The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"No respect for elders, call him Uncle-Master."

Yun Boyan used all the self-control he had ever possessed to suppress the unfamiliar throbbing deep within his bloodline.

He pulled his silver cloak tighter around himself, his face covered with a frosty, aloof expression, looking every bit the untainted holy son of the Moon Goddess.

"I don't think you're treating your brother," his voice was as cold as shattered jade, carrying a chill he himself didn't realize, "but rather taking advantage of him."

I don't know what she's angry about.

Perhaps he was angry that her eyes only reflected her brother.

Perhaps he was angry that she was so brazenly bullying his innocent and fragile older brother.

Even so, that person seemed to enjoy it.

"Uncle-Master, don't judge others by your own standards," Tang Xixue opened the sandalwood needle box, her fingertips tracing the neatly arranged silver needles, a faint smile playing on her lips. "A doctor's heart is benevolent; I am a proper physician."

She turned to look at Xie Jinlian, her voice softening, "Master, do you feel any better now?"

"I don't feel sorry for you, teacher."

Xie Jinlian's voice was as gentle as ever, but the last syllable still retained a slight hoarseness from being moved.

He sat quietly, his silver hair flowing like a spring, the silver butterfly hairpin in his hair fluttering as if about to take flight.

The tassels hanging down swayed gently as he tilted his head slightly, casting dappled light and shadow on his fair, jade-like profile.

He gave up the three inches of light in his eyes, and from then on he never saw the sun and moon revolve.

But she transformed all the nights in her life into stars and long days.

From then on, his eyes were filled with eternal night, while her brows were adorned with the rising sun.

"Zhizhi, you don't need to call him 'Shishu' (Master Uncle)," Xie Jinlian suddenly said, her tone calm but leaving no room for argument. "From now on, just call him Ayan."

"Brother!" Yun Boyan frowned, a hint of surprise flashing in his silver-gray eyes. "Why doesn't Zhizhi call me 'Master Uncle'?"

Can't he even keep this last bit of status?

"Ayan," Xie Jinlian's voice was lower, but every word was clear, "you should call her sister-in-law."

Yun Boyan's body trembled almost imperceptibly.

Silence flowed through the warm pavilion.

After a long while, he lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes casting a faint shadow beneath them, and his voice was as soft as a sigh:

"...Brother, I understand."

"Please trouble Ayan to carry Master to the bed."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xixue couldn't suppress the upward curve of her lips.

Her voice was soft and gentle, like the spring water of Jiangnan wrapped in honey, or like the first cherry blossoms on a branch adorned with morning dew, carrying an irresistible tenderness.

"Sister-in-law," Yun Boyan said, his ears turning slightly red, but his voice remained tense.

"Isn't this... a bit too fast? My brother... perhaps he can still be saved. There's no need to rush... to fulfill some last wish..."

As he spoke the last few words, his throat tightened and his eyes welled up with tears.

But deep down, something was quietly stirring—

Zhizhi showed no disdain for her brother's fall to the mortal realm; on the contrary, she was willing to be so close to him...

She is really, really good.

"Ayan, be good."

Xie Jinlian simply uttered four words.

The brother-obsessed Holy Son Yuefan pursed his lips, then finally bent down and carefully lifted his brother from the wheelchair.

It felt thin and bony to the touch, much lighter than I remembered.

Yun Boyan's fingertips trembled slightly, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears, but he stubbornly held them back.

Who would have thought that Lord Yunjue, who kills without blinking an eye outside, is a crybaby in front of his elder brother?

He gently placed Xie Jinlian on a soft couch covered with snow fox fur, his movements as delicate as if he were handling a fragile piece of glass.

"Then... Zhizhi," his voice choked, and he turned his face away, "you...be gentle with him."

Having said that, he almost resigned himself to his fate.

I wonder how much longer my brother can hold on. Why can't we make him happier in the remaining days?

If that person is Zhizhi—

He... doesn't seem to be unable to accept it.

If it were anyone else, he would have stopped them even at the cost of his life.

"Don't worry," Tang Xixue smiled, her fingertips already holding a silver needle. "I'll be very gentle... I won't hurt Master."

She reached out and untied the snow-white fur coat Xie Jinlian was wearing, then pulled his silk trousers down to his knees.

The movements were fluid and natural, devoid of any affectation, reflecting only the doctor's focused concentration.

Yun Boyan did not leave.

Escape to the ends of the earth, it's no use; that damned sense of empathy is always there.

He decided to give up and simply stood by the bed, watching calmly.

Perhaps... he should learn from him.

If my brother passes away someday, my sister-in-law can't be left alone in an empty house...

The thought startled him, and his ears burned even redder.

Bah, that's not right. His elder brother should live as long as heaven and earth, and be immortal for all eternity.

He's really gone mad, thinking up some outrageous and immoral ideas.

This must be a side effect of watching that horrific novel, "The Cold and Aloof Saint, Seeking Pleasure Night After Night"...

After all, it contains things like "Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me," and "carrying on two families simultaneously," and "taking care of the widowed sister-in-law"...

"Zhizhi," Xie Jinlian suddenly called softly, her breathing slightly rapid, "I'm... a little nervous."

"Don't be afraid," Tang Xixue leaned down, her fingertips gently tracing his tense shoulder line, "Relax a little... Master, leave everything to me."

She assumed they were just worried about her medical skills and didn't think much of it.

I pressed my fingertips on several major acupoints on his chest, sensing the chaotic, turbulent energy within his body.

That was the devastation left by the divine punishment lightning; the meridians were blocked by the violent residual power, and the blood and qi surged backward, like a trapped beast struggling in a cage.

She focused her mind and calmed herself, and her aura suddenly changed.

With a flick of her left hand, thirteen Soul-Gathering Silver Needles leaped from the needle box, arranging themselves at her fingertips like the Big Dipper constellation.

The silver needle was as thin as a hair, and its entire body shimmered with a soft, moonlit light.

This is made from cold silver extracted from the ice beneath the North Sea, which has absorbed the essence of the Taiyin for a hundred years. It is gentle and has a descending nature, and is specifically used to clear the stagnation of Yin and turbidity in the meridians and stabilize Qi and blood.

"The Thirteen Needles of Ghosts - Extending Life"

She gave a soft shout, her fingertips flitting like butterflies among flowers.

Thirteen silver rays descended in an instant, piercing thirteen vital acupoints, including Baihui, Fengfu, and Tanzhong.

The needle pierced her body silently, yet Xie Jinlian felt a jolt throughout her body. She felt a clear, cool, spring-like energy flow into her through the needle, gradually calming and guiding her turbulent blood and qi.

Tang Xixue's movements did not stop; her right hand had already opened another layer of the needle box.

A golden glint appeared.

Seven golden needles lay quietly on the azure velvet cloth, their bodies shimmering with a dazzling light, like solidified sunlight.

This is forged from sun gold, which is tempered by the midday sun for a thousand years deep in the Red Emperor Mountains. It is intense and ascending, and is dedicated to guiding the pure yang energy of heaven and earth.

"The Golden Needle Technique for Overcoming Adversity - Guiding Yang".

She picked up the golden needle with her fingertips, her gaze as calm as an ancient well.

This time, the needles were inserted even more slowly, each one carrying a mysterious rhythm. The moment the needle tip pierced the room, the faint sound of wind and thunder seemed to echo in the warm chamber.

Golden needles guide the spirit, silver needles guide the qi.

The two sets of acupuncture techniques are applied alternately, allowing one to control the universe and regulate yin and yang.

Yun Boyan, who had been standing to the side with red eyes, gradually opened his eyes wide.

A true master's skill is immediately apparent upon their first move.

He could clearly perceive it—no, he saw it with his own eyes!

The chaotic and violent aura surrounding my brother is visibly calming down and returning to normal.

Those meridians that had been blocked and broken by the power of divine punishment showed signs of recovery and reconnection under the guidance of gold and silver needles!

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Tang Xixue's forehead, but her fingertips remained as steady as a rock.

As the last golden needle fell, she breathed a sigh of relief and flicked her fingertip across the end of the needle.

"Buzz..."

A clear, resonant tremor emanated simultaneously from the seven golden needles, like a phoenix's cry echoing through the heavens, its lingering resonance long and deep.

The thirteen silver needles resonated in unison, emitting a deep hum, like the roar of a dragon in the abyss.

The sound of metal and jade resonates, yin and yang harmonize.

Xie Jinlian lay on the couch, her silver hair spread out like snow, her eyes gently closed, her long eyelashes casting gentle shadows beneath them.

His previously rapid breathing gradually calmed down, and a faint blush returned to his pale cheeks, as if a warm current was finally beginning to flow beneath a frozen snowfield.

Yun Boyan stared blankly, his Adam's apple bobbing, before finally murmuring in a hoarse voice:

"Sister-in-law's needlework skills are amazing..."

"He's really got something."

It's more than just "having some talent".

This is clearly a medical skill that has reached a state of perfection, almost divine.

He slowly raised his eyes and looked at the girl who was focused on finishing her needlework.

The candlelight bathed her in a soft, warm gold. As she lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes cast a fan-shaped shadow on her cheeks, her expression devout as if she were performing some ancient ritual.

At this moment, Yun Boyan suddenly realized clearly—

He and his brother may have really misunderstood each other.

What alarmed him even more was that this seemingly delicate and troublesome little troublemaker might actually be... the only ray of dawn in his brother's dark fate.

"Sister-in-law—" His throat tightened slightly, "May I ask... do you have a reputation in the underworld?"

Such medical skills are astonishing.

Not to mention the imperial physicians who were forcibly taken by Yun Jue, no one he had ever seen or heard of in his life could compare to them.

How could such a person remain unknown?