It turns out, they were the main characters.

He knew that the Mu family's recent pressure on the Gongsun family had greatly displeased Gongsun Xiong, and if he wanted to retaliate, this was a good opportunity...

"Bai Ruoxi is not a demon cultivator, and the Gongsun family has not detected any demonic energy. The Gongsun family trusts Miss Bai's character." Gongsun Xiong said calmly, "If anyone mentions this matter later, just give this answer."

It would be a good thing if the Bai family were exposed for harboring a demon cultivator, but since he is still recovering from his injuries, if the demon cultivator is not found in the Bai family, the Gongsun family, which will be the first to speak out, will become the target of everyone's criticism.

Just as Mu Zhian had guessed, Gongsun Xiong was an extremely cautious man, and he did not want to cause any trouble before his injuries had healed.

……

The Ye family.

In the backyard, Ye Lingxuan sat alone with her legs turned to one side in front of a secluded pavilion.

She sat with an elegant posture, her face extremely beautiful. A small section of her snow-white calves was exposed under her purple silk skirt, and her jade feet were wearing a pair of small boots. She listened quietly to the information that Elder Wei had received that day.

After a long pause, Ye Lingxuan raised her eyebrows slightly and said softly, "Bai Ruoxi is a demon cultivator?"

Old Wei slowly shook his head and said, "This morning I did indeed see a wisp of pink demonic energy on the horizon."

“Miss, that sect examiner is exceptionally talented. He has already begun to understand the Void Returning Realm at such a young age. Even I noticed it, so she couldn’t have missed it.”

Old Master Wei paused for a moment, then continued, "If she really confirms that Bai Ruoxi is a demon cultivator, then Mu Zhian will probably be implicated as well... So it's best for Miss not to get too close to him recently."

At this point, he stopped talking, but glanced at the elegant girl in the purple dress, seemingly unintentionally.

During this period, Ye Lingxuan and Mu Zhian have been getting too close... so close that even Old Master Wei is starting to panic.

The master initially assigned him to follow the young lady for two reasons: first, to protect her, and second, to prevent her from falling in love too soon.

Ye Lingxuan took a sip of tea, making her lips slightly pink and moist, and said in a calm tone without any fluctuation: "Mu Zhian is Mu Zhian, and Bai Ruoxi is Bai Ruoxi. He and Bai Ruoxi are somewhat related, but can he be beheaded for this?"

"Also, has Elder Wei forgotten that he entrusted all of these things to me for safekeeping?" Ye Lingxuan opened her palm, revealing a dragon whisker that emitted a faint luster.

The dragon whiskers, which had been almost withered, seemed to come alive in Ye Lingxuan's hands, revealing their true form.

Old Wei remained silent.

Mu Zhian is truly a good friend. Knowing the value of the Dragon's Beard, he still entrusted this ancient medicinal herb to the young lady.

Mu Zhian only received two thousand spirit stones.

This is practically the same as giving it away for free.

However... what seems like a free gift is not actually entirely free.

Looking at the worry in Ye Lingxuan's eyes, Old Wei couldn't help but sigh.

Because of her recent interactions with that brat from the Mu family, and because Long Tengxu and Ye Qian often praised Mu Zhi'an in her ear, Miss has developed a considerable liking for him.

This dragon whisker seems like a free gift... but judging from the current situation, Mu Zhian has caught a big fish with this dragon whisker.

Even behind this giant fish lies an extremely terrifying force...

"Is Senior Sister Lan still at Yangfeng Inn?" Ye Lingxuan suddenly asked.

Old Master Wei nodded slightly, then hesitated and asked, "Does Miss want to see her?"

“Mu Zhian helped Qian’er before, and even though he refused Senior Sister Lan and Bai Ruoxi’s invitation a few days ago, he still came to the auction house. In addition, there’s the Dragon Soaring Beard this time… I don’t like owing people favors,” Ye Lingxuan said calmly.

Old Master Wei said helplessly, "Then I'll accompany Miss there."

If Ye Lingxuan were to ask to protect Mu Zhi'an, Lan Mulian would definitely agree.

After all, even the Liangyi Sect highly valued the mysterious force behind Ye Lingxuan.

Ye Lingxuan boarded the carriage and unknowingly arrived at Yangfeng Inn.

She stepped into the inn, while Old Wei waited downstairs.

Ye Lingxuan lifted her skirt and climbed the stairs, where she met the aloof Lan Mulian in a guest room in the corner.

The two stunningly beautiful women complemented each other perfectly. One was like a budding flower, possessing a restrained classical beauty, while the other was already at the most captivating age, with outstanding temperament and a superb figure. Even within the Liangyi Sect, she was the dream lover of countless disciples.

Lan Mulian closed the manual on the table and, upon seeing Ye Lingxuan, seemed somewhat surprised, saying, "You actually took the initiative to come find me."

"This morning, Miss Bai underwent her tribulation. Was Senior Sister Lan watching from outside the city?" Ye Lingxuan walked gracefully into the guest room, her purple dress swaying gently. She glanced at the booklet on the table, then her gaze fell on Lan Mulian.

"Did you discover anything back then, senior sister?"

Lan Mulian raised her delicate eyebrows slightly and said, "You came for Mu Zhi'an?"

It seems that Mu Zhian isn't as bad as the rumors suggest. Although Ye Lingxuan is still just a young girl, she has been intelligent since childhood. If Mu Zhian were the kind of spoiled brat, she certainly wouldn't care about him, much less come to see him today to "plead" for him.

"It seems that Senior Sister has already discovered Bai Ruoxi's secret?" Ye Lingxuan asked.

"I'm probably the first person in the entire Tianxuan City to notice this," Lan Mulian said calmly.

"What are Senior Sister Lan's plans?" Ye Lingxuan asked directly.

“Bai Ruoxi’s talent is astonishing. It would be too unfair to judge her guilty based on a mere wisp of demonic energy,” Lan Mulian said calmly.

Seeing that Ye Lingxuan seemed relieved, Lan Mulian continued to ask, "Do you think that if Bai Ruoxi is a demon cultivator, it will implicate Mu Zhian, so you came to see me specifically?"

Ye Lingxuan responded with a reserved smile and said, "I owe Brother Mu a favor, so I've always wanted to find an opportunity to repay him."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "But it seems that Senior Sister Lan is not a pedantic person, so Lingxuan is much more at ease now."

"Given Miss Ye's status and position, would she really leave someone indebted to her?" Lan Mulian asked.

Ye Lingxuan smiled and nodded, saying, "Just a few days ago, Brother Mu gave me the Dragon Soaring Beard that he bought at the auction house."

“Dragon Soars…” Lan Mulian gave Ye Lingxuan a deep look.

"No wonder you owe him a favor."

For ordinary people, obtaining the Dragon's Beard is of no use, but it's different for Ye Lingxuan.

In her hands, Long Tengxu will realize its true value.

"Moreover, he risked offending Senior Sister Lan and Miss Bai to keep the appointment that day. To be honest, if it weren't for his terrible reputation in the past, I might have already fallen for him," Ye Lingxuan continued.

Lan Mulian pursed her cherry lips slightly beneath the thin veil and said calmly, "If Miss Ye has nothing else, please leave."

Just as I guessed, Senior Sister really cares about Mu Zhi'an's matter... Ye Lingxuan gave Lan Mulian a meaningful look, then quietly withdrew her gaze.

Out of the corner of her eye, she inadvertently glanced at the decorations beside her.

On the table to the side was a vase with a pure and elegant snow lotus inside.

"Is this flower... a snow lotus?" Ye Lingxuan asked.

Lan Mulian gave a faint "hmm": "The waiter just came up to change it today, but artificially cultivated snow lotus is still a bit lacking."

Ye Lingxuan smiled faintly and said, "Senior Sister Lan, you may not know this, but artificially cultivated snow lotuses are indeed a bit inferior. However, the snow lotuses cultivated by the Mu family are exactly the same as the real snow lotuses, aren't they?"

She changed the subject, continuing, "Speaking of which, I did receive a snow lotus carefully cultivated by the Mu family a few days ago..."

The atmosphere in the guest room suddenly froze.

Ye Lingxuan was unaware that something was amiss. She raised her slender hand and took out a small box from her storage ring.

After opening the small box, she took out the pure and immaculate snow lotus from the star-studded, shimmering soil.

Although it had been buried in the glazed soil, when Ye Lingxuan took out the snow lotus, its flower and even its roots were completely untouched by any pollution.

Get out of the mud without dyeing, licking and not demon.

Lan Mulian's gaze slowly fixed on the snow lotus.

"Where did this snow lotus come from?" Lan Mulian asked expressionlessly.

Ye Lingxuan narrowed her eyes slightly, smiled sweetly, and said:

"Brother Mu gave it to me."

"Senior sister, I'll be going now." Ye Lingxuan bowed politely, then carried Xue Lian and left with light steps.

Mu Zhian… A faint blue vein appeared on Lan Mulian’s forehead, and a deep coldness appeared in her usually calm eyes.

……

That evening, after having dinner at the restaurant, Mu Zhian was lying in Bai Ruoxi's bed, lazily yawning.

"Mulang...you've really had a hard day." Bai Ruoxi's soft and pitiful voice came from the room.

Just moments ago, Bai Ruoxi was like a fragile flower ravaged by a storm. Now, after the rain, the girl's fair face, nourished by the rain, is tinged with an alluring blush, completely unlike the aloofness she usually appears to outsiders.

Mu Zhian gently patted her head, pressed his chest against her back, and comforted her, "It's not hard work or not. Staying up late is worth it for you."

Bai Ruoxi was stunned for a moment before she realized what she meant. Feeling a little embarrassed and annoyed, she whispered, "That's not what I meant!"

She paused, then continued, "I've been running around all day because of my situation, and I even offended my senior sister. I'm so sorry..."

Mu Zhian gently patted her thigh and said, "Don't worry about such a small thing. Senior Sister is an upright person. You're not a demon cultivator, so how could she possibly target you?"

"As for the Gongsun family and the Morning Dawn Chamber of Commerce, as I said today, there's no need to worry about either of them. They are all good people and won't tarnish anyone's reputation," Mu Zhian continued.

"If anyone tries to smear someone's name, the Gongsun family and the Morning Dawn Chamber of Commerce will help us prove it."

Feeling the girl in his arms finally relax completely, Mu Zhian reached out and put his arm around her waist, turning her around to face him.

"When do you think Ye Yu will make his move?" Bai Ruoxi suddenly asked.

“He might not actually take action.” Mu Zhian paused, then continued, “But if he does want to, he will naturally choose the busiest time, when there are the most people.”

After pondering for a long time, Bai Ruoxi raised her eyes to look at him: "The day of the sect assessment?"

Mu Zhian hummed in agreement, letting Bai Ruoxi's face bury in his chest, and said, "Don't worry, everything has been arranged."

All plans are proceeding smoothly.

If anyone harbors ill intentions on the day of the sect's assessment, they will only suffer the consequences of their own actions.

Chapter 79 XXX, three paragraphs! 4.5K

The next morning.

Lan Feiying brought one of Tianxuan City's specialty snacks to Yangfeng Inn and knocked on the door of a guest room.

"Sister doesn't seem to be in a good mood?" Lan Feiying looked at the woman with the alluring figure with suspicion and put down the pastry in her hand.

Although Lan Mulian was wearing a thin veil and hadn't said a word yet, it's true that they are sisters. Lan Feiying seemed to have a telepathic connection and immediately noticed her sister's unusual behavior.

"Don't worry about it, it's just a trivial matter," Lan Mulian said calmly.

Lan Feiying glanced at her sister a couple more times, but didn't think much of it. Her gaze quickly fell on the thin booklet on the table, and seeing the dozen or so names circled on it, she couldn't help but speak: