It turns out, they were the main characters.

Upon hearing the girl's earnest words, Mu Zhian's expression became somewhat subtle.

Although I know Bai Ruoxi meant well, something still feels off...

They're the same age, yet the other person actually offered to protect me...

Seemingly feeling a little uncomfortable under Mu Zhian's gaze, Bai Ruoxi lowered her eyes slightly and said softly, "Young Master Mu, please say something..."

Mu Zhian snapped out of his daze and smiled, "I'll have to trouble you then."

He suddenly changed the subject: "However, you don't need to protect me. There are other things I'll need you to do. And only you can do them."

Bai Ruoxi slowly raised her head to look at Mu Zhian, her eyes filled with confusion.

Mu Zhian took two steps forward, leaned close to the girl's earlobe, and whispered something.

The warm breath gently touched her ear, making Bai Ruoxi's delicate earlobes slightly hot, and her eyes became misty, sparkling in the sunlight.

It wasn't until she heard Mu Zhian's voice in her ear, and quite a while later, that Bai Ruoxi slowly calmed down and nodded solemnly:

“I understand… If things really turn out as Young Master Mu predicted, then I will deliver the final blow.”

Mu Zhian nodded in satisfaction: "I'll have to trouble you then."

As the two were chatting in the courtyard, a maid walked into the courtyard from not far away. Seeing the elegant and aloof beauty in a white dress with a flushed face as if she were drunk, she hesitated for a moment, wondering if she had disturbed the young master.

"Just say what's on your mind," Mu Zhian said calmly.

The maid then realized what was happening and respectfully said, "Young master, servants from the Morning Dawn Merchant Guild are outside requesting an audience."

Why would people from the Dawn Merchant Guild come to the Mu family's residence...?

Bai Ruoxi subconsciously looked at Mu Zhian.

Mu Zhian remained expressionless, seemingly unsurprised, and nodded, saying, "I understand. Take him to the main hall."

After the maid left, Bai Ruoxi whispered, "Young Master Mu, why would the people from the Morning Light Merchant Guild...?"

The Morning Light Chamber of Commerce is one of the forces that suppresses the Bai family, and now the servants of the Morning Light Chamber of Commerce have come to their door in person... No wonder Bai Ruoxi cares so much.

"Don't worry about it. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Besides, the funds for suppressing the bandits came from the Morning Light Chamber of Commerce. They're practically handing over money," Mu Zhian said with a smile.

Businessmen are all about profit. Since the Morning Light Chamber of Commerce didn't contribute any effort, they naturally have to pay for it.

However, the fact that Master Huang sent 100,000 spirit stones to the Mu family before even dealing with the man in black robes surprised Mu Zhian.

Upon arriving at the main hall, a servant who was already waiting respectfully presented him with a storage ring, saying, "Young Master Mu."

Mu Zhian took the storage ring, scanned it with his divine sense, confirmed the number of spirit stones, and nodded in satisfaction: "Thank you for your hard work, you can go now."

The servant didn't leave, but cautiously said, "Young Master Mu, Miss Fei Ying asked me to take her storage ring back with me..."

"I'll just return the ring to Sister Feiying myself after I finish it," Mu Zhian said calmly.

After all, it was something someone had lent him, and he didn't feel comfortable having a stranger return it.

Upon hearing this, the servant stopped arguing, bowed slightly, and turned to leave.

Bai Ruoxi, standing to the side, seemed somewhat doubtful and asked, "Miss Fei Ying's storage ring...?"

Mu Zhian shook his head and smiled, "Don't worry about it, it's just a small matter. Instead of this, let's go see how Elder Ren's pills are being refined."

"If nothing unexpected happens, you can take the pills to see your uncle tonight."

Then, this grand event to suppress bandits should officially begin.

Chapter 34 It's time to go down the mountain, Senior Sister!

The Ye family!

Ye Yu returned to the Ye family with the medicinal herbs he needed. After placing the herbs in the corner of the room, he immediately sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed and closed his eyes slightly.

His originally handsome face now looked somewhat gloomy.

That's understandable, since the bronze iron piece that should have belonged to him today was taken away by Mu Zhian.

Not only that, even the chief auctioneer of the Dawn Chamber of Commerce was so affectionate towards Mu Zhian...

Recalling the praise that the sexy and alluring Miss Fei Ying had given him earlier that day, and the scene afterward when he was held in the arms of that playboy, Ye Yu felt an inextinguishable fire of jealousy burning in his heart.

Although he has always believed that "cultivation is the most important thing", Ye Yu still couldn't help but lose control of his emotions when he saw Mu Zhian and Fei Ying getting along intimately and chatting and laughing together.

She seduced his fiancée, stole the limelight that should have been his, and even deliberately competed with him, taking away the bronze iron plate that should have been hers.

Recalling what happened at the auction house today, Ye Yu's fists clenched involuntarily, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, barely managing to calm himself down.

Stay calm... don't panic.

Whether it's Bai Ruoxi or Fei Ying... after the day after tomorrow, everyone will know who is truly worth befriending.

Now, all I need to do is cultivate... cultivate diligently.

Then, in the competition that day, he defeated Mu Zhian fairly and squarely, stepping on his head to rise to the top!

……

Meanwhile, at the Mufu residence.

Mu Zhian led Bai Ruoxi along a long corridor to an open-air square in front of the Mu family's residence.

Several cauldrons of different colors were placed in front of the square. Mu Zhian did not know what the effects of these cauldrons were, but he roughly knew that each alchemist had several such cauldrons.

It can be said that the alchemist's furnace is his other life.

Knowing that Elder Ren disliked being disturbed while refining pills, Mu Zhian did not go up to greet him. Instead, he found an open space not far from the square and sat down to wait for the old man.

Bai Ruoxi walked to Mu Zhian's side, the hem of her white dress fluttering slightly in the wind. She knelt down beside him, and her snow-white skin beneath the thin white dress shone with a translucent beauty in the sunlight.

However, Mu Zhian was not paying attention to the girl beside him at the moment; his attention was completely drawn to the old man in front of him who was refining pills.

Even though they were some distance apart, Mu Zhian could still clearly feel the intense heat emanating from the cauldron in front of the old man.

Even standing here, one can feel the warmth emanating from the cauldron, let alone the old man who is refining pills.

After nearly half an hour, the temperature in the cauldron gradually subsided.

The old man slowly opened his cloudy eyes, raised his hand to form a hand seal, and pointed to the cauldron in front of him.

From the cauldron, six smooth-colored pills quietly flew out, and one could vaguely see the phantom of a roaring beast on the pills.

A rich medicinal aroma wafted through the square. The old man took out two jade bottles, put one pill into one of them, and then put the remaining five into the other jade bottle.

After doing all this, he turned around and came to Mu Zhi'an, handed him the two jade bottles, and said with a smile, "A batch of pills contains six pills, which is not bad."

Mu Zhian nodded and said sincerely, "Thank you for your hard work, Elder Ren."

The old man shook his head, a rare smile appearing on his face, and said, "Perhaps to outsiders, alchemy is a very arduous task, but for me, alchemy is not a arduous task at all."

Seeing that Mu Zhian did not understand, the old man chuckled and gave an example: "Just like when the young master used to go to the brothel, it is not easy for an old man like me to persist in going to the brothel, but for the young master, it is as simple as eating and drinking, because for the young master, going to the brothel is a happy thing."

Bai Ruoxi glanced at Mu Zhian unintentionally.

Mu Zhian's behavior during this period almost made her forget that this young master of the Mu family used to be a regular at the brothel... he just had recently become more restrained.

"Let's have a nice chat, don't ruin my conversation..." Mu Zhian's smile faltered a little. He handed one of the jade bottles to Bai Ruoxi and said, "Ruoxi, take this pill to your uncle tonight."

After saying that, he took out two pills from another jade bottle and handed them to the old man.

"Mr. Ren, please keep this. You might need it someday."

The old man smiled kindly and nodded gently, saying, "Okay."

This pill is called the Rejuvenation Pill. It is an excellent medicine for seriously injured patients. Taking and refining the pill can quickly restore their health.

This elixir might come in quite useful during this "bandit suppression" campaign.

"Young Master is indeed very cautious," the old man remarked again.

Although the man in black robes was at the Refinement Realm, his strength was not as great as his. In addition, there was Wei Mengrou, the patriarch of the Bai family, and Refinement Realm experts from the Gongsun family and the Morning Dawn Chamber of Commerce.

Even if the man in the black robe had wings, he couldn't possibly fly away.

However, Mu Zhian sighed and said:

"Actually, I still think it's unstable."

The old man frowned slightly and said, "Young Master, do you think we are not enough to take down the man in black robes?"

"If it's just a man in black robes, with Elder Ren and the others around, it's certainly enough."

Mu Zhian turned his head to look at the old man and said with a smile, "But after the main course is served, there are still side dishes to be served."

The men in black robes are a common enemy, which is why they are able to cooperate.

What happened after the man in black died?

Having lost their common enemy, can the various forces that cooperated still stand united against a common foe?

Also... Bai Ruoxi's mother is only at the Qi Refining stage.

How could a Qi Refining cultivator possibly be capable of swallowing up three major families?

There are probably other experts behind Bai Yuanfeng.

The old man clearly understood Mu Zhian's meaning, and frowned slightly, saying, "Then what does the young master plan to do? Ask those old geezers to help?"

Mu Zhian shook his head: "We should only do this as a last resort."

The elders of the Mu family are all experts in the Refining Spirit Realm, but most of them have eccentric temperaments.

The elders of the Mu family had all witnessed this operation. If Mu Zhi'an were to ask them for help directly, he might be refused, and their opinion of him would drop a notch.

“I have other, more suitable candidates,” Mu Zhian continued.

The old man, with a hint of curiosity, asked, "Who?"

Mu Zhian glanced at him and said, "Someone who always wants to run away from home but ends up staying at home all the time."

"This time I gave her a reason to run away from home... but whether she's willing to come out or not is up to her."

"If she's willing to come out, I can also thank her for the Beast King Vine she gave me."

Chapter 35 I never expected you to be like this, Master.