The Amnesiac, Sickly Beauty Is Pregnant With My Dragon Cub - Chapter 65.2

Ting Lan: “…”

Yu Xuanji took another sip. “Go on.”

“It’s just… those kinds of books,” An Zhi said hesitantly. “I don’t know if you’ve seen them. Most ‘normal’ books are about human romance, but I like ‘human-non-human’ romance. What I said earlier was just a common trope… Monster, Mpreg, Lactation…”

By the last word, An Zhi’s head was so low it nearly touched the dirt.

Yu Xuanji frowned upon hearing this. She finished her tea in one gulp, set the cup on the stone table, and raised an eyebrow. “So that’s it. You may stand.”

An Zhi stood up tremblingly. Ting Lan came over to support her, giving her a meaningful look.

The two thought Yu Xuanji would be angry, but she suddenly changed the subject. “Huang Liu reported seeing a woman in white who looks like me in the Demon Market. If I’m not mistaken, that person is Yu Linlang.”

An Zhi immediately became alert. “Linlang? Why did she come to the Barren Lands? She really did follow the Master here.”

Ting Lan nodded. “If it really is Linlang and she finds this place, our secrets will be exposed, and she might harm you, Master.”

Yu Xuanji lowered her eyes, a cold light flashing in them. “I have already scouted where she is staying. I will go meet her personally tonight.”

An Zhi said worriedly, “Master, though Linlang was defeated by us before, you are pregnant now. You must not underestimate the enemy.”

Yu Xuanji smirked, her eyes cold. “She couldn’t beat me when she was alive; what kind of trouble can she cause now that she’s dead?”

Ting Lan smiled. “The Master is right. She is but a clown. When the Master was in the mortal realm, she never escaped the eighteenth level for all those years. As soon as the Master left, she escaped. It shows how powerful the Master is.”

As they spoke, Cang Lan walked over from the vegetable garden carrying her hoe. The chili peppers were planted. The seeds came from Tushan Bai and included various types like bell peppers and pointed peppers; it took Cang Lan and Huang Liu a while to distinguish them.

Tushan Bai had also given Cang Lan some yellowish round lumps. Yu Xuanji said they were called “potatoes” and tasted soft and slightly sweet.

Cang Lan originally wanted to cook them, but Yu Xuanji told her to cut them into pieces and bury them. She went back to the kitchen to get the basket of potatoes and saw the skins had turned greenish with fresh green sprouts.

Seeing how many there were, Cang Lan got a craving. She picked out a green potato with sprouts, washed it, chewed it, and swallowed.

The taste was decent—moist and sweet, unlike the “sandy” texture Yu Xuanji described. The sprouts were particularly crunchy.

Cang Lan walked out while chewing. Before she reached the door, her legs went weak, her vision blurred, and she collapsed.

Before losing consciousness, she thought she saw Yu Xuanji standing at the door. She reached out a hand before sinking as if into deep water.

In the darkness, Cang Lan fell into icy black depths. Just as she was about to close her eyes, a hand reached into the water, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her up.

Cang Lan snapped her eyes open. Her head emerged from the water, and she was held tightly by Yu Xuanji, whose voice was trembling: “A-Lan, why were you lying in the water? I saw someone on the surface from afar and was scared to death.”

Cang Lan, who had been dazed, quickly cleared her head. She smiled. “Don’t be afraid, my lady. It’s just the summer heat. I found a pool to lie in because I was so hot. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

Yu Xuanji wrapped her arms around Cang Lan’s neck, burying her face in the crook of her shoulder. She murmured, “You know I was worried. I couldn’t find you when I woke up. I searched the whole courtyard, calling for you, but you didn’t answer. Then I came to the back mountain and saw someone floating.”

Cang Lan kissed Yu Xuanji’s cheek. Seeing her tears, she coaxed, “It’s all my fault. Don’t be sad. I was just hot; I’m fine.”

Yu Xuanji bit her lip, sounding aggrieved. “You’ve been avoiding me lately, even sneaking out at midnight. Tell me, what have you been doing? Why won’t you tell me?”

Cang Lan lifted her head slowly and said cautiously, “My lady, I didn’t mean to hide it. I just have… some difficulties.”

Yu Xuanji cupped Cang Lan’s face and asked seriously, “What is it? Why avoid me? Is there anything between us that cannot be said?”

Seeing her persistence, Cang Lan relented. “My lady, I told you before—my heat has arrived.”

Yu Xuanji sighed in relief. “Is that all? We are married and have been intimate; shouldn’t we take it a step further?”

Cang Lan wiped the tears from Yu Xuanji’s eyes and shook her head. “It’s more complicated than you think. A dragon’s heat lasts a long time—one or two months. It causes natural disasters like storms or floods. I was trying to find a way to suppress it.”

Yu Xuanji frowned. “Then let’s go back to Denglin. Isn’t that an isolated paradise?”

Cang Lan shook her head. “But if we do that, by the time two months pass there, thirty or forty years will have passed in the mortal realm. You wanted to see XiuXiu grow up; if we go back, by the time we return, XiuXiu’s children might be in school.”

Seeing Yu Xuanji’s stunned expression, Cang Lan kissed her chin. “I don’t want you to be conflicted. Just let me stay in the water. Once I set up a barrier, I’ll stay here for a while—”

“A-Lan,” Yu Xuanji called her name. “Is there any other way?”

Cang Lan nodded, then shook her head. “There is, but—”

Yu Xuanji stared into her eyes. “If there’s a way, we’ll use it. Tell me, A-Lan. Don’t keep me in suspense.”

Cang Lan lowered her gaze and said shyly, “The way is… to be with my beloved for a whole month to disperse all the energy inside me. This is what Tushan Bai taught me; she is thousands of years older and more experienced.”

Yu Xuanji was silent for a long time. Cang Lan, thinking it was inappropriate, stood up. “My lady, I don’t want you to get hurt. I’m afraid I won’t be able to control my desire and will harm you. Just let me go. I’ll go far away where I won’t hurt the people or you.”

As she spoke, her waist was encircled by two soft arms. Yu Xuanji pressed against her back and whispered, “It won’t hurt. I’m not afraid of pain. I just don’t want you to leave. Whatever you do is fine, but you must take me with you wherever you go. I truly cannot live without you.”

Cang Lan coaxed her gently, “I won’t leave. Don’t say such things. You are so smart and successful with your restaurant in the capital; you could live happily even without me.”

Yu Xuanji closed her eyes. “But you are my true soul. What can a person do without their soul? They are just a walking corpse. A-Lan, let’s not say such things anymore. From today on, we will be open with each other. No more secrets.”

As time passed, Yu Xuanji’s health improved. She no longer needed bitter medicines; she could eat, sleep, and move freely.

She still cared for XiuXiu and her mother. Every time she returned to Qingyang County, she would secretly watch them. During these times, the house was always filled with the thick scent of medicine.

XiuXiu was in poor health. According to Yu Linlang, since she had lost two husbands and her daughter was bedridden, this was her retribution from decades ago.

Yu Xuanji stood silently at the kitchen door, watching Yu Linlang cook medicine while cursing her, saying all her misfortunes were caused by Yu Xuanji, who wouldn’t let the family be even after being dead for decades.

Cang Lan walked in and saw Yu Xuanji standing under the eaves. She called out to her.

Yu Xuanji turned and took her hand. “A-Lan, let’s go.”

Cang Lan noticed Yu Xuanji’s expression wasn’t right. She stood at the kitchen door for a moment, and her expression darkened as she listened.

Yu Xuanji lowered her eyes. “A-Lan, let’s go, we—”

A woman’s scream came from the kitchen. The medicine pot on the stove exploded, splashing boiling liquid everywhere. Yu Linlang shrieked in pain and rushed outside to douse herself in cold water.

Yu Xuanji murmured, “A-Lan, a small lesson is enough. There’s no need to be so harsh.”

“I intend to be harsh.” Cang Lan’s eyes were dark with malice as she stared at the cursing woman. “After all these years, she still blames you for her own karma. If it weren’t for your constant advice, I would have sent her to hell long ago.”

Yu Xuanji held Cang Lan’s hand as they walked toward the gate. She stepped on the bluestone slabs, counting them. “A-Lan, do you know why my sister dislikes me?”

Cang Lan shook her head. “I don’t. Would you like to tell me?”

Yu Xuanji began to hop on the stones, as if returning to childhood. “I was sickly, but my parents favored me. All the family’s money went to my medicine, so they neglected her.”

She sighed. “She used to be good to me. But then a fortune teller came and said my fate was poor because my sister had ‘stolen’ my destiny at birth, leaving my soul incomplete and cursed. That’s why I was always sick.”

“Then—” Yu Xuanji looked at the sky. “My parents planned a ritual to transfer the stolen portion of my soul back to me. It was a hot day, and after the ritual, a fire broke out. My parents only saved me and forgot my sister was sleeping. She nearly died. When the servants saved her, her back and arms were badly burned, and her right leg was crushed by a falling beam, leaving her disabled.”

No wonder Yu Linlang walked with a limp. Cang Lan comforted her, “It wasn’t your fault. She should distinguish right from wrong instead of blaming you for every misfortune.”

Yu Xuanji smiled at Cang Lan. “A-Lan, since we won’t meet again, let her curse. I don’t truly care.”

“But I care.” Cang Lan squeezed her hand. “Fine, I won’t lower myself to her level. With my protection, she and XiuXiu should live out their lives smoothly.”

Before leaving the Yu residence, Cang Lan looked back as if sensing something. A white figure leaped from the wall. Cang Lan smiled. “My lady, Tushan Bai is here again.”

Yu Xuanji thought for a moment. “She seems to come every day. When I play with XiuXiu, she often sits on the swing under the tree. XiuXiu’s health has improved lately; her face is much rosier. A-Lan, you’re amazing.”

“Actually—” Cang Lan hesitated. “That’s not my power. It’s Tushan Bai’s doing.”

Yu Xuanji was stunned. “What do you mean?”

Cang Lan explained, “XiuXiu was deathly ill once while we were in Denglin. Tushan Bai severed one of her own tails to bring her back to life. Altering a mortal’s fate is against heaven’s will. Tushan Bai was the leader of the Qingqiu Nine-Tailed Fox tribe; for this violation, she has been exiled.”

Yu Xuanji’s voice trailed off. “You never told me. Why would she do that? Cutting off a tail must be so painful.”

Cang Lan looked at her and smiled. “Perhaps she is just kind-hearted.”

Yu Xuanji shook her head. “Just kindness? I think it’s because of ‘love.’ She seems to love Xiu Xiu. Otherwise, why would a powerful fox like her be tied to a mortal?”

Cang Lan’s hand curled slightly. She smiled at Yu Xuanji’s profile. “Don’t think about it anymore. Let’s go home. Didn’t you say you wanted to cook something delicious for me?”

Yu Xuanji laughed. “I said we were going for tea and opera first! I’ve booked a seat at the tea house. A master from Jiangzhou is performing today.”

Cang Lan snapped her fan open and bowed to Yu Xuanji. “Thank you for your kindness, Manager Yu.”

They returned after sunset. Passing their home, the orphans they had rescued were waiting at the door. Yu Xuanji had intended to hire servants, but the children volunteered to work for just food. Seeing their diligence, she kept them.

Cang Lan stroked Yu Xuanji’s wrist. “Whatever the lady desires.”

After a year in the mortal realm, Yu Xuanji was now eighteen. She retained her youthful beauty. Using her intelligence, she opened the largest restaurant in the capital, the Jinshui Tower. As its manager, she became a wealthy and famous figure.

Countless noblemen came to propose, offering gold, but Yu Xuanji rejected them all, claiming she was already married.

Some men secretly followed her home, only to see her through the door being kissed by a person of ambiguous gender. The beauty was so stunning it was hard to tell if they were male or female.

Rumors spread that she preferred women over men, causing the male suitors to retreat. However, while the men left, many women with similar preferences began to frequent her restaurant.

Cang Lan was unhappy about this. Her lady was too beautiful—both men and women coveted her. Cang Lan grew jealous of anyone who looked at Yu Xuanji.

Today, they argued about it again.

Cang Lan sat on the bed, turning her head away. “That Princess Gaoning sought you out again today, didn’t she?”

Yu Xuanji explained patiently, “She said she felt an instant connection and wanted to be sworn sisters. She invited me to her manor.”

Cang Lan snorted coldly. “Instant connection? Sworn sisters? Did you agree?”

Yu Xuanji said softly, “No.”

Cang Lan’s jealousy faded slightly, but she persisted, “She tried to give you a jade pendant. Don’t you know that giving a pendant is a sign of love?”

Yu Xuanji pointed to the many pendants and sachets on her waist. “I know. See? I wear all the ones you gave me every day. I didn’t accept hers. A-Lan, forget about it.”

“Forget it?” Cang Lan gritted her teeth. “I’m your wife, and those people are lusting after you!”

Yu Xuanji, knowing she was the cause, poked Cang Lan’s hand soothingly. “A-Lan, it’s my fault. From now on, I’ll mention you to everyone I meet, okay?”

Cang Lan huffed. “That’s better. But I’m still angry. You have to coax me, or I’ll lock myself in the west wing tonight and not let you in.”

Yu Xuanji bit her lip, climbed onto the bed, and sat in Cang Lan’s lap. She wrapped her arms around her neck and nuzzled her chin.

In a soft, silky voice, she pressed her body against Cang Lan and murmured, “A-Lan, I was wrong.”