Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 57

In the spectator stands, Luo Binglun held her sword horizontally, glaring at the approaching Great Demon.

“Don’t look at me like that. You shouldn’t be surprised that I would do such a thing,” Qi Ran smiled. “Unlike Senior Sister Qing, I’ve never been a particularly good person.”

She was still dressed in black, but her clothes were now embroidered with the totem of the Gohua Kingdom in white silk. Amidst the night and the firelight, the totem was exceptionally striking.

“You are actually a spy for the Gohua Kingdom!” Luo Binglun narrowed her eyes, her voice filled with hatred. “And you claimed back then that you were controlled by others and acting against your will. From where I stand, you were the one who killed Tingxian!”

“Tingxian’s death was not my intent.” Qi Ran’s gaze darkened. “I truly did not lie to you about that. However, back then I was controlled now, I am acting of my own free will.”

Luo Binglun knew she was no match for her. While facing Qi Ran, she did not forget to order her disciples to quickly return to the Priestess Temple.

“You won’t find Senior Sister Qing, and she won’t come to save you.” Qi Ran guessed her thoughts. She transformed her hand into a claw and lunged. As her claws were blocked by the sharp sword, she whispered, “Only the Great God knows where Senior Sister Qing went. But the Great God is only concerned with self-preservation this time, it seems He won’t intervene.”

Luo Binglun didn’t know who this “Great God” was. Hearing bad news regarding Yu Qingyue sent a shock through her heart, but her expression remained unchanged. With a sharp cry of “Nonsense!”, she parried the claws. Her other hand quickly drew a curse in the air. Starting from her feet, a spreading spiritual aura instantly froze the lower half of Qi Ran’s body.

Qi Ran took advantage of the momentum to drop to the ground. Her human form shifted into a black leopard, shattering the ice. Her steel whip like tail suddenly lashed out at Luo Binglun.

“You still intend to take my life,” Luo Binglun said, maneuvering to put distance between them. She gripped her sword tightly. “But this time, you want to capture me alive.”

Exorcists quickly arrived, surrounding Qi Ran. At the VIP seats, high-ranking officials and royalty had already fled. Only the group from the Priestess Temple remained, staying behind to fight the Gohua demons and beast tamers.

“I want your life for two reasons: one for Tingxian, and one for myself,” Qi Ran did not deny it, the fierce light in her red eyes laid bare. “Everyone knows how much the life of the Great Priestess of Zhuhuang Kingdom is worth.”

“You are not fit to mention Tingxian!” Luo Binglun shouted. She twirled her sword, wiped her fingers across the blade, and unleashed a chilling frost accompanied by sword intent toward Qi Ran.

This move played right into Qi Ran’s hands. She dodged and pounced on an exorcist who was trying to sneak up on her, biting into his carotid artery. Blood instantly flooded her mouth. The exorcist didn’t even scream, after a few struggles, he went still.

Luo Binglun gritted her teeth and swung her sword again. The long blade met the leopard tail Qi Ran swung back. With a sharp “clang,” the force of the impact nearly caused her to drop her weapon. Outmatched, she was forced to retreat again.

The gap in strength between the exorcists and Qi Ran became immediately apparent, and the surroundings quickly fell into a bloody chaos. Luo Binglun felt a chill in her heart, her mind flashing back to four years ago, the night her dying beloved disciple was possessed by a cat demon. However, the white cat back then was different from Qi Ran, it had asked her in a panic how it had become the Seventh Princess and how it could leave that body…

Afterward, the white cat had been hunted by the exorcists.

“A-Ran!” A girl’s cry pulled her thoughts back to reality.

Qi Ran paused and looked back in shock. A fourteen-year-old girl ran toward them, stumbling, without the Tenth Prince by her side.

Sha Rulang had managed to persuade the Tenth Prince, promising she would talk sense into Qi Ran. But when she arrived, she found that the “A-Ran” who had once treated her so gently was actually a murderous demon!

“A-Ran! They aren’t bad people! Stop killing!” Sha Rulang cried, her voice reaching Qi Ran’s ears in fragments.

Everyone watched as the blood-stained black leopard went silent for a moment before suddenly pouncing toward Sha Rulang.

“Fifteenth Highness!” Luo Binglun exclaimed. Before she could intervene, she was struck in the left leg by the leopard’s tail, falling with a groan of pain. Others didn’t even dare to block, they had already realized the terrifying power of this Great Demon.

However, Qi Ran merely landed gently beside Sha Rulang and lowered her head to nuzzle her. “Go back. Go back to the palace. Don’t stay here.”

Sha Rulang shook her head, ignoring the blood and filth as she hugged the black leopard’s large head, sobbing. “A-Ran… why are you killing people…?”

“There is no ‘why.’ A-Ran was always a bad demon.” Qi Ran deliberately bared her fangs at her, breathing the scent of blood onto her. “Bad demons don’t turn good. Do you understand, Rulang?”

Sha Rulang’s eyes were blurred with tears as she shook her head frantically. She couldn’t believe it. A-Ran had taken care of her for so many years, how could she turn into this?

“I only stayed by your side to repay your mother,” Qi Ran whispered. “Now that the Fourth Princess is dead and you are a grown girl, my debt is repaid. I must go and do what I must do.”

Before Sha Rulang could speak again, Qi Ran shook off her hands and backed away three steps. A thicket of green vines instantly erupted from the ground, weaving into a net that separated them.

The Tenth Prince, arriving out of breath, saw his sister trying to tear through the vines. He rushed forward and knocked Sha Rulang unconscious with a hand-chop to the neck, then hoisted her over his shoulder and ran.

The festive stage had turned into a hellscape. Fires burned on the stands, and bloodstains, torn clothes, and lost shoes were everywhere.

Qi Ran was determined to capture Luo Binglun alive, so her attacks were harsh but not fatal. She was wearing her down. As for the other exorcists, as long as they didn’t attack, she ignored them, those who did were met with a snapped neck.

The battle turned into a duel between Qi Ran and Luo Binglun. Seeing Luo Binglun nearing exhaustion, Qi Ran struck her sword-arm with her tail and opened her maw to swallow her whole.

Suddenly, a silver flash streaked through the air. A concealed weapon struck a specific pressure point on Qi Ran’s neck, sinking deep into her flesh with excruciating pain.

Qi Ran dodged in agony, reaching up with a claw, but the weapon was retracted by its owner. She only felt a pawful of blood.

Luo Binglun felt her body being lifted by two hands and placed onto something warm and soft. Lying there, she saw the brilliant stars above while the sound of fire roared in her ears.

Using an Earth Talisman to temporarily block Qi Ran, Liu Fenyun caught up to the large white cat in a few steps. She leaped onto the cat’s back, retracted her chain blade, and supported Luo Binglun. She then shouted to Lian Yi: “Go!”

Liu Fenyun was still dressed in women’s clothing, and the white jade pendant that masked her aura was with Lian Yi. Luo Binglun looked at her in shock, murmuring, “You… you are a woman…”

Liu Fenyun ignored her, focusing intensely on controlling Fire and Wind Talismans. Fierce winds carried fireballs, swirling from all directions toward the enraged black leopard behind them.

Lian Yi had already coordinated an escape route with her cat demon subordinates. They soon lost Qi Ran and slipped into the outer city through familiar back alleys.

Luo Binglun, exhausted and injured, succumbed to the jolting ride and fainted on the cat’s back. Liu Fenyun took a healing pill from her medicine garden and fed it to her before putting the bottle away.

“Why did Luo Binglun go quiet?” Lian Yi asked in a low voice once they reached a deserted area. “She was hyperventilating just a moment ago.”

“She fainted,” Liu Fenyun replied. “Her injuries aren’t critical. Let’s regroup with Miss Xian and the others first.”

“I sent Lihua to find Old Man Sangjia,” Lian Yi said. “I don’t know if the Witch Doctor Envoy will be willing to help.”

“He might tell us to find the other two envoys,” Liu Fenyun sighed. “Those two are younger.”

They had originally reached the safety of the palace, but Lian Yi had insisted on turning back.

“The Seventh Princess and Luo Binglun share a Master Disciple bond, a secret human cultivation technique that works like telepathy,” Lian Yi had explained then. “Luo Binglun… she’s calling out to me for help.”

It felt ironic to Lian Yi that the person who had driven her to the brink of death four years ago was now filled with regret in her final moments. Still, out of respect for the protection the Great Priestess had arranged earlier, she and Liu Fenyun had turned back to save her.

The Aftermath

When Luo Binglun finally woke up, she was lying on a couch in an upper room of the Yebugui Inn. She saw several cat tails swishing in her vision. A plump orange cat hopped onto the bed and patted her face with a soft paw. “Oh, the Great Priestess is awake?”

Luo Binglun nearly swatted the cat away, but the two familiar scents nearby calmed her instantly.

“Young Master Liu… Miss Liu?” she called out uncertainly.

Liu Fenyun, who was writing a letter at a desk, responded. Before she could ask how the Priestess felt, Lian Yi spoke with a half-smile: “Why do you only call for A-Yun and not me? I was the one who answered your plea for help.”

Luo Binglun then remembered that in her moment of life and death, she truly had called out to someone. She hadn’t expected it to be this cat demon.

“Thank you, Seventh Highness, for saving me,” Luo Binglun sat up, forcing a small smile at Lian Yi, who was leaning against Liu Fenyun.

It was only then she realized the two had swapped identities: Lian Yi was still in the male dance attire, while Liu Fenyun wore the Saintess dress.

“Now that Great Priestess Luo knows ‘Young Master Liu’ is actually ‘Miss Liu,’ what do you plan to do?” Lian Yi asked provocatively.

Luo Binglun fell silent. According to the Fire God’s teachings, love between women was a capital offense, let alone marriage. Furthermore, Liu Fenyun was the “Prince” sent by Liuzhi Kingdom. If her identity were exposed, it would bring disaster to her home country.

“I… I will do nothing,” Luo Binglun shook her head. “But if you intend to stay in the city, Miss Liu must continue to carefully hide her gender.”

“We will likely have to leave Zhuhuang Kingdom for a while,” Liu Fenyun said, turning around. “You may not know, but at tonight’s ceremony, an assassin aimed an arrow at Lian Yi, who was disguised as me. If the Crown Prince hadn’t intervened, she would have been hurt.”

“Most of Zhuhuang’s military is currently fighting on the outskirts of Gohua. The remaining forces in the city are thin. This is a dangerous time,” Liu Fenyun continued calmly. “Since they want to kill me, it means my presence is a threat. I will leave to draw some of that attention away.”

“That won’t do!” Luo Binglun said instinctively. “You, a weak woman…”

Liu Fenyun interrupted with a smile: “I have lived as a man since childhood, studying medicine and martial arts. If the Great Priestess still sees me as a ‘weak woman,’ I might actually get offended.”