Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 97

As soon as the words left her mouth, Liu Fenyun felt a sharp sting in her arm. Without even looking, she knew she had been pinched by her cat.

“A polite inquiry, Lord Divine Messenger, are you still the Crown Prince of the Zhuhuang Kingdom?” After pinching Liu Fenyun, Lianyi looked toward Fu Shujin, reminding him, “You still have a throne to inherit.”

Fu Shujin chuckled. “I have no interest in the mortal throne. Besides, inheriting the throne requires taking a wife and fathering children, but I am already betrothed. I certainly cannot engage in the business of carrying on a family line.”

He summoned a silver-white folding fan and handed it to Liu Fenyun. “As your spirit pet said, I do indeed still hold the position of Crown Prince. Before returning to the Upper Realm, I must resolve this matter quickly, so I won’t be traveling with you. This is the ‘Fan of No Resentment.’ It can dispel evil and ghosts, and can also transform into a flying artifact. I hope it proves useful to you.”

Taking the fan, Liu Fenyun couldn’t help but ask, “If we find that companion grass…”

“Leave it in Kongmeng City and entrust it to Lord Sishi for safekeeping,” Fu Shujin said, lightly flicking his tobacco pipe as a teleportation array appeared beneath his feet. “I will come to collect the medicine.”

After he departed, Lianyi took the fan. Upon opening it, she found the metal surface covered in peach blossoms, vast stretches of pink nearly filled the entire fan, and a faint floral fragrance lingered in the air. She hastily snapped it shut and handed it back to Liu Fenyun, muttering, “Why would a grown man carry a fan like this…”

“It is said that this mortal brother of the God of Dreams is romantic by nature. It seems he truly likes this sort of style,” Liu Fenyun smiled, tucking the fan into her medicine garden space.

Lianyi gave a half-believing “oh.” Seeing Liu Fenyun leading her toward a crowded area, she asked casually, “What is this ‘Bujiantchou’ (Sorrow Bane) medicine you two were talking about? Why are you looking for it, Ayun?”

Liu Fenyun had intended to keep it a secret, but seeing that concealment was no longer possible, she thought for a moment and explained: “Sorrow Bane is the primary ingredient used to treat mental illnesses. Since I am going to the Qingmu Immortal Mountains to check on the human cultivators there, I thought… I’d gather some for research along the way.”

“Gather some along the way?” Lianyi stared at the back of her head, smelling a lie. “Isn’t it that you’re going specifically to gather it?”

Before Liu Fenyun could answer, she added, “Is it really not specifically for me?”

A chill suddenly crept up Liu Fenyun’s spine.

The System detected a slight shift in the “Blackening Value” and quickly warned: [Host, this is a….]

Before it could finish the words “death trap,” Liu Fenyun spoke: “You must have realized it yourself. Even a psychological ailment is still an illness. Once sick, one should receive timely treatment.”

Her arm was pulled forcefully. Liu Fenyun frowned slightly, looking at the cat demon who had stepped in front of her.

“Are you afraid of me, Ayun?” Lianyi stared at her intently. “Are you… afraid of me being like this?”

To be honest, after discovering her yandere traits last year, Liu Fenyun truly had been afraid of her for a while. But now, having gone through so much with Lianyi and regained many of her memories, although she was startled every time Lianyi had an “episode,” she wasn’t truly afraid.

She simply didn’t want her cat to be trapped in the negative emotions brought on by these obsessive traits, hurting herself through her own torment.

“It’s not because I’m afraid of you that I want you to return to normal,” Liu Fenyun said seriously. “In my view, it is just like a physical illness. Since it exists and seriously affects you, it must be treated. This is also my responsibility as the God of Medicine.”

She noticed the light in Lianyi’s eyes flicker, and the grip on her arm loosened slightly.

“…As you say, I am indeed ill,” Lianyi murmured after a long silence. “I don’t know how I became like this, but it is precisely because of this that I was able to survive well even when I was away from you.”

She had almost never left Liu Fenyun and lacked basic survival skills. When she fell into the mortal realm, before she could even recover from the headaches caused by her damaged soul, she was attacked by wild demons.

The accumulation of a dark side sometimes doesn’t take long, especially since Lianyi had lived in an unfriendly environment for four whole years.

Seeing her dejected expression, Liu Fenyun couldn’t help but rub her head. She pulled her into a hug and said softly, “I’ve returned now. I will protect you. You don’t need to use these emotions for self-preservation anymore.”

“No, I’m afraid,” Lianyi shook her head in the embrace. “I’ve always wanted to be with you properly, but you encountered danger because of me, even died before my eyes… I can’t imagine what would have happened that day if ‘it’ hadn’t given me strength. Would those two Witch-Doctor Envoys have walked away arrogantly? Or would they have killed me without hesitation too?”

“That was then, but now I am different…”

“But I’m afraid.” Lianyi clutched her clothes. “Without ‘it,’ I can do nothing.”

Liu Fenyun sighed softly. She was wondering if she should have the System generate a questionnaire to test her cat for split personality tendencies when she heard Lianyi say: “If I must discard ‘it,’ please let me first find enough strength to protect you.”

Liu Fenyun froze, then asked tentatively, “So, as long as you have enough strength to protect me, you’ll agree to cooperate with the treatment?”

Seeing Lianyi nod, she felt somewhat puzzled.

The current cat was just a divine pet, and not even a combat-oriented one. Even though they had confirmed their status as Dao companions, she would always protect her cat as a pet. Why was the cat always thinking about protecting her?

However, considering the cat’s experiences, it wasn’t hard to understand why she wanted to become strong so badly. Perhaps she just wanted to be able to protect herself.

Puzzled or not, Liu Fenyun said, “That’s easy to handle. As long as….”

Her mouth was quickly covered by Lianyi. “Fine then. I’ll go with you to find the ‘Sorrow Bane’.”

Just as Liu Fenyun was wondering why she had been cut off, a streak of light rose in her vision, silently exploding into brilliant fireworks in mid-air.

“Now, I want you to accompany me to watch the fireworks,” Lianyi said. She stepped aside and transformed into her demon form, a giant cat. She picked up Liu Fenyun by the scruff and tossed her onto her back, her four paws taking flight toward the nearby houses.

Liu Fenyun sat up, clutching the cat’s fur, and asked in surprise, “How did you know there would be fireworks now?”

“I heard it on the road,” Lianyi replied, her eyes fixed on the sky. “This is the grand firework display held every seven days in Kongmeng City. I haven’t seen fireworks in the Demon Realm yet.”

The fireworks in the Demon Realm were indeed different from those in the Human Realm. Human fireworks were made of chemicals and minerals, while the Demon Realm used demon energy and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to manifest them directly. They were pollution free and purely natural.

Lianyi crouched on a rooftop. Suddenly, she sensed two familiar demonic auras rapidly approaching. Her attention shifted from the fireworks as she curiously flicked her tail.

Liu Fenyun followed her gaze. She saw nine fluffy white fox tails swaying as they ascended. A nine-tailed fox stepped onto the roof tiles, carrying a female demon with flowing black hair, it was Tushan Shuo and Yin Sa.

“Oh! You guys are out watching fireworks tonight too?” Tushan Shuo ran toward them excitedly. Feeling her back lighten as Yin Sa’s presence moved to her side, she transformed into human form, pushed away a fluffy tail blocking her view, and waved.

“What are you two doing here?” Liu Fenyun was quite surprised.

“Because the fireworks in Kongmeng City are the best!” Tushan Shuo said. “Since this city changed rulers, many novel things have been added, and even the fireworks are better than what we had before. In the beginning, I heard the elders say the new monarch was a fool, just like that ‘foolish king who played with beacon fires to amuse his concubine’ in the human realm, only caring about pleasing his Empress. But now, even Qingyan City has many new types of fireworks.”

Yin Sa remained taciturn as usual. After greeting the two, she pulled Tushan Shuo down to sit beside her, quietly enjoying the grand display.

Liu Fenyun accompanied her cat for a while. Soon, she heard a special notification from the System. Seconds later, a green and a white bird of prey flew onto the opposite roof, transforming into Yu Qingyue and Luo Binglun.

Unluckily, they arrived just as the fireworks were ending. However, as the last of the light faded from the night sky, Yu Qingyue suddenly flicked her fingers, releasing a surge of demon energy. It mixed with the spiritual energy of the world, exploding into a dual-colored firework in the shape of a Gyrfalcon and a Blue Kite.

The two birds of prey were seen entreating each other with their necks crossed. Before Luo Binglun, sitting on the roof, could recover from her surprise, she was kissed by Yu Qingyue.

The people and demons on the streets were focused on the new fireworks, while the three demons and one god on the rooftops were hit square in the face with “dog food” (public displays of affection).

Clutching her own tail, Tushan Shuo turned to Liu Fenyun and asked sourly, “Why are there so many couples out tonight?”

Liu Fenyun, being half of one of those couples, didn’t know how to respond and could only cough lightly.

The atmosphere grew awkward. Realizing this, Tushan Shuo quickly changed the subject. “I heard you’ve already confirmed your status as Dao companions, but I never received an invitation. Did you hold your wedding in the Human Realm?”

Liu Fenyun hesitated for a second. Remembering that her cat wanted a lively wedding in the Demon Realm, she shook her head. “We haven’t held the wedding yet.”

“Is that so? Well, if you want to get married in the Demon Realm, you can come find my father.” Tushan Shuo’s eyes immediately crinkled into a sweet smile. “We foxes are very happy to organize weddings. Our reputation is top-tier in the entire Demon Realm~”

Yin Sa glanced at her, patted a fox tail that had curled toward her, and explained slowly to Liu Fenyun and Lianyi amidst Tushan Shuo’s squeak of surprise: “She’s telling the truth. However, the Lord of Qingyan City is very busy. If you want the fox tribe to help organize the wedding, just find her.”

Lianyi remembered that Tushan Shuo called herself the Young Master of Qingyan City, so she likely held considerable power. But she didn’t quite trust Tushan Shuo, as the little fox acted rather unreliable most of the time.

Thus, she gently tugged on Liu Fenyun’s sleeve.

Understanding the hint, Liu Fenyun immediately said to Yin Sa, “Thank you. It’s just that we still have elders. If we are to hold a wedding, we must return and discuss it with them.”

Though those two elders… might not be free tonight.