Cat 259: Not Afraid of the Dark

Chapter 259 Not Afraid of the Dark

Yan Jiyun and his group sped toward the Cheng family home. Liu Jingxi was driving, with Yan Jiyun and Ninth Master seated in the back, and Cheng Xueying beside the driver. The closer they drew to the Cheng residence, the grimmer his expression became. Just as they were about to arrive, Cheng Xueying suddenly spoke.

“Let’s not go through the front entrance—let’s use the back. At this hour, the whole Cheng family should be in the front hall listening to my grandfather’s lecture.” As he said this, a mocking smile played at his lips.

“A lecture?” Yan Jiyun had picked up on a crucial detail. “What sort of things does he usually lecture about? I remember your grandfather only has your father as a son, and four aunts who married outside the family, right?”

Yan Jiyun knew the general situation of the Cheng family, but had never delved into the details.

Of the five people in the photograph, two—the ones from the Liu and Lin families—were already dead. Only those from the Cheng family, the Chen family, and Wei Liu remained.

“My grandfather actually trusts my eldest aunt’s side more. My parents always raised me as a girl, and since my grandfather isn’t willing to let the family business fall into the hands of outsiders, he wants to choose a boy from among my aunts’ children to be the heir. Once he’s decided, he’ll have the heir adopted under my father’s name. Our Cheng family is large—each aunt has her own courtyard to live in. At first they only stayed occasionally, but later it became more permanent. My grandfather loves the sight of four generations under one roof. So every night at dinner, he’ll deliver a few symbolic words of admonition, hoping his descendants won’t forget their roots.”

A possibility occurred to Yan Jiyun. If the players never saw through the secret of this scenario, what would the final outcome be? For now, their aim was to stop the five from committing further atrocities and to free all the souls trapped inside the paper figurines of Jiangnan Town. They needed to find the other three and also discover how to deliver the paper souls. Not only did they have to capture them, but also determine their ultimate goal. The five had once been so united—why had they now turned on each other? He would have to unravel every one of these mysteries.

Ninth Master, feeling the rush of cold air from the open window, had left behind the images he’d just witnessed. He followed Yan Jiyun’s line of questioning.

He asked, “How does he treat your cousin? What does he pay most attention to?”

Cheng Xueying replied, “Every aspect, I suppose.”

Yan Jiyun sensed something was amiss. “But isn’t your cousin only interested in having fun? He can’t do anything right. Your grandfather inherited the family business and ran it well. Did he never personally teach your cousin?”

Just a couple of days ago, he’d sat with the Cheng family’s manager and Ninth Master to discuss business. In less than half an hour, the deal was ruined by his cousin’s arrogance and pride.

Cheng Xueying shook his head. “He never really taught him in detail—he left it to my father. But my cousin was never interested in learning anyway.”

None of those present were fools. Cheng Xueying’s aunts only cared about the inheritance. For his cousin, winning the old man’s favor was success enough. Whether or not he learned anything didn’t matter, as his mother would guide him behind the scenes. That only made his cousin even less willing to learn. With so much wealth at his fingertips, why bother?

Yan Jiyun said, “I suppose you’ve learned plenty, haven’t you, cousin’s wife?”

Cheng Xueying, whose hair had yet to be trimmed short, gave him an exasperated look. “Could you please stop calling me that?”

Yan Jiyun nodded. “Alright, Young Master Cheng.”

Ninth Master shifted the topic. “Jiyun, have you made a new discovery?” His tone softened noticeably when he spoke to Yan Jiyun.

Yan Jiyun, as if eager to show off, replied, “How did you know I had a new idea?”

How had Ninth Master guessed?

The answer was simple: he observed carefully. When you care about someone, your gaze can’t help but follow them everywhere. Their every virtue becomes magnified in your eyes, the longer you watch, the more you see, the deeper you understand. So when Yan Jiyun’s eyebrow lifted slightly, Ninth Master knew he was onto something.

Ninth Master curved his lips at Yan Jiyun. “Take a guess.”

Yan Jiyun had no time for guessing games. As soon as Liu Jingxi parked the car where Cheng Xueying had directed, he leaned over and whispered to Ninth Master, “I suspect Old Master Cheng’s only reason for adopting your cousin is this: he’s in his seventies or eighties, his body can’t last much longer, so he intends to transfer his own soul into your cousin’s.”

Seeing him so close, Ninth Master became giddy and distracted. He rested his hand on Yan Jiyun’s waist, reaching under his shirt to brush that pale, luminous skin.

“Oh? I think you’re absolutely right.”

His fingers almost made contact, but at that moment, Yan Jiyun suddenly slid toward the door, opened it, and stepped out.

Ninth Master glanced ruefully at his own hand—just a heartbeat too slow. If he’d been a moment quicker, he would have touched him.

[“Want To Be Human”] Streaming Channel:

“No way, I’m going to die of laughter from Ninth Master. Was he just trying to sneak a feel of Cat Cub’s abs? But Cat Cub got out first, so all that affection was wasted, hahahaha!”

“I really think Cat Cub is pure, reinforced, straight male. Ninth Master is always flirting, but he acts totally blind—doesn’t see a thing, doesn’t even sense it.”

“Cat Cub’s intelligence and emotional intelligence in the game are fine, but when it comes to himself, it’s like they vanish!”

“Isn’t it obvious? Because it’s Ninth Master—and Ninth Master looks just like Qi Feng. Qi Feng is Cat Cub’s owner. He only thinks of himself as a loyal cat to his owner. How could he switch gears so quickly? Besides, Cat Cub’s only been in the game for less than three months. He just graduated from the beginner area, struggling to stay alive—where would he find the time to think about that?”

“Wow, you upstairs sisters are way too rational—you’re making me embarrassed to ship Cat Cub and Ninth Master as a couple.”

“I’m not the same—I just want to see how the plot unfolds! Romance or not, what does it matter to me?”

Cheng Xueying brought Yan Jiyun and the party to the back gate, where someone was already waiting—a loyal subordinate, recognizable by the voice as the one who’d previously given Cheng Xueying updates on the family’s affairs.

“Young Miss!”

“It’s me. Open up.”

The door opened. The four entered in single file. Liu Jingxi followed closely behind Cheng Xueying, having barely spoken since learning Cheng Xueying was a man, though his eyes often drifted toward him, each time as if wanting to say something but stopping short. Yan Jiyun followed, with Ninth Master bringing up the rear.

Yan Jiyun asked Cheng Xueying, “Your father’s funeral hasn’t been held?”

They’d spent the entire day searching for leads on Wei Liu and the others and hadn’t heard any news about Cheng Liang’s funeral.

Cheng Xueying, who had barely escaped being burned to death by his grandfather the night before and had since been lying low at the Liu residence, shook his head. “Xiao Erzi said my father would be buried quietly.” He curled his lip and let out a soft scoff, “He just wanted to get it over with.”

To Yan Jiyun, this Old Master Cheng seemed utterly cold and ruthless. As the saying goes, even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs, but he had not only devoured his own son, he’d nearly killed his grandson as well.

Each of these five bore blood on their hands; none could claim innocence.

But could it be, he wondered, that these people had already changed bodies?

A sudden thought struck Yan Jiyun, and he asked Cheng Xueying, “I see. By the way, where is your cousin now?”

Cheng Xueying turned to his man. “Zhang San, where is cousin right now?”

Zhang San answered, “Young Master has apparently fallen ill today; he’s been lying in his own courtyard, hasn’t come out.”

Cheng Xueying asked, “How did he suddenly get sick?”

Zhang San said, “They said it was a cold.”

Yan Jiyun said, “Take me to him.”

Zhang San didn’t recognize Yan Jiyun, so he looked to Cheng Xueying, who simply said, “Just do as he says.”

Zhang San replied, “Gentlemen, please follow me—I’ll take you down the side path to Young Master’s courtyard.”

Because the old lord favored Cheng Xueying’s cousin Song Kai, he enjoyed even better treatment than the legitimate grandson; his food and clothing were exquisite, and his comfort surpassed even a third of Cheng Xueying’s, the “granddaughter.”

Song Kai’s courtyard was second only to the old lord’s own: carved beams, painted rafters, and all the rare plants of Jiangnan town could be found growing here.

Yan Jiyun couldn’t help thinking, that’s all the prestige accorded a true young master.

He pricked his ears—nothing but silence.

Which meant, Song Kai’s illness was a lie.

There wasn’t even a stray cat in the yard. They pushed open the door and walked straight in.

Cheng Xueying asked, “Zhang San, did Song Kai go out?”

Zhang San shook his head. “Young Master, I don’t know. Those watching the place today all said Young Master never came out.”

Yan Jiyun and Ninth Master entered the main house and switched on the lights. The room was in disarray, as if a fight had taken place: vases shattered in the struggle, a shoe left askew beneath the chaise. Yan Jiyun made a circuit of the room and checked the shoe rack—one of Song Kai’s shoes was missing.

“We’re too late,” Yan Jiyun said to Zhang San. “You’re certain Song Kai entered but never left?”

Zhang San nodded. “Yes. Last night he went straight to bed. Someone brought food in today, but all they heard was dishes breaking. After the maid cleaned up, no one else went in.”

Liu Jingxi asked, “Too late for what?”

Ninth Master explained for Yan Jiyun, “The old lord may have taken Song Kai away.”

Cheng Xueying instantly grasped their meaning. “You mean, my grandfather’s so old—he wants a young, healthy body, and my cousin, whom he dotes on, is just a convenient vessel? He doesn’t really want an heir for the Cheng family at all. He only wants to use my cousin’s body to continue living?”

Yan Jiyun replied, “Precisely. That also explains why, after your father managed the business for years, your grandfather never truly handed it over. His ambitions are far greater. His body can’t last, and only with your father dead could your cousin inherit. And now, since you can’t marry out, the inheritance won’t fall to you either. Once all obstacles are cleared and possessing Song Kai’s body, he can continue living in luxury.”

That was why Cheng Xueying’s father had to die.

Cheng Xueying fell silent. “My father must not have died in vain.”

Yan Jiyun looked around the room. “I suspect the secret passage is here—your grandfather planned for years, and must have arranged for Song Kai to live here so he could later take over his body.”

A patriarch who still harangued younger generations at dinner obviously craved absolute control. From everything they’d heard, the old lord Cheng was a staunch believer in male primogeniture. If that was so, why would he suddenly toss the inheritance to a granddaughter, and care nothing for his dead son? It didn’t make sense—unless what mattered most to him now was not lineage, but himself. What could make him abandon everything else? The power to endlessly swap old for young bodies, to control the family’s fortunes forever.

Perhaps long ago, Cheng Liang saw something wrong in his father, and so he disguised his son as a daughter to protect him—without realizing the Liu family was a similar trap: Liu Sanze, whom he married his child to, had already been possessed by the old Mr. Liu.

Things were now clear: Old Cheng had orchestrated everything to resurrect himself once more.

Cheng Xueying said, “I have to find him—I can’t let him succeed. I remember coming here as a child. The place was renovated for a time, then Song Kai moved in. Back then, I even resented him. Tsk.”

He no longer minded Song Kai; the boy was nothing but a plump lamb raised for slaughter, hardly worth envying.

Yan Jiyun was about to ask what part had been renovated, when suddenly they heard Ninth Master turning a red vase on the display shelf.

Click, click, click. A secret door opened, revealing stairs descending into a basement.

Ninth Master raised his brows at Yan Jiyun, a hint of pride in his glance. “Tsk, couldn’t they have hidden it more cleverly?”

Yan Jiyun clapped him on the shoulder. “Well done, Ninth Master!”

Ninth Master seized on the chance. “You owe me another favor for this.”

Yan Jiyun thought they’d probably lose these memories when they left the scenario anyway, so he agreed at once. “Fine, I owe you. After we get out, I’ll grant you any one thing within my power.” Sword-browed and bright-eyed, Ninth Master gave a faint smile, and something jolted in Yan Jiyun’s heart. After a pause, he took Ninth Master’s hand. “Let’s go down. Don’t be afraid of the dark.”

Ninth Master: “…” He wasn’t afraid of the dark.