Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 62

The young version of Yu Qingyue, possessing only her childhood memories, was exceptionally well-behaved. Even Liu Fenyun breathed a sigh of relief. However, once her mind was at ease, she couldn’t help but worry about when Yu Qingyue might faint again and “refresh” her memories once more.

Shortly after the group left Qishengze, Liu Fenyun heard the system’s alarm warning that “Red Name” (hostile) characters were approaching.

She immediately signaled Lian Yi and Luo Binglun to stop. After observing the positions of Qi Ran and the assassins, she asked Luo Binglun in a low voice, “How much certainty do you have in repelling them right now?”

She didn’t mean just intercepting or stalling them, but using full strength to actually drive the pursuers back.

Luo Binglun pondered for a moment and guaranteed, “If you two take Ah Qing and leave, I have a seventy percent certainty.”

Currently, Yu Qingyue’s memory was unstable. She was obedient now, but she might fail to recognize them again in the next moment.

Lian Yi also felt that splitting up was the safer bet. After all, Yu Qingyue was familiar with Liu Fenyun, even if her memory shifted again, she wouldn’t become suspicious as long as Liu Fenyun was there.

The three had made up their minds and were about to set off when Yu Qingyue suddenly left Luo Binglun’s shoulder. Transforming into her human form, she hugged Luo Binglun tightly, pursing her lips without saying a word.

Luo Binglun froze, feeling a wave of heat rush through her body. Subconsciously, she said, “Ah Qing, you go with them.”

“I won’t.” Yu Qingyue shook her head. Her voice was still soft and obedient, but her words put the three of them in a difficult position. “I’m only going with you. I won’t hold you back.”

Liu Fenyun understood why she was clinging to Luo Binglun, unconditional trust was one of the effects of the Love Gu. The childhood version of her Master wasn’t as cold or composed as her adult self. Right now, she simply felt that following Luo Binglun was the safest option, believing this person would definitely treat her well.

After a moment of silence, Luo Binglun rubbed Yu Qingyue’s head and scolded gently, “Ah Qing is being naughty.”

Yu Qingyue’s eyes instantly reddened. She looked pitifully aggrieved as she tried to defend herself. Perhaps she was clumsy with words at this age or truly didn’t know the reason, but she eventually squeezed out two words: “I’m good!”

“Since you’re good, then go with these two sisters,” Luo Binglun coaxed her. “If you go with them, not only will I safely return you to your original body, but I will also… give you a reward.”

Yu Qingyue was left speechless. If she continued to follow Luo Binglun, she would be confirming the label of being “naughty.”

After hesitating for a long time, she finally let go of Luo Binglun. She followed Liu Fenyun and the other away, turning her head back with every step.

Liu Fenyun, possessing the combat power data, felt very reassured about Luo Binglun’s current strength. Lian Yi’s mind was entirely focused on reaching the city to rest, having no other thoughts besides traveling.

Only Yu Qingyue followed behind the two, listlessly tugging at Liu Fenyun’s sleeve with her head hanging low, looking utterly dejected.

After walking for a while, she suddenly regretted it. If she had stayed with that Blue Kite, the worst that could happen was being called “naughty.” It wouldn’t be like this, lonely and uneasy.

Liu Fenyun suddenly felt the hand on her sleeve let go. She turned around in a daze, only to see that Yu Qingyue had already spread her wings and taken to the sky.

Terrified, she hurried to give chase. Before she had run very far, her collar suddenly tightened.

“It’s a fight between immortals, don’t go joining the chaos on your own.” The warm breath of a large white cat brushed past her from behind. Liu Fenyun was immediately picked up by the scruff, tossed onto the cat’s back, and swiftly bound by two ropes of demonic energy.

Liu Fenyun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Finding her struggles futile, she gave up and lay resignedly on the cat’s back, praying that her Master wouldn’t suddenly swap memories mid-way.

However, the large white cat turned around and began chasing after Yu Qingyue while carrying her.

Yu Qingyue was a born Feather Demon, and her flight speed was significantly faster than Luo Binglun’s. Lian Yi ran until she was out of breath, barely managing to hang on behind her without losing sight of her.

When the two finally caught up to Yu Qingyue, they finally understood why she had been so desperate to rush back.

The sandy ground was already heavily stained with blood, littered with the corpses of numerous assassins. Luo Binglun was still locked in combat with Qi Ran, but even Liu Fenyun, who was the least skilled in fighting, could see that the scales of victory were tipping toward Qi Ran’s side.

Lian Yi set her down, transformed into her human form, and covered her nose and mouth, saying, “I’m afraid the time spent merging the Demon Core was too short. Luo Binglun hasn’t been able to fully absorb it yet. When she controls her demonic energy to attack, her body still suffers immense pain.”

Liu Fenyun nodded. After watching for a moment, she remarked, “The High Priestess has only recently become a Feather Demon and doesn’t yet know how to use her wings to fly. Instead, those wings are proving to be a hindrance.”

Realizing the gap between Luo Binglun and Qi Ran, Liu Fenyun anxiously began brainstorming a counterstrategy. Suddenly, the light above them dimmed. Yu Qingyue, who had been circling in mid-air to observe, dove straight down toward the two of them and delivered a sharp kick to Qi Ran’s face.

Although Qi Ran had seen Yu Qingyue, she had assumed Yu Qingyue wouldn’t strike recklessly. She never expected the other woman to lead with a kick directly to her face. The blow left the leopard stunned; she flew back ten paces and sprawled onto the sand, clutching her face.

How did Senior Sister Qing learn to punch people right in the face?!

For some reason, Qi Ran was reminded of their childhood. Back then, Senior Sister Qing had been incredibly mischievous, relying on their Master’s favoritism. Even during internal sect sparring matches, she showed them absolutely no mercy.

Her core philosophy for “not saving face” was simple: hit the face.

As Qi Ran scrambled to her feet, she saw Yu Qingyue standing protectively in front of Luo Binglun. With her arms spread wide and her wings flared in an aggressive stance, she glared at Qi Ran with fury.

Luo Binglun hadn’t expected her to return at all and thought she was hallucinating due to her heavy injuries. She reached out toward Yu Qingyue, opening her mouth to speak, but a sweetness rose in her throat and she coughed up a mouthful of blood first.

Yu Qingyue turned around immediately. Seeing her in pain, she hurriedly rubbed Luo Binglun’s back to help her catch her breath, saying, “Sister, go stay with those other two sisters. I’m going to beat this smelly leopard to death!”

Qi Ran: ??

This tone… why does it suddenly feel so nostalgic?

Luo Binglun didn’t force herself to stay. She quickly retreated to the side of Liu Fenyun and Lian Yi, standing there to regulate her breathing.

Liu Fenyun handed her a bottle of healing medicine. Just as she finished explaining the dosage, a sharp shriek accompanied by a gust of sand swept toward them. It was so piercing that Liu Fenyun couldn’t help but cover her ears tightly, pulling Lian Yi close to do the same.

Yu Qingyue and Qi Ran had grown up together, and she was intimately familiar with Qi Ran’s scent. Her childhood impression of Qi Ran wasn’t good to begin with, and seeing Qi Ran overpowering Luo Binglun just now had made her see red. After letting out a challenge cry, she stomped into the sand and flapped her wings, lunging at Qi Ran like an arrow released from a bow. Without a word, she brought her fist down.

Qi Ran swung her blade to parry, but the fist that was clearly right in front of her suddenly changed direction. Yu Qingyue grabbed Qi Ran’s sword wielding wrist and squeezed with immense force. A crisp sound of bone breaking rang out. The pain was so intense that Qi Ran couldn’t help but cry out. Abandoning her weapon, she pulled her hand back and retreated again and again.

Before she could catch her breath, Yu Qingyue was already upon her, wielding the confiscated blade. She swung three times in rapid succession, the first strike cut into Qi Ran’s left shoulder, the second nearly sliced her stomach open, and the third grazed her right leg. Had Qi Ran not been agile, all three strikes would have landed solidly.

Qi Ran was horrified. She hadn’t seen such a ferocious Senior Sister Qing in a very long time.

Years ago, when they studied martial arts under the City Lord, who was known in the Demon Realm as “The Tyrant” the Lord had pointed out that Senior Sister Qing carried too much hostility. She lacked restraint when fighting her peers, and her sparring matches were indistinguishable from lethal duels. The Lord had urged her to change her ways early on.

Qi Ran still remembered how the then-fledgling Senior Sister Qing had replied with a cold face: “If I master the ‘restraint’ you speak of, you can’t blame me later when my junior sisters are killed by evil demons while out on trials.”

However, despite the tough talk, Senior Sister Qing had obediently held back against them from then on, until now.

After decades, Qi Ran once again experienced the terror of being beaten to within an inch of her life by her Senior Sister. Even though the Love Gu had muddled Yu Qingyue’s memories, it hadn’t weakened her combat prowess.

In Yu Qingyue’s hands, the blade became a butcher’s knife that wouldn’t rest until it tasted blood. Sensing the scent of Luo Binglun’s blood on the blade, she fought with even more abandon, wanting nothing more than to slaughter Qi Ran and feed her to Luo Binglun.

Even without using any spells, Yu Qingyue’s physical strength alone was enough to overwhelm Qi Ran. Qi Ran was soon covered in wounds, either cut by the blade’s edge or grazed by the force of the swings. Before long, she was forced back into her original form, roaring as she lunged at Yu Qingyue with a claw.

Yu Qingyue didn’t dodge. She held the blade horizontally, and at the moment the sharp claws swiped down, she brought the knife down, shearing off all of Qi Ran’s claws right at the flesh. She then dodged the other paw and sliced off those claws in the same manner.

Liu Fenyun and the other two had already agreed on a general plan. Seeing Qi Ran transform into a black leopard, Lian Yi immediately shifted into her demon form and pounced. Taking advantage of the fact that the black leopard’s claws hadn’t grown back yet, she focused all her energy on scratching and biting at the leopard’s softest spots.

Lian Yi had never studied martial arts, her fighting relied entirely on beastly instinct. While she pinned Qi Ran down, Liu Fenyun and Luo Binglun moved into action. They flanked the two large demons from the left and right, simultaneously condensing water to splash over them.

The water was still mixed with catnip powder. However, Qi Ran was prepared this time. Just before the water reached her, she suddenly pinned the large white cat (Lian Yi) to the ground and stomped her limbs, raising a circular earthen wall to block the incoming catnip water.

Seeing the attack miss, Liu Fenyun and Luo Binglun exchanged a look, preparing to switch to talisman arts. Suddenly, Luo Binglun heard the whistling of arrows cutting through the air from behind. Before her mind could process it, her body moved, and she used a wing to swat away an invisible arrow.

Liu Fenyun’s expression darkened. She checked the system map, the two assassins who had used the invisible bows at the festival were hiding nearby. They were waiting for any opportunity to ambush them with those unseen arrows.

“To think the Nation of Gehua possesses a magical artifact like the ‘Bow of No Arrows’.” Luo Binglun glanced at the arrow slowly dissipating on the ground and warned coldly in the direction of the assassins’ hiding spot, “Friend Liu, it would be best if you release your demonic energy around us, or it will be extremely easy to get hit.”

“Thank you for the concern, High Priestess,” Liu Fenyun replied. She released a field of demonic energy and condensed a whip of the same energy, lashing out at the earthen wall in front of her.

The earthen wall shattered. She and Luo Binglun rushed in, one after the other, only to see a massive Gyrfalcon. Lian Yi had shrunk her demon form and was squatting beside the falcon, grooming her fur.

The Gyrfalcon held the black leopard down firmly with its talons, its gaze sharp. However, the moment she saw Luo Binglun, the falcon’s gaze softened instantly, she even buried her head shyly in her own feathers.

She was afraid of being scolded by the person she cared about.

Luo Binglun remained wary of Qi Ran, but upon approaching, she saw the leopard lying motionless on the sand with her eyes closed. She appeared to have been knocked unconscious by one of Yu Qingyue’s kicks. Emboldened, Luo Binglun crouched down and took out the “Tayan Chains” specifically used by the demon hunters of the Nation of Zhuhuang to bind demons. While Qi Ran was still out cold, she deftly wrapped the chains around her several times.

Yu Qingyue transformed back into her human form and stood to the side, watching cautiously as Luo Binglun tied up Qi Ran.

Liu Fenyun walked over, picked up Lian Yi, and brushed the sand off her fur. After stroking the cat to ensure she wasn’t injured, she finally sighed in relief.