The Amnesiac, Sickly Beauty Is Pregnant With My Dragon Cub - Chapter 40.1

 Cang Lan did not recognize many words, yet she knew with absolute clarity that the last two characters were her own name. Her heart was filled with myriad doubts as she pondered: “The handwriting on this is elegant and neat, completely different from my own clumsy script that looks like crawling centipedes. How could I have written this?”

Fearing she might wake Yu Xuanji, Cang Lan slowly folded the yellowed paper along its original creases, stealthily tucked it into her inner pocket, and continued searching while crouching on the floor. After rummaging through several drawers for a while, Cang Lan heard the sound of someone turning over on the bed. She stopped her movements and stood up slowly, her gaze falling upon Yu Xuanji, who now lay with her back turned toward her.

Cang Lan felt certain that Yu Xuanji was hiding something from her. She pressed her hand against her chest; the paper was resting right against her heart. The more she thought about what was drawn on that paper, the more her heart pounded with shock. Cang Lan remembered clearly that she had indeed drawn something identical for Yu Xuanji not long ago. However, this paper was already yellowed with age; there was no telling how long it had been kept.

Cang Lan knew that this yellowed paper was definitely not the one she had drawn just a few days prior. The more she thought, the more baffled she became. Cang Lan crept back onto the bed, embracing Yu Xuanji from behind and resting her chin in the hollow of her neck. Subconsciously, she nuzzled her cheek against her, though her mind was clouded with suspicion.

Why would her own drawing appear inside this bamboo hut from so many years ago? Could it be that she had truly drawn this a thousand years ago? But if she had really drawn it, who was the other person holding hands with the dragon that had twin horns and a tail?

The more Cang Lan thought, the more her heart raced. In the darkness, she stared intensely at Yu Xuanji’s profile. If this person wasn’t Yu Xuanji, could it be some old flame of hers from a millennium ago?

Cang Lan’s neck stiffened as she swallowed hard. She was instantly terrified by her own horrifying thought, breaking into a cold sweat. A few days ago, Yu Xuanji had asked if there had been anyone else before her. At the time, she had vowed confidently that no such thing had ever happened—that she had only ever loved her in this lifetime.

But now, this drawing had appeared out of thin air, clearly bearing the name “Cang Lan.”

Cang Lan tried desperately to recall if she had any other “confidantes” before Yu Xuanji, but no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn’t figure out who that person could be. However, she hadn’t known more than a handful of words back then, and the inscription on this paper was written so neatly. Therefore, this must be a frame-up by someone else; it wasn’t her drawing.

At this thought, Cang Lan breathed a sigh of relief. But in the next second, her heart leaped into her throat again. She thought that perhaps she hadn’t written the words, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the other person in the drawing had written them.

Staring at Yu Xuanji’s profile, Cang Lan felt uneasy and didn’t dare move an inch, her heart filled with guilt and remorse. Yu Xuanji treated her so well, yet she didn’t even know when she had met someone else. Recalling that drawing, Cang Lan knew that the person must have held a significant place in her heart; otherwise, she wouldn’t have drawn such a thing.

But… but…

Cang Lan gazed at Yu Xuanji’s sleeping face. Now that this had happened, how was she supposed to explain it? Was she supposed to say that thousands of years ago, she once had someone else, but she had simply forgotten over time?

No! Absolutely not!

Cang Lan took a deep breath and wailed silently in the dark, one hand clutching the bedsheets beneath her. She was in utter agony. With her mind in a total mess, Cang Lan wished she could just slap herself unconscious. Perhaps when she woke up the next morning, the drawing would have vanished, and it would all have been just a nightmare.

Cang Lan bit her lower lip and shut her eyes tight, yet the drawing remained in her mind. Finally, she raised her left hand and struck her own crown, successfully knocking herself out as she desired.

In the morning, the sound of chirping and laughing outside woke Cang Lan. Before she even opened her eyes, she familiarly reached out her arm to embrace the person beside her, only to grasp at the cool air.

Cang Lan opened her eyes to find the space beside her empty; Yu Xuanji was gone. Cang Lan patted her chest and slowly reached inside to check; the drawing she had picked up last night had disappeared. Cang Lan couldn’t believe it. She took off her clothes and checked them inside and out several times, but there was no trace of the drawing. She turned to look at the table nearby; the tabletop she had left in disarray last night was now perfectly tidy.

Feeling secretly relieved, Cang Lan thought, so it really was a dream.

Stretching as she sat up, Cang Lan walked out barefoot, only to see Yu Xuanji surrounded by a group of little spirits who had transformed into human shapes. She was holding a book, seemingly telling them stories.

Cang Lan’s good morning mood vanished instantly, and she marched over angrily. Sensing the powerful dragon breath, the little spirits turned to look at Cang Lan before scrambling up from the ground.

At first, Cang Lan was quite angry, but seeing the group of little spirits looking like they were about to pounce on her, she turned and ran. Her feet were like the wind as she leaped onto a branch of the nearby hibiscus tree. Though the little spirits had wings, they couldn’t fly very high. Sitting in the tree, Cang Lan breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that the chirping little things couldn’t fly up and could only fret beneath the tree, she leaned against a branch and used magic to tease them.

Yu Xuanji looked up and saw Cang Lan plucking hibiscus flowers from the branch and tossing them to the ground. She smiled helplessly and walked toward the tree. At that moment, a cluster of red flowers fell toward Yu Xuanji, as if an invisible hand were holding them, and tucked them behind her right ear.

Yu Xuanji reached up to touch the flower. In the blink of an eye, she saw Cang Lan lightly drop from the tree, holding a bunch of vibrant red hibiscus flowers in both hands, offering them to her.

Cang Lan smiled and said, “Wife, these flowers have been blooming since the day I first entered this place and have never withered for a single day, just like our feelings—consistent and unchanging.”

Yu Xuanji curved her lips into a smile, took the bouquet, and brought it to her nose to sniff.

Cang Lan wasn’t good at saying romantic things. Tushan Bai had told her that if she wanted to take her relationship with her wife further, saying a moderate amount of sweet talk every day was essential. But Cang Lan was uneducated and didn’t know how to say romantic things, nor was she like the Old Phoenix or Lu Xuan, who could speak them effortlessly. She didn’t like being subtle either; if she liked someone, she would pursue and confess her love relentlessly—that was Cang Lan’s style.

The little spirits held hands and formed a circle, surrounding Cang Lan and Yu Xuanji. They began to spin around, chanting, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

Yu Xuanji lowered her eyes, a layer of blush coloring her snow-white cheeks. Cang Lan, usually thick-skinned, actually felt a bit shy this time. She pursed her lips and leaned close to Yu Xuanji, staring at the other’s picturesque eyelids. She bowed slightly and pressed her lips against hers, leaving a kiss as light as a dragonfly skimming the water.

The little spirits had been cheering at first, but when they saw Cang Lan and Yu Xuanji actually kissing, they all blushed, covered their eyes, and chirped as they fled.

Yu Xuanji smiled as she watched the group of fleeing little spirits and said, “Are we going to be a bad influence on the children?”

Cang Lan shook her head. “Wife, don’t be fooled by their small size. Some of them are actually hundreds of years old, so don’t worry about them.”

Yu Xuanji nodded. “Mm.”

Although this immortal realm was beautiful, Cang Lan hadn’t been back in a long time. She disliked these clingy, noisy little spirits. When she lived here before, they would always surround her bamboo hut every day—some to absorb spiritual energy, others simply wanting to play with her. Cang Lan disliked noise, so in a fit of pique, she had moved away. She traveled through a tunnel to the Desolate Lands and established her own cave dwelling, finally getting away from those chirping, noisy little dumplings.

Seeing that Yu Xuanji liked it here, Cang Lan said with a smile, “If you like it, Wife, then we shall stay here. In a bit, I’ll clean the bamboo hut inside and out. I remember there’s a kitchen nearby, though it’s been abandoned.”

Yu Xuanji walked toward the place Cang Lan mentioned as the kitchen. She came to a well covered in bamboo leaves and gently brushed away the dead branches and leaves with her fingers.

Cang Lan said, “I don’t know who lived here originally. Thanks to my spiritual energy nourishing it all these years, the bamboo hut hasn’t aged or decayed since a thousand years ago. The little spirits also help look after it. I just don’t know whose residence this actually is—probably some immortal.”

Yu Xuanji walked ahead while Cang Lan followed closely, occasionally taking her wrist and saying, “Careful, Wife, there’s a threshold here.”

Stepping over the threshold, Yu Xuanji looked around at the layout of the kitchen. She ran her hand slowly across the dust-covered stove, her fingertips picking up a layer of ash. Cang Lan stared at Yu Xuanji’s finger and quickly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the ash away. As she wiped, she said, “Wife, there’s too much dust here. Why don’t you wait until I’ve cleaned the kitchen before coming in?”

Yu Xuanji shook her head, took off her outer garment, and rolled up her sleeves. She turned to Cang Lan and said with a smile, “A-Lan, I want to clean this place myself.”

Cang Lan was stunned for a moment, then she followed Yu Xuanji’s lead. She took off her outer garment and tossed it to a little spirit outside, rolled her sleeves up past her elbows, and stood with her hands on her hips. “Wife, I’ll join you.”

The little spirits crowded at the door to watch the excitement. They took Cang Lan and Yu Xuanji’s outer clothes and hung them on a peach tree outside, chirping as they prepared to help.

Cang Lan stretched her arms across the doorway and pointed a finger at the dry well outside. “You’re not allowed in the kitchen. You lot help me clean out that dry well. I must see clear water coming from it.”

Receiving their task, the little spirits surrounded the well and jumped down to clear out the fallen leaves and branches.

Yu Xuanji took the pots, bowls, and basins out of the cupboard. They were covered in a thick layer of dust and had to be wiped with a cloth for a long time before they regained their luster. As she stroked a bowl, Yu Xuanji looked back to see Cang Lan with one foot on a stool, holding a broom to sweep away the cobwebs overhead. She had tucked the hem of her inner robe into her waistband, revealing her lean and powerful waist. Her sleeves were rolled up past her forearms, and the slight bulge of veins on the back of her hands was faintly visible.

As Cang Lan swept, she accidentally got a face full of cobwebs. She was terrified of Yu Xuanji seeing her in such a pathetic state, but the more she feared it, the more it happened. Yu Xuanji stood by the stove, watching her quietly, seemingly a bit dazed.

Cang Lan haphazardly wiped away the cobwebs on her head, only to see Yu Xuanji walking toward her to help clean the rest. Yu Xuanji said softly, “How did you get cobwebs all over your head? Let me pick them off for you.”

Cang Lan leaned her body forward, proactively offering her head to Yu Xuanji, and said, “These cobwebs are truly annoying. There are so many of them; I should just set them all on fire and burn them.”

Yu Xuanji said helplessly, “Spiders spinning webs is a biological instinct. You just need to remove the webs; there’s no need to take their lives. Who knows, maybe they’ve absorbed your spiritual energy and gained consciousness to become spirits. A life is still a life; just let them go.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a multi-colored spider the size of a fist dropped from the ceiling. Cang Lan was so frightened she jumped up and clung tightly to Yu Xuanji’s waist, wrapping both legs around her as well. Cang Lan closed her eyes and shouted loudly, “Wife! Ahhh—!”

The noise made Yu Xuanji’s ears ring, but she still held her in that face-to-face position and took a few steps back, comforting her, “There, there, the spider has gone far away—”

Before she could finish, a group of colorful large spiders dropped from the ceiling. They landed on the ground and crawled toward Yu Xuanji, forcing her to retreat repeatedly. Hearing Yu Xuanji’s words, Cang Lan slowly opened her eyelids, only to see a large swarm of spiders rushing toward them. She screamed again, “Wife, look! Another whole swarm! I only broke their webs, and now they want to eat us! Watch me burn them to ashes!”

Just as she spoke, the spiders transformed into their human forms—all of them being young maidens. The leader, a blue spider, appeared to be somewhat older. The moment Lan Yan saw Yu Xuanji, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something. However, the glance Yu Xuanji swept over her made her shut her mouth tight.