It turns out, they were the main characters.

After all, if it were so "easy" to get all the Eight Treasure Cranes back from Linglong, this favor wouldn't be so memorable.

Yi Hao's expression softened slightly, and he nodded, saying, "Young friend Mu, then I'll leave this matter to you."

Given his status, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to ask the Spirit Dragon for the Eight Treasures Crane.

After all, it wouldn't be very honorable if this got out.

Not long ago, he righteously declared in front of his junior brothers and sisters that "it would be fine to give all the Eight Treasure Cranes to Senior Linglong." If he were to ask for them back now, how could he face the sect after word got out?

Moreover, if the spirit dragon doesn't give it to him, Yi Hao really has no other choice.

If the opponent is a spirit dragon, even the sect leader's intervention might not be effective.

Therefore, the head of Canghai Peak could only place his hopes on Mu Zhian.

"By the way, why is Senior Linglong here with you?" Yi Hao suddenly remembered this important matter.

Linglong rarely leaves seclusion and has never been close to anyone except the sect leader. Yet here he is, in the residence of a disciple who has only recently joined the sect. This is truly puzzling.

Upon hearing this, Mu Zhian was somewhat worried and sighed, "Actually, when I entered Senior Linglong's cave, I happened to meet her. We got along quite well and I even received her inheritance of fortune."

"Oh?"

Yi Hao sized up the seemingly honest and docile young man and said, "Isn't this a good thing? Why is young friend Mu sighing?"

"This was supposed to be a good thing, but I never expected that after leaving the cave, I would find that the Third Prince was framing me everywhere for abandoning my companions and being a treacherous person..." Mu Zhian sighed softly as he said this, his face looking somewhat heavy.

"The Third Prince...?"

Yi Hao pondered for a moment and muttered to himself, "The offspring of that old man from the Great Qian Dynasty... Hmph, royal family members only know how to resort to these kinds of schemes."

After saying that, he looked at Mu Zhian and said, "Young friend Mu, rest assured, if anyone uses this as an excuse to cause trouble, the sect will guarantee absolute fairness."

"Senior's righteousness is admirable, so I thank you in advance." Mu Zhian was overjoyed and respectfully clasped his hands in thanks.

Yi Hao nodded slightly, and before leaving, he casually reminded, "The Eight Treasure Crane has no effect on cultivators after the peak of the Refining Spirit Realm. If Senior Linglong wants to eat something, I will have someone send some other ingredients over tomorrow."

"As for the eight-treasure crane... if you can get it back, I will give you one."

"Leave this matter to the junior," Mu Zhian said confidently.

Yi Hao smiled and nodded, quite satisfied with Mu Zhian's understanding nature. He then gave Mu Zhian a few more instructions, mostly encouraging him to work hard in his cultivation, before leaving.

Mu Zhian respectfully clasped his hands in greeting, watching Yi Hao ascend into the sky and disappear into the distance.

He then withdrew his gaze, stretched, and returned to his room, where he saw Lin Ling sitting there, her hand supporting her chin, seemingly lost in thought.

She sat in the room, her silver hair flowing freely. The candlelight cast a warm glow on her delicate face. Her high breasts rested on the table, and although her graceful figure was concealed by a loose, plain robe, she exuded a restrained beauty.

"Senior Lin Ling, we will return the Eight Treasure Cranes to that chief in a couple of days, is that alright?" Mu Zhian quickly collected his thoughts and asked softly.

Even if you've already asked once before, it's better to confirm again just in case, to avoid the other party changing their mind later.

Lin Ling snapped out of her daze, glanced at him, and nodded gently.

In the past, in order to suppress the karmic fire, Lin Ling had never been born. This time, with someone's help, she was able to leave her cave in human form for the time being, and naturally wanted to taste all kinds of delicacies.

I ate one of the eight-treasure cranes and then lost interest.

"When will the exchange of fortunes begin?" Mu Zhian asked again.

dong dong.

Lin Ling tapped on the table and wrote something on it.

Mu Zhian nodded and looked over.

"After the selection of inner disciples is completed."

The transfer of fortune requires some preparation time. Even a spirit dragon needs some preparatory rituals. Moreover, the transfer of fortune requires a gradual process and cannot be completed in just one or two days.

Mu Zhian smiled and nodded, then chatted with Linglong for a while longer, trying to get closer to him before leaving the room.

He didn't go back to his room immediately, but instead went down the corridor to Bai Ruoxi's room. When he quietly pushed open the door, he saw Bai Ruoxi lying in bed, looking like she was resting.

However, it's obvious that this is just an illusion, since cultivators in the Refining Spirit Realm don't need to rest at all.

Besides, what time is it? How could Bai Ruoxi possibly be asleep this early?

Mu Zhian closed the door, took off his robe, crawled into the quilt, and embraced Bai Ruoxi's soft body.

Another night spent struggling for Bai Ruoxi's cultivation, utterly boring!

……

That night.

At this moment, in a side hall, the handsome Third Prince Ning Long, with dark circles under his eyes, tapped the edge of his chair lightly with his fingertips, looking gloomy.

Two monks of similar age stood respectfully before him.

Generally speaking, a dynasty's rule lasts no more than three hundred years, but in this world, the Great Qian Dynasty's rule over the Eastern Continent has lasted for nearly a thousand years.

It reached its zenith over the past century, but in the last decade, there seem to be faint signs that its glory is bound to decline.

Even so, the foundation of the Great Qian Dynasty still exists. In the past, many members of the royal family have entered the Liangyi Sect to cultivate, and some have even climbed to the top levels step by step.

After the Third Prince entered the clan, he also received some special treatment.

For example, these two cultivators were sent by the deputy head of Huabao Peak to help the Third Prince solve some of his daily troubles.

"You mean Mu Zhi'an took the people who participated in the Spirit Dragon Assessment to the location of the Qi Luck Inheritance?" The Third Prince looked up at the two of them, his face terribly gloomy, and he was filled with regret.

It's no wonder, he is the third prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, born with the aura of purple coming from the east. If he can inherit the fortune of the spirit dragon this time, he might become the crown prince in the future.

After all, the fortune brought by the spirit dragon, which represents the word "luck," is something even the Emperor has to consider carefully.

As a result, he was kicked out shortly after entering the Spirit Dragon's Cave Heaven...

If he hadn't spoken up and had instead stayed quietly in hiding, he might have already found the location of the inheritance of fortune with Mu Zhian, and even obtained the fortune of the spirit dragon!

All of this can be attributed to his impulsiveness, but it is also due to Mu Zhian.

If he hadn't cheated, why would they have questioned Linglong because they felt it was unfair?

"It is said that the two people who received the inheritance of fortune are Huang Manting and a girl from the Southern Barbarians," a cultivator beside him said respectfully.

Even though he was the Third Prince, being in the same Liangyi Sect wasn't that impressive, the fact that he had the Deputy Head of Huabao Peak behind him made all the difference.

It is a rare opportunity to work for the Deputy Chief.

If I gain the favor of the deputy chief in the future, I might be able to receive some preferential treatment in terms of resources from Huabao Peak... This is quite tempting.

"Can you confirm that Mu Zhian also obtained the fortune?" the Third Prince asked.

"It's impossible to be sure for now... at least from the surface, we can't tell anything." The cultivator beside him immediately replied.

"By the way, I heard from the sect disciples that when Senior Linglong first left the cliff, he seemed to have approached Bai Ruoxi on his own initiative, and Mu Zhian was also present at the time." Another cultivator reported the information he had gathered over the past two days.

"Oh?"

The Third Prince narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingertips tapping lightly on the edge of the chair.

After a long while, it was as if a blue lightning bolt flashed through his mind, and he suddenly thought of a possibility.

"What if... the person Linglong was looking for back then wasn't Bai Ruoxi, but Mu Zhian?"

If that's the case, it would explain why Linglong was with Mu Zhian in the cave, and why they even seemed to have a good relationship.

From the very beginning, the person Linglong was looking for was Mu Zhian; Bai Ruoxi was just a decoy!

"Mu Zhian must have some secrets."

The Third Prince said firmly, "Continue your investigation. After the inner disciple selection ceremony, I want to see Mu Zhi'an's past experiences."

Both disciples responded with "Yes".

Watching the two turn and leave, the Third Prince picked up his tea, took a sip, but his mind was filled with thoughts.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side...

"Are you very dissatisfied?" An old voice slowly echoed in Ye Yu's heart, as if sensing Ye Yu's current irritation.

"My talent and even my luck are stronger than his, so why did the Spirit Dragon choose him instead of me in the end?!" Ye Yu's unwilling voice roared in his heart, and his breathing became somewhat disordered.

The old man sighed, "Luck only increases your chances of having a serendipitous encounter, but whether you can seize the opportunity depends on your own ability."

"Does the teacher mean that my abilities are inferior to Mu Zhian's?" Ye Yu was quite unconvinced.

“Your abilities are no less than his, and may even be much stronger than Mu Zhian’s,” the aged voice said softly. “But you don’t know how to be flexible.”

"In the world of immortals and heroes, strength is one aspect, but being adaptable and tactful in dealing with people is equally important."

"Imagine, even if you are now at the peak of Qi Refining or even the peak of Spirit Refining, and can defeat Mu Zhi'an fair and square in terms of strength, what if he calls others to help him?"

The old man's words left Ye Yu speechless.

Then, Ye Yu immediately shook his head and said, "No, relying on external forces is ultimately just a crooked and evil way."

But you've already been defeated by external forces several times...

Bai Ruoxi was your former fiancée, and Ye Lingxuan and Ye Qian were also your sisters... But now, they are all on Mu Zhian's side.

Aren't these all external forces?

The old man sighed inwardly, but did not offer any further guidance to Ye Yu.

……

The next morning, Mu Zhian left his room early and followed Wei Mengrou to Liangyi Peak.

He wrote down the paper crane and threw it into Liangyi Peak. Before long, he saw Lan Mulian riding on a cloud to Mu Zhian.

She looked at Mu Zhian, who was maintaining a "safe distance" from Wei Mengrou, and said with a smile, "You've arrived quite early."

"Please come in, I have already brewed hot tea for you both."

After saying that, he led Mu Zhian and Wei Mengrou to the pavilion in the back mountain.

Along the way, Mu Zhian looked around and suddenly asked, "Senior Sister, isn't it rumored that the sect leader of the Liangyi Sect lives here? Why haven't I seen her?"

“Master left two days ago, and we don’t know where he went,” Lan Mulian replied.

"I see." Mu Zhian felt a little disappointed.

He also wanted to take this opportunity to see what his "pen pal" looked like.