It turns out, they were the main characters.

She continued, "She's the young lady you saved at the Chen residence before, have you forgotten her?"

Mu Zhian was taken aback, and then looked the maid over a few more times.

She was quite pretty and had a good figure... Mu Zhian suddenly realized that this maid was the young lady of the Chen family who had almost been humiliated by Gongsun Zan a few days ago.

"I've received a lot of care from Miss Wei during this time, and I wanted to thank you earlier, but Miss Wei said that Young Master Mu has been busy with other matters, so I didn't want to disturb you." The young lady of the Chen family bowed slightly and said in a soft voice:

"Thank you so much for saving me before, Young Master Mu."

"Are you settling in well here?" Mu Zhian asked with a smile.

The young lady of the Chen family nodded and said softly, "I wasn't used to it at first, but I'm getting used to it now."

After all, she was once a young lady of high birth, growing up with a silver spoon in her mouth. It would be difficult for her to get used to life as a maid in a short period of time.

That's life. One second you might be a rich kid, but who knows what might happen next?

Just as the man in black robes said before he died, this court is rotten to the core. The emperor is incompetent and has been obsessed with a certain concubine ever since he married her. The officials under him are all very shrewd. On the surface, they have no intention of accumulating wealth, but in reality, they have been embezzling and profiting under the guise of righteousness all these years, making a fortune and becoming extremely rich.

The Gongsun family are not officials, but as a family of cultivators, they have maintained contact with officials in the court all these years, otherwise they wouldn't be able to raid their home every now and then.

However, Mu Zhian didn't know much about the affairs of the imperial court. He didn't know why the Chen family's property was confiscated. Perhaps the censor in charge of the Chen family had embezzled funds, or perhaps they had offended someone in the imperial court.

Based on speculation, the latter is more likely.

After all, the possibility of having one's home confiscated simply for embezzlement is practically zero. It must be that one offended someone in the government or among the people, and was thus secretly framed.

That's why Miss Chen almost caused a tragedy in the mansion before.

"If you encounter any difficulties, you can speak with the person in charge of the household," Mu Zhian said.

Originally, after their home was ransacked, these women were supposed to be taken to the brothel, but for the Mu family, it was not difficult to stop one of them along the way.

Even if the higher-ups find out, they'll turn a blind eye.

Miss Chen thanked him again, but Mu Zhian simply smiled in return.

Affairs in the imperial court are unpredictable. One second the Chen family is under investigation, the next a colleague might come to their rescue, leading to a meteoric rise in their career.

Although generally speaking, once your home is raided, there's practically no chance of turning things around.

But... just consider it doing something you want to do, satisfying your inner self a little, isn't that enough?

Mu Zhian never considered himself a good person, but he didn't want to become a bad person either.

After watching the young lady of the Chen family leave, Mu Zhian turned to Wei Mengrou and said, "Sister Mengrou, why did you come so early?"

"Could it be that they've come to help me get dressed?"

Wei Mengrou glanced at him sideways.

"Miss Bai is here looking for you; she's in the backyard now."

"Oh... speaking of which, I had someone go and invite her to the Mu family yesterday morning. I didn't expect her to come so early." Mu Zhian yawned and stretched.

"You go ahead first, I'll change my clothes and then come to the backyard to find you."

After Wei Mengrou left, Mu Zhian got up to change his clothes and tidied his hair in front of the bronze mirror.

After all, when you're going to meet a girl, you have to maintain a good image.

After tidying up her hair and clothes, Mu Zhian left the room and went to the pavilion in the backyard.

The morning sun was warm and gentle, and the leaves rustled in the sunlight. Bai Ruoxi, dressed in a white dress and exuding an elegant and intellectual air, sat in the pavilion, holding a book in her hands. Strands of her black hair hung down, and her slender neck was faintly visible, snow-white and crystal clear.

Wei Mengrou was not seen; it was unclear whether she was hiding in the shadows or had not yet arrived at the backyard.

Mu Zhian held his breath and quietly approached.

Bai Ruoxi seemed oblivious, looking down at her book, her slender fingers turning the pages. Only when Mu Zhian was about to approach from behind did her soft yet cool voice ring out:

"Young Master Mu, is there something you want to do by secretly shielding your aura and getting close to Ruoxi?"

Mu Zhian paused slightly, looking at Bai Ruoxi in astonishment.

How come Bai Ruoxi's perception ability is so strong when they are both at the Qi Refining stage?

Bai Ruoxi turned her head to look at him, a faint smile in her eyes, and said, "If it were this time yesterday, I probably wouldn't have been able to sense your presence, but when I woke up this morning, I found that I had already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining."

"The effects of this Heavenly Qi are truly remarkable." Mu Zhi'an felt as sour as if he had eaten a lemon.

Bai Ruoxi's eyes also showed undisguised joy, but she nodded reservedly.

Then he added, "The blessing effect of the Heavenly Dao Qi is very strong, but the reason you were able to advance to the ninth rank of Qi Refining is probably because you visited the Bai residence yesterday."

"What does my coming to the Bai residence have to do with your advancement to the ninth rank of Qi Refining...?" Mu Zhian asked, puzzled.

He only went to the Bai residence yesterday to investigate Bai's mother's affairs, and also to get intimate with Bai Ruoxi... He didn't do anything else.

Bai Ruoxi blushed slightly, and her calm voice carried a hint of shyness, "You are a natural furnace."

Mu Zhian hesitated for half a second before finally understanding what Bai Ruoxi meant.

So that's how it is. Just a kiss can trigger the "natural furnace" effect?

Mu Zhian suddenly realized something, then looked at Bai Ruoxi's face and her perfectly curved buttocks as she sat on the stone chair.

Hmm... I don't seem to see ears or a tail.

Is Bai Ruoxi really the offspring of that three-tailed fox and a human...? Mu Zhian felt a little disappointed.

Bai Ruoxi clearly noticed Mu Zhian's gaze, and a faint blush crept onto her cool face. She whispered, "Why are you staring at my head and..."

She was too embarrassed to say that word.

She felt that Mu Zhian was acting strangely today. Ever since he saw her, he had been staring at her head and buttocks... Could it be that after yesterday's intimacy, he had developed further thoughts?

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," Mu Zhian said with a smile, "I just wanted to see if you had fox ears or a tail or something."

Fox ears and a tail...?

Bai Ruoxi was slightly taken aback. Recalling the demon transformation her mother had shown her in the side hall yesterday, her eyes slowly widened as she stared blankly at Mu Zhian: "You knew all along?"

"Isn't it normal that you know? Wasn't that what you wanted to tell me yesterday?" Mu Zhian said with a smile.

Bai Ruoxi remained silent.

"To be honest, I'm quite happy," Mu Zhian suddenly said.

Bai Ruoxi's willingness to tell him the truth shows that she believes he won't leak the secret, and this feeling of being trusted is wonderful.

"What do you plan to do?" Bai Ruoxi looked up and stared at Mu Zhian.

"Should we tell that senior sister about this?"

Mu Zhian shook his head: "Senior Sister is busy with the sect's assessment right now, so let's not trouble her."

Bai Ruoxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She was actually a little uneasy until the way to the Mu family, because she had a vague feeling that Mu Zhian knew the truth.

Hearing his answer now was like a reassurance, allowing the girl's tense nerves to slowly relax.

Mu Zhian gently grasped Bai Ruoxi's delicate, boneless hand, looked up at her fair face, and said, "Ruoxi, can I ask you something?"

Suddenly her slender hand was grabbed, and she noticed that Mu Zhian was staring intently at her. Bai Ruoxi lowered her eyes in embarrassment, her beautiful peach blossom eyes shining with shyness, and whispered, "What is it?"

Mu Zhian asked seriously, "Do you have fox ears and a tail?"

Bai Ruoxi was slightly taken aback, her eyes filled with confusion as she looked at Mu Zhian.

"Is this kind of thing... really that important?"

"Important, extremely important." Mu Zhian said very seriously.

Whether she is a fox-eared girl or not is a very important matter.

Bai Ruoxi gently shook her head: "I don't know."

She hesitated for a moment, glanced at Mu Zhian, and said softly, "But I remember sometimes feeling an itch on my head, I wonder if it's related to the fox ears you mentioned..."

"I see..."

Mu Zhian became somewhat interested and sat down next to Bai Ruoxi, leaning closer and observing the girl's clean and flawless face with curious eyes.

The girl's clothes could barely conceal her full breasts, and a glimpse of snow-white skin was faintly visible in the sunlight.

Mu Zhian couldn't help but glance at her a few more times, which made Bai Ruoxi even more embarrassed, and she didn't even notice that the book she was holding had fallen to the ground.

Compared to her initial "do not disturb" attitude towards Mu Zhian, the girl in love clearly did not have such a psychological defense. She did not resist his close and intimate contact at all, but felt a little shy and at a loss.

"I didn't see any fox ears..." Mu Zhian muttered to himself, the two of them already very close to each other without realizing it.

Being so intimately greeted by a man in front of the pavilion, Bai Ruoxi, who had never been in a relationship before, couldn't help but feel a surge of shyness. Her face flushed, she turned her head slightly away, and pursed her lips tightly.

A strand of hair slipped from her forehead and gently rested on her face, which was flushed with a faint blush. From the side, she had a three-dimensional look like a mixed-race beauty.

Mu Zhi'an moved closer and gently kissed her snow-white neck, causing Bai Ruoxi's shoulders to tremble involuntarily. She turned to look at Mu Zhi'an and said, "Have you finished observing? No matter how much you observe, you won't see fox ears—"

"Not yet, let me check again..." Mu Zhian was not giving up.

"I already said no..." Bai Ruoxi had just raised her head when she felt her lips being gently taken by someone. Her heart was instantly filled with heat. Her back was pressed against the stone pillar behind her, and slowly, her tense body softened.

……

After playing around for a while, Mu Zhian sat on the stone chair under the pavilion and sighed contentedly.

The ancients said that a beautiful woman's appearance is so pleasing to the eye that it's almost edible. I used to think it was just an empty phrase, but now I see...

The ancients were right.

Bai Ruoxi glanced at Mu Zhian with a hint of resentment in her eyes, then silently took out a handkerchief and wiped away the remaining rouge from her lips.

When they first met, Mu Zhian was a gentleman, but after their kiss yesterday, he seemed to have become less and less reserved.

This is in the back courtyard pavilion; it would be so embarrassing if the servants saw us.

Mu Zhian noticed Bai Ruoxi's resentful look, but pretended not to notice. He coughed lightly and said, "Let's go to the arena. Starting in the next couple of days, there should be quite a few young cultivators from the city competing there."

"We might run into some old acquaintances there?"

Bai Ruoxi gave Mu Zhian a deep look and nodded silently.

Come to think of it, with the sect assessment just around the corner, the young talents of Tianxuan City must all be eager to get started, and there will be no shortage of daily sparring matches. It's good to go out and relax, and calm yourself down.

……

Yangfeng Inn.