Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 86

Walking halfway up the mountain, Liu Fenyun glanced at the system map. The demonic beasts that had previously attacked them had mostly dispersed, avoiding the patrol teams as they retreated. It seemed the barrier left by the city’s guardian spirit, Yin Sa, was taking effect.

As she observed her surroundings, her ear suddenly itched.

“How long do you plan on keeping those cat ears?” Lian Yi pinched the fluffy cat ears, half-joking and half-serious. “Shengkun City doesn’t like the demon race.”

“I’ll retract them right away!” Liu Fenyun said hurriedly. To her surprise, Lian Yi gently stroked the cat fur. A numbing sensation instantly spread from the tips of her ears throughout her entire body, making her shrink her neck and let out a low whimper from the itchiness.

“Now do you know why I don’t allow you to rub my ears whenever you want?” Seeing her disheveled state, Lian Yi was even less likely to let her off easily. After teasing her enough, she let go, leaned in close to her ear, and laughed softly, “I didn’t expect A-Yun’s demon form to be even more sensitive than mine.”

With that, while Liu Fenyun hadn’t yet retracted her demon ears, Lian Yi opened her teeth and took a small nibble.

Liu Fenyun was instantly overwhelmed with shame. Fearing she would misbehave further, she quickly deactivated her demon transformation. Her cheeks were burning as she whispered, “Stop it! I… I’ll let you rub my ears when we get back…”

Lian Yi narrowed her eyes with a smile. “It’s a deal.”

They returned the way they came and found the patrol team still waiting in the old spot. Meng Nie was sitting to one side, boredly poking at fallen leaves.

“Thanks for your hard work.” Seeing the two return, Meng Nie dropped the twig and came forward to meet them. “I saw all the demonic beasts disperse. I assume the Nine Tailed Fox has been caught?”

“No, we didn’t catch her.” Lian Yi shook her head. Seeing that the patrol captain and the team members remained seated and unmoving, her gaze turned cold, and she said sharply, “Something went wrong with your city’s guardian spirit’s cultivation, she nearly succumbed to inner demons. That Nine Tailed Fox was passing through and suppressed the demonic energy for the spirit while releasing demon aura to attract the attention of exorcists. Who would have thought Shengkun City would sit idly by and ignore it? It nearly caused a massive catastrophe!”

The patrol captain’s face immediately turned ugly. He said harshly, “What use is it to point fingers at us? we only patrol to put food on the table! If you’re so concerned, go talk to the exorcist lords in the imperial court!”

“Concerned? Why would you rather be bitten to death by demonic beasts than report to the court? The court sends you to patrol this place and pays your salary, what exactly are you doing?” Lian Yi retorted sarcastically. “You’ve made your own people look pathetic, with the dead and the injured everywhere, yet you don’t even dare to make a sound. In the end, you need outsiders to clean up the mess. Ha, what a ‘great nation’!”

Every word she said was the truth. The patrol captain couldn’t argue. He clenched his fists in anger and blurted out, “You damned demon race…!”

“Who did you say is damned?!” Liu Fenyun suddenly asked in a cold voice. A chilling light flashed in her dark eyes, startling the patrol captain, who grudgingly fell silent.

“Alright, alright! We are indeed outsiders, we really were sticking our noses where they didn’t belong.” Seeing the situation turning sour, Meng Nie stepped in to smooth things over, though she couldn’t resist a jab: “But we only wanted to rest in the city for a few days. Heaven knows how we ended up being dragged into doing hard labor anyway.”

Liu Fenyun said flatly, “The cleanup isn’t actually finished. We came down the mountain to notify you that it’s safe. We’re heading back up to continue now.”

With that, she took Lian Yi’s hand, grabbed Meng Nie’s sleeve, and walked back up the mountain with a dark expression.

Even if phrases like “damned demon race” weren’t profanity, she absolutely did not want to hear anyone speak of Lian Yi that way.

“Fire God protect us, let’s leave this godforsaken place as soon as possible!” During the ascent, Lian Yi muttered to herself, still full of suppressed rage. “How can there be humans who are so incompetent and obstructive!”

“Look on the bright side, the world is full of wonders.” Meng Nie comforted her and asked casually, “By the way, was that Nine Tailed Fox fierce? I see your clothes are still tidy; did you not get into a fight?”

Lian Yi said coolly, “You seem very hopeful that we would fight.”

“Not at all!” Meng Nie shook her head violently. “Taking a city without losing a single soldier is the best strategy! If there’s a way to avoid casualties, of course you take it!”

As the two chatted back and forth, the tension gradually eased.

Lian Yi’s mood also softened. She couldn’t help but look at Liu Fenyun. Seeing that she still had a dark face and radiated an aura unfamiliar to her, Lian Yi said worriedly, “A-Yun, don’t overthink it. It’s true that many humans in the Human Realm still hold prejudices against the demon race. Countries like Qifeng City are the exception.”

“I know,” Liu Fenyun replied quickly. Her face was expressionless, and her voice carried no emotion.

Lian Yi could see she was still angry. She had seen many angry people, but those who became quiet and taciturn like Liu Fenyun were rare.

Meng Nie walked fast. Sensing they needed some private time, she quickened her pace and said as she walked, “I’m worried about Qi Ran, I’ll go ahead! Take your time, no rush.”

Once Meng Nie’s silhouette vanished from sight, Lian Yi stuffed her own cat tail into Liu Fenyun’s hand and leaned against her arm. “Don’t be angry anymore. I’ll let you touch my tail. Do you want to see something to distract you? For example… my memories.”

She had originally planned to save up more of her recovered memories, but she decided to share them early, hoping it would make A-Yun feel better.

“…Did you have a new dream?” The corners of Liu Fenyun’s mouth lifted slightly, and her voice regained a hint of warmth. “It’s not very convenient to view memories here. Could you describe it to me?”

Since she was willing to listen, Lian Yi was naturally willing to talk. She vividly described the “Seven Xi” (Valentine’s Day) festival where the Liu Fenyun in her dream had taken her. Liu Fenyun couldn’t help but laugh out loud as she listened.

She hadn’t expected her pre-transmigration self to be such a dork, taking a cat to a cinema to watch a horror movie on Valentine’s Day. It sounded like she had been desperate for a partner, feeling envious and overwhelmed by “dog food” (public displays of affection) whenever she saw couples.

However, her past self probably never imagined that years later, she would actually marry the cat she was raising.

Lian Yi watched her expression as she spoke. Seeing the smile on Liu Fenyun’s face grow wider, she felt happy as well.

“If we could travel back to the era you lived in before, would you still take me to ‘watch a movie’?” Lian Yi asked, using vocabulary she wasn’t very familiar with. “I don’t like ‘children’s movies’ or ‘horror movies.’ Are there other kinds?”

“Then we’ll go see a comedy, the kind where you laugh the whole way through,” Liu Fenyun laughed. “I’ve heard those are very interesting; you’d like them.”

“Heard?”

“Well… after all, I was very busy before I traveled here. I didn’t have many hobbies. I only heard my roommates talking about them.”

The two talked and laughed all the way, and before long, they reached the lair of the city’s guardian spirit. No demon aura could be detected here anymore. Only by entering the depths of the lair could one find the three hidden demon auras.

Yin Sa had already awakened, and Tushan Shuo was talking to her with a beaming smile. Qi Ran was hiding far away, sitting in the shadows with Meng Nie, holding their breath. Lian Yi almost didn’t notice them when she arrived.

“Why are you two so nervous?” Lian Yi looked at their serious expressions and found it comical. “The demons here are on our side, there’s no need to be afraid.”

“No, it’s not about them,” Meng Nie explained. “It’s Qi Ran’s own problem.”

Qi Ran: ?

Why was it suddenly about her?

Though she felt a bit uncomfortable, Qi Ran knew Meng Nie was right; she was indeed avoiding these two demons.

Tushan Shuo was innocent and romantic, and her over-familiarity made Qi Ran feel awkward. Yin Sa was a woman of few words, but as the guardian spirit of a human city, her righteousness made Qi Ran, a demon with a criminal past, feel deeply ashamed.

Seeing them return, Tushan Shuo greeted them enthusiastically. She hugged Yin Sa and introduced her: “This is Sa-Sa! Sa-Sa doesn’t like to talk much, and her wording is a bit strange when she does, so please don’t misunderstand her!”

Yin Sa nodded to them. She stroked Tushan Shuo’s fox tail and said, “This little fox is naive to the ways of the world. Thank you for your assistance.”

Liu Fenyun, having just had her own demon ears rubbed by Lian Yi, instinctively wanted to stop her when she saw Tushan Shuo’s tail being rubbed. Fortunately, she caught herself in time. She cleared her throat and returned the greeting: “You’re welcome. However, there is something we don’t quite understand. Might we ask for your guidance, Senior?”

Yin Sa nodded. “What is it?”

“Do you know what the humans of Shengkun City think of you?” Liu Fenyun asked. “Or rather, do you know they still hold prejudice against the demon race?”

“I do not know, nor do I need to know,” Yin Sa said. Her voice was like clean, chilling spring water, but her words were like a cold blade. “I am only responsible for doing my best to protect this city during the contract period.”

In her eyes, it was perfectly normal for humans in the Human Realm to be prejudiced against demons, but it was not within the scope of what she should consider.

“I see.” Liu Fenyun realized. “Then have you considered leaving? The spiritual energy here is very thin, and your cultivation state is poor. Even though I’ve eased your symptoms, you might succumb to inner demons again due to a cultivation mishap.”

Yin Sa pondered for a moment. “I once made an agreement with the contractor, if my presence brings disaster to Shengkun City, I shall leave.”

“Ah! Then that’s perfect, let me take you back!” Tushan Shuo’s eyes lit up, and her nine tails wagged happily. “The Demon Realm has changed a lot, it’s much more interesting than the Human Realm! Sa-Sa, you’re so strong, everyone will respect you!”

Yin Sa smiled slightly. She caught the fox tail brushing against her wrist and rubbed it twice in her palm. “Okay.”

“So, Senior, you can just leave?” Meng Nie asked in surprise. “You don’t need to say anything to the rulers?”

“No need,” Yin Sa shook her head. “If I leave, the rulers will know. They have long wished for me to leave.”

“Since you knew the humans here didn’t like you, you should have come back sooner, then you wouldn’t have had to suffer…” Tushan Shuo pouted unhappily. She reached out to stroke Yin Sa’s hair, which had been curled by the purple lightning. “When I first saw you, you were terrifying! Like a monster that wanted to kill me on sight.”

“I’m sorry. I promised that person I would uphold the contract,” Yin Sa pulled her closer and explained patiently. “Even though that person has long since turned to dust, he did me a great kindness. I must protect his descendants from demon attacks, until the source of the demon attack becomes me.”

Tushan Shuo gave a half-understanding “Oh” and leaned obediently into her arms.

“In that case, why don’t we head to the Demon Realm together?” Liu Fenyun asked tentatively. “We only stayed in Shengkun City to rest. We didn’t expect to meet Senior Yin and Fellow Daoist Tushan by chance. Now that we’ve rested enough, it’s time to move on.”

“The area I guard has a teleportation array leading to the entrance of the Demon Realm,” Yin Sa said. “If you have nothing else to attend to, I can take you there and activate it immediately.”