"Half a gourd?"
Mu Yuan took the object Ling Yan offered, adding a comment, "I thought it was just a broken clod of earth. Well, look at that, it really is a gourd."
Following the position of the clod Ling Yan had been manipulating, Mu Yuan indeed noticed that the protrusion and the thing sticking out on top were the gourd's neck and stopper.
"So, this is a gourd, but only the upper half?"
Ling Yan nodded.
"What about the lower half? Is it here too?" Mu Yuan asked casually.
Mei replied earnestly: [It's not here. There are no other energy fluctuations within this grotto.]
Ling Yan thought to himself, you two might as well communicate directly; there's no need to go through me.
But on the surface, he still answered Mu Yuan seriously:
"The terror is gone, but in any case, this half-gourd should be the treasure hidden in this treasure land that the purple vortex brought us to. Of course, as the General said, it's also the reason those alien beasts attacked Snowgate Island."
Mu Yuan nodded. "Alright, seeing that it's not glowing anymore, it shouldn't attract any more alien beasts. The most urgent thing now is to find a way out of here."
Ling Yan nodded.
As for the exact content of Mu Yuan's dream just now, neither of them mentioned it.
The content of Mu Yuan's dream could be discerned from his expression; it certainly wasn't pleasant.
And Ling Yan was completely bewildered by his own dream.
Who was that little boy?
Could the dream be conveying something about lost memories?
Or was it just a hallucination induced and confused by this half of the purple-gold gourd?
Filled with many questions, Ling Yan and Mu Yuan arrived at the two cave entrances in the east of the now withered Following Fragrance Flower tree, the ones Ling Yan had analyzed earlier.
Ling Yan explained his analysis results to Mu Yuan. Mu Yuan looked at the two eastern cave entrances, then turned his head to look at Ling Yan.
His face was full of anticipation.
Mei, in Ling Yan's consciousness, had already seen through this General's tactics and directly confronted Ling Yan:
[Boss, I really can't help this time. Based on the wind speed, both of these paths are dead ends, and so are the other three, of course. This cavern itself has no exit.]
Ling Yan listened to Mei's conclusion, touched his nose, and smiled slightly at Mu Yuan.
"General, please decide. Wherever the General goes, I will go."
Hearing Ling Yan's tone, Mu Yuan knew that getting out wouldn't be so easy.
He turned back to look at the broken stone pillars on the ground, casually picked up a relatively thin one, planted it on the ground, and spun it forcefully.
The stone stick spun a few times and fell to the ground, its pointed end facing the cave on the right.
This time, the two of them truly chose to leave it to fate.
Mu Yuan looked at Ling Yan and raised an eyebrow at him.
Ling Yan bent down, extended his hand, and made a gesture of invitation.
After some mutual deference, Mu Yuan, with his hand on the sword hilt, took the lead.
Leaving the cavern where the Suixin Flower tree was located and entering the low cave entrance, they hadn't walked far before they discovered that the cave passage was becoming wider and wider.
The smallness was only at the entrance.
Ling Yan kept his eyes and ears open, while also reminding Mei to be constantly vigilant of the surrounding environment.
[Boss, don't worry. With me here, your and the General's safety is guaranteed. The sky outside is about to dawn. You and the General have been in this purple vortex for an entire night. Although you both rested for a while just now thanks to the half of the purple-gold gourd, it's still far from enough, especially for the General.]
Ling Yan observed Mu Yuan's complexion. He could feel it even without Mei's reminder; Mu Yuan was forcing himself.
Mu Yuan was, after all, only mortal, unlike his own modified and upgraded body. His previous injuries had only healed a few days ago, and he had already gone through a series of changes.
[The most important thing is, you need to eat.]
Mu Yuan's breathing gradually became heavier, and his hand lightly rested on his waist.
Unable to restrain himself, he cursed inwardly.
Just now, he had been so focused on showing off in front of Ling Yan while slaying the rock-devouring monster that his movements were too large, pulling on the wound on his waist. It was probably reopened.
Mu Yuan couldn't help but glance at Ling Yan.
Sigh, beauty... no, male beauty is indeed a source of trouble!
Ling Yan didn't know Mu Yuan's thoughts. He was currently more urgently wanting to find some food to replenish Mu Yuan's strength as soon as possible, after all, Mu Yuan's handsome face had lost its vitality.
*Zhi zhi zhi!*
*Hiss hiss!*
Just as he thought of this, two echoing strange sounds came from the depths of the cave.
"Ling, did you hear that?"
Before Mu Yuan finished speaking, with a *whoosh*, a dark shadow rushed towards the two of them at high speed...
With swift hands and sharp eyes, Ling Yan instantly grabbed the black shadow that had darted towards them.
Ling Yan's grip was steady and his aim precise.
It was a sea rat, its entire body covered in glossy black fur.
Ling Yan's fingers were hooked behind its furry ears, securing its gills.
Like a fish, this rat had gills on its body, allowing it to stay in the sea for extended periods.
Apart from the gills behind its ears, its appearance was that of a giant rat, with a nose and mouth, so even on land, it wouldn't suffocate like a normal fish.
This sea rat was clearly one of the five that had been sucked into the purple vortex. However, for some unknown reason, the five rats had scattered, and this one had ended up here.
After being caught by Ling Yan, the sea rat struggled violently, its cries becoming even more miserable.
"Ling, why did you grab it?"
Mu Yuan frowned slightly, a hint of disgust in his expression.
"This thing might be able to lead us to the exit, but..."
Mu Yuan also noticed that the sea rat's black fur was standing on end, and its cries were rapid, as if—
"It's scared."
Mu Yuan concluded.
Ling Yan nodded. "Yes, it's scared, but definitely not of me."
*Hiss hiss...*
There it was again!
That sound from just now.
Mu Yuan and Ling Yan exchanged a glance, both looking towards the depths of the huge cave they were in. The purple crystals on the walls suddenly seemed to have their light obscured, and the cave darkened.
The sea rat in Ling Yan's hand struggled desperately to escape, but Ling Yan wouldn't let it have its way.
He looked around and saw strips of material scattered at his and Mu Yuan's feet.
Ling Yan bent down, picked up a strip, and tied the sea rat up securely, placing it on the ground with its legs in the air.
Knowing it couldn't escape, the sea rat let out a yelp, straightened its legs, and played dead.
It was only when Ling Yan was tying up the sea rat that he noticed what the thing he had picked up to bind it with actually was.
And at this moment, Mu Yuan had already drawn the sword at his waist, its tip pointing directly at the thing slowly crawling towards them.
A King Python.
Visually estimated to be over ten meters long, a reticulated python thicker than the trunk of the Suixin Tree, flicking its eerie purple forked tongue, was crawling towards them.
No wonder the sea rat was so terrified.
Ling Yan dropped the snakeskin in his hand.
What he and Mu Yuan were currently standing on was a dense layer of snakeskin, undoubtedly shed by this large creature before them.
Mu Yuan shielded Ling Yan behind him, cautiously retreating step by step.
In fact, Mu Yuan felt somewhat apprehensive. These legless crawling creatures were not only ugly but also gave him the creeps.
A layer of goosebumps had risen on his arms. Just as he was wondering how to deal with such a large creature, Ling Yan's delighted voice suddenly rang in his ears:
"This python has appeared at just the right time! Food! Here it comes!"
Mu Yuan: ???
Python: ???
In the instant Ling Yan darted past Mu Yuan, he casually said,
"General, may I borrow your sword for a moment?"
After that, Mu Yuan felt a lightness in his hand. The sword had been "borrowed" by Ling Yan.
The strongest star police officer, his strength unfathomable.
Although they had sparred hundreds of times, Mu Yuan still didn't know exactly how strong Ling Yan was.
He could only watch as Ling Yan used the cave walls to dodge the python's headbutts, and with nimble footwork, skillfully slipped past the python's constricting coils again and again.
But as Ling Yan deftly weaved through the snake's body, one sword strike after another turned the python's body into a sieve.
The python's movements grew slower and slower, and finally, with a loud thud, its head slammed heavily to the ground.
It was motionless.
Ling Yan wiped Mu Yuan's sword on the snakeskin, cleaning off the snake blood, and walked towards Mu Yuan with a relaxed expression, casually asking:
"The General still has his fire starter with him, right?"
Mu Yuan had just reached for the inner pocket of his robe when the python behind Ling Yan suddenly raised its head, opened its huge mouth, and lunged towards Ling Yan...