back home by Cang Lan.

Beneath a towering Bodhi tree, the sunlight was bright and the scenery beautiful. Cang Lan gracefully poured tea for Yu Xuanji. The spout tilted, and a stream of pale green, clear tea liquid flowed out slowly, releasing a faint tea fragrance.

Cang Lan placed the teacup in front of Yu Xuanji and said with a smile, “Wife, drink some tea.”

Yu Xuanji took the emerald-green cup and took a light sip. “The tea fragrance is rich, and the aftertaste is sweet.”

Cang Lan also took a sip, but she only felt a bitterness on the tip of her tongue and a taste of raw grass leaves. It was truly unpleasant; she had no idea why Yu Xuanji liked it so much.

Since her wife liked it, she would pretend to like it too, so that Yu Xuanji would be happy.

However, Cang Lan still held a seed of doubt in her heart. Recalling the black dragon manifestation that had flashed before her eyes not long ago, she still felt something was strange. That sudden manifestation wasn’t hers; it seemed to have emerged from Yu Xuanji’s body.

Cang Lan quietly observed Yu Xuanji and said tentatively, “Wife, today it seemed as though my manifestation struck the golden eagle away, but why did I feel nothing at all?”

Yu Xuanji put down her teacup, the corners of her lips curving slightly. She said, “Perhaps it was your subconscious desire to protect me that caused your manifestation to leave your body without you even noticing.”

Cang Lan thought about Yu Xuanji’s words; they seemed to make quite a bit of sense. Her mood instantly brightened.

“Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”

In the radish field not far away, the golden eagle was dressed in coarse cloth clothes. She was bent over, pulling carrots out of the ground one by one, then placing them neatly in a basket.

Huang Liu stood at the edge of the field holding a small leather whip, shouting, “You smelly bird, work faster! At the rate you’re pulling radishes, you won’t even finish half an acre by dark. To think you’re a great demon with a thousand years of cultivation—you can’t even do such a simple task well.”

The golden eagle felt resentment but dared not speak. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve and gritted her teeth, continuing to bend over and pull radishes. She was so thirsty from the sun that her throat felt parched, and she kept swallowing hard.

Yu Xuanji noticed the situation in the distance and suggested to Cang Lan, “A-Lan, it’s too hot. Give her some water.”

Cang Lan reluctantly beckoned to Huang Liu and said, “Go, get her some water. Don’t let her die of thirst.”

Yu Xuanji gave a helpless smile, but at least the bird got to drink.

Gradually, a hint of rosy clouds appeared on the horizon; it was time to prepare dinner.

Yu Xuanji was chopping vegetables in the kitchen. Cang Lan stood to the side, staring intently at her cutting technique, her eyes full of pride.

The three subordinates brought in the exhausted golden eagle. Huang Liu said, “Great King, under my supervision, the golden eagle has finished pulling an entire field of carrots. I even caught her stealing a bite twice.”

Cang Lan waved her hand. “Oh, take her out first. I’ll find another job for her later.”

Upon hearing this, the golden eagle pinched her philtrum hard, resigning herself to her bad luck.

Yu Xuanji was frying meatballs in the kitchen. Every time she fried one and placed it in a wooden bowl, a slender hand would slowly reach in, snatching the freshly fried meatball when she wasn’t looking.

For every one Yu Xuanji fried, Cang Lan would steal and eat one. Her hands were aching from the work; she turned to look at the wooden bowl beside her, only to find it completely empty, without even a crumb left.

Cang Lan was squatting to the side like a cat, guiltily licking the back of her hand. She stood up, wrapped her arms around Yu Xuanji’s waist, and sat her down on a small stool. “Wife, you rest first. I’ll do the frying.”

Yu Xuanji was caught between laughter and tears. “Do you know how? What if you get burned?”

Cang Lan said with full confidence, “Isn’t it just frying meatballs? My wife fried so many just now; I learned just by watching.”

Yu Xuanji gradually felt at ease and said, “Alright then. Be careful. If you don’t do it well, I’ll take over.”

Cang Lan stood by the pot holding chopsticks. Yu Xuanji watched her slender back intently, stroking the dragon scale on her wrist that had already grown into her skin.

This little dragon of hers was indeed very diligent and usually quite eager to learn. Frying meatballs was such a simple thing, surely…

Suddenly, Yu Xuanji smelled a strong scent of burning. She saw black smoke rising from the oil pot and quickly stood up, only to see Cang Lan flustered rolling up her sleeves. Right before Yu Xuanji’s eyes, she reached her bare hand directly into the boiling oil pot to scoop out the charred meatballs.

Yu Xuanji’s pupils contracted in shock. She grabbed a wet cloth and wrapped it around Cang Lan’s right hand, her lips trembling with fear. “Don’t move!”

Seeing Yu Xuanji’s face turn pale, Cang Lan realized her actions had frightened her. She quickly explained, “Wife, I’m fine. This pot of hot oil is like lukewarm water to me.” She pulled out her perfectly unharmed right hand and even flexed it a few times, saying with a smile, “Wife, don’t be afraid. See? Nothing happened at all.”

Faced with Cang Lan’s playful smile, Yu Xuanji said nothing. She held the cloth and wiped Cang Lan’s fingers one by one, her eyes lowered and her expression blank.

The bright smile on Cang Lan’s face gradually froze. She moved her lips, preparing to coax Yu Xuanji into being happy. Drip. A scalding tear fell onto the back of her hand.

Crystal-clear tears slowly slid from the corners of Yu Xuanji’s eyes, dripping one by one from the tip of her nose onto the back of Cang Lan’s hand.

Cang Lan panicked. “Wife, why are you crying?”

Yu Xuanji shook her head in silence, continuing to wipe Cang Lan’s fingers. She wiped from the pads to the tips, then back again to the gaps between the fingers.

After a moment, Yu Xuanji’s chin was slowly tilted up by a hand. Cang Lan’s face leaned in, closer and closer, until Yu Xuanji could count her distinct, long eyelashes.

Cang Lan’s lips pressed against the bridge of Yu Xuanji’s nose, taking that crystal-clear, burning tear into her mouth. “Wife, I’m sorry for making you worry.”

Yu Xuanji still didn’t speak. Her eyes were red, and the corners of her eyes seemed to be brushed with a layer of rouge.

Cang Lan held her breath, gathered her courage, and kissed the tip of her nose, then kissed her eyelids.