Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 70

The barrier dissipated, yet Lian Yi’s eyes still hadn’t returned to their original color.

Liu Fenyun rubbed her head, cast a wary glance out the window, and said to Lian Yi, “Yiyi, can you change back into a cat?”

Lian Yi seemed trapped in a lingering illusion, but she remained obedient. She reverted to her original form and nestled submissively in Liu Fenyun’s arms.

Knowing this location was unsafe, Liu Fenyun carried her straight to the room of Luo Binglun and Yu Qingyue.

Yu Qingyue was in the middle of collecting Xuan Mo’s internal essence when a sudden knock at the door startled her. She immediately scooped up Xuan Mo and vanished behind a folding screen.

Luo Binglun opened the door. Seeing it was Liu Fenyun, she hurriedly ushered her in, asking in surprise, “Weren’t you two out shopping?”

“We encountered the assassins from the festival on the way. We led them here,” Liu Fenyun explained, stroking the cat. “One is an archer, the other condenses swords. Do you recall them?”

Luo Binglun, who had fought Qi Ran and his subordinates alone that day, remembered them well, many of her wounds were thanks to them. Her expression chilled. “If they are here, where are they? Assassins like that are usually death soldiers; you can’t get information out of them. It’s best to kill them on sight.”

“They’re lurking right outside!” Seeing that Luo Binglun seemed idle, Liu Fenyun decided to hand the task over. “If Priestess Luo wishes for revenge, now is the perfect opportunity.”

Luo Binglun smiled knowingly. Dropping a quick “Watch over Qingyue for me,” she vanished from the room in a flash.

The moment she left, Yu Qingyue emerged from behind the screen holding Xuan Mo and a jade bottle. Xuan Mo’s essence turned into liquid upon contact with jade, a potent medicinal ingredient. By the time Liu Fenyun arrived, she had already collected half a bottle.

Yu Qingyue noticed the large white cat rapidly flicking its tongue. Frowning slightly, she said, “Your little cat is in a bad state. Was she injured in the scuffle?”

Liu Fenyun shook her head. “No, but she’s suffered a massive fright.”

Yu Qingyue stepped closer, putting away the jade bottle to stroke the bristling cat. “She’s having a stress response; she’s truly terrified. Do you have any calming medicine? If so, feed it to her quickly.”

Liu Fenyun had heard of feline stress responses before in severe cases, they could be life-threatening. This was her first time dealing with a cat this distressed. She panicked, realizing her medicine box was back at their lodgings.

However, Xuan Mo, who had been resting in Yu Qingyue’s arms, let out a “Meow,” hopped down, and rubbed against Liu Fenyun’s skirt. His small paw suddenly clawed a rift in the air, reached inside, and pulled something out, dropping it at Liu Fenyun’s feet.

Liu Fenyun froze, realizing this must be a spatial dimension Xuan Mo used for storage. She picked up the item, a salmon flavored Churu (cat treat strip).

“You want me to feed her this?” Liu Fenyun waved the strip at Xuan Mo, uncertain.

She had seen people use cat strips as rewards in videos back in her old world, but she’d never seen a pet owner use one to treat acute stress.

“Eating can provide a suitable distraction,” Yu Qingyue offered. “It’s worth a try.”

Xuan Mo nodded his head in agreement.

Despite being in an ancient world, the packaging was strikingly modern, complete with a production date and barcode. It looked as if it had been snatched directly from the world she lived in before her transmigration.

Unsure of how Xuan Mo had hoarded these, Liu Fenyun tore it open. She took a tiny taste herself, and after the System confirmed it was fresh and edible, she offered it to Lian Yi.

Lian Yi initially remained catatonic, staring blankly, but as the savory scent hit her nose, her focus slowly returned. She brought her tongue to the meat puree and began to eat, bit by bit.

“Lian Yi’s Blackening Value has dropped to 80 points.” “Lian Yi’s Blackening Value has dropped to 65 points.”

The room was silent. Xuan Mo jumped back onto Yu Qingyue’s lap while Liu Fenyun sat on the floor, slowly feeding the cat and listening to the System’s periodic updates.

She could feel the bristling fur smoothing out under her hand, regaining its soft texture. Lian Yi’s violent trembling finally subsided.

After finishing half the strip, Lian Yi’s Blackening Value hit zero. She stopped eating abruptly, looked at the dozing Xuan Mo, and whispered after a long silence, “Thank you.”

Liu Fenyun realized that when a cat’s Blackening Value spiked too high, they lost their sanity entirely, entering a state of total chaos until the value dropped.

“Want more?” Liu Fenyun teased with the remaining half.

“I want it!” Seeing Liu Fenyun move to take it away, Lian Yi lunged, her white paws pinning the strip down as she greedily ate the rest. “What is this? I’ve never tasted meat this fresh!”

With her Master present, Liu Fenyun didn’t want to explain her origins, so she simply smiled and continued the feeding.

Yu Qingyue waited patiently for the “feeding play” to finish before handing the jade bottle to Liu Fenyun. “This is the Xuan Mo essence. I hope you can craft the antidote quickly.”

Liu Fenyun took it and immediately sent it to her Medicine Garden. With the primary ingredient secured, she needed to work fast.

“Tell me about the assassins,” Yu Qingyue said suddenly. “I still don’t remember the night of the festival.”

“Actually, even if you regained your memory, you might not know,” Liu Fenyun said with a bitter smile. “You were likely under a curse from Qi Ran and the others, then transported to Qisheng Marsh, the swamp outside Qifeng City where the Water Huis live. When we found you, you were unconscious.”

She gave a concise account of the events by the stage that night.

Hearing this, Yu Qingyue’s frown deepened. After a moment of thought, she asked, “The ‘Feather Shield’ on you and Yiyi… could only withstand a single arrow?”

Liu Fenyun recalled her previous claim that the shield could block a full strike from an Exorcist or a Great Demon. She had tested it today; it shattered after one arrow.

“Maybe the effect faded over time?” Lian Yi, feeling better, interjected. “Many defensive spells have time limits. For long-term protection, one usually needs defensive artifacts.”

She looked at Yu Qingyue. “The Feather Shield is an ‘artifact’ gifted by Master, but it’s made of Master’s feathers, not refined from heavenly treasures. Its capacity for demonic qi is limited, its power might not be as strong as Master claimed.”

Yu Qingyue shook her head. “The Feather Shield is not that flimsy. Based on Fenyun’s description, those assassins’ bows are not simple. The craftsmanship and magical heritage of Gehua State have always been a mystery. If the shield could only take one hit, you must be careful next time. Never use your bodies to intercept their arrows!”

She could see Lian Yi’s shield was still intact, but Liu Fenyun’s was gone. She guessed Liu Fenyun had blocked the shot for Lian Yi, triggering the cat’s stress response.

To be safe, Yu Qingyue set Xuan Mo down, reverted to her demon form, plucked several feathers, and reapplied the Feather Shield to Liu Fenyun.

Just then, a dull thud echoed from outside, the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.

Realizing Luo Binglun had engaged the assassins, Yu Qingyue’s face darkened. She told the two of them to stay inside with Xuan Mo and teleported outside.

The area outside was a clearing, perfect for a demon brawl. The lodgings had been specifically designed for the combative nature of the Demon Race.

Liu Fenyun hurried to the window, heart in her throat. Dust and sand filled the courtyard, yet there were no screams.

“Are those assassins mutes?” Lian Yi hopped onto the windowsill, twitching her tail. “Even a mute would make a sound when hit. It couldn’t be Luo Binglun getting beaten, could it…?”

Liu Fenyun didn’t answer. Looking at her System Map, she saw a new, massive “Great Demon” icon. The two red dots representing the assassins were now overlapping with it.

The dust obscured her view. Liu Fenyun threw a Wind Talisman out the window. A gust swept through the courtyard, clearing the air.

When the dust settled, Liu Fenyun gasped.

Luo Binglun and Yu Qingyue were equally stunned. Before them sat a gargantuan crimson serpent. On closer inspection, it looked more like a dragon, though it lacked whiskers and claws. Instead, it had a pair of two inch long horns atop its head.

“What is that monster?!” Lian Yi bristled with disgust. “It looks… so much like those Water Huis from the marsh. But it’s much more handsome…”

“It’s a Dan Hui,” Liu Fenyun said, pulling up the entry from her System database. “A relative of the Water Hui, essentially a mutation with crimson scales. They are much closer to the Red Dragon lineage.”

“It’s still a Hui!” Lian Yi hissed, remembering the slimy creatures in the mud. “Is it a neighbor? Or a wild demon attracted by the fight?”

“Whatever its identity, it’s not showing hostility,” Liu Fenyun said, staring at the map where the two red dots had merged into the Dan Hui’s position. “And… it looks like it just ate the assassins.”

As she spoke, a red light flashed from the Dan Hui. In the next instant, the massive creature vanished. In its place stood a woman dressed in official robes embroidered with cranes. She snapped open a wooden folding fan, partially covering a faint, knowing smile.