It turns out, they were the main characters.

He knew the value of the Aurora Crystal, but he didn't expect this young man to be so generous as to give such a valuable item to someone he had just met.

Zhu Cheng quickly calmed down, pointed to an open space a short distance away, and said, "Young friend, you can rest there if you don't mind. We will take care of your safety tonight. If there are no problems, you can stay."

He could sense that the other party's strength was only average, so it wouldn't matter if the boy stayed here overnight.

"Thank you, senior."

Mu Zhian cupped his hands in greeting, then went to rest alone in an open space nearby.

At the same time, Princess Yongning gazed at the boy's retreating figure, then glanced at the jade box in her hand, and said softly, "This boy is either rich or noble, and he seems to be quite handsome."

Lin Keyu stared at Mu Zhian's retreating figure for a long time before asking, "How did Princess Yongning know that he was rich and noble? And he hasn't even shown his face yet."

"Only the offspring of ancient noble families could give someone an Aurora Crystal upon first meeting them."

Princess Yongning chuckled lightly: "Mr. Zhu Cheng has always had a keen eye for people. He must have guessed this as well, which is why he took the opportunity to do the other party a favor."

"As for appearance..."

She thought for a moment and said, "Although I can't see clearly, a person's aura doesn't lie... I think he must be very handsome."

Lin Keyu glanced at the eldest princess, who remained elegant throughout: "Could it be that Your Highness has fallen for her?"

Princess Yongning shook her head slightly, gave the girl a meaningful look, and smiled, "I just felt that you had been staring at him since the beginning, so I chatted with you for a bit longer."

"Does Miss Lin perhaps know him?" Princess Yongning asked casually.

Lin Keyu shook her head: "I don't know him."

She paused, smiled weakly, and said softly, "Besides, I already have someone I like."

Even as she spoke, her gaze remained fixed on the boy.

Her beautiful eyes were filled with resentment.

……

……

[6,000 words finished. New week, please vote and give me some criticism!]

Chapter 515 Can you perform that again? You mean that one?

Nights in the forbidden zone are always like this: on the surface, it is as calm as a stagnant pool, but in reality, powerful monsters always roam through the darkness.

Near the campfire, the group of ten people were all subtly glancing in the direction of the boy.

He seemed to have entered the forbidden area unprepared, simply taking out a golden talisman from his storage ring and placing it beside him before closing his eyes and beginning to meditate and cultivate.

For some reason, Princess Yongning felt that the young man looked quite familiar. Although she could not see his face clearly, she had a strange sense of familiarity with him.

Zhu Cheng, the protector, sized up the young man a few times in front of the campfire and said, "This should be a disciple sent out by some ancient family for training. Judging from his lavish spending just now, he should have some status in the clan."

The young man standing nearby, Ding Hou, asked softly, "Should we keep an eye on him?"

He noticed that the boy was exceptionally focused when meditating. Normally, this would be a good thing, but in a forbidden zone like this, such concentration on meditation might not be a good thing... After all, if one doesn't pay attention to the outside world, one might not even know when they are ambushed by demons in the forbidden zone.

This is enough to prove that the boy must be from a wealthy family and has never suffered any hardship in the past.

Zhu Cheng shook his head and said, "Just be careful, but I don't think anything will happen tonight."

Ding Hou couldn't help but take a few more glances and said, "His skin is even fairer than ours. He should rarely leave his family. Yet he came to a dangerous place like the forbidden zone right after leaving his family. It feels a bit suspicious."

Upon hearing this, the group of people near the campfire couldn't help but take another look at the boy in the distance.

As Ding Hou said, such fair-skinned and handsome young men are rare, and can hardly be seen even in a place like the imperial palace.

Compared to the noble air of this handsome young man, even the sons of the powerful and wealthy in the palace seemed somewhat overshadowed.

Lin Keyu sat by the campfire with her knees drawn up, silently staring at him, as if her gaze was involuntarily drawn to him, and she couldn't look away.

However, he was always shrouded in a hazy black mist, making it impossible to see his true appearance. Under the glow of the campfire in the dark night, he seemed to have an added air of mystery.

"Brother, what do you think he looks like?" A girl traveling with them gently tugged at the sleeve of one of the men in the group and asked in a low voice.

"Why think so much? No matter how handsome he is, can he be as handsome as the son of the Duke of Qing, whom our father arranged for you before? You didn't even like him, so you can forget about this person." The young man said earnestly, "Besides, even if he is a descendant of an ancient family, being sent to a place like the forbidden zone means that his status in the clan is definitely not very high."

"I was just asking out of curiosity, it's not like I'm actually interested in him." The girl curled her lip dismissively.

But their gazes were involuntarily drawn to the boy.

At the same time, a female cultivator from the Great Qian Dynasty in the group also silently looked over. In the past, she had always thought that no matter how handsome the men in the world were, they were all the same, but when she saw the young man, she couldn't take her eyes off him.

The male cultivators present all felt something was amiss. A young man who had only been here for a short time had inexplicably attracted the attention of several women.

"The black mist around him must be some kind of rare secret technique, and he doesn't seem to travel far often. He also seems to be carrying quite a few treasures..." Ding Hou suddenly said in a low voice.

As the cold wind blew through the night and the campfire flickered, Zhu Cheng suddenly whispered a warning: "No matter whether the other party is backed by an ancient family or not, never try to take advantage of them, and don't be greedy. In a forbidden area like this, you must know that there are always people more powerful than you."

There's one more thing Zhu Cheng didn't mention.

He couldn't quite grasp the young man's level of understanding.

At first, seeing how young the boy was, he thought that the other party was simply using a secret technique to conceal his true level.

But seeing how quickly the other person had focused on meditation and cultivation, he suddenly felt that he couldn't see through the other person anymore.

After all, to concentrate entirely on meditation and cultivation in a dangerous place like a restricted area is either foolish or shows excessive confidence in one's own abilities.

Perhaps it wasn't because of any secret technique, but perhaps because the young man's cultivation level was higher than his, which was why he couldn't see through him.

Although the possibility is relatively small, their mission on this trip is extremely important, and they cannot afford to take any risks in other matters.

Ding Hou nodded gently: "Don't worry, I know. Our purpose on this trip is to find the elixir of immortality, and another is to ensure that Princess Yongning is safely escorted back to the palace."

At this point, he stood up and walked to the side of the stunningly beautiful eldest princess, saying respectfully, "Your Highness, may I examine the Aurora Crystal that young master just presented to me?"

Seemingly worried that Princess Yongning might overthink things, he added, "It's just to ensure Your Highness's safety."

Yongning smiled and nodded, her voice pleasant: "Then I'll trouble you."

Ding Hou took the jade box, took out the Aurora Crystal from the jade box, and turned it up and down a few times.

This aurora crystal is a translucent prism shape, with what appears to be countless strands of gold interwoven within it, shimmering in the darkness.

After examining it for a long time, Ding Hou put the Aurora Crystal back into the jade box and said, "No problem, this is indeed the Aurora Crystal, and there's no tampering with it."

"Giving away such a rare treasure right after meeting him, this young man is truly generous." He couldn't help but sigh again.

"Huh? Does Miss Lin know him? Why did she take the initiative to talk to him?"

At this moment, someone hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but speak up.

It should be noted that this Holy Maiden of the Xuan Yin Palace rarely interacted with others along the way. In everyone's impression, she was a rather shy and proud girl, but unexpectedly, she took the initiative to talk to a young man who was adventuring in the forbidden area.

Princess Yongning watched this scene and calmly said, "Don't discuss things that shouldn't be discussed."

Lin Keyu walked slowly toward Mu Zhian, then took out a jade bottle from her storage ring and handed it to him: "Even if you follow the rules in the forbidden area, you will still be affected by the curse to some extent. Take this pill when you feel unwell, and it will purify the curse on your body."

Mu Zhian slowly opened his eyes, glanced at the girl, and smiled, "I won't be staying in the forbidden area for long, so you should keep this pill, young lady."

Lin Keyu scrutinized the young man up close. Although he deliberately lowered his voice, she recognized the owner of the voice immediately and said, "Since you don't need it, that's fine. May I ask how you are addressed, sir?"

Mu Zhian said: "Ox arrow."

Lin Keyu couldn't help but chuckle. She glanced at the young man and whispered with a smirk, "Young Master Mu, how long are you going to keep up this act?"

Niu Shi... Did they just temporarily separate Mu and Zhi to use as the name?

The girl stared at him intently from beginning to end. Her frail appearance, coupled with her gentle eyes, evoked a sense of pity in him.

"How did you end up in the restricted area?" Mu Zhian asked helplessly via telepathy.

He had clearly used the Southern Wilderness Secret Technique to conceal his aura and even his face, but Lin Keyu still noticed it immediately.

His acting skills should be at the level of an award-winning actor. How can this girl be so perceptive... Mu Zhian thought to herself.

"When the Holy Maiden of the Xuan Yin Palace reaches adulthood, she will receive a task. Only after completing the task can she officially inherit the position of Holy Maiden," Lin Keyi transmitted telepathically.

"And my mission this time is in the restricted area."

Mu Zhian looked enlightened and asked via telepathy, "So, have you completed your mission?"

Lin Keyu smiled and nodded: "It's done. I originally wanted to leave, but I happened to run into the Great Qian Dynasty's team on the way. I had met Princess Yongning a few times at the Ascension Ceremony, so I traveled with her."

"I see..." Mu Zhian looked thoughtful.

"Why is Young Master Mu deliberately concealing his identity? Could it be that he's avoiding me?" Lin Keyu's gentle tone suddenly carried a hint of unease as she peered at Mu Zhi'an's expression.

Unfortunately, due to the black mist, she couldn't see Mu Zhian's expression at all.

"My concealment of my identity has nothing to do with Miss Lin."

Mu Zhian shook his head and transmitted his voice, "I just want to see what tricks the Great Qian Dynasty is up to."

"By the way, Miss Lin, do you know why Princess Yongning is here?"

Lin Keyu thought for a moment and replied, "According to them, the current crown prince framed the other faction members in order to eliminate future troubles and smoothly succeed to the throne after the death of the Great Qian Emperor."

"As for Princess Yongning... she couldn't bear to see these important officials of the court killed, so she accompanied them. I tested her yesterday. To outsiders, Princess Yongning is an ordinary person, but she has spiritual energy flowing within her body, at least at the Refining Spirit Realm."

Mu Zhian pondered for a while, then suddenly chuckled softly.

Thanks to Lin Keyu, some of the problems that had been troubling him have gradually become clear.

"Young Master Mu, what are you laughing at?" Lin Keyu asked.

Mu Zhian shook his head, took out a Nourishing Spirit Pill from his storage ring and put it in his mouth. He sat down next to a large rock and said softly, "If nothing unexpected happens, you will find out soon."

Lin Keyu looked at Mu Zhian, somewhat puzzled.

She was about to speak when a sound like wind breaking suddenly came from afar, accompanied by an immense surge of spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy was incredibly astonishing; even from a great distance, it made people feel a sense of unease.

"A cultivator is coming this way! Everyone be careful!" Zhu Cheng realized what was happening and immediately shouted.

As soon as the words were spoken, several cultivators dressed in black robes in the distance transformed into streaks of light, completely surrounding the group in front of the campfire.

Zhu Cheng's expression changed slightly, and he immediately warned everyone: "They are from the forbidden zone. Do not engage in any conflict with them. Let's see what they plan to do first."

Upon hearing this, everyone suppressed their urge to flee the place.

Lin Keyu whispered, "Young Master Mu, please stay with me. They won't hurt you."

Mu Zhian glanced at Lin Keyu subconsciously and gave a soft "hmm".