It Turns Out, They Are the Protagonists

According to palace rules, anyone entering Luo Tan’s bedchamber had to wait outside the hall until Luo Tan granted permission.

But in the vast Yu State, there were two exceptions.

One was the Princess, who had saved Luo Tan’s life in the past, and the other was the recently prominent Mu Zhian.

Unlike the Princess, Luo Tan had specifically instructed that Mu Zhian shouldn’t be stopped no matter where he went.

That’s why Mu Zhian could appear before this bedchamber so smoothly.

However, probably no one would have expected that the person currently in the bedchamber wasn’t Luo Tan, who had made the appointment with Mu Zhian, but the Princess of Cloud Province.

At ‘Luo Tan’s’ gesture, Mu Zhian sat down beside the soft couch, enjoying the quiet of the night. Sensing the Empress’s gaze on him, he said demurely, “By the way, Your Majesty, why is it so quiet tonight? I only saw a few servants on my way here. Where did everyone go?”

“I had them all leave the bedchamber,” the Princess said with a faint smile.

She didn’t know Luo Tan’s specific instructions to the servants, but she hardly saw any maids or attendants when she entered the bedchamber, so she made this guess.

This seemed like a question, but it was actually to figure out why Luo Tan had Mu Zhian come to her bedchamber for no reason tonight.

Mu Zhian nodded slightly: “I know.”

The corner of the Princess’s mouth twitched upwards, a playful smile appearing.

He was just a little cultivator who hadn’t experienced much. She just cast a little bait, and he took it.

“Tell me,” she said, imitating her best friend’s usual noble and elegant demeanor, her tone casual and graceful.

Unexpectedly, Mu Zhian hesitated slightly and asked, “Is Your Majesty truly ready?”

The Princess blinked her charming eyes and asked softly, “Ready for what?”

“Well…” Mu Zhian glanced at the beautiful Empress, hesitating slightly.

“Well, what? Just speak frankly,” the Princess’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, her tone brooking no argument, her beautiful eyes gazing intently at Mu Zhian.

Mu Zhian shook his head: “You’re right, being so hesitant isn’t like me.”

The Princess’s delicate eyebrows raised slightly, about to speak.

But just then, she suddenly felt a warm hand enveloping her small hand.

The Princess’s heart trembled, and she almost instinctively wanted to pull her hand away.

After all, from the past until now, not even the Great Peng Emperor, the ruler of Cloud Province, had ever touched her hand. Being held so tightly by a strange young man now, it was natural for her to feel flustered and shy.

“Your Majesty…?” Mu Zhian called out tentatively, secretly observing the woman before him.

The mature, sexy, and beautiful woman sat on the soft couch, her eyes flickering. A hint of panic appeared in her usually noble and elegant demeanor, a shy blush coloring her beautiful face.

“What are you doing?” the Princess asked, trying to maintain a calm tone.

Although she had long known about the close relationship between Mu Zhian and Luo Tan, seeing him hold her hand so boldly still made her feel somewhat shy.

Mu Zhian shook his head: “Nothing, I just couldn’t get closer to Your Majesty in the garden earlier, so I couldn’t help but miss Your Majesty after returning to my room.”

“Aren’t you worried about being discovered by the Jade Empress?” the Princess asked in a low voice.

“If she discovers my intimacy with Your Majesty, I have no regrets,” Mu Zhian held the beautiful woman’s soft small hand and gazed at her affectionately.

The Princess silently looked at Mu Zhian, not saying a word.

So this is how he deceived Luo Tan with sweet nothings? But countless cultivators had pursued Luo Tan in the past. That Pill Emperor wasn’t some naive little girl who would be fooled by such words.

Seeing that ‘Luo Tan’ didn’t resist much, Mu Zhian became bolder, wrapping his arm around the Empress’s slender waist, pulling her voluptuous body into his embrace.

Then, he lowered his head and whispered in her ear, “Your Majesty… Tonight, then.”

The Princess’s heart trembled slightly, her beautiful legs beneath her magnificent white dress involuntarily pressing together, her slender hands subconsciously gripping the hem of her skirt.

She originally just wanted to trick him into revealing his secrets, but who would have thought that this little cultivator would be so bold from the moment he entered the bedchamber?

He actually… actually dared to embrace ‘Luo Tan’ so boldly?

Even if a Dao Integration Realm expert restrained their aura, they would still subconsciously emit a sense of pressure, like a bloodline suppression… Yet Mu Zhian didn’t seem to feel any pressure at all, even being intimate with her?

She couldn’t act out of character for ‘Luo Tan’ now… After all, Mu Zhian’s current actions were probably tacitly approved by Luo Tan.

If she pushed him away now, wouldn’t she have gained nothing, and even let this guy take advantage of her for nothing?

“It seems you do know why I summoned you to the bedchamber tonight,” the Princess took a light breath, preventing any intense emotions like shyness from appearing on her alluring and cold face.

Her shoulder pressed against Mu Zhian’s, and she could faintly smell the young man’s unfamiliar yet warm scent.

This scent gave her an inexplicable sense of security, making the Princess involuntarily close her eyes slightly.

And at this moment, Mu Zhian’s voice also came from beside her ear: “I naturally know… Your Majesty summoned me tonight, it should be for the agreement between us, right?”

Agreement? What agreement does Luo Tan have with a little cultivator?

The Princess slowly opened her eyes, a charming blush coloring her face, and said softly, “It’s good that you still remember that agreement.”

“Naturally. Only by our Innate Celestial Furnaces complementing each other can we both benefit. However, I’m curious, if we continue being intimate, can we create an endless cycle, continuously providing each other with vast amounts of Spiritual Energy…?”

The Princess didn’t hear what Mu Zhian said afterward. Hearing the words ‘Innate Celestial Furnace’, her eyes widened slightly, staring at Mu Zhian in astonishment.

At this moment, it was as if a long-sealed door in the Princess’s heart slowly opened. Connecting the events of today, she suddenly had a moment of clarity.

There was definitely no problem with her disguise tonight. Even a Dao Integration Realm expert couldn’t see through her identity, let alone Mu Zhian.

In other words, he wasn’t lying… He truly possessed the Innate Celestial Furnace.

She just didn’t know what method Mu Zhian used, even she hadn’t sensed the Innate Celestial Furnace within this young man’s body.

Innate Celestial Furnace… So he possesses the Innate Celestial Furnace.

No wonder Luo Tan cares so much about him… This little cultivator has a second cauldron!

Thinking of this, besides the sudden realization, the Princess’s curiosity towards Mu Zhian grew even stronger.

She recalled asking Mu Zhian to refine the Minor Rejuvenation Pill today.

The Minor Rejuvenation Pill Mu Zhian refined today contained ordinary Nine Provinces Spiritual Energy.

So the question was… which cauldron’s Spiritual Energy did he use when refining the pill?

The Princess’s beautiful eyes flickered, countless thoughts racing through her mind, pondering the events of today.

Her Majesty is acting strange today… Mu Zhian was doubtful, secretly observing the Empress in his arms.

Her attire was the same as before, a luxurious snow-white dress with gold and silver threads. Her long hair cascaded down, her full, rosy lips slightly pursed, only showing a breathtaking side profile.

But for some reason, she seemed to have lost some of her noble and elegant aura, replaced by a mature charm that could captivate any man.

And this mature and alluring aura was most attractive to younger men… At least, Mu Zhian was currently involuntarily drawn to ‘Luo Tan’s’ captivating beauty.

Mu Zhian’s face slowly approached ‘Luo Tan’s’, gazing at the beauty in his arms, wanting to finish what he couldn’t in the garden during the day.

At the same time, the Princess was slightly lowering her eyelids, trying to piece together the ‘Innate Celestial Furnace’ and the various clues she discovered today.

Just then, she suddenly felt the young man’s warm breath on her face. The Princess snapped back to reality as if from a trance. Looking up, she saw the young man’s handsome face slowly approaching hers.

What is he trying to do…?

The Princess’s heart trembled, and she subconsciously raised her hand to push Mu Zhian away.

However, she was too late. The moment she reached out, Mu Zhian grabbed her wrist, then slowly lowered his head and captured her soft lips.

“Mmm…”

Just as the Princess was about to push Mu Zhian away, a special kind of Spiritual Energy quietly flowed from Mu Zhian’s Innate Celestial Furnace into hers.

…Just like the Minor Rejuvenation Pill Luo Tan gave her today, this was Heavenly Court Spiritual Energy!

A hazy mist gradually filled the Princess’s eyes as she looked at Mu Zhian with a dazed gaze.

After an unknown amount of time, her eyes widened abruptly. She finally snapped out of it, realizing her indecent behavior.

She abruptly pushed Mu Zhian away. Before he could recover from his stunned state, she immediately stood up, looking at him flusteredly, “I… I just remembered I have some unfinished business tonight, let’s do this another day!”

The moment she turned around, a spatial rift tore open before her, as if she wanted to escape the scene. She quickly stepped into the rift.

Mu Zhian gazed at her. A burning blush colored the Princess’s side profile, her earlobes slightly flushed, her translucent crystal earrings swaying gently with her steps, incredibly captivating.

…

“It seems she’s not mentally prepared yet…”

Mu Zhian left the bedchamber, recalling the events of today, and couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

He knew Luo Tan wasn’t as calm as she appeared on the surface. Just like Yao Meng in the past, that fairy was also reserved and shy at first, only gradually evolving over time.

And this Pill Emperor was probably in a similar situation now.

It seemed it would take some time…

As Mu Zhian walked along the corridor of the bedchamber with a sigh, he faintly heard two maids not far away whispering.

“What are you talking about? What happened at Zunyun Academy?”

Mu Zhian overheard part of their conversation and couldn’t help but call out.

“Ah… It’s Young Master Mu, we apologize, this servant was being disrespectful just now,” the two maids hurriedly apologized upon seeing him.

“It’s fine, what were you talking about just now? I remember Zunyun Academy is the most sacred place in Yu State, did something happen?” Mu Zhian asked.

Seeing Mu Zhian’s sincere inquiry and his gentle smile, the two maids exchanged glances, then started chattering, explaining one after another.

Listening to their explanation, Mu Zhian understood.

With the recent descent of the Sabbath, some Sabbath envoys, following past customs, were collecting a portion of the Luck from each province as sustenance for the ‘Firmament’.

Whether a province was prosperous was related to its Luck, and this seemingly ethereal thing was actually connected to the province’s prosperity.

As long as there was no war or internal strife among the common people or cultivators, even if some Luck was lost, it could be replenished over time.

Therefore, if the Sabbath envoys acted discreetly, the great powers of the Nine Provinces would turn a blind eye.

After all, that little bit of Luck wasn’t a big deal to them.

However, even if most envoys acted discreetly, it was inevitable that public order would deteriorate due to various issues during the Luck collection process.

Firstly, some Sabbath envoys would inevitably have some friction and conflicts with local cultivators. Secondly, cultivators from enemy provinces would also use this opportunity to secretly stir up trouble.

This was the case with Zunyun Academy this time.

Fortunately, Luo Tan had come up with a solution before this.

She had people set up four huge and indestructible white jade platforms in the east, south, west, and north of Zunyun Academy’s outer courtyard island, naming them ‘Heaven Ranking Platforms’.

The original purpose of these platforms was for those cultivators who liked to cause trouble during the Sabbath to compete. They were equipped with formations and wouldn’t affect the students within Zunyun Academy.

If you didn’t like someone, instead of arguing, you could just step onto the platform and challenge them: XXX, if you have the guts, come up and duel. Loser calls the other ‘dad’.

When challenged like this in front of so many young and beautiful girls at Zunyun Academy, most people couldn’t stand it, some even coming to Zunyun Academy that day to accept the challenge.

This way, if there were any grudges, or conflicts between Sabbath envoys and Yu State cultivators, they could openly fight on stage. This not only provided a platform for resolving conflicts, but also… allowed Zunyun Academy students to see how cultivators from the outside world sparred.

“As expected of Luo Tan, this method is quite good…”

Mu Zhian smiled, “So there was a conflict at Zunyun Academy today, between a Sabbath envoy and an academy elder, which is why she just rushed to the academy?”

The two maids both nodded: “Yes, after learning about the incident between the Zunyun Academy elder and the Sabbath envoy, Her Majesty went to Zunyun Academy after finishing reviewing the memorials.”

Mu Zhian became somewhat interested and asked, “Can outsiders enter Zunyun Academy now?”

The maid nodded slightly: “The outer courtyard is accessible, but only Zunyun Academy disciples can enter the inner courtyard.”

Mu Zhian first hummed in agreement, then realized something wasn’t right.

“Wait… What did you just say? Her Majesty went to Zunyun Academy after finishing reviewing the memorials? Then she didn’t come to the bedchamber?”

One of the maids nodded gently: “I personally saw Her Majesty leave the palace.”

Mu Zhian was stunned.

Luo Tan didn’t come to the bedchamber, but went directly to Zunyun Academy.

…Then who was the woman in the room just now?

“If you want to go to Zunyun Academy, would you mind some company?”

Just as Mu Zhian was still in shock, a woman’s gentle and soft voice came from outside the hall.

Mu Zhian turned his head and saw the Princess, her figure slender and alluring, standing at the entrance of the hall at some unknown time. She wore a veil, her gentle eyes gazing quietly at him.

But for some reason, there seemed to be a hint of resentment in her gentle gaze.

Mu Zhian hesitated for a moment.

“What’s wrong? Are you disdaining me, Young Master Mu?” The Princess tilted her head slightly, her voice still gentle, but her tone somewhat unfriendly.

Mu Zhian came back to his senses, smiled, and nodded: “Alright… Then I’ll trouble Your Highness.”