Always Ending Up as an Animal Cub

"Yun Mingchen and Yu Tong's memories of Chen Ge are extremely similar.
Both are equally theatrical and equally sly.

Mr. Wen's big move will surely make him cautious. There may even be traps in the secret realm.
Yun Mingchen never planned to go.
He intends to use this time to investigate the recent movements of the Wen and Su families.

At this point, they can be sure that Mr. Wen and his associates are using some form of either science or mysticism to transfer the soul of the wealthy patron into the target's body, while imprisoning the original soul in a nightmare.
Fake Su Feng, fake Su Su, fake Yun Zhongling, fake 0 male cultivator, and dozens of other people connected to female talisman cultivator Qiu Meng.
With so many wealthy patrons, their souls have entered other people's bodies. What should be done with their original bodies?

They can't just be discarded; they surely must be hidden somewhere.
What Yun Mingchen wants to investigate is the list of the wealthy patrons of the Wen and Su families.
After chatting for a while with Xiao Laba, he told Xiao Laba to act according to the situation and not get caught.

He then contacted the Princess, one who pretends to be devoted to the country, and the other who acts as a loyal head of the family.
The two had a video call, trying to extract more information from each other.
Yu Tong couldn’t participate in this kind of confrontation since, after all, he’s just a kitten and can’t speak human language.

Yun Mingchen and the Princess were playing their roles well, while Yu Tong meowed a few times to tell him he was bored in the room and wanted to take a walk around the mansion.
After becoming the new head of the family, Yun Mingchen quickly cleared out all internal matters.
Now it’s quite safe here. He raised his hand to pat the kitten’s behind, signaling him to go ahead.

Yu Tong was about to walk out following his push, but his heartbeat suddenly started to speed up.
A faint feeling of shyness was transmitted through the heart-to-heart device.
Yu Tong turned around in surprise and saw the villain, while still on a video call with the Princess, was rubbing his own fingertips.

He hesitated and meowed softly.
"Why are your ears so red? What did the Princess say?"
Yun Mingchen seemed to not understand his question and calmly replied, "Go play, Xixi. Don’t run around too much, be careful not to get bitten by the guard dogs."
In the video, the long-haired Princess, known as the Empire’s Red Rose for her beauty, tilted her head slightly with curiosity, "Mr. Yun, are you speaking to your little kitten? I’ve seen the picture you posted on your social media, and Xixi really is adorable."

Yun Mingchen exchanged pleasantries with her, then quickly changed the subject.
He was showing a contradictory side.
He wanted everyone to know that the dog was his little kitten, but at the same time, he didn’t want anyone to constantly talk about or show interest in his kitten.

Since truly becoming Yun Mingchen’s little kitten, Yu Tong had never been touched by anyone else.
This contradictory possessiveness was also very similar to Chen Ge.
Seeing that Chen Ge had calmed down, Yu Tong meowed and jumped off the table, slipping out through the door crack that Yun Mingchen had opened for him.

The system, sitting with a small stool at the window, watched the scene unfold.
Seeing Yu Tong’s serious expression, it leaned over with a curious look, "Hey! Little Yu, what are you thinking? Don’t overthink it. Your Chen Ge’s red face has nothing to do with the Princess."
Yu Tong answered with a hum, 'I figured it out. His face is red because he subconsciously pushed the kitten’s behind just now.'

"This is a good thing, little Yu! He treats you like a person. Aren’t you happy?"
Yu Tong didn’t respond, his tail swishing as he patrolled the corridor.
Meanwhile, while engaging in conversation with the Princess, Yun Mingchen suddenly felt much better.

He gently stroked his chest and lowered his gaze in contemplation.
The Princess in the video lightly tapped the table, and Yun Mingchen immediately snapped back to attention.
The woman with long hair rested her face on her hand, "My fifth brother has always been willful. Father’s health is worsening, and at this time, instead of staying in the palace to take care of him, he went out to search for some life-saving elixir. It’s bad enough he’s causing trouble, but now he’s dragging his third brother with him."

"I, as his older sister, am already over forty, yet my fifth brother is barely twenty. I can’t quite keep up with these young people’s way of thinking."
She looked at Yun Mingchen with a half-smile, "You and my fifth brother are about the same age. Do you think he’s just playing around, rebelling against his age, or is he following someone’s advice, caught up in the moment, going out to play this treasure hunt game?"
These words clearly pointed the finger at the third prince.

Yun Mingchen wasn’t sure whether the Princess really had the third prince’s secrets or if she was trying to fabricate evidence.
He pressed his lips together and lightly laughed, "When my parents were alive, they were strict, and I only focused on cultivating. I didn’t interact much with people my age."
The Princess nodded knowingly.

She fiddled with her hair, then shifted the topic, "I wonder if you’ve heard a certain urban rumor, one that gets automatically deleted when posted online and only circulates among a very small number of people."
Yun Mingchen adjusted his posture, "I’ve never had interest in such things, but if the Princess ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) finds it interesting, then I suppose this rumor is worth hearing."
"Not long ago, someone claimed they saw a prophecy book, one that supposedly detailed the entire future trajectory of this world. It says I will become the future Empress, fall deeply in love with a man, fight other women for his favor, and eventually hand the throne over to him, simply because I think I’m a woman and the throne was never meant for women."

The Princess’ eyes lowered slightly, and Yun Mingchen could sense a cold murderous intent in her tone.
"I find that book quite interesting and wanted to see it. But unfortunately, everyone who’s seen the book can’t even describe where it is. I didn’t take it seriously at first. After all, in the Empire, where stories about royal members are concerned, fan fiction is everywhere. Compared to other novels, this one’s character designs are all over the place, and the side characters are rather dumb."
"But as time passed, the contents of the book began to come true. There really is someone named Su Feng, and he has a childhood friend named Su Su."

The Princess summarized Su Feng’s life trajectory, then lightly smiled, "Mr. Yun, the book also mentions you. It says that you’ll ruin your reputation because you’re opposing Su Feng."
Yun Mingchen slightly raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond.
The two continued chatting for a while, before the Princess suddenly ended the call in a hurry.

It seemed the old Emperor, who had been sick, was once again trapped in a nightmare.
This time, he wasn’t just twitching all over but was crying and shouting, 'I can’t stop it! The monster is about to escape! Come, someone! Why is no one helping me? The monster is going to eat people!'
After the call ended, Yun Mingchen sat there, deep in thought.

He replayed the old Emperor’s dream-like words in his mind.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the old Emperor wasn’t speaking nonsense.
Those chosen by the Wen and Su families have their souls trapped in nightmares. And those monsters are also hidden within the dreams.

The old Emperor must have seen the monster in his dream trying to escape into the outside world to kill people, which was why he shouted out in panic.
In his imagination, the outside of the dream might be the palace. He was afraid that the monsters escaping the dream would harm his children.
As for the book the Princess mentioned, Yun Mingchen had never heard of it.

But Yu Tong had brought up something related to the book.
When the male servant killed the little kitten, he had shouted, "What the book says is true, the young master is really raising monsters."
In addition, Yu Tong had found a conversation between Mr. Wen and the male servant on the servant's phone, which confirmed that the Wen and Su families indeed had a book.

However, the conversation didn’t mention any information from the book, only that it was a prophecy book.
The book said Yun Mingchen secretly raised monsters, which would pose a threat to the peace of the Empire. Once he became the head of the Yun family, the Empire would fall into chaos.
Earlier records had been deleted, and the little kitten hadn’t found them.

It was unclear how Mr. Wen managed to make the male servant so convinced about the book's contents.
The manipulated male servant viewed the task of crushing the young master’s will, preventing him from inheriting the family, and maintaining the Empire’s peace, as his sacred duty, and desperately tried to trouble the young master.
Yun Mingchen furrowed his brows and gently tapped the table with his long fingers.

Even the Princess mentioned this matter, and it seemed she deeply believed in the book.
Could it be...
Is there really a prophecy book in this world?

But where did it come from?
As he pondered, he habitually turned his head, wanting to consult with his little kitten.
But as he turned, he saw an empty shoulder and remembered that the dog had gone out for a walk.

Yun Mingchen intended to check the call duration with the Princess. He just opened the chat app when he saw a new message from Xiao Laba.
Village Xiao Laba: [Miss Zhongling has been crying in the infirmary. She seems very scared, crying and shouting that she wants to return to Yun’s family. Sir, should I bring her back?]
Dog man: [What did the teacher say? How do you know she’s crying?]

Village Xiao Laba: [The teachers are helpless, and there are other students in the infirmary. They sent the message to the campus forum. Sir, should I bring the young lady back to Yun’s family?]
Dog man: [No, don’t bother her. Also, don’t stay at the school. It’s not suitable for you.]
Xiao Laba didn’t ask why, obediently packing up to leave.

Looking at the somewhat silly and adorable chat logs, Yun Mingchen rubbed his temples with a headache.
Xiao Laba is fine, but he’s too naïve. Yun Mingchen also worried about his younger sister, but such an obvious trap was only for fools.
If it were his dog, it definitely wouldn’t fall for it. Looks like it’s time to prioritize the kitten’s training.

Thinking about the kitten-like face he saw in his dream, Yun Mingchen’s cheeks flushed slightly.
I wonder if Xixi will look like the person in my dream when he becomes human.
Xixi is eventually going to be human. In the future, he can’t just casually absorb cats anymore.

While pondering, Yun Mingchen clicked on the Princess’s profile.
It showed that their total video call time was 1 hour and 57 minutes. Including the reply to Xiao Laba’s message, the kitten had been gone for two hours.
The kitten’s legs are short, and the old Yun mansion is so large. It’s normal for him to take a bit longer.

Yun Mingchen took out a pen and paper to整理 the information from the Princess.
He closed his eyes, his mind full of his dog.
When he opened his eyes, the notebook was filled with drawings of his little kitten.

Yun Mingchen sighed lightly, stood up, and walked to the secret room of the study to check the mansion’s surveillance.
Wait, where’s my kitten?
—

Yu Tong isn’t really a little kitten and doesn’t need to walk himself.
He left the study just to stroll around the old mansion. Checking to see if there were any hidden people from the Wen and Su families among the servants and guards.
After all, the Yun family has been in power for many years, and even the elders of the clan have passed away. There’s no reason not to have planted spies in the house.

After Yun Mingchen became the family head, he cleaned up internally several times, but Yu Tong worried that some people were too deeply hidden for Chen Ge to notice.
Now that it’s his time to shine, who would suspect a three- to four-month-old kitten?
There aren’t many servants on night duty in the old mansion, and Yu Tong strolled past them casually, then went around the staff dormitory.

They were all very polite to the head of the family’s pet, and he didn’t notice anything unusual.
While running and thinking, Yu Tong pondered.
Why did the three major families decide to trade in soul-switching technology?

This is a huge risk. If even one buyer leaks the secret, both the Wen and Su families will be pursued by the imperial family.
At that point, not only would they fail in their business, but the monster army they’re cultivating would also be exposed.
Yu Tong felt that, although the three families had declined, they shouldn’t be poor enough to do such a thing.

The risks they took had to have another purpose.
With this in mind, Yu Tong suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The wealthy patrons are either rich or noble, most likely high-ranking officials or business tycoons in the Empire, and the top patron is even a prince.

Wouldn’t their relationship with the three major families go beyond simple monetary transactions and involve a rebellion plan?
No.
Looking at fake Su Feng’s behavior during the fog incident, he never expected to be resurrected. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have fled so earnestly at the time.

Also, he was so scared of the monsters, but after being attacked, he still became a wealthy patron for the Wen and Su families.
This shows that he didn’t know he could come back to life, nor did he know that his body would turn into a monster.
Yu Tong’s mind cleared instantly.

He shivered with excitement and meowed in delight.
The system, in the middle of changing its tattoo stickers, noticed how happy the host seemed and curiously asked, "Hey, Little Yu, what are you thinking? Don’t overthink it! Your Chen Ge’s blushing has nothing to do with the Princess."
Yu Tong purred, sharing his excitement, "I’ve figured out the three major families’ rebellion plan. Now I just need to figure out how they replace souls and find the right solution to dismantle their plan."

The system didn’t feel the joy at all, and it was just head-scratching. It wanted Yu Tong to skip the messy reasoning and just tell it the result.
Not that it lacked patience, it just didn’t understand what was being said.
—

Yu Tong said a lot, but the system condensed it according to its own understanding.
This world isn’t suited for cultivation, many are born ordinary. Only those from families with a history of cultivators can produce practitioners.
That’s why the Empire’s top cultivation academy places so much emphasis on bloodline inheritance and is so exclusionary.

Though the cultivation world is deteriorating, cultivation still has its benefits.
For instance, Yun’s parents, both in their seventies, have faces like they’re in their twenties. If they don’t die unexpectedly, they could easily live for a few hundred more years.
Real eternal youth, living hundreds of years.

For example, Yun Mingchen can call items to his hand with a thought. He can easily move heavy objects with a wave.
Yu Tong thought, those ordinary people must be envious of cultivators.
Who wouldn’t want to stay young and beautiful forever, and be able to carry a whole moving company on their own? No need for a car, just one flying sword and they can cross the country.

The mountains near Yun’s old mansion, benefiting from the Yun family’s fame, became a famous tourist spot.
When Yu Tong first returned to the Yun family mansion with Yun Mingchen, tourists crowded the mountain nearby, waiting in line to watch Yun Mingchen fly by on his sword.
For ordinary people without talent, cultivation was a distant, yet real dream.

The three families used new technology to break the cultivation world’s bloodline monopoly. They turned cultivation from a talent-based system into a pay-to-play system.
As long as you’re willing to spend money, anyone can cultivate.
The Empire’s top cultivation academy was jointly established by the three families, and all its students are cultivators, with their data stored in the Yun, Wen, and Su families.

For the wealthy patrons without cultivation talent, they pay money, and the families let them pick students.
After the wealthy patrons select a good body, the families use their connections to lure the students out, and then soul-swap them.
The entire process takes less than a day, and no one suspects a thing.

Every year, the students’ parents pay tuition fees. The families pocket the money while selling their children.
They turn around, and with the wealthy patrons' money, they tamper with the bodies, and each time a patron dies, the families create a new monster.
The system clicks its tongue, feeling that the three families are so despicable, they should have been swindlers instead.

Making money off both sides, the Yun, Wen, and Su families, along with the Empire’s high-ranking officials, collaborate.
While quickly accumulating wealth, they also stuff the souls of political and business leaders into the tampered bodies.
On the other hand, the younger generation of cultivators is trapped in dreams, and their bodies are sold off.

The small cultivation families don’t dare to challenge them and have to follow their orders.
After all this, the Empire not only controls those with political influence but also the big and small families of the cultivation world.
Truly impressive.

—
Understanding the key point, Yu Tong didn’t continue exploring the mansion and began scampering back.
The system was still lamenting, "These old men and women are so greedy. They haven’t let go of the Empire’s cultivation world, and I don’t even know how they managed to fool those old-timers."

"I feel that rather than calling it a school, it’s more like the three families’ warehouse. All the students are just goods to be chosen. They’re truly pitiful."
Yu Tong was busy looking for Chen Ge and didn’t have time to chat.
The system, feeling in a good mood, patted its chest and shared its new tattoo with him.

Yu Tong took a moment to look.
The tattoo on the little light ball’s chest, originally of Guan Yu, was now turned into Sailor Moon, which seemed totally out of place.
The system pulled out a big cardboard box and proudly showed it off, "I bought a whole box of tattoos at the carnival, and now I’m going to change tattoos every day."

‘Good, I support you!’
"Do you know who Martin the Chameleon is? From now on, I’ll be Chameleon Ma!"
Yu Tong: …?

Before he could start criticizing the system, a figure suddenly flashed out of one of the rooms in the corridor.
Yu Tong looked carefully and saw Yun Zhongling’s maid, Lian Qiao.
She was wearing pajamas and seemed to be half asleep, probably heading to the restroom.

The two of them locked eyes, and Lian Qiao crouched down, showing him a gentle smile, "Hello, Xixi
."
Yu Tong politely meowed.

Lian Qiao pulled out a cat teaser from her robe and began waving it in front of him.
Yu Tong wasn’t stupid. Who would pull out a cat teaser from their pajamas?
He looked at Lian Qiao and then tried to turn and run, but Lian Qiao suddenly grabbed his tail and threw him into the room with a swift motion.

Yu Tong: ???
System: ???