It Turns Out, They Are the Protagonists
Chapter 503: Your Highness, I Adore You! p1

Cloud Province’s layout was unlike anything Mu Zhian had seen before. The imperial palace itself was a power suspended amidst the clouds.

Mu Zhian walked through the quiet imperial gardens, glancing around, and noticed many patrolling guards.

Most of the guards were around Qi Condensation Realm, and a few leaders were at Core Formation.

Mu Zhian tried scanning the area with his spiritual sense, then concealed his aura, scaled the wall, and saw the Princess of Cloud Province already waiting for him in the courtyard of the front hall.

The woman wore the meticulously tailored silver-white dress he had made. The plain shawl with its ornate cloud patterns and her elegant attire accentuated her delicate and charming face, making her look like a plump and beautiful peony.

She also seemed to sense Mu Zhian’s gaze and looked up.

Mu Zhian came back to his senses, coughed lightly, and said, “Your Highness, everyone is drinking at the banquet… such an important occasion, yet you sent me a letter. Could it be that there’s something urgent?”

The Princess gazed into Mu Zhian’s eyes and said softly, “The banquet tonight is just the Great Peng Emperor entertaining his ministers, and also using this opportunity to try and reconcile with you… You’ve already attended. Even if you leave early, the Great Peng Emperor won’t say anything.”

Mu Zhian feigned hesitation: “Such an important occasion, yet I’m having a private conversation with you in the side hall… Is it really okay?”

“I’ve set up a formation around the side hall, Young Master Mu needn’t worry.” The Princess’s voice was gentle as she gestured slightly towards the seat opposite her.

Looking at the young man sitting politely, the Princess couldn’t help but feel a bit more appreciative.

Despite his earlier presumptuous behavior, in most cases, the Princess found him quite courteous.

At least he knew it wasn’t appropriate to meet her here while the Great Peng Emperor was holding a banquet.

She also knew this.

But she couldn’t wait until the banquet ended to speak with Mu Zhian alone.

Mu Zhian nodded slightly and smiled, “Then I’m relieved.”

Come to think of it, the Great Peng Emperor’s fiancée having a private conversation with another man in the side hall on the night of the Great Peng Emperor’s banquet… Although he knew the Princess must have something important to discuss with him, it was still easy to imagine things.

“Young Master Mu, do you still remember our conversation when I took you to the sea of clouds today?”

The Princess’s voice was gentle, her beautiful eyes gazing softly at Mu Zhian, initiating the topic.

Mu Zhian pondered for a moment: “Your Highness and I talked about many things today, I’m not sure which one you’re referring to.”

“The Innate Celestial Furnace.”

The Princess’s voice was gentle and melodious: “In my experience, Young Master Mu is the first male Innate Celestial Furnace I’ve ever met… And also the first cultivator whose Innate Celestial Furnace contains Heavenly Court Spiritual Energy.”

“However, there are some things I don’t quite understand about this matter. Could you enlighten me, Young Master Mu?”

“Please speak, Your Highness. This junior will answer to the best of his ability,” Mu Zhian replied sincerely.

It wasn’t because he was attracted to her or anything. Mu Zhian always considered himself a reserved and polite gentleman, naturally not interested in married women.

However, she was currently doing her best to help him find the Cloud Smoke Willow, and had repeatedly stood by his side in front of the Great Peng Emperor. This alone made Mu Zhian feel some goodwill towards her.

“I only have one question…”

“How is the Heavenly Court Spiritual Energy within Young Master Mu’s Innate Celestial Furnace replenished after being given to others?”

This was the question she cared about the most, the one she wanted to know the most.

Therefore, after asking, the Princess’s gaze fixed on Mu Zhian’s eyes, wanting to hear the answer from him.

However, after a moment of silence, Mu Zhian didn’t speak.

The Princess’s eyes dimmed, then she quickly regained her gentle smile, “Apologies… I was being too presumptuous. If it’s inconvenient to answer, then forget it.”

“It’s not that I can’t answer, but before that, I also want to ask Your Highness a question,” Mu Zhian said.

The Princess nodded slightly, “Please speak, Young Master Mu.”

“Judging by Your Highness’s words just now, you seem very interested in the Heavenly Court. But it’s said that Your Highness resonates with and believes in the Great Dao, right?”

Mu Zhian was quite puzzled: “Where exactly does the Spiritual Energy within the Innate Celestial Furnace come from? What significance does it have for you?”

The Princess didn’t answer, her expression somewhat complex. Her red lips parted slightly, as if she found it difficult to speak.

Seeing this, Mu Zhian said at the right moment, “Since Your Highness hasn’t decided yet, then I’ll take my leave today.”

“After all, this is the imperial palace, with many eyes and ears around. If someone sees me alone with Your Highness in this kind of place during the banquet, it might cause unnecessary misunderstandings…”

Just as Mu Zhian stood up, intending to leave, the Princess suddenly reached out and grabbed his clothes.

“Wait!”

Mu Zhian stopped.

The Princess looked up, as if making up her mind, and said, “This matter involves a secret of Cloud Province, so Young Master Mu must promise not to reveal it to a third person.”

What secret is so serious…? Mu Zhian nodded slightly, “Please speak, Your Highness.”

A hint of worry appeared in the Princess’s eyes, and she said softly, “I told you today that, in my understanding, what Cloud Province is closest to isn’t the Heavenly Dao, but the Heavenly Court, right?”

“Do you know why I think so?”

She slowly stood up, walked to the door of the side hall, looked up at the dark sky, and said, “Young Master Mu, why don’t you try absorbing the Spiritual Energy here?”

Mu Zhian was somewhat doubtful. He closed his eyes slightly, trying to draw the Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth into his cauldron. After circulating it for a small cycle, he successfully absorbed the Spiritual Energy.

It doesn’t seem like anything special—

Just as Mu Zhian thought of this, his train of thought suddenly stopped.

He abruptly opened his eyes and looked up at the Princess incredulously.

He saw the breathtakingly beautiful woman, a sarcastic glint in her eyes, saying faintly, “You guessed correctly. Everything in Cloud Province is being eroded by the Heavenly Dao, even the Spiritual Energy in this world is directly supplied by the Heavenly Dao.”

“How strange… The Spiritual Energy in Cloud Province is different from any other place in the Nine Provinces. There seems to be a ‘trace’ left by the Heavenly Dao within this Spiritual Energy,” Mu Zhian said.

“Before I reached Dao Integration, the Spiritual Energy in Cloud Province was different from now, but now, the Heavenly Dao’s Spiritual Energy has almost completely covered Cloud Province.”

The Princess said, “If Cloud Province truly is the closest place to the ‘Heavenly Dao’, why would the Heavenly Dao need to erode it?”

Eroding Cloud Province was to make the local cultivators believe in the Heavenly Dao, but the purpose of doing so was unknown.

Mu Zhian was silent for a moment, then asked, “So what does this have to do with the Innate Celestial Furnace?”

He couldn’t actively use the Spiritual Energy within the Innate Celestial Furnace, only ‘passively’ give it to others. Even if he knew the Heavenly Dao was eroding Cloud Province, there seemed to be nothing he could do.

The Princess slowly shook her head: “I’m just thinking, if you replenish your Spiritual Energy from the Heavenly Court every time it’s depleted… perhaps we can use this method to find the location of the Heavenly Court.”

“What does Your Highness want to do in the Heavenly Court? Transcend and ascend, or… do you have other purposes?” Mu Zhian asked.

“The rules of heaven and earth don’t allow Dao Integration Realm experts to transcend, and I don’t have such intentions at the moment.”

The Princess said softly, “Compared to such an unrealistic thing as Transcendence, I’m more interested in finding the Heavenly Court’s location.”

“Perhaps I can find a way to counter the Heavenly Dao’s erosion there… Or if I can find the Lord of the Heavenly Court, perhaps I can find the answer from him.”

“I don’t think he can do anything either…” Mu Zhian said with a subtle expression.

The Princess’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. Although her voice was gentle, her tone carried a hint of instruction: “Since the Heavenly Court can exist beyond the world, even unaffected by the Heavenly Dao, it speaks volumes about the Lord of the Heavenly Court’s abilities.”

“Don’t be so absolute.”

Mu Zhian was silent for a long time, not speaking.

The Princess probably thought Mu Zhian was discouraged by her words. Her tone softened slightly, “But you don’t need to feel inferior. With your talent, and the Jade Empress’s support, even resonating with the Dao and reaching Dao Integration Realm isn’t impossible in the future.”

Mu Zhian nodded humbly, “I’ll keep Your Highness’s teachings in mind. However, the matter of Heavenly Court Spiritual Energy involves too many secrets. You’re a friend trusted by Empress Luo Tan, and I naturally trust you as well. But reaching the Heavenly Court might require paying a certain price…”

“I know, I’ve been prepared from the very beginning,” the Princess nodded. She knew everything came with a price, especially reaching the Heavenly Court.

Since stepping into the world of cultivation, cultivators had only two goals: one was Dao Integration, and the other was ascending to the Heavenly Court.

Because it was rumored that cultivators who ascended to the Heavenly Court could achieve immortality, and their cultivation speed there would far surpass the outside world.

And top-tier great powers like the Princess knew this rumor was true.

The Heavenly Court did exist.

However, unless the Path to Immortality appeared, it was impossible to ascend to the Heavenly Court… This was deeply ingrained in the minds of cultivators.

Wanting to enter the Heavenly Court without the right time, place, and people, even if it could be done, it would probably come at a heavy price.

But to resolve the issue of the Heavenly Dao’s erosion, the only way the Princess could think of was the Heavenly Court.

Mu Zhian pondered for a moment, then said, “Could Your Highness give me two or three more days to consider?”

A hint of disappointment appeared in the Princess’s heart, but she didn’t show it on her face. She nodded gently, “Young Master Mu has been away from the banquet for too long, it might arouse suspicion. Let’s go back.”

As Mu Zhian turned to leave, the Princess suddenly called out to him: “No matter your final decision, Young Master Mu, I will give you the Cloud Smoke Willow after I find it.”

Mu Zhian paused slightly, then hummed softly in agreement.

Leaving the side hall, Mu Zhian looked up at the gradually darkening sky and couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

He originally came to Cloud Province to find the Cloud Smoke Willow, but unexpectedly, before even finding it, he had gained something even greater…

If what the Princess said today was true, then she was indeed an enemy of the Heavenly Dao.

Not aligned with the Heavenly Dao, that meant she was his ally.

…

To avoid suspicion, the Princess deliberately returned to the banquet some time after Mu Zhian.

Many ministers of Cloud Province brought their wives and daughters today. They were all of high status in Cloud Province, their wives and daughters naturally quite beautiful.

However, with the Princess’s arrival, it was as if all the other women at the banquet were overshadowed.

Especially since she was wearing the dress made from Nirvana Silk today.

The dress meticulously designed by Mu Zhian naturally fit her perfectly. Although the style was somewhat conservative, almost completely covering the Princess’s skin, the little bit of exposed skin was snow-white and translucent. The tight-fitting silver-white dress couldn’t conceal her alluring figure.

Her long, curling hair was tied up in a bun, a strand of hair draped lightly over her shoulder, her demeanor dignified.

And the pale pink veil covering her face added a hazy and ethereal beauty, making one want to lift the veil and see her true face.