Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 108

After scavenging along the way and seeing many rare spiritual plants, Liu Fenyun was no longer surprised when she finally encountered the “Ever Sorrow” flower.

The appearance of the Ever Sorrow was low-key, with warm orange flowers dotting a vast expanse of green. Liu Fenyun stepped off the lotus platform and crouched down to investigate. She discovered many faint blue spiritual grasses growing near the ground, these were the companion grasses of the Ever Sorrow, used to repair spiritual roots.

“So these are the Ever Sorrow flowers?” Lian Yi followed beside her, eyeing the cluster curiously. “I wonder, would eating them cause memory loss? Since their effect is to dispel sorrow, they must make the consumer forget a few things, right?”

“Consuming them directly does indeed carry the risk of amnesia,” Liu Fenyun began harvesting. “The Ever Sorrow is only the primary ingredient. To use it, we must take it back to process and refine it into medicine with other spiritual herbs.”

Harvesting the flower and its companion grass didn’t require special methods, bare hands sufficed. However, to preserve the Ever Sorrow, its stem had to be soaked in fresh blood, otherwise, the flower would wither within three days.

Liu Fenyun first transplanted some of the flowers along with their soil into her medicinal garden. After transporting more soil into the garden, she picked a few flowers, washed them by the stream, and placed them in a medicine box. She then used spiritual energy to cut her palm, preparing to coat the bottom of the box with blood.

Before the blood could drop, Lian Yi immediately grabbed her hand.

“How did you manage to hurt yourself just picking herbs!” Lian Yi glared at her while lowering her face to suck the wound, sending a ticklish sensation through the cut.

Liu Fenyun had forgotten to explain the preservation method. Just as she was about to speak, Lian Yi suddenly released her hand, stuck out her tongue, and frowned deeply. “Why does your blood taste as bitter as medicine…?”

Liu Fenyun froze. She instinctively tasted her own blood, it was indeed bitter and astringent, carrying a dense medicinal scent. She was greatly shocked.

She hurriedly had the System check her blood. After reviewing the feedback, she breathed a sigh of relief and comforted Lian Yi: “This is ‘Yuling Blood’, a type of healing spiritual blood. It is my original blood, not a mutation.”

Though she hadn’t fully recovered her memories and didn’t yet understand her current physical state, according to the System’s data, the possessor of “Yuling Blood” could not truly die; even if they perished, they could be resurrected.

“The host need not worry,” the System stated. “Possessing healing spiritual blood is one of the reasons you were designated as the ‘God of Medicine.’ The host’s current body can no longer ‘die’.”

Liu Fenyun was half-skeptical. She closed the data panel and chose not to tell Lian Yi. The “cat” likely wouldn’t believe it, and she currently had no suitable way to prove her immortality.

Seeing her hand still bleeding, Lian Yi despite her fear of bitterness, picked up Liu Fenyun’s hand again, ready to suck the blood for her.

Liu Fenyun quickly stopped her with a wry smile. “The Ever-Sorrow needs blood for preservation. I cut myself on purpose; it wasn’t a scratch from the herbs.”

Lian Yi stared at her suspiciously for a few seconds, then held out her own hand. “Then use mine. Your blood is extraordinary; ordinary plants of the mortal realm might not be able to handle it.”

Without waiting for a response, she cut her own palm and squeezed out blood. “How much?”

“…Just enough to cover the bottom of the box.” Liu Fenyun had no choice but to let the cat “nourish” the flowers. After stowing the box, she bandaged Lian Yi’s hand and told her to rest on the lotus platform while she gathered the companion grass.

The stems of the companion grass were covered in sharp thorns. Liu Fenyun put on a pair of gloves and used her spiritual energy as a blade to carefully harvest them.

Lian Yi returned to the lotus platform alone, watching the field of flowers while waiting for Liu Fenyun.

The Ever Sorrow was meant to dispel grief, yet the place where it grew was shrouded in dark clouds and dim light. While she was with Liu Fenyun, she hadn’t felt much, but now that it was quiet, she felt an oppressive, suffocating sensation.

Even though there were no illusory formations nearby, she began to involuntarily recall painful past events. Soon, a voice of indistinguishable gender whispered gloomily in her ear: “Do you hate the human race?”

The voice was filled with resentment. Realizing something was wrong, Lian Yi sat upright, her gaze sharp. “I do not.”

“But you do. You hate them deeply,” the voice continued. “You say you don’t only because your lover is human. If you admitted your hate, it would surely make her angry… Since she isn’t by your side right now, tell me: do you truly not hate them?”

Lian Yi didn’t take the bait. She retorted with a cold sneer, “Is it fun to sow discord with such weird, sarcastic remarks? Can’t you just speak directly?”

Surprised by her reaction, the voice fell silent for a few seconds before asking: “Don’t you want to forget those painful things at all? They are what made you into what you are now, someone who makes your lover feel both worried and afraid…”

“No matter what I become, my lover will always dote on me,” Lian Yi interrupted rudlessly. She maneuvered the lotus platform to speed directly back to Liu Fenyun’s side.

Seeing Liu Fenyun stand up, Lian Yi let out a soft cry, leaped off the platform, and lunged into her arms.

Liu Fenyun was bewildered by the sudden hug. Before she could ask, she heard muffled crying from her chest, and Lian Yi’s voice echoed in her sea of consciousness: “Leave quickly! There’s something dirty here trying to make me lose my memories. I heard its voice just now.”

Liu Fenyun didn’t fully understand, but she trusted the cat’s sharp instincts. After a few quick words of comfort, she finished gathering the herbs and climbed onto the platform.

As they flew toward the exit of the Valley of Vanishing Sorrows, Liu Fenyun suddenly felt a searing heat in her inner pocket. Before she could react, an excruciating pain radiated from where the pocket touched her skin.

She hissed in pain and immediately sliced off the pocket along with the flesh that had been corroded by demonic energy.

“What happened?!” Lian Yi was terrified. Seeing black blood oozing from Liu Fenyun’s side, she nearly crashed the platform into a tree.

“I’m fine… just an ambush.” Liu Fenyun endured the stinging pain of the demonic erosion and placed her other hand on Lian Yi’s back, injecting spiritual energy. “The visitor has ill intent. Go, quickly!”

She really shouldn’t have trusted a strange demon, especially one imprisoned here for thousands of years!

Liu Fenyun quickly summoned the Apathy Fan. Using the lightning energy she had previously absorbed, she formed a defensive barrier around the platform. Lian Yi followed suit, chanting a spell to switch the platform to defense mode, cyan lotus petals wrapped around them completely, though they could still see the outside world.

Lian Yi didn’t dare stop. She could feel a surge of demonic energy chasing them, it was the Valley Master, Mu Qingzhong. Whatever his plan was, they could not let him catch them!

However, Mu Qingzhong seemed determined to keep them there. The demonic energy trailing them scattered and surged toward the valley entrance, blocking the way!

Feeling the shift in energy, Lian Yi clicked her tongue and asked Liu Fenyun: “Where is that treasure site? Let’s go there!”

“What treasure site…” Liu Fenyun caught on mid-sentence. She opened the System map and pointed out a direction. “We have to get there before the demonic energy catches up.”

She remembered that when they first entered, the God of Cultivation had hinted at treasure here but warned them not to covet it, believing they couldn’t handle the guardian.

Whether they could handle it was one thing, but if there was a guardian, Liu Fenyun had a way to make the guardian and Mu Qingzhong fight each other.

While Lian Yi drove the platform at full speed, Liu Fenyun gritted her teeth and treated her wound.

The System’s notifications kept chiming, informing her that the “Yuling Blood” was taking effect. When she looked down, the bleeding had stopped, and fresh pink flesh was already growing back.

“Was there any demonic energy altering my cells?” Liu Fenyun asked while cleaning the wound. She feared Mu Qingzhong might have tried to demonize her.

“No, all invading demonic energy has been cleared. Please be at ease,” the System replied. “You are a God. Unless your spirit ‘breaks,’ you will not fall into demonhood simply through physical contact with demonic energy.”

“Good. Now, project my spiritual consciousness to that treasure site immediately,” Liu Fenyun commanded. “Use my divine aura to lure out the guardian. We’re going to strike a deal…”

If the demonic energy weren’t so volatile, she would have used lightning magic to blast through the blockade. But she wasn’t alone. Lian Yi didn’t have healing blood or a divine body to prevent demonization; she could not be allowed to touch the demonic aura.

Thus, she chose a detour.

As the System followed her orders, Liu Fenyun’s vision shifted miles away, diving into the earth.

“There’s an underground palace here?!” Seeing the environment, Liu Fenyun was stunned. “Is it a tomb?”

The System didn’t answer but guided her deeper. Suddenly, her consciousness sensed a strange wisp of spiritual energy and stopped.

“Who dares trespass into my Master’s resting place!” a sharp shout thundered above her.

Liu Fenyun withdrew her consciousness slightly as the System warned: “Host, it’s a Giant Hook-Blind Snake!”

A dark shadow dropped from the ceiling, a snake woman with her eyes covered. She flicked her tongue, and her massive black snake tail lashed out toward Liu Fenyun’s spiritual position.

The pressure was immense, but Liu Fenyun didn’t move, letting the tail sweep through her intangible form.

“…Are you from the Upper Realm?” Sensing the faint divine aura, the snake woman asked tentatively.

“Yes. My spirit pet and I are in danger outside and wish to take refuge here,” Liu Fenyun said. “If you draw away the powerful enemy for us, I can grant you divine aura to extend your lifespan.”

To show sincerity, she released a bit of divine aura to swirl around the snake woman.

The snake woman hesitated, swaying her tail, before finally saying: “Come quickly, but do not disturb my Master.”

The deal was struck. Liu Fenyun watched the snake woman slither out of the palace and quickly withdrew her consciousness. When her mind returned to her body, she felt a lingering sense of dread.

“I found the treasure site. There’s a powerful guardian, a snake demon. I’ve asked her to lure Mu Qingzhong away.” Settling herself, she asked Lian Yi, “If you aren’t afraid of snakes, we can hide there.”

Lian Yi had exhausted her demonic energy and was using the spiritual energy Liu Fenyun provided to steer. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she nodded. “Sure, I’m exhausted anyway.”

Liu Fenyun instinctively reached out to soothe her ears but realized her hand was covered in blood. She quickly lowered it, used water magic to wash her hands, and transferred the rest of her spiritual energy to Lian Yi.

“Once we get there, you can have a good rest,” she said softly.