Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 5

That night, Liu Fenyun and Lianyi sat facing each other in the bedchamber. The sumptuous meal on the table remained untouched.

“Actually, when I spoke with the High Priestess today, I already knew there were her spies in the manor.”

After a long silence, Liu Fenyun said softly, “I just didn’t expect… it would be a young girl dressed in men’s clothes.”

“A child is less likely to draw attention,” Lianyi chuckled, then reminded her in a low voice, “If you want to avoid being deceived in this Princess’s manor, you can’t show pity to anyone.”

“But… why would the High Priestess monitor Your Highness?” Liu Fenyun recalled Luo binglun’s instructions to her, confused.

“Because I am a demon, and as long as I live, I am an eyesore to her,” Lianyi helped herself to a spoonful of egg custard, eating as she spoke. “Four years ago, when I first took over the body of the Seventh Princess, Luo binglun wanted to kill me, but unfortunately, she didn’t succeed. She just recorded the incident in the Demon Subjugation Scroll.”

Liu Fenyun also remembered this scroll. Luo binglun had asked her disciple to fetch it for her to see, presumably to prove to her that Lianyi “would kill and eat people,” but she had politely declined.

“Then… has Your Highness ever thought of returning to the Demon Realm?” Liu Fenyun asked.

“I’ve never been to the Demon Realm,” Lianyi replied. “I’ve only heard it’s a place where the strong prey on the weak, and the law of survival is extremely cruel. As for me, all I do is eat, drink, play, read, and dance. Why should I abandon the silks and riches here to suffer there?”

After finishing half a bowl of egg custard, Lianyi instinctively reached for the roasted meat. Her chopsticks paused as they touched the meat, and she ultimately picked up two pieces of green vegetable.

“And what about you, Ayun? You are not the only prince in the Liuzhi Kingdom. Why were you specifically sent here for a political marriage?”

Lianyi ate her greens, her tone intimate, yet her words immediately struck a raw nerve for Liu Fenyun.

After confirming with her system that no one was around the bedchamber, Liu Fenyun sighed before daring to speak, “Indeed, I am not the only prince, but I am the only one who is out of favor.”

“My mother is not from the palace, so I don’t get the silks and riches there. My daily food and clothing are all provided by my master. It was only when it came time for a political marriage that the old emperor remembered me.”

Lianyi looked at her with pity. She turned her chopsticks, picked up a meatball, and brought it to Liu Fenyun’s mouth, saying softly, “As long as you are in the manor for one day, my silks and riches will be yours.”

Liu Fenyun held the meatball in her mouth, vaguely saying, “Alright, thank you, Your Highness, for taking me in.”

“Are you still going to the Imperial Hospital?” Lianyi asked, seeing that she had finally picked up her chopsticks. “Although the Imperial Hospital of the Zhuohuang Kingdom is not under the jurisdiction of the Temple of the High Priestess, it’s hard to guarantee that Luo binglun won’t send people to monitor you.”

“I’ll go,” Liu Fenyun nodded while chewing the meatball. “I won’t be doing anything, so she can monitor me if she wants.”

“You are quite carefree,” Lianyi laughed. “How about I go with you?”

Liu Fenyun almost choked on her meatball. She waved her hand, “That’s not necessary. The Imperial Hospital has a strong medicinal smell; I’m afraid Your Highness won’t be able to tolerate it. Besides, Your Highness has severe motion sickness, and it’s best not to strain yourself until your health improves.”

Unexpectedly, she was so considerate of her in every way. Lianyi blinked, understanding the situation, and said no more.

After the meal, and after the attendants had cleared the dishes, Liu Fenyun began to pack her belongings.

Apart from the tributes offered to the ruler of the Zhuohuang Kingdom, she had only brought a medicine chest and a brocade pouch. Both of these items were now in the bedchamber.

Liu Fenyun took out her master’s personal letter and carefully tucked it into her pack.

Whether she could successfully enter the Imperial Hospital of the Zhuohuang Kingdom tomorrow depended entirely on this personal letter.

She was halfway through packing when a maid came with a thermos to deliver the medicine. Due to the matter with Mohuai, Liu Fenyun was not in the mood to decoct the medicine tonight, so the decoction was still handled by the apothecaries at the Hall of Hundred Herbs.

Lianyi smelled the faint scent of medicine and immediately escaped to the couch, intently watching Liu Fenyun carry the thermos over.

“Your Highness, it’s time to drink your medicine,” Liu Fenyun opened the thermos and saw a bowl of thick black soup, along with two pieces of brown sugar wrapped in oiled paper.

Lianyi shifted further inward on the bed, covering her mouth and nose. Just the bitter smell emanating from the medicine made her feel nauseous.

Liu Fenyun did not rush to feed her the medicine. Instead, she took out a thin, flexible tube, dipped one end into the soup, and sucked a mouthful into her own mouth.

While studying medicine with her master, Liu Fenyun occasionally made small inventions.

Like the straw she held in her hand now.

Liu Fenyun had also commissioned the making of porcelain bowls with built-in straws, but ancient vessels were too heavy and inconvenient to carry, so she only brought some straws.

The material for the straws was provided by her system a very special white metal that did not conduct heat, did not fade, and would not react with the medicine.

Liu Fenyun only tasted a small sip of the medicine, and all the ingredients in the liquid were immediately detected by the system.

She checked the ingredients, confirmed there were no errors, switched to a new straw, and presented the bowl of medicine to Lianyi.

“If Your Highness is afraid of the bitterness, you can use this object to sip the medicinal liquid.”

She had specifically instructed the Hall of Hundred Herbs to send the medicine over when it was warm, so it would be more comfortable to drink.

Lianyi frowned at the medicine. Just smelling it told her how bitter it was.

“You’ll decoct tomorrow’s medicine,” she stated, then picked up the bowl, held her breath, and used the straw to drink the medicine.

Liu Fenyun watched her quickly finish the entire bowl and thought that although this cat claimed to hate drinking medicine, she drank it quite fast.

However, as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she saw Lianyi put down the bowl and cover her mouth tightly.

Liu Fenyun helped Lianyi outside to vomit everything up. She then poured a bowl of warm water, stirred in some salt, and fed it to her.

“Does Your Highness usually have such a strong reaction after taking medicine?” Liu Fenyun asked with concern after Lianyi had recovered.

“No… before, it would just be a bitter nausea for a while, but not actual vomiting. Maybe the medicine you prescribed is too strong,” Lianyi shook her head, leaning on the table and pressing her stomach. She asked weakly, “Can you change it to pills? I don’t want to drink the soup medicine…”

Liu Fenyun did have a pill formula for regulating the stomach. Hearing this, she nodded, got up to write a formula, and then neatly copied a second version to hand to Lianyi.

It seemed this cat’s illness could only be treated slowly. It was not a good time for her to use stronger and faster-acting medicines.

After tucking Lianyi onto the couch, Liu Fenyun thought for a moment and wrote another formula for a medicinal bath.

“Your Highness, please rest. I’ll go make the pills for Your Highness,” she put away the two formulas and left the room.

Lianyi drifted off to sleep. She didn’t know how long she had slept, but she was awakened by the scent of food.

She initially thought she was still dreaming, but rubbed her eyes and realized she wasn’t.

The surrounding red curtains were drawn, and a lamp was lit outside the curtains.

Lianyi lifted the red curtain and saw Liu Fenyun sitting with her back to her at the table, writing quickly with a brush. Her dark hair was spread out, only tied at the end with a hairband.

“…Husband,” Lianyi called softly after gazing at her back for a while. Her voice was very soft, like it had just been retrieved from a jar of honey.

The call caused Liu Fenyun’s brush tip to tremble. She immediately let out a soft “Ayi,” put down her brush, and walked to the couch, helping Lianyi sit up. “Does Your Highness have any instructions?”

Settling into a comfortable position in Liu Fenyun’s arms, Lianyi asked, “What time is it now?”

Liu Fenyun gave a rough time and gently rubbed her stomach. “Is Your Highness still uncomfortable? Would you like dinner?”

A pair of fair hands reached up. Lianyi stroked Liu Fenyun’s hand, not answering, but only sighing, “Husband’s hand is so warm.”

Liu Fenyun couldn’t resist rubbing her chin against the top of Lianyi’s head. Remembering the “Ayun” she had called her earlier, she tentatively suggested, “In private, just call me ‘Ayun’ from now on. It’s more intimate.”

She was a woman, and constantly being called “Husband” by her wife, who knew her secret, was really awkward.

Seeing Lianyi smile and agree, Liu Fenyun brought over the food box. She spread out a small table on the quilt and set out the dishes one by one.

“If Your Highness has an appetite, please eat a little.”

Lianyi glanced at the food: three dishes and one soup, all light-flavored. The vegetables were cut into thin shreds, and the braised pork was sliced thinly. It didn’t look like the cooking style of the manor’s chef. Taking the chopsticks, she asked, “Who made these dishes?”

“I did,” Liu Fenyun smiled.

Lianyi’s chopsticks paused. She asked in surprise, “You can cook too?”

“I only stir fried the shredded vegetables. The braised pork was already made in the manor; I just sliced it thinly and processed it a little,” Liu Fenyun said. “The cooks were resting when I returned, and I was too lazy to call them.”

Lianyi giggled, sipped two mouthfuls of soup, and slowly began to eat.

The dishes were lightly flavored, but they made her feel comfortable, and she even had half a bowl more of rice.

Liu Fenyun watched her eat. Soon, her cat ears popped out, and before long, her cat tail began to swish—a sign of happiness, showing that she was quite satisfied with this meal.

While Liu Fenyun was clearing the dishes, Lianyi walked to the desk. She saw that the writing was all illegible scribbles to her.

“What were you writing just now, Ayun?”

“Medical records,” Liu Fenyun replied.

“Is it about my illness?”

Liu Fenyun nodded.

When she went to make the pills, she specifically asked for the formulas prescribed to Lianyi by other physicians. She found that the medicinal effects of those formulas were very mild. Although they treated the symptoms, they had little therapeutic effect, and long-term use would even damage the stomach.

Guessing that Lianyi’s status made these physicians cautious, prescribing medicine only to avoid error, Liu Fenyun sighed.

She wondered how long Lianyi had been drinking this “ineffective medicine.”

Lianyi couldn’t understand her messy scribbles, but saw a book nearby. With Liu Fenyun’s permission, she sat down and began to flip through it.

The handwriting inside the book was neat and similar to Liu Fenyun’s, but more rigorous and lacking her unrestrained, elegant feel. It clearly belonged to a serious person.

“These are my master’s medical records,” Liu Fenyun walked behind her. “My master has dealt with many cases; there might be one similar to Your Highness’s condition.”

Liu Fenyun’s dark hair brushed against Lianyi’s neck, tickling her so she shrank her neck back slightly. She pulled Liu Fenyun’s arm, making her embrace her.

After flipping through the book for a while longer, Lianyi suddenly asked, “Is your master, like the High Priestess, particularly prejudiced against the Demon race?”

Liu Fenyun was stunned for a moment. She shook her head and said, “I’ve never heard my master mention his views on the Demon race.”

“Your master… uses parts of the Demon race’s bodies as medicine,” Lianyi lowered her gaze and pointed it out to her. “It’s not ordinary centipedes, snakes, scorpions, deer antlers, or tortoise shells, but only those from the Demon race. Many of the ingredients even need to be fresh.”

“Demons are divided into innate and acquired. Acquired demons who cultivate often have a bone age of hundreds or even thousands of years,” she continued, seeing Liu Fenyun’s astonishment. “Using the whole body of a demon for medicine means death or severe injury. Even giving up a small part of an organ will greatly damage their vitality.”

Liu Fenyun bit her lip, staring at the word “Demon” under one medicinal name after another, speechless.

No wonder the High Priestess emphasized that she should leave the Seventh Princess’s manor. Her master hadn’t said anything in his personal letter, but the High Priestess must have known.

Liu Fenyun hadn’t sent a letter back yet, so her master only knew she had safely arrived in the Zhuohuang Kingdom, but didn’t know she had married a cat demon.

“Ayun, would you also hunt and kill demons and use their bodies for medicine?” Lianyi asked, her pair of snow-white cat ears trembling slightly.

Looking at her cat ears, Liu Fenyun subconsciously thought of a formula that seemed to require fresh demon ears for medicine…

“How could I!” She quickly shook off this terrible thought, picked up her master’s medical records, and locked them in the medicine chest. “I won’t look at this medical record again.”

Seeing her serious expression, Lianyi wagged her cat tail, smiled, and quietly retracted her sharp claws.

If Ayun would also kill demons for medicine, she would kill her.