Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 35.1

“You should ask the Tenth Prince that question.”
Lianyi tugged the reins, murmured a soft “Hyah,” and Wangyunzhu carried them toward the mountain hunting grounds.

It had rained yesterday. The mountain air was fresh, carrying a damp scent.

Liu Fenyun dismounted, tied the horse to a tree, took up her bow and arrows, and prepared to hunt.

Today the seven cat-demon subordinates weren’t around they could fully enjoy their time alone.

Opening the system map, Liu Fenyun quickly locked onto their first prey and led Lianyi closer.

With no one else around, both of them used demon energy and sped through the forest.

But Lianyi, whose body was still weak, couldn’t keep up for long. Panting heavily, she called, “A-Yun, slow down!”

Liu Fenyun stopped at once and supported her as they walked slowly.

The cat demon practically leaned her whole body against her, and several times while walking, Liu Fenyun nearly tripped over her.

“Your Highness still needs to take your medicine,” Liu Fenyun sighed after a while. “It seems Seventh Princess’s body really is hard to maintain.”

Lianyi’s brows tightened immediately, and she clung to her arm.

“I don’t want to take medicine anymore,” she said softly. “Can I stop taking it?”

Liu Fenyun lowered her eyes, gave her a gentle smile… and said, “No.”

“…”
Lianyi narrowed her blue eyes, then suddenly lunged and opened her mouth near Liu Fenyun’s ear.

“Ow! Ow…. stop biting!”

Laughing and play fighting, the two walked deeper into the forest, drawing closer to the prey.

Liu Fenyun straightened Lianyi’s slightly messy hair, took off her bow, nocked an arrow, aimed, and drew fully.

With the system’s help, she shot a musk deer in one arrow. She rushed over, removed the beast master’s mark, stored it, and dragged the deer to a water source to butcher it.

“Can we roast it right here?” Liu Fenyun asked casually.

Lianyi shook her head. “We’re in the mountains. It might cause a forest fire. Let’s roast it later.”

Lianyi handled the butchering while Liu Fenyun washed the meat by the river.

Just after storing the cleaned meat in the Pharmacist Garden space, she looked up and saw thick black smoke rising from a nearby mountaintop, birds scattering in fright.

Eyes widening, she shouted to the big white cat washing her paws, “Your Highness! Is that a forest fire?!”

Lianyi looked and flames reflected instantly in her blue eyes.

“To put out the fire!”
She grabbed Liu Fenyun, tossed her onto her back, and sprinted at full speed toward the blaze.

If the fire spread, all the life in the forest would suffer.

Liu Fenyun pulled out talisman papers, drew water charms, and had the system link them to the water sources of the Pharmacist Garden. As soon as Lianyi neared the fire, she cast water and wind charms, bringing down a heavy rain.

Lianyi had been sprinting too long her body couldn’t take it. She collapsed in the cold rain. Liu Fenyun panicked, lifted her demon body, carried her away from the smoke, found a tree, and waited for her to slowly regain human form before feeding her medicine.

“Cough… cough… This sickly body truly is hard to maintain…” Lianyi said after swallowing the pill.

“Your Highness, rest here. I’ll go check.” Liu Fenyun stroked her hair and was about to leap away using demon energy when her hand was caught.

“I’m tired. Stay with me.”
Lianyi pulled her close and held her tightly.

Liu Fenyun sighed helplessly, sat beside her, and activated the system’s X-ray view.

Her rainstorm had been timely ninety percent of the fire was extinguished. The rest couldn’t spread. Only some plants and trees were scorched; she saw no injured animals.

But with X-ray mode active, Liu Fenyun spotted two people nearby.

Luo Binglun’s subordinates Luo San and Luo Jiu were standing under a tree outside the burned area. Their clothes were singed, and now they were drenched head to toe. The younger Luo Jiu curled up in Luo San’s arms, trembling nonstop.

“…Your Highness, there are two girls over there. Their clothes look like they’re from the Priest Hall!” Liu Fenyun said anxiously.

Lianyi had just steadied her breathing and looked in surprise. “What are people from the Priest Hall doing here? Are they spying on us?”

“If they were spying, why would they get burned?” Liu Fenyun laughed. “They haven’t left yet so either they were frightened or… something else happened.”

The more Lianyi thought, the more curious she grew. She stood up. “Let’s go see.”

The two bypassed the burned area and soon reached Luo San and Luo Jiu.

Startled, Luo Jiu tried to run when she saw people approaching, but Luo San held her still.

“You’re from the High Priest, right?” Liu Fenyun asked. “A sudden fire broke out here just now. Are either of you hurt?”

“Jiu’s arm was burned,” Luo San said expressionlessly, pushing Luo Jiu forward.

At that, Luo Jiu finally came back to her senses and obediently stretched out her arm.

Liu Fenyun quickly supported it with gauze and began checking the injury.

“The High Priest is clearly resting in Guizhi Hall. Why aren’t you staying with her? What are you doing in deep mountains like this?” Lianyi still suspected they were spies.

Luo San replied, “The High Priest sent us to set up a formation here to catch a demon.”

“Oh? So you’re demon hunters?” Lianyi narrowed her eyes. “What demon are you hunting? Me?”

“Certainly not the Holy Maiden,” Luo San said, bowing slightly. She offered no further explanation.

Luo Jiu playfully added, “If the High Priest wanted to ‘hunt’ you, she’d already be setting up a formation outside the Holy Maiden Hall! This time it’s for”

“Jiu.” Luo San’s voice chilled.

Luo Jiu stuck out her tongue apologetically toward Lianyi and let Liu Fenyun treat her quietly.

Lianyi smiled. “So what kind of formation did you set up? It didn’t burn any demon only yourselves?”

Luo San lowered her gaze without speaking, and Luo Jiu didn’t dare to answer either.

Liu Fenyun quickly finished treating the burn. The two girls thanked her and leaped off toward the foot of the mountain.

Only then did Liu Fenyun say to Lianyi, “It seems someone knew they would be here and set them up.”

“Who do you think it was?” Lianyi blinked at her.

Liu Fenyun shook her head. “No idea. I need to check the site.”

This time, Lianyi didn’t stop her only told her to be careful.

Most embers were already extinguished. Liu Fenyun stepped onto the scorched ground and let the system search.

“Host, one strand of hair found,” the system reported. “But most of it is burnt. Even if the follicle survived, one strand is too little for accurate testing.”

“Keep it anyway. Look for more.”
Liu Fenyun retrieved the hair from the system-marked area and stored it in the Pharmacist Garden.

Seeing her return empty handed, Lianyi remarked, “If someone truly intended harm, how could any evidence remain?”

“There’s no wall that doesn’t leak,” Liu Fenyun smiled, holding her hand. “People who commit evil can’t hide it forever.”

She had found something and had the system identify the culprit immediately. But the evidence was too small to present publically, only enough to make them cautious.

“Is there anyone strange in the Fourth Princess’s manor?” Liu Fenyun asked on the way back.

Lianyi understood she already had a suspect. She thought for a moment.
“There’s a female shadow guard. Her name is Qiran. She suddenly joined the Fourth Princess’s manor six years ago. Lihua and the others investigated her for ages but couldn’t find her background.”

Thinking of this, she paused.
“Six years ago… Fifteenth Princess’s mother was wrongfully executed…”

The two looked at each other.

“The black panther Aran who is close to Little Fifteen may very well be Qiran,” Liu Fenyun said.

“The royal family’s affairs are something demons must never interfere with,” Lianyi murmured, her cat ears popping out. “If that demon came from the demon realm and lived in one of its cities… the city lord would never spare her.”

Liu Fenyun suggested, “Your master once said she’s from the demon realm. Should we ask her?”