Cat 236: Disguised as a Woman

Chapter 236 Disguised as a Woman

After Yan Jiyun got into the car, he began comparing the similarities between the two treasure maps.

The treasure map he had just acquired was still covered in dust; as he blew on it, he couldn’t help but sneeze.

When Ninth Master came over, he saw him rubbing his nose.

Yan Jiyun caught the scent of that foreign cat lingering on Ninth Master and instinctively shifted away, not wanting to be near him—it was simply unbearable!

Sensing Yan Jiyun’s palpable displeasure, Ninth Master changed the subject, his voice softening slightly. “How are the maps comparing?”

Yan Jiyun calmed himself, shot him a glance, and then laid the two maps on his knees, examining them side by side.

He wrinkled his nose. “On the left is the quarter piece I found, on the right is the map left by Uncle Ming forty years ago.”

Ninth Master: “Anything of note?”

Yan Jiyun pointed at both maps, finally stopping at the similar area—it was precisely the part torn from his own treasure map.

“At first glance, the maps look almost identical, but when you compare each line, there are subtle differences in width and thickness. Uncle Ming’s map even includes symbols like triangles and rectangles, as if drawn deliberately. I suspect his map is a fake.”

If it were genuine, why hadn’t anyone found the treasure forty years ago? Of course, it’s also possible that the counterfeiter spread a convincing fake, making minuscule changes in the details, to get the public searching and provide himself with clues. In the end, though, it led nowhere—no one ever found the treasure.

His side quest was to find the other four pieces of the treasure map. But what if he couldn’t? Could he use the fake, combine it with part of the real one, and still uncover the treasure? It would be difficult and time-consuming—better to locate the remaining three map fragments.

Yan Jiyun realized he was progressing too slowly. He glanced at Ninth Master. “Do you want to search for the treasure?”

Ninth Master took the maps from his lap and compared them. “With just these two maps? Uncle Ming never found it—what makes you sure we can?”

Yan Jiyun replied, “I’d be too slow on my own, but you could.”

Ninth Master grasped his meaning immediately. “You mean—I have the manpower?”

Yan Jiyun nodded. “Yes.”

Ninth Master: “But why should I help you?”

Yan Jiyun: “Help me? You’re helping yourself. Aren’t you tempted by the treasure?”

Ninth Master tossed back, expression flat, “Not tempted.”

Yan Jiyun snatched back both maps. “Then I’ll search alone. You can go pet Baixue.”

Ninth Master suspected Yan Jiyun was still resentful over not being allowed to pet Baixue, and patiently consoled him, “So petty? It’s just a cat. If Baixue won’t let you hold her, I’ll let you hold my Caramel later.”

Yan Jiyun, incensed by the suggestion, retorted, “So your cat is free for anyone to touch?”

Ninth Master: “Not quite. Depends on whether he’ll let you.”

Yan Jiyun: “Hmph, so raising a cat to you amounts to just having a pet?”

Ninth Master countered, “Isn’t it?”

That was his true feeling, and also Qifeng’s. No wonder he’d pet other people’s cats casually.

Annoyed, Yan Jiyun said, “Forget it, it’s not important. Ninth Master, let me out later—I’ll search for the treasure myself.”

Ninth Master: “You wouldn’t find it anyway.”

Yan Jiyun pressed his lips together in silence. Was it that he couldn’t find it? No—it was just that after visiting the top venue, time was running out and he had to bring in outside help. Yet his reinforcements were busy petting other cats, and that was truly infuriating.

Ninth Master mused that he’d practically picked up a spoiled young master and now had to coax him, but he didn’t feel a hint of irritation—strangely, he found it rather entertaining.

“Back to the point—the map really does warrant careful study.” Ninth Master pulled out a pencil, marking the discrepancies between the two maps—it was almost like playing a spot-the-difference game. “Here and here—it’s not the same.”

Yan Jiyun had noticed as much earlier. “So what we can be sure of is that Uncle Ming’s map is a fake. If we can find out who leaked the story all those years ago, we’ll know who truly holds the genuine map.”

Ninth Master tapped his head lightly with the tip of his pencil. “Clever. Before I left, I asked Uncle Ming, and he said everyone in town joined the hunt back then—several teams formed since not everyone in the same town got along. Uncle Ming gave me a list of names.”

Yan Jiyun: “North: Liu family. South: Chen family. East: Cheng family. Are they together?”

Ninth Master nodded. “Exactly. But you missed one—west: Lin family.”

Yan Jiyun: “Then we can ask them for the remaining pieces.”

Ninth Master: “You’re oversimplifying it. The truth couldn’t be unearthed back then—they won’t just tell you now.”

Yan Jiyun’s idea was to turn into a cat and sneak around each family. Liu family had passed the map to the eldest, Liu Jingyi. The Chen family was likely to pass it to Chen Qin. The Cheng family hadn’t given it to daughter Cheng Xueying—either it was with her father or with that utterly useless male cousin. As for the Lin family, he hadn’t interacted with them yet, so their situation was unclear.

Yan Jiyun’s eyes sparkled. “You’ve come up with a way to get the map, haven’t you?” He could see the confidence in Ninth Master’s eyes.

Ninth Master: “Guess.”

Yan Jiyun put himself in Ninth Master’s shoes. “Spread the word: offer to buy the map.”

After forty years, none of the four families had found the rumored treasure. If only fragments remained, they weren’t of much use—better to sell for a good price, and Ninth Master truly had money.

Ninth Master nodded. “And what will you do to repay me?”

Yang Er, who was driving, thought, …Is this a topic I can listen to?

No wonder Ninth Master had never been taken with any woman—even someone as beautiful as Liu Rongzhi. It turned out he preferred men!

“I’ll work for you?” This was the third time Yan Jiyun had heard Ninth Master ask this. He really didn’t know what exactly Ninth Master wanted from him—it was baffling.

Ninth Master shook his head. “I don’t lack employees. I’ll put it on your tab.”

Yang Er was anxious for the newcomer. Why couldn’t he see it? Of course he should work under Ninth Master—become his man!

But Yan Jiyun wasn’t oblivious. He simply regarded Ninth Master as one of his own; the idea hadn’t even crossed his mind. More importantly, Ninth Master might be Qifeng with amnesia, and he still had an NPC mission—he lacked the time or energy for idle banter; finishing the quest came first.

Time pressed, so he urged Ninth Master to release the news, making sure all four families heard that he was looking to buy the treasure map.

While waiting, Ninth Master didn’t keep Yan Jiyun under guard. He let him roam the city—and even gave him a car.

Yan Jiyun marveled at his good fortune—getting a car for doing absolutely nothing. Ninth Master really was a good man. Even with amnesia, he still looked out for his teammates.

Despite entrusting him with a car, Ninth Master wasn’t quite at ease and assigned Yang Er to shadow him.

Yang Er, concerned for his own boss, took advantage of Ninth Master’s absence to drop endless hints to Yan Jiyun.

“Ninth Master treats you so specially—he’s given you both a car and his people, and you haven’t accomplished anything yet. You ought to think about how to repay him.”

From his words, Yan Jiyun caught something. “Repay Ninth Master? I already belong to him—ready to repay at any time. Is there an issue?”

Yang Er smacked his leg in frustration before blurting out, “That’s not the kind of repayment I mean! Ninth Master is still single!”

Yan Jiyun shot him a look. “Oh? So you mean I should find him a companion?”

Yang Er: “I mean you should be his companion!”

Yan Jiyun: “But I already am his.”

Yang Er was so exasperated his liver hurt, and barked, “I mean sleeping with him!”

Yan Jiyun quietly thought, Well, it’s not as if he and Ninth Master hadn’t slept together—they’d shared a bed more than once. Calmly, he rubbed his ear. “If he wants to sleep with me, I’ll sleep with him. Why are you so loud about it? What’s the problem?”

Yang Er was dumbstruck. After all this, the newcomer was more open-minded than he’d expected—now he was the one feeling flustered. “So…you’re fine with a relationship between two men. Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

Yan Jiyun rolled his eyes. “You’re nosy, man.”

The “sleeping” he meant and the “sleeping” Yang Er meant were obviously not the same thing. Forget it—how could mere mortals understand the true nature of his relationship with Ninth Master?

Having resolved that, Yang Er’s mood brightened. He’d really underestimated the newcomer, who was clearly playing hard-to-get with Ninth Master—he just hadn’t understood.

Yan Jiyun, while holding the fake map, the genuine quarter, and another map of Jiangnan Town (swiped from Ninth Master’s office), began comparing them. Ninth Master truly granted his every request, making Yan Jiyun’s thoughts begin to stray in another direction.

Could Ninth Master have realized he was actually Caramel? Impossible—their only interaction in that dungeon had been as cat and man for a single night.

Never mind. That was unimportant. The treasure came first.

Upon comparing all three maps, he managed to identify three coinciding spots.

One was in the southern part of town, two in the city center.

He instructed Yang Er to park the car at the intersection of Jiangnan Avenue and No. 2 Jiangnan in the downtown area.

Forty years ago, the townsfolk had excavated the mountain but never found the treasure. So, it must not be in the mountains—the most probable site was somewhere within the town itself.

Yan Jiyun got out of the car. The busy intersection was lively, with trolleys, most people on bicycles, and even rickshaws.

He surveyed the surroundings: a hospital, various large shops—clearly a commercial district, and one of the priciest areas in Jiangnan Town.

While he was comparing the map to his surroundings, a modern sedan—quite out of place here—pulled to a stop right in front of him.

“Cousin, what are you doing here? I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Yan Jiyun thought: What’s Liu Jingxi doing here?

Wait, someone else in the car—someone in white.

Feigning surprise, Yan Jiyun called, “Cousin, I’ve decided to get a job here in town!”

Liu Jingxi frowned. “Found a job already? And dressed so smartly.”

Yan Jiyun was still wearing the suit he’d donned for the meeting with Gu Wenzhu, and it was fine quality.

Shyly, he lowered his head. “My new boss gave it to me. It’s for work.”

The more Liu Jingxi looked, the more something seemed off. “What job did you find that’s so generous?”

Yan Jiyun put on his best country bumpkin pride. “I’m working for Ninth Master!”

Liu Jingxi recognized Ninth Master’s license plate—the auspicious string of sevens and eights, hard to forget. He also knew full well what kind of figure Ninth Master was.

With concern, he said, “If you want to work in the city, I could have arranged something for you. Do you realize what kind of man Ninth Master is?”

Yan Jiyun replied, “Ninth Master is good to me, and the pay is generous,” deftly steering the conversation in another direction. “Cousin, what brings you out today?”

Truth be told, apart from Liu Jinghao’s own mother, no one in the family was particularly grieved by his death—it was more of a headache than a heartache.

Liu Jingxi seemed on the verge of saying more when he remembered he had other matters to attend to. “Your third cousin-sister isn’t well—I’m taking her to the doctor.”

Third cousin-sister—Cheng Xueying?

The hospital was right there. Cheng Xueying now got out of the car.

Seeing them felt almost like witnessing a scene from the story. “Need any help?”

Liu Jingxi crossed his arms, eyeing him. “Aren’t you supposed to be working for Ninth Master?”

Yan Jiyun working for Ninth Master? It was more like the reverse.

The map in his hand might have something to do with this very hospital—it wouldn’t hurt to ask around.

Yan Jiyun replied, “It’s fine. Ninth Master can’t see me anyway.”

Cheng Xueying got out of the car, nodded to Yan Jiyun, and moved toward the hospital, looking every inch the picture of delicate grace.

“Fine, follow me,” said Liu Jingxi, resting an arm on his shoulder and leading him in.

Yang Er entered as well—he’d known Yan Jiyun was a Liu family relative.

Renai Hospital.

A private institution.

The Cheng family was a wealthy clan in Jiangnan, and Cheng Xueying had a dedicated physician for her care.

Yan Jiyun and Cheng Jingxi were left outside the examination room.

Intent on gathering information about the hospital, Yan Jiyun excused himself to the restroom and slipped away.

Inside, he transformed back into a cat and slipped around the building, stopping beneath the exam room window to eavesdrop on the doctor and Cheng Xueying.

He seriously doubted someone as full of vitality as Cheng Xueying could truly be so frail all of a sudden—she was surely putting on an act.

Sure enough, he overheard a shocking revelation.

The doctor said, “Young Master Cheng, you can’t hide this much longer. Judging from your parents’ height, as you grow older, you’ll grow even taller—you won’t remain short.”

Yan Jiyun: “….”

Young Master Cheng? Good heavens. So Cheng Xueying really was male. He’d suspected as much after seeing those oversized shoes.

Cross-dressing as a woman, yet with no major flaws!

Ding.

[Congratulations, player, for triggering Main Quest Two: Discover Cheng Xueying’s purpose in marrying into the Liu family.]

Damn—so this second quest only triggers once you discover Cheng Xueying’s true gender, before the story can progress?

Cheng Xueying’s purpose—was it to seek the treasure map?

He tried answering in his head, but the system gave no response. So that wasn’t it. What else in the Liu family was worth Cheng Xueying’s pursuit?

The doctor continued.

Cheng Xueying: “I understand.”

Doctor: “I’ll prescribe you some supplements.”

Cheng Xueying: “Thank you, Doctor. And please, keep this matter confidential.”

Doctor: “Don’t worry. I delivered you myself and have always owed your mother. I would never let this slip.”

After a brief while, Cheng Xueying left the exam room.

Yan Jiyun hurried back to the restroom to transform, but before he could change, Cheng Xueying entered the men’s bathroom.

The sight startled Cheng Xueying too. “Luckily, it’s just a cat. Nothing to worry about.”

Yan Jiyun: “…”