Damn your "leave it to fate"!
Mu Yuan knew Ling Yan was teasing him. He suppressed the fire in his heart and said with the patience of a "General's demeanor":
"Ling, I don't think that's appropriate."
Ling Yan had only taken two steps when Mu Yuan's low voice followed him.
Ling Yan's lips curved into a smile, and when he turned around, he wore an innocent, somewhat dazed expression.
"Does the General have other ideas?"
Ling Yan's "small soldier" persona made Mu Yuan's heart pound with unease.
He felt uncertain, wondering if Ling Yan suspected his identity.
No.
Definitely not.
Mu Yuan reassured himself.
Firstly, Ling Yan had never seen his real face. Moreover, as an interstellar thief, he had already been sent back to Prison Star.
He would definitely not discover that General Mu Yuan was the interstellar thief!
Mu Yuan calmed his emotions and said steadily:
"This is a treasure's hiding place. It's very likely fraught with danger everywhere. We can't make such a hasty decision about where to go."
"Then, General, you are experienced. Please decide, and this lowly one will follow you."
Mu Yuan pursed his lips, no longer speaking.
Ling Yan indeed did as he said. Wherever Mu Yuan went, he followed behind him like a tail.
After wandering around in circles, Mu Yuan put on a show and climbed to the higher part of the grotto, following the direction of Ling Yan's earlier gaze.
Was Ling Yan looking at this cave or that cave just now?
Mu Yuan hesitated for a moment, then suddenly a gust of wind blew out from the left cave.
This wind carried a hint of warmth and was accompanied by a floral fragrance.
Mu Yuan made a decisive decision. "Let's go this way."
Ling Yan felt gratified.
This wind had come at just the right time, conveniently giving Mu Yuan a way out.
[Mei.]
[I'm here, Boss.]
[Did the analysis I asked you to do a few days ago yield any results?]
[Ah, Boss, are you referring to the comparison between General Mu Yuan and Y? It's almost done. Please take a look.]
Driven by some unknown impulse, Ling Yan had given Mei a ridiculous order.
That was to compare Mu Yuan of the Xingling Kingdom, a real person in this virtual world, with the never-before-seen interstellar thief Y from the real world.
Unfortunately.
It had failed.
The reason for the failure was simple.
The galactic alliance had very little information about Y. His height, blood type, and appearance were all unknown.
The only thing they knew about him was the keepsake he would leave after each operation.
It was a special flower.
Mu Yuan quickened his pace because he had smelled the floral fragrance carried by the wind just now.
It was a flower he was extremely familiar with and liked very much.
At this moment, both of them had entered the cave. The inside wasn't as dark as the entrance.
The stone walls inside glowed with a faint purple light.
"General, slow down."
Ling Yan's voice startled Mu Yuan back to reality. He slowed his pace, and Ling Yan quickly caught up, walking alongside him.
"General, are you alright?"
Once inside the cave, Mu Yuan seemed to have changed. Ling Yan asked with concern.
Mu Yuan adjusted his breathing and mood, shaking his head.
"It's nothing."
In this dim and eerie environment, Ling Yan couldn't clearly see Mu Yuan's face, but his keen intuition told him that something was wrong with Mu Yuan.
As for why something was wrong, it wasn't hard to deduce.
It seemed it was time to give this General a strong dose of medicine.
"Suixin Flower."
Ling Yan said casually, but Mu Yuan stopped in his tracks.
The occasional purple light that seeped through the cave walls made the atmosphere between the two less awkward and more ambiguous.
Mu Yuan narrowed his fox-like eyes, a seductive smile playing on his lips. He moved closer to Ling Yan, pinching his chin and leaning his entire body against him.
Ling Yan's brow twitched, but he quickly returned to normal, asking softly, "General?"
Mu Yuan lowered his voice and asked, "You also know the Suixin Flower? Did you also smell this fragrance and look towards that upper cave?"
Ling Yan replied with a deep "hmm," reaching out to grasp Mu Yuan's hand that was pinching his chin. "I'm very familiar with this flower. A friend I know likes it."
Friend...
Mu Yuan's body visibly stiffened.
He stared at Ling Yan, wanting to see even the slightest hint of insincerity on his face.
Unfortunately, Ling Yan's expression was calm and cool. His chestnut eyes met Mu Yuan's slightly scrutinizing gaze without flinching, and they were sincere and open.
Although his lips were pursed, they weren't as sharp as before. When he spoke, he added a touch of warmth to his words:
"What? Does the General also like this flower?"
Mu Yuan was momentarily stunned.
But it was only for an instant.
He withdrew his hand from Ling Yan's grasp, thankfully Ling Yan hadn't held him with the same force, roughness, and disrespect as when he had caught him before.
A pang shot through Mu Yuan's heart.
Even though they were in a different world, if Ling Yan were to discover his identity...
Would their hard-earned harmonious relationship as "General" and "small soldier" cease to exist?
Mu Yuan took a deep breath.
He made up his mind—
He absolutely couldn't let Ling Yan know his real identity.
His expression returned to normal, his smile still alluring. "Yes, the Suixin Flower isn't common. Why does your friend like it?"
Seeing Mu Yuan's generous inquiry, Ling Yan was a little surprised. He touched the tip of his nose and confessed, "I'm not quite sure."
Mu Yuan feigned reproach. "Oh? A friend, yet you're not sure? You're quite the negligent friend, aren't you?"
Ling Yan scratched his head and casually asked, "Then why does the General like the Following Fragrance Flower?"
Mu Yuan shifted his gaze away from Ling Yan, looking instead at a bright spot not far away.
It was the cave's exit.
Perhaps in the dim environment, people became more sentimental.
He lowered his eyelids, his voice very soft. "In my hometown, there was a Suixin Flower tree. When I was little, my friends and I often climbed up the tree to admire the flowers. The fragrance filled the air, and sleeping on the branches, even our dreams were sweet."
Ling Yan listened quietly to Mu Yuan's words, and as he described it, a beautiful picture unexpectedly formed in his mind.
"Later, my home was gone, and the tree and flowers disappeared too. But I've never forgotten the scent of the Suixin Flower. Whenever I think of it, this place feels warm."
Mu Yuan reached out and covered his heart with his hand.
[Boss, the common point between Y and Mu Yuan is this Suixin Flower.]
Mei reported belatedly.
How could Ling Yan not know?
After each operation, Y would leave a Suixin Flower at the scene.
This was also why he was so easily imitated.
Mu Yuan sniffled and gave Ling Yan an apologetic smile. "Sorry for saying so much nonsense to you."
Ling Yan shook his head. "It's alright, General. If you ever want to talk in the future, this lowly one will be willing to listen."
Mu Yuan huffed.
Why hadn't he noticed before that Ling Yan's usually sarcastic mouth could actually say such sweet things?
The two of them turned left and right in the cave, following the terrain, getting closer and closer to the exit.
The purple light emanating from the surrounding stone walls also grew stronger.
As soon as Ling Yan entered the cave, he had discovered the secret of the light here.
Based on his judgment, the light seeping through the stone walls was because the stones actually contained a luminescent substance.
The dim purple light shone through the walls, illuminating the uneven path ahead. It was only because he and Mu Yuan were both quite bold; an ordinary person would have been terrified by their surroundings long ago.
Following the path naturally formed by the stone walls, they continued forward and soon exited the cave.
Their eyes were suddenly greeted by bright light. Unexpectedly, the final destination of the cave was a huge cavern.
Inside the cavern, strange rocks stood in various shapes and forms. Countless rows of stalactites glittered like ice pillars, and numerous conical stalagmites stood upright, like inverted thorns, their sharp edges gleaming.
These stone pillars surrounded a pool of water, which was ring-shaped and encircled a large tree emitting purple light.
The flowers on this tree had spiral-shaped petals, five petals on each flower. The outer part of the petals was light purple, and the inner part was golden yellow, each flower emitting a faint purple glow.
The cavern was filled with a fresh and elegant fragrance from this flowering tree. Just as Mu Yuan had said, the fragrance was refreshing and warmed the heart and stomach.
Ling Yan turned his head to look at Mu Yuan, only to see him staring at the tree, his body actually trembling slightly.
"General, what's wrong?"
Mu Yuan seemed to be in a trance. He stared intently at the tree, murmuring,
"It's like... it's too much like it. This is exactly the same as the Suixin Flower tree in my hometown."