Despite the medic's repeated assurances that the Marshal's physical and mental condition was perfectly normal, the First Legion commanders serving as captains on the various escort ships unanimously insisted that the Marshal should rest for a day.

The Marshal spent the entire day in his quarters with Yue'an. There was nowhere else to go, as they had opened the wormhole immediately after returning to this warship. Now, the entire fleet was traveling through the wormhole passage.

In one day, the fleet would emerge from the wormhole exit near the Imperial Star, enter the gravitational channel of the Imperial Star, and make their final landing.

Yue'an, clutching the spirit stone given to him by the Marshal, lay sprawled across the Marshal's lap, contentedly gnawing on it. Although Yue'an was a supernatural being, his inherent nature as a cat made him habitually seek out warm places to nap. The spaceship maintained a constant temperature, so there weren't any particularly warm spots. As a result, Yue'an's favorite places to rest were on the Marshal's lap or snuggled in the blankets where the Marshal slept.

Healthy individuals always exuded a comforting warmth, or as the elders in Yue'an's clan would say, they possessed strong "yang energy." Ji Xiuyun was one of those people with an abundance of yang energy—despite his trademark cold expression that often sent chills down people's spines, the warmth radiating from his body was incredibly appealing to cats.

The Marshal didn't bother with formalities when it came to the commanders' suggestion to rest. He spent the entire day in his quarters, watching Yue'an nibble on energy stones and, once finished, proceed to tear into the several large boxes of snacks.

Ji Xiuyun finally discovered the joy of feeding Yue'an. The feeling of the little furball stretching out its paws to hold his hand while eating was incredibly... heartwarming. Whether it was the sensation of the small tongue licking his fingers, the soft belly brushing against the side of his palm, or the touch of the paw pads on his skin, everything evoked a sense of serenity and happiness.

Yue'an, being fed, felt as if he were in paradise. Having someone to feed him, care for him, provide a warm bed, and offer a lap to sleep on—it couldn't get any better! Although the lap had a tendency to rub his belly, taking advantage of the situation, it didn't matter because the food was so delicious!

Thinking about all the tasty treats he might get to eat once they returned to Earth, Yue'an's tail couldn't help but curl up in excitement.

Early the next morning, Yue'an poked his little head out from the warm cocoon of blankets. Looking up, he saw the Marshal already impeccably groomed and sitting upright in his chair.

Yue'an's movements were subtle, but in the oppressive silence of the room, they were quite noticeable.

Ji Xiuyun turned his head to glance at him. "Awake?" he asked.

"Meow," Yue'an responded softly, emerging from the blankets to sit on top of them. He extended a paw and began to lick it, washing his face.

The Marshal had grown accustomed to having a small furball secretly burrow into his blankets every night. He had sternly objected to this several times before when they were in the safety pod, but after repeated failures to prevent it, Ji Xiuyun had grudgingly chosen to surrender to the irresistible charm of the furry creature exposing its belly.

By now, he could greet Yue'an with a composed "good night" and "good morning" when the cat slipped into his bed.

After grooming himself, Yue'an immediately bounded towards the box of snacks that hadn't been finished. He pawed through it, selecting a package with a flavor he hadn't tried before, and carried it in his mouth as he trotted over to the Marshal's feet.

Unexpectedly, Ji Xiuyun refused to feed him.

"Not today," the Marshal said softly, tapping lightly on the semi-transparent panel that had appeared before him. "There's a meeting shortly."

The commanders on the escort ships had sent some important reports to the Marshal's holo-computer, serving as an outline and reference material for the day's military council.

These reports were concise and direct, devoid of the euphemistic language typical of official documents. Every line exuded the efficient style characteristic of military personnel.

The Marshal sat at the makeshift desk in his bedroom, his eyes fixed on the virtual documents floating in the air before him.

Yue'an still struggled to understand the text. After jumping onto the desk with the snack bag in his mouth, he tentatively reached out a paw to touch the floating virtual files. Realizing they were just holograms, he lost interest and retracted his paw, returning to the Marshal's lap with a small yawn.

The Marshal's uniform was a solemn black, with dazzling gold threading along the buttons and cuff edges. The decoration extending from the center of the military cap to the brim appeared to be some kind of flower, with pure gold and vibrant red intertwined, creating a stunning effect. The golden tassels adorning the epaulettes of the great coat hanging on the chair back cascaded down both sides, captivating Yue'an's attention.

As Yue'an stared at the tassels, his tail swaying back and forth, barely containing the urge to extend his paw, Ji Xiuyun stood up first.

He gently placed Yue'an on the desk surface and looked down at the cat, who was now sitting on the desk, gazing up at him. After a moment's consideration, he retrieved an energy stone from a nearby cabinet and tucked it into Yue'an's paws.

He was about to head to the main ship's conference room for the meeting, and it would be best if Yue'an could contentedly stay in the room, nibbling on the energy stone.

On such a large warship, if Yue'an were to get lost, finding him would be a significant undertaking. Moreover... the spies couldn't have been completely rooted out in the short few days of his absence.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

At least from the reports he had received so far, it was clear that there were still deeply hidden spies on this warship alone that they hadn't been able to ferret out.

"Stay here and be good. Don't go out," Ji Xiuyun said. Realizing that no one except him and his deputy could enter the room anyway, he paused, then pulled open a drawer and took out a small, diamond-shaped ornament.

The main body of this ornament was a beautiful, transparent sapphire, much deeper in color than Yue'an's eyes. The stone setting was gray, exuding a sense of artificial mechanization, which complemented the overall design beautifully.

The ornament was small, just slightly larger than a thumbprint. Judging by its style, it was a pendant, as it was attached to a necklace. However, given its size, it seemed to be designed for human wear.

Ji Xiuyun roughly looped the necklace twice: "Put this on."

Yue'an tilted his head, avoiding Ji Xiuyun's hand, indicating his refusal.

"It's a communicator," the Marshal explained simply, demonstrating by pressing the central sapphire. A communication request immediately popped up on his holo-computer.

With this explanation, Yue'an obediently stretched out his neck.

The milky white fur concealed the delicate chain, leaving only the small pendant on his chest swaying gently.

"Alright, I'm off to the meeting," the Marshal said, gently scratching under Yue'an's chin.

Yue'an tilted his head up, eyes half-closed in contentment, and let out a lazy, "Meow..."

Ji Xiuyun draped the great coat from the chair over his shoulders and turned to leave the bedroom.

As soon as the Marshal left, Yue'an, still clutching the spirit stone, wasted no time in diving into the empty snack box he had been eyeing—the material of this box was different from the cardboard boxes he used to love, but it was small, narrow, and had a soft touch. It even had some small air holes, making it seem as if it was tailor-made for a little cat, constantly exuding an irresistible feline allure.

Yue'an had already devoured the contents of one box yesterday, stuffing himself to the brim. Now, as he jumped into the empty box, he rolled around and pawed at the holes with unbridled glee.

His fluffy little paws poked in and out of the air holes. When he had his fill of this game, he flipped over, grabbed his own tail with all four paws, and gave it a few good nibbles. Finding the taste unsatisfying, he remembered the spirit stone he had kicked into the corner earlier.

Releasing his tail, he hugged the spirit stone close to his chest, opened his mouth to reveal tiny fangs, and began gnawing on it with determined little grunts.

As his body filled with spiritual energy, Yue'an discovered that not only had his magical abilities become more powerful, but his physical attributes had also significantly improved. In simple terms, his claws and teeth had become sharper, his legs more explosive in their power, and even his fur seemed sleeker, emitting a faint spiritual glow in dark environments.

These changes gave Yue'an visions of a cool future where he could move mountains and seas with a wave of his paw, further cementing his resolve to cling tightly to Ji Xiuyun's proverbial leg.

Rumor had it that Ji Xiuyun possessed an entire planet's worth of energy stone veins!

A whole planet's worth!

Of veins!

It would take hundreds of years of constant gnawing to get through them all!

Yue'an thought happily, gnawing on the spirit stone while swishing his tail back and forth.

Just then, the room's door opened.

Yue'an's ears twitched slightly as he peered through the holes in the box towards the entrance.

To his surprise, it wasn't Ji Xiuyun who entered, but the deputy he had only seen twice before—once on the screen in the safety pod, and once when he was abandoned in the cockpit while Ji Xiuyun went for his check-up.

Yue'an didn't have a good impression of this jumpy deputy, especially after the incident in the cockpit where the man had tried to forcibly pick him up and pet him against his will. That had left a particularly sour taste in his mouth.

As Yue'an licked the spirit stone, he watched the deputy enter the room, seemingly activate some device, and then begin searching and probing around the room.

This certainly didn't look like someone here to fetch something or tidy up the room.

Yue'an pondered this as he gave the spirit stone another lick, his round eyes fixed unblinkingly on the young man rummaging through the room.

As Yue'an observed, he saw the young man discover a hidden cabinet.

Yue'an remembered that cabinet—it contained blood samples taken from Ji Xiuyun at the medical bay.

Blood was an incredibly important medium, both in scientific and mystical contexts.

Even the medics who examined Ji Xiuyun had to operate under his direct supervision. Any remaining blood samples were either immediately destroyed or underwent initial cultivation processes before being sent here, with any further operations required to be carried out under Ji Xiuyun's watchful eye, accompanied by a detailed report.

Seeing the deputy pick up a vial of blood, Yue'an narrowed his eyes. He set down the spirit stone, and in the next instant, vanished from the box.

When Ji Xiuyun had given Yue'an the disguised communicator, he never imagined the cat would actually need to use it.

So when a communication request popped up in the middle of the military council, the Marshal furrowed his brow slightly.

The commanders below all kept their eyes firmly fixed ahead, pretending not to notice anything.

Ji Xiuyun accepted the call.

Yue'an's large cat face appeared on the screen, his round blue eyes full of curiosity as he examined the camera that had emerged from beneath the sapphire.

The Marshal paused for a moment before asking, "What is it?"

The commanders thought he was addressing the one who had just spoken, but when they looked up, they realized the Marshal was talking to the adorable little creature he had brought back.

They hadn't seen this little one in person, but these commanders serving on the escort ships were well aware that the Marshal had returned with a small animal in tow.

Though curious, these excellent leaders, capable of facing a hundred foes on the battlefield, remained impressively calm and didn't show their interest. Their gazes, however, were now fixed on the communication projection the Marshal had openly displayed.

Yue'an heard Ji Xiuyun's voice coming from the sapphire and opened his mouth towards the tiny camera: "Meow!"

Not knowing how to operate the camera, the little cat simply swatted it away with a paw, accurately plastering it against the wall right in front of the deputy's face.

The excellent leaders sitting at the military council watched as, following the little creature's swat, the communication image spun wildly before briefly showing the terrified face of the Marshal's deputy. Then, with a "crack," the camera went dark.

Ji Xiuyun's eyes narrowed, and the general seated first below the Marshal's chair swiftly pulled up the surveillance feed from the Marshal's room.

The feed showed no one in the room, not even the creamy white ball of fur. Everything appeared normal.

However, when the Marshal's gaze swept over the untouched boxes in the corner, he abruptly stood up.

Without hesitation, the generals rose and followed him out.

When this group of military personnel—whose collective presence could easily intimidate an ordinary person into fainting—entered the Marshal's room, the first thing they saw was the Marshal's deputy, frozen in place as if trying to escape. In front of him was the open hidden cabinet, a vial of blood sample still in his hand.

On the wall before him, a damaged miniature camera was firmly embedded.

As their gazes swept the room, they spotted on the desk a small creature that had burrowed entirely into a large snack bag, with only a creamy white tail swishing back and forth outside.

Seemingly sensing their arrival, the little one backed out of the bag, shook out its fur, and gave them a soft "Meow."

The sound was sickeningly sweet.

But as Ji Xiuyun's subordinate generals looked from the camera still firmly stuck to the wall to the delicate, adorable, and fluffy little creature on the desk, they collectively took a large step back when it jumped down and approached them.

Yue'an: ...??

Why are you backing away? Why are you retreating!?

Don't you want to pet the cute little kitty??