It turns out, they were the main characters.

Mu Zhian leaned against the stone bench, basking in the sun, holding Bai Ruoxi's slender white hand in one hand. He turned his head to look at her and smiled, "Ruoxi, did you secretly hide your tail? Let me see it!"

Bai Ruoxi, who was outside, was much more reserved. She simply shook her head and said, "I really don't have a tail or ears. Young Master Mu, please don't make fun of me."

"I don't believe you unless you show me."

Bai Ruoxi rolled her eyes at Mu Zhian.

How else can I let him see it? I can see the ears directly, but the tail...

"By the way, let's stay at the Mu residence before the sect assessment begins," Mu Zhian suddenly said.

Jokes should be used in moderation; otherwise, it would be counterproductive to upset Bai Ruoxi.

Bai Ruoxi hesitated and asked, "Why do we have to live in the Mu Mansion...?"

Mu Zhian leaned close to the girl's ear and whispered, "The Qi of Heaven will purify the spiritual energy nearby, but it will also expose the demonic energy on your mother's body."

Bai Ruoxi's eyes widened slightly, and she subconsciously turned her head to look at Mu Zhian.

"Really?"

"Otherwise, how do you think I discovered your mother's secret back then?" Mu Zhian said.

No wonder he knew about my mother back then, it was because of the power of Heaven... Bai Ruoxi remained silent, then nodded slightly.

"Then I'll have to trouble you during this time."

As she finished speaking, she felt the boy playing with her little hand, and felt even more ashamed. She guiltily glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to them before she felt relieved.

Even before living in the Mu residence, Mu Zhi'an was already this bold. If he really lives in the Mu residence during this period, will he really not do anything reckless?

Bai Ruoxi felt a slight worry in her heart.

Mu Zhian was unaware that Bai Ruoxi was worried about his "safety." At this moment, he was holding the beauty's small hand and playing with it, while looking up at the sparring match in front of the arena, looking quite relaxed.

"Ye Yu wins!"

A clear voice came from the arena in the distance, which attracted Mu Zhian's attention.

He slightly raised his head to look.

Ye Yu, dressed in a black robe, had just defeated another Qi Refining cultivator. Mu Zhian recognized the man; if he remembered correctly, he was a second-grade Qi Refining cultivator.

Ye Yu's strength seems to have increased a bit compared to before... Mu Zhian pondered.

Just then, Ye Yu noticed Mu Zhian's gaze, turned his head slightly to look over, raised the corner of his mouth, gave Mu Zhian a thumbs up, and then slowly lowered it.

Mu Zhian is only at this level, not daring to accept a sparring challenge from a cultivator at the peak of the Refinement Realm... Even without thinking, one can guess the meaning behind Ye Yu's action.

Mu Zhian simply laughed off such a low-level provocation.

Under Ye Yu's gaze, Mu Zhian slightly turned his head, gently brushed aside Bai Ruoxi's hair, and kissed the beauty's flawless face.

Then he gave Ye Yu a thumbs up.

That's how "The Big Picture" came about.

"What are you doing..." Bai Ruoxi glared at Mu Zhian, her tone sounding somewhat displeased.

"It's okay, you're just too cute, so I couldn't help myself," Mu Zhian said gently, holding the girl's hand.

Ye Yu on the stage froze slightly, staring blankly at the scene, remaining silent for a long time.

Even now, he still can't figure out where he is inferior to Mu Zhian... Even a discerning person can see that his talent far surpasses Mu Zhian's, and his future achievements will be even greater than Mu Zhian's.

But Bai Ruoxi still chose Mu Zhian instead of him... Ye Yu's fists clenched quietly, and a burning jealousy rose uncontrollably in his heart.

"Brother Ye Yu, the clan elders want you to return to the manor. It seems they have something to tell you."

Just then, a clear, sweet, and pleasant voice suddenly came from below the stage.

Mu Zhian looked over and saw a rather cute girl wearing a light blue cardigan dress with a thin belt around her waist. Her long, black hair fell in front of her slender waist, and she wore a pair of deerskin boots.

In modern terms, she would probably give off the impression of a sweet and innocent young girl.

If I remember correctly, she should be Ye Qian, the daughter of the first elder of the Ye family.

Ye Yu was clearly not in a good mood. After jumping off the dueling platform, he glanced at his pretty cousin and said in a deep voice, "Do you know what this is about?"

Ye Qian shook her head: "I don't know, the elders didn't say."

Ye Yu gave a soft "hmm" and turned to leave.

Ye Qian hesitated for a moment, watching her departing cousin, and suddenly said, "By the way, Brother Ye Yu, I remember you are an alchemist, right? I have already reached the peak of the Essence Refining stage. Could you help me refine a Qi Refining Pill? I will pay you for the crafting and materials."

Ye Yu didn't answer, but simply said, "Let's talk about it when we get back."

During the time he was considered a cripple, his relationship with Ye Qian was always just so-so. It wasn't until recently that the two started to communicate. In addition, Ye Yu had just been broken by Mu Zhian's action, so he naturally had no mood to chat with his cousin.

Ye Qian looked up at Ye Yu's departing figure, then lowered her head, a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

If my cousin refuses to help, then we'll have to ask the alchemists at Dawn Auction House to do it for us...

Although the price is a bit higher, Qi Refining Pills are still very necessary if you want to ensure that you can break through to the Qi Refining Realm.

Ye Qian sighed inwardly and walked gracefully in the direction Ye Yu had left, preparing to return to the Ye family.

Suddenly, she saw a tall, imposing figure appear before her.

With soft hair and dressed in luxurious robes, he looked like a refined gentleman, with a gentle and elegant smile on his face.

For Ye Qian, a young girl just beginning to experience romantic feelings, Mu Zhi'an perfectly embodied all the fantasies of a girl in love, so much so that her gaze lingered on his face for a long time.

Then, she came to her senses, quickly shook her head, and asked warily in her clear, doe-like eyes, "Young Master Mu, is there something you need?"

She knew that her cousin and Mu Zhian didn't get along, and she was also aware of Mu Zhian's past behavior in Tianxuan City.

In the past, her elders had reminded her more than once not to have any intimate interactions with Mu Zhian.

Ye Qian kept these words in mind, and this was the first time she had a direct encounter with Mu Zhian.

Mu Zhian smiled and said, "Don't be nervous. Ye Yu and I have only a personal grudge. There's no need to be so wary of me."

Under Ye Qian's wary gaze, Mu Zhian took out a delicate little box from his storage ring and handed it to her.

What is this...? Ye Qian frowned slightly, glanced at Mu Zhian, and opened the small box.

Inside the box was a perfectly round pill... it was a Qi Refining Pill!

"Young Master Mu, I can't accept this." Ye Qian immediately returned the small box to Mu Zhi'an, firmly refusing it.

Mu Zhian maintained his gentle smile: "If you don't want it now, you'll still have to go to the auction house to bid for the materials and find someone to refine it in a couple of days, which will take a lot of time and money. I'm not giving you this Qi Refining Pill for free, but selling it to you at the original price."

"As for spirit stones, you can have them delivered to the Mu residence next time."

He didn't seem as fierce as the rumors suggested; on the contrary, he seemed like a good person...? Ye Qian looked at Mu Zhian's gentle smile and the sincere look in his eyes. After hesitating for a moment, she finally accepted the Qi-refining pill silently with both hands.

"I didn't bring any spirit stones with me today, but I'll bring the money to you tomorrow." After saying that, Ye Qian bowed slightly to Mu Zhian, hugged the small box in her hands, and ran away.

Her deerskin ankle boots pattered on the ground, and her skirt swayed gently in the breeze, revealing glimpses of her fair skin on her thighs.

Mu Zhian watched this scene and a happy smile appeared on his face.

Hmm... Helping others really does make you feel better.

He withdrew his gaze and sat down next to Bai Ruoxi, leisurely watching the younger generation's competition on the stage, occasionally teasing the girl beside him, quite enjoying himself.

……

Inside the teahouse.

"Sister, what do you think of the eldest young master of the Mu family's performance this time?" Fei Ying asked with a smile.

Lan Mulian casually withdrew her gaze, her tone indifferent: "It's fine."

"He has good talent and is very intelligent, but his character... is debatable. He's a promising talent."

After watching this competition, it was actually Ye Yu and Gongsun Cheng's performance that was somewhat disappointing.

Although he has good talent, his character is really bad.

A true cultivator's mindset should not be so easily influenced by others.

"Where is Bai Ruoxi?" Fei Ying then asked.

Lan Mulian remained silent for a long time before saying, "If Master sees her, he might be tempted to take her as a disciple."

Based on Bai Ruoxi's performance just now, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she is invincible among her peers... Among the Qi Refining Realm cultivators, probably no one can withstand the power of that bronze sword head-on.

Fei Ying glanced at the enchantress from the Morning Dawn Chamber of Commerce who had just stepped onto the dueling platform and smiled, "We seem to have almost finished our tea. Why don't we go down and take a look? I bet you'd like to get to know the eldest daughter of the Bai family for yourself, sister?"

For some reason, when she got to this point, Fei Ying looked at her sister with a rather meaningful gaze.

Lan Mulian was oblivious and took a sip of tea.

Then, he glanced casually at the stunningly beautiful girl in the white dress standing below the teahouse, nodded slightly, and said softly:

"Alright."

Chapter 54 Classic Multithreaded Operations (4.5K)

"Ye Yu is still lucky after all. His fiancée broke off the engagement and now a cousin has appeared... Will he get a cousin and childhood sweetheart next...?"

Mu Zhian leaned back on the stone chair, slightly raised his head to look at the two cultivators fighting on the platform, and couldn't help but sigh as he recalled what had just happened.

Thinking about it carefully, Ye Yu is actually quite lucky; he has quite a few beautiful girls around him.

It's a pity that Ye Yu is too obsessed with his fiancée right now and doesn't seem to realize how good his cousin is... That girl named Ye Qian is quite cute.

"What did you just say to Ye Qian?" Bai Ruoxi turned her head slightly to look at Mu Zhian and asked in a soft voice.

She had just witnessed their actions from a short distance away. Although she didn't know what Mu Zhian had said, judging from Ye Qian's shy expression at the time, he had obviously said something nice.

Mu Zhian snapped out of his daze, shook his head and smiled, "It's nothing, just helping others is a pleasure."

"So you gave her a Qi Refining Pill?" Bai Ruoxi asked.

She even saw this... Mu Zhian explained, "It's not a gift, it's just a regular sale to her at the original price."

Bai Ruoxi was not happy. She frowned slightly and said, "Selling it to her at the original price is no different from giving it to her for free."

In this world, alchemists are an extremely rare profession.

Usually, the medicinal herbs are handed over to alchemists to refine them, and the processing fee alone is enough to buy another batch of the same herbs.

Even in this vast Tianxuan City, there are only a handful of people who possess the identity of an alchemist.