Chapter 50: Madam Bai is on the Fifth Stage
Mu Zhi’an sat cross-legged on the bedside, absorbing the spiritual energy purified by the Heavenly Dao energy while waiting for night to fall.
It had to be said that the boost brought by the Heavenly Dao energy, a product left behind by a former Ascension realm expert, was incredibly powerful. No wonder those protagonists became stronger one after another after obtaining their golden finger.
Unfortunately, if one wanted to speed up cultivation, one could only do so by staying by Bai Ruoxi’s side… After all, this thing was bound to its owner and would not leave the owner’s side, only purifying the spiritual energy around the owner.
Moreover, due to the boost from possessing the Heavenly Dao energy, Bai Ruoxi’s speed of absorbing spiritual energy would still be much, much faster than his.
At this rate, it might not take long for Bai Ruoxi to reach the peak of the Qi Refinement realm.
However, after that, she would probably be stuck at the peak of Qi Refinement for a year or two.
From the Qi Refinement realm to the Spirit Refinement realm, it was not enough to simply accumulate spiritual energy in the cauldron. It required more of one’s own comprehension.
Everyone’s comprehension of the Spirit Refinement realm was different.
Wei Mengrou’s Spirit Refinement was related to her experiences when she was young. After entering the Spirit Refinement realm, she gained the ability to conceal her aura, making it difficult for enemies of the same level to detect her presence.
As for Elder Ren’s Spirit Refinement realm, it allowed him to imprison the Primordial Spirit of others, but that Primordial Spirit was not a living being, just a wisp of remnant soul.
As for Mu Zhi’an himself… he was not in a hurry, and he couldn’t be in a hurry.
After all, he was a “trash young master.” It wouldn’t be easy to make up for all the time he had wasted in the past.
However, since the day Bai Ruoxi activated the “Bronze Sword,” Mu Zhi’an had begun to suspect one thing.
— Was Ye Yu really the protagonist, or was Bai Ruoxi the true protagonist?
Or… after getting rid of Ye Yu, the “protagonist,” did the “protagonist” role change hands, from Ye Yu to Bai Ruoxi?
Well… anyway, no matter what, the protagonist was still better than that “genius” young master of the Ye Family from before… After all, the young lady of the Bai Family was at least on his side.
Plus, the rouge tasted good.
Mu Zhi’an regulated his internal energy and slowly opened his eyes.
At this moment, Bai Ruoxi seemed to have already gone to bed. She lay in the dim light, her graceful figure concealed by a thin quilt. The slightly raised curve of the quilt highlighted the vastness of the young lady’s bosom, and in the dim light, a hint of snow-white skin could be vaguely seen.
Mu Zhi’an took a few more glances before withdrawing his gaze. He turned around and quietly pushed open the door.
Just now, before Bai Ruoxi rested, he had her use the Heavenly Dao energy to purify the surrounding spiritual energy once. At this point, the pure spiritual energy had not yet completely disappeared.
Similarly… the demonic energy had not yet completely disappeared either.
Mu Zhi’an slightly raised his head and saw the demonic energy rising from a small house in mid-air. He quietly walked over.
Like last time, he hid in the corner by the window of the house.
After patiently waiting for nearly an hour, the door was quietly pushed open.
Mu Zhi’an held his breath and saw a voluptuous woman step over the threshold and walk out of the room.
It was late at night, but she was dressed rather thinly, with light makeup on her face. She stepped gracefully through the Bai Family’s courtyard. With every step, her serpentine waist swayed left and right, undulating gracefully.
“Madam Bai, where are you going so late at night?” Mu Zhi’an suddenly spoke up.
The abrupt voice caused Bai Yuanfeng’s body to stiffen slightly, her footsteps halting in place. She slowly turned her head.
When she saw the young man hiding in the shadows, a hint of surprise appeared on her face.
“Young Master Mu… When did you arrive at the Bai Family?!”
“I asked someone to use a secret technique. As long as you have no killing intent towards me, you won’t detect my presence,” Mu Zhi’an said with a smile.
The ability of Wei Mengrou’s Spirit Refinement realm was very useful, but the prerequisite was that one could not harbor killing intent towards the target being followed.
And Mu Zhi’an just so happened to have no killing intent towards Madam Bai.
Bai Yuanfeng’s eyes flickered. Soon, a charming and enchanting smile appeared on the beautiful woman’s face. She said, “Young Master Mu, not sleeping in the middle of the night and secretly coming to my Bai Manor, are you here to see my daughter?”
She walked gracefully towards Mu Zhi’an, finally arriving in front of him.
Bai Yuanfeng continued, “Girls don’t like being disturbed by others in the middle of the night. It’s better to be more careful, okay?”
Mu Zhi’an smiled and said, “I’ve been in Ruoxi’s room all this time.”
Bai Yuanfeng’s smile froze.
After a long while, she said softly, “I still very much approve of the marriage between Ruoxi and you. If you don’t mind, I’ll help you in the future as well.”
“Is it to plant a spy in the Mu Family or to avoid your daughter being implicated after your identity as a demonic cultivator is exposed?” Mu Zhi’an said with a smile.
A cold gleam appeared in Bai Yuanfeng’s charming and affectionate eyes.
Mu Zhi’an explained unhurriedly, “Calm down. Ruoxi and I were just chatting in the room.”
The underlying meaning of these words was: I might be your future son-in-law, so think carefully before making a move.
Bai Yuanfeng’s smile disappeared. “Saying such things in front of someone’s mother, you’re quite bold.”
“We are truly in love,” Mu Zhi’an said with a serious expression.
“How many people in the entire Tianxuan City don’t want to be truly in love with my daughter?” Bai Yuanfeng snorted.
“Why don’t we find a place to sit down and talk?” Mu Zhi’an asked tentatively.
“Let’s just talk here. There’s no one else around,” Bai Yuanfeng sighed softly.
“If you have any questions, just ask. You were hiding here waiting for me to come out, weren’t you?”
Mu Zhi’an nodded slightly and said, “Where is the Meridian Connecting Pill?”
“You should have heard it from my daughter’s mouth,” Bai Yuanfeng narrowed her eyes, her voice soft and sweet. “I gave it to Gongsun Xiong.”
Mu Zhi’an frowned and said, “Gongsun Xiong can’t die yet.”
“Why?” Bai Yuanfeng pretended to be puzzled but kept her eyes fixed on Mu Zhi’an.
She wanted to test Mu Zhi’an to see how smart this young man, who was very likely to become her future son-in-law, really was.
“If he dies, the Gongsun Family will immediately push out a new patriarch. With the Bai Family’s size, it can’t swallow the Gongsun Family,” Mu Zhi’an said.
Bai Yuanfeng smiled faintly and said softly, “Who told you that I want to murder Gongsun Xiong?”
“I’m just letting him lie down for a few more months, that’s all.”
Gongsun Xiong was at the peak of the Spirit Refinement realm. After recovering from his serious injuries this time, he would definitely use the Meridian Connecting Pill to try and advance to the Return to Void realm.
But if the Meridian Connecting Pill had been tampered with… the result would be completely different.
Compared to her mother, Bai Ruoxi was as simple as a little white rabbit.
But as it happened, Mu Zhi’an liked little white rabbits.
Moreover, although Bai Ruoxi was like a little white rabbit, there were also parts of her that were unlike a little white rabbit.
“The day Uncle was ambushed on his way back from the neighboring city, was it you who provided the intelligence to the Gongsun Family?” Mu Zhi’an asked.
Seeing Bai Yuanfeng nod, Mu Zhi’an frowned and said, “Aren’t you afraid that Uncle would be killed by the Gongsun Family’s cultivators on his way back?”
A charming smile appeared on Bai Yuanfeng’s face. “Young Master Mu, you are indeed a very smart child. I would be very reassured if Ruoxi were to be by your side in the future. However… your cultivation level is too low, and you don’t understand the true wonders of the Spirit Refinement realm.”
Bai Yuanfeng slowly opened her palm.
Mu Zhi’an’s eyes narrowed as he saw a Primordial Spirit in the beautiful woman’s palm.
It was the Primordial Spirit of a servant in the Bai Manor, which Bai Yuanfeng had just casually captured.
She flicked her finger, and the Primordial Spirit quickly flew out and returned to the servant’s body.
Noticing Mu Zhi’an’s surprised gaze, Bai Yuanfeng spoke, “I was there at the time. If something happened to the patriarch, I could immediately take away his Primordial Spirit.”
This secret technique was somewhat similar to Elder Ren’s, but Elder Ren’s secret technique was used to interrogate others, and the captured Primordial Spirits were all dead.
However, Bai Yuanfeng’s secret technique could save people at critical moments, but there should be drawbacks… Mu Zhi’an thought to himself.
Bai Yuanfeng was right. His understanding of the Spirit Refinement realm was still too limited.
If he had known earlier that some cultivators in the Spirit Refinement realm could directly take away the Primordial Spirits of others, his thinking would have been more active, and he wouldn’t have discovered the truth only now.
“Why did you choose me for Ruoxi and not Ye Yu?” Mu Zhi’an suddenly asked.
“Ye Yu has talent but is arrogant. I’ve seen countless such geniuses in the past, and most of them eventually fell halfway,” Bai Yuanfeng said. “To be honest, I’m not satisfied with either you or Ye Yu, but if I had to choose one, the Mu Family, as a big backer, is more reassuring.”
“Did you and Gongsun Xiong really…” Mu Zhi’an asked again.
Bai Yuanfeng narrowed her eyes slightly and said softly, “What do you think?”
Her body was undergoing changes. Behind her back, in the shadows, three tails quietly unfurled like a peacock spreading its feathers.
Mu Zhi’an’s eyes narrowed.
A demonic cultivator indeed… and a three-tailed fox at that…
No wonder she could disguise herself so well and deceive Gongsun Xiong completely…
Gongsun Xiong thought he had some kind of relationship with Madam Bai, but perhaps every night, Gongsun Xiong was only hugging a pillar to satisfy himself.
Moreover, if that was the case, was Bai Ruoxi a child born from a three-tailed fox and a human…?
No wonder I couldn’t help but stare at Bai Ruoxi’s bosom before. It turns out that’s how it is… Mu Zhi’an felt a slight realization in his heart.
He had thought it was because he was an LSP (Lust Seeker Protagonist), but now it seemed that it was simply because Bai Ruoxi had inherited her mother’s “charm.”
Hmm… it definitely wasn’t his own problem. The fact that he felt a bit restless in Bai Ruoxi’s boudoir tonight was definitely the three-tailed fox’s fault.
“What do you plan to do next?” Mu Zhi’an asked.
“Originally, I planned to annex the Gongsun Family, but the examiner from the Two Polarities Sect came down the mountain early,” Bai Yuanfeng said, frowning slightly at this point.
Lan Mulian’s descent from the mountain had completely disrupted her plans.
Gongsun Xiong was someone with an immense desire for power. Originally, as long as Gongsun Xiong’s body showed signs of problems after taking the Meridian Connecting Pill, the Bai Family would have had an opportunity to make a move.
Because the Gongsun Family, unwilling to give up power, would be in disarray for a short period of time. Even if the Bai Family couldn’t swallow the Gongsun Family, they could still shear a layer of wool from them.
But this time, the examiner for the sect assessment was in Tianxuan City. If there was too much commotion, it would inevitably draw their attention.
“It’s not suitable for the Bai Family to make too much noise now. It will attract the attention of that examiner,” Mu Zhi’an said.
Bai Yuanfeng nodded silently.
She was well aware of this, which was why she had been keeping a low profile these past few days.
“But the Mu Family can make some noise,” Mu Zhi’an added.
Bai Yuanfeng was slightly taken aback and subconsciously said, “You want to annex the Gongsun Family?”
“The thought of swallowing the Gongsun Family, I don’t have it, and I won’t have it,” Mu Zhi’an smiled. “But the thought of shearing their wool, I have it, and it’s quite strong.”
Gongsun Xiong was unwilling to give up power, but he was also seriously injured. If they didn’t take this opportunity to milk them for all they were worth, when else would they do it?
Bai Yuanfeng silently stared at Mu Zhi’an.
She had worked so hard to lay the groundwork, but in the end, she had prepared a dowry for someone else. This made her feel a bit reluctant.
But on second thought, this seemed to be considered as part of her daughter’s dowry… Thinking of it this way made her feel slightly better.
If Bai Ruoxi and Mu Zhi’an were together in the future, with the Mu Family and Bai Family becoming in-laws, it seemed that they wouldn’t lose out on much.
“You’re the one who benefits, kid,” Bai Yuanfeng said faintly.
Mu Zhi’an smiled. “Madam Bai, the hot potato that you can’t handle, I’ll take it off your hands. Isn’t this a show of filial piety?”
Bai Yuanfeng scoffed.
How come she never noticed how smart this wastrel young master of the Mu Family was before… Could it be that he was pretending all along?
Bai Yuanfeng looked at Mu Zhi’an, her beautiful eyes flickering with a gaze that seemed to be appraising a son-in-law.
“Madam Bai, there’s one more thing I don’t understand,” Mu Zhi’an suddenly said.
“Go ahead,” Bai Yuanfeng nodded.
“How did the black-robed man know you were in Tianxuan City?” Mu Zhi’an asked.
According to Bai Ruoxi’s father, Bai Yuanfeng had grown up in Tianxuan City in the past. Why would people from the Demon Realm know that there were also accomplices in Tianxuan City?
“The Demon Realm had long ago set up spies in various places, and I’m just one of them. It was only this year that I received orders from the Demon Realm to prepare a base to meet up with my companions.”
Bai Yuanfeng fell silent for a moment before continuing, “I don’t know the specific details, but the Seventh Seat’s intelligence network is vast. If it’s her intelligence network, it wouldn’t be strange for them to know my identity.”
“The Seventh Seat of the Demon Realm…?” Mu Zhi’an muttered to himself.
Both the black-robed man and Bai Yuanfeng seemed to be spies of this Seventh Seat…
This was indeed a bit strange. Tianxuan City was not far from the foot of the Two Polarities Sect… How did the demonic cultivators manage to secretly cause trouble right under the nose of the Two Polarities Sect?
Could it be that the Seventh Seat of the Demon Realm was actually within the Two Polarities Sect… Mu Zhi’an joked in his heart.
But for some reason, he felt that there was indeed such a possibility.
He quickly collected his thoughts and said, “Madam Bai’s family can be considered happy. If you want to continue living a normal life, it’s better to keep a lower profile in your future actions.”
After saying that, Mu Zhi’an turned and walked towards the main gate of the Bai Manor.
He had made himself very clear. If Bai Yuanfeng could take the hint, she should restrain herself in the future.
The voluptuous beautiful woman watched Mu Zhi’an, the silvery moonlight shining on her body. The shadows of her three tails wriggled slowly, looking particularly eerie.
It was not until Mu Zhi’an’s figure completely disappeared from her sight that she turned around and returned to her room.
Originally, she had planned to make another trip to the Gongsun Family tonight to “visit” Gongsun Xiong, but now that she thought about it, Mu Zhi’an was right. During this period, she indeed needed to restrain herself.
Anyway, all her accomplices were dead, so there was no need for her to go out of her way to occupy Tianxuan City.
In the end, if it weren’t for the orders of the Seventh Seat, who would want to be controlled by others?
At the same time.
“How do you plan to deal with her?”
As Mu Zhi’an was walking back, the shadow beside him suddenly distorted, and Wei Mengrou, dressed in a yellow dress, quietly appeared, staring at his profile and asking.
“Let her go for now. Have Elder Ren keep an eye on her later,” Mu Zhi’an said faintly.
Just now, Bai Yuanfeng might have intended to test him, but she had no idea that Mu Zhi’an was also testing her.
If Bai Yuanfeng had made a move when he left, Wei Mengrou would naturally have come out to stop her.
Bai Yuanfeng’s true strength was probably not just at the Qi Refinement realm, but if they wanted to leave, Bai Yuanfeng couldn’t stop them.
Once they left the Bai Manor, Lan Mulian would immediately know the identity of the third demonic cultivator.
At that time, the Bai Family would be completely finished.
There was no reconciliation between demonic cultivators and human cultivators. Harboring a demonic cultivator was a grave sin and would be despised by everyone.
“Are you going to tell Lan Mulian about the demonic cultivators?” Wei Mengrou asked.
Mu Zhi’an smiled. “The sect assessment is about to begin. Senior Sister Lan doesn’t have much time to focus on this matter. Besides, as long as Madam Bai stays in the Bai Family, no one will detect her demonic energy.”
“Hmm… but the Heavenly Dao energy has some restraining effect on demonic energy. When you go back, notify the servants to invite Ruoxi to the Mu Family early tomorrow morning. Just say I have something I want to chat with her about.”
Wei Mengrou glanced at Mu Zhi’an coldly.
He said he just wanted to chat with Bai Ruoxi, but when the time came, it probably wouldn’t be as simple as just chatting.
