It turns out, they were the main characters.

This is truly strange; my senior sister actually thanked me...

Mu Zhian looked at his aloof senior sister with the strangeness of someone looking at a rare animal, and said with a smile, "Senior sister has helped me a lot in the past, and I want to do something for you too."

Seemingly unwilling to dwell on this topic, Lan Mulian changed the subject, saying, "The Holy Maiden of Yaochi should have come to see you today?"

Mu Zhian nodded and said, "Fairy Yao Yue asked me some questions... Speaking of which, I don't think I've seen her tonight?"

"She left the Liangyi Sect this evening to return to Yaochi," Lan Mulian said.

She returned to Yaochi so early... It seems that the matter of the Azure Emperor is indeed very important to her and to Yaochi.

Mu Zhi'an understood perfectly.

"What does she want with you?" Lan Mulian asked knowingly, her bright eyes gazing quietly at Mu Zhian beneath the thin veil.

Mu Zhian did not intend to hide the matter and replied, "Senior Sister should know what happened at the Pilgrimage Hall before?"

“Of course.” She nodded gently.

"Actually, it's a grotto-heaven created by the Azure Emperor. She's currently seriously injured, so it's temporarily residing in my body," Mu Zhian said.

"The Azure Emperor is inside your body?" Lan Mulian heard this unexpected news and stared intently at Mu Zhian.

Mu Zhian nodded and said, "My innate furnace seems to be able to nourish spiritual consciousness, so Senior Qingdi chose to rest and recuperate in one of my other furnaces for the time being."

Lan Mulian's eyes flickered slightly as she muttered to herself, "Senior Qingdi wouldn't have been seriously injured for no reason. Besides, there was clearly some kind of seal in the Pilgrimage Hall at the time. Was she in her current state because of that seal?"

Thoughts flickered in her mind, as if she were pondering something.

After a moment, Lan Mulian seemed to have figured something out and couldn't help but chuckle. However, she quickly regained her usual aloof demeanor and said, "The Yaochi Holy Land is an ancient family. If the Yaochi Holy Maiden asks you for any help and offers you appropriate compensation, there's no need to be polite with her."

Judging from how the Holy Maiden of Yaochi and my senior sister got along today, their relationship was obviously very good, but my senior sister still favored me... Mu Zhian was quite gratified and nodded seriously in agreement.

After exchanging a few more casual words, Lan Mulian suddenly said:

"Three days from now, there will be a small competition between disciples at Qingyang Hall on the south bank. If you are interested, you can go and watch it."

"A small competition?" Mu Zhian asked in confusion. "If I remember correctly, the South Bank seems to be the territory of the Enforcement Hall? Why would there be a competition out of the blue?"

"The arrival of talented disciples from outside the sect is a small opportunity for us to test each other's strength," Lan Mulian said.

"Will Senior Sister also participate?" Mu Zhi'an asked.

Lan Mulian gently shook her head: "Both venues are for disciples who are practicing Qi Refining and Spirit Refining."

No wonder… Mu Zhian suddenly realized.

Lan Mulian, who is at the Returning Void Realm, is already an 'elder' in the Liangyi Sect. How can others play if the referee enters the arena?

"I'm only a few years younger than my senior sister, yet she's already at the Returning to the Void Realm, while I've only just reached the Refining Spirit Realm. The gap is truly enormous," Mu Zhian sighed softly, somewhat wistfully.

Lan Mulian said after careful consideration, "It's already very rare for someone your age to reach the Refining Spirit Realm. There's no need to belittle yourself."

“I know,” Mu Zhian nodded.

His talent is estimated to be superior to that of more than 99% of his peers. However, several people he knows are among the top 10% of unparalleled geniuses, so in comparison, his talent seems weak.

Moreover... he doesn't really care whether his talent is weak or not.

After all, he wasn't positioned as a genius at all, but rather as a 'supporting genius'.

Moreover, I received encouragement from my senior sister tonight, so it was worth it... Mu Zhian gazed at Lan Mulian's stunningly beautiful face veiled behind a mask and suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, what kind of constitution does my senior sister have?"

Lan Mulian remained silent.

Mu Zhian continued, "The Heavenly Mandate Holy Body?"

The aloof beauty's eyes flickered slightly, and she unconsciously raised her eyelids to gaze at Mu Zhi'an.

"When did you find out?"

"If you observe your senior sister more often, you'll naturally be able to find out," Mu Zhian said with a smile.

Lan Mulian glanced at him and replied coldly, "You probably observe Miss Bai the most, don't you?"

Mu Zhian shook his head and said, "I am devoted to my senior sister."

Lan Mulian's lips curled into a mocking smile, clearly disbelieving.

Then I thought again: But if he didn't observe carefully, how did he know about my constitution?

Did his master tell him?

It's impossible... Master would never specifically tell Mu Zhi'an something like this.

Mu Zhian gazed at Lan Mulian, who was dressed in a gorgeous long dress and looked as graceful as a fairy from the Jade Terrace, and suddenly said, "By the way, Senior Sister, there are only the two of us here, why don't you take off your veil?"

Lan Mulian replied coldly, "Why would I take them off?"

"I want to see." Mu Zhian gazed into her senior sister's bright eyes.

"Not interested," Lan Mulian refused.

After a brief silence in the pavilion, Mu Zhian suddenly pointed behind Lan Mulian and said, "Senior Sister, look what's that?"

Just as Lan Mulian was about to turn around, Mu Zhian took the opportunity to reach out and remove the thin veil from Lan Mulian's face. Gazing at that stunningly beautiful face, he smiled and said, "Indeed, very beautiful."

Realizing she had been tricked, Lan Mulian's eyes flashed with anger as she stared at Mu Zhian's smile and said, "Get lost."

"Alright!" Mu Zhian said with satisfaction, then turned and left.

Lan Mulian gazed silently in the direction Mu Zhian had left, the silence filling the pavilion.

After a short while, the woman in the white dress stood up and walked out of the pavilion.

She slowly raised her head to face the moonlight, closed her eyes slightly, and felt the cool air. After a long while, she opened her eyes again.

"Mu Zhian..." she murmured softly for no reason.

Under the moonlight, a faint blush seemed to emanate from that aloof face.

……

Canghai Peak, the back mountain.

Leaning against the throne, Ying Guhuan, with her dignified appearance, slightly raised her eyelids and gazed at the man standing in front of the hall.

"Didn't I tell you not to come looking for me at Canghai Peak unless there's something important?" Ying Guhuan said in a soft and gentle voice.

"A message from Her Majesty the Queen," the man said respectfully, then presented a letter.

Upon hearing the word 'Empress,' Ying Guhuan's expression became much more serious. She took the letter and opened it.

After reading it carefully, a strange look appeared on the face of the first chief.

"Does Your Majesty have any orders...?" the man asked tentatively.

“This letter is not addressed to me,” Ying Guhuan said.

"If it wasn't written to you... then who else could it be?"

Ying Guhuan did not answer, but merely glanced at him lazily and said, "You may leave now."

After a while, once her subordinates had left, a thoughtful expression appeared on her face. She called over a disciple and said, "Go and fetch Mu Zhi'an."

Chapter 179 Orca Cubs Reach Consensus (6K)

My senior's strategy was too difficult, but it seems she'll have made some progress tonight.

Could it be that she actually prefers being the one teased rather than taking the initiative...?

"I'll try again next time if I have the chance..." Mu Zhian recalled the scene of Lan Mulian's reaction when he unveiled her veil tonight, and his mood improved considerably.

He flew towards Tianhe Garden on his sword, but as soon as he arrived at the gate of Liuli Palace, he saw a disciple standing in the darkness.

Upon seeing Mu Zhi'an, the disciple breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Brother Mu, you're finally back."

"Who is this senior brother...?" Mu Zhian asked in confusion.

"Master invites you to the back mountain of Canghai Peak," the male disciple said.

Master? He must be referring to Ying Guhuan... Mu Zhian understood slightly, but then a hint of doubt crept into his heart.

Why is Ying Gu Huan sending me this message at this time?

Despite his thoughts, he nodded slightly and left the Glazed Palace with the male disciple.

Before long, he arrived at the back mountain, entered the cave, and met the charming woman in a red dress in the main hall.

The male disciple beside him seemed quite wary of Ying Guhuan, and bowed, saying, "Master, I have brought my junior brother here."

Having said that, seeing Ying Guhuan raise her eyes to signal him, the male disciple understood her meaning and immediately withdrew from the main hall.

"Sister Ying, what brings you here so late?" Since there was no one else in the main hall, Mu Zhian was not as reserved as before.

Ying Guhuan narrowed his eyes, gazing at the young man below the stage. He sat with his long, jade-like legs crossed and smiled lightly, "You must be a very busy person. If I hadn't sent someone to find you, would you not have planned to come and see me?"

Mu Zhian smiled wryly, "Sister Ying, what are you saying? When Senior Sister Lan advanced to the Returning Void Realm, I needed to prepare a congratulatory gift. I was planning to come back to find you today, but I was disturbed by cultivators from outside, which wasted a lot of my time."

Ying Gu Huan asked in confusion, "Cultivators from the outside world?"

“Zhou Hao, a genius of the forbidden zone.” Mu Zhian sighed softly, “I am just a young master from a small family. How can I compare to him? It took a lot of effort today to barely get him to stop bullying me.”

"A genius from the forbidden zone?" Ying Guhuan sneered. "The master of the forbidden zone never interferes with the hatred and entanglements between the younger generation of the clan and others. If someone bullies you, you don't need to be polite to them."

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate...? Isn't there a rule that we can't fight within the sect?" Mu Zhian hesitated.

"Private duels are not allowed in the sect, but sparring is permitted. After the fight, just send the other party a challenge letter. If anything goes wrong, I'll cover for you."

Mu Zhian looked touched: "Sister Ying is so kind."

Although the other party is a demon cultivator, Mu Zhian has not felt anything wrong with demon cultivators so far.

Ying Gu Huan's kindness to Mu Zhi An wasn't solely due to his natural talent as a furnace cauldron; his manner of conversation and his actions were also significant advantages.

"By the way, does Sister Ying have something planned for tonight?" Mu Zhian suddenly asked.

Ying Guhuan nodded slightly and beckoned with his finger, signaling Mu Zhian to come to the throne.

As the gentle and refined young man, who resembled a noble gentleman, walked up to her, she took out a folded piece of paper from her bosom and handed it to Mu Zhian.

Mu Zhian glanced discreetly at the unfathomable depths of Ying Guhuan's heart, then took the letter from Ying Guhuan, opened it, and glanced at it.

From the initial casualness to the gradual solemnity, it took an unknown amount of time before Mu Zhian put down the letter in his hand and looked at Ying Guhuan.

"Sister Ying, you already knew about this?"