It turns out, they were the main characters.

Her appearance was quite similar to Lan Mulian's, but she lacked some of the aloofness and instead possessed a mature charm. If someone didn't know the situation, they might mistake the two for mother and daughter.

After Mu Zhian and Lan Mulian disembarked from the painted boat, they only breathed a sigh of relief after watching the Lan family ancestor step onto the deck and the painted boat disappear from sight.

"Let's go back first," he said softly, looking at the black jade cauldron in his hand.

Lan Mulian nodded silently.

What happened tonight was so unbelievable that she needed time to think it over.

Logically speaking, the Lan family ancestor should have already perished, but tonight he appeared on a mysterious ancient ship... Moreover, the Lan family ancestor's aura showed no signs of weakness whatsoever.

The ancestor even said that the divine message that descended during the ancestral worship ceremony was not her doing...

So who exactly is it?

The Lan family should have only produced one person at the Dao Integration Realm...

"What are you thinking about, Senior Sister?" Mu Zhi'an asked suddenly as he rode his sword, watching Lan Mulian's thoughtful expression.

"I was just wondering, I couldn't see any weakness in my ancestor just now, so why did she say that she was a dead person? She clearly exuded the aura of a living person..." Lan Mulian frowned slightly and said softly.

Upon hearing this, Mu Zhian nodded silently as well.

What Lan Mulian said was exactly the question that was on his mind.

Why would someone who exudes the aura of the living refer to themselves as 'the deceased'?

Could it be that the Lan family's ancestor was like him?

At this moment, Lan Mulian, standing beside Mu Zhian, looked at him with her red lips slightly parted, as if she wanted to ask him something.

Why did my junior brother say that he was also a 'deceased person'?

She wanted to ask, but ultimately held back.

Mu Zhian turned his head to look behind him. On Taichu Lake, the painted boat was like a stone thrown into the lake. The entire painted boat rippled outwards, and the next moment, the ancient boat had disappeared from sight.

"Senior sister, since you can see through the origin of all things, can you also see through the secrets within me?"

After a long silence, Mu Zhian finally spoke.

Lan Mulian gazed silently at Mu Zhian, then shook her head and said, "Your secrets have been blocked; I can't see any fluctuations in your aura."

really……

As expected, Mu Zhian did not.

His secrets were kept hidden from others to avoid being detected by the Heavenly Dao of the Nine Provinces.

Because of what happened tonight, the two of them naturally had no mood to go to Taichu Lake for sightseeing.

Mu Zhian was preoccupied with his own thoughts as he left Taichu Lake with Lan Mulian.

"What's wrong? Did you just scold him? Why do you look so pale?"

As they passed a palace, a woman in a red dress walked by in the dim light. She had a gentle look in her eyes and, seeing that Mu Zhian seemed distracted, she couldn't help but ask him a question.

Lan Mulian glanced at her sister and then briefly explained what had happened.

"An ancestor who should have already passed away is now alive and well on the Lake of Primordial Beginning?"

Lan Feiying glanced at Mu Zhian subconsciously and instantly understood why he seemed so preoccupied.

"Since our ancestors have already left, there's no use thinking about it now. Let's cheer up and go to Taichu Lake to investigate again tomorrow night," Lan Feiying said softly to comfort her.

"For the sake of your sister comforting you, try to cheer up soon."

Smelling the sweet fragrance wafting from the tip of his nose, Mu Zhian slowly emerged from his thoughts and said softly, "Sister Feiying is so good to me."

Lan Feiying glanced at Mu Zhian with a charming look, then, as if remembering something, hesitated for a moment and transmitted her voice, "Xue Yi escaped from my storage ring not long ago."

Mu Zhian paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked at Lan Feiying.

The fourth pillar god of the Southern Wilderness has left the body of Lan Feiying, the chosen one...?

Could it be that Xueyi also knew they were wary of her?

But with only a wisp of spiritual consciousness, where could Xueyi go?

Mu Zhian quickly collected his thoughts and smiled, "I'm afraid Sister Fei Ying alone can't fully comfort me."

Lan Feiying glared at him: "Then what do you want?"

Mu Zhian had one arm around her older sister's waist and the other hand holding her younger sister's hand.

"I need both of you to heal my soul."

This is the palace that the Lan family uses to house other guests from distinguished families. At this moment, occasionally a few cultivators pass by, and when they see this scene in the dim light, they feel a bit envious and jealous, wishing they could kick him away.

"This person is really arrogant, getting so close to two beauties from the Lan family. Isn't he afraid of being retaliated against by the other members of the Lan clan?"

Three refined scholars happened to pass by, and upon seeing this scene, one of them, a tall, slender, fair-skinned scholar, couldn't help but frown and say something.

"Take a good look at who those two girls are before you say that," another young man said calmly.

"Lan Mulian... and the one next to her is her younger sister, Lan Feiying?" The scholar's expression changed, somewhat surprised.

Not many people know that Lan Feiying and Lan Mulian are sisters, which is enough to imagine that the three scholars must be of great importance.

"The fact that he can be so close to the two of them without being disliked means he must be Mu Zhian... just like the rumors say."

"This person possesses an inner strength and extraordinary aura. It would be worthwhile to make his acquaintance if the opportunity arises," the only one of the three who hadn't spoken yet said slowly.

He was clearly the highest-ranking of the three, and when he spoke, the other two couldn't help but nod slightly in agreement with the young master's words.

Meanwhile, Lan Feiying glanced discreetly at the disciples who occasionally passed by outside the palace, then glared at Mu Zhian and said in a coquettish voice, "Let go quickly."

After breaking free from Mu Zhian's grasp, Lan Feiying took her sister's hand and said, "Sister, let's go back to cultivate first and ignore him."

“If we go back with him, who knows what kind of bad ideas he might have? Let’s not give him a chance to be alone with us.”

Hearing this, Lan Mulian's usually cold face flushed slightly, as if she remembered the intimate scene with this guy on the painted boat just now. For some reason, when she looked at her sister again, her usually clear eyes were inexplicably guilty.

Fortunately, Lan Feiying didn't notice and took her sister's hand, intending to leave.

Mu Zhian didn't try to stop him, after all, so much had happened tonight, and he also needed some time to process things.

He looked away, about to leave.

"Is this the true face of the so-called ancient aristocratic families of the Eastern Continent? Others can stay here, but when it comes to me, I face all sorts of difficulties. From beginning to end, have you ever asked me what I thought?"

"I'd rather not stay in this Lan family's territory!"

"However, the Lan family is bullying others with their power. I, Huang, will repay this humiliation a hundredfold in the future!"

At this moment, Mu Zhian vaguely seemed to hear the angry voice of a young man. He glanced over and saw the young man confronting two members of the Lan family not far outside the palace.

Mu Zhian's eyes lit up with interest.

Isn't this the chosen one that the Void Nightmare has been secretly tracking all along?

Although the Nightmare of the Void told him that this person had come to the Lan family, Mu Zhian had been dealing with too many things recently, so he ignored him.

I never expected to run into him under these circumstances.

"Insolence! Does Young Master Huang truly believe he can challenge the Lan family?"

"This is the Lan family's important territory, and no outsiders are allowed to live here. We are only acting under orders. If Young Master Huang has any complaints, he can suggest them to our clan elders... provided that you can meet with them."

Not far away, two disciples of the Lan family shouted loudly, their faces cold and aloof.

They never expected that this mere country bumpkin from the mountains would have such a fierce personality, so intolerant of even the slightest imperfection, and actually dare to challenge their Lan family in front of so many people.

It was just to ask him to change his residence so as not to disturb Young Master Mu's peace and quiet, but Huang Weifeng did not expect that they would think that they were deliberately making things difficult for him.

Don't say they didn't mean it; even if they did, so what?

Do the Lan family need to explain their actions to a mere cultivator like him?

Inside the main hall, the Lan family members and some cultivators from other clans were all drawn to the young man, secretly pointing and whispering about him.

"Has Huang Weifeng gone mad? How dare he run wild on the Lan family's territory?"

"Don't say that the Lan family disciples were just following orders. Even if they really bullied him, so what? With a power as vast as the Lan family, what can a mere rogue cultivator do to retaliate?"

Someone nearby started to mock them.

"If it weren't for the sake of their reputation, the Lan family would probably have slapped him to death long ago."

A fellow rogue cultivator standing nearby said disdainfully.

Like Huang Weifeng, he was also a rogue cultivator. Now that this person had run into the Lan family's territory and caused such a commotion, it might affect them, the rogue cultivators, in the future.

Two elders from the Lan family happened to pass by and also noticed the commotion, but they did not speak. Instead, they hovered in mid-air and looked down at the scene.

A mere cultivator at the Refining Spirit Realm is not worth their time.

"You said your name is Huang Weifeng, is that right? I've never heard of the Huang clan in Dongzhou. If you know what's good for you, get out of here. Causing trouble here won't do you any good."

Before the palace, a middle-aged man in charge of the eastern region of the Lan family slowly spoke.

His gaze was deep, his aura was calm, and he exuded a terrifying spiritual aura that commanded respect without anger.

"He is Lan Chuan, the manager of the Lan family's eastern district, a third-grade Void Returner," Lan Feiying whispered in Mu Zhian's ear.

boom!

Just then, Huang Weifeng felt an extremely terrifying pressure crashing down from mid-air.

The oppressive aura nearly caused Huang Weifeng to lose control and kneel down.

But he was the chosen one, and even when faced with the pressure of the Void Returning Realm, he refused to back down and gritted his teeth.

"I had no intention of offending the Lan family, but after the two disciples of the Lan family brought me and my friends to this palace, they made things difficult for us time and time again. Now they are saying that I am not qualified to live in this palace and that I should move elsewhere. Is this how the dignified Lan family acts so recklessly?!"

Huang Weifeng's voice was strong and resolute, his dark eyes showing unwavering determination, showing no sign of yielding.

But as he finished speaking, his gaze inadvertently drifted towards the seemingly innocent and lovely girl not far away.

She was a beautiful young woman with delicate features, pure and lovely.

Her hair was smooth and black, her skin was like jade, her eyebrows and eyes were like paintings, and her eyes sparkled.

Her white attire made her appear even more ethereal, yet her beautiful eyes held an inexplicable allure, incredibly deep and mysterious.

No wonder Huang Weifeng was so tough; it turns out he met a woman by chance on the road and didn't want to lose face in front of her.

Mu Zhian observed the scene with amusement, glancing at the innocent-looking girl several times.