The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Ayan, when Master takes a medicinal bath, someone needs to be there to watch over him."

Tang Xixue calmly and unhurriedly placed the prepared medicinal herbs into the bath tub one by one.

Various medicinal herbs, in precise quantities, were dropped into the water with a flick of her fingertips, creating delicate ripples.

"My brother isn't used to people getting too close, so I'll do it."

Yun Boyan volunteered, his gaze falling on the bathtub.

The color of the medicinal soup subtly changes the moment each herb is added.

From crystal clear to light blue like spring water, and then to deep black like an ancient pool.

"Yes, that's fine too."

Tang Xixue saw Xie Jinlian sitting quietly to the side and spoke softly.

"Master, don't worry, you will get better."

"Thank you, my esteemed physician."

Xie Jinlian smiled slightly, cooperating fully with her treatment, and her words were full of affection.

"Then young master, you mustn't forget the rules of the underworld."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xixue smiled gently, and her initial sadness dissipated considerably.

Her master was always so kind; even though he was injured himself, he still comforted her.

"Yes, I won't forget."

Xie Jinlian responded.

"Then I'll leave this to Ayan. I'll head out now."

After Tang Xixue prepared the medicinal herbs for the bath, she left the inner room.

The medicinal vapors rose up, filling the room with a bitter, herbal fragrance.

The fragrance was both cool and warm, like the lingering aroma of incense and medicine from an ancient temple deep in the mountains.

"Brother, what are the rules of the underworld?"

Yun Boyan helped Xie Jinlian and carefully placed him into the bathtub.

Xie Jinlian had a slender figure, and after the snow-white lotus robe with silver patterns was removed, her skin was as white as jade.

Even as he leaned against the edge of the bathtub, his aloof and otherworldly demeanor remained undiminished.

Even when immersed in the medicinal soup of the mortal world, he remained an immortal banished from the heavens, untouched by worldly dust.

"How do people in the underworld repay a life-saving debt?"

The rising steam blurred his flawless face.

Her eyes, veiled by a misty white gauze, were slightly closed, allowing the medicinal power to seep into her skin and meridians inch by inch.

The medicinal effect was warm and lingering, like the warm sun in spring, slowly melting away the hard ice.

"Wouldn't it be a promise to repay with one's body?"

Yun Boyan stood guard beside him, asking with some uncertainty.

"It seems that Ayan knows the rules."

Xie Jinlian smiled slightly.

"Brother...you guys are really showing off..."

Yun Boyan was shocked.

Are they still playing this game?

You can't judge a book by its cover, and you can't measure the sea with a bushel.

His brother, such a proper person, actually acted like this when he was with his sister-in-law...

"Zhizhi is a bit playful... as long as she doesn't go out to play..."

Xie Jinlian's words almost made Yun Boyan choke.

"It's not the head that's injured."

Yun Boyan could only diagnose his own brother as having inherited a "love-obsessed" personality.

He regained his composure and carefully observed the progress of the medicinal bath.

"Never mind, he's my own brother..."

His gaze would occasionally fall on his elder brother to make sure he was alright.

That usually aloof face was now filled with barely concealed tension and concern.

Inside, steam rose from the room, and it was so quiet that only the occasional sound of water could be heard.

Suddenly, Xie Jinlian spoke.

"Ayan, did something make you happy?"

The voice was soft, like a casual question or a casual chat.

Yun Boyan's heart tightened.

"I'm naturally happy to think that my brother will get better."

He answered very quickly, speaking three times faster than usual.

Xie Jinlian kept her eyes closed.

But a slight smile played on his lips, a faint smile that carried an inescapable insight:

"Ayan, what are you panicking about?"

Yun Boyan: "..."

How could he not panic?

This damn empathy!

What privacy does he have left?

His brother could sense all his little schemes and his secret thoughts!

"Brother, I'm not panicking."

He gritted his teeth, speaking each word slowly and deliberately, as if that would prove something.

He paused, then added, his voice lower:

"I'm just a little nervous thinking about how your sister-in-law will be giving you acupuncture later."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinlian seemed to recall the scene of the last acupuncture treatment.

Those images flashed through his mind—her fingertips, her warmth, the strands of hair that fell as she bent over, and her kiss…

A faint blush rose to the tips of his ears.

But his voice remained calm and nonchalant, as if he were talking about something trivial:

"Then I'll tell Zhizhi not to touch me indiscriminately. Don't be nervous."

The words fell.

Yun Boyan's handsome face flushed crimson instantly.

"Brother—!"

He gritted his teeth, his voice extremely low, yet carrying a mixture of despair, shame, and disbelief:

"You told me not to be nervous, but what are you thinking?!"

Xie Jinlian: "..."

He was silent.

Because for a brief moment, some inappropriate images did flash through his mind.

Those scenes were so real, so vivid, so vivid that even he, the usually aloof and self-possessed Kunlun Sword Immortal, couldn't help but be distracted.

Empathy...

This is really bad.

What privacy does he have left?

The air was thick with steam, and the two brothers, each lost in their own thoughts, dared not utter another word.

But their two wildly beating hearts betrayed all their secrets.

Yun Boyan could feel his brother's heartbeat, so fast it felt like it was about to jump out of his chest.

And his brother must have felt his heart pounding wildly, as if he were carrying a frightened fawn.

a long time.

Xie Jinlian suddenly spoke again.

That voice carried a certainty that came from careful consideration:

"Actually, Ah Yan, I have come up with a good idea."

"I'll have your sister-in-law prepare a sleep aid formula for you. What do you think?"

Yun Boyan was taken aback.

A remedy to help you sleep?

Before he could react, Xie Jinlian added slowly and deliberately:

"It works really well. You won't feel anything and you can sleep soundly until dawn."

Yun Boyan: "..."

He suddenly understood.

It helps with sleep.

It's a date rape drug, right?

You mean that kind of drug that makes you unconscious and completely conscious after drinking it—right?

That good brother of his actually tried to drug him so he could eat it all by himself!

"Brother."

He took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound steady:

"Have some decency."

Xie Jinlian's smile deepened even further:

"I'm doing this for your own good, brother."

"For my own good?" Yun Boyan almost cried with anger. "You really are my good brother!"

Xie Jinlian did not refute it; he was indeed a good older brother.

Their shared capacity for empathy means that if he and Zhizhi were to engage in any intimate acts in the future...

We can't let my younger brother experience it every time, can we?

He simply collapsed from the drug.

One hundred.

They were truly brothers in love and respect!