Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 52

This was the world within the sea of consciousness. Thus, the moment the seal was broken, the bedroom where the two had been staying transformed into a strange, grand hall.

Lian Yi had reverted into a white cat due to her deep slumber. Liu Fenyun held her, and as her vision stabilized, she found herself standing before an ancient, primitive desk.

Sitting behind the desk was a woman dressed in white, her dark hair tied in a single strand behind her head. She was facing away, organizing a bookshelf. When she turned around upon hearing the commotion, she was unexpectedly wearing a pair of round framed glasses. Her appearance was a bizarre mix of ancient and modern styles.

“…Hello?” Liu Fenyun tried to offer a greeting.

Seeing Liu Fenyun, the woman adjusted her glasses, her red eyes flickering with unmistakable surprise.

“How did you get here?” the white clad woman asked in astonishment. Her gaze shifted to the large white cat in Liu Fenyun’s arms, and realization dawned on her. “You touched Yiyi’s seal with your blood, didn’t you?”

Liu Fenyun nodded, pulling Lian Yi tighter into her embrace. She asked warily, “You recognize us?”

“Of course I do!” The woman stood up abruptly, glancing around guiltily like a thief. She suddenly reached out and grabbed Liu Fenyun’s shoulder, saying solemnly, “Go back, quickly! Before the tribulations are fully endured, I can’t go easy on you and let you return!”

Liu Fenyun was completely baffled. Feeling the woman’s grip tighten as if to push her away, she hurriedly said, “Wait, Miss NPC! I didn’t plan on coming back this early. I just wanted to retrieve this child’s memories.”

“I am truly sorry, but her memory loss is caused by soul damage; I am powerless to help,” the woman sighed. She stared at Liu Fenyun for a moment before suggesting, “Find a way to increase her favorability. Perhaps once it reaches the maximum value, there will be a way to unlock a prescription to heal the soul. Furthermore…”

She curled her lip helplessly. “I am not ‘Miss NPC.’ You’ll know who I am once you actually return.”

With that, she let go. Liu Fenyun felt her body become weightless, the solid ground vanished beneath her feet, and she felt as though she were falling.

The descent didn’t last long before Liu Fenyun found herself back in her own bedroom.

Her arms were empty, giving her a momentary fright. However, the next second, her eyes landed on the cat demon sleeping soundly beside her, and her heart settled.

Liu Fenyun dubbed that experience “The First Teleportation.” Although it had taken her and Lian Yi to another world to meet a strange woman, it seemed she hadn’t gained much information from that realm.

The only useful bit was the reason for Lian Yi’s amnesia.

Soul damage was indeed difficult to treat. Recalling the woman’s warning, Liu Fenyun felt the task ahead was even more daunting.

In her sleep, Lian Yi curled up again, her brow furrowing slightly as if she felt insecure. Liu Fenyun took her favorite life sized plush pillow and tucked it into Lian Yi’s arms. Seeing the cat cling tightly to the pillow, her brow gradually smoothed out.

Liu Fenyun smiled with relief. She lay down behind her and checked the seal on her back.

The lotus mark had returned to a pale pink. Not a single trace of blood remained, as if it had never drank from her at all.

Liu Fenyun opened her hand; the wound was still there. It seemed that while her blood could trigger the “teleportation,” it was consumed entirely each time. To go again, she would have to shed blood once more.

Additionally, the teleportation seemed to drain Lian Yi’s physical strength.

Seeing that Lian Yi was fast asleep, Liu Fenyun didn’t disturb her. She covered her with a thin blanket, turned off the bedroom lights, and with a thought, opened her eyes to leave the sea of consciousness and return to reality.

She temporarily set aside her plan to seek out the Witch Doctor Envoy. If she truly was a deity undergoing tribulations, she would return once they were complete. Her current medical skills and power were sufficient, there was no need to force a rank advancement.

Lian Yi slept for a very long time. She dreamed that someone was carrying her to see a woman in white. The woman was twirling a brush in her hand, looking at her with interest. “Let me feel her paws,” she said.

The person holding her immediately handed her over.

Lian Yi anxiously retracted her claws and gave the person a fierce glare.

The person holding her laughed. “Don’t be afraid, Yiyi. She just wants to check your bone age.”

Surprised, Lian Yi turned her head to look. She couldn’t see the face clearly, but the voice was gentle and familiar, not a bad person. She obediently extended her paw.

“Ten years old. Seems she’s an old cat now.” After checking the bone age, the woman squeezed the cat’s paw pads. She scribbled something on a piece of paper, then looked up. “A White Lion Cat, right? Did she ascend with you?”

“Yes, I’ve raised her since she was a kitten,” the person holding her replied. “Since I’m ascending, I naturally have to bring her along. At the very least, I have to provide for her in her old age.”

“Then I congratulate you. Her lifespan can likely be extended to a hundred years.” The woman adjusted her glasses and smiled. “Whether she can continue to live alongside you after that depends on whether she practices cultivation diligently.”

Lian Yi heard the person holding her cry out in excitement. Then, the white clad woman’s gaze grew serious. “However, it’s best not to let her run wild. The gods in charge of spirit beasts and plants do not like these creatures from the lower realms. If she wanders into their territory, she might be lucky to just get mocked, but if she’s unlucky, she might be punished…”

The woman’s voice faded, and the world became blurry.

Lian Yi felt her body grow light, the person holding her was gone. She tried to move her paws, but her body felt suspended in a void with nowhere to land.

Fortunately, there was no discomfort. She waited quietly in the void for a long time until a force suddenly yanked her. Light flooded her vision, forcing her to squint.

“You’ve transformed into a human!” A delighted female voice reached her ears. “It seems my medicine really worked!”

“The side effects just seem a bit large,” another female voice sighed. “Gosh, this white hair is way too eye-catching. She looks like a cat-girl from the 2D world.”

The delighted voice chuckled. “So what? We’re both white hair fans. I love this hair color, we don’t even have to find someone to dye it.”

“Tsk, did you ask Yiyi what she thinks?” The owner of the sighing voice, dressed in green, drifted in front of Lian Yi. She produced a mirror from nowhere and placed it on the ground. “Yiyi, look. You took Ah-Yun’s Transformation Pill and ended up looking like this.”

Lian Yi looked curiously into the mirror. The girl in the reflection had snowy hair and blue eyes. Her eyebrows and lashes were white. She had a pair of cat ears on her head and a snowy cat tail peeking from beneath her skirt. Aside from the more complex patterns on her clothes, she looked almost exactly like her current human form.

“I like it too,” Lian Yi said instinctively.

“She said she likes it!” The delighted voice laughed even harder, pulling Lian Yi into a hug and stroking the top of her head repeatedly.

While being held, Lian Yi looked at the mirror again. That person looked exactly like Liu Fenyun, though she wasn’t as reserved. At that moment, she was grinning like a fool who had found a treasure.

“Don’t be so happy yet! Quickly check her body for other issues!” the woman in green reminded. “And don’t let the news of Yiyi’s transformation get out! The demons of the God Realm can only transform if they descend for tribulations. Us developing a Transformation Pill is technically breaking the laws of Heaven.”

“Liu Fenyun” agreed repeatedly. With a flick of a spell, Lian Yi saw her reflection turn back into a white cat, held in “Liu Fenyun’s” arms.

She tested out a “meow,” blinking her eyes to act spoiled. She reached out a paw to pat “Liu Fenyun,” who immediately caught the paw with joy and buried her face in the soft cat fur.

The warmth made her feel safe. Lian Yi squinted her eyes in comfort. When she opened them again, she was back in Liu Fenyun’s bedroom, clutching the plush pillow.

The room was pitch black, save for the moonlight peeking through the curtains. Lian Yi sat up with the pillow, looking around. Liu Fenyun was nowhere to be seen.

Did Ah-Yun leave?

Recording what she had seen and heard in her heart, Lian Yi hugged the pillow tighter, a warmth spreading through her chest.

Those must have been the memories she had forgotten.

So Ah-Yun had watched her grow up and even brought her to the Upper Realm. No wonder she pampered her so much.

Two days passed. With only three days left until the Great Ceremony, Lian Yi was still in a deep sleep.

Liu Fenyun was growing anxious. For the past two days, she hadn’t dared to leave the sleeping quarters. She even practiced her dance indoors, but no matter how hard she worked, she couldn’t reach the level required for a solo performance.

The program for the ceremony had been submitted to the Ministry of Rites long ago. The Saintess Hall’s performance naturally included the Witch Doctor’s solo dance, it couldn’t be removed last minute. After practicing for another half-day to no avail, Liu Fenyun decided to enter Lian Yi’s sea of consciousness to see if she could wake her.

However, the moment she entered, she was met with a thick white mist.

Lian Yi was using the showerhead in the bathroom. Startled by the sudden appearance of someone behind her, she turned and threw a punch.

“…Why are you here?” Liu Fenyun caught the small fist, looking around in surprise.

Seeing it was her, Lian Yi relaxed and continued rinsing off the bubbles. “The illusion you left is huge, not just the bedroom. I wandered around and found this place.”

She thought for a moment. “There are also places to cook and read, but I don’t get hungry in the sea of consciousness, and your shelves only have medical books…”

“Then hurry up and finish. You need to come out and teach me how to dance,” Liu Fenyun interrupted, forcing a bitter smile. “You’ve been asleep for two days. The ceremony is almost here, and I still can’t finish the sacrificial dance…”

Lian Yi paused. She had forgotten there was a solo dance this year.

The two exchanged a look, and Liu Fenyun knew she was in trouble.

Fifteen minutes later, the two on the bed opened their eyes simultaneously.

“It’s fine. I only need to say the blessing words. I don’t need to dance. When the time comes, you disguise yourself as me, and I’ll disguise myself as you. That’ll work,” Lian Yi suggested immediately. “Your memory is good, you can memorize the blessing, right?”

“Memorization isn’t a problem,” Liu Fenyun breathed a sigh of relief. “But there’s one thing, will the demon hunters present see through it?”

“That’s easy. Just have your Master add an extra layer of illusion for us.” Lian Yi hopped off the bed and ran barefoot to the bookshelf. She pulled out a thin, dusty volume, dusted it off, and handed it to Liu Fenyun. “This is the full text of the blessing.”

Though it was a thin book, Liu Fenyun felt its weight. She flipped it open, and her brow furrowed after just one glance.

It was entirely in Di tribe script. Even if she could read it effortlessly with the system’s help, accurately pronouncing and memorizing it was no small feat.

Seeing her frown, Lian Yi quickly added, “It’s okay if you don’t understand it. I’ll teach you how to read it.”

Liu Fenyun’s lip twitched. She imagined a large white cat chanting blessings in a “translation mode” voice, and she suddenly felt very unwell.