Transmigrated Into The Arms Of The Heroine Of A Sadistic Novel - Chapter 87

“Sorry, we’re here to look for someone.” Lin Yanyu was genuinely startled by Feng and Zhuang’s gluttonous display. She couldn’t help but recall the scene in Spirited Away where the heroine’s parents turned into pigs after ravenously eating otherworldly food she feared they might mutate mid-meal.

Fortunately, Feng Xianchen and Zhuang Jingwei soon looked up, and Feng even raised her spoon to greet them: “You’re here! Want some wontons? The wontons here are really delicious!”

“Not for now.” Qin Changxin took Lin Yanyu to sit across from them. “Sorry, we were delayed on the road. It’s enough that you’re safe.”

“Oh, we’re fine! Don’t worry!” Feng Xianchen said cheerfully, then scooped another spoonful of wontons into her mouth. Between bites, she said, “Zhuang and I even met the princess. She’s not as capricious as the rumors say she’s actually very warm and can chat a lot. I’ve never seen anyone so talkative! But when receiving us formally, she’s just like Zhuang, dignified and composed truly masterful in demeanor. By the way, she recommended this wonton shop herself; she said few people know about it.”

Lin Yanyu’s ears instinctively twitched at that remark. Her guard immediately went up.

She glanced at the elderly man, who was dozing in the distance, then decided to set up a soundproof barrier. Once Feng Xianchen and Zhuang Jingwei stopped eating, she said, “There’s something we must explain to you right now.”

“What is it?” Zhuang Jingwei asked, dabbing her lips with a handkerchief.

“The Lotus State princess, Yun Quexin, you met… has likely been possessed!” Lin Yanyu said gravely. “On our way here, we encountered an injured leopard cat with the scent of a ‘Blood Leopard.’ At first, we thought she was the ‘Blood Leopard.’ But when she spoke, we realized she’s actually the real princess of Lotus State!”

“What… what’s going on?!” Feng Xianchen was shocked. “But our colleagues stationed in the Lotus State academy haven’t detected any reports of cat demon casualties recently. That means the ‘Blood Leopard’ probably hasn’t started preparing the sacrifices for the ‘Immortality Array’ yet, so…”

She suddenly stopped speaking, lowering her gaze in panic while quietly reminding, “Say ‘the princess’ carefully!”

Lin Yanyu frowned and removed the soundproof barrier. Turning toward the door, she quickly put on an expression of curiosity and cheer.

“Two demon-slaying sisters, do you like the wontons?” a crisp, youthful voice rang out. A girl in a goose-yellow palace dress burst into the shop, lifting her skirts as she passed the elderly man and greeted him, “Grandpa Bai, I came to see you!”

The elderly man, seated and dozing, responded with a simple “hm,” barely raising his eyelids, as if used to her casual entrances.

“Changxin, Lin, this is the Lotus State princess.” Feng Xianchen forced a smile and introduced her. She also explained to the yellow-dressed girl, “Your Highness, these are our best friends. They just arrived in the city and haven’t had a chance to try Grandpa Bai’s wontons yet!”

“You must try them, and eat plenty!” The princess curved her eyes in a smile at Lin Yanyu and the others, then turned to Feng and Zhuang. “By the way, you didn’t finish yesterday’s demon-slaying story. Come chat with me after you eat, okay?”

“Of course,” Zhuang Jingwei also smiled. “Grandpa Bai, could you bring two more bowls of wontons?”

The elderly man slowly rose and, hunched over, entered the kitchen.

“I’ll go first then.” The yellow dressed girl waved and quickly ran out of the wonton shop.

The shop fell silent for a moment, the air still lingering with her faintly strong perfume.

Once it was certain the princess had left, Lin Yanyu reopened the soundproof barrier. She said, “I scouted the princess’s escort just now about twelve guards, either carrying swords or spears, all in armor. They seem more like they’re after someone than guarding the princess.”

“But they’re gone now. If they weren’t coming for us, who were they after?” Feng Xianchen asked in surprise.

“Most likely, they knew we came and were going after the real princess.” Qin Changxin took off Lu Qiuyun’s sword, contacted her through the blade spirit, and instructed her, “The Blood Leopard’s men are trying to capture the princess. Please take her out of the city quickly and hide her in the demon settlement, Chenyu Valley.”

“How did you figure out the princess was fake, and why did she bring guards here?” Feng Xianchen looked bewildered.

“First, this part of North Street is rarely visited, like Qingxue Street in Zhuzhou. Even if something happened, the local residents wouldn’t notice, so no one would report to the authorities.” Lin Yanyu explained. “Second, the real princess’s soul is trapped outside the possessed body in the Blood Leopard, and there’s a curse inside her body that will kill her at a set time…”

She recounted the princess’s own account of events.

After roughly comparing the timeline, Feng Xianchen broke into a cold sweat.

“So, before we arrived, the Blood Leopard tricked the princess into giving up her body, then ordered Yang Hengyu to take her far from the royal city for execution?” Zhuang Jingwei pieced together the sequence.

“Pretty much.” Lin Yanyu nodded. “That’s why we must recover the princess’s body as soon as possible.”

“Is the soul that possessed the princess really the demon king Zhu Wansheng?” Feng Xianchen shivered. “She must be a centuries old demon, one who once challenged Xuanqing’s mother. How can she appear as a pure, cheerful, kind little girl… and act so flawlessly?”

“To achieve her goals, pretending to be innocent is easy for her,” Zhuang Jingwei said. “Besides, there are indeed demons hundreds or thousands of years old who still retain a childlike heart.”

At that moment, the elderly man came out with two more bowls of wontons. Lin Yanyu’s bowl had extra shrimp and seaweed.

“The little cat at home loves these flavors.” The elderly man squinted his eyes with delight. “Try it and see if you like it.”

Lin Yanyu thanked him and stirred the bowl; the aroma of the shrimp and seaweed filled her nose. She had eaten many delicacies in her previous life and could tell these ingredients were high-quality.

“Do you also have a cat?” Curious Feng Xianchen asked. “Does it come to the shop?”

“Too early, she’s still sleeping in her nest!” The elderly man laughed. “If the little girl wants to hold her, I can bring her over.”

“Can we really?” Feng Xianchen’s eyes lit up.

Soon, the elderly man returned carrying a large yellow and white cat, handing it to Feng Xianchen, who carefully placed it on her lap.

“You can pet her, it’s fine,” the elderly man encouraged.

Feng Xianchen stroked the cat gently, and Lin Yanyu finally understood why they could eat so many bowls they were simply enjoying the food without rushing.

The filling and broth were truly exquisite. The meat wasn’t just meat and salt it included rare delicacies that were costly in regular markets. The broth was made from high-quality fresh fish, delicate and mild in flavor.

Lin Yanyu unknowingly finished a bowl of wontons, savoring every last bit, and instinctively wanted another, only to see the cat in Zhuang Jingwei’s arms, glaring at Feng Xianchen.

“You woke the cat again?” Lin Yanyu laughed at the scene.

“I accidentally rubbed her nose while cleaning it… she got mad,” Feng Xianchen replied.

The cat “meowed,” tilted its ears, and then looked at Lin Yanyu, hissing slightly.

“She’s like a little girl, just like you!” The elderly man laughed heartily. The cat responded with a nod to him.

Since they still had to go to the palace, Lin Yanyu and Qin Changxin finished their bowl and then bid farewell to the elderly man and the cat.

“Tomorrow there might not be wontons!” the elderly man said at the door.

“That’s okay, we’ll come see you whether there are wontons or not!” Feng Xianchen waved.

By now, it was past the hour of Si. On the way to the palace, Qin Changxin contacted Lu Qiuyun again and learned she had already left Handan City and was en route to Chenyu Valley, which eased her mind.

“Sending them to Chenyu Valley is really safe?” Lin Yanyu whispered. “The princess won’t say nice things, and Lu Qiuyun is a demon-slayer…”

“But they all carry your aura,” Qin Changxin interrupted. “For your sake, Chenyu Valley will treat them well.”

“My aura really carries that much weight?” Lin Yanyu laughed. “Well, better than them being captured or killed by the Blood Leopard or Zhu Wan Sheng.”

“You’ve also been to Chenyu Valley?” Feng Xianchen asked. “How are the cat demons there? Everything’s fine?”

“They’re fine for now,” Lin Yanyu said. “But as long as the Blood Leopard and Zhu Wan Sheng are around, we can’t let our guard down.”

“Now we can freely enter the palace and the princess’s chamber. If you don’t want to expose them too early, it’s best to pretend you don’t know,” Zhuang Jingwei said. “First figure out their purpose, then make other plans.”