Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 53

Although she was ten thousand times unwilling in her heart, Liu Fenyun was still more willing to recite blessing words than to perform a solo dance.

However, she politely declined the kitty’s help, planning to shut herself in the dance studio and use the system to read the blessing words line by line. She would memorize them once she was familiar with the sounds, just like the method she used to memorize English texts in the past.

As long as she didn’t look at the system’s translation, she wouldn’t get distracted or forget her lines while memorizing.

“I haven’t asked you yet, after you unsealed the mark on my back, what exactly did you see?” Lian Yi asked, swaying her tail.

Liu Fenyun subconsciously thought of that woman in white, but she truly hadn’t seen anything tangible, so she shook her head.

A flash of disappointment crossed Lian Yi’s eyes, but in the next second, she said, “While I was sleeping, I actually saw our ‘past’.”

Liu Fenyun was stunned, immediately recalling what the woman in white had said that Lian Yi had lost her memory because her soul was damaged, making it difficult to remember the past in the short term.

Lian Yi continued, “Although I only remembered a little bit, they were all very good memories.”

“Did you… see me in those memories?” Liu Fenyun couldn’t help but ask.

Lian Yi blinked. “That person looked exactly like you, just not dressed in men’s clothing. If it wasn’t you, who else could it be?”

Without waiting for Liu Fenyun to ask further, she took Liu Fenyun by the shoulders, tilted her face up, and pressed her forehead against hers.

“I’ll show it to you right now, see for yourself.”

Ever since viewing Lian Yi’s fragmented memories, those scenes became imprinted in Liu Fenyun’s mind, much like the medical texts she had read in her sea of consciousness.

Previously, Liu Fenyun hadn’t quite understood how this worked, but now she understood a little better.

That was the “past” they had experienced together, and the great hall within Lian Yi’s sea of consciousness was her divine temple.

However, Liu Fenyun did not know that while she was viewing Lian Yi’s memories, Lian Yi had also taken the opportunity to peek into hers.

Lian Yi saw that after the lotus mark was broken by blood, Liu Fenyun had carried her to a strange great hall and met the woman in white who had registered her identity back then.

She also heard the woman in white say many strange things to Liu Fenyun, such as “the tribulations have not yet been fully endured” and “increase the favorability rating.”

And, the reason for her memory loss.

A damaged soul was a reason Lian Yi had never considered. For an ordinary demon, a damaged soul would certainly be life threatening, but aside from memory loss, she hadn’t experienced any other issues.

Based on the memories she had recovered, the fact that her soul was damaged yet her life was preserved likely had something to do with the “Human Transforming Pill” Liu Fenyun had refined back then.

Regardless, she had left the place where the gods resided and had lived well in the lower realm until now. As long as she endured enough tribulations with A-Yun, she should be able to return to the heavens.

Keeping in mind the white-clad woman’s warning that “the tribulations are not yet finished,” Lian Yi did not intend to tell Liu Fenyun that she had seen these memories. She didn’t want Liu Fenyun to know too much and change things prematurely, thereby affecting the course of their tribulations.

There was no dress rehearsal for the Candle Flame Kingdom’s annual Summer Moon Festival. To prevent mistakes during the live performance, Lian Yi still went to practice dancing with the believers, arriving at the practice grounds before dawn.

However, her physical strength couldn’t quite keep up with the high-intensity training. After following along for five or six rounds each day, she was forced to return to the sleeping quarters to rest.

Regarding this, Liu Fenyun was worried. She took some time to mention the situation to her Master and brought back a pill for protecting the heart and lungs, telling Lian Yi to take it on the morning of the festival.

In a flash, it was the day before the festival. Both the inner and outer cities, as well as the palace, were decorated early. Some were hanging colored silks, others were putting up peace talismans, and many stalls had appeared on the streets selling utensils and ornaments engraved with the Fire God totem.

This was Liu Fenyun’s first time participating in the festival. When she went out to practice her breathing exercises in the morning, she heard the palace attendants and cat-demon subordinates chatting about how lively the streets were. Even a shut-in like her couldn’t help but feel a bit restless and wanted to go see the streets.

Breaking her usual routine, she ended her meditation early. As she walked toward the dance hall, a group of believers happened to be walking toward her.

“Finished so early today?” Liu Fenyun asked in surprise. It had only been an hour of training.

“It is the day before the festival, after all. Everyone should relax a bit and clear their heads on the streets,” Lian Yi’s laughter came from behind the believers. “That way, they won’t be nervous during the performance tomorrow.”

The believers laughed and agreed, it seemed it had been this way in previous years.

Liu Fenyun stepped aside to let them pass, then went forward to support Lian Yi. “You’ve worked hard.”

Lian Yi shook her head, rubbing the back of Liu Fenyun’s hand, and asked with a smile, “The stage is already being built in the inner city. Does A-Yun want to go take a look?”

Liu Fenyun had come looking for her precisely to wander the streets. Hearing this, she nodded quickly.

Although the stage was built in the inner city where the nobles and prestigious families lived, during the Summer Moon Festival, commoners from the outer city were also allowed inside to watch the performances. This happened only once a year on the day of the festival.

Having made up their minds, the two immediately returned to the sleeping quarters to change their clothes and apply disguises, striving to return before the sunlight became too harsh.

Today’s inner city remained the same as usual, quiet and well-ordered. Carriages from the Ministry of Rites drove out from the palace, loaded with materials for building the stage, heading toward the streets where the festival had been observed for generations.

Lian Yi pulled her along to catch up with one of those carriages. Taking advantage of a moment when it rounded a corner, she leaped up and sat down beside the timber and colored silks, turning her body slightly to avoid being seen by the transport guards.

Her movements for hitching a ride were so practiced that Liu Fenyun whispered as soon as she got on, “How many times has this been?”

“You mean jumping carriages?” Lian Yi thought for a moment. “This is the sixth time for the Ministry of Rites. As for other carriages, I can’t even remember how many times I’ve done it.”

Before she had possessed the body of the Seventh Princess, she used to frequently hitch rides with her cat-demon subordinates to watch the stage construction.

“This carriage is truly spacious,” Liu Fenyun remarked in a low voice, looking around.

Just as she finished her remark, a cold female voice spoke: “Slower. This year’s timber style is different from previous years; it is too jolting and fragile.”

“Tsk, why is Luo Binglun on the Ministry of Rites’ carriage?” Lian Yi grumbled unhappily. She put on a lotus colored veil and patted Liu Fenyun. “Let’s go, get off.”

Liu Fenyun hurriedly jumped off with her. Watching the carriage enter an alley, the two followed shortly after, hearing the “clanging and banging” sounds of hammering coming from ahead.

A two story tall stage frame appeared in Liu Fenyun’s sight. Scaffolding was set up around the frame, and the entire silhouette looked like a flower blooming from a raging fire. The surface was painted a magnificent crimson, looking very grand.

Dozens of craftsmen, secured with ropes, were suspended in mid-air working under the sun.

Even though Liu Fenyun had seen many peculiar buildings before her reincarnation, she was still quite shocked.

“Do they build such a high stage every year?” After staring at the frame for a while, she asked in surprise, “For an ancient stage, this is too high. Just building the stairs would take so much effort.”

“There’s no need to build stairs.” Lian Yi pointed toward the center of the stage. “Your eyesight is good, take a look and see what the secret is there.”

Liu Fenyun directly released her system’s spiritual sense to scan the stage.

The scan results showed a mechanism in the center of the stage, similar to a modern day elevator. The mechanism was carved with a lifelike fire phoenix, but judging by the style, it didn’t look like the handiwork of the Candle Flame Kingdom.

Withdrawing her spiritual sense, Liu Fenyun said, “There is a mechanism beneath the stage. Once activated, it can transport people from below onto the stage.”

“Correct. That is the mechanical art that Phoenix Perch City is so proud of,” Lian Yi said with a smile. “If you look closely up front, you can even see the fire phoenix carved on the parts. The fire phoenix is the totem of Phoenix Perch City.”

“I remember Phoenix Perch City is considered a nation of the Hua tribe.” Liu Fenyun was no stranger to the name, having seen it in the system’s database. “Since the Candle Flame Kingdom adopted their mechanical arts for the festival stage design, does it mean Phoenix Perch City is already under the protection of the Candle Flame Kingdom?”

Currently, both the human and demon realms were in a period of warring states, with kings of various nations constantly at war. To avoid being annexed, small countries would find ways to form alliances with large ones. For instance, the Weaving Stream Kingdom, where Liu Fenyun lived after her reincarnation, had allied with the Candle Flame Kingdom through marriage.

And small countries like Phoenix Perch City and the Weaving Stream Kingdom, which lacked much self-defense capability, were not uncommon in the human realm.

“In a way, yes. However, Phoenix Perch City is different from here; at least for the demon race, it is a good place to be in the human realm.” After saying this, Lian Yi pulled her toward the street. “I’m thirsty. Let’s go buy a cup of ‘Su’ tea.”

The Su tea sold in the Candle Flame Kingdom was essentially the equivalent of modern day milk tea, and Lian Yi loved it.

The shop selling Su tea also sold other pastries, both sweet and savory. Liu Fenyun bought a bowl of Su tea for Lian Yi and a bowl of mung bean soup for herself, along with several plates of snacks to beat the heat, sitting down to enjoy them slowly.

The residents of the inner city were of high or noble status. Even the tables and chairs in the shop were separated by screens, and the sets were placed far apart so as not to disturb one another. The shopkeeper was also attentive, before they left, he gifted them some fruit to eat on the road.

But Lian Yi wasn’t entirely satisfied. As they walked on the street, Liu Fenyun praised the pastry shop they just left, but Lian Yi countered: “That’s only because there are few customers today. You haven’t seen the scene when two powerful figures get into a fight over a seat, it’s incredibly annoying. Also, some men from prominent families use their status to propose on the spot if they take a fancy to a girl from another family. Even if they’re rejected, they’ll harass them relentlessly.”

That was why she usually went to the outer city to eat, drink, and have fun. As for the inner city, once she heard about a shop with good food or scenery, she would go once or twice just to try it out.

Liu Fenyun poked a piece of watermelon and fed it to her, asking half-joking and half-seriously, “Would they even dare to offend the Holy Maiden?”

Lian Yi ate the melon and gave her a huge eye roll. “You know very well how much those men like the Seventh Princess. Besides, the Holy Maiden of the Candle Flame Kingdom isn’t like a nun in a temple, she doesn’t need to be ascetic, she only needs to be loyal to the Fire God. Furthermore, it’s not surprising for certain so-called ‘powerful figures’ to do something filthy.”

The clouds drifted away, and the scorching sunlight immediately poured down. The two bought bamboo hats for shade and walked along chatting and laughing. Before long, they had left the inner city.

The markets in the outer city were even more lively than usual. Every household had colored silks hanging in front of their doors. Families who couldn’t afford silk hung a row of sharp, triangular colored flags that fluttered and snapped in the wind.

Liu Fenyun looked at the colored silks on the left and then at the small flags on the right. Hearing the awkward yet familiar “translation style” calls of the vendors, she felt an inexplicable sense of the Lunar New Year.

She couldn’t help but wonder, in the years before she was by the kitty’s side, how did she spend this time? Would she have been wandering the outer city with her cat-demon subordinates, or hanging out at the Never Returning Tavern?

Just as she thought of this, she looked up and saw the Never Returning Tavern nearby. She asked casually, “Yiyi, are we going to the Never Returning Tavern?”

Lian Yi put a cherry tomato into her mouth and looked at her in confusion. “Why go to the Never Returning Tavern?”

Before Liu Fenyun could answer, she saw two people who didn’t look like local residents glancing around. After a moment, they covered their faces and sneakily stepped into the tavern.

The system’s prompt rang in her mind: “Red named characters discovered. Identified as hostile.”

Liu Fenyun had never encountered red named characters before, she only knew this title meant the party was destined to be an enemy. Startled, she immediately said, “Suspicious people have entered the Never Returning Tavern! Come, let’s go…”

Before the word “see” could leave her mouth, Lian Yi grabbed her and bolted, rapidly distancing them from the Never Returning Tavern.