The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

In the distance, the stars swirl and shift.

"Splash—"

A flock of cranes spread their wings and soared into the sky, their feathers gleaming silvery-white in the moonlight, like drifting clouds or startled frost and snow.

They pierced the night sky and sped towards Mount Ling.

Amidst the flock of cranes, a starry cloud chariot is being pulled.

The cloud chariot, with its skeleton made of star-like white jade and its canopy of moonlight gauze, slowly traversed the night sky, passing through layers of clouds and sweeping over the rolling mountains.

Wherever it passed, starlight scattered, as if paving a way home for someone.

Inside the cloud carriage, He Lichen lay quietly.

The moon-white crane cloak spread out like a drifting cloud, or a handful of snow about to melt.

His face was as pale as paper, lifeless, and his lips, a pale, icy blue, were almost blending into his skin.

Her once aloof and cold eyes were now tightly closed, her eyelashes casting a faint shadow beneath her eyes, like a dream from which she could never wake.

That wisp of white hair has now spread into a full head of silver strands.

Three thousand silver strands of hair spread out beside her, gleaming with a cold luster under the moonlight, beautiful as a farewell poem, as a silent goodbye.

Every silver strand of hair represents a night spent thinking of her;

Every strand of white hair is a testament to unbearable longing.

His breathing was very light.

So soft it was almost inaudible.

It was as light as a petal that had fallen onto the water's surface, and could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

It was as light as a wisp of smoke about to dissipate, ready to disappear into the vast night at any moment.

"My lord, you must hold on!"

The attendant Songyun stood by his side, her eyes red-rimmed.

He bit his lip hard, not daring to make a sound, only tears rolling down his face like raindrops.

One drop after another, falling onto the back of my hand, onto my clothes, into the silent night.

The tears were scalding hot, yet they could not warm the chill within the cloud-borne chariot.

"We'll be back at the Palace of Fate soon..."

His voice was very soft, as if he were afraid of startling something.

"Soon...soon..."

"As long as you return to the Palace of Fate, you will be alright, you will definitely be alright."

The cloud chariot passed through the clouds and flew farther and farther away.

The moonlight fell on that head of silver-white hair, coating it with a layer of desolate frost.

In the night sky, the once radiant star of destiny now shone dimly, its light flickering and uncertain, as if it might burn out its last ray of light at any moment and fall into an abyss.

But it was still lit up.

It seems to be burning for someone, unwilling to be extinguished.

Moonlight as water.

The light shines on the solitary lamp in the Hall of Longevity, on the vigil in the Snow Pavilion at Mirror Night, and on the departing cloud chariot.

The night is not yet over, and the flowers are not yet asleep.

The mountain and river gate, the mirror-like water palace.

There were no candles in the hall, yet there was light.

Layers of gauze curtains cascaded down from the dome, enveloping that small area into a secluded sea.

A young and stunningly handsome man could be vaguely seen sitting there.

"Your Majesty, it's getting late. Would you like to retire for the night?"

The attendants waited cautiously on the outside, their voices kept extremely low.

"The climate of Baiyujing is so different from our Zhiyue, it's normal that you're not used to it here."

The other party did not respond, seemingly lost in thought.

Only the gauze curtains swayed gently in the night breeze.

A moment later, a low, gentle voice rang out from behind the curtain.

"You may all step back."

The sound of Neptune's encounter was extremely soft, ethereal, and distant.

Like a pearl that has been soaked in seawater for thousands of years, it rolls off your lips and teeth with a slight coolness and a smooth luster.

It's just a few words, but it makes you feel like you're hearing the whole ocean.

The servants bowed their heads, accepted the order, and silently withdrew.

Silence returned to the hall.

Behind the gauze curtain, the figure remained seated, motionless.

Her long, silvery-white hair cascaded down her body, the ends gradually blending into a deep blue hue.

Each ray of light shimmered like threads of moonlight or silk woven from the sea.

Her long eyelashes fell lightly like butterfly wings, or drooped like crane feathers.

Xingyu sat there like a jade sculpture that had been submerged at the bottom of the sea for thousands of years, or an ice sculpture forgotten by time.

It's breathtakingly beautiful.

The silence was unsettling.

Suddenly, a figure rushed in.

The person knelt on one knee three zhang away from the gauze curtain. The movement was extremely light, yet it still disturbed the quiet air in the hall.

"Your Majesty the Sea Emperor."

Bai Duo's voice was low, but it couldn't hide his urgency or excitement.

"The Heart of the Vast Ocean has recognized its master. Now, those old fogies from Zonglantai have already set off with the sacred artifact and the royal guard to welcome the emperor."

Behind the gauze curtain, the figure moved slightly.

Extremely light, extremely slow, like the undercurrents of the deep sea just awakening.

silence.

Only the moonlight outside the palace flowed silently, and only the gauze curtains fluttered gently in the night breeze.

Then, Xingyu's ethereal and melodious voice rang out.

"Yes, I understand."

Each word was spoken as lightly as a sigh.

The oppressive aura was so heavy that it made it difficult to breathe.

"White fall."

He paused.

"Find her before them—we must."

The last note dipped slightly, like the last wave kissing the beach at the receding tide, both tender and resolute.

Bai Duo lowered his head and replied softly, "Yes."

He paused for a moment, then asked in a low voice:

"What if Zonglan Terrace tries to stop us?"

Behind the gauze curtain, the figure remained seated, motionless.

Only that voice rang out again.

"kill."

One word.

Light and ethereal as snow.

But it reminds one of the power beneath millennia-old glaciers, a power capable of overturning entire oceans.

Bai Duo accepted the order and silently withdrew.

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance, disappearing into the night outside the palace.

Silence returned to the hall.

Behind the gauze curtain, Xingyu remained seated, her posture noble.

"Weaving Snow, Weaving Snow..."

He muttered to himself.

"Your name contains the wind and snow that have intertwined throughout your life."

"This road home is not easy to travel—a long and arduous journey, with every step fraught with danger."

He looked up, gazing at the moon through the icy blue gauze curtains.

"Can you—come to me?"

The moonlight was very bright.

It was as bright as that night twenty years ago.

The moonlight when she was born.

"The moonlight is just right—perfect for burying bones."

He said softly.

"The Jade Palace is quite lively tonight."

He slowly rose and raised his hand to part the layers of hanging ice-blue gauze curtains.

The white silk gauze dress with blue celadon patterns swayed gently, like the first breeze before the tide rises.

He stood on the viewing platform of the Tianchen Ninth Hall, his long hair fluttering slightly in the night breeze, his whole body enveloped in a cool, clear light, like a bright moon emerging from the depths of the sea.

He gazed at the brightly lit Baiyujing in the distance, and the smile on his lips deepened.

"So this is where you, this little pearl, are kept."

His voice carried a subtle, undulating quality.

"My dear sister."

"Brother, I've finally found you..."