Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 77

“I’m telling you, stop acting like this,” Meng Nie suddenly said, watching Qi Ran finish her fish soup.

Qi Ran paused, her eyes turning cold as she looked at her. “And what’s wrong with acting like this?”

“Do you really want to be a villain for the rest of your life?” Meng Nie countered. Having heard about Qi Ran’s past from the group, she felt a certain kinship with the “little leopard’s” stubborn personality and decided to have a heart to heart.

“I am a villain. I’ll be one forever,” Qi Ran snapped, turning back to crawl into her cage in resignation.

“Is there any benefit to dragging yourself through the mud like this?” Meng Nie was quick, grabbing the scruff of Qi Ran’s neck and hauling her back out. She spoke earnestly, “You remind me of my younger self, a willful child doing things they don’t actually want to do just to prove something to the world. But do you truly want this? Do you really want to be loathed by everyone?”

General Meng, being blunt to a fault, offered no euphemisms, only soul-piercing questions.

Every word struck a nerve in Qi Ran’s heart. She felt miserable but couldn’t find the words to argue. Wrenching herself away from Meng Nie’s grip, she hissed, “This is my business. I don’t need you interfering.”

“But you’re suffering. You’re torturing yourself,” Meng Nie persisted. “Even if you’ve truly committed murder or arson, there is a way to atone. That is why prisons exist.”

“I’m already on my way to prison,” Qi Ran said, desperate to end the conversation. “I will reflect. But nothing can go back to how it was. I am already a sinner. My hands are stained with blood, and I’ve done terrible things. I doubt even my Master will forgive me.”

“You aren’t your Master, how would you know if she’ll forgive you?” Meng Nie sighed. “Take my father, for example. Even knowing how impulsive I am, he still forgives me like any old father would.”

Qi Ran was momentarily speechless, her back arching in anger. “You humans are so talkative!”

“Thank you for your tolerance. I am indeed a very talkative person,” Meng Nie replied solemnly. “That’s exactly why I’ve taken an interest in your affairs.”

Realizing the best way to silence a chatterbox was to stop engaging, Qi Ran ignored her. With an angry flick of her tail, she curled up on the spot and closed her eyes.

Watching the stubborn little leopard, Meng Nie figured Qi Ran might just be going through a rebellious phase. Even though she knew demons lived a long time and Qi Ran was likely older than her, she still viewed her as a grumpy cub.

Setting Up Camp

Having eaten their fill, Liu Fenyun and the others began preparing their temporary base. The ancient tree discovered by Lian Yi and Meng Nie was excellent, the hollow was large enough for three people, and the branches were sturdy.

Lian Yi had no experience camping in the wild. During their previous escape across the sandbars, Liu Fenyun had handled everything. Watching Liu Fenyun pull out tools, she whispered, “How do we set up beds here? It’s so damp inside, the bedding will get dirty.”

Liu Fenyun smiled. “It’s okay. Your Master is here; don’t worry.”

Lian Yi didn’t quite understand until she saw Yu Qingyue apply Golden Talismans to the hollow walls and use Water Talismans to scrub the area clean.

Once the hollow was prepped, it could only fit two people. Considering Lian Yi’s fear of heights, Yu Qingyue let Lian Yi and Liu Fenyun stay in the hollow. She herself leapt onto a high branch and began weaving a “nest” using Wood Talismans.

Lian Yi didn’t enter the hollow immediately. She stood outside, looking up. After a moment, she whispered, “How is Priestess Luo so skilled at this too…?”

It was one thing for Yu Qingyue to know how to build a nest, but Luo Binglun who usually couldn’t even manage her own chores without servants, was actually helping!

“It’s likely a bird-tribe instinct,” Qi Ran remarked, having long grown used to it. In their old sect days, the bird-tribes always handled the nesting.

Meng Nie, meanwhile, was setting up a portable hammock. Once finished, she climbed in, cradling the cage containing Qi Ran comfortably against her chest.

Qi Ran had zero desire to rest with her, let alone be hugged while inside a cage. However, there were couples in the hollow and on the branches, there was nowhere else to go. Besides, the group wouldn’t let her stay alone for fear of her escaping in the night.

Fortunately, Meng Nie valued her rest. After a brief “goodnight,” she closed her eyes, and soon Qi Ran heard her steady breathing.

The Encounter in the Subconscious

Sensing the faint aura of a warrior emanating from Meng Nie, Qi Ran thought she might be a good “vessel” their temperaments were quite similar. While Meng Nie slept, Qi Ran attempted to invade her sea of consciousness with her spirit, hoping to seize control of the body.

However, she was instantly terrified by what she saw within.

A massive, snow white lion lay upon a vast, endless grassland. Its grey eyes lazily tracked Qi Ran’s spiritual form.

Qi Ran felt like prey. The lion is the king of beasts, and she naturally felt a sense of dread. Yet, she was curious: why would a demon spirit appear inside a human’s sea of consciousness?

Curiosity won over fear. Qi Ran slowly approached the white lion, gathering demonic energy in her hands, prepared to strike first if it attacked.

When she was ten paces away, the white lion spoke. “So, you’re the ‘little leopard’ who keeps calling herself a villain?”

Qi Ran froze.

Seeing her hesitate, the white lion sneered. With a casual flick of its tail, it sent a shockwave toward her. “Villains don’t just bully the weak. Didn’t you want to take over this body? Why are you cowering?”

The lion’s voice sounded like that of a haughty, arrogant woman looking down on her. A spark of rage flared in Qi Ran. Instead of retreating, she lunged forward, shifting into her beast form and slashing with her claws.

The lion’s tail move had looked casual, but when it connected, it felt like a steel whip. Qi Ran cried out in pain and tumbled across the ground.

“You… who are you?!” Oppressed by the lion’s overwhelming aura, Qi Ran curled up, trembling. It took a long time before she could find her voice, asking with a mix of respect and resentment, “Which God are you?”

Qi Ran’s own Master was a God, so she recognized the divine scent on the white lion.

The white lion scoffed. “Oh? You can’t beat me, so now you try to flatter me? Tsk. I don’t know what Qi Niao was thinking, taking such a cowardly mortal demon as a disciple.”

“You know my Master?!” Qi Ran blurted out.

The white lion didn’t answer. It walked over and stepped on her with a heavy paw. “If I weren’t the guardian deity of this child’s family, you might have succeeded. Little demon, if you don’t know how to be truly evil, don’t try to learn. A child in adult’s clothing is still just a child.”

Qi Ran could barely breathe under the pressure. She felt that with a single thought, this being could erase her existence.

But Qi Ran wasn’t one to break easily. She glared up at the lion, gritting her teeth. “Are you going to try and ‘reform’ me like Meng Nie did?”

“Reform? I don’t have her leisure, nor your Master’s patience,” the white lion sneered. “I only give lessons to those who don’t know their place. Do what you want, but if you dare offend me or the human I protect…”

She didn’t finish the sentence. Instead, she pressed down hard, flattening Qi Ran’s spiritual form.

“Disrespecting a God is a capital offense. Since you are Qi Niao’s disciple, I will make an exception and spare your life.”

A New Resolve

Amidst agonizing pain, Qi Ran’s spirit was violently ejected. Back in her physical body, she suffered a splitting headache. By the time she recovered and opened her eyes, it was already the next morning.

The group hadn’t left yet. Meng Nie was by the river practicing her morning drills. Seeing the small beast in the cage moving, Meng Nie sheathed her weapon and walked over.

She picked up the cage with concern. “You’re awake? You didn’t seem to sleep well last night. Was it a nightmare?”

Remembering the white lion’s power, Qi Ran shrunk to the back of the cage, silent.

Meng Nie had no idea what had happened in her own mind. Assuming it was just a bad dream, she opened the cage and pulled Qi Ran out, placing her on her lap to stroke her fur. She muttered a soft nursery rhyme to ward off bad dreams.

Qi Ran: …Does this woman really think she’s comforting a toddler?

After the warning from the white lion, Qi Ran felt both guilt and dread whenever she faced Meng Nie. She never expected a human of this era to have a true God as a guardian.

Recalling the God’s mockery, Qi Ran clenched her teeth, her red eyes burning with a new fire. After being crushed by such absolute power, being a “villain” suddenly seemed insignificant. As the God said, even the most “evil” mortal demon was still just a mortal demon, unable to withstand even a flick of a God’s tail.

She decided right then from this day forward, she would pursue the absolute strength required to stand against a God.

Morning Light

In the hollow, Liu Fenyun woke up early. The thick vines covering the entrance blocked out all light, but her internal clock and system alarm kept her on schedule. Leaving the sleeping “cat” (Lian Yi) in the bed, she stepped out to practice her breathing.

The osmanthus forest was massive and layered with illusions. Even with her spirit sense, she couldn’t find the edge.

Following her system map, she wandered for a bit until she heard the sound of clashing weapons. Realizing it was coming from the direction of Qi Ran and Meng Nie, she hurried over.

She feared they were fighting. But when she arrived, she saw one with a blade and the other with razor sharp claws, trading blows in a rhythmic, focused manner. It wasn’t a fight to the death, it looked like… sparring.