It Turns Out, They Are the Protagonists
Chapter 497: Your Highness Wouldn’t Want Our Little Secret to Get Out, Would You?

Mu Zhian, riding in the carriage, finally arrived at the gates of Zunyun Academy after half an hour.

He stepped out of the carriage, went to the other side, lifted the curtain, and extended his hand to the mistress inside.

The Princess stepped down from the carriage, glanced at Mu Zhian, and, instead of taking his hand, jumped down herself.

Unlike her attire earlier today, she wore a shimmering white dress, revealing her fair neck and delicate collarbone, without showing much skin. The dress hugged her figure, accentuating her ample bosom.

Her style was quite homely. Because of the veil, Mu Zhian couldn’t see her makeup, but just by looking at her bright and expressive eyes, he could sense the mature and charming aura of a married woman.

However, tonight, her attitude towards Mu Zhian was much colder, something even Mu Zhian could clearly sense.

It seems the person in the bedchamber earlier really was the Princess…

Mu Zhian glanced at the Princess with a strange look.

He had felt something was off when he entered the hall and talked to her earlier, so he tried some intimate gestures…

But no matter what, he couldn’t have imagined that the woman in the hall just now would actually be the Princess.

Their arrival immediately attracted the attention of many academy students nearby. No matter the era, beautiful people always attracted more attention.

Just then, a crisp and gentle voice came from not far away: “Young Master Mu…?”

The young girl called out tentatively with a slightly uncertain tone. Mu Zhian turned his head and saw a woman in a pink and white dress. Her appearance made many students in the academy turn their heads.

“Why is Senior Sister Shui Xian in the outer courtyard…? Isn’t she already a disciple of the Grand Elder of the inner courtyard?”

“The Third Elder of the outer courtyard had a conflict with a Sabbath envoy today, and many inner courtyard students came to watch the excitement. She probably came to see it too.”

“Who is that cultivator talking to Senior Sister Shui Xian? I’ve never seen him before. Could he be from another academy?”

Some academy students whispered amongst themselves, their gazes occasionally falling on Mu Zhian.

Ever since Xiao Shuixian went to the Two Polarities Sect with the Pill Emperor, for some reason, Her Majesty valued her greatly, even keeping Xiao Shuixian by her side for a while after returning to Yu State to give her guidance. As a result, Xiao Shuixian’s alchemy skills had significantly improved.

In Zunyun Academy, Xiao Shuixian’s strength was currently second only to one, but among her peers, her alchemy skills were already ranked first.

Coupled with her prominent family background and beauty, her popularity in the academy was always in the top three. It was no wonder her greeting attracted the attention of so many academy students.

Mu Zhian noticed the little beauty’s gaze and couldn’t help but smile gently, “Miss Xiao, long time no see.”

Wasn’t he always in the Eastern Continent? Why does he know people in Zunyun Academy…?

The Princess discreetly sized up the young girl.

Xiao Shuixian’s gaze also lingered on the Princess for a moment, an inexplicable wariness rising in her heart.

For some reason, although she couldn’t see the woman’s face, just by looking at the Princess’s mature and sexy figure and her gentle temperament, it wasn’t hard to imagine the captivating beauty hidden beneath the veil.

“Why is Young Master Mu at Zunyun Academy?” Xiao Shuixian quickly retracted her gaze and asked gently.

However, a hint of anticipation flickered in her eyes.

Mu Zhian smiled, “I came to Yu State for some business and happened to see the commotion at your academy today, so I came to take a look.”

Xiao Shuixian’s eyes dimmed slightly, but she quickly hid her disappointment and said with a smile, “In that case, I’ll take you there. It’s the Third Elder of the outer courtyard dueling with a Sabbath envoy today. It probably hasn’t started yet.”

She paused, then continued, “Her Majesty is also there today.”

…

The north side of Zunyun Academy in Yu State’s White Jade Platform was located on an island called ‘Flying Fish’. The platform was strengthened by formations year-round, with many cultivators coming and going every day.

Compared to usual, the area around the north White Jade Platform was much more lively today.

And the reason was that the people dueling on the platform today weren’t ordinary cultivators, but an elder of Zunyun Academy’s outer courtyard.

At this moment, Luo Tan sat before the platform with other Zunyun Academy elders, waiting for the duel to begin.

A female elder beside her whispered, “Rest assured, Your Majesty. Feng Xuan is at the seventh rank of Nascent Soul Realm, and because of his alchemy skills, his spiritual power far surpasses cultivators of the same realm. He won’t lose this duel.”

Luo Tan hummed softly in agreement.

She truly wasn’t worried.

Although the Zunyun Academy elders rarely fought against others, their strength was no less than cultivators from the outside world.

After all, some of these elders had traveled extensively in their youth, and after passing through Yu State, they were captivated by Luo Tan’s charm and willingly joined Zunyun Academy to teach disciples.

And before this, many of them were formidable figures in the Nine Provinces, but they usually restrained themselves before the academy students.

The Sabbath envoy taking the initiative to provoke them tonight, he probably hadn’t even investigated the backgrounds of these academy elders before rashly challenging them.

Luo Tan didn’t care about the outcome of the duel. She came to Zunyun Academy today not to stop the fight, as doing so would seem petty.

Luo Tan came here today simply to put some pressure on the Sabbath envoys.

Besides that… sometimes, personally handling these matters made it easier to win the hearts of the people.

“With Your Majesty here, the arrogance of those Sabbath envoys has been extinguished,” an elder beside her said with a chuckle.

“Indeed, and the academy disciples seem very excited. If I remember correctly, the last time Your Majesty came to the academy was exactly one year ago.”

A beautiful woman beside Luo Tan smiled gently, looking at the academy students below, and said, “With Your Majesty personally coming to the academy this time, these children will probably cultivate even harder in the future.”

In Yu State, this holy land of alchemy, most cultivators grew up listening to Luo Tan’s stories. Yu State wasn’t always unified. The beings in the forbidden lands would come out every few hundred years to absorb the essence of living beings.

Until later, a Dao Integration Realm expert was born in Yu State. She used immortal gold to forge a cauldron capable of transforming all things into Spiritual Energy, suppressing the forbidden beings of Yu State, ending the chaos, and finally establishing this prosperous Immortal Dynasty.

Having heard these stories, most cultivators in Yu State blindly worshipped this Empress.

And the students of Zunyun Academy saw her as their role model. Being chosen to serve her would bring honor to their entire family.

Therefore, when Luo Tan chose Xiao Shuixian to serve her by grinding ink and preparing brushes, and taught her alchemy, not only did Xiao Shuixian’s name become famous throughout Zunyun Academy, but the Xiao family’s status in Yu State also rose significantly.

The beautiful woman couldn’t help but look at the Empress in the magnificent white dress again. She was admiring the Empress’s peerless beauty, but then she noticed that Luo Tan seemed somewhat distracted.

“Your Majesty, is there something on your mind?” the beautiful woman hesitated.

Luo Tan snapped out of her thoughts, shook her head, and said with a smile, “Nothing.”

She then casually asked, “When does the duel begin?”

“In reply to Your Majesty, according to the agreement, it will begin in the time it takes an incense stick to burn,” someone beside her responded respectfully.

The time it takes an incense stick to burn, then there’s still time to go back and see him… Luo Tan thought inwardly.

She had already made an appointment with Mu Zhian to meet her in the bedchamber tonight, but she came to Zunyun Academy instead.

However, it hadn’t even been an hour, he shouldn’t have gone back so soon… Just as Luo Tan thought of this, about to retract her gaze,

her attention was suddenly drawn to a young man in the crowd.

Mu Zhian…

And beside Mu Zhian were two women. One looked quite pure and lovely, easy to imagine becoming a graceful beauty when she grew up.

And the other woman wore a fitted, goose-yellow dress embroidered with plump crabapple blossoms, a sash outlining her sexy and slender waist, her figure alluring, her temperament like a ripe peach, as if waiting to be picked.

Xiao Shuixian and the Princess.

“Why are they here…?”

Luo Tan’s casual gaze froze slightly, and she subconsciously murmured softly.

And logically, shouldn’t the Princess be very averse to Mu Zhian? Why was she with him now?

Although she was only the Great Peng Emperor’s wife in name, in the eyes of the world, this Princess was a married woman… Outside, the Princess should try to avoid suspicion as much as possible…

Luo Tan’s eyes flickered. She discreetly beckoned to her personal maid and gestured slightly.

The maid glanced at Mu Zhian, immediately understood, turned, and quietly left the platform.

…

Led by Xiao Shuixian, Mu Zhian and the Princess walked through the crowd and unknowingly arrived at Flying Fish Island, where the White Jade Platform was located.

There was no one on the platform at the moment, but many cultivators had already gathered below. Most of them were Zunyun Academy students, seemingly quite interested in this duel.

Mu Zhian glanced over the cultivators and saw many good-looking female students in dresses, revealing their long, snow-white legs. Some even wore black silk stockings similar to what Luo Tan wore when she went to the Two Polarities Sect that day.

Yu State seemed much more open than other provinces. Logically, dressing like this in the cultivation world seemed a bit strange, but everyone in Yu State seemed accustomed to it.

“What is Young Master Mu looking at?” Xiao Shuixian’s pleasant voice suddenly came from beside him. Her beautiful eyes gazed at him tenderly.

Although she hadn’t dressed up specially today, her beauty was still top-notch… Yet after Mu Zhian arrived, his gaze wandered to other girls.

“I’m just a bit surprised, you seem much more open here than other provinces.”

Mu Zhian smiled, his gaze falling on Xiao Shuixian, and continued, “Actually, there’s something I haven’t said.”

“What is it?” Xiao Shuixian blinked, her attention successfully captured by Mu Zhian.

“Although I came to Yu State at Empress Luo Tan’s invitation, I also came to Zunyun Academy today because there’s someone I want to see here.”

Xiao Shuixian was stunned for a moment. Then, under Mu Zhian’s gaze, a flustered look flashed through her eyes. She lowered her eyelids slightly, casually smoothing her hair, her face slightly flushed.

Mu Zhian gazed quietly for a moment, then suddenly said with a wry smile, “Sorry, you’re still blaming me for scheming against Xiao Hua and killing him, right?”

Hearing this, Xiao Shuixian hurriedly looked up and said, “What are you saying, Young Master Mu? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known that his spiritual sense had already been devoured by an otherworldly evil being… He was no longer my brother Xiao Hua at that time.”

Xiao Shuixian lowered her voice and continued, “Or rather, if it weren’t for Young Master Mu, I might still be deceived by him even now.”

Mu Zhian was stunned: “You don’t blame me?”

“I said it before, this matter has nothing to do with Young Master Mu. You actually helped me a lot,” Xiao Shuixian gently shook her head.

“That’s great, I thought Miss Xiao was still blaming me,” Mu Zhian revealed a relieved and gentle smile. His bright smile in the night attracted the attention of many female disciples nearby, who couldn’t help but look over, their eyes lighting up.

“Senior Sister Shui Xian, is this your friend?” A female disciple who seemed to know Xiao Shuixian came over and greeted them, her smile gentle, her eyes involuntarily drawn to Mu Zhian’s.

Even if he deliberately restrained the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox’s innate charm, Mu Zhian still involuntarily attracted the attention and favor of women.

Xiao Shuixian’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, but she maintained a polite smile: “Mmm… He’s a guest invited by Her Majesty.”

“Her Majesty?”

The female disciple’s eyes lit up, but before she could speak, a maid came over from the distance, glanced at the few people present, and said softly, “Young Master Mu, Her Majesty requests your presence.”

The Princess discreetly glanced at Mu Zhian, a playful smile appearing on her beautiful face beneath the veil.

Mu Zhian had just arrived, and Luo Tan had already noticed. She reacted quite quickly…

…

When Mu Zhian and the others arrived at the viewing platform in the distance, they found no one around. An invisible formation seemed to envelop the entire platform.

“You can’t see inside the viewing platform from the outside, but you can see the outside clearly from the platform… This formation is truly magical.”

Mu Zhian looked around, admiring the view of the outside world from the platform.

“This is a fourth-grade formation. It prevents anyone from the outside from peering in,” Xiao Shuixian explained from beside him.

After saying that, she quickly recalled something and hesitated, “I forgot to ask just now, who is that woman with Young Master Mu?”

“The Princess of Cloud Province,” Mu Zhian explained.

“Her Highness the Princess?!” Xiao Shuixian’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

She had heard of this woman. She was Her Majesty’s close friend. She had heard Her Majesty say that this Princess had saved her life before, when she was serving in the imperial court.

She didn’t expect this Princess to also come to Zunyun Academy, and with Mu Zhian.

“Shui Xian is also here?”

Just then, a woman’s calm and pleasant voice came from not far away.

Mu Zhian looked up and saw the noble Empress of Yu State.

Her long hair cascaded down, adorned with luxurious ornaments, the golden tassels swaying gently. A pair of snow-white boots embroidered with gold borders covered her delicate and fair legs. The boots lightly tapped the floor, adding a touch of nobility to the Empress’s elegant demeanor.

She leaned against a chair, her gaze first lingering on Mu Zhian for a moment, then shifting to Xiao Shuixian.

“Your Majesty,” Xiao Shuixian bowed respectfully.

Luo Tan glanced at the little beauty before her, smiled, and nodded, “Mmm, it seems you’re just one step away from becoming a sixth-grade alchemist, not bad.”

“This is all thanks to Your Majesty’s past guidance. Shui Xian has always kept it in mind and never dared to forget,” Xiao Shuixian replied respectfully.

Luo Tan smiled and nodded gently: “If I remember correctly, you’re still in charge of many matters regarding the inner courtyard disciples today, right? I’m here, you can go and attend to your duties.”

Xiao Shuixian glanced at Mu Zhian hesitantly.

“Don’t worry, I’m here, there’s no need to worry about Young Master Mu,” Luo Tan crossed her legs, her skirt swaying, revealing a glimpse of her snow-white thigh between her boots and skirt.

That’s true, with Her Majesty here, even if there are Sabbath envoys in the academy, they wouldn’t dare cause trouble, there’s indeed no need to worry…

Xiao Shuixian smiled faintly, “Since Your Majesty has important matters to discuss with Young Master Mu, then Shui Xian will take her leave.”

Luo Tan smiled, watching as Xiao Shuixian’s figure disappeared behind the viewing platform, then turned her gaze to Mu Zhian.

“Why are you sitting so far away from me? Are you afraid I’ll eat you?” Luo Tan chuckled softly, her tone playful.

“Not really, I was just thinking about something,” Mu Zhian walked over and sat down beside Luo Tan naturally.

“Thinking about what? You can speak frankly. This place is enveloped by my formation. Outsiders can’t enter, and they can’t see what’s happening inside this viewing platform either,” Luo Tan said with a smile.

Mu Zhian smiled without speaking, thinking, Outsiders can’t see, but they can probably hear, right?

Speaking of which, does she mean this place is very safe, and no one will approach?

And the underlying meaning is… can we unlock a new CG here?

Mu Zhian suddenly realized Luo Tan’s hidden meaning and discreetly observed the Empress beside him.

“I originally planned to bring you to Zunyun Academy, but considering you might not like these fights, I came alone,” Luo Tan glanced at the young man with gentle eyes and continued, “Sorry, I should have told you first.”

Hearing this, Mu Zhian couldn’t help but sigh softly, “Although I’m indeed not interested in watching the excitement, Your Majesty should have told me… Or it would have been nice if you brought me to the academy.”

Luo Tan raised a delicate eyebrow, surprised, “Why? Are you interested in the duel between my Yu State cultivators and the Sabbath envoy? Or did you want to come to the academy to see your little lover?”

Towards the end of her words, her tone became playful, clearly having seen through Xiao Shuixian’s feelings for Mu Zhian.

“I’m not very interested in the duel here, it’s just…”

Mu Zhian looked at Luo Tan with a complicated expression and said in a low voice, “While Your Majesty was at the academy, something happened in the imperial palace.”

The calm smile on Luo Tan’s face finally faded slightly, and she hesitated, “What do you mean?”

Just as Mu Zhian was about to speak, a woman’s gentle and pleasant voice suddenly came from the distance, interrupting their conversation: “Luo Tan, there are so many empty seats here, you wouldn’t mind one more person joining, right?”

Luo Tan looked up and met the gentle eyes of the mature and beautiful married woman.

She immediately revealed a charming smile: “Naturally, I don’t mind, but I didn’t expect you to come to the academy to watch the excitement, how rare.”

The Princess walked gracefully and sat down beside Mu Zhian, smiling gently, “I happened to run into Young Master Mu when I went out tonight, so I came with him to take a look. I have nothing else to do in Yu State anyway.”

Luo Tan nodded gently: “No wonder you’re with him tonight, so you met by chance on the road?”

Just as she thought of this, a maid’s voice came from outside the viewing platform: “Your Majesty, the Dean of the inner courtyard wants to see you, it seems there’s something important.”

Again… Luo Tan’s delicate brows couldn’t help but furrow slightly, displeased at being interrupted.

Whenever Luo Tan came to Zunyun Academy, that alchemy fanatic Dean would ask her about alchemy. She didn’t expect that the other party already knew about her arrival just moments after she got to the academy tonight.

“Then you two can sit here for a while. I’ll be back after dealing with that matter,” Luo Tan said, then walked out of the viewing platform, disappearing from Mu Zhian’s sight.

Mu Zhian admired the scenery outside the viewing platform, then casually glanced at the beautiful married woman and said, “Were you just stopping me, not wanting her to know about this?”

“What happened between you and me was a misunderstanding. If you tell Luo Tan, it will only cause trouble, even create unnecessary misunderstandings and rifts between her and me.”

This matter of her disguising herself as Luo Tan couldn’t be explained. If Luo Tan found out, she might even think that she took advantage of her absence from the palace, impersonated her, and seduced Mu Zhian…

The Princess paused and continued softly, “It’s better to keep this matter a secret between us.”

She sighed with some emotion, “I just didn’t expect… that she chose you for your Innate Celestial Furnace.”

“It wasn’t just for the Innate Celestial Furnace,” Mu Zhian smiled, “Her Majesty and I are quite compatible. She mentioned this before.”

“Since Your Highness understands her so well, you should also know that she wouldn’t choose just anyone as her Dao Companion.”

“Although Heavenly Court Spiritual Energy is several times denser than Nine Provinces Spiritual Energy, it’s still not enough to help her transcend. She must have taken a liking to your other merits,” the Princess said calmly.

Hearing this, Mu Zhian couldn’t help but ask, “You concluded that I couldn’t help her transcend just by sensing a wisp of Heavenly Court Spiritual Energy?”

“I am the Daughter of the Great Dao. Whether Heavenly Court Spiritual Energy can help her transcend, I naturally know,” the Princess said softly.

Mu Zhian shook his head and smiled, “If you sensed denser Heavenly Court Spiritual Energy, you might not say that.”

The Princess was stunned, seemingly recalling what happened in the imperial palace bedchamber earlier. A blush quickly spread across her face, and she glanced at Mu Zhian, saying softly, “Do you dare?”

Her beautiful eyes were still gentle, but her tone carried a hint of warning, or perhaps pressure, “Although there’s nothing between the Great Peng Emperor and me, in the eyes of outsiders, we are husband and wife. If he finds out about this, even with the Jade Empress protecting you, he would probably demand an explanation.”

Mu Zhian was stunned: “But earlier in the palace, you were the one who disguised yourself as Her Majesty, causing that misunderstanding, right?”

The Princess chuckled softly and said lightly, “If I wanted to, I could turn black into white.”

Mu Zhian was momentarily speechless.

He didn’t expect a dignified Dao Integration Realm expert to use such petty tricks!

The corner of the Princess’s mouth twitched upwards, her tone still gentle, carrying a warning, “You better keep tonight’s matter between us a secret. If Luo Tan finds out, it will be quite troublesome for me.”

“But if the Great Peng Emperor finds out, you’ll also be in trouble. You wouldn’t want to be targeted by a Dao Integration Realm expert, would you?”

Looking at the silent young man, the smile on the Princess’s face became even more charming.

Her eyes were incredibly gentle, but her gaze was condescending.

He was just a little cultivator after all, trying to play these little tricks with her, he was still too inexperienced.

Just as the Princess was about to speak again, ending this conversation and settling this matter completely,

Mu Zhian suddenly reached out and grabbed the beautiful married woman’s soft small hand.

The Princess’s body trembled. She almost instinctively wanted to pull her hand away, but the young man’s gentle voice came from beside her:

“Your Highness, you wouldn’t want Her Majesty Luo Tan to find out about what happened between us tonight, would you?”