Cat 268: Clearing the New Instance

Chapter 268: Clearing the New Instance

[Want to Be Human] Livestream:

“Damn, that was intense, so thrilling! Right after the ordinary comes the climax—is Ninth Master alright? Will he burn to death? There’s still fire on the arrow!”

“Ninth Master saved the kitten by instinct. Yang Er’s arrow was aimed at the kitten. Their bond is truly moving, I’m dying from shipping them. A question: when are you two getting together?”

“Aiyo, just watching makes my shoulder ache in sympathy.”

The arrow had struck Ninth Master in the shoulder. Originally, Yang Er had intended the arrow for the black cat that had overturned the oil bottle, but there was no time for a second shot—he was now gone, leaving only the boat they had constructed. Compared to the completely paper-crafted little boat, this slightly larger vessel had a wooden frame, making it sturdier and more usable. Of course, it could not touch the water either.

Yan Jiyun watched as blood began to flow from Ninth Master’s shoulder, his whole body tense.

It was already obvious that Ninth Master was Qi Feng. He had to be alright, didn’t he?

Stunned for two seconds, he jumped from Ninth Master’s arms to the ground, lightening his burden.

Ninth Master was ruthless too. With no cat in his arms, he didn’t hesitate to yank the arrow from his shoulder. The wound was deep, and blood flowed freely.

Yan Jiyun’s sense of smell was keener than his vision; the scent of blood rushed instantly into his nostrils, making him ache just to inhale it.

He asked, “Meow?” Are you alright?

There was a dye workshop behind them. He went in, picked up a strip of cloth, and brought it to Ninth Master, who didn’t even flinch.

Ninth Master squatted in front of him, saying, “I’m fine.” He saw worry in the cat’s eyes—without doubt, it was Yan Jiyun.

He swiftly bandaged himself, then looked toward the river.

Ninth Master said, “Let’s take the boat.”

Behind them, a few others crouched, arriving at the same thought.

One of the female players said, “This black cat can even cooperate with you. Amazing.”

The remark delighted Ninth Master; it was as if the pain of his wound lessened. A hint of pride appeared on his pale face: “I raised this cat. It’s very smart.”

The clever black cat was now very worried that Ninth Master’s wound would become infected by bacteria from the arrowhead—they needed to leave this instance at once.

Now, with the threat behind them eliminated, nothing could stop their escape.

Even Tang Seng faced eighty-one tribulations to retrieve the scriptures; they had survived the fire—just one last step remained.

Of the three boats on the river, only one remained.

Ninth Master said, “Caramel, get on the first boat.”

As he was about to lift Qiu Xi onto the boat one-handed, a male player behind them helped carry Qiu Xi over.

The male player said, “It was your cat who led us here. As thanks, we’ll help your teammate onto the boat.”

They did not know Ninth Master was actually an NPC. He glanced at Caramel, who was already on the boat waiting, neck adorned with a collar.

Ninth Master nodded, acknowledging a fair exchange.

Two men and a cat boarded one boat. The other players took the second boat.

Though Qiu Xi had only half his body left, he could still use items. Undeterred, he said, “I can navigate the boat.”

Ninth Master started the boat’s electric motor. All Qiu Xi had to do was steer.

He told Qiu Xi, “Stay as far right as you can to avoid the flames.”

Feeling he was finally of use, Qiu Xi replied, “Understood. You rest now.”

Yan Jiyun stood at the bow, black fur ruffled by the wind, expression tense.

Where would the boat take them?

He and Qiu Xi were both paper-people. If they fell in, their lives would be forfeit.

Ninth Master, clutching his shoulder wrapped in blue patterned cloth, walked up behind the black cat. “Don’t worry, we’ll make it out. I won’t let you fall in the water.”

Yan Jiyun turned to look at him, green eyes brimming with faint anger. “……” Why just that topic, of all things? He really was afraid of water.

Ninth Master’s eyes held a glint of amusement.

Yan Jiyun turned away.

The waterways of Jiangnan Town spread in all directions; within two minutes, the boat reached a fork.

Ninth Master steered from memory: “Go right, then left, then right again—then just keep going straight.”

He could feel his memories of Jiangnan Town slipping away—the harder he tried to recall, the more his head throbbed with pain.

Yan Jiyun noticed his state; he reared onto his hind legs, front paws on Ninth Master’s thigh, peering at his wound, thinking it was pain from the injury.

Ninth Master stroked his head, unguarded as ever toward Caramel. “It’s not the injury—it’s that I’m starting to forget Jiangnan Town. If I try too hard to remember, my head hurts. While I still remember the way out, let me tell you.”

Yan Jiyun, eyes wide: “Meow!”

Qiu Xi immediately tore down the notebook and pencil hanging on the boat. “Boss Qi, tell me—I’ll write it down!”

Ninth Master continued: “At the fourth fork, take the middle route. After that, you’ll see a Su’s Wine House. Go further and there’s a narrow waterway; after passing through, you’ll join with the main river, and that means we’ve left Jiangnan Town.”

As he finished, he met the black cat’s gaze, reaching out to pinch the custom-made collar. He recalled the scene when he’d pushed open Yan Jiyun’s door and, besides seeing that pale body, saw a leather necklace around the neck identical to Caramel’s at home.

Ninth Master murmured lowly, “Even as a paper-person, the necklace carries over?”

Yan Jiyun stared at Ninth Master’s face—his lips growing paler, eyelids growing heavier, each blink slower.

What was happening? The signs were ominous, like he was about to faint.

Yan Jiyun called anxiously, “Meow, meow, meow!”

Ninth Master moved his lips again: “You never used to call out; now you don’t stop. I’m fine…” He struggled to resist the urge to sleep.

Yan Jiyun anxiously jumped onto his lap, patting his face. Ninth Master, already leaning against the boat, drifted into sleep.

Qiu Xi grew flustered: “What do we do, what do we do! If only Yun-ge were here, he’d know what to do.”

Yan Jiyun: “……” Like hell he would. Without an experience token, he was just a useless cat!

Perhaps entering as an NPC imposed certain constraints on Qi Feng. Was he now offline?

He’d done all he could to help.

Qiu Xi, having to steer, couldn’t look after Ninth Master. Yan Jiyun stayed crouched on his lap, licking his face, eyes, lips—leaving no spot untouched. Surely this would wake him?

If one lick didn’t work, he’d try twice!

Again and again—”Meow~ Meow~ Meeoow~” Please wake up!

Qiu Xi called to Caramel: “Caramel, even if Yun-ge isn’t here, I’ll do my best to get you out. I won’t waste the money Boss Qi paid!”

Yan Jiyun continued licking and patting Ninth Master’s face, sometimes raising his voice, each call louder than the last. If licking wouldn’t wake him, noise would.

Back in the real world, if Qi Feng slept soundly and missed breakfast time, Yan Jiyun would call at his ear until he woke. He’d suspected Qi Feng only pretended to sleep, just to hear him meow.

Seeing that he still wouldn’t wake, Yan Jiyun called even more urgently: “Meow meow meow!”

[Want to Be Human] Livestream:

“Suddenly I really feel for the master and the kitten. Honestly, this devotion is truly moving.”

“Master must not die! If you die, our kitten will have no owner. After seeing Qi Feng take an arrow for the kitten, I can’t accept anyone else as the kitten’s owner!”

“Me too, my heart aches. It’s just a livestream, yet I’m getting emotional.”

“I want to know how the master entered the game?”

“That’s easy. The kitten found its way in through some method; afterward, the master, through the pet-bond system, also entered. The system probably didn’t expect such unwavering devotion. Despite losing his memory, the master didn’t become an antagonist—instead, he helped the kitten. Otherwise, given his character, he’d be a formidable villain, ready to strike down the players.”

“Haha, after hearing that analysis, didn’t the system totally shoot itself in the foot?”

Under Yan Jiyun’s urgent cries, Ninth Master actually woke up, a faint smile at his lips: “You managed to wake me, though my face is practically ruined from your licking.”

Yan Jiyun breathed a sigh of relief—using the hook of his tongue to rouse Ninth Master had worked. It hadn’t been for nothing!

But Ninth Master remained in a dazed state, only able to rouse briefly for an occasional word with Yan Jiyun.

The boat carried on. They reached the fork with three waterways that Ninth Master had described. Qiu Xi spotted the Su Wine House, signaling they’d nearly escaped the instance. More surprises followed: another boat emerged from a branching waterway carrying their familiar teammates.

“Wenzhu-ge! Wenzhu-ge! It’s me!”

Yan Jiyun saw them, too, but still had to look after Ninth Master, licking his face at intervals to wake him. Blood was already seeping through the blue cloth on his shoulder—he was close to losing too much. Truthfully, Yan Jiyun knew Qi Feng’s constitution shouldn’t be this weak, but now, as Ninth Master without personal memories, perhaps the system had restricted his abilities.

Seeing his teammates genuinely pleased him.

But a split soon formed. Ouyang Pei, who had led Gu Wenzhu and the others out, insisted that instead of taking the middle waterway, they ought to go by the far right.

Qiu Xi knew little about NPCs and preferred to trust Boss Qi. Hence, he told Gu Wenzhu and He Yuanle his thoughts.

Ouyang Pei was dissatisfied: “You asked me to lead you out, and now, here, you won’t listen anymore? That waterway spells certain death.”

Yan Jiyun couldn’t speak, but his opinion matched Qiu Xi’s.

Gu Wenzhu looked at Caramel and the Ninth Master slumped in the boat. He knew their task was to bring Cheng Xueying and Liu Jingxi out safely.

He said to Cheng Xueying, “Come with us. I’ll trust Ninth Master.”

Ouyang Pei’s face darkened: “Grandson, you must come with me! No one knows Jiangnan Town better than I do. Ninety-nine steps, and you’re going to throw it all away with one mistake. Think it through!”

Gu Wenzhu and He Yuanle hesitated, but ultimately, they trusted their team.

Gu Wenzhu: “We’re taking the middle route. Liu Jingxi, steer us that way.”

Liu Jingxi looked at Cheng Xueying: “What do you think?”

Cheng Xueying didn’t know Ouyang Pei, but he trusted Yan Jiyun’s character and assumed his friends were decent, too.

He said, “I’ll go with them.”

At that moment, Ouyang Pei abruptly kicked Liu Jingxi aside, spun the boat in another direction, and drew a crossbow from her chest!

Her face twisted: “Don’t move. If anyone moves, I’ll kill you all right here.”

Cheng Xueying: “What are you doing?”

She spat, “I’m going to pick someone up!”

Gu Wenzhu: “That foreign language teacher?”

Qiu Xi, finally able to speak, said, “The man you’re after—he’s already dead.”

Ouyang Pei’s expression changed—her rage no longer merely feral, but furious.

“The teacher’s dead? Did you kill him?!”

Of course, Qiu Xi wouldn’t admit that a cat had knocked over the oil lamp and burned the man alive on the boat.

He saw the antagonist about to lose control, and with teammates still on-board, he dared not provoke them further. Choosing his words carefully, he answered, “He struck first. We only fought back out of necessity. It wasn’t us proactively killing him—it was an accident.”

This phrasing he’d learned from Yan Jiyun. Since entering the instance, he’d worked hard to grow.

Ouyang Pei, hearing the news, lost the last shreds of her reason.

Now controlling the direction of the boat, she steered it directly into Qiu Xi and Yan Jiyun’s craft.

“All of you, die!”

He Yuanle, ignoring her crossbow, tackled her on the spot.

Even so, the boats still drew closer—if they collided and were damaged, disaster would follow.

Ouyang Pei was not so easily subdued. In a younger, stronger body, she wrestled He Yuanle, but the others piled on, restraining her. Soon, Gu Wenzhu and He Yuanle had her arms pinned behind her back.

Cheng Xueying hurriedly grabbed the wheel, preventing a collision.

Qiu Xi also fought to steer, but the boats clustered in the center—unable to advance or retreat, the crash inevitable.

Yan Jiyun steeled himself, closing his eyes and burying his face in Ninth Master’s embrace—if it was the end, so be it.

At that moment, he was suddenly lifted and gently placed on the ground. Looking up, he saw Ninth Master, until just now sitting slumped, now at the bow. He grabbed two life rings, bracing them where the boats would collide.

What was Ninth Master doing?

Bang!

The boats collided after all.

Ignoring his injuries, Ninth Master used his legs to drive Gu Wenzhu’s boat away—being human, even if his legs touched the water, they wouldn’t be lost.

He said to Gu Wenzhu across the boats, “Kill Ouyang Pei. She’s lost her mind—they can’t be allowed to leave Jiangnan Town.” His composure made him entirely convincing.

Gu Wenzhu snatched the crossbow, unhesitatingly shooting Ouyang Pei in the left side of her chest from behind.

Sss.

Ouyang Pei’s body suddenly collapsed.

Ninth Master added, “Throw her in the water.”

Gu Wenzhu and He Yuanle complied.

As her body hit the water, a muffled explosion resounded from below. The whole action was as swift as flowing water—hesitate even a second, and they all would have perished, in retrospect filling them with dread.

Yan Jiyun clung to the rail, fixating on Ninth Master’s cool-headed command—this was the Qi Feng he knew, without question.

The boats collided, but there was no significant damage.

Now, only Jiangnan Town’s great fire was left to chase them. Ninth Master said, “Go. Now!”

He returned to the cabin.

Qiu Xi called across, “Wenzhu-ge, follow me!”

Gu Wenzhu flashed him an OK sign.

Liu Jingxi and Cheng Xueying remained dazed—if, in a moment of weakness, they’d tried to save Ouyang Pei, everyone would be lost to the river.

Three boats in all departed, motor engines droning, following Ninth Master’s given route.

With the obstacles gone, progress was smooth.

Ninth Master, spent, returned to the cabin and fainted. No matter how much Yan Jiyun licked, he wouldn’t wake; his breaths grew weaker and weaker.

Yan Jiyun yowled at Qiu Xi, urging him to throttle forward and get them out fast!

Half an hour later, the ever-present mist suddenly cleared, revealing a road sign pointing in a new direction.

The boats entered the main river.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh.

At the final moment, Yan Jiyun meowed to Liu Jingxi and Cheng Xueying on the opposite boat.

So many things had happened—he’d forgotten to tell them they’d once been pen pals. Hopefully they’d discover it on their own someday; otherwise, what a pity.

With a chime, the long-awaited system notification sounded.

[Congratulations, player, on completing Task 5.]

[Congratulations on clearing the new instance for the first time. There are 30 minutes left—would you like to end the game now?]

This time, Yan Jiyun didn’t hesitate to choose to end the game immediately.

Qi Feng was still unconscious!