Cat 245: Unafraid

Chapter 245: Unafraid

[Want to Be Human] livestream chat:

“Ahhh, cat cub! A late-night treat for the viewers!”

“Cat cub, have you wised up? How can you go around licking people! Even if he’s your owner, you shouldn’t just lick him like that!”

“I can’t take it—first-person view, I’m blushing to death, it feels like I was the one kissing Ninth Master.”

“What are you talking about? There’s no first-person view at all—the system slapped a mosaic right on top!”

“Damn, did you have to bring that up?”

“Why the censorship? When Ninth Master kissed cat cub, nothing was blocked, but now when cat cub licks Ninth Master’s lips, it’s all mosaiced.”

“Maybe because licking is more suggestive? System’s judgment?”

“What nonsense. In other instances, I’ve seen NPCs kiss with plenty of tongue and nothing was censored. Why here? It’s not a kids’ channel, for god’s sake.”

“Dead from laughter, seriously, a mosaic in a horror game stream? Is something wrong with this system?”

“Hahaha, mosaic. Is cat cub’s little pink tongue an indecency by system standards? Can’t even lick.”

“Is this the first mosaic in [Destiny]? I want to screenshot it for posterity!”

“I’m off to the forums right now, this is killing me.”

Ninth Master was awakened by the rough texture of a cat’s tongue—not painful, but a little prickly.

He wiped his lips and moved the heavy black cat off his chest.

“You never used to gnaw on people’s lips in your sleep. Didn’t have enough dinner?” In his memory, Caramel had always been aloof—so why start licking his lips now? Did his lips have some special flavor?

Yan Jiyun wasn’t the least bit worried Ninth Master would wake up just then; after all, he was a little cat at the moment, just running a small test, nothing more. Of course, he knew what he was doing was a bit out of line. Licking someone’s lips—if the other person found out he was really human, it’d be awkward.

It would be fine; it was only a test. Besides, it wasn’t their first time acting out a scene. Just a kiss—both men, no harm done.

Yan Jiyun curled up on the pillow and pretended to sleep.

Ninth Master glanced at the sleeping cat beside him. “Dreaming about eating something tasty?”

Yan Jiyun licked the corner of his mouth. “……” Not really—lips weren’t exactly tasty except for a hint of mint from brushing.

Ninth Master, seeing the cat lick its lips in the dark: “Guess so.”

As a human, he had no way of knowing what a cat was thinking. If it was hungry, it should eat cat food, but it was still lying there motionless—had to be dreaming of something delicious.

The night passed uneventfully.

Ninth Master had slept well these two nights, up by seven in the morning, but even that was later than his Caramel.

Only after asking the butler did he learn that Caramel was busier than his owner—he’d had breakfast then slipped off to play.

He then asked whether the young man from last night had returned.

The butler pointed to a handsome youth slumped dozing on the sofa.

Ninth Master cleared his throat as he walked over. Last night’s abruptness had been his own fault, but he had to save face. He meant to ask how things had gone last night, but instead said, “So, have you made up your mind?”

Fortunately, Yan Jiyun had gotten a good night’s sleep. In a prime-time melodrama, this would have caused all kinds of misunderstandings.

Yan Jiyun was still half-asleep, only in human form because he had tasks to complete. The game had four days left, and his time in human form was now limited to about two days—meaning he could stay human for at most twelve hours a day. The rest of the time, he’d have to switch back to being a cat for tasks. But tasks weren’t as clockwork as punching the timecard—they required situational judgment.

He was still thinking through the logic chain of the instance and didn’t immediately catch what Ninth Master was talking about. “Hm?”

Ninth Master said, “I meant being with me.”

Yan Jiyun’s gaze fell on his lips, with not a hint of hesitation: “All right.”

That caught Ninth Master off guard for a moment. But then he smiled slightly and sat down beside him. “You’ve come around?”

Yan Jiyun had never resisted getting close to Ninth Master; most of the time, he was the one initiating contact. “Mmhm, I’ve made up my mind.”

Ninth Master had a system-assigned persona to maintain, and helping him made perfect sense. Then Ninth Master would help him leave the game—nothing could be more logical.

He had just gone over the current plot. The Liu family’s funeral was done, but things weren’t over.

First, the murderer Chen Qin was still at large; second, he still had to complete Main Task Three—finding the key person Wei Liu.

Yan Jiyun noticed how close Ninth Master was to him, but far from minding, he found it more comfortable. Why hadn’t he realized before that being close to him was so much more straightforward?

He leaned against Ninth Master, who was momentarily surprised. After just one night, Yan Jiyun was this proactive?

Ninth Master asked, “Where did you spend the night?”

Yan Jiyun certainly couldn’t say he’d spent it sleeping next to him. “I spent the night thinking things over in a tree. Turns out, I rather like you. Feels good being close to you.” He meant every word.

Ninth Master was pleased by such initiative, though he suspected Yan Jiyun hadn’t slept well.

“You must not have rested much last night. Stay home and relax today—for now, don’t worry about work.”

Yan Jiyun shook his head. “I’m fine. Do I look like I didn’t sleep? I actually slept straight through till morning.”

Ninth Master tilted his chin, looking left and right. Not even the slightest hint of dark circles; eyes clear and bright—not at all like someone who’d missed a night’s rest.

He gave up trying to persuade him. “Fine, as you wish.”

Yan Jiyun laid out today’s plan. “Do you know who Wei Liu is?”

Ninth Master: “Who?”

Yan Jiyun described the photo he and Liu Jingxi had found in the box the night before.

Ninth Master: “There are five people in that photo, but only four pieces of the treasure map—not five. Are you suggesting the treasure the map leads to is a person?”

Yan Jiyun nodded. “Exactly. Which means no matter how high our offer, they won’t sell us the map—because from the start, the map was never about treasure.”

Ninth Master joined in. “But why go to all that trouble back then to spread the legend of a treasure map?”

Yan Jiyun: “Maybe it was a test, to see how tightly the secret could be kept. Uncle Ming said everyone went up the mountain searching, never considering the hiding place was in the city. We compared the old city map yesterday; whatever is hidden ought to be within the city.”

Ninth Master unexpectedly grinned. “Then it’s simple. We’ll find it today.”

Yan Jiyun: “What are you planning?”

Ninth Master: “You’ll see soon enough.” He pulled Yan Jiyun to the breakfast table. “I’ll tell you after you’ve eaten.”

Yan Jiyun had already eaten—couldn’t handle much of a human breakfast anyway.

The table was set with a Chinese breakfast; Yan Jiyun, not wanting to look strange, picked here and there, then declared himself full.

Ninth Master noted how little he ate. “No wonder you’re so thin. Just a couple of bites—like cat food. Caramel eats more than you.”

Yan Jiyun blinked. “You’re right.”

Ninth Master thought of another possibility. “Is the food not to your taste?”

Yan Jiyun made his request without hesitation. “At lunch, I want beef and lamb.”

Ninth Master didn’t object at all. “Fine, I’ll get that for you.” He never refused his own people anything.

Yang Er arrived as Yan Jiyun was keeping Ninth Master company at breakfast.

And he was the one with dark circles under his eyes, looking like he’d stayed up all night—red-rimmed and exhausted.

Yan Jiyun thought, Being Ninth Master’s subordinate isn’t easy.

He couldn’t help remembering Qi Feng’s own teammates—they worked hard too, never one to slack off.

Yang Er brought one good and one bad piece of news. “Do you want the good or the bad news first?”

Ninth Master didn’t reply, just stared at him. Yan Jiyun said, “If the result isn’t good, even the ‘good news’ is just another bad one. Just give us both.”

Yang Er caught his meaning, realizing he’d asked clumsily, and got straight to it.

“Ninth Master, last night we went to both the Chen and Lin families. At Chen’s, we found the treasure map you wanted. But the old man at Lin’s has passed away—the heirs know nothing about the map.”

Yan Jiyun could guess how they’d recovered the maps: probably stole it from the Chen family, threatened the Lins. Different methods for different people.

Yang Er handed the Chen family map to Ninth Master, who passed it straight to Yan Jiyun.

[Congratulations player, you have obtained the third mysterious treasure map fragment. Collect the full map to unlock a mysterious hidden mission. Keep it up!]

One piece left.

Yan Jiyun asked, “Where is Old Mr. Lin’s grave?”

Yang Er was startled by his boldness. “You wouldn’t really dig up a grave for a map, would you?”

Yan Jiyun: “Yes. Dig it up.”

Ninth Master told Yang Er, “Send someone to warn the Lin family—if they don’t hand over the map, we’ll dig up the old man’s grave.”

Yang Er: “The Lins are a family of scholars. Would they really try to deceive us?”

Yan Jiyun: “A scholar trying to trick you will sound more sincere than anyone.”

Yang Er: “I’ll go try right now.”

Yan Jiyun glanced outside. It was overcast but not raining—he disliked rain, made everything feel damp and heavy.

After Yang Er left, Ninth Master and Yan Jiyun went out as well.

Yan Jiyun wondered where to look for news of Wei Liu.

Ninth Master said, “Thinking about where to find our man?”

Yan Jiyun: “Yes. It’s a vast world, finding a stranger is tough.”

Ninth Master: “Not really. As long as he ever lived in Jiangnan Town, someone will remember him.”

Yan Jiyun recalled the old photograph. “But this person may have been missing for forty years—who could recall him? Still, he was stylishly dressed, looked like a rich young master, not an ordinary man. Probably from a well-off family.”

Ninth Master: “Then it’s easy. Forty years ago, he’d have been one of the town’s wealthy. We just ask the elderly. But there’s an even simpler way. Know where?”

Yan Jiyun met Ninth Master’s smiling eyes. “I do. The police station’s household registry office.”

The two of them went to the registry office at the police station.

Ninth Master’s identity was very handy here; as soon as he appeared, the director greeted him in person.

After a round of socializing, the director accepted his gift, and they quickly obtained Wei Liu’s registration.

They found, though, that forty years ago, there were three people with that name.

None of these files included photographs; they could only follow up based on the addresses.

Judging by dress and demeanor, they eliminated the countryside entry, and headed to the other two sites.

The first was a back-alley in a saltwater lane—messy, full of all kinds of folk.

Their car couldn’t make it in—they walked.

Yan Jiyun led with the address, Ninth Master following.

Before long, they found several dilapidated old houses in the alley, the address marked as Number 50. But on either side were 49 and 51—no 50 to be found.

Ghostly, isn’t it?

“How can there be no Number 50?”

Ninth Master: “Is it odd-only on one side, even on the other?”

Yan Jiyun: “But look around, what’s across the way?”

Ninth Master: “Market.”

On either side of the market, there were no shops or houses, just a stretch of ruins.

A subordinate with them said, “Ninth Master, they’re going to develop this area soon.”

Ninth Master: “Whose is it?”

Subordinate: “The Chen family’s.”

Yan Jiyun: “They’ve torn everything down, only a piece of land left. Once high-rises go up, there’ll be nothing left of the past.”

Since they hadn’t found Number 50, they tried the other address.

The other one was even stranger—a charity mortuary.

The sky was gloomy, and the area by the mortuary was deserted. Even though some people lived here, the houses were decrepit. Even with people sitting outside, the place couldn’t shake that eerie energy. The ones sitting there looked like sun-dried orange peels, old women with trembling hands breaking beans for ages without success, or old men mumbling to themselves. One house had a fool drooling helplessly over a wildflower.

It felt just like an old village in a horror film…

Yan Jiyun hated this sort of atmosphere, so he clung to Ninth Master’s arm, nestling close. He was Ninth Master’s man now—no need to fuss about appearances.

Heat rose in Ninth Master’s chest: “……” He berated himself for not being more assertive and naturally draped his arm around Yan Jiyun’s shoulders. “Don’t be scared.”

Yan Jiyun felt an unexpected sense of security as Ninth Master’s hand gripped his shoulder, but still straightened his back and insisted, “What makes you think I’m scared?”

Ninth Master: “……”