The Amnesiac, Sickly Beauty Is Pregnant With My Dragon Cub - Chapter 56.1

The waist was tightly encircled by two arms; Cang Lan even felt a sensation of almost being unable to catch her breath. She lowered her eyes to look at the two hands wrapped around her waist and covered them with her own icy palms.

Her palms were cold, stained with wisps of moist dew, and in this manner, they slowly rubbed against the soft, warm back of Yu Xuanji’s hands.

Cang Lan wanted to turn her head, but she was held so tightly by Yu Xuanji that she couldn’t break free for the moment. Recalling the words Yu Xuanji had just spoken, she must have heard the conversation between herself and that snake demon.

Thinking of this, Cang Lan felt a hint of regret. She had simply seen that the snake demon possessed significant cultivation and was not troubled by human love, focusing solely on cultivating to become a dragon. Moreover, the demon had not committed any evil deeds, so she had gifted her a dragon scale. Who would have expected that the scene just now would be witnessed by Yu Xuanji? And looking at this stance, it seemed she had seen everything clearly from beginning to end.

Feeling a bit guilty, Cang Lan decided to tell the truth, not daring to hide anything from Yu Xuanji. She said, “Lady, just now that snake demon followed my scent here and said she wanted to become my partner.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Cang Lan began to grow inexplicably nervous. Time moved as slowly as a form of torture, agonizing Cang Lan’s heart.

After a moment, she heard Yu Xuanji’s soft voice asking, “Then what did you say?”

Cang Lan spoke honestly: “I rejected her, told her to cultivate well, and gave her a dragon scale.”

Yu Xuanji’s voice seemed to become even thinner, making Cang Lan’s heart drum incessantly. Yu Xuanji said, “Oh, so that’s how it was.”

Cang Lan breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, “Lady, in this life I have only you; do not be suspicious.”

Yu Xuanji’s arms slowly withdrew. She turned her back to Cang Lan and walked slowly toward the door.

Cang Lan followed closely behind, seeing Yu Xuanji stretch out her right hand to touch a peach blossom tree in the courtyard, her fingertips slowly stroking a cold, delicate peach petal.

The Deng Forest also had the distinction of the four seasons. In spring, peach blossoms covered the mountains and fields. Once the flowering season passed, the blossoms would wither, ushering in a fairyland of lush greenery, at which time the branches would be hung with immortal peaches.

The immortal peaches grown in the Deng Forest were full of juice, sweet, and thick-fleshed. If a person on the verge of death ate one, it could alleviate their hunger and thirst, making them radiant once more.

Seeing Yu Xuanji stroking the petals, Cang Lan said, “Lady, these peach blossoms will bloom for a while longer. When the petals have all fallen, they will grow into immortal peaches; eating one can prolong your life.”

Yu Xuanji was stunned and asked, “Then if one ate them all, could one attain immortality?”

Her voice was soft and small, a mere murmur to herself. Cang Lan did not hear Yu Xuanji’s words clearly; she only heard the first half, as the latter half was scattered by a slowly approaching breeze.

Cang Lan asked, “What did the Lady just say?”

Yu Xuanji shook her head, curved her lips into a smile toward Cang Lan, and said, “Nothing. I was saying whether these peaches are truly as sweet as you say.”

Cang Lan smiled: “They grow very quickly. If we wait for the peaches to grow and ripen, we must wait at least two or three months; they will be ripe in June or July.”

Yu Xuanji turned to look at Cang Lan and said, “A-Lan, you told me a few days ago that one day in the Deng Forest is a year in the human world. If we wait for the peaches to fruit and ripen in the Deng Forest, wouldn’t that also mean waiting sixty or seventy years?”

Cang Lan explained, “That is indeed the case.” Quickly, Cang Lan understood Yu Xuanji’s concerns and asked cautiously, “Is the Lady worried about your parents and sister? And your sister’s child, XiuXiu?”

Yu Xuanji bit her lower lip, met Cang Lan’s meaningful gaze, and nodded: “I want to go back and see them.”

Cang Lan nodded: “Good, we will go back tomorrow.”

Yu Xuanji helped Cang Lan take off her outer garment and saw some faint black things on her wrist, so she held her wrist to examine them closely, asking, “A-Lan, what are these on your wrist?”

Seeing Yu Xuanji staring at the scales on her wrist, Cang Lan explained with a smile, “These are my scales. Sometimes they grow out; did they scare the Lady?”

Yu Xuanji pulled Cang Lan’s hand to sit on the couch, her fingertips finely stroking the scales on her wrist. They were cool to the touch, smooth and slippery, producing a jade-like sensation. She smiled and said, “I am not afraid. Your scales are very beautiful; they feel icy and comfortable.”

Cang Lan moved her lips and said, “I thought the Lady would be afraid. After all, I am not human. If others knew, I fear they would treat me as a monster and subject me to extreme punishment.”

Yu Xuanji stroked Cang Lan’s wrist, shook her head, and said, “How could that be? You are a divine dragon. The people here all revere divine dragons; even the Emperor’s dragon robe is embroidered with gold thread. The people here regard the dragon as a deity; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been taken advantage of by that evil flood dragon.”

Recalling that evil dragon, Cang Lan curved her lips and said, “If it weren’t for that evil dragon, the fate between the Lady and me would likely have been lost.”

Yu Xuanji smiled and said, “How so?”

Cang Lan thought for a moment and replied, “The evil dragon captured you, but I stumbled upon you, saved you, and married you. I am your savior and your wife, so we have a fated connection. Is this not heaven’s will?”

Yu Xuanji laughed: “It is indeed heaven’s will. I think even if there were no evil dragon, perhaps there would still be a fate between us. Since this destiny is heaven-ordained, no matter where I go or where I am, we would surely meet.”

Cang Lan nodded: “The Lady is right.”

Yu Xuanji stroked the scales on Cang Lan’s wrist. A scene of Cang Lan and the snake demon together flashed through her mind, and she said worriedly, “You gave a scale to the snake demon just now. That scale must have been pulled from your body. Does that place still hurt?”

Cang Lan smiled: “It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt. Pulling a scale is equivalent to a human losing a strand of hair; after it’s pulled, it will continue to grow back, so it doesn’t hurt at all.”

After these words were spoken, there was nothing left to say between the two. Cang Lan’s fingers curled involuntarily, guessing that Yu Xuanji was definitely still troubled by that matter just now.

The words the snake demon said must have been heard by her. The snake demon said she was human and her lifespan was very short; after a hundred years, she would leave the world. At that time, Cang Lan would be alone again, and others would have an opportunity.

Cang Lan lowered her eyes, looking at the desolate-faced Yu Xuanji. From the side, she seemed to see flickering tears in her eyes—it was unclear if it was the light of the candle or tears in her eyes.

At the moment Cang Lan looked over, Yu Xuanji lowered her eyes and said, “A-Lan, I am already seventeen years old. Previously, a fortune teller said I wouldn’t live past sixteen. Since I met you, my health has become better and better. Now I don’t even need to take medicine, and I have passed the hurdle of seventeen. Thank you.”

Cang Lan should have been happy to hear these words, but although she twitched the corners of her mouth, she couldn’t manage a smile: “Xuanji, I—”

Yu Xuanji suddenly turned her head, her eyes bright, and said, “A-Lan, I know I am human. I cannot live that long. I only have one request of you: after I die, bury my remains under the largest peach blossom tree in the Deng Forest, alright?”

Cang Lan moved her lips and murmured, “Xuanji—”

Yu Xuanji gave a smile of relief: “All humans must die. I do not know how much longer my life will be, but I know the days ahead will be happy because I have you by my side.”

Cang Lan held her breath and finally nodded, saying, “Alright, I will always accompany you.”

Late at night, Yu Xuanji could not sleep and sat up from the bed.

Cang Lan was very alert even in sleep. She sensed a coolness beside her and knew Yu Xuanji had gotten up. She slowly opened her eyes, her gaze falling on Yu Xuanji’s long, slender figure. She changed her posture to lie on the bed, resting her cheek on one hand.

Yu Xuanji carried a candle to the study next door. Cang Lan rose and sat on the bed, her gaze passing through the mottled candlelight to fall on that snowy-white sleeve.

Yu Xuanji sat at the table, arranged the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and held the brush over the paper. she pondered for a long time, yet not a single word appeared on the white paper.

At this moment, Cang Lan suddenly appeared behind Yu Xuanji. One hand lightly covered the back of the hand holding the brush. Pressing against her ear, she said, “What are you writing?”

Yu Xuanji pursed her lips and answered, “Nothing. I just couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d write something casually, but I don’t recognize many words.”

Cang Lan curved her lips and said softly, “I am literate; I can teach you. Writing cannot be rushed. Could it be the Lady wants to take the imperial exams and become the Top Scholar?”

Yu Xuanji laughed softly: “When I was confined to my sickbed, I once had a dream. I dreamt that as a woman, I took the exams and became the Top Scholar, riding a tall horse with a red flower pinned to my chest.”

Cang Lan trembled slightly with laughter. She rested her chin in the hollow of Yu Xuanji’s neck, her lips touching her cheek, and asked uncontrollably, “Then since you became the Top Scholar, were you going to marry the princess and become the Prince Consort as they say in the operas?”

Yu Xuanji’s face suddenly turned red; even her ears turned red in the blink of an eye.

Cang Lan looked over and saw this, so she smilingly pinched her earlobe; it was soft and hot, making her want to open her mouth and take it in directly.

Yu Xuanji lowered her eyes and said sullenly, “No! I only dreamt of sitting on the horse; I don’t remember the rest. You must not tease me.”

Hearing this, Cang Lan sensed that Yu Xuanji was somewhat angry, so she apologized repeatedly, saying, “Lady, I was wrong. I will never mention this again.”

Yu Xuanji sighed and said softly, “Being the Top Scholar can bring glory to the family, but I am not interested. I have no ambition for great achievements, nor am I the reincarnation of the Star of Literature. It is enough to know a few words, read some books, and do some paintings.”

Cang Lan was quite interested in painting, but her painting skills were mediocre; in Yu Xuanji’s eyes, it would likely be a joke.

Sure enough, what she feared came true. Yu Xuanji asked, “Since you are so brilliant in literature, your painting skills must also be very powerful, right?”

Cang Lan bit her lower lip and shook her head, saying, “I fear I will disappoint the Lady’s expectations. My painting skills… I truly cannot agree with them.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Xuanji’s interest was piqued. In her impression, Cang Lan was proficient in both civil and military arts, so painting should be a simple matter. Perhaps she could even become a great artist. She said with an expectant face, “But I want to see. Can A-Lan promise me?”

Cang Lan looked hesitant. She licked her lips and said tentatively, “Al… alright.”

Yu Xuanji stood up, pressed Cang Lan’s shoulders to sit her in the chair, handed her the brush, and stood by the side to grind ink for her, smiling, “You do it; I will help you grind the ink.”

Cang Lan hesitated for a moment, picked up the brush, dipped it in some ink, and let the tip of the brush fall on the white paper, truly not knowing what to draw.

Seeing her motionless, Yu Xuanji said, “A-Lan, have you not thought of what to draw?”

Cang Lan nodded and said, “I can’t think of what to draw for the moment. Lady, what do you think would be good to draw?”

Yu Xuanji thought for a moment and smiled: “How about this: draw you and me. We have been together for so long, yet we haven’t appeared in the same painting.”