The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Your kindness is so kind, Zhizhi. How could I possibly refuse it?"

Xie Jinlian tried to calm herself down, and her voice became warm and gentle again.

However, upon closer listening, one could still discern a faint hint of embarrassment.

Tang Xixue had already washed her hands and came over with a clean, soft cloth.

Hearing this, she leaned close to his ear and whispered with a smile:

"When Master said that what I thought wouldn't work, what did he mean by...?"

The warm breath brushed against her earlobe, and Xie Jinlian's cheeks, which had just cooled down, instantly burned again.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he tried to maintain his composure, but couldn't hide the hint of embarrassment in his voice:

"Yes... I mean, wielding the sword."

He managed to utter those two words with difficulty.

"Is that really a sword you're wielding, Master?"

Tang Xixue, however, had no intention of letting him off easily. A sly smile curved her lips as she deliberately dragged out the last syllable of her sentence.

"Master said—let Zhizhi try it? Is it Master's sword that she's testing?"

His voice carried a hint of drowsiness, like a cat sleepy in spring, which made his ears turn red.

"Zhizhi, you—you're disrespecting your teacher!"

Xie Jinlian's heart skipped a beat, and she was almost unable to cope. She made a low accusation, but it had no deterrent effect and seemed more like a helpless indulgence.

"Will Master be bullied?"

Tang Xixue pressed her advantage, smiling as she asked further, her eyes sparkling like stars.

A moment of silence.

Xie Jinlian took a soft breath, as if she had completely given up resisting, and answered in a low voice as if resigned to her fate:

"Give."

As long as he has it.

As long as Zhizhi wants it.

He'll give you anything.

Even if she bullies him, he is happy to do so.

On the other side, Yun Boyan was already half-dead, he didn't know if it was just his imagination.

He felt as if his older brother was practically throwing himself at him.

Moreover, which sword are they referring to?

He felt something was off, but he had no proof.

Hearing Xie Jinlian's almost excessively indulgent words, Tang Xixue was satisfied and stopped teasing him.

She straightened up and looked at Yun Boyan, whose expression was complicated, and said, "Uncle-Master, thank you for your trouble..."

"I'll do it myself."

Xie Jinlian interrupted her.

Once the misunderstanding was cleared up and he realized that she wanted to treat him, the slight shyness he felt from his initial flirtatious behavior instantly turned into deeper embarrassment.

It turns out that he was the only one who overthought things from beginning to end.

He had Zhizhi undress him before, which was just a game of feigned reluctance; he didn't really want her to serve him.

He was such a proud man, and even now that he's ruined, the pride and aloofness etched into his bones have not diminished in the slightest.

Even a fallen moon is still a bright moon, not to be trifled with.

Even when faced with a heavenly tribulation, he only felt that the hem of his clothes was slightly dirty.

He raised his hand and began to grope around, starting to untie the complicated collar of his clothes.

With measured movements, layer by layer, the constraints and coverings were slowly removed.

The candlelight flickered, falling on his gradually exposed shoulders, neck, and chest.

The lines of her collarbone were clear and beautiful, and her chest rose and fell slightly with her breathing.

The process was quiet and slow, yet it possessed a breathtaking beauty.

Like a snow lotus blooming quietly in a secluded place, its petals unfold layer by layer in the halo of moonlight and candlelight, revealing its purest inner beauty.

"Ayan".

Xie Jinlian removed her last inner garment, leaving only her close-fitting plain white underpants, and slightly turned her head towards Yun Boyan.

"Can we go out now? I... don't like being stared at like this."

Even if that person is his twin brother.

He didn't want to be seen in his vulnerable and disheveled state.

Yun Boyan's gaze fell on his elder brother, all his emotions replaced by a deeper sense of sorrow and helplessness.

My brother's condition... is really terrible.

He consulted numerous renowned doctors, and even used Yunjue's influence to kidnap the top imperial physicians from various countries, but the responses he received were all the same: shaking his head and sighing.

He bluntly stated, "Medicine is ineffective; prepare for the worst as soon as possible."

The only hope seems to lie with the eccentric and unpredictable Divine Physician Si Xingxuan.

But that person was an extremely sickly and troublesome individual, with a notoriously bad temper; he was an absolute madman.

If you use force, he will not only refuse to comply, but will also drag everyone down with him without hesitation.

If you can't afford to offend them, then at least don't touch them.

No one can force him to act unless he does so voluntarily.

"Hmm," Yun Boyan responded softly, his voice a little hoarse, "I'm going out."

He took one last deep look at Tang Xixue, then at his brother who was sitting quietly, and finally said nothing more. He turned around and gently closed the door.

Tang Xixue originally intended to carefully examine and treat her master with utmost focus and the solemnity of a physician.

However, when Xie Jinlian removed his outer robe and inner garment, sat quietly in his wheelchair, and slightly turned his head towards her...

The sight that came into view caught her off guard and caused all her prepared professional composure to waver.

The soft candlelight clearly outlined his bare upper body.

The emaciation caused by prolonged illness did not diminish the body's original beautiful skeleton and smooth lines; on the contrary, it made it appear even more frighteningly fragile and sculpted.

Her skin was pale and cold, like the purest snow on the Kunlun Mountains, or like the finest mutton fat jade, lustrous yet with a sickly fragility.

In the flickering candlelight, the outline of her slender waist and abdomen was faintly visible, and the V-line disappeared into the edge of her plain white underwear.

There was no deliberate attempt to reveal it; in fact, it was pale and sickly.

Yet it is precisely because of its absolute golden ratio, tight lines, and unguarded sacrificial posture.

It exudes a deadly divinity, a sexual tension that has fallen to the mortal realm.

Coldness and desire, vulnerability and strength, sanctity and temptation, are intertwined in him in a contradictory yet harmonious way.

The allure of the "white moonlight" is too strong.

"It must be because the moonlight is so enchanting..."

Tang Xixue's fingertips curled up almost imperceptibly, and a warmth quietly spread to her ears.

She immediately recited in her mind:

"Form is emptiness, emptiness is form... This is Master, still ill..."

The frail, beautiful moonlight seems to have a unique charm.

"..."

She took a deep breath, turned around decisively, picked up the snow-white, soft snow down coat that she had just placed aside, unfolded it, and with a hint of unquestioningness, gently draped it over Xie Jinlian's shoulders, carefully tucking it in.

The scenery that was too disturbing to the mind was mostly covered up, leaving only a slender neck and a beautifully shaped jawline exposed.

The warm fleece enveloped her slightly cool skin, and Xie Jinlian seemed to pause for a moment.

"Ahem," Tang Xixue cleared her throat, trying to make her voice sound calm and even, but she didn't dare to look directly at his silhouette wrapped in a fur coat.

"Um—Master, actually, what you can't move right now is mainly the meridians and bones in your legs. To check your pulse, examine your qi, and inspect your old injuries, you don't need to take off your clothes completely."

She paused, then twirled the edge of her sewing kit between her fingertips.

"I will take your pulse in a moment. If you need to check your leg injury or administer acupuncture, please do so."

She looked up and her gaze finally fell on his profile, which was partially obscured by the edge of his velvet coat.

"It's not too late to take it off then."

After saying that, she extended three fingers and gently placed them on his pale, jade-like wrist, which emerged from his fur coat.

As her fingertips touched the slightly cool skin and she felt the steady but somewhat slow and weak pulse beneath, she immediately cleared her mind of all distractions, focused her concentration, and carefully sensed the pulse.

Upon hearing her words, Xie Jinlian's long eyelashes beneath her silken robe trembled slightly.

It turns out... he misunderstood, and... he took it off too early.

Isn't he being a little too hasty?

Zhizhi, don't you think he's being reckless?

His expression immediately darkened, revealing a pitiful and broken look.

He didn't say much, but simply nodded very quietly.

"Okay, I'll do whatever Zhizhi says."

His voice was soft, filled with complete trust and indulgence.

Even though she knew in her heart that her injuries were too severe, and that even many famous doctors were helpless, Zhizhi's actions might be in vain...

But as long as it's something his little apprentice wants to do, and as long as it brings her a little joy or reassurance, he's willing to cooperate without reservation.

He completely entrusted himself to her.