It turns out, they were the main characters.

The princess gave a soft "hmm," her delicate brows furrowing slightly: "But that time wasn't the true path to immortality. The Great Roc Emperor once tried to ascend to the Heavenly Court using that opportunity, but he failed."

"Could it be that you have ever set foot in the Heavenly Court?" the princess asked again, her tone still gentle, her chest full and firm, her skin fair and tender.

What's most striking is the mature charm she exudes, like a ripe peach that seems to burst with juice.

Luo Tan slowly shook his head: "If I had set foot in the Heavenly Court, you would not be able to see me in the Nine Provinces now."

The princess remained silent.

That's true. If ascension to immortality is the dream of a Dao-merging powerhouse, then embarking on the path to immortality and ascending to the Heavenly Court is another wish of a Dao-merging powerhouse.

The former allows one to break free from the constraints of heaven and earth, thus achieving endless lifespan.

The latter... as long as one sets foot in the Heavenly Court, one will also have an infinite lifespan, because the spiritual energy of the Heavenly Court is different from that of the Nine Provinces. It is said that the spiritual energy of the Heavenly Court is extremely rich. If an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator in the Nine Provinces needs to spend three to five years to refine their spirit, then in the Heavenly Court, it may only take half a year.

Moreover, the Heavenly Court is not bound by the rules of heaven and earth, and can be described as a paradise on earth.

Her gentle, beautiful eyes gazed into Luo Tan's eyes. She took a deep breath and asked, "Then where did you find this elixir?"

Even if an ordinary powerful being saw this pill, they might not recognize where it came from.

But the princess was different. She had tried to break through the path to immortality in the past, and although she failed, she had vaguely seen a person at the end of the path to immortality.

It was at that time that the spiritual energy of the Heavenly Court was felt.

Luo Tan wore a gentle smile, appearing to have everything under control, but in reality, she was somewhat worried.

Even the Medicine King of Yuzhou never expected that the Princess would discover the existence of the 'Heavenly Court' in this way.

Should we tell her the truth now?

As someone who had once saved her life and was like a sister to her, telling her the truth wouldn't be a problem... But the matter of the Heavenly Court was, after all, Mu Zhi'an's secret, and the other party was currently hiding under her table. If she were to tell the princess rashly without his permission, it wouldn't be appropriate.

As Luo Tan was thinking about this, her delicate body suddenly trembled slightly, and she almost covered her mouth to avoid making an embarrassing sound.

Then, she quickly regained her composure and smiled, "Have you ever heard of the name of the Ye clan's ancestor?"

"Ye Qingxin?" The princess had naturally heard of this person. In fact, she had met Ye's ancestors a few times in the past.

"Some time ago, the path to immortality descended, and the ancestor of the Ye clan took this opportunity to descend to the Nine Provinces in an avatar. At that time, she had many pills that originated from the Heavenly Court, all of which she had personally refined."

The elegant and graceful empress tapped the table with her fingertips and continued, "A few days before the Azure Emperor ascended to heaven, Ye Qingxin came to Yuzhou to see me."

The princess frowned in thought and said, "Why did she specifically seek you out during the days when the Azure Emperor ascended to immortality? What is her relationship with the Azure Emperor?"

"Ye Qingxin hopes I won't interfere with the Azure Emperor's ascension," Luo Tan said.

When did Ye Qingxin get involved with the Azure Emperor again...?

At this moment, the beautiful woman, whose face was as elegant and gentle as a lilac, couldn't help but show a blank expression, as if countless question marks were popping up above her head: "Could it be that you didn't attack the Azure Emperor before because of Ye Qingxin?"

"But Ye Qingxin ascended to the Heavenly Court a long time ago, so when did she get involved with the Azure Emperor again—"

The princess's thoughts suddenly paused. Looking at the beautiful empress with a hint of amusement in her eyes, a person inexplicably came to mind. She hesitated and said, "...Mu Zhi'an? Ye Qingxin stood up for Mu Zhi'an?"

"She offered Heavenly Court elixirs in exchange for your non-interference when the Azure Emperor ascended to immortality?"

At that moment, the princess finally understood everything.

"No wonder there was some commotion throughout the Nine Provinces at that time, but your place remained peaceful... It turns out that Ye Qingxin brought you the Heavenly Court's elixir."

The princess's eyes gradually brightened, and she asked, "So the secret of ascension you mentioned earlier is also related to this?"

Luo Tan gave a subtle "hmm": "I guess so..."

"However, although this Lesser Rejuvenation Pill contains the spiritual energy of the Heavenly Court, it should still not be enough for you to ascend to immortality... Are you confident?" the princess asked gently. Although her feelings were somewhat complicated, she was genuinely happy that Luo Tan had found a way to ascend to immortality.

"I'm still fairly confident." As Luo Tan said this, her beautiful legs under the table unconsciously rubbed together slightly.

The table wasn't very big, and to prevent the princess from accidentally bumping into Mu Zhi'an after sitting down, she had Mu Zhi'an squat down next to her feet.

To avoid being discovered by the princess, Mu Zhian did not use telepathy, but instead wrote the name 'Ye Qingxin' on Luo Tan's leg with his finger.

Looking back now, it was because they were too close; at that moment, she could even vaguely feel the boy's breath.

The princess obviously had no idea that her close friend was not only talking to her at this moment, but also had to deal with Mu Zhi'an. She picked up the chopsticks on the table, tasted a bite of the medicinal food, and smiled, "If they knew that you had also ascended to immortality, I'm afraid those people would be even more restless."

Luo Tan gently pressed her skirt with her slender hand, tilted her head, and smiled: "If they knew that I was also going to break through to the Feather Transformation Realm, perhaps Yunzhou would become Yuzhou's enemy in the future."

She had just bathed and changed, and her body exuded an alluring fragrance. Her exquisite hair was adorned with a jade hairpin and a gold hair ornament, and the gold tassels swayed gently in the quiet room, adding a touch of noble temperament to her stunning beauty.

The princess was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "Yunzhou will never be your enemy. Although Emperor Dapeng has a high status in Yunzhou, he is not high enough to make the entire Yunzhou obey his orders."

The meaning of her words was quite clear: no matter what, she was on Luo Tan's side.

Such deep sisterly affection is already touching enough.

After all, in the Nine Provinces, there are often many examples of brothers killing each other over a single elixir.

When the princess saw the small elixir and learned that Luo Tan had the opportunity to ascend to immortality, she felt no jealousy whatsoever and instead stood firmly by her side.

That alone is already a remarkable achievement.

Luo Tan silently gazed at the princess. At this moment, even the usually calm and composed Empress couldn't help but feel a slight ripple in her heart.

Mu Zhian, who was sitting under the table, was also somewhat surprised. It seemed that the princess was genuinely concerned for Luo Tan, which was why she hoped he could leave Luo Tan today...

After all, from the princess's perspective, having an intimate relationship with Mu Zhian is entirely detrimental.

I never expected to see someone who always considers others on this path of cultivation...

Mu Zhian, who was squatting under the table and leaning against Luo Tan's thigh, also sighed inwardly. From his perspective, he could not see anything except the princess opposite him with her legs together, her dark, wrinkled ruqun skirt swaying gently, and the fair skin and faint blue veins of her jade feet that he could vaguely see.

Although he couldn't see anything, he could easily imagine that the princess was looking at her close friend with a gentle expression.

"Could I borrow this pill for a few days?" the princess suddenly asked.

Luo Tan paused for a moment, then her fingers seemingly casually smoothed out the wrinkles on the hem of her elegant white dress, but in reality, she took the opportunity to gently touch Mu Zhi'an's face, as if seeking his opinion.

Mu Zhian wrote a word on her hand.

"If you like it, this Lesser Rejuvenation Pill is yours." Luo Tan's elegant and calm voice came from the quiet room. "Ye Qingxin refined many pills containing the spiritual energy of the Heavenly Court before she descended to the mortal realm, and this is not the only one."

This time, the princess did not refuse again and gladly accepted Luo Tan's kindness: "Then thank you in advance."

After she finished speaking, she put down her teacup and said, "I have not been in Yunzhou these past few days and do not know what the Great Peng Emperor is planning. I will have someone investigate secretly later, so I will not disturb you any longer."

She paused, her beautiful eyes glancing casually under the table, a playful smile playing on her lips as she looked at Luo Tan: "So as not to spoil your fun."

……

After leaving the quiet room, the princess walked along the corridor back to her guest room.

She gracefully sat down on the soft couch, gently rubbed her temples, and gazed at the jade bottle in her hand, lost in thought.

"Your Highness, what are you thinking about?"

Just then, a tentative question came from the maid who had accompanied him on this trip.

The princess's thoughts returned to reality, and she gently shook her head: "It's nothing, it's just that what has happened in the past two days is beyond my previous understanding."

The maid hesitated for a moment: "Are you referring to His Majesty the Medicine Emperor and Young Master Mu...?"

The princess nodded silently.

She still couldn't understand why Luo Tan didn't like anyone else, but instead fell for Qing Di's Daoist partner, that little cultivator who had just returned to the Void Realm.

Moreover, why is Ye Qingxin, a powerful being who descended to the Heavenly Court, also involved with Mu Zhian?

Logically speaking, Ye Qingxin had always been in the Heavenly Court and should not have known Mu Zhian, but she was willing to personally come to see the Medicine Emperor for him and even gave him the Medicine Emperor some pills from the Heavenly Court.

The princess took out the jade bottle containing the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill, pondered for a moment, and said, "There seems to be some big activity at Emperor Dapeng's place recently. Send someone to keep a close eye on things secretly, and report to me immediately if anything happens."

The maid bowed slightly in agreement, then turned to leave.

"and many more."

The princess suddenly called out to the maid: "You once followed Luo Tan to practice alchemy for a period of time. Do you recognize this pill?"

The maid took the pill and hesitated before saying, "Your Highness, this is a Lesser Rejuvenation Pill..."

She had just finished speaking when she suddenly seemed to realize something. She lowered her head slightly to sniff and said incredulously, "The spiritual energy in this pill is far too concentrated... It's a pity that the pill-making technique is too crude, which is a bit of a waste of such concentrated spiritual energy."

The princess gave a soft "hmm," rubbed her temples, and gently waved her hand, intending to dismiss the maid.

Suddenly, her thoughts paused, as if she had remembered something. She subconsciously looked up and called out to the maid, "What did you just say?"

The maid was taken aback: "This servant thinks the spiritual energy in this elixir is far too concentrated—"

"Next sentence," the princess interrupted.

"The refining method of this pill is too crude, and the hardness of the pill has been deliberately increased. In my opinion, such a refining method is a waste of the rich spiritual energy in this pill, and it is not the work of a qualified alchemist."

The princess's beautiful eyes slowly widened, her full breasts rose and fell slightly, her heart trembled, and she suddenly stood up, her beautiful and sexy face revealing surprise and disbelief at discovering some truth.

"That's right, that's the sentence!"

Who is Ye Qingxin? She is the ancestor of the Ye clan, the only one in the Ye clan to reach the Dao Integration Realm, and is also proficient in alchemy. Although she does not have the same level of skill as Luo Tan, she is at least a seventh-grade alchemist.

Would a seventh-grade alchemist be an amateur? How could he produce such a crude second-grade pill?

The answer is already obvious.

This pill was not made by Ye Qingxin.

"Your Highness..." the maid called out tentatively.

"It's alright, you can step back now and go arrange what I just mentioned."

Only then did the princess realize her lapse in composure, and her tone returned to its usual gentleness.

After the maid left, the princess remained silent for a long time, looking out the window with a complicated expression, recalling her conversation with Luo Tan and the figure of Mu Zhi'an.

The crudely made pills contained the spiritual energy of the Heavenly Court...

For some reason, she had an utterly absurd guess.

……

After the princess left the quiet room, Luo Tan pulled Mu Zhi'an out from under the table. Seeing that the boy's face seemed to be flushed from the heat, she couldn't help but feel guilty and said, "I'm sorry."

"I'm fine, but she probably already noticed I was under the table when she arrived, right?" Mu Zhian said helplessly.

"Perhaps. The princess has been at the Dao for longer than I have, and she was born with a connection to the Great Dao, so her perception is amazing."

Luo Tan smiled and glanced at the boy: "But we still have to put on a show."

Mu Zhian nodded: "I understand."