It turns out, they were the main characters.

Senior Sister Lan has never liked crowded places, and similarly, the auction house is not something she wants to go to. She only plans to go there for the sake of the Luminous Soil.

In other words, with the Luminous Soil, there was no point in her going to the auction house.

Instead of taking her to crowded places, it would be more practical to take her to a quieter place next time.

As for Ye Lingxuan... Mu Zhian did not go to the Ye residence.

After all, he had originally planned to have a chance to get to know Ye Lingxuan, and this was a rare opportunity.

After meeting Huang Manting, I'll go and get to know the Ye sisters to test Ye Lingxuan's abilities...

After bidding farewell to Lan Mulian, Mu Zhian sat in the carriage, pondering these matters, and unknowingly returned to the Mu residence.

He pushed open the door and saw the servant who had annoyed him twice that day about to enter the courtyard.

The servant clearly noticed someone behind him, turned around, and immediately said respectfully, "Young Master."

Mu Zhian nodded slightly, glanced at the servant, and said, "Have you realized your mistake?"

The servant was indignant but dared not retaliate, and innocently asked, "Young master, what did I do wrong?"

“Our servants in the Mu family always step into the courtyard with their right foot first, but you lift your left foot first,” Mu Zhi’an said seriously.

The servant was completely bewildered and wondered: When did the Mu family come up with such a rule?

"Reflect on this carefully."

After Mu Zhian finished speaking, he ignored the servant's surprised look and leisurely walked into the courtyard, heading towards Bai Ruoxi's room along the corridor.

The servant scratched the back of his head, looking in the direction Mu Zhian had left, still completely bewildered by what his young master had just said.

At this moment, a companion came over and whispered a reminder: "What the young master means is that you should learn to read the master's mood and act accordingly in the future."

These servants working in the household did not simply have to complete their tasks; sometimes they also needed to be perceptive of the atmosphere.

Mu Zhian's temper is already quite good. If it were the Gongsun family or even the Chenxi Chamber of Commerce, being treated like this by a servant would probably mean packing up and leaving the next day.

The servant then realized something and looked at Mu Zhian again with a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

Given Mu Zhian's status, there was absolutely no need for him to be reminded of such a thing, but the fact that the other party was still willing to take a little time to remind him made him feel flattered.

"But speaking of which, it seems that the young master has really changed a lot... He used to frequent the brothels and entertainment venues, but it seems that he hasn't been there at all these days," the servant suddenly said in a low voice with a sigh.

“Now that Miss Bai is living at the Mu residence, there’s no need for Young Master Mu to go to a place like that,” his companion replied.

"But he seemed to have gone to Yangfeng Inn this afternoon, didn't he?" the servant whispered.

"If I remember correctly, the examiners for the Liangyi Sect this time are right there..."

"Shh... Let's not discuss this kind of thing. We don't need to know that much," his companion reminded him.

The two exchanged a glance and decided to drop the matter.

It is inappropriate to discuss the master's private affairs while in the master's residence.

Especially things that are kept secret.

……

Mu Zhian quietly pushed open the door and stepped into the room, where he saw Bai Ruoxi sitting cross-legged on the headboard.

She sat upright, her dark hair, tied up in a bun, cascaded down in strands. Beneath her snow-white neck, one could vaguely see her delicate and alluring collarbone, and below that lay the heart of someone whose heart was hard to control.

Is she hoping to reach the peak of Qi Refining quickly so she can pass the sect's assessment...? Mu Zhi'an looked at the woman's arrogance, barely concealed by her thin clothes, and understood slightly.

In fact, Bai Ruoxi was a little too worried. With her current strength, there was no one among the Qi Refining cultivators who could compare to her.

Because Bai Ruoxi was still meditating, Mu Zhian did not disturb her by making a sound. Instead, he sat cross-legged beside Bai Ruoxi and closed his eyes slightly as well.

Based on his current progress, he felt that he might be able to break through to the fourth rank of Qi Refining in the next few days.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was the day of the auction.

That morning, Mu Zhian changed his clothes and tidied his robes in front of the bronze mirror.

That rather handsome face seemed to carry a hint of fatigue.

That's understandable. In the past two days, Mu Zhian, who is a natural furnace, has been dedicating himself almost every day to contribute his share to Bai Ruoxi's cultivation.

The process of contributing was truly tedious and boring, which often made Mu Zhian, while cuddling Bai Ruoxi in bed, contemplate life in a dull and tasteless way.

After straightening his robes, Mu Zhian turned around and glanced at Bai Ruoxi lying on the bed. Her fair shoulders were faintly visible under the thin blanket. Her eyes were slightly closed, and she looked like she was sleeping very soundly.

It's obvious that it was caused by being too tired from practicing for too long yesterday.

Mu Zhian smiled knowingly, then turned and left the room.

Just as the door quietly closed, Bai Ruoxi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and then she slowly opened her eyes.

……

Dawn Auction.

Mu Zhian arrived at a rather classically and luxuriously decorated private room on the second floor and met the wealthy and sophisticated woman from the Morning Light Chamber of Commerce.

Huang Manting leaned back lazily in the chair, her black hair loose, her legs crossed, her black dress highlighting her fair skin, her toes hooking the tips of her shoes under the hem of her dress, and she smiled and said, "Young Master Mu, you are quite punctual~ You even arrived a stick early."

Mu Zhian took his seat as arranged by the maid, and smiled as well: "After all, I have already accepted the invitation, and I always like to arrive early."

Huang Manting pursed her luscious lips and smiled, "It seems that Young Master Mu and I are the same kind of people."

Mu Zhian picked up his teacup, took a sip, glanced at the guests who were gradually entering the room, and smiled, "Since the auction hasn't started yet, why don't you get straight to the point, Miss Huang? I have some things to attend to later."

Huang Manting tapped her fingertips lightly on the edge of the chair, picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and sighed softly, "Young Master Mu, you really fooled Manting completely a few days ago."

"Is there anything you want to say to me about what happened a couple of days ago?"

Mu Zhian pondered for a moment, then smiled and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your help the other day, Miss Huang. My family likes the three markets very much. Highly recommended."

The Mu family members were indeed very satisfied with the three market towns owned by the Gongsun family. Although they were not located in bustling areas, they were still three market towns, which could bring the Mu family a considerable amount of extra income every month.

Huang Manting's smile faltered slightly, and she stared intently at Mu Zhian, saying, "You came to see me the other day, and it turns out you were interested in the Gongsun family's three market towns?"

Mu Zhian took a sip of tea and said, "I did want to answer Miss Huang's questions at the time. Rather than letting you investigate my affairs slowly, I might as well open the door and let you ask as many questions as you like."

Huang Manting stared intently into Mu Zhian's eyes.

At that moment, she seemed to understand something, and a hint of anger and deep-seated fear appeared in her eyes.

Rumor has it that the eldest son of the Mu family is obsessed with beautiful women and is a good-for-nothing... She had met Mu Zhi'an a few times before, and it was indeed as rumored.

But what if his past "useless image" was just a facade?

Two days ago, Mu Zhian went to the Morning Light Chamber of Commerce to find her. One reason was about the three markets belonging to the Gongsun family. The other was to warn her not to let her servants investigate her affairs in secret. The third reason was... to retaliate against being secretly investigated.

Moreover... that day at the Dawn Chamber of Commerce, he even took advantage of me and groped me for free!

She thought she was the one flirting with Mu Zhi'an... but little did she know, it was Mu Zhi'an who was flirting with her!

Huang Manting felt an uncontrollable fire of anger burning in her chest. She stared intently into Mu Zhian's eyes and said, "Young Master Mu, you really are quite the schemer."

"Miss Huang, I was just trying to help you. You wanted to satisfy your curiosity, so I did. Isn't that enough?"

Mu Zhian gently put down her teacup and said innocently, "I want to be a good person, but does being a good person... mean I deserve to be bullied?"

"If it weren't for our Mu family's spies discovering that someone was secretly investigating me, were you planning to dig up my birth date and time?"

Huang Manting was speechless.

She was in the wrong from the start, and Mu Zhian's subsequent actions were merely minor acts of revenge, leaving one speechless.

Many people had already arrived at the auction house to participate in the auction, and the noisy sounds of those people could be faintly heard from the private rooms.

Silence filled the elegant and classical private room.

After a long pause, a charming smile reappeared on Huang Manting's face, and she said softly, "It was indeed wrong of Manting to investigate Young Master Mu in private. I'll toast you."

Mu Zhian raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Tea instead of wine?"

Huang Manting smiled gently: "I'll invite Young Master Mu to our Chamber of Commerce for drinks another day."

"The Morning Light Chamber of Commerce has brought all kinds of fine wines from various states. I heard that Uncle Huang has a lot of good wines in his collection. I'm really looking forward to it," Mu Zhian said with a smile.

The atmosphere between the two suddenly became incredibly relaxed, making it impossible to sense any of the previous tension.

"But there's something that really saddens me," Huang Manting suddenly sighed softly. "In your heart, is Manting less important than just three market towns, Young Master Mu?"

Even though her words sounded like she was blaming Mu Zhian, her soft voice made it sound like she was being coquettish, which made people's bones melt.

Mu Zhian turned to look at her and saw that her eyes were moist, making her look pitiful. Combined with her slightly made-up and charming face, she was indeed captivating.

Mu Zhian gave a gentle smile: "Three markets cannot compare to you."

"Then why did Young Master Mu take advantage of me?" Huang Manting's voice was still soft and sweet, but for some reason, the atmosphere in the private room had become more dangerous.

Mu Zhian gently put down his teacup and sighed, "Miss Huang, according to what you said that day, you wanted me to be your Daoist partner, right?"

“No,” he shook his head and continued, “Given Miss Huang’s personality, if she were to be with you in the future, she would probably have to be your slave.”

"But you want the horse to run, but you don't give it grass. Which do you think is more beneficial, grass that's far away or a market that's right next door?" Mu Zhian asked.

Huang Manting narrowed her eyes slightly, her fair and soft slender hand gently placed on Mu Zhian's hand, her manicured nails lightly brushing against his hand, giving him a ticklish feeling.

"So, if I offer Young Master Mu corresponding benefits, you would choose me over Miss Bai Ruoxi?"

Mu Zhian withdrew his hand without showing any emotion and smiled, "Of course, with Miss Huang's charm, if there are benefits that can tempt me, I know who I should choose."

Seeing Mu Zhian's unyielding expression, and recalling his shy, innocent demeanor when he faced her that day, Huang Manting almost lost her smile, feeling a sharp pain in her heart as if she had been pricked by needles.

Being made a fool of to this extent, it would probably be a laughing stock if word got out.

Huang Manting, her delicate white toes hooked on her black embroidered shoes with cloud patterns, reached out and placed her hand on Mu Zhian's hand again, and said softly, "Miss Ruoxi, you won't be angry knowing that we are so intimate in the same private room, will you?"

"No, she's quite confident in her beauty," Mu Zhian said with a smile.

Normally, Mu Zhian would probably take the bait and play along with Huang Manting's teasing.

However, after spending so much time in Bai Ruoxi's room these past two days, he has temporarily lost those worldly desires.

Moreover, Bai Ruoxi's family background is no less than Huang Manting's, her looks are several points better than Huang Manting's, and even her figure is superior... In addition, her cool and gentle temperament easily arouses men's protective instincts, so there is no need to consider who to choose at all.

Huang Manting looked down at the auction hall from her private room and suddenly changed the subject, saying, "Young Master Mu, what are your plans after you enter the Liangyi Sect in a few days?"

"What other plans could there be? Just do what you're supposed to do. You don't mean you're planning to set up a separate sect within the Liangyi Sect, do you?" Mu Zhian joked.

Huang Manting shook her head and said, "Once we enter the Liangyi Sect, our identities in Tianxuan City will naturally not be of much use. I think we can help each other out then."

"How can I, a mere cultivator who isn't even at the fourth level of Qi Refining, help you?" Mu Zhi'an chuckled wryly.