Chapter 103: Memories

The Flood Dragon King said the dragon bones would arrive soon, but he didn’t know when Zuo Yuanxi would introduce that mysterious Pallas’s cat Demon.

“She already gave me the recipe for the antidote, so…” Before Zuo Yuanxi could finish speaking, the Flood Dragon King lunged at her. Fortunately, she was quick on her feet and retreated several steps, so he only managed to grab her sleeve.

The Old Flood Dragon King stuffed one item after another into her hands. Although Zuo Yuanxi didn’t have time to look, she could guess from the spiritual fluctuations that these things were extremely valuable.

“I still have a few dragon bones at home. If you need them, I can have someone fetch them all.” If he had known that one day he would have to beg Zuo Yuanxi over and over, the Flood Dragon King thought he never would have cut off contact with the Merfolk Clan for years just because of that one beating.

“…There’s no need for the Flood Dragon King to go that far. Since I said on that day that I would help, I naturally won’t stand idly by.” Zuo Yuanxi quietly tugged at her sleeve, but she couldn’t pull it free.

“Clan Leader Zuo is so righteous. My Flood Dragon Clan will remember your kindness. When my son recovers, we’ll definitely host a banquet in the clan to entertain you!” The Flood Dragon King was filled with gratitude. In his excitement, he even said his son should recognize Zuo Yuanxi as his godmother, since she had saved the boy’s life—whatever he did to repay her afterward would only be right.

Zuo Yuanxi refused politely. She didn’t want to suddenly have such a big son.

“Once the Alliance Leader finishes with his business, I’ll tell you what the antidote requires. I have one ingredient here, but the two of you will need to find the others. If you split up and act separately, you can move faster. The longer this poison remains in the body, the more suffering it causes the victim.”

“Clan Leader Zuo, just tell me what you need. Once that old sick cat finishes fussing over his matters, those two kids will be in agony!” In front of outsiders, the Flood Dragon King gave him face by calling him Alliance Leader, but behind his back, he wasn’t so respectful. Unable to control himself, he blurted out the old nickname.

Zuo Yuanxi pretended not to hear the term “old sick cat.” The Flood Dragon King’s backyard had plenty of heavenly materials and earthly treasures; perhaps they really could gather the ingredients faster. So she listed out what was needed for him.

The Flood Dragon King didn’t even finish the meeting. He directly contacted all his connections and mobilized them to scour the world for the required materials.

The other items were precious, but they existed in this world. As long as the Flood Dragon King and the others put in the effort, they could certainly find them. However, one thing required Zuo Yuanxi to handle it personally.

Part of this poison had been extracted from Fu Jun’s own toxins. The entire body of a Fei was poisonous, with only one exception—its bone marrow.

A Fei’s spirit marrow was not only free of poison but also the best medicine against Fei poison. In this world, the only known bearer of Fei Beast bloodline was that culprit. Zuo Yuanxi wouldn’t be satisfied unless she personally extracted his bone marrow and made his life a living hell; otherwise, she couldn’t swallow this anger.

She had deliberately not mentioned this to prevent the other two fathers from jumping in to avenge their children.

Just thinking of that half-demon, now locked away, made Zuo Yuanxi frown. Fei had brought plagues and disasters since ancient times. Now the place where he was imprisoned was filled with toxic mists everywhere; it would probably be uninhabitable by ordinary humans for centuries, wasting a whole area of land.

The two Alliance Leaders in the conference room started arguing again. Seeing that even the Flood Dragon King had left directly, Zuo Yuanxi simply slipped away as well. She went to the pharmacy to pick up the prepared medicine, then headed to the kitchen to check on the dinner the chef had made for Lin Ying’an.

Because Zuo Yuanxi had spent most of her time on land in recent years, the Merfolk Clan’s territory hadn’t been this lively in a long time. As she walked along the road, she ran into several children from the clan. They had come to sneak peeks at the outsiders but hadn’t expected to bump into the clan leader.

Most of the children were timid, but one bold little doll, young and fearless like a newborn calf not afraid of tigers, gave the clan leader the prettiest pearl he had found. Zuo Yuanxi didn’t lack such things, but she wouldn’t refuse the children’s good intentions.

After warning the children not to run too far, Zuo Yuanxi let them go play. She took the pearl, the medicine, and the dinner back to her own room.

The Pallas’s cat Demon locked in the cage by her was curled up in the corner, motionless. Even with all the unmasked noise she made, it didn’t wake her.

Zuo Yuanxi’s heart skipped a beat. She immediately set down the tray and came to the side of the cage to check on Nian Zhi’an’s condition. The Pallas’s cat’s body temperature was a bit low, and weakness was inevitable, but overall, her vital signs were still stable.

For a demon, how important the demon core was—she had let it be cut out just like that. The Old Ginseng King had said there would be very serious aftereffects, an irreversible price.

She herself had once paid a similar price, so she knew how difficult it was. In a few days, she would definitely force out of her how she had repaired her own merfolk pearl, then return the half demon core to her.

No matter what, her own strength was there; even without half a merfolk pearl, she could live well. But it was different for Lin Ying’an. With her current body’s low cultivation, only half a demon core left would make it impossible for her to cultivate normally.

Zuo Yuanxi looked at the fuzzy ball of her head and gently stroked Nian Zhi’an’s little head with her index finger.

The system took it all in and felt that someone’s mouth-not-matching-heart attitude could rival its host’s.

In the days that followed, Nian Zhi’an spent most of her time in deep sleep. Even when awake for short periods, she was groggy. Combined with her wife’s cold violence, she was always listless. After taking the medicine, her mouth tasted bitter, and she didn’t feel like eating much. They tried porridge after porridge, and the chef’s once-thick hair was starting to thin out. If he couldn’t make a porridge to satisfy that ancestor, he could pack his bags, take the kids, and head straight back to his hometown.

“Achoo!”

Nian Zhi’an, who was sleeping, suddenly sneezed. Zuo Yuanxi, who had been stealthily petting her in her sleep, smoothly withdrew her hand from the fluffy fur without a trace. After a while, Nian Zhi’an groggily opened her eyes. Before she could even react, she was fed another mouthful of that bitter medicine.

She didn’t want to drink it, but under the pressure of her wife’s glance sweeping over, Nian Zhi’an could only protest carefully in her heart.

“A Xi.” Nian Zhi’an called out cautiously during the gap while drinking the medicine.

“Mm.”

Her wife was still cold as ice, but she had finally gotten a response from her.

Nian Zhi’an’s tail and ears twitched at the same time, showing how happy her master was now.

“I… I want to say something. That… this cage is so small. Can you make it a bit bigger? I can’t transform into human form…” The Nian Pallas’s cat requested pitifully.

“How big do you want it?” Zuo Yuanxi looked at her; from her expression, it wasn’t clear if she agreed or not.

“Just… big enough to fit a bed, and a bit more spacious! Is that okay?” Nian Zhi’an put on a pitiful, pleading look, as if she had been abused.

The system couldn’t bear to watch and turned away.

“Your demands are pretty high.” Zuo Yuanxi shoved another spoonful of medicine into Nian Zhi’an’s mouth, making her eyes squint from the bitterness.

“Can’t you?” Tears welled up in Nian Zhi’an’s eyes from the bitterness.

That trembling tone, winding like nine twists and eighteen turns, made the little system gasp in shock nearby. It didn’t have skin or anything, but somehow it felt goosebumps all over.

Zuo Yuanxi inwardly mocked herself for being so spineless. Even though she had been betrayed and hurt by her before, she always softened uncontrollably whenever she cried.

“I can make the cage bigger, but don’t think that with wider gaps you can escape.”

“No, no, I won’t.” Nian Zhi’an shook her little head. “It includes food and lodging—what could be better!”

Zuo Yuanxi knew the other was playing dumb while knowing full well. She didn’t believe anyone would want to be locked in a cage, just like she didn’t believe Lin Ying’an could obediently stay by her side.

Suddenly, Nian Zhi’an felt her head grow even fuzzier. Waves of sleepiness washed over her, as if the next second she would pass out right there.

This sleepiness came strangely. Her previous drowsiness had been gradual; if her wife was willing to chat with her, she could keep her eyes open. But this time, even with her wife right there, she couldn’t fight off the sandman. By the time Nian Zhi’an sensed something was off, it was already too late.

“Lin Ying’an.” When Zuo Yuanxi spoke, Nian Zhi’an’s mind had already gone blank. She called “Lin Ying’an” twice, but the person now under her control still didn’t respond.

“…Zhi’an?” Zuo Yuanxi thought for a moment and changed to a different address this time.

And this time, Nian Zhi’an responded.

【Aaaah!】The Little System clutched its head and realized things had gone south. The Host was now under Zuo Yuanxi’s control. If she accidentally spilled anything about the System Space, the fate of its s-232 predecessor would be their warning!

It had to wake her up before the host caused a disaster!

“Zhi’an, tell me—what were you finding on my body all those days?” Zuo Yuanxi began to ask.

“I… am looking for the birthmark.” Nian Zhi’an had never been as strong as Zuo Yuanxi when it came to resisting mental control, and since Zuo Yuanxi had caught her at her most vulnerable moment, she fell helplessly into the trap of Zuo Yuanxi’s spell.

“Birthmark?” Zuo Yuanxi touched her own shoulder and then asked, “Is it the Red Carp birthmark?”

“Red Carp… yes, the Red Carp birthmark… It’s very important. My wife has one just like it.”

The System hadn’t even had time to break the control and stop Nian Zhi’an from finishing her words when its face twisted into an expression straight out of that famous painting The Scream from some other world. Sorry, Host—I did my best. You’ll have to figure out how to explain this mess yourself from now on.

The System unleashed a barrage of minor skills designed to dispel negative control effects on Nian Zhi’an, finally restoring some of her independent awareness.

However, it never expected its Host’s luck to hold—the situation took an unexpected turn for the better in the very next moment.

Zuo Yuanxi’s expression turned blank for an instant, after which a complex mix of bewilderment, solemnity, and other emotions crossed her face.

“Lin Ying’an, have you forgotten?

“Because the mere sight of it gives you such a splitting headache it’s like half your life is draining away, I hid it for you. Don’t you remember?”