When We Meet Again, She's Pregnant - Chapter 12

Yang Xiyan was in high spirits today. It had been nearly a month since she entered the training zone of the Monster Beast Island, and the daily trek had left her utterly exhausted. Fortunately, the scenery on the island was breathtaking, growing even more beautiful the deeper she ventured.

Though she was a mage, she harbored no grand ambitions. All she wanted was a peaceful, ordinary life in the future; no different from any other girl.

Of course, as the young lady of an ancient magical family, she had little say in her marriage. It was highly likely she would be married off for political alliances, and she was no exception.

Luckily, her betrothed was a decent man—talented, handsome, and full of vitality. Aside from being a bit rough around the edges when it came to caring for women, he had no major flaws. Still, for some reason, he had been acting distant lately, as if he disliked her.

That was why her mother had urged her to attend the ball.

Yang Xiyan wasn’t sure what she had done wrong. As the young lady of an ancient family, having a passable betrothed was already a stroke of luck. If she didn’t hold onto him, who knew what kind of unsightly man she might end up with in the future?

A modern, free society?

Sadly, that didn’t apply to people like her.

Her mother had been growing increasingly anxious about the situation, even sprouting a few gray hairs out of worry that the man might reject her. She had been pressuring Yang Xiyan to graduate quickly and return home to marry, which was why she had come here for training.

For students of the Silver Moon Noble Magic Academy, training wasn’t particularly difficult. They could easily enlist help, whether from classmates or family members. Connections made everything smoother.

After all, she was a pure water mage with weak physical stamina, so bringing along assistance was understandable. Yet after over twenty days of travel, she was nearly dead on her feet.

Even trained ordinary people would struggle to survive in the Monster Beast Forest, let alone someone like her. Aside from her water magic, she was no different from a regular person perhaps even weaker. She had always been at the bottom of her class in running; how could she possibly fare well?

There wasn’t even a place to bathe. If not for her innate water magic, she would have reeked by now.

But today, luck was on her side. While her accompanying bodyguard scouted ahead, she didn’t have to walk far before finding a safe, secluded pool to bathe in. Truly, the heavens had smiled upon her.

She quickly set up a barrier, shed her clothes, and revealed her delicate, beautiful figure. Shyly covering her ample bosom, she blushed as she glanced around. Even though no one was there, being exposed in the wilderness still made her feel bashful.

She ran over to test the water temperature—cool and refreshing, perfect for the sweltering heat. Gazing at her reflection in the pool, she murmured, “Have I lost weight?”

Poking her fair, soft arm, she couldn’t tell much of a difference.

Once submerged in the water, Yang Xiyan forgot all her troubles. The oppressive heat vanished nothing pleased a water mage more than being in water. She nearly let out a contented sigh.

Stretching lazily, her ample curves bounced proudly until a sudden chill ran down her spine. There was movement in the bushes ahead, as if something was watching her. Instinctively, she clamped her legs together and hugged her chest defensively.

A ginger cat darted through the trees, and her racing heart finally settled. Humming a tune, she began washing herself.

……

Yang Xiyan was in an exceptionally good mood, completely unaware that behind a large tree in the thicket, Liu Ying was blushing furiously with her eyes tightly shut, silently repeating to herself, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! I really didn’t mean to!”

After murmuring this for a while, she took a deep breath and slipped away, her footsteps making no sound as they brushed against the fallen leaves. As she fled, a small kitten swiftly darted onto her shoulder, and soon they were both beyond the bounds of the barrier.

Finding a large rock, Liu Ying brushed off the leaves and dirt before plopping down without a care, panting as she wiped away her sweat. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the vivid memory, but the harder she tried to forget, the clearer it became.

This left her utterly frustrated.

She had seen everything!

Even that little sister had been in view. In this world, there was no distinction between interactions among girls and those between men and women, same-sex reproduction and marriage had been established five thousand years ago, after all.

Moreover, Yang Xiyan was breathtakingly beautiful, her snow-white, flawless body like a divine work of art, exuding an aura of pure, untouchable elegance.

“Come on, Master,” the kitten on her shoulder said, dropping onto her lap with an almost human-like shrug. “It was just a little peek. It’s not like she lost a piece of flesh. And honestly, there wasn’t much to see. She looked as fragile as paper, like she might shatter at the slightest touch. Was it really worth getting all flustered over?”

Liu Ying’s eye twitched as she grabbed the kitten by the scruff of its neck and lifted it up. “You little brat! If you hadn’t barged through the barrier without a second thought, none of this would’ve happened. And stop judging humans by your beastly standards!”

“Blame me, huh?” the kitten or rather, the little tiger snorted. “This lady isn’t some ordinary magical beast. Barriers mean nothing to me. Why would I even notice them?”

“How could you not notice? Trespassing through barriers is wrong! If she had caught us, she might’ve accused us of being perverts. Even if it was unintentional, we could’ve ended up with at least fifteen days in confinement!”

“How is that my fault? Do you count how many ants you step on when you walk? Barriers are the same to us. If anyone’s to blame, it’s you, Master. You didn’t even notice the barrier, and for a girl, you’re seriously lacking in attention to detail.”

Liu Ying: “…”

Her face burned crimson, torn between fury and helplessness. What was done was done—what could she do now? All she could manage was to suppress the frantic pounding of her heart.

That girl was really something. Throwing her completely off balance.

“Who’s there?” Just as the two were bickering, a cautious female voice suddenly called out from the nearby bushes.

Liu Ying instantly composed herself and turned toward the source. “Human. Student of the Magic Academy.”

“We’re students of the Magic Academy too. Nice to meet you.” The speaker visibly relaxed. On Monster Island, the greatest fears were running into high-level beasts or dark mages from the “Black Capital,” so hearing a friendly response was always a relief.

Liu Ying stood up, still holding the little tiger, and studied the newcomers.

Two girls, both dressed in the academy’s combat uniforms, wore red-and-black caps with the school emblem on their shoulders. Their snug black shorts and tall boots revealed a glimpse of pale thighs, a look both stylish and cute.

As Liu Ying sized them up, they did the same.

The school emblem made it easy for Liu Ying to identify their academy, but since she wasn’t wearing a uniform, they had no clue which institution she belonged to.

“Nice to meet you all. My name is Xia Qiu, from Tian Xingzi School. I got separated from my friends during our training expedition. What about you?” Liu Ying, holding Hu Niu in her arms, walked up to them with a smile.

“Tian Xingzi?” The two girls’ hearts skipped a beat as they looked up at Liu Ying, only to find her gaze fixed on them as well. Their hearts inexplicably began to race.

She was so beautiful not just in a simple, pretty way, nor like the noble young ladies from their aristocratic girls’ school. Her elegance and gentleness seemed innate, and her eyes sparkled with confident warmth, making it impossible not to feel a little shy under her gaze.

“My name is Zi Ye, a trainee from the Silver Moon Aristocratic Girls’ School. I’m C-rank, here for graduation training with my friends,” said the shorter, slightly plump but adorable girl on the left.

“I’m Anjiya Karadiya, also a trainee, C-rank. I’m here with our elder sister for patrols around the area,” the fair-skinned, golden-haired girl on the right added with a sweet smile.

“Elder sister?”

“That would be Sister Xi Yan. She’s the top student at our school, a B-rank pure water mage—a true noble lady, and incredibly beautiful too,” Zi Ye giggled.

“Pure water mages are rare these days,” Liu Ying feigned surprise, pretending not to know Yang Xi Yan. But at the mention of that name, she couldn’t help but recall earlier events, her heart pounding again.

“That’s why she’s a true noble lady!” Anjiya sighed, shaking her head. “She’s different from us mages who rely on magic for survival. For her, magic is more of a symbolic gesture.”

“Oh, you got separated from your friends? That’s so sad. May the Moon Goddess bless you!” Anjiya clasped her hands in prayer, her smile sweet and sincere. “Why don’t you come with us for now? We can part ways once you find your friends.”

“……”

Liu Ying nodded and followed them out of the restricted area, soon arriving at their campsite.

The sight of their camp surprised her. Set up by a small stream, the area had been cleared of weeds and shrubs, with several tents of varying sizes erected. Some people were cooking over a fire, while others chatted or played cards nearby.

Not only were there girls, but also a few male bodyguards patrolling or handling tasks like cleaning animal entrails. The perimeter was dotted with barriers of different sizes, and the scent of insect repellent lingered in the air.

The overall atmosphere of the camp struck Liu Ying as clean and orderly.

After announcing their arrival, two girls approached the camp. One wore a shoulder-baring gown, seemingly unfazed by the wilderness, and was quite pretty. The other was dressed in a maid’s outfit someone Liu Ying recognized.

“Ah, it’s you!” The maid, Yi Yi, exclaimed in surprise.

The other girls turned to her in confusion.

Liu Ying was equally startled. “It’s you!”

“You know each other?”

“Yes, we met on a sightseeing bus with my lady last time,” the maid said, narrowing her eyes. “So, you’re the one from Tian Xingzi that Zi Ye mentioned? Wait, that doesn’t add up. Didn’t you say last time that you lived near Tian Xingzi?”

“Ah, well…” Liu Ying awkwardly scratched her head. How could she have forgotten? During her self-introduction on the bus, she had indeed claimed to live near Tian Xingzi.

“Hmph! Trying to deceive me!” The maid, noticing Liu Ying’s awkward expression, assumed she was lying out of fear of being turned away and decided not to press further, changing the subject instead. “What happened? Did you get separated from your friends?”

“Something like that,” Liu Ying replied with a faint smile.

“My mistress is taking a bath. This is Miss Xue Ruoqing. Whether you can stay depends on her,” the maid said, gesturing to the woman in the long dress beside her.

The woman scrutinized Liu Ying from head to toe, her brows furrowed. “I need to discuss this with someone. Sit down for now.” She turned and called out, “Chen Tianjing, come here!”

Soon, a man who looked like a bodyguard approached. The two whispered in a corner for a brief moment before the woman said, “Fine, go talk to her. I don’t want to speak with someone pretending to be a celestial disciple. Let her stay for a day or two, then send her away. Don’t let her interfere with the plan.”

The bodyguard smirked as he eyed Liu Ying’s back, then bowed slightly and walked over to her.

By now, Liu Ying had pushed aside the breathtaking scenery she had just encountered and was seated on a small prepared mat, explaining herself to Zi Ye and the others. The bodyguard approached her and said slowly, “You seem familiar. Anyway, you can stay, but you must leave in a couple of days.”

Liu Ying was overjoyed. After all, she had come here for Yang Xiyan, and being allowed to stay was the best outcome. Still, she couldn’t help but stare at the man in surprise; wasn’t he the bodyguard she had bumped into while eavesdropping at the door the other day? There was something off about this guy’s strength.