Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 58

After hearing Liu Fenyun speak this way, Luo Binglun felt too embarrassed to say more. She simply nodded to her and sat cross-legged, preparing to heal her injuries.

To her surprise, she found her internal injuries had already completely healed, and her external wounds were mending at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Startled, she looked toward Liu Fenyun, only to see the other woman buried in her work, continuing to write her letter. She then turned her gaze to Lian Yi.

“A-Yun fed you healing medicine. You’ll be fine after resting quietly for a bit,” Lian Yi explained lazily. “Qi Ran probably wanted to capture you alive, right? Otherwise, your injuries wouldn’t be this light.”

Luo Binglun nodded. As she calmed down, the words Qi Ran had spoken surfaced in her mind, causing her to frown deeply.

“Yu Qingyue is gone,” she murmured, a surge of bitterness in her heart. “It seems she’s been hidden away. That leopard demon said only a God could find her but where in this world is there a God?”

They had parted ways that afternoon. Yu Qingyue had said she was going to patrol with Qi Ran. At the time, Luo Binglun hadn’t wanted her to go, but she was eventually persuaded when Yu Qingyue promised to “share a pillow” for a night upon her return. She never expected that a single farewell would lead to an unknown reunion.

Liu Fenyun’s hand paused mid-write. She instinctively turned her face and asked, “Only a God would know? Did she really say that?”

Luo Binglun nodded again.

She then watched as Liu Fenyun set her brush aside, produced an incense burner from nowhere, inserted incense, lit it with a fire talisman, and swiftly performed a divination.

Luo Binglun: “???”

Finding someone using spiritual consciousness wasn’t difficult for Liu Fenyun, especially since she had previously added Yu Qingyue as a “focus target.” However, given what Qi Ran said, Yu Qingyue was likely no longer within the borders of the Candlelight Kingdom.

While performing the divination, Liu Fenyun opened the “Human Realm World Map.” Expanding the search range would cost extra stamina and demonic energy, but she could recover after resting for a while.

She soon discovered the glowing dot representing Yu Qingyue in a swamp eight hundred miles away from the Candlelight Kingdom.

“What place is this?” Liu Fenyun circled the swamp.

“Qisheng Marsh,” the system replied. “An ancient ruin, currently the territory of the Water Snakes (Shui Hui), located near Qifeng City.”

“How did they get Master over there?” Liu Fenyun took notes, asking curiously.

“It should be a Long-Distance Teleportation Array,” the system explained. “Teleportation arrays are common spatial spells for cultivators. For a country with a long heritage like the Gehua Kingdom, as long as they have a ‘Formation Core’ type artifact with sufficient energy, they indeed have the ability to set up a large array. Furthermore, Gehua is known for its excellence in forging.”

Liu Fenyun noted this down. Opening her eyes, she said to Lian Yi, “I’ll need you to get me a set of female clothing. Once Miss Xuan returns, we should find a way to head to Qifeng City before they seal the city.”

“Master is there?” Lian Yi understood immediately.

Liu Fenyun nodded.

Luo Binglun could no longer sit still. She stood up and asked urgently, “How do you know Qingyue is there?!”

She had a faint inkling that Liu Fenyun’s identity was not simple.

Not wanting to expose herself, Liu Fenyun nipped the thought in the bud without hesitation: “The resonance of a Master Disciple Bond would never lie to me.”

Hearing this, Luo Binglun did not doubt her. Earlier, it was precisely because of that bond’s resonance that Lian Yi had turned back to save her.

The cat-demon subordinates had been guarding the room. Ruan Ju, the orange cat who had previously patted Luo Binglun’s face with her paw, saw how tense she was. She flopped down next to her, exposing her soft, furry belly and letting out a tentative “Meow.”

The meow was soft and sweet. Luo Binglun shuddered slightly, staring at the fat orange cat for a moment before pressing her hand into the fluff.

…The hand-feel was actually quite comfortable.

Ruan Ju purred happily under the petting. Seeing this, two other cats who weren’t afraid of Luo Binglun jumped onto the couch, leaning in to rub against her gently.

Luo Binglun felt as if cat claws were scratching at her heart, a ticklish, pleasant sensation. After petting the big orange cat, she turned to stroke the other two. Her tension quickly dissipated, and her usually cold, sharp gaze softened.

The cat fur was warm and soft, reminding her of Yu Qingyue’s fluffy demon form. Suddenly, she desperately wanted to rush to Yu Qingyue’s side and bury herself in her feathers.

But her status meant she couldn’t possibly travel with Liu Fenyun and the others.

Just as Luo Binglun was about to suppress these thoughts, she heard Lian Yi say, “Great Priest Luo, why don’t you come with us?”

“Impossible…” Luo Binglun reflexively refused, before forcing herself to pivot. “You are leaving to draw away the attention of Qi Ran and the others. What reason would I have to leave the Candlelight Kingdom?”

“The Sovereign will soon find out that Qi Ran targeted you today,” Lian Yi said, crossing her arms. “It’s obvious you are a target for the Gehua assassins. Now that such a major incident has occurred at the festival, the city will be in panic. If you, a prime target, stay behind, you’ll likely be stationed outside the city anyway.”

She paused. “Even if you are the Great Priest, it’s the same. Understand, Priest Luo? Until the matter with Qi Ran is resolved, none of us can stay here for the time being.”

Lian Yi originally thought Luo Binglun would stay to fulfill her duties as Great Priest, but she didn’t realize Luo Binglun’s heart had already flown out of the city.

As soon as she finished speaking, Luo Binglun nodded. “Fine, I will go with you.”

Lian Yi blinked, thinking she had misheard. After a moment, she said, “Then don’t go anywhere else, stay with us.”

She then turned to Liu Fenyun. “Add to the letter that the Great Priest is traveling with us.”

Liu Fenyun complied. She finished the letter shortly, let the ink dry, carefully packed it, and handed it to the waiting calico cat. “Please deliver this to the Fifteenth Princess. Be careful of Qi Ran.”

Currently, the only people they could contact were the Fifteenth Princess and the Tenth Prince. The eldest prince’s residence was too heavily guarded; even if Xian Lihua went herself, she couldn’t guarantee a safe return, let alone deliver a letter.

The calico cat meowed, hooked the small pouch containing the letter onto its collar, and jumped out of the window, passing through the barrier.

Lian Yi had a good relationship with the proprietress of the Yebuhui (Never Return at Night) Tavern. She sent a cat subordinate to ask for three sets of simple female clothing. The cat returned shortly with a spatial pouch (Qiankun bag) hanging from its neck.

Lian Yi opened the bag and pulled out three outfits: one in her usual lotus root pink, one in cyan with white cloud patterns, and one in a lively goose-yellow. She couldn’t help but smile. “Look, A-Yun. I just said I’d buy you many dresses, and here are new ones already.”

Liu Fenyun wasn’t used to wearing warm colors, so Lian Yi handed her the cyan cloud-patterned dress and pulled a screen over so Luo Binglun couldn’t see.

While Liu Fenyun was changing, Lian Yi handed the lotus-root pink dress to Luo Binglun. “You don’t like wearing very bright colors, how about this?”

Luo Binglun took it hastily and thanked her, her heart a whirlwind of emotions.

The fact that she disliked bright colors was something only her four close disciples knew and her former student, Sha Lanyi, had remembered it most clearly.

This cat demon likely knew because of Lanyi’s memories.

Regardless, she accepted Lian Yi’s kindness.

Summer in the Candlelight Kingdom was shorter than winter. After the festival, the autumn moon would soon arrive.

Liu Fenyun’s group stayed at the tavern for three days. Once the news of their departure had slowly spread, they officially left the Candlelight Kingdom under the cover of a cloudy night.

To move more easily, the three took no attendants. Lian Yi’s cat subordinates remained at the Priest Hall with Luo Binglun’s four disciples to avoid being taken hostage by assassins.

Lian Yi disguised the other two and reverted to her own original human appearance so as not to bring trouble to the Seventh Princess.

The late summer night breeze carried a lingering heat as it blew against them.

Liu Fenyun summoned the “Wangyun Steed” from her medicine garden and gave it to Lian Yi and Luo Binglun. She herself used demonic energy to bolster her legs, following behind them on foot. While traveling, she attempted to awaken the power she once held as a God.

The horse was the one she had brought to the medicine garden when she previously infiltrated the Saintess Hall. Since the horse had already been sold to the Hall, she could dispose of it as she pleased.

Regarding her “magic trick” of summoning a live horse, Luo Binglun wasn’t surprised at all. Ever since learning Yu Qingyue was a demon, she had defaulted to assuming Liu Fenyun was a cultivator.

Eight hundred miles wasn’t exceptionally far, but sandstorms had been frequent around the Candlelight Kingdom lately, which would likely cause delays.

Neither Liu Fenyun nor Lian Yi had much travel experience. Luo Binglun, however, frequently traveled for diplomatic reasons and knew the geography of the area. Even in the desert, she could discern the correct direction.

Thus, on the way to Qisheng Marsh, she frequently gave warnings to avoid disasters. Lian Yi knew she was predicting sandstorms, so she and Liu Fenyun followed her lead, finding places to hide before the storms hit.

Liu Fenyun’s medicine garden proved extremely useful during these times. Because she had prioritized protecting Lian Yi during the festival, Lian Yi’s favorability had jumped by 3 points to 93. This significantly boosted the production speed and yield of the garden, and the spiritual energy within the fruits and vegetables increased as well.

While hiding from a sandstorm, she took fresh fruit from the garden and shared it with the other two to quench their thirst.

The garden was technically for medicinal herbs, but many fruits and vegetables also served as medicine. Liu Fenyun had planted seeds long ago and harvested them to be dried or “cold-stored.”

As Lian Yi ate, she missed the days in the Saintess Hall. Even though the garden produce tasted better than ordinary food, she still preferred cooked meals. However, they hadn’t found any villages or towns to stay in, and they spent their nights in caves behind barriers. There was no time to cook while rushing.

She kept quiet about it, but after a few days, Liu Fenyun noticed her craving. While Luo Binglun was fast asleep, she pulled Lian Yi into the medicine garden.

She took a net to the edge of the pond where the Green Ghost Lotuses grew and, with one scoop, caught a fish.

Lian Yi was stunned. She hadn’t realized Liu Fenyun was raising fish in the lotus pond.

Seeing the fish was long, narrow, and grey-green a type of carp (Qingyu) she usually disliked, she asked curiously, “Where did you get a carp from?”

“Grandpa Sangjia gave it to me before. I saw you didn’t usually eat this kind, so I raised it,” Liu Fenyun smiled. “Does Yiyi want boiled fish or grilled fish? I have scallions, ginger, and garlic here… even cumin, peppercorns, and cinnamon.”

Looking at the struggling carp in the net, Lian Yi swallowed hard, even if she hadn’t liked it before. She whispered, “Are you making a special meal just for me?”

Liu Fenyun nodded solemnly.

Lian Yi thought for a moment and said, “I want grilled fish. Boiled fish can smell fishy if not done right.” She then gestured at the fish. “I don’t love carp, so half is enough. Give the other half to Luo Binglun.”