The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Xie Jinlian sat quietly on a white jade wheelchair, her snow-white hair half-tied up with ice-carved butterfly feather silver ornaments, the rest of her hair flowing down to her waist like moonlight.

It was as if the snow from the entire summit of Kunlun Mountain had been draped over their bodies.

Her eyes were covered by a misty white veil, concealing those eyes that once could make a hundred flowers wither.

Yet, beneath the white veil, the faintly visible silhouette remained ethereal and otherworldly, like a deity banished from the heavens, untouched by the dust of the mortal world.

He wore a snow-white robe with silver lotus patterns, the hem of which fell onto the snow-covered stone steps, blending into the color of the scattered plum petals on the ground.

Looking from afar, it was impossible to distinguish between the snow, the clothes, and the flowers.

She held a fallen plum blossom between her fingertips and gently twirled it.

The movements were extremely slow and gentle, as if counting the years or waiting for someone.

"Wen Song."

He spoke, his voice clear and melodious like a stream flowing gently beneath ice, carrying a hint of nonchalant languor:

"Where did Ayan go?"

Sword attendant Wen Song stood to one side, his face clean and well-behaved, exuding the fresh aura unique to young people.

He looked up and gazed down the mountain, his expression calm as if to say that the weather was clear and sunny that day:

"Your Majesty, he—"

He paused for a moment:

"It seems they went down the mountain to kill people."

Xie Jinlian's fingers, which were twirling flowers, paused slightly.

"Um?"

He tilted his head slightly, and beneath the white veil, one could vaguely see his eyebrows slightly raised.

"Are you sure you're talking about Ayan?"

He knows his younger brother all too well.

Yun Boyan has always been unusually calm and composed.

He had never seen his younger brother truly angry from childhood to adulthood.

That face always wore a faint, aloof expression, as if nothing in the world mattered to him.

What made him so impatient that he drew his sword and went down the mountain to kill someone—

What kind of mortal enemies are these?

"When did he become so impulsive?"

Xie Jinlian spoke calmly, his tone carrying a hint of elder brotherly admonition:

"One should be lenient when possible. It is unacceptable to be impulsive in youth and to rely on one's strength to be brave and violent."

Wen Song blinked, his voice gentle and warm:

"Lord Yun was probably a little angry when he saw a man holding Princess Jing's hand."

He added this sentence in a calm manner.

The words fell.

The surrounding air suddenly froze.

Xie Jinlian's fingers, which were holding Luo Mei, slowly tightened.

The plum blossom was crushed between his fingers, its petals fluttering down like something broken on the ground.

The wind carries the vinegar of mountains and rivers, and the sun and moon vie for the brow.

"...Ayan."

He spoke, his voice still cool and clear, but within that coolness, there was something distinctly different that sent chills down one's spine:

"It would be best to cut that lecherous man up neatly."

"Otherwise, it would be considered that he is not skilled enough and has disgraced his master."

Wen Song: "..."

He silently lowered his eyes, shrinking himself into a non-existent shadow.

What happened to those magnanimous words just now?

Was it blown away by the wind?

Was it buried in snow?

Or was she drowned in her own lord's jealousy?

He can be sure.

If it weren't for the fact that my lord is currently unable to walk and cannot personally carry a sword down the mountain...

The one wielding that Butterfly Sword to strike at this moment is undoubtedly the Kunlun Sword Immortal, renowned throughout the Nine Provinces, clad in butterfly-bone and lotus robes.

"that--"

Wen Song spoke cautiously:

"Your Majesty, aren't you afraid that if Lord Yun takes action, Princess Jing might be accidentally caught in the crossfire?"

He gazed at the emperor's aloof and snow-white face, then at the plum blossom crumpled between his fingers, and silently took a half-step back.

Xie Jinlian's lips curled up slightly.

The smile was very faint, yet it carried a hint of pride and honor.

"My disciple is not that weak!"

"Wen Song, have you forgotten those days when she chased and hacked at you?"

Wen Song's expression stiffened slightly.

"...Your Majesty, the past is too painful to recall; please do not bring it up again."

He lowered his eyes, his voice tinged with a hint of resentment:

"That's so embarrassing."

Princess Mirror is a martial arts prodigy who can even withstand the sword of the Kunlun Sword Immortal.

At first, he could spar with Princess Mirror a few times, but later he was completely and unilaterally crushed.

A pitiful, weak, and helpless little thing.

During those days when he was being chased and hacked at, he had no other skills except for mastering lightness skills to the extreme.

To escape.

Xie Jinlian chuckled softly.

The laughter was faint, as faint as plum blossoms falling on snow, yet it carried an undeniable hint of doting affection.

Jade steps lead to the heavens, covered with snow as soft as cotton.

Plum petals drifted down in the wind, making a soft "rustling" sound underfoot, like spring gently turning over in hibernation.

Tang Xixue and He Lichen walked side by side, their fingers intertwined.

"Zhizhi, you don't need to see me off, I can go back by myself."

He Lichen held her hand, his palm warm, wrapping her tightly in his, wanting to hold her hand a little longer.

Tang Xixue let him lead her, a faint smile playing on her lips:

"Brother Huaixian, I'm here on important business."

She cherished this peaceful tranquility.

I walked slowly, step by step, on the soft snow steps.

A faint, crisp scent wafted in the wind, and when it brushed past my nose, it seemed to carry the delicate fragrance of plum blossoms.

Looking up, the frost and snow on both sides of the white jade steps gleamed with a lustrous silver light under the sunlight, and every branch and twig looked like translucent coral.

Occasionally, a furry shadow darts through the woods—perhaps a squirrel has knocked off the snow from the branches, scattering a handful of shattered snow.

Or perhaps a few birds fluttered up and flew away, shattering a tree full of snowflakes, before disappearing into the vast snow curtain in the blink of an eye.

Sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, casting dappled shadows on her red dress, like golden fragments dancing in the air.

She suddenly felt truly alive.

very nice.

I came to Shanheque to seek my master, Xie Jinlian.

According to Yun Boyan, the medicinal herbs for the medicinal bath have been gathered.

She wanted to come and see for herself, and also to use that "dead tree comes back to life" plant.

"Hmm, does Zhizhi have friends here?"

He Lichen asked a question.

His tone remained cool and aloof, but beneath that coolness lay a subtle, almost imperceptible probing.

The test was hidden so deeply that it was almost imperceptible.

But Tang Xixue could tell.

Although he wanted to be magnanimous, he was filled with jealousy.

He genuinely loves her; how could he not be jealous?

Tang Xixue curved her eyebrows into a smile:

"have."

She should have done it decisively.

"Who is it?"

He Lichen's voice remained cold and aloof.

But beneath that cool and aloof exterior, a hint of sourness clearly rippled out.

It's very light.

It's very light.

Like a drop of vinegar falling into clear water, it spreads silently, before even a ripple can form, it has already merged into the entire body of water.

Tang Xixue was about to speak.

next moment.

A thin mist gathered.

A sharp, silvery-white sword beam descended from the sky.

Like a celestial being descending from heaven.

The moment the clear, crisp sound of the silver bell faded, Yun Boyan's sword arrived.

Silver butterflies fluttered.

Clouds and mist transform into shadows.

That sword beam came too fast.

It was as fast as light, as fast as lightning, as fast as thunderbolts from the heavens.

So fast that it leaves you no time to blink, so fast that it leaves you no time to breathe.

He Lichen's pupils contracted slightly.

Almost instinctive—

He shielded Tang Xixue behind him.

Starlight flowed from his palm, instantly forming a wall of light that blocked the sword beam.

"boom--"

The sword's edge struck the starlight, and they exploded with a deafening roar.

The surging air shook off the frost on both sides of the mountain road, scattering it like broken jade on the ground.

Millions of ice crystals exploded in the air, refracting countless tiny lights, like a sudden shower of stars falling from the heavens.

It was dazzling and breathtakingly beautiful.

It was also bitterly cold.

"All the stars in the heavens, heed my command!"

With a flick of her snow-white wide sleeves, He Lichen opened her palm, and the star chart slowly rotated.

Countless starlight rose from the plate, enveloping the two of them.

The starlight swirled, like the Milky Way hanging upside down, dazzling and brilliant.

"Start the battle."

His voice remained cool and aloof.

But a cold glint flashed in those eyes.

Suddenly, countless stars lit up the sky.

The daytime sky suddenly darkened.

Thousands of stars lit up at the same time.

Each star cast a beam of light, which fell around the mountains and rivers, enveloping the entire mountain range.

Tang Xixue stood behind him, looking at the figure that descended from the sky, and then at the Grand Preceptor who was protecting her in front of her, a look of doubt flashing in her eyes.

The way this Holy Son of the Moon was welcoming to her was quite unique.

At the end of the mountain path, the clouds and mist dispersed.

Yun Boyan stood holding a sword.

His silver robes fluttered in the wind, and his entire body exuded a chilling, frost-like sword aura.

That sword energy wasn't killing intent; it was something colder than killing intent—possessiveness.

He gazed at the figure protecting her behind him, at the sight of their intertwined fingers.

The chill in his eyes deepened even further.

"lecher."

He spoke, his voice deep and resonant, like muffled thunder rolling across the sky, or like a glacier breaking apart:

"Let go of your sister-in-law."

He Lichen was slightly taken aback.

Then, the corners of his lips slightly turned up.

The smile was extremely faint, as faint as snowflakes, as faint as moonlight falling on ice, yet it clearly carried a hint of undisguised provocation.

"Sister-in-law?"

His voice was clear and crisp, each word spoken slowly and deliberately, as if he were savoring something extremely interesting:

"When did my Zhizhi become your sister-in-law?"

Yun Boyan's knuckles turned white as he gripped the sword hilt.

The sword energy intensified by another three points.

"I won't let go."

He Lichen looked at him, each word spoken with resounding force:

"Why should my people be released?"

"You won't let go? You have no choice!"

Two gazes collided violently in mid-air.

A sword, cold as frost and snow, with a chilling aura, seemed capable of shattering mountains and rivers.

A beam of light, clear as starlight, with a deep, mysterious glow, seemed to conceal the entire Milky Way.

The mountain wind suddenly stopped.

Plum blossoms linger in mid-air.

It was as if time itself had stood still at that moment.