Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 105

Liu Fenyun froze for a moment, instinctively saying, “Don’t be silly…”

Lian Yi tilted her head. “You’ve given me so many things and looked after me for so long; of course, I want to give you something too.”

Accustomed to the cat girl’s impulsive nature, Liu Fenyun could only nod with a smile, leading her toward a nearby lightning strike zone.

To be honest, she wanted to gather the herbs and leave this ghostly place as soon as possible. An unowned ancient ruin was fraught with peril, ensuring a safe exit was already a feat, which was why the people of Qingmu Immortal Mountain had declared it a restricted area.

Just as the two stepped into the lightning zone, Liu Fenyun heard the system’s alarm. Knowing the lightning formation beneath her feet had been activated, she looked up to see thunderclouds gathering. She immediately unfurled the Wuyuan Fan (Griefless Fan), preparing to draw the descending heavenly thunder into the fan.

Some artifacts were capable of storing natural energy, and heavenly thunder was one of nature’s most potent forms. However, for safety, Liu Fenyun still layered several spiritual shields around herself and Lian Yi.

They stopped moving forward, intending to test the power of the thunder first to see if it could be harnessed for their own use.

Seeing the clouds continue to amass, Lian Yi shook the Five Thunder Token in her hand and asked, “Should we use this? We were in such a rush that we didn’t ask Madam Chong how to use it.”

The Five Thunder Token was a gift from Chong Youhuai to Lian Yi logically, she should have known its function.

“If you want to overcome your trauma regarding heavenly thunder, you can play around with it,” Liu Fenyun said. She hadn’t forgotten how the cat girl had accidentally entered a lightning pool during her descent to the mortal realm, resulting in soul damage from the strikes. Usually, Lian Yi was terrified of thunder.

“How do I play with it?” Lian Yi asked, her interest piqued.

Before Liu Fenyun could speak, a thunderous roar exploded in the sky. She immediately chanted an incantation. Just as the Wuyuan Fan was raised, a bolt of brilliant white lightning crashed down from the dark clouds, hitting the spiritual shield and sending sparks flying.

Having faced heavenly thunder directly before, Lian Yi couldn’t help but feel a bit apprehensive, worried that Liu Fenyun would become a human lightning rod. Fortunately, the reaction of the Wuyuan Fan quickly put her at ease. When the thunder clashed with the shield, the peach blossoms painted on the fan’s surface suddenly shifted from a 2D image to 3D, blooming with tender pink petals. Through the shield, it began to absorb the lightning spiritual energy bit by bit.

“Heavenly thunder absorption progress: 30%… 56%… 69%…” the system broadcasted timely.

“It seems feasible.” Liu Fenyun glanced at the fan and looked down at Lian Yi. “Heavenly thunder is composed of lightning spiritual energy. In this world, the Five Thunder Token serves as both a medium between cultivators and nature, and a vessel for lightning energy. Hold it and follow my chant; you can collect the falling thunder just like this.”

Seeing Lian Yi nod, she recited the incantation slowly.

Lian Yi learned quickly. Gathering her demonic energy in her hand, she gripped the token and cautiously approached the edge of the spiritual shield. She recited the spell, and the energy flowing toward the Wuyuan Fan began to drift obediently toward the Five Thunder Token, sinking into the medallion under Lian Yi’s tense gaze.

Noticing a soft white light flowing across the surface of the token, Lian Yi was surprised and delighted. “What now?”

“Now it’s yours. You can play with it however you like, or summon it when you need it.” Liu Fenyun absorbed the last wisp of energy and retracted the shields, ready to move on.

As long as they had a way to deal with the thunder, this restricted zone became a safety zone.

The two calmly triggered the next lightning formation, using the same method to draw energy into the fan and the token. For safety, Liu Fenyun still deployed shields, though fewer than before.

Perhaps the ruins possessed a consciousness and grew unwilling to watch them harvest its thunder. When they triggered the fifth formation, no clouds gathered. Instead, the scenery shifted rapidly, transforming the flat ground into a forest of ancient trees.

Lian Yi retracted her token and looked around in surprise. “Are we out of the lightning zone? But we didn’t trigger that many formations…”

Liu Fenyun examined the new map refreshed by the system. “We are indeed out of the lightning zone, but the reason is currently unknown. For now, the surroundings are safe, and no animal life forms are detected.”

Lian Yi stared at one of the ancient trees. “Many spiritual plants are aggressive. If these trees have gained sentience, they might attack us.”

Liu Fenyun calmly snapped open her fan. “Then we’ll cut the trees first.”

She wasn’t afraid of ancient trees becoming spirits. Since Xiaochou Valley was an ancient ruin, the flora and fauna were bound to have some spirit. Where there was spirit, there was communication, and communication could avoid many conflicts.

Lian Yi hadn’t expected her to be so blunt. While she was dazed, Liu Fenyun had already rushed toward a nearby tree and slashed at the trunk with her fan.

However, the blow didn’t harm the tree instead, it flicked away a clump of something pitch black. Lian Yi reacted quickly, catching the object and wrapping it in thick layers of demonic energy.

“What is this?!” Lian Yi looked at the struggling “black mist” inside her energy.

“A Monitoring Gu.” Liu Fenyun had already been briefed by the system before her strike. “Perhaps it was left here by the master of the ruins.”

She took the Monitoring Gu from Lian Yi and tucked it away. After surveying the area, she directly contacted Si Yangshen (Jin Fei), who was resting in the herb garden: “Jin Fei, do you know what kind of ancient ruin this Xiaochou Valley in Qingmu Immortal Mountain is?”

As a guardian of ancient ruins, Jin Fei’s experience in such matters was vast.

Jin Fei had recovered somewhat and could finally speak without gasping. Using Liu Fenyun’s spiritual sense to observe, she said: “This should be a trial ground set up by the Demon Race in ancient times, used to store treasures and spiritual herbs for powerful clansmen to claim. The formations here are all lethal. The beasts and plants are guardians, once they sense someone coming for the treasure, they will haunt you to the end. Be extremely careful!”

Liu Fenyun was taken out. “So, there really is treasure here?”

Jin Fei snapped, “Forget the treasure and get out! The guardians of such a place are no joke, you can’t beat them!”

Liu Fenyun had only mentioned it in passing. Her primary goal was still the herbs, she had no interest in treasures. Thanking Jin Fei, she turned to Lian Yi: “Let’s find the Bujianchou first.”

With the lightning zone changed, the system had to reroute their path. Looking at the coordinates, Liu Fenyun noticed their distance from the herb had increased. She frowned. “This ruin might actually be sentient, it’s moving us away from our destination.”

If that were the case, they would have to find the guardian who left the Monitoring Gu, or they might never reach the herb.

Lian Yi thought for a moment, walked over to the tree Liu Fenyun had almost sliced, and patted the trunk gently. “Should we ask them?”

Before Liu Fenyun could answer, the tree shivered uncomfortably.

Startled, Lian Yi circled the tree, poking the trunk occasionally. She laughed, “Let’s ask. This tree has already become a spirit.”

Liu Fenyun had heard a faint “Ouch” when Lian Yi poked it. Being a god capable of hearing all living things, she knew the tree was sentient, but Lian Yi shouldn’t have been able to hear it. She asked, “Hello? We are here to gather herbs to save a life. Could you point us in the right direction?”

“Why would a god need to gather herbs to save someone personally…” the tree spirit muttered, clearly skeptical.

Liu Fenyun smiled. “All gods have their duties. I am a God of Medicine naturally, I handle gathering herbs and saving lives.”

The tree spirit swayed its branches, silent for a few seconds. “Then… can you heal the Valley Master?”

“Valley Master?” Liu Fenyun murmured. “The guardian of this secret realm?”

“Yes. Can you heal them?” the tree spirit asked again.

“Apologies, but if the party is a patient, I must meet them face to face to prescribe the right remedy,” Liu Fenyun explained patiently. “You only say they are the Valley Master, but not what illness they have or if they are in a deep sleep. If you trust me, why not take me to see this ‘Valley Master’?”

The tree spirit hesitated for a long time. Finally, it said: “It’s not impossible, it’s just…”

“Just what?”

“I am nearing the age of transformation. Could you grant me a wisp of your divine breath to help me?” The tree spirit began to negotiate. “Just one wisp. One.”

Liu Fenyun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She wasn’t great at bargaining and was about to consult Lian Yi when a stern female voice rang in her ears: “Muli! Do not be disrespectful to the guest from the Upper Realm!”

The tree spirit shrieked in fear, its branches shaking. “Valley Master, please calm your anger! Muli will take them to you immediately!”

The Valley Master’s voice seemed to come from all directions. Lian Yi heard it too and looked at Liu Fenyun in surprise. “The guardian wants to see us?”

“Likely so.” Liu Fenyun watched as the tree spirit frantically sprouted emerald branches, encircling them over and over until they formed the shape of a teleportation array. She began to wonder what kind of illness the Valley Master had.

Judging by the voice alone, she couldn’t detect any abnormalities, but cultivators could use spiritual energy to project their voices, which could sound very different from their natural tone.

Lian Yi watched the thickening greenery with suspicion, put away her token, and took Liu Fenyun’s arm.

“What did you and the tree spirit say?” she asked via mental telepathy. Upon hearing the details, she frowned. “Does this Valley Master not want us to get the ‘Bujianchou’? Why else would she interrupt now and ask you to heal her?”

Lian Yi couldn’t figure out the guardian’s motive, but her intuition made her hold Liu Fenyun’s arm tighter, fearing the “Valley Master” would use some trick to steal her lover away.

Being a god was both convenient and troublesome. Having a lover who was a god gave the cat-girl constant anxiety.

Lian Yi felt like a cat guarding a hoard of treasure, and Liu Fenyun was that treasure. Everyone coveted her divine breath, and everyone wanted to get close to her as if doing so would allow them to ascend to immortality instantly.

At that thought, she immediately took a dislike to this unseen Valley Master, mentally marking her as an enemy.

Suddenly, her ears were rubbed by a warm hand. Lian Yi flinched instinctively and looked at Liu Fenyun, only to see an exceptionally brilliant smile on the other’s face.

“Whether she wants it or not is irrelevant,” Liu Fenyun said. “I came here only to pick the Bujianchou for you. No one is going to interfere.”