It Turns Out, They Are the Protagonists-Chapter 397: There’s No Going Back Now p1

An hour earlier.

Mu Zhian lay on the bed, the candlelight flickering in the room, the sound of rain clearly audible.

“The Jade Empress has ascended. Most people think you and she were the ones on stage. Even though you didn’t actually get married, in the eyes of the world, you’re already husband and wife.”

Lan Mulian, wrapped in a blanket that concealed her figure, suddenly spoke.

Mu Zhian looked at his cold, mature Senior Sister and joked, “So, I’m a married man now?”

Lan Mulian glanced at him, her voice cold. “What do you think?”

Mu Zhian pondered for a moment, then chuckled. “If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be wronging Yao Meng for me to sleep with Senior Sister?”

A displeased look appeared on Lan Mulian’s beautiful face, and she frowned. “You didn’t actually get married. How can you be considered a married man?”

Despite her words, Mu Zhian’s half-joking remark made her thoughts race.

If he was considered the Jade Empress’s husband, then the Jade Empress’s husband is currently sleeping in my room… It felt strange…

“Besides, your mind hasn’t fully recovered yet. I’m worried you won’t be safe sleeping alone in the side room,” she said, feigning a serious tone.

Mu Zhian hummed in response. “I know you care about me the most, Senior Sister. Thank you.”

Whatever Senior Sister says is right. I’ll just listen to her.

Lan Mulian turned her head away, seemingly dissatisfied with his perfunctory response. “If you have something to say, just say it directly. There’s no need to beat around the bush.”

Mu Zhian looked at his Senior Sister. Her blanket had slipped down slightly, revealing a glimpse of her fair skin beneath her white inner robe. He admired her figure.

Mmm… Among the girls he knew, Senior Sister’s… dimensions were probably second only to Ruoxi and Senior Ye.

Lan Mulian noticed his gaze and sat up, glancing at him.

“You said you didn’t interact with women much back in Tianxuan City, but you seem no different now.”

Still staring at other women.

“It’s just human nature to be attracted to beautiful things.”

Mu Zhian explained tactfully, “If I wasn’t attracted to Senior Sister at all, you would probably think you’re not charming and blame me, wouldn’t you?”

Lan Mulian pursed her lips, unable to find a retort. She wanted to glare at Mu Zhian, but seeing his innocent face, she felt incredibly frustrated.

Mu Zhian’s current appearance was simply too… unfair. If it were the older him staring at her so blatantly, she would have kicked him out of bed.

But facing the current Mu Zhian… she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Mu Zhian looked at the beautiful woman sitting on the bed. “Were you serious about what you did at the Ascension Ceremony, Senior Sister?”

Lan Mulian hesitated, confusion flashing in her cold eyes.

Then, following Mu Zhian’s gaze, she realized he was staring at her lips, and the scene of her kissing him in front of the entire sect during the Ascension Ceremony flashed through her mind.

A faint blush colored Lan Mulian’s face, but she maintained her composure and simply hummed in response.

“Don’t you want to hear my answer, Senior Sister?” Mu Zhian asked.

Lan Mulian’s eyes flickered as she looked at him. “Tell me.”

I feel like if I don’t answer correctly, Senior Sister will drag me to Sect Master Lin’s little room for some… special activities… Mu Zhian looked into Lan Mulian’s clear, cold eyes. “If I didn’t like you, I would have told you clearly back then.”

“Actually, when we were exchanging paper cranes, I was just bored.”

“Only after meeting you did I realize my feelings for you, Senior Sister.”

Lan Mulian glanced at him, a disdainful smile on her lips.

“So, you’re just attracted to my beauty?”

“Yes, beauty is a major factor,” Mu Zhian admitted frankly.

Then, he immediately retorted, “But aren’t you also attracted to my looks, Senior Sister?”

Lan Mulian scoffed, glancing at him. “Not everyone is as superficial as you, Junior Brother.”

“Do you dare to swear to the Great Dao while looking into my eyes, Senior Sister?” Mu Zhian asked immediately.

Lan Mulian opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but looking at the boy on the bed, she couldn’t utter a word.

She wasn’t superficial, and her feelings for Junior Brother weren’t solely based on his looks… But looking at this handsome, innocent boy with a slightly frail body, she was momentarily speechless.

No older woman could resist the current Mu Zhian… especially those who already had feelings for him.

“Without feelings, beauty and compatibility are the foundation of attraction. But with feelings, even if the other person becomes ugly one day, you’ll still love them,” Mu Zhian said, getting out of bed and taking Lan Mulian’s hand.

Just like when he pursued Bai Ruoxi, it was partly because of her personality and partly because she was the most beautiful woman in Tianxuan City.

And also because she was… incredibly well-endowed…

In short, he initially pursued Bai Ruoxi because of her many qualities, her personality, and her… heart.

But after developing feelings for her, her appearance wasn’t the most important thing anymore.

“Your mind hasn’t fully recovered yet. You should rest,” Lan Mulian said softly, her heart racing as Mu Zhian held her hand, and she lowered her gaze.

Mu Zhian gently squeezed her hand and smiled. “Mmm.”

His body having reverted to a younger state, he needed some time to adjust and find a way to recover.

Lan Mulian extinguished the candle with a flick of her finger, and the room fell silent, only the sound of rain outside clearly audible.

Mu Zhian’s fatigue caught up with him, and he closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

Lan Mulian stared at him silently.

After a long time, Mu Zhian faintly smelled a refreshing fragrance in his sleep. A strand of hair brushed against his face, tickling him with its scent.

He opened his eyes hazily.

Lan Mulian was looking down at him, her soft lips gently pressed against his. The cool, soft sensation made him jolt awake.

Mu Zhian instinctively transmitted his voice, “Senior Sister…”

“Don’t speak.”

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Lan Mulian covered his eyes with one hand, and a slightly shy voice echoed in his ear. “Just pretend you’re dreaming.”

Her usually calm eyes now sparkled with excitement.

…

An hour later.

Mu Zhian shook his groggy head, lying on the bed, gasping for breath.

His already frail body felt even more tired.

Senior Sister, covered in sweat, was bathing in the Red Heart Pool in the back hall, while Mu Zhian, having consumed a considerable amount of spiritual energy from his Innate Celestial Furnace, stared blankly at the ceiling beams, his eyes unfocused.

“Although my physical strength and realm haven’t changed, my strength has definitely decreased…”

“If it were before, I could have carried Senior Sister without even breaking a sweat. But now, I actually needed to use the Heavenly Phoenix Cultivation Technique…”

Mu Zhian sighed softly, recalling the events that had just transpired.

As everyone knew, there were two ways for cultivators to recover their mental energy: meditation and sleep.

After reaching the Core Formation realm, rest wasn’t necessary, but Mu Zhian still retained his habit from when he was an ordinary person and usually recovered his mental energy through sleep.

And he had indeed just intended to sleep.

But unexpectedly, Senior Sister had been so proactive tonight…

But then again, Senior Sister had always been rather domineering. If she were in the modern world, she would definitely be a cold and aloof CEO, so her actions weren’t surprising.

By the time Lan Mulian finished her bath, Mu Zhian had already fallen asleep from exhaustion. After about a quarter of an hour, he faintly smelled a familiar fragrance in his sleep.

Lan Mulian lay beside him, gazing at the sleeping boy, then gently pulled his head into her embrace.

The warm embrace made Mu Zhian feel safe, and he buried his face in her bosom, drifting off into a deep sleep.

…

The next morning.

Mu Zhian yawned lazily, his face buried in Lan Mulian’s embrace.

I can barely breathe. Is Senior Sister trying to suffocate me…? Mu Zhian quietly pushed Lan Mulian’s hand away, looking at the cold, noble beauty, and complained inwardly.

Even in her sleep, the number one genius of the Nine Provinces still exuded her usual aloof aura, but a charming blush colored her flawless face.

Her long, curled eyelashes caught the morning light, and her skin was smooth and soft.

She held Mu Zhian in her arms like a pillow.

Mu Zhian carefully slipped out of her embrace, got out of bed, and walked to the window, opening it slightly. The sound of rain was clearly audible.

The rain before spring was always like this, continuous and endless.

Mu Zhian glanced at the sleeping beauty behind him, recalling the events of last night, and couldn’t help but smile.

But this spring scenery wasn’t bad.

Unlike other parts of the sect, Two Polarities Peak was always quiet. Even now, Mu Zhian couldn’t hear any noise.

The air in the mountains was fresh and crisp. Mu Zhian stretched, his gaze casually sweeping across the hall.

His attention was drawn to a closed door at the far end of the hall.

He walked towards it, arriving at the door before he knew it.

“Could this be the ‘little room’ Senior Sister mentioned?”

He opened the door and walked down the stairs for a few minutes. Seeing the various strange items scattered throughout the dungeon, Mu Zhian was shocked.

What the… There are even more… tools here than in Yao Meng’s little room?!

It seems Senior Sister wasn’t joking. Sect Master Lin really does have a dungeon… Mu Zhian’s eyes flickered as he entered.

His gaze fell on a parchment map on the table.

He untied the string and unfolded the map. It depicted the Nine Provinces, even marking their unique characteristics.

The heavenly treasures of the Eastern Continent, the Primordial Ancient Mine of the Southern Wilderness, the blooming Purple Sun Flowers of the Demon Realm, the ancient beast bones from the Primordial Era, the faith power of the Western Regions…

And in the center of the map was the central region of the Nine Provinces, the peaceful World Sea.

As its name suggested, it was much larger than any other region.

Mu Zhian’s gaze narrowed, and he noticed a small red circle in the center of the World Sea.

The central city of the World Sea, the Holy City.

And within the red circle was a black dot.

The statue of the Primordial Witch.

Yes, just a statue, but it was marked separately, becoming a distinct area on the map.

If I remember correctly, it is said that a statue of the Primordial Witch stands in the center of the Holy City, perpetually shrouded in black mist, containing a pocket dimension. It is rumored that one can enter the ruins left behind by the Primordial Witch through this statue.

Since the establishment of the World Sea, countless cultivators had gone there, only to disappear mysteriously upon entering the Holy City.

Some said they were devoured by the black mist, while others believed that those who entered the Witch’s ruins through the statue had ascended to the Transcendence Realm.

Mu Zhian believed they were all dead.

Who left this map, and why did they mark the location of the Holy City?

Although this was Sect Master Lin’s little room, there was no guarantee that she hadn’t obtained this map from somewhere else…

Mu Zhian’s mind raced.

“What are you doing here alone?”

A clear, melodious voice suddenly came from behind him, pulling him back to reality.

He turned and saw Lan Mulian standing at the entrance of the dungeon, her cold, beautiful face and ample bosom incredibly alluring.

Looking at Mu Zhian, as if remembering the events of last night, a fleeting blush colored her cheeks.

She quickly regained her composure, crossing her arms and smiling faintly. “Alone in the dungeon… Are you eager to spend some time down here?”

Mu Zhian coughed lightly, changing the subject. “Have you been here before, Senior Sister?”

Lan Mulian saw through his attempt to change the subject, but didn’t say anything, simply nodding.

“Do you know when Sect Master obtained this map?”

Mu Zhian handed the parchment map to Lan Mulian.

“I’m not sure…”