I Am the Female Lead’s Cat 17

Chapter 17: Beautiful

After venting her frustration, Bai Jingxue forgave Lü Qingyan. She wouldn’t actually hit her hard enough to cause real damage.

Lü Qingyan, dazed from the impact, stumbled to her feet, only to lose her balance and land on her back, her paws flailing in the air. She shook the snow from her fur, finally regaining her senses.

Seeing that Bai Jingxue was unharmed, she rushed over, her tail wagging excitedly. “You’re so strong! You’re okay! That’s great!”

Bai Jingxue paused in her grooming session, her emerald eyes fixed on Lü Qingyan. “Wasn’t I supposed to be injured?” she asked dryly.

Lü Qingyan remembered her mission. She whined impatiently, finding the cat’s pace too slow. Closing her eyes, she concentrated, and her small body expanded, growing ten times its original size.

What kind of sorcery was this? Pomeranian to Samoyed in a blink?

Bai Jingxue stared at her, the difference in size intimidating, but Lü Qingyan’s eyes were still as innocent and trusting as ever.

Before Bai Jingxue could process what was happening, Lü Qingyan scooped her up by the collar and took off running, her powerful legs carrying them through the snow.

The wind whipped at Bai Jingxue’s fur, but it couldn’t extinguish the flames of fury burning in her eyes.

This dog hadn’t changed a bit.

In their past life, Bai Jingxue had been terrible at sports, her health fragile. Her classmates had often joked that she had put all her skill points into intelligence.

She had been solitary and prone to stomach problems, often suffering from bouts of agonizing gastroenteritis that left her writhing in pain.

She had learned to endure these episodes, but Lü Qingyan, always a worrier, would insist on carrying her to the infirmary.

As she reminisced, Bai Jingxue’s anger faded. It wasn’t the nostalgia that softened her heart. She was simply choking from the pressure of the collar digging into her neck.

Thankfully, they reached their destination soon. Lü Qingyan set her down, and Bai Jingxue gasped for air.

“Jingxue, look! The flowers are blooming!”

They stood on a small cliff overlooking a field where delicate, pale blue flowers bloomed amidst the snow. Their petals were layered, seemingly unfazed by the weight of the snow.

Bai Jingxue’s breath hitched. Instinct told her these were no ordinary flowers. The spiritual energy swirling around them was almost tangible.

Lü Qingyan, unaware of their significance, knew that Bai Jingxue loved pale blue flowers. She had brought her here to share this beautiful sight.

Her tail wagged eagerly, her face radiating a desperate need for praise. “Jingxue, I remember you love pale blue flowers, so I brought you here! I’ll pick one for you!”

Bai Jingxue placed a paw on Lü Qingyan’s, stopping her. “Don’t touch them,” she warned. “They’re not ripe yet.”

A moment later, Luo Nianshang and the Demon Lord arrived, following their tracks. The Demon Lord’s eyes widened as she saw the flowers, but she wisely remained silent.

Luo Nianshang stared at the flowers, her expression unreadable. She drew her fingers across her palm, slicing open her skin, and let a drop of blood fall onto the flowers below.

The beautiful blossoms stirred, their roots extending, their leaves sharpening, their edges serrated. They lapped up Luo Nianshang’s blood, their movements predatory, almost animalistic.

The others stared at Luo Nianshang, their expressions a mixture of awe and confusion. The Demon Lord, however, was particularly disturbed.

As a native of this world, she knew that these seemingly delicate flowers were anything but harmless. They were used to dispose of demon beast corpses, their roots tearing through flesh, their leaves consuming everything in their path.

But Luo Nianshang was human.

Luo Nianshang, however, seemed oblivious to their reactions. The wound on her palm healed instantly. She glanced at the others, her voice calm and even. “Remember, beauty can be deceptive,” she said. “Do you understand?”

Her words were directed at the Demon Lord. Luo Nianshang was taking her role as a teacher quite seriously. Every situation became an opportunity for a lesson.

The Demon Lord, snapping out of her stupor, nodded obediently. Then, she looked up, meeting Luo Nianshang’s gaze, a playful smile spreading across her lips. “But Master,” she said, “your words don’t always hold true.”

Luo Nianshang, despite her status as the Sword Saint, was surprisingly naive. She frowned, confused. “What do you mean?”

The Demon Lord’s smile widened as she stared at Luo Nianshang’s ethereal face. “You, Master, are far more beautiful than these flowers,” she purred. “Yet, you’re not dangerous at all.”

Luo Nianshang, in all her years, had never been complimented so directly, especially at such close proximity. She froze, her mind struggling to process the words. Unable to formulate a response, she simply turned and walked away.

The Demon Lord chuckled, her gaze following Luo Nianshang’s retreating figure. “Wait for me, beautiful Master!” she called out.

She then gathered her robes and hurried after Luo Nianshang, a mischievous grin on her face.

Lü Qingyan, watching them leave, swallowed nervously. “Was the Demon Lord flirting with the female lead?” she whispered.

Bai Jingxue blinked, wondering if she had imagined the entire exchange. She leaped onto Lü Qingyan’s back. “Let’s go,” she said. “This place seems dangerous.”

She glanced down at the flowers at the base of the cliff. They seemed to have been energized by Luo Nianshang’s blood, their hunger not yet satiated.

They swayed, their stems writhing like snakes as they climbed the cliff face, their target the cat and dog perched above.

The bell around Bai Jingxue’s neck tinkled softly, and the flowers froze, retreating back down the cliff, their menacing aura fading as they resumed their harmless facade.

Bai Jingxue stared at the bell, a wave of understanding washing over her.

She had assumed Luo Nianshang had abandoned them in her embarrassment. But it seemed the bell offered a certain level of protection.

Lü Qingyan’s fur was warm and soft. Bai Jingxue, initially sitting upright, couldn’t resist curling up, her gaze falling upon Lü Qingyan’s drooping ears.

She batted at them playfully, lifting them up, then letting them flop back down.

After a while, she noticed that the ears remained stubbornly drooped. Lü Qingyan wasn’t happy.

A happy dog shouldn’t be sad. Bai Jingxue stopped playing.

She knew what was bothering Lü Qingyan, but she hadn’t expected her to be so affected by it.

Her heart softened, but she would never admit it.

She sat up, her voice casual. “What’s wrong?”

Lü Qingyan let out a dejected sigh. “I wanted to give you those flowers,” she mumbled, “but they turned out to be dangerous. I’m glad I didn’t pick one.”

Bai Jingxue was grateful. If Lü Qingyan had touched those flowers, she would be picking up dog bones right now. That wasn’t the ending she wanted.

She wanted distance, but she didn’t want Lü Qingyan to die.

Her emerald eyes darkened. “This isn’t our world anymore,” she said softly. “The dangers here are unpredictable. Be careful.”

Seeing that Lü Qingyan’s ears were still drooped, Bai Jingxue sighed. “But thank you,” she said, her voice softening. “I loved how those flowers looked. It made me happy.”

The moment she uttered the word “happy,” Lü Qingyan’s ears perked up. “Really?” she asked, her voice filled with delight. “You liked them?”

The cat and dog continued their walk through the snow-covered forest, Lü Qingyan expertly dodging the occasional snowfall from the branches above.

Lü Qingyan glanced back at their tracks, a wave of sadness washing over her. “Jingxue,” she whined, “when do you think we’ll be able to transform back into humans?”

Bai Jingxue, shaking the snow from her fur, tried to recall relevant information from the novel. After filtering out the ninety percent dedicated to steamy encounters, she was left with about ten percent of potentially useful content.

For example, there was a fox demon who had fallen head over heels for the male lead. However, transforming into a human form was a difficult feat for ordinary demons. So this fox demon, who had been diligently cultivating, had slaughtered ten cities, absorbing the essence of their inhabitants to achieve her goal. In doing so, she had severed her path to enlightenment.

But she hadn’t cared. She had become another insignificant member of the male lead’s harem, her chances of being noticed as slim as winning the lottery.

“What kind of garbage novel was this?” Bai Jingxue thought, her head spinning.

She decided to stop before her brain melted.

“I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head. “The book didn’t say.”

Speaking of books, she remembered the Ejian Sect’s library. It probably contained the information she needed, but she would have to learn this world’s written language first.

A plan began to form in her mind. Satisfied, she curled up on Lü Qingyan’s back.

With her eyes closed and her paws tucked beneath her body, she was a perfect black blob. Perched on Lü Qingyan’s head, she resembled a furry black hat.

Fu Yuan, spotting the dog strolling through the training grounds, was so distracted that she forgot her sword forms. Then, she realized that the dog wasn’t wearing a hat. It was a cat.

She stared, and the dog stopped, its tail wagging as it met her gaze.

Fu Yuan, caught off guard by the dog’s enthusiasm, couldn’t help but smile. It was just too adorable.

But hadn’t it been smaller before? What kind of dog food was her ancestor feeding it?

She remembered the dogs in her village. The ones cared for by their grandparents were always significantly plumper than the ones raised by their parents. Considering her ancestor’s age, a tenfold increase in size within a few days seemed perfectly reasonable.

The dog, having greeted her, continued on its way, the cat still perched on its head.

Fu Yuan watched them leave, shaking her head. “As expected of Ancestor Luo,” she murmured. “Even her pets are extraordinary.”

The next day, Bai Jingxue made her way to Fu Yuan’s room, where she severed a portion of the baleful energy clinging to the infant. Once the child was asleep, she headed down the mountain to the small schoolhouse run by the Ejian Sect, where illiterate disciples were taught to read and write.

Lü Qingyan followed close behind, settling beside Bai Jingxue at the back of the classroom as the cat observed the lesson.

As she listened, she realized that the Demon Lord wasn’t actually illiterate.

Staring at the complex characters, far more intricate than those of her past life, she felt a surge of frustration. But seeing Bai Jingxue’s focused expression, her own anxiety subsided.

It was like being back in their old classroom. She had been a restless student, her attention easily wandering.

But at some point, she had discovered that watching a certain someone study had a calming effect on her.

And miraculously, she had managed to get into the same university as that person.

And then, that quiet, reserved girl had become her girlfriend.

It all felt like a dream.