It Turns Out, They Are the Protagonists
Chapter 535: Your Husband, He’s Quite Useful, Isn’t He?

Early that morning, Ye Lingxuan walked gracefully towards Mu Zhian’s bedchamber.

“No one disturbed Brother Mu these past two days, right?” Ye Lingxuan asked with a smile.

“Besides Princess Yongning, no one else approached him,” the Reincarnated Empress replied calmly.

“Good, that’s good.”

The young woman slightly raised her snow-white chin, maintaining her usual calm and elegant demeanor.

But a hint of anticipation flickered in her eyes.

She could finally see Brother Mu.

A Transcendence Realm Innate Celestial Furnace, she wondered what it felt like?

The young woman had been thinking about Mu Zhian almost every day these past two days, but since the Jade Empress and Gong Lianyue hadn’t disturbed him, she naturally had to keep her promise and patiently wait for Mu Zhian to finish meditating.

However, a delicious treat, savored after two days of anticipation… had a unique flavor.

“Wait here for a bit. I’ll go in and see how Brother Mu is doing,” Ye Lingxuan said.

The Reincarnated Empress hesitated, “Shouldn’t we prepare for the hunting event?”

Ye Lingxuan wasn’t the only candidate for Forbidden Zone Lord. Was this young lady so confident that she didn’t even prepare the hunting grounds?

The Reincarnated Empress reminded her, “The Innate Spiritual Body’s perception is astonishing, but the Forbidden Zone is vast, and the other candidates have made preparations in advance. Their speed at finding magical beasts won’t be much slower than yours…”

Ye Lingxuan said matter-of-factly, “That’s why I’m going to ask Brother Mu for help.”

But you could have had the factions supporting you prepare the map in advance… The Reincarnated Empress opened her mouth slightly, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

It could only be said that her ‘present life’ seemed completely lovestruck, her mind filled with thoughts of her Brother Mu.

She was even resorting to schemes now!

While the Reincarnated Empress was still speechless, Ye Lingxuan had already walked into the depths of the bedchamber with light steps.

She was about to knock, but as if remembering something, she stopped and scanned the room with her spiritual sense.

There wasn’t a second person inside…

“Who’s there?” Mu Zhian’s gentle voice came from inside the room.

“Brother Mu, may I come in?” Ye Lingxuan’s clear voice echoed from outside.

“So the Forbidden Zone hunting event starts today?”

The young man’s voice murmured from inside. He looked at Wei Mengrou, who was silently changing her clothes with a blush on her face, and said, “Wait a moment, let me change.”

As if noticing Mu Zhian’s teasing gaze, Wei Mengrou rolled her eyes at her young master disdainfully.

She wasn’t emitting the slightest aura fluctuation. Even the Heavenly Dao’s will couldn’t sense her presence, let alone Ye Lingxuan now… Therefore, she naturally had no idea what kind of battle had just taken place in the room.

Mu Zhian walked behind Wei Mengrou and whispered in the cool beauty’s ear, “Sister Mengrou, I’ll be back.”

Wei Mengrou hummed softly in agreement. Then, her figure flickered strangely, like a shadow, silently melting into the darkness.

At the same time, Mu Zhian finished tidying his robes, then opened the door and saw the young woman standing there.

“Why did it take Brother Mu so long to change? You weren’t doing anything bad, were you?”

Ye Lingxuan stood with her hands behind her back, peeking into the room suspiciously, but didn’t notice anything unusual.

Mu Zhian placed a hand on the young girl’s hair and said with a smile, “It’s been rare peace these past two days, I’ve been meditating and cultivating, so tidying myself up took a little time.”

Ye Lingxuan’s attention was quickly captured by Mu Zhian, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment. Although his appearance hadn’t changed, after reaching Soul Transformation, his aura was clearly more refined and perfect.

Her gaze lingered for a few seconds, then she quickly turned her head away, a blush creeping up her pretty face.

Seeing this, Mu Zhian couldn’t help but wrap his arm around the young woman’s soft and delicate body and said with a smile, “Sister Lingxuan, we’re so close, why are you still so shy?”

Ye Lingxuan looked up at the young man reproachfully, her rosy lips parting slightly, and whispered, “I am close to Brother Mu, but we rarely have intimate moments. After all, Brother Mu always has other people around.”

As she spoke, seemingly thinking about finally getting to taste the cream cake, her heart fluttered, and she hugged the young man’s waist tightly, whispering, “The hunting event starts in an hour, why don’t we…”

Mu Zhian looked down at the young woman and slowly shook his head, “I’ll be with you after we return. It’s not very convenient now, an hour is too short.”

Although Ye Lingxuan hadn’t sensed the depleted state of his Innate Celestial Furnace, she would immediately discover the problem if she tried to… sample the cake.

Seeing Ye Lingxuan about to speak again, Mu Zhian quickly said, “Right, can you take me for a walk in the Forbidden Zone? I don’t think I’ve ever properly explored it before.”

Ye Lingxuan thought for a moment, then reluctantly nodded.

Compared to a walk, she wanted to taste the Spiritual Energy of the Innate Celestial Furnace… However, as a young woman of her age, she was still too reserved and shy to express herself so directly.

The two left the bedchamber, Ye Lingxuan holding Mu Zhian’s hand as they walked through the Forbidden Zone.

Although the outer area of the Forbidden Zone was desolate, its depths were like a paradise, the scenery breathtaking.

“That Black Tortoise statue is one of the Forbidden Zone’s guardian beasts. Although it looks like a stone, if an enemy enters, it will awaken immediately.”

Ye Lingxuan pointed at a Black Tortoise statue not far ahead, then at the various strangely shaped rocks on the towering immortal mountain in the distance, “Some of these spirit mines were brought from the outside world. Some contain rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Brother Mu, you’ve heard of stone gambling, right?”

Mu Zhian’s gaze lingered on the spirit mines on the immortal mountain, and he nodded slightly, “I’ve heard of it, I even tried it once.”

“What’s that over there?”

After crossing the immortal mountain, Mu Zhian’s attention was quickly drawn to a field of pink flowers in full bloom.

This sea of flowers contained incredibly dense Spiritual Energy. Clearly, they were all heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

Ye Lingxuan glanced over, her delicate brows furrowing slightly in disgust, “Those are Charm Immortal Flowers, unclean things in the Forbidden Zone. They grow and spread very quickly, so they need to be cleared out every few years.”

Mu Zhian asked curiously, “What are Charm Immortal Flowers used for?”

It seemed this heavenly material and earthly treasure wasn’t very valuable in the Forbidden Zone… even considered a nuisance?

But he could clearly sense the dense Spiritual Energy within these Charm Immortal Flowers, and a… charming aura.

“There’s a type of pill in the mortal world that can rapidly improve the relationship between men and women. The Charm Immortal Flower has a similar effect.”

Ye Lingxuan paused, then continued, “However, consuming this Charm Immortal Flower won’t make someone truly fall in love. At most, it just creates a flirtatious atmosphere.”

Mu Zhian plucked a Charm Immortal Flower, examined it for a few moments, handed it to the young woman, and said with a smile, “It’s quite pretty, actually.”

Ye Lingxuan’s heart fluttered, then she put on a stern face, “Is Brother Mu saying I’m as promiscuous as this Charm Immortal Flower?”

Mu Zhian toyed with the flower in his hand and said with a smile, “Doesn’t Sister Lingxuan think this flower is beautiful?”

The petals were pink, while the pistil was a seductive purple, making it look exceptionally alluring.

A glint of joy flashed through Ye Lingxuan’s eyes, and she nodded politely, “Mmm… But Brother Mu, be careful. Although this Charm Immortal Flower smells harmless, if its juice touches your skin, it will arouse you.”

“Just one flower won’t arouse me, at most, it will just create a flirtatious mood.”

As Mu Zhian spoke, he looked at the young woman again, “Speaking of which, Sister Lingxuan, do you want to…”

Ye Lingxuan seemed to understand what Mu Zhian was thinking, her face flushing red as she shot him a look, “I’m participating in the hunting event later, I can’t mess around with this kind of thing.”

Mu Zhian couldn’t help but smile and casually tossed the Charm Immortal Flower aside.

He was just joking. After all, the hunting event was about to start, and even the future Forbidden Zone Lord might be present. If she saw her daughter being taken advantage of like this, who knew what would happen.

“Let’s go, it’s about time to head back.”

Just as Mu Zhian finished speaking, he saw Ye Lingxuan bend down, pick up the Charm Immortal Flower he had just tossed aside, and hand it back to him.

The young woman’s magnificent purple dress fluttered in the gentle breeze, her hair swaying, exuding an innocent and naive charm.

She guided Mu Zhian’s hand to her face, then slightly raised her head, pressing her rosy lips gently against his.

A fleeting touch.

Her eyes, moist and hazy, gazed into Mu Zhian’s, and she said obediently, “Although the hunting event is about to start, if Brother Mu likes it… Lingxuan can play with you for a bit.”

Mu Zhian was stunned, “I was just joking, we should focus on the important matters…”

He was just teasing Ye Lingxuan, he didn’t expect her to take it seriously.

If his future mother-in-law or father-in-law found out, Mu Zhian might not be able to leave the Forbidden Zone even with nine lives.

“It’s fine, Lingxuan will fulfill any of Brother Mu’s requests.”

“However, I also have a request.”

Ye Lingxuan’s beautiful eyes, filled with shyness and anticipation, looked at him as she stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear:

“Brother Mu has to help Lingxuan personally~”

…

The hunt in the Forbidden Zone wasn’t like an ordinary hunt in the mortal dynasties. It involved hunting incredibly powerful demonic creatures enhanced by the Forbidden Zone’s rules.

And this hunting event was usually a crucial part of the competition for the position of Forbidden Zone Lord.

The Grand Elder would use the results of this hunt to decide which candidate to support.

At this moment, a large group of people had gathered in an open area near the outer edge of the Forbidden Zone. Looking closely, one could see they were divided into six factions, and Ye Lingxuan led one of them.

Several of these people were strong contenders for the position of Forbidden Zone Lord. However, when Ye Lingxuan appeared, almost everyone turned their gazes towards her, whispering amongst themselves.

“As expected of the young lady, even though the other candidates look so serious, she still seems relaxed.”

“After all, she’s the one with the highest chance of inheriting the position of Forbidden Zone Lord in our history.”

Since its establishment, the Forbidden Zone had held countless selection rituals for the Forbidden Zone Lord, but without exception, no one had ever successfully claimed the position.

There were various reasons for their failures, but the most common one was that almost every candidate perished during the hunting event.

“Is that man beside the young lady Young Master Mu?” A young woman asked softly, her bright eyes curiously observing the young man.

Although the Forbidden Zone kept the matter of Mu Zhian’s Innate Celestial Furnace a closely guarded secret, it had spread among the clan members. Almost everyone knew about it now, so his appearance immediately attracted the attention of many young women present.

“He’s very handsome, a perfect match for the young lady,” someone commented softly.

“Indeed… but why does the young lady’s expression seem a bit off? Could it be that something went wrong during her cultivation last night?”

A young woman suddenly hesitated, looking at Ye Lingxuan with a puzzled expression. She noticed a faint blush on the Forbidden Zone imperial daughter’s face, strands of hair clinging to her delicate, fair skin, exuding an inexplicable charm.

Ye Qian also noticed this and walked to Ye Lingxuan’s side, asking with concern, “Sister, are you alright?”

Could she be too nervous?

But with Sister’s personality, she shouldn’t be nervous…

Just then, Mu Zhian placed a hand on Ye Lingxuan’s shoulder and said with a smile, “She probably had some issues with her cultivation just now. I’ll take care of your sister during the hunt, don’t worry.”

Ye Qian looked at them with a confused expression.

Ye Lingxuan smiled, “Don’t worry, I’m… I’m fine.”

While Ye Qian wasn’t looking, Ye Lingxuan discreetly rubbed her slender legs together beneath her purple dress, a faint blush on her face, and shot the young man a resentful look.

Just then, Ye Qian noticed Yao Meng smiling and beckoning to her from a pavilion in the distance, so she said to the two, “Master seems to need me, I’ll leave Sister in your care, Brother Mu.”

Mu Zhian smiled and nodded, “I’ll take care of your sister.”

After Ye Qian turned and walked towards the pavilion, Mu Zhian leaned close to the young woman’s ear and whispered, “Just hold on a little longer, we’re about to leave. It’ll be fine once we’re in the carriage.”

Ye Lingxuan rolled her eyes at the young man, lowered her head, and pinched him secretly on the waist, silently venting her frustration and shyness.

Fortunately, at this moment, an elderly man with a celestial air gracefully descended before the crowd. He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over everyone, then lingering on Mu Zhian for a moment before saying slowly:

“It seems everyone is here. Just like previous successor selection rituals, whoever hunts the most powerful forbidden creature can exchange it with this old man for any heavenly material or earthly treasure, pill, or even artifact spirit you desire.”

“And I will unconditionally support the winning team’s candidate for the position of Forbidden Zone Lord. Do you have any objections?”

The Grand Elder glanced around at everyone. Seeing no one speaking, he nodded slightly, “Then let’s depart.”

Almost as soon as his voice fell, Ye Lingxuan immediately pulled Mu Zhian into the palanquin.

Only then did the tension in her body finally ease.

“Need a handkerchief?” Mu Zhian asked tentatively.

She first smoothed the wrinkles on her skirt with her slender hand.

Then, she glanced at the young man seductively and hummed softly in agreement, her beautiful eyes moist and passionate.

She had almost… lost control just now.

…

High above the Forbidden Zone, a luxuriously decorated, ancient-style celestial palace floated quietly.

Inside, it was completely silent.

Because at this moment, Gong Lianyue, Yao Meng, and the Primordial Witch were in the same space.

Yao Meng watched as the palanquin carrying Mu Zhian headed towards the outer edge of the Forbidden Zone and couldn’t help but chuckle softly, “How rare. Since being suppressed by this Seat that day, you rarely dare to appear before me.”

“And now you dare show yourself so openly, is it because you’ve gained some confidence from merging with the second spiritual sense?”

As she spoke, she casually glanced at the Primordial Witch behind her.

Or rather, Wei Mengrou.

With two Primordial Witch spiritual senses, her strength was infinitely close to Transcendence. At least, according to Yao Meng’s perception, the current Wei Mengrou did indeed possess the strength to fight against a Transcendence Realm expert.

But so what?

The gap between pre-Transcendence and Transcendence wasn’t so easily bridged.

Gong Lianyue sat calmly at the side, watching the tense atmosphere.

She almost wished the two would start fighting.

It would be even better if they both exhausted their Spiritual Energy, then she could tie them up and throw them into the Sword Palace basement, leaving Mu Zhian all to herself.

The Primordial Witch glanced at the otherworldly fairy. Behind the Jade Empress, illusory realms seemed to appear, shrouded in mist, seemingly close at hand, yet also distant and ethereal, her beauty breathtaking.

However, everyone present knew just how black-bellied this holy fairy truly was.

“If I wanted to attack you, I wouldn’t have waited until now.”

The Primordial Witch’s voice held an inexplicable charm, “Besides, if we fight, someone else might benefit.”

These words were clearly directed at Gong Lianyue.

“Then why have you been staring at this Seat since earlier?” Yao Meng’s voice was soft and melodious, like heavenly music.

Not far from the celestial palace was a fishpond. At this moment, the fish gathered near the pavilion in mid-air, as if drawn by Yao Meng’s voice, their tails swishing.

The Primordial Witch said with a smile, “I just think you’ve changed quite a bit. If it were before, you would have gone looking for him after he reached Soul Transformation.”

“But this time, you actually endured for two days.”

“He only just reached Soul Transformation two days ago, and he regressed three times during his tribulation, his mental energy severely depleted. I still have some restraint,” Yao Meng said calmly.

“You’re truly considerate,” the Primordial Witch’s tone was laced with sarcasm.

“Naturally, after all, this Seat is his wife,” Yao Meng tilted her head slightly and smiled.

These words made the Primordial Witch’s smile falter.

Even in the past, the relationship between the Primordial Witch and Mu Zhian was only that of Dao Companions, not ‘husband and wife’.

Therefore, the more the Jade Empress mentioned this, the more irritated she became.

Although she knew there was another reason behind Mu Zhian and the Jade Empress’s marriage… the Jade Empress definitely had other ways to transcend.

She just chose to kill two birds with one stone.

Getting married and successfully transcending.

Yao Meng slightly raised her snow-white chin and said with a smile, “If there’s nothing else, then this Seat will go check on my husband~”

She emphasized the word ‘husband’.

A faint smile flickered in her green eyes.

She didn’t care what kind of entanglement the Primordial Witch and Mu Zhian had in their past lives. The current Mu Zhian was hers… knowing this was enough.

After glancing at the Primordial Witch as if looking at a loser, Yao Meng was about to leave.

Just then, the Primordial Witch’s amused voice echoed through the celestial palace, “You’re truly confident, thinking everything is under your control?”

A playful glint, rarely seen, appeared in Yao Meng’s gentle green eyes as she turned her head, “And if it isn’t?”

A beautiful smile played on the Primordial Witch’s lips.

She took out a projection stone from her storage ring and gently tossed it out.

Then, as Yao Meng’s smile gradually faded, the projection stone transformed into a picture scroll, silently displaying an image.

Within the enchanting scene displayed on the scroll, a smile appeared in the Primordial Witch’s silver eyes:

“Is this also under your control?”