Chapter - 266 - It Turns Out, They Are the Protagonists

"Master Mu, please wait!" In the night sky, Lin Keyu arrived fashionably late, her pink and white dress clinging to her delicate figure in the evening breeze, accentuating her graceful silhouette. In her hand was none other than the Aurora Necklace. Mu Zhian turned around and inwardly cursed. How did she end up here too...? If she'd shown up a bit earlier and bumped into Sister and the others, no amount of explaining could have made things clear. Feeling a mix of relief and surprise, Mu Zhian asked, "Miss Lin, what brings you here?" Lin Keyu's skirt fluttered as she lightly descended to the ground, her hands clasped behind her back as she approached Mu Zhian. With a shy smile, she said, "Tonight, there was an unusual phenomenon at the Glazed Palace, so I thought I'd drop by to thank Master Mu for saving my life the other day." She then held out the Aurora Necklace to him. "I added some special spirit stones and infused a spirit into it. I hope you don't mind, Master Mu," she said softly. These women must be ridiculously wealthy, casually gifting such valuable items... Mu Zhian took the Aurora Necklace and immediately sensed something special about it. This necklace seemed capable of granting the wearer a level of tranquility. As soon as Mu Zhian took the necklace, the pink aura surrounding him dimmed significantly. With a subtle shift in his gaze, he asked, "This necklace seems to be able to cloak one's presence?" Lin Keyu nodded gently, "To a certain extent, yes. My clan's ancestral artifact is related to this, so I had the elders add some secret techniques to it." An ancestral artifact that can cloak one's destiny? No wonder the people from Qianyuan Pavilion wanted it so badly... Mu Zhian hesitated for a moment and said, "Miss Lin, this is quite valuable..." "Does Master Mu think my life is worth less than this necklace?" Lin Keyu tilted her head slightly, revealing a stunning smile. With her words leaving no room for refusal, Mu Zhian could only nod and accept. After putting on the necklace, he chatted with Lin Keyu for a while. "It seems someone at the Glazed Palace has comprehended a Dao rhythm. The upcoming Ascension Conference might be more challenging than expected," Lin Keyu remarked. Hearing this, Mu Zhian grew solemn, "Indeed... it could be problematic." Although Ye Lingxuan becoming stronger was, in theory, beneficial to him, if she won the Ascension Conference... it would be troublesome. Then again, considering she was already quite powerful, how much more could it matter? If the final of the Ascension Conference were indeed between him and Ye Lingxuan, all he'd need to do was defeat her the night before... do it a few more times, and if she couldn't compete the next day, he'd be the winner, right? Mu Zhian began mulling over future strategies. "What's with the pink aura surrounding you, Master Mu?" Lin Keyu suddenly inquired. Snapping back to reality, Mu Zhian shook his head with a wry smile, "I wish I knew its origin myself, but I've found no clues so far." After a pause, he continued, "At least it's not bad luck, so I don't really mind." Watching Mu Zhian's handsome face and gentle smile, Lin Keyu mused aloud, "If only I could fully inherit the Xuan Yin Hall's ancestral artifact, perhaps I could deduce the source of this aura." Mu Zhian's mind whirred, "The Xuan Yin Hall’s ancestral artifact can peer into destinies and potentially trace the origin of my pink aura?" Lin Keyu nodded, "In theory, it could. But it requires me to inherit the Xuan Yin Hall first." It seemed that the Xuan Yin Hall's ancestral artifact was left behind by an expert adept at divining destinies... Mu Zhian watched Lin Keyu's pink and white figure with thoughtful eyes. Snow continued to fall, but they chatted for quite some time outside Tianhe Pavilion, unaffected by the cold. "I was lucky to meet a kind person tonight; otherwise, I might not have found Tianhe Pavilion and nearly got lost in the Glazed Palace," Lin Keyu suddenly said. Given the size of the Glazed Palace, is this little beauty directionally challenged... No wonder she arrived so late – she got lost. Mu Zhian chuckled, "Most of our sect’s disciples are kind-hearted. Who did Miss Lin run into? I might know them." "Sister Lan," Lin Keyu replied. Mu Zhian's smile froze. "She seemed to have been drawn by the unusual phenomenon, and I ran into her on her way back. Without her guidance, I might have returned empty-handed tonight," Lin Keyu remarked, looking up at the snowy night with a touch of sentimentality, "Sister Lan seems cold on the outside, but she’s actually very gentle. We chatted for quite a while." Seeing the admiration in Lin Keyu's eyes, Mu Zhian asked with difficulty, "What did you... chat about?" "She asked if I was looking for someone, and I said yes. Then she asked if I was here for Master Mu..." Lin Keyu paused, the admiration in her eyes intensifying as she looked at Mu Zhian, "I didn’t expect Master Mu to know Sister Lan." "Just an acquaintance by chance," Mu Zhian replied with mixed feelings. At that moment, Lin Keyu spotted a paper crane drifting towards them from the sky and asked curiously, "What's that?" Mu Zhian looked up, seeing a paper crane gently landing in his hand. Opening it, a message appeared before him. "Master Mu, Miss Lin's Aurora Necklace is quite beautiful. Treasure it well." Mu Zhian's expression froze. ...... As it turns out, your senior sister knows you all too well – she’s terrifyingly astute. Marrying her would mean no small secret would go unnoticed. With a mix of resignation and admiration, Mu Zhian bid farewell to Lin Keyu, dragging his weary body back to Tianhe Pavilion. Once, he played the role of a side character and a villain. The brains and cunning were there, but the current problem was... all the fish in his pond seemed to be the main characters. The so-called main characters naturally possess talent, brains, and fate... at least in this world. Coupled with a few leaders aiming to keep him, the "fish," in their pond... Thankfully, Fairy Yao Meng didn't seem intent on dragging him into the chaos of being a pond master. Otherwise, his actions might grow increasingly difficult in the future. ...... Heading into the kitchen, he prepared some meat buns for a late-night snack and found himself at Lin Ling’s door. Pushing it open, he saw the silver-haired beauty curled up on a small divan, her perfectly rounded posterior arched like a honey peach. Her hair slightly disheveled, her bright, gem-like golden eyes peered at Mu Zhian through the strands, filled with anticipation. "What's gotten into you, Sister Lin Ling?" Mu Zhian asked. It was the first time he’d seen Lin Ling with such an expression. On usual nights, she'd pounce eagerly when he brought her snacks. “aaaa...” Lin Ling murmured softly. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that...” Mu Zhian sat by the divan, placing the plate of buns nearby and glanced at her. “What did Sister Lin Ling just say?” Lin Ling held up a wooden board, and a few large characters appeared: After the Ascension Conference ends, I will give you the second Heavenly Dao energy. Mu Zhian froze, "Isn’t it said that a person can only have one Heavenly Dao energy?" The words changed, revealing a new message: Your body can accommodate multiple Heavenly Dao energies, just with time intervals. “What’s the effect of the second Heavenly Dao energy?” Mu Zhian asked curiously. His first Heavenly Dao energy accelerated others’ cultivation, essentially god-tier support. The second one couldn’t possibly be support again, could it? Lin Ling grabbed a meat bun, took a bite, and wrote on the board: About enhancing power. His heart leapt with joy, “Should I come find you after the Ascension Conference?” Lin Ling glanced at him and gently nodded. ...... After successfully feeding Sister Lin Ling, Mu Zhian returned to his room, lying on the bed when he noticed a faint blue light appearing. A dress interweaving blue and white wrapped around an ethereal form, defining a delicate and elegant silhouette. From the ethereal figure’s presence to her feet, which never touched the ground, it was clear this was Fairy Yao Meng, awakened by Ye Lingxuan's commotion. Turning her head slightly, she looked at Mu Zhian, her eyes twinkling with a gentle smile, “Tonight certainly stirred up quite a scene.” The statement echoed with a poetic grace... As he gazed at Yao Meng, a line of poetry inexplicably came to mind. Sitting up, he smiled and said, “So, the celestial phenomenon woke you up, Fairy?” With a gleam in her green eyes and a smile on her lips, Yao Meng replied, “Such natural phenomena are rare, much more so when triggered by a Reincarnated Empress. It naturally piques curiosity.” Her skin was illuminated with a silver-white radiance, even her jade-like feet were imbued with this luminescent glow. Despite having seen her numerous times before, each encounter with this celestial being evoked a different sensation. Yao Meng's cultivation of the Dao imparted a dreamlike, illusory feeling that created a tantalizing sense of distance, stirring bold imaginations in the mind. "Sister Fairy, do you know what that white light in the sky is?" Mu Zhian asked. Yao Meng shook her head, "While in the Two Instruments Sect, we exist within Shang Yanfei's formation. She uses the sect’s grand array to obscure the secrets of the heavens and shield the sense of those inside from the outside world." It seemed the white light was something so formidable that even the sect master had to be cautious, going so far as to activate the grand array... But what exactly was it...? Mu Zhian furrowed his brows in contemplation. Yao Meng watched him quietly, her pristine eyes as tranquil as a deep autumn lake, revealing no hint of disturbance. "You've been too restless lately; it won't bode well for your future cultivation," her voice was calm and gentle, carrying a unique magic that could soothe even the most unsettled hearts. Mu Zhian snapped back to reality, laughing softly, "I know my limits. Thank you for your concern, Sister Fairy." Yao Meng glanced at him, raised her hand, and a guzheng appeared in her view. Mu Zhian immediately recognized it, "Is this the guzheng from the Pilgrim Hall that day?" He recalled how when he entered the cave within Pilgrim Hall and heard the guzheng's sound for the first time, his mind was instantly at peace, as if he had entered a realm where time stood still. She gracefully settled in front of the guzheng, her slender fingers gently caressing the strings. As the music began, it flowed soothingly and enchantingly, like a warm summer breeze that stirred the heartstrings and seemed to possess a magical power to calm even the most complex thoughts. No, it was more accurate to say that it truly held magical energy or perhaps spiritual energy. This was probably also part of the Yaoshen Sanctuary 'Dao', capable of bringing tranquility... Mu Zhian looked at the fairy surrounded by mist, her ethereal beauty faintly visible, and felt his mood gradually leveling out. He closed his eyes, quietly immersed in the guzheng's melody. Only after an indeterminate amount of time did the music come to an end, and Mu Zhian seemed unable to immediately return from the musical trance, his eyes still partly closed. "Have you calmed down now?" A voice soft and infused with celestial charm pulled Mu Zhian from the music back to reality. Upon opening his eyes, he saw the beauty not far in front of him casting a gentle gaze his way, her eyes as clear and radiant as gemstones. Pondering thoughtfully, Mu Zhian discreetly moved to her side. "Thank you, I feel much calmer now," he sincerely expressed his gratitude. Evidently, the guzheng held a special celestial charm that could soothe a restless mind. For cultivators, extended periods of intense cultivation could lead to issues with their state of mind, but such a guzheng could mend that restlessness. Admiring Yao Meng's peerless profile, Mu Zhian sat beside her, taking her cool, delicate hand in his. "With the Ascension Conference approaching, I fear there won't be much time to interact with you, Sister Fairy, so tonight I was thinking..." Mu Zhian expressed his thoughts indirectly. "And it could help the Eight Desolations Dream Map gather spiritual energy and evolve sooner." Indeed, Yao Meng's natural Dao body endowed her with an unparalleled skillset. This skill, the Eight Desolations Dream Map, had incredible capabilities and could even evolve further. It was no wonder past fairies of Yaoshen Sanctuary were so fiercely admired. Seeing Yao Meng keep silent, Mu Zhian grew bolder, wrapping his arms around her slender waist. A faint blush appeared on Yao Meng's immaculate face as she gazed at him tenderly. Though usually beyond reach, a fairy in love was all the more enticing. Mu Zhian smoothly swept her into his arms, her jade-like feet swinging as he contemplated taking her back to bed. Yet, as he looked at her swaying feet, something seemed to cross his mind, halting his steps. Under Yao Meng's gaze, Mu Zhian leaned closer to her ear, "Sister Fairy, before that, how about we do something a bit more romantic?" Yao Meng curled her legs, lightly embarrassed for the first time under his watchful eyes, "What do you suggest?" "It's something I saw in a book in Sister Mengrou’s room; it's not really my idea..." Mu Zhian explained, leaning closer to whisper something softly into her ear. Yao Meng seemed taken aback, as if surprised anyone would find enjoyment in such a suggestion. Although... it didn’t sound impossible. Seeing Mu Zhian's expectant gaze, a playful glint appeared in Yao Meng’s eyes, and her melodious voice floated through the room. "Lie on the floor."