The Amnesiac, Sickly Beauty Is Pregnant With My Dragon Cub - Chapter 4

The sound of dripping water echoed within the mountain cave, as if each drop were tapping rhythmically against Cang Lan’s heart. Holding her breath, Cang Lan stood at the entrance, her eyes fixed unblinkingly upon Yu Xuanji.

The fish hissed as it hit the pan, and before long, a rich, fresh aroma wafted from the pot, permeating the air before drifting out of the cave through the vent.

The scent of frying fish attracted many small demons. They followed the fragrance, gathering near the cave and salivating at the aromatic vent.

Sensing the arrival of these uninvited guests, Cang Lan knitted her brows. With a flash of movement, she appeared outside the cave to drive away all the little demons lured by the scent.

Cang Lan said fiercely, “Go, go, go! None of you are allowed to smell this! Plug your noses!”

Cowed by the terrifying might of the Black Dragon King, the group of defenseless little demons could only cover their noses and scurry away in a panic, digging holes one after another to escape.

The surroundings suddenly became much quieter. Cang Lan stood in place with her hands on her hips, the lingering threads of fragrance still drifting around her nose. She frowned; she didn’t want these scents to be caught by other small demons. With a wave of her hand, she set up a barrier, sealing the entire Dragon Pool so tightly that not even a hint of the meal’s aroma could escape.

Having finished this, Cang Lan looked at the pockmarked ground full of mouse holes. She cast a spell to fill them in and returned to the cave.

Yu Xuanji was currently using the oil rendered from the belly fat of the silver fish to sauté fresh, crisp carrots until they were fragrant, placing them into a stone bowl near her hand.

Watching this scene, Cang Lan swallowed hard several times. She had never seen anything that looked so delicious. In every respect—color, aroma, and taste—it was perfection, a peerless delicacy of the human world.

Glancing out of the corner of her eye, Cang Lan noticed a soot-black iron pot beneath the stove. It seemed to be the same one she had previously tossed out.

Cang Lan bent down, picking up the iron pot with a look of pure disgust. She asked, “My wife, where did you pick up this pot? Didn’t I already throw it away?”

Yu Xuanji set the sautéed carrot slices and fish fillets aside, turned her head to look, and said, “The Golden Eagle brought it back.”

CRACK—CRACK—

After a few sharp sounds, Cang Lan crushed the black iron pot into scrap metal with one hand. Gritting her teeth, she snarled, “I knew it! I knew that stinking bird was still thinking about you! I’m going to go catch it right now, boil some water, pluck its feathers, and rip out its heart, liver, and lungs to stew a soup for you!”

Seeing Cang Lan turn to leave, Yu Xuanji hurriedly rushed forward and hugged her tightly from behind. The suddenness of the movement caused her blood to surge; for a moment, she nearly collapsed straight onto Cang Lan.

Cang Lan held her as they sat on the ground. She took out a white pill from a small white bottle at her waist, pinched Yu Xuanji’s chin, and placed it inside. “Keep it in your mouth!”

Yu Xuanji’s complexion was naturally pale, but now her skin was as ghostly white as paper, though her slightly parted lips were as red as fresh blood.

Cang Lan gripped Yu Xuanji’s wrist and pressed one hand against her back, slowly channeling her own spiritual energy into the other’s body.

As the person in her arms gradually settled down, Cang Lan’s hand rested gently over Yu Xuanji’s heart. She had originally intended to check if the heart rate had slowed down, but the moment her hand touched the spot, Cang Lan’s heart skipped a beat.

Yu Xuanji… had no heartbeat!

She stared at the woman gasping in her arms in disbelief, her hands and feet turning cold with fear. Cang Lan felt she must have made a mistake, so she pressed her hand down again.

Soon, she breathed a sigh of relief. Yu Xuanji did have a heartbeat, but it was so incredibly slow that she hadn’t sensed it at first.

After taking the pill, Yu Xuanji’s complexion gradually improved. Though much better than before, she remained frighteningly pale.

Cang Lan had long since grown accustomed to this. She always felt the woman suffered from some incurable illness; even with daily nourishment from pills made of dragon blood, the improvement was minimal.

The Old Phoenix had said that her flesh and blood could help one achieve immortality, and that even a single drop could extend one’s life. She had already given Yu Xuanji so many pills, yet the effect was negligible.

After a while, as if nothing had happened, Yu Xuanji used Cang Lan for support to stand up and picked up the two plates of food.

Her hand had just touched the plates, before she could even lift them, when Cang Lan swiftly snatched them away. Cang Lan shook her head at her: “Don’t move yet. I’ll carry the plates.”

With that, Cang Lan guided Yu Xuanji to sit at the stone table, even placing a soft animal-skin cushion down beforehand. Only then did she feel at ease letting Yu Xuanji sit.

The human and the dragon sat facing each other. Cang Lan was about to reach out and grab a handful of fish to stuff into her mouth when she noticed Yu Xuanji had picked up a piece of fish and placed it in the stone bowl in front of her.

Cang Lan retracted her eager claws. Her eyes met Yu Xuanji’s, who offered her a faint smile. Cang Lan had never known the meaning of shame, but just now, she pulled in her long legs and sat up straight, attempting to leave a good impression on Yu Xuanji.

Yu Xuanji smiled and said, “Taste my cooking.”

Cang Lan held two wooden chopsticks in her right hand. Her palms were sweating slightly, and she felt as if these two small wooden sticks had grown legs—they were slippery and impossible to grip.

She tried hard to pinch the fish in the bowl, only to feel that the fish had also grown legs. A drop of sweat quietly rolled down her forehead; Cang Lan wiped it away with the back of her hand, maintaining a calm facade while growing increasingly nervous inside. Being watched by those eyes of Yu Xuanji’s made her entire body stiffen.

Soon, Cang Lan’s body stiffened even more. At some unknown point, Yu Xuanji had moved behind her. Her chest pressed lightly against Cang Lan’s back, and her right hand covered the hand holding the chopsticks.

The person behind her let out a puzzled voice: “A-Lan, you don’t know how to use chopsticks?”

Cang Lan’s face suddenly flushed hot. Being called “A-Lan” by Yu Xuanji made her head spin; she nearly snapped the chopsticks in her hand. She stammered, “I… I… I have never used these things before…”

Yu Xuanji asked curiously, “Never used them? Then how did we live before? Did I not teach you?”

Seeing that her lie was about to be exposed, Cang Lan choked for a second. Her eyes darted around, and she began to wail and play the victim: “That’s right! You never taught me these things! I have always eaten with my hands!”

Yu Xuanji: “Wh—”

Before the “why” could be uttered, Cang Lan interrupted her with a preemptive strike: “There aren’t that many whys! Back then, it was because of these trivial matters that you insisted on making a fuss about divorcing me…”

Before she could finish, a soft voice came from behind: “I’m sorry.”

Cang Lan’s fingers hanging at her side curled slightly. She opened her mouth, feeling a sudden, inexplicable pang of heartache. As expected, once you tell one lie, you have to use countless more to cover it up.

Yu Xuanji silently gazed at Cang Lan’s reddened profile. Her grip on the other’s right hand gradually tightened as she said, word by word, “It was all my fault. I will never leave you again, and I will never mention divorce again.”

Her chin rested in the crook of Cang Lan’s neck. With just a slight turn of her head, she could taste those two thin, soft, pale-red lips. Yu Xuanji murmured softly, “You aren’t allowed to leave me either.”

Cang Lan nodded as if possessed. It was only a moment later that she realized she shouldn’t have been so easily bewitched, agreeing to this “vow of eternal love” with Yu Xuanji so simply.

Yu Xuanji’s mood clearly brightened. She gave a light laugh, her right palm covering the back of Cang Lan’s hand. After a moment, she moved to the wrist, her fingertips slowly stroking the fine skin there.

Cang Lan turned her head, curious. Wasn’t Yu Xuanji supposed to be teaching her how to use chopsticks? Why was that hand moving from her wrist up to her forearm?

“My wife…” Cang Lan called out softly. The hand moved from her forearm back down to the back of her hand.

Yu Xuanji smiled: “Come, I’ll teach you. First, rest the two chopsticks against your index and middle fingers at the top quarter.”

Yu Xuanji said a sentence, and Cang Lan obediently followed it once. After tremblingly picking up a thin slice of fish, she placed her left hand beneath it and cautiously turned around to look at Yu Xuanji, bringing the fish to the other’s lips: “Wife, I picked it up. You eat it.”

“You…” Yu Xuanji was stunned for a moment. The fish was already at her lips, and she instinctively opened her mouth to take it in.

The fish was tender, smooth, and melted in the mouth, carrying a unique hint of sweetness. Yu Xuanji chewed twice and smiled at Cang Lan: “It’s delicious.”

Feeling that she had mastered the essence of picking up fish slices, Cang Lan stood up and helped Yu Xuanji sit back down. Grinning, she picked up several more slices and piled them in Yu Xuanji’s bowl.

The contents of the bowl in front of her grew more and more until they became a small mound. Yu Xuanji gave a helpless smile, reaching out to cover her bowl. She laughed, “Alright, I won’t be able to finish all that.”

While eating the carrots, Cang Lan couldn’t help but ask, “You didn’t answer me just now. Why did that Golden Eagle fellow return our pot? Could there be some trickery involved?”

Yu Xuanji said, “It told me that after the iron pot flew out, it happened to hit its wing, leaving it half-paralyzed and missing several patches of feathers. I saw it looking quite pitiful outside the cave, so I gave it a few silver fish to take home and eat.”

Cang Lan, jealous without realizing it, said stiffly, “My wife is truly beautiful and kind-hearted.”

The carrots were crisp and sweet. Cang Lan couldn’t resist asking, “My wife, where did these carrots come from?”

Yu Xuanji laughed softly, “The little rabbit demons gave them to me.”

Cang Lan snorted coldly, “Offering favors for no reason—they must be up to no good! Those little demons are definitely plotting against you!”

Yu Xuanji offered a gentle reminder: “The little rabbit demons are vegetarians.”

Cang Lan said nonchalantly, “This wasteland is full of ferocious and evil monsters. A tender-skinned human like you is the most likely to be coveted by bad demons.”

Yu Xuanji rested her left hand on Cang Lan’s hand on the table, saying in surprise, “Then what should I do? I’m scared.”

Cang Lan flipped her hand to grip Yu Xuanji’s fingers, stroking her palm with moderate pressure as a silent comfort. She said, “No need to worry. I am the Great Black Dragon King. Who in this wasteland dares to snatch someone from me? I’ll make sure they get more than they bargained for! From this day forward, I will stay by your side day and night, and you are not allowed to leave me for even a single step!”