Mu Yang gently shooed away most of the cats.
However, a few particularly clingy ones remained, nestled in his arms.
Meanwhile, Lumine and Paimon failed to catch up with Venti's trail.
She glanced at a nearby billboard—Cat's Tail Tavern.
"Wait, do you remember what Acting Grand Master Jean said earlier?"
Paimon tilted her head. "What?"
"Mu Yang told her to go to the Cat's Tail Tavern if she changed her mind."
Lumine pointed at the sign. "Isn't this it?"
Paimon sighed. "Well, since we lost that green guy, might as well check if this Mu Yang has any new leads."
Lumine pushed open the tavern door.
The moment they stepped inside, they saw Mu Yang.
It was impossible not to notice him—he stood out too much.
Mu Yang sat upright, occasionally taking small sips of juice.
On his head, shoulders, and in his arms—kittens clung to him.
The bizarre scene left Lumine and Paimon utterly speechless.
Seriously, what was up with Mu Yang's image before this?
A powerful, enigmatic figure.
Slaying dragons for business.
Disregarding the Fatui Harbingers.
A ruthless man who resorted to brute threats.
And now?
He was being swarmed by cats.
It was obvious he was straining to maintain his posture just so the kittens on his head and shoulders wouldn't fall.
Not just Lumine and Paimon—even the players couldn't hold back.
When Guinaifen saw Mu Yang carefully sipping his juice to avoid disturbing the cat on his shoulder, she nearly spat out her milk tea.
"Cough—uh, chat, am I seeing things? Is that really Mu Yang?"
[What's happening?]
[Streamer's disillusioned with Mu Yang's image now? Does that mean I can take him for myself?]
Guinaifen immediately shot back at the comment.
"Not a chance! I just didn't expect the gap moe to hit this hard."
"Now I love him even more—lick lick—I wanna be the cat in Mu Yang's arms."
[Aren't you a dog? Aren't you a dog? Aren't you a dog?]
'User Tiny Repeater has been muted for 1 hour.'
[Chat, who else gets this gap moe appeal?]
[So many comics have this trope—some ruthless underworld boss whose one soft spot is cats.]
[Damn, I wanna cling to Mu Yang too and let him hold me.]
[??? Bro???]
[Let's steal that cup he drank from—I'll dilute it and drink it for ten years.]
Mu Yang noticed Lumine stifling a laugh.
Satisfied with the contrast he'd established, he gently lifted the kittens off his head and shoulders, letting them go—keeping only one in his arms.
Then, he motioned for Lumine to sit.
Mu Yang spoke first.
"Your aura… feels familiar."
Lumine and Paimon exchanged glances, assuming he meant Dvalin.
"We just crossed paths with Stormterror—the dragon you're hunting."
Mu Yang shook his head slightly.
"Not the dragon. The bloodline flowing through you."
Lumine's eyes widened. "?!
Paimon caught on. "Wait, are you talking about her brother?"
"I've met someone with a similar aura to yours. But…"
Before Mu Yang could finish, Lumine interrupted him.
She was too excited—finally, a lead on her brother.
She stood abruptly, grabbing Mu Yang's hand.
"You know my brother? Do you know where he is now?"
Her sudden movement scared off the cat in Mu Yang's arms.
Only then did she realize she'd overstepped, quickly pulling back.
"Sorry, I got too carried away."
Mu Yang didn't mind.
"I wouldn't say I know him. If anything… we're enemies."
Earth Livestream.
"What's going on, chat? How is Mu Yang our brother's enemy now?"
[Don't ask, just accept the new plot.]
[So Mu Yang's the official lore character tied to the Abyss Twin storyline.]
[No wonder he's so OP.]
Lumine's emotions plummeted like a rollercoaster.
Just when she thought she'd found a clue—it turned out to be her brother's enemy.
After the initial shock, she realized her own predicament.
She was the sister of Mu Yang's sworn foe.
Did that mean they had to fight now?
If he could easily subdue an Archon's familiar…
Did she even stand a chance?
Noticing Lumine's wariness, Mu Yang reassured her.
"Relax. I won't lay a hand on you."
"I wasn't finished earlier. You're different from him—you haven't been corrupted yet."
Lumine: "Corrupted?"
Mu Yang: "Exactly. Rather than saying I'm your brother's enemy, it's more accurate to say I oppose the entire Abyss Order."
One unfamiliar term after another left Lumine struggling to keep up.
"What's the Abyss Order?"
Mu Yang explained.
"The Abyss Order is a faction of non-human monsters, born from the depths of the abyss. No one knows their true goals."
"Once, abyssal creatures appeared in Chenyu Vale—where I reside—and I defeated them."
Paimon: "Chenyu Vale… that's where you live, right?"
Mu Yang continued.
"The monsters fled after I struck them down."
"Just as I was about to finish off the last one—a creature that could speak human tongue—"
"Your brother appeared, blocked my attack, and vanished into the void with the monster."
Silver Wolf's Livestream.
The gamer girl blew a bubble with her gum.
"This is supplementary lore for 'We Will Be Reunited.' If the sister's the Princess, then the brother must be the Prince."
"Mu Yang's basically a hidden lore character now, right?"
[Streamer's too smart for us.]
[Damn, no way—does this mean Mu Yang might become our enemy later? Will he even be playable then?]
[This info dump is insane. Is miHoYo really dropping this much lore through a new character?]
[Still hung up on him being 'new'? Fine, chat all you want—I'm pulling for him first.]
[I'm already hyped for future plot developments.]
Lumine couldn't believe it.
"How… how could my brother be involved with monsters?"
Paimon floated closer. "Lumine…"
Mu Yang had said everything he needed to.
His goal here was simple—establish his presence, feed Lumine crucial information, and reinforce his own significance.
He added,
"My reason for leaving Chenyu Vale was also to pursue the Abyss Order."
"Dvalin's rampage was caused by the Abyss's corruption."
Lumine finally understood. "So when you said you were 'slaying the dragon,' you were actually dealing with the Abyss Order's interference?"
"Then why not just explain that to Acting Grand Master Jean?"
Mu Yang replied, "Isn't 'getting paid' the simplest reason?"
"After all, my only method of purging the Abyss is my sword. Explaining further would be pointless."
Then, his tone shifted.
"But you… you're different from us, aren't you?"
Lumine hesitated—should she mention the Tainted Crystal?
But Mu Yang cut in first.
"That's not my expertise. Perhaps you should seek out that green bard instead."
"He's singing in Mondstadt's plaza right now. If you're late, you might miss him."
His words carried a clear note of dismissal.
Lumine didn't press further.
She'd already learned enough.
She didn't know what had become of her brother—but at least she knew he was alive.
With a word of thanks, Lumine walked to the counter and paid for Mu Yang's drink.
Then, she hurried off to the plaza in search of Venti.