It Turns Out, They Are the Protagonists

Mu Zhian?

When she heard the name, the Princess’s eyes flickered slightly. She had heard of him; he was the young cultivator who married the Jade Empress.

His presence here now… presumably, he needed some cultivation pills, so he had the Jade Empress ask Luo Tan to refine them?

The Princess had seen countless pretty boys like him in Cloud Province. In some of the holy lands in Cloud Province, certain female elders enjoyed bringing in a young cultivator for entertainment every now and then.

She just didn’t expect even the Jade Empress to have such an interest…

No, it wasn’t interest, but true love for that young cultivator.

This was quite absurd.

One must know, in the Nine Provinces, countless cultivators, openly and secretly, pursued the First Holy Maiden of the Jade Pool Holy Land, but no one succeeded, not even after she reached Dao Integration.

The Princess wasn’t surprised. After all, the Jade Pool Holy Land fairies possessed the Innate Dao Body, benefiting anyone who dual cultivated with them. Plus, every Jade Pool Holy Maiden had immortal skin and a jade-like physique, so many had ulterior motives.

Even the Princess hadn’t expected such an existence to get married a while ago…

Such an absurd thing, even thinking about it now, the Princess couldn’t help shaking her head inwardly.

“Since you have something to do later, I’ll excuse myself,” the Princess said, about to leave the hall.

Just then, Luo Tan called out to her from behind: “Since you’ve come all this way, why not stay in Yu State for a few more days and return to Cloud Province later? I can entertain you tomorrow.”

“There’s no need to be so polite between us. But alright, just as you said, since I’m here, I might as well stay for two more days.”

The Princess smiled and ultimately accepted Luo Tan’s offer.

She turned and left the hall, just in time to see the Jade Empress and another person entering, guided by a maid, and Wei Mengrou waiting before the hall.

The Princess blinked her gentle peach blossom eyes, her red lips parting slightly beneath her veil, and said softly, “Jade Empress, what a coincidence, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

The mature, alluring, yet gentle fairy stopped at the entrance of the hall, her eyes soft and compassionate, a vermilion dot adorning her forehead, adding a touch of cool, immortal air to her already beautiful face.

She turned to look at the Princess of Cloud Province and said in a soft, heavenly voice, “Indeed, what a coincidence. Last time, the Princess failed to seize the Great Qian Dynasty’s national fortune. I didn’t expect to see you again at the Pill Emperor’s place after just a few days.”

Mu Zhian smelled the thick scent of gunpowder in the air and wanted to intervene, but the Princess’s gaze had already fallen on him.

Her demeanor remained dignified and elegant. Although a veil covered her peerless face, with his years of experience, just by looking at her gentle eyes, which seemed capable of melting a man’s heart, Mu Zhian could tell what kind of breathtaking beauty lay beneath the veil.

“This must be the Jade Empress’s Dao Companion, Young Friend Mu Zhian, right?”

The Princess’s voice was gentle and melodious, her beautiful eyes gazing tenderly.

Mu Zhian smiled and nodded in greeting. He wanted to say something, but thought better of it, after all, both Yao Meng and Sister Mengrou were currently watching him.

As a qualified fishpond master, he couldn’t pay too much attention to other women outside, as this would arouse the jealousy of the fish in his pond… Once their jealousy reached its peak, even a light and airy fairy might turn dark.

The Princess smiled faintly, casually retracting her gaze, and said to the Jade Empress, “The Jade Empress’s Dao Companion is quite polite.”

She was the Princess of Cloud Province, born connected to the Great Dao, a cultivator who could use the Great Dao’s Spiritual Energy, also known as the most beautiful woman in Cloud Province, the fiancée of the Great Peng Emperor.

Many were curious about the beauty hidden beneath her veil. Cultivators in Cloud Province even rumored that this Princess’s beauty was no less than that of the Jade Empress of the Jade Pool Holy Land.

This was enough to imagine the stunning beauty hidden beneath the Princess’s veil.

However, facing her, Mu Zhian remained calm and composed, neither servile nor overbearing. This was enough to show that the Jade Empress’s Dao Companion had some ability, at least his mentality was far stronger than his peers.

Yao Meng smiled faintly and said softly, “The Princess is, after all, the Great Peng Emperor’s fiancée. My husband naturally possesses the basic courtesy of not looking at what he shouldn’t.”

She paused, “However, if a certain vixen deliberately tries to seduce him… I’m afraid no man could resist.”

This Princess clearly wanted to embarrass Mu Zhian just now by subtly flirting with him. Any bystander could see this, let alone Yao Meng.

A cold glint flashed through the Princess’s eyes, but a gentle smile remained on her face: “The Jade Empress is right, but I think that kind of woman who appears like a cool and aloof fairy on the surface, but secretly seduces men… is actually no different from a vixen.”

This woman looks gentle as water, but she’s actually quite assertive… Mu Zhian observed this sexy woman, ripe like a peach, with some surprise, thinking inwardly.

Of course, it was just a thought, and Mu Zhian didn’t speak.

After all, the Princess had nothing to do with him now, and he wasn’t worried about Yao Meng being at a disadvantage. It was better to let them handle it themselves.

“Jade Empress, Your Majesty is waiting in the Imperial Heart Hall,” a little maid in the corner suddenly said softly, her voice trembling slightly.

“Let’s go in,” not wanting to delay any longer, Mu Zhian spoke at the right moment, breaking the tense atmosphere.

…

The potentially escalating conflict was temporarily extinguished. Mu Zhian, led by the maid, walked towards the Imperial Heart Hall. Glancing at the graceful fairy beside him, he suddenly transmitted his voice:

“Did you have some conflict with the Princess in the past?”

Yao Meng said calmly, “Not really a conflict, it’s just that the Great Peng Emperor once secretly pursued me without the Princess knowing. I later sent a message to the Princess via paper crane, and that was the end of it. If there’s any other conflict… it’s probably the few times I fought against her when Cloud Province and the Eastern Continent clashed.”

So Yao Meng’s black-bellied nature is innate… Mu Zhian asked, “So, the Princess might be jealous?”

Yao Meng raised a delicate eyebrow and said faintly, “The Princess doesn’t care who the Great Peng Emperor pursues. There’s nothing between them. I heard her adoptive parents arranged a marriage with the Great Peng Emperor when she was young. Although the Princess doesn’t like this engagement, the cultivators in Cloud Province already acknowledge her as the Princess, so she can only go along with it.”

“But looking at her, it seems even after thousands of years, the Great Peng Emperor still hasn’t touched her hand.”

Mu Zhian’s expression turned slightly strange: “Can’t the Great Peng Emperor just find another princess?”

“The Princess is born connected to the Great Dao. Her talent, luck, and strength are all top-notch, and her beauty is also second to none in the Nine Provinces. Do you think the Great Peng Emperor would be willing to give her up?”

Yao Meng looked at Mu Zhian with a half-smile, a playful tone in her voice: “Why are you suddenly asking me so much about her?”

Yao Meng is good in every way, except she’s too sensitive… Mu Zhian complained inwardly and explained, “When you transcended last time in the ancestral land, besides the Western Regions and the Southern Wilderness on the surface, there was also a mysterious black-robed great power, and there were others secretly watching as well. I naturally want to use this opportunity to investigate.”

“You mean… there might be a great power in Cloud Province who attacked me back then?” Yao Meng’s eyes flickered, pondering Mu Zhian’s words.

Mu Zhian nodded: “After reaching Transcendence Realm, it’s equivalent to breaking the established order of the Nine Provinces. Even if you have no ambition, it will still make people wary. There are probably many who want to stop your Transcendence, so the possibility of Cloud Province intervening… isn’t zero.”

Yao Meng nodded silently: “If I remember correctly, the black-robed great power who appeared before the Jade Pool Ancestral Land seemed to be a clone, and their attack methods contained the Heavenly Dao’s Dao Rhyme… I originally wanted to use the Gu Buxing incident to force them to reveal themselves, so I could identify who it was.”

“But unfortunately, they were very careful and directly chose to give up on the Great Qian Dynasty’s national fortune, abandoning Gu Buxing.”

“This matter can’t be rushed, there will be opportunities to investigate clearly in the future,” Mu Zhian said.

“You’re right.”

Yao Meng suddenly looked at Mu Zhian with a smile: “But I still think you’re very interested in the Princess. You were just changing the subject to divert my attention, right?”

Mu Zhian shrugged and sighed softly, “Fine, fine, I want to dual cultivate with the Princess. I even sent a voice transmission to her just now, inviting her, but she rejected me.”

Yao Meng covered her mouth and chuckled softly: “You dual cultivating with her? Not to mention your Innate Celestial Furnace is useless to her, even if it was useful, a proud person like the Princess wouldn’t lower herself to that. The Great Peng Emperor hasn’t been able to melt her heart in ten thousand years, as for you…”

She glanced at Mu Zhian with a smile, as if everything went without saying.

Mu Zhian looked back at Yao Meng, not explaining, Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river (fortunes change over time), you’ll definitely regret this in the future.

…

Imperial Heart Hall.

Luo Tan sat at her desk and immediately saw Mu Zhian and the Jade Empress entering.

“I thought you had a conflict with the Princess and was thinking about going out to take a look.”

The Empress of the Immortal Dynasty smiled faintly and, with her maid holding up her white dress, walked towards the two.

“This is Yu State, not Cloud Province, after all. No matter what, she wouldn’t offend me here. We just chatted idly for a bit before the hall.”

Yao Meng glanced at the densely packed memorials on the table and couldn’t help but smile: “Although at Pill Emperor’s level, your body won’t get tired, you should still rest occasionally.”

Luo Tan gracefully walked to a chair and sat down, slightly raising her chin, her voice pleasant and melodious: “Although there seem to be many memorials, it doesn’t actually take much time each day.”

“But sometimes I truly envy the Jade Empress. With the Jade Pool Holy Mother and the others around, you don’t have to deal with these matters.”

Guided by a maid, Yao Meng and Mu Zhian sat down not far from Luo Tan. The fairy revealed a bright smile: “I no longer interfere with the internal affairs of the Jade Pool Holy Land, but sometimes they still like to ask me about important matters… If I have to say, it’s indeed much easier than being the Pill Emperor.”

Luo Tan nodded slightly, then looked at Mu Zhian with a smile, her gaze lingering on the young man’s handsome features for a moment, then said, “Young Friend Mu’s cultivation speed is probably unmatched even by the geniuses in my Yu State. Last time we parted, you were still at Core Formation, and now, in the blink of an eye, you’ve already reached Nascent Soul Realm.”

Mu Zhian said demurely, “This is also thanks to the pill refined by Your Majesty earlier. If it weren’t for the strengthening of the demon body, I probably wouldn’t have been able to reach Nascent Soul Realm so quickly.”

Luo Tan revealed an elegant smile: “The Jade Empress asked me to refine it, I naturally couldn’t refuse this favor. If you have to thank someone, thank her.”

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but look at Mu Zhian a few more times, suppressing the urge to scan his body with her spiritual sense.

After all, with the Jade Empress present, scanning her husband’s body… was a bit impolite.

However, she was still curious about the extent to which Mu Zhian’s Innate Celestial Furnace had evolved after he reached Nascent Soul Realm.

Just then, she suddenly noticed the playful look in the fairy’s eyes beside her. Luo Tan discreetly retracted her gaze and gestured for the maid to serve tea: “Jade Empress coming to Yu State today, presumably you have some important matters to discuss?”

Yao Meng smiled brightly: “It’s not really an important matter, it’s just that I’ve been working on a pill recipe recently, and after gathering the ingredients, I hope to ask the Pill Emperor for help refining it.”

Luo Tan raised a delicate eyebrow, not immediately accepting.

She calmly picked up her teacup: “Why don’t you tell me about it first, Jade Empress… But you should know, I rarely refine pills for others, this is my bottom line.”

As the only alchemist capable of refining quasi-immortal pills, the great powers of the various forces in the Nine Provinces naturally wanted to befriend her, so she could help them refine pills in the future.

However—

Once or twice was fine, but if it happened all the time, with every great power coming to ask her to refine pills in the future, should she refine them or not?

Firstly, she didn’t have that much time to waste on these things.

Secondly, if she accepted one great power’s request but rejected another’s, over time, she would inevitably make enemies.

“Last time, for the Jade Empress’s Transcendence, you requested a Void Spirit Pill. Considering it was for Young Friend Mu, I gave you face, Jade Empress, as a celebration of your Transcendence.”

“But this time… what pill does the Jade Empress want?” Luo Tan asked.

“A seventh-grade pill, the Nine Cauldrons Nascent Soul Pill,” Yao Meng said.

Luo Tan was stunned, her tone softening slightly: “Nine Cauldrons Nascent Soul Pill…? So this time it’s also in preparation for Young Friend Mu’s future Dao Comprehension?”

The Nine Cauldrons Nascent Soul Pill, although a seventh-grade pill, its refining method was extremely complex. Among pills of the same grade, it could be said to be the most difficult to refine.

And the ingredients required for this pill were scattered throughout the Nine Provinces: Black Flame True Leaves from the Southern Wilderness, Cloud Smoke Willow from Cloud Province, Reincarnation Water from the Eastern Continent’s Forbidden Zone, and even the Netherworld Lotus from the Northern Frontier.

Besides these relatively difficult-to-obtain heavenly materials and earthly treasures, other rare ingredients were still manageable. Although difficult to find, with the Jade Empress’s resources, she could still obtain them.

And this pill had only one effect: advancing from Nascent Soul to Soul Transformation.

Mu Zhian still had a long way to go before reaching Soul Transformation Realm, but the Jade Empress was already preparing this pill now, enough to show how much she trusted her Dao Companion’s talent.

“If it’s too much trouble for the Pill Emperor, just consider I didn’t mention it,” Yao Meng said.

Luo Tan’s eyes flickered, and she chuckled softly, “I’ve always admired Young Friend Mu’s talent. If he weren’t the Jade Empress’s husband, I would have even considered taking him as my disciple.”

“Moreover, the relationship between the Jade Empress and Young Friend Mu is truly touching… Therefore, I can refine the Nine Cauldrons Nascent Soul Pill for you.”

Yao Meng gave Luo Tan a meaningful look, a hint of charm in her green eyes, and smiled, “That’s good. I was originally thinking that if the Pill Emperor refused, I could ask other alchemists for help… But in terms of completion rate, they probably can’t compare to the Pill Emperor.”

She paused, then continued, “But besides the pill, I have another small request.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the elegant smile on Luo Tan’s face faded slightly. She picked up her teacup, calmly poured tea, and said faintly, “Jade Empress, please speak frankly.”

Asking her to refine pills, she could give the Jade Empress face, considering the pill was for Mu Zhian.

But the Jade Empress repeatedly making requests, was she treating this place like her own backyard?

Yao Meng slowly toyed with a strand of hair and said faintly, “For that pill, I need to go to the Southern Wilderness to fulfill a promise with the Space God. She promised to give me the Black Flame True Leaves.”

She deliberately paused, her voice crisp and pleasant, “This trip will take three days at the shortest, ten days at the longest. I can’t be at ease leaving my husband alone in the Two Polarities Sect during this time, so…”

Luo Tan’s fingertips holding the teacup trembled slightly. She abruptly widened her eyes, seemingly realizing something.

Yao Meng looked over, her voice calm, but in Luo Tan’s heart, it was like a boulder thrown into a lake, causing countless ripples.

“So, I’d like to ask the Pill Emperor to look after my husband for a few days, I wonder if you’re willing?”