The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

The magnificent palaces and towers rising from the ground, covered in snow all year round, appear even more lustrous and translucent under the clear moonlight tonight, like a piece of white jade carefully sculpted by time, lying quietly in the center of Mirror Lake.

The Nine Palaces of Tianchen rise up the mountain in layers, their flying eaves and brackets appearing and disappearing in the night mist, like a palace in the clouds where a banished immortal once rested but has inadvertently fallen into the mortal world, its sparse and elegant atmosphere revealing a secluded tranquility.

"Ring—ring—"

The night breeze brushed past the crystal wind chimes hanging from the eaves of the Firefly Palace, their clear sounds scattering like shattered jade, creating invisible ripples in the snowy night.

Inside the hall, warm yellow candlelight shone through the carved wooden window, gently outlining a figure.

The man sat quietly in an exquisitely carved white jade wheelchair, his back straight as bamboo, yet somehow exuding a fragile air of vulnerability.

A white silk veil covered her eyes, tied in a simple knot at the back of her head, with the remaining ribbons hanging down to her shoulders.

Her silver hair was unbound, like a cascading Milky Way, hanging straight down to her waist. The strands were soft and glossy, like piles of fresh snow, with moonlight flowing over them.

He wore a long, wide-sleeved robe in plain white with silver embroidery. The fabric was as light and thin as mist, and it swayed gently with his subtle breathing. His body seemed to be enveloped in a clean and hazy soft light, untouched by any dust or worldly dust.

Unlike ordinary people, he seemed to have stepped out of a faded ancient ink painting scroll.

With moonlight as its soul and ice and snow as its bones, it is extremely pure, extremely clean, and extremely silent.

This once peerless swordsman has now fallen to the mortal realm with his broken sword and sits here in silence.

It is so beautiful that it makes one's heart flutter, yet so fragile that it seems as if a light touch would shatter it like glass, turning it into a snowstorm under the moon that is impossible to recover from.

Xie Jinlian faced the half-closed east window. Although she could not see, she seemed to be listening to the swaying wind chimes and sensing the silent snow falling outside the window.

This is—the White Jade Capital, where the weaving is exquisite.

Yun Boyan quietly approached and gently draped a snow-white, soft fur coat, meticulously sewn from the belly down of a ferret from the far north, over his shoulders.

The collar of his fur coat was trimmed with soft silver fox fur, which accentuated his slender and refined jawline, adding a touch of fragile, delicate beauty.

She truly became a beautiful glass figure meticulously crafted under the moonlight, her radiance restrained yet easily cooled and broken.

"Brother, try this."

Yun Boyan spoke very softly, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the room.

He picked up his jade chopsticks and took a piece of amber-like glass with a complete plum blossom petal embedded in it from the crystal cup, carefully offering it to Xie Jinlian's pale lips.

The color of her lips was extremely light, like the pale pinkish-white of cherry blossoms in early spring when they were about to fade, as faint as a dream trace that might dissolve at any moment.

Xie Jinlian tilted her head slightly, accurately avoiding the jade chopsticks, and reached out to precisely pick up another piece of glass jelly by feel.

The cool, smooth texture of the pastry touched his fingertips, and the corners of his lips curved into a barely perceptible smile.

His voice was warm and gentle, his tone as smooth as snow falling on a pine tree, carrying a serene composure that transcended worldly concerns.

"Ayan, I am blind, not unable to move my hands."

There was no blame in her tone, only a hint of helplessness at her brother's excessive caution.

He had little appetite, but the cool sensation from his fingertips carried a faint, delicate fragrance of plum blossoms that wafted into his nostrils. It was so familiar that it made his heart flutter, and he inexplicably felt a desire to taste it.

He put the glass jelly into his mouth with a refined and elegant demeanor. Even though he was blind, his ingrained grace and poise had not diminished in the slightest.

Chewing slowly, as if carefully discerning every flavor.

Under the candlelight, her skin appeared as white and translucent as a freshly peeled lotus seed, delicate and flawless, as if it had never been touched by the winds and rains of the world, nor etched with the marks of sorrow and suffering.

"This pastry..." After swallowing, he paused for a moment and gave a simple evaluation, "It's sweet but not greasy, with a lingering plum fragrance... It's delicious."

The sound remained calm and still.

Even when faced with dramatic changes, falling from the heights to the depths, and becoming a "cripple" who was blind and unable to walk, Xie Jinlian never lost his temper or complained.

He was always so gentle and peaceful, like a deep and calm sea, capable of containing all turbulent waves, yet only leaving shallow ripples on the surface.

It was as if the pain of broken swords and shattered bones, the darkness of lost light, were nothing more than clouds brushing past the mountain peak, never truly touching him in the slightest.

"I'm glad you like it, brother." Seeing that he was willing to eat, a hint of relief flashed in Yun Boyan's eyes, and he said gently, "These pastries... were made by your little apprentice, who specially asked me to bring them to you."

The moment the words left his mouth, Xie Jinlian's unchanging expression froze.

His fingers, which were holding the pastry and were about to reach for the second piece, froze in mid-air.

His palms were empty, and the sweet fragrance of the glass jelly seemed to still linger on his fingertips, but now it suddenly became scalding hot, making his heart skip a beat.

A strange sense of regret quietly arose—did I eat too fast just now?

Should we... savor it more carefully?

"Ayan—"

When he spoke, his usually clear and steady voice was surprisingly low and trembling, like an undercurrent suddenly surging beneath a calm sea, disturbing the surface tranquility.

"Who did you just say... to be?"

"Today, by the shore of Mirror Moon Lake, I encountered a girl holding a Cold Jade Snow Soul Fan."

Yun Boyan looked at his suddenly tense profile, slowed his speech, and spoke clearly, each word distinct.

"Princess Jing of the Chenyao Dynasty, named Tang Xixue, nicknamed Jingzhi. When she saw me... she called me Master. Is she my brother's little disciple?"

"It's Orihime..."

Xie Jinlian softly uttered the name, her voice low and gentle, like ice silk brushing against the finest porcelain glaze, a hint of tenderness seeping through the coolness.

That gentleness was so subtle, yet it was enough to shake the still, ancient aura surrounding him.

"She—she…she's back?"

He suddenly turned towards the direction of Yun Boyan's voice, his eyes covered by ice silk, yet it seemed as if he could pierce through the darkness and look directly at the other person.

"Ayan, was it really her you saw? Was it... her in person?"

At this moment, everything else was forgotten.

The only thing he desperately wanted to know was: how did he manage to defy fate, using his own body as a sword to sever the shackles of heaven's will...?

Is there any way to clear a path home for the imprisoned soul of my little apprentice?

Has his Zhizhi truly broken free from the shackles of the demons and returned to the body that rightfully belongs to her?

"Brother," Yun Boyan said, his heart aching, but his face remained calm, "I have never seen what she looked like before, so I cannot say for sure whether the Princess Jing we see now is the real her. This matter... I'm afraid you will have to make your own judgment."

He paused, then turned and picked up a few items from the side.

"But she asked me to bring you some things."

He first opened the long, cold jade box, and the refreshing fragrance of plum blossoms immediately filled the room.

"She asked me to bring you a sprig of vermilion plum blossom, which I picked this morning with dew still on it."

She then gently placed a simple envelope on the table beside Xie Jinlian: "There's another letter."

Finally, her fingertips brushed against the soft down of her brother's snowflake fur coat.

"This fur coat you're wearing, brother, was also prepared by her. She said the snow in Kunlun is cold, and she was afraid you'd get cold."

Yun Boyan patiently described each item, detailing its features.

As he spoke, Xie Jinlian's face, which was originally as cold and desolate as a lotus peak covered with snow all year round, gradually warmed up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It wasn't the dazzling brilliance of sunset, but rather the subtle and rare golden and pink glow reflected on the snow when the sun first shone on it.

He felt as if he were being silently immersed in a jar of clear, sweet honey water, every pore opening up to absorb this unique affection that belonged only to him.

Despite being in the most dire situation, blind, confined to a wheelchair, and with an uncertain future.

But just knowing that she was safe and well, and receiving the warmth and longing from her fingertips, was enough to make me feel at ease.

His heart, as still as an ancient well, couldn't help but ripple with joy, spreading gently in layers.

"She is safe and sound... that's enough."

After a long while, he sighed softly, seemingly satisfied, yet also with a deeper sense of reluctance and pity.

Immediately, he reached out his hand to Yun Boyan, his fingertips trembling slightly.

"Ayan, believe it."

Yun Boyan gently placed the letter, sealed with gold-flecked paper adorned with plum blossom patterns, into his palm.