Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 71.1

It had been a long time since Liu Fenyun had swum in such a river. After kicking the red named character away, she slammed into a submerged rock. This time, without the protection of the Feather Shield, the impact left her aching all over. She choked on a mouthful of water, and as soon as she caught her breath, she let the current sweep her further downstream.

She had no idea who this person was, and the system couldn’t scan for specifics. All she knew was that she couldn’t be caught especially by a red named character otherwise, she might not make it back to the Wutong Pavilion alive!

“Stop! There’s a mechanism trap in the waters ahead! You’re seeking death if you barge in there!” Meng Nie shouted while paddling, wishing she had wings to fly over and grab her.

Liu Fenyun was underwater and couldn’t hear the shouts, but the system map was already flashing with red dots ahead, a danger zone. She recalled that Qifeng City was famous for its mechanical engineering; this area was likely the so-called Underwater Mechanism Array.

She couldn’t charge through blindly. Liu Fenyun managed to pull herself ashore just before entering the danger zone. As she climbed up, she didn’t need to look back to know that the red-named character who knew her name was still in pursuit.

“Is there any way to lose her?” Seeing she couldn’t shake this person, Liu Fenyun turned to the system. “Master’s Feather Shield is gone, and I didn’t bring any artifacts. If this red named character catches me, I’m a dead woman.”

The system was silent for a moment before listing several destructible items in the medicine garden. “Host, why don’t you two just fight?”

Liu Fenyun: “???”

“She is just a human, not a demon,” the system added weakly. “However, her physical stats are close to a warrior’s, and she uses ranged weapons. It’s uncertain if she carries toxins or coats her weapons in poison. Please be extremely careful during the fight.”

Liu Fenyun really wanted to remind it that she was just a medical student. Even if she could use demonic energy and a few talismans, she was no martial artist.

Fearing Liu Fenyun would run again, Meng Nie didn’t throw her claw. Instead, she stood thirty paces away, catching her breath while looking sullen. “Liu Fenyun, why are you running?”

Liu Fenyun: “…”

What kind of nonsense question was that? If she didn’t run, was she supposed to wait around to be killed by a red named character?

Seeing that the other woman hadn’t attacked immediately, Liu Fenyun asked politely, “If your Excellency harbors no ill will toward me, why pursue me so relentlessly?”

Originally, Meng Nie hadn’t intended any harm. But the thought of Liu Fenyun escaping the Kingdom of Zhuhuang in women’s clothing and living a carefree life in this tiny place made her blood boil. She almost wanted to slay her on the spot. She barked, “Do you have any idea that the entire Kingdom of Liuzhi is looking for you?! If you have any sense, come back with me immediately to report and explain everything to the envoys of Zhuhuang!”

Liu Fenyun was bewildered. She instinctively asked, “Are you from Liuzhi?”

“I am Meng Nie!” Meng Nie looked like she was about to jump over and hit her out of sheer frustration. “Meng as in ‘misty,’ Nie as in ‘standard’! You used to complain when you were little that my name was too hard to write and pronounce!”

This explosive outburst triggered memories of the original owner of this body. In those memories, there was indeed such a girl, very fierce, seemingly the eldest daughter of a prominent military family in the capital.

“You came to take me back to Liuzhi?” Liu Fenyun softened her tone. “What happened? What’s this about envoys from Zhuhuang? And why is the… killing intent on you so heavy?”

She began to understand why the system labeled Meng Nie as red. In her memories, Meng Nie had joined the army with her father after her thirteenth birthday. After all these years, she had killed more people than Liu Fenyun had treated. Her aura was thick with blood and slaughter at first glance, she certainly looked like an enemy.

Meng Nie was here to bring back a living person, not a corpse. Hearing this, she reined in her killing intent and reached out a hand toward Liu Fenyun, expressionless. “It’s a long story. I’ll take you back to where you’re staying first so you can change into dry clothes.”

Liu Fenyun didn’t dare take her hand. She was afraid of picking up Meng Nie’s scent and making Lian Yi jealous.

Seeing her hesitation, Meng Nie clicked her tongue, retracted her hand, and suddenly untied her cloak, draping it over Liu Fenyun. “Your clothes are soaked, and you aren’t even wearing a chest binder. Since you’ve gone back to being a woman, you shouldn’t be jumping into rivers and getting drenched.”

Liu Fenyun could only wrap herself in the cloak. She glanced at Meng Nie and saw her wearing black light armor, though not waterproof, it prevented her undergarments from being seen through.

The two strangely became “frenemies,” walking back toward the city along the river. Liu Fenyun was naturally quiet, and Meng Nie was still annoyed, so they walked in silence.

Only when they neared the crowded streets did Meng Nie speak. “It seems you really don’t know what’s happened.”

Liu Fenyun hummed in affirmation. In truth, she had been wondering the whole way what had happened since she left Zhuhuang, why her mother and an old friend from far off Liuzhi had suddenly come for her, and what she had to explain to the envoys.

“The Kingdom of Zhuhuang knows we sent them a female consort,” Meng Nie said bluntly. “I don’t know when this news leaked, but it has undoubtedly reached the ears of the King of Zhuhuang and our own old Emperor.”

Liu Fenyun was shocked. She blurted out, “How?! I never… in front of others…”

“Regardless of the process, the result is that your identity as a woman is now known to both nations,” Meng Nie sneered. “Therefore, you must show your face to explain and accept an examination by physicians from both countries.”

She stopped suddenly and turned around. “As a side note, your mentor Yu Qingyue is no longer among the living. If you return to our country, no one can protect you. But if you don’t return, the Kingdom of Liuzhi is finished.”

Liu Fenyun understood. Her original purpose for the marriage alliance in Liuzhi was to protect the kingdom, allowing it to survive a few more years under the protection of a larger power.

After walking in silence for a while, she asked softly, “If I were to die out here, would there be a turning point for the situation?”

“If death could solve the problem, things would be too easy,” Meng Nie scoffed. “To tell you the truth, whenever I got angry on the road, I threatened Madam Chong that I’d bring back your corpse. However, it’s clear the old Emperor and the Zhuhuang envoys wouldn’t accept that. I heard that after you arrived in Zhuhuang, the Seventh Princess you married is a cat demon. Demons usually have some talent for deception. You have about three days left in this city, you might want to brainstorm a strategy with your wife.”

Liu Fenyun frowned. “What kind of strategy?”

“Grow a set of male organs on yourself, or…” Meng Nie paused. “Have your wife get pregnant?”

Liu Fenyun: “??!”

“Of course, it’s just a suggestion. You’ll have to figure out the details yourself.” Seeing her expression change instantly, Meng Nie shrugged. “You’re a physician, you should know better than I do that a woman cannot get another woman pregnant, nor a female demon. But you must have some kind of explanation to offer.”

Once they entered the busy streets, the two remained silent by mutual agreement and walked straight to the Wutong Pavilion.

Meng Nie’s thought was that it would be inconvenient for Liu Fenyun to see Madam Chong while soaked. She decided to let her go back and discuss tactics with her wife first before taking her to see Madam Chong, provided Liu Fenyun didn’t try to flee Qifeng City before then.

Liu Fenyun, however, was already worrying. Even if she could forge male organs, she couldn’t pass a physical examination by physicians from two nations. Furthermore, with the forgery technology of this era, she could never fool an experienced doctor.

And… she had to deal with the problem of the two soft mounds on her chest. Illusions wouldn’t work; since her wife was a demon, they would surely send exorcists to the examination to prevent any demonic illusions from being used.

Meng Nie escorted her to the outside of the Wutong Pavilion. Seeing no one passing by, she took back her cloak, draped it over herself, and agreed on a time and place to meet again before disappearing silently using her light-body skills.

Liu Fenyun had informed Lian Yi that she would be back late. Lian Yi had wanted to go look for her, but she had been suddenly called away by Yu Qingyue. They were discussing, hidden from Luo Binglun, how to handle a potential “body possession” (possession by a foreign soul) accident.

It had been several days since Luo Binglun swallowed the Qingyuan inner core. When Yu Qingyue woke up this morning, she noticed something slightly wrong with Luo Binglun’s state. Although it only lasted for a brief moment, Yu Qingyue took it to heart and sought out Lian Yi, who had experience being a “transmigrator,” to inquire.

Lian Yi didn’t have much experience to offer. She had fallen into a coma after accidentally eating the Seventh Princess’s soul and woke up inside the body. She didn’t even know where her own demon body had gone. Then, she had been besieged by Luo Binglun and a group of exorcists, she was too busy surviving to remember the details of the transition.

Since their discussion yielded no results, Yu Qingyue didn’t feel right keeping her any longer and rose to see her out.

Lian Yi bowed and was about to leave when there was a sudden knock on the door. She opened it in surprise.

Liu Fenyun had already used a spell to dry her hair and clothes on the way. She hurried in, her eyes meeting Lian Yi’s, her expression suddenly becoming grave.

She turned to Yu Qingyue. As the sound of the door closing echoed behind her, she took a deep breath and tried to ask in a calm voice:

“Master, is there any way to… make Yiyi pregnant?”