Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 73

After staring at the woman in white for a moment, Liu Fenyun determined that she was definitely not her pre-transmigration guardian, “Xuanlan.”

However, their appearances were so similar that she asked anyway, “Then do you know Xuanlan? She is my guardian, which is why I know that name.”

She directly took the blame for Xuanmo’s leak onto herself, causing the white clothed woman’s eyes to shift slightly.

But the woman did not follow her lead. Instead, she withdrew the remaining chocolate and asked with a polite smile, “It was not easy for Your Excellency to come here, and the price paid was not small. To ask such a boring question is truly a waste of an opportunity.”

“Then what do you think I should ask?” Liu Fenyun countered. “Should I ask if this trip to the Demon Realm is safe? If there will be a bloody disaster?”

The white clothed woman laughed. “Since Your Excellency is a witch doctor skilled in divination, couldn’t you just cast a hex for those two questions before you set off? There is no need to come here to see me.”

“If I avoid a bloody disaster with Lianyi, will it affect the time it takes for her Favorability to reach maximum value?” Liu Fenyun followed up.

She always felt that every time Lianyi’s Blackening value spiked, it was accompanied by an increase in Favorability. Furthermore, every time the yandere cat’s Blackening increased, it happened exactly when Liu Fenyun was in danger recently, it had even triggered a [Protection Buff].

“Your Excellency can try and see,” the woman replied, still avoiding a direct answer. “However, there is one thing I must remind you: if Your Excellency dies in that world, the System will immediately trigger ‘Reset Mode’ meaning you will be sent to another world to begin your tribulation from the very beginning.”

“Last time, you also mentioned I am undergoing a tribulation,” Liu Fenyun said calmly. “What am I undergoing this tribulation for? And to what extent must I go for it to be considered complete? We are both gods, don’t try to fool me with lines like ‘Heaven’s secrets cannot be revealed’.”

The white clothed woman replied, “It seems your memory hasn’t fully recovered, otherwise you wouldn’t say such things.”

“What does that mean?” Liu Fenyun’s brow furrowed.

“The reason for descending to the mortal realm for a tribulation… you should know better than I do,” the woman said, raising her hand toward her. “After all, the person who begged me to send you to the Ancient War State back then was you yourself. Go back and think on it slowly. I wish you a smooth journey.”

With a single palm strike, she sent Liu Fenyun’s spiritual consciousness back into her body. When Liu Fenyun opened her eyes, she felt the blood and qi in her body churning, she nearly spat blood onto her pillow.

Fortunately, before meeting the woman, she had used her intent to take the entire price of the teleportation upon herself so it wouldn’t harm Lianyi.

Her forced exit from Lianyi’s sea of consciousness startled the cat, who quickly returned to reality. Holding Liu Fenyun, she asked anxiously, “What’s wrong, A-yun? Was it a backlash?”

Liu Fenyun waved her off, took a breath, forced a faint smile, and nodded. She patted Lianyi’s back to soothe her. “It’s okay. I just need to rest for a night.”

Despite her words, the night was far from easy. Her meridians and internal organs felt as if they were being gnawed by ants, a constant numbness and her head throbbed as if pierced by needles.

She didn’t dare hold Lianyi while she slept, fearing her shivering from the pain would disturb Lianyi’s sleep and make her worry. Once Lianyi fell into a deep sleep, she quietly moved away.

However, she couldn’t sleep without holding something. After a moment of thought, she rolled up the thin quilt at the head of the bed to use as a makeshift body pillow.

Once the cat in her arms was replaced by the quilt, Liu Fenyun gradually calmed down.

If the headache wasn’t caused by a physical illness, perhaps it was because her memories were returning.

Instead of taking medicine, Liu Fenyun used the pain as a guide. Following the woman’s words, she tried to actively recall the past.

She entered a state of meditation, and the pain began to recede like a tide. Her consciousness drifted from the darkness toward a place of light. After an unknown amount of time, a voice sounded in her ear: “Yiyi entered the Thunder Pool and fell to the lower realm. I failed to watch over her. Find a way to fish her out.”

She heard the voice but saw no one. Liu Fenyun observed that the surroundings were filled with mist. With more effort, she could finally discern a vague silhouette of the speaker, a white blur that looked much like the woman she had just seen.

“Which lower realm did she fall into?” she asked subconsciously.

“The Ancient War State, the same world where your good sister, the God of Time, is undergoing her tribulation,” the other party said helplessly. Her voice sounded exactly like the white clothed woman’s. “The point is, she stepped into the Thunder Pool! That’s the Thunder Pool! Yiyi is a mortal demon, her soul must have been damaged when crossing it. You know that before a soul is fully repaired, we can’t use conventional methods to open a space time channel to bring her back.”

Liu Fenyun was confused and didn’t know how to respond, but then she heard her own voice speak: “No matter. I will go find her. Please send me there immediately.”

The other party hesitated. “That might not be good. To forcibly leave this world, you can only trigger a transfer through death. But you have a final exam tomorrow…”

“It’s too late,” Liu Fenyun heard her own voice say. “If you don’t know what reason to use for my death, I can provide one. For example, that joke often told in our department, a medical student dying suddenly from staying up all night to study. What do you think?”

Hearing this, Liu Fenyun was shocked.

Such a bizarre and tragic way to die was actually her own choice?!

The other party was clearly shocked as well, hesitating longer this time, but ultimately agreed. “My opinion doesn’t matter, as long as you think it’s suitable. But remember, you suggested this yourself. Don’t you dare blame the ‘unnatural death’ on me later. Besides, to restart the tribulation, I still need to temporarily seal all your memories of being a god…”

Liu Fenyun was in the middle of this hazy dream, seemingly on the verge of discovering the truth of the tribulation, when she felt something nudge into her arms. It was soft and warm, pushing her temporary quilt pillow away.

The dream was interrupted. Liu Fenyun was forced to wake up, opening her eyes a crack. She first saw a pair of snowy white cat ears, then a pair of glowing blue cat eyes.

Wrapping her arms around Liu Fenyun’s neck, Lianyi asked aggrievedly, “What’s wrong with A-yun tonight? Why won’t you hold me while you sleep?”

Liu Fenyun hadn’t expected her to wake up in the middle of the night. As she was weighing her excuses, another bout of headache struck. It was so painful she couldn’t even speak, she could only grit her teeth and clutch her head.

Lianyi naturally saw her agony and was startled. She hurriedly began to massage her head. Upon close contact, she realized Liu Fenyun’s body was shaking violently, though she wasn’t making a sound.

Not knowing what happened, Lianyi could only pull her close and whisper in her ear, “If you are uncomfortable anywhere, you must tell me!”

Liu Fenyun felt the soft cat ears brushing against her cheek and couldn’t help but reach out to stroke them. Seeing this, Lianyi simply transformed back into her original form for her to hold, offering the softest cat fur to her face, as if this could effectively alleviate her pain.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m with you!” Lianyi said softly. “If you’re really unwell, we don’t have to rush to the Demon Realm.”

Liu Fenyun shook her head. Even though the dream hadn’t lasted long, she had captured many clues. She had to go to the Demon Realm early to meet that “God of Time.”

“It’s just backlash, no need to worry,” Liu Fenyun whispered once the pain subsided. “We can set off on time tomorrow.”

“Don’t you lie to me!” Lianyi looked up, her cat tail flicking with worry.

“How could I lie to you?” Liu Fenyun forced a smile. “If you don’t believe me, just wake me tomorrow morning and see if I can get up on time…”

“You’re in so much pain, how could it be just backlash!” Lianyi still cared about her health. “You went to see that woman in white again. She hurt you, didn’t she?”

“…You peeked at my memory again.” After a silence, Liu Fenyun sighed. “Don’t overthink it. She didn’t hurt me. She just provided an opportunity, and I am using that opportunity to… recover my memories.”

“But you’re suffering.” Lianyi looked at her furrowed brows and pale face in the moonlight. Her heart ached terribly. She transformed back into human form and held her tight, pleading, “Memories can be recovered slowly, there’s no rush. I don’t want to see you in pain!”

Being pestered into a conversation actually made Liu Fenyun feel a bit better. She got out of bed to light a lamp, using the candlelight to study Lianyi’s face.

Lianyi felt awkward under her gaze and couldn’t help but say, “What are you looking at me for all of a sudden? If you’re better, go back to sleep!”

“How much does Yiyi remember?” Liu Fenyun suddenly asked.

“…About what?”

“About what happened in the God Realm,” Liu Fenyun said slowly. “If you can recall anything, please tell me. Why did you descend to the lower realm, and how did you do it?”

“I…” Lianyi hadn’t expected the question. She tried to search her memory but could remember nothing, only a hazy sense that it was a very painful memory. “I don’t know how I descended, but… I think I came down to find you.”

Seeing Liu Fenyun about to speak, Lianyi immediately covered her mouth and shook her head repeatedly. “Don’t ask anymore. I don’t want to remember those things!”

Unlike Ayun, she was terrified of pain. She would rather wait.

“Alright, alright, I won’t mention it!” Liu Fenyun quickly soothed the cat, her voice muffled against Lianyi’s palm.

Lianyi finally let go. She pressed her hands lightly against Liu Fenyun’s stomach, leaned over to blow out the candle, then leaned close to her face and said seriously, “It’s not dawn yet. Rest well and don’t think too much.”

“I won’t, I won’t!” Liu Fenyun promised repeatedly.

Lianyi didn’t move away. She pinned Liu Fenyun down, hands on her shoulders and knees on either side of her body.

In the darkness, their eyes met for a moment. Lianyi suddenly dropped a kiss on her brow, then on her lips. After finishing, she lay back down beside her, opened her arms, and said in a gentle voice, though the words were rather roguish:

“Hold me, dammit.”

“…You’ve picked up bad habits.” Liu Fenyun pulled her into her arms and sighed helplessly. “Had I known, I wouldn’t have taught you those words back then.”