The heavens are unpredictable. Just as Mu Qingyun was about to step outside to search for traces of plants, a sudden downpour descended from the sky, cutting off her path entirely.
She quickly retreated into the cave, but not fast enough to avoid getting drenched. The rain had soaked most of her clothes, and the damp fabric clung tightly to her skin, making her feel uncomfortably suffocated.
"Mu-ge, hurry up and take off your wet clothes. I have a spare compressed towel here," Xiong Ruoyou said as she rummaged through her storage pouch. She retrieved a small white cube, tore open its packaging, and gently kneaded it. The cube instantly expanded into a full-sized towel.
Mu Qingyun took the towel from her, her eyes narrowing slightly as she noticed several pairs of eyes trained on her. "Stop staring and turn around," she said flatly.
"We're all guys. What are you so afraid of?" Fan Xuanye looked puzzled. The last time they bathed, Mu Qingyun had deliberately avoided them. It genuinely confused him—if they were all men, what was there to hide?
"Who said I'm afraid?" Mu Qingyun replied sharply, glaring at them with a cold expression before turning on her heel and walking behind a pile of rocks. With a wave of her right hand, flames burst forth, forming a protective ring of fire that encircled her, blocking out any view.
She stripped off the soaked clothing and activated the self-cleaning button embedded in the fabric. The garments began to clean themselves autonomously, a marvel of modern technology. Meanwhile, she picked up the towel and began carefully drying the droplets from her body and hair.
Once she had finished cleaning up, she looked at the now-cleaned and dried clothing, marveling once again at how far science had come. In this era, people only needed to purchase a single set of clothing. As long as it was not physically damaged, it could be worn indefinitely. The self-cleaning and drying systems took care of the rest.
After putting her clothes back on, she dispelled the flames and emerged from behind the stone pile.
"Did you notice something strange?" Su leaned in and whispered to Yi Beixuan.
"Strange in what way?" Yi Beixuan looked genuinely confused, raising an eyebrow as he tried to follow Su's line of thought.
"He is far too cautious. Even though we are all men, he seems extremely uneasy about showing his body in front of us." Su propped his chin on his hand, his gaze filled with contemplation.
Yi Beixuan could not help but chuckle. "Oh, come on. Not everyone is comfortable being naked around others. That is pretty normal, actually."
Though what Yi Beixuan said made sense, Su remained unconvinced. His eyes stayed fixed on Mu Qingyun, as if something deep within told him that something did not quite add up.
Su was so focused that he failed to notice the change in his best partner's expression. The ever-gentle Yi Beixuan now stared at Fan Xuanye with an unusually cold gaze—sharp, calculating, and deeply uncharacteristic.
[Ughhh, I think I am shipping them now!]
[Shipping who exactly?]
[Su and Yi Beixuan, of course! The Su-Ning-Yi-Gou CP is supreme!]
[Did you hear what they whispered to each other?]
[Nope, but who cares? It does not stop me from shipping them anyway!]
…
The next morning, Mu Qingyun woke Su up as usual.
However, this time, Yi Beixuan was already awake.
The two began their usual morning training routine, with Yi Beixuan observing nearby. From time to time, he would burst into uncontrollable laughter, his expression full of glee and mischief as he cast a gleeful glance at Su.
Mu Qingyun could not help but think: What is his problem?
After their morning training, Mu Qingyun returned to the cave to clean up. She prepared seaweed with some of the fish and lobster left from the previous day. After breakfast, she stood up and quietly left.
"Where are you going?" Su called after her softly when he saw her turning to leave without so much as a word.
"Just going out for a walk. It is too stuffy in here," she responded without looking back, her steps never faltering.
"Be careful," Su said with a frown, watching her figure disappear into the distance. He sighed helplessly.
"You're awfully concerned about him," Yi Beixuan said with a chuckle. "Just now, that scene was absolutely hilarious. Talk about karma. You know the saying—what goes around comes around."
The way Mu Qingyun had lectured Su earlier mirrored exactly how Su usually trained new recruits at the academy.
"If you do not shut up, I will make you," Su muttered through clenched teeth, spitting out each word like a threat.
…
Meanwhile, Mu Qingyun walked slowly, eyes scanning for any signs of plant life.
Over the past few days, she had gathered bits and pieces of information about vitamins from conversations with the others. As long as vegetables and fruits were consumed in sufficient quantities, additional vitamin supplements would not be necessary.
She still had some lemons left in storage, but the only vegetables she had were seaweed and kelp. With five people to feed, those supplies would not last long.
While she was searching, her eyes suddenly caught sight of Mu Xueyao in the distance.
A sharp chill flashed through her gaze. She quickly deactivated her livestream device and crouched behind a nearby pile of rocks to observe.
She could ignore the Emperor and Empress of the Empire if she had to, but Mu Xueyao—Mu Xueyao was the one who had nearly brought her predecessor to ruin. The worst part was, Mu Xueyao did not even know that the person she tried to kill was the real princess. She had only wanted her dead because she had glared at her once.
That debt had to be repaid.
"Yijie, let's go catch some fish," Mu Xueyao said with a bright, innocent smile as she tugged on Deng Yijie's sleeve. But behind her pleasant expression, her eyes were cold and full of disdain.
She was a master of pretense. Even when she disliked someone, she never let it show—except when it came to Mu Qingyun.
"Let's eat something else. I am tired of fishing," Kazel said suddenly. He glanced at Mu Xueyao, and for a split second, a trace of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
"What the hell does that have to do with you?" Deng Yijie scoffed. "The princess can eat whatever she wants. Are you seriously sympathizing with your kind now?"
Deng Yijie disliked Kazel intensely. Kazel was not only absurdly handsome, but his skills in combat were exceptional as well. Whenever the princess spoke to Kazel, her tone was far gentler than it ever was with him.
"Do not talk like that!" As expected, he was immediately scolded by Mu Xueyao.
"But there is nothing else to eat except fish," Mu Xueyao said with a pout, releasing Deng Yijie's hand and gently pulling on Kazel's arm.
Kazel stared at her for a long moment before sighing. "Fine. If you want fish, then let's go."
Well, isn't that a change in tone? Mu Qingyun thought with a smirk as she watched the scene unfold from her hiding spot. She had to admit—Kazel was clearly two-faced. He had been so arrogant with her, yet he was oddly gentle with Mu Xueyao.
Once Kazel gave his approval, the three of them began walking toward the coastline.
They had long since run out of protein powder. Previously, they had traded precious items at dirt-cheap rates just to accommodate Kazel, which had hardly been worthwhile.
"How long do you plan on hiding, ugly one?"
The sudden voice startled her. Before Mu Qingyun could react, Kazel's face appeared just inches from hers.
Handsome or not, it was way too close.
"When did you realize I was here?" Mu Qingyun narrowed her eyes in alarm. She instinctively tried to back away from him, but she was already pressed tightly against the rocks and had no room to retreat.
"I noticed you the moment you arrived," Kazel said with a smirk as he propped himself up and stood.
"What do you want?" Mu Qingyun asked, her tone flat.
"I just happened to be walking by," she replied coolly, tilting her head slightly. Kazel stepped back to give her space, allowing her to rise to her feet.