The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

He was the child that the sea queen Xiyin picked up.

Nobody knows where he came from.

As an infant, she was carried by the waves to the shore of the Moon-Weaving Sea Kingdom, where she curled up in a pile of seashells that had been smoothed by the tides.

He didn't cry or make a fuss; he simply stared at the woman who had bent down to pick him up with eyes as deep as the Milky Way.

Xiyin pulled him into her arms, her fingertips gently stroking his cold cheeks.

"From this day forward, you will be my child."

She named him Xingyu (星遇).

The stars and the moon meet, a destined encounter.

When he was seven years old, Xiyin told him, "Xingyu, you're going to have a little sister."

He froze.

Then, their eyes lit up.

From that day on, he would kneel on Xiyin's lap every day and ask, "Mother, when will my sister come out?"

"She'll definitely be the most beautiful little pearl in our Moonlit Sea Kingdom!"

Xiyin would always smile and ruffle his hair, her warm palms softening his forehead with endless tenderness: "It'll be soon, Yu'er, just wait a little longer."

"What's your little sister's name?"

"Her name is Yue Zhixue."

"Mother, it's cuter to call my little sister Little Pearl. The snow is so cold."

Xiyin bent down to look him in the eye, her eyes brimming with laughter: "Haha, then let's call Yu'er Little Pearl."

He waited and waited.

I go to the beach every day.

Search for the most beautiful seashells in the crevices of the rocks.

Upon finding one, I carefully tucked it into my pocket, washed it with clean water when I got home, and laid it on the windowsill to dry.

Day after day, the number of seashells increased.

He found some silk thread, strung the beads together one by one, and held them up to the sunlight to look at them.

The light shone through the texture of the seashell onto his face, like stars falling into his eyes.

He also dived into the deep sea to search for the roundest pearls in the darkest coral reefs.

That was the most wonderful gift he could imagine—like the little sister he imagined, who must be as lovely and beautiful as a little pearl.

"Will my sister like it?" he asked Xiyin.

Xiyin bent down to look him in the eye, her eyes filled with laughter:

"She'll love it. She'll be so happy to see the seashell her brother gave her as soon as she opens her eyes."

He hid the string of pearl shells under his pillow.

I touch it every night before going to bed.

I was thinking of hanging it on my younger sister's cradle after she was born.

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was her brother's affection.

That night, my younger sister was born.

The sacred temple of the Moon-Weaving Sea Kingdom emitted a dazzling light, its radiant glow soaring into the sky and illuminating the entire Mirror Water Spirit Continent.

His sister was born extraordinary.

The sound of a baby crying came from the delivery room. He stood outside the door, clutching the string of seashells, so happy he wanted to jump for joy.

But he hadn't had a chance to go inside yet.

The firelight illuminated the night sky.

"kill--!"

"The direct descendant of the Moon Clan is here! Tonight is the divine sacrifice!"

"Her flesh and blood—can be used to refine elixirs of immortality, and to forge a ladder to heaven!"

"This is the destiny ordained by Heaven! It is an opportunity that we only see once in a thousand years!"

"To sacrifice for the Holy Church! To dedicate oneself to the Way of Heaven!"

"Take them alive! Alive!"

Those who wanted to live forever stormed into the palace and killed everyone they saw.

Sword flashes and firelight mingled, and shouts of battle and screams of agony rose and fell.

Blood splattered on the white jade steps, on the carved pillars, and beside the pillar where he was hiding.

He clutched the string of seashells tightly, biting his lip hard, afraid to make a sound.

Sea Emperor Yuehao stood in front, fighting a bloody battle.

His sword was stained with blood, but he did not retreat—behind him were his wife, his daughter, and the home he was willing to protect with his life.

But he couldn't stop everyone.

There are too many pursuers.

"Take their heart's blood! Sever their immortal bones! Then we can live as long as heaven and earth!"

"Quickly, after her! Don't let her fall into someone else's hands!"

"She is our hope—and our altar!"

"Tonight, divine grace has finally descended!"

"To possess a Yuezhi woman is to gain eternal life!"

Xiyin, holding the newborn baby, ran desperately towards the back hall.

She ran so fast.

But with her child in her arms, she couldn't outrun the young and strong pursuers.

She saw Xingyu.

The seven-year-old child hid behind a pillar, still clutching the string of seashells in his hand, his lips bitten until they turned white, and his eyes were red as if they were about to bleed.

She did not hesitate.

She rushed over and shoved her daughter into his arms.

The baby was so small, so soft, as light as a feather.

Xingyu looked down at her—she had her eyes closed and was still asleep, unaware of how terrible the world was, unaware that she would have to wander from place to place right after she was born, and unaware that she might never see her mother again.

"Yu'er".

Xiyin called his name.

The sound was remarkably steady.

Her eyes were clearly red, and her voice was trembling, yet she spoke each word clearly:

"Quickly take Zhibao and escape."

"Live on."

"We must ensure she lives."

Seven-year-old Xingyu looked up at Xiyin.

That was his mother.

She was his mother, who held him in her arms from a young age and gently stroked his hair with a smile.

"Mother—then what will you do? Those are worse than beasts—"

"Walk!"

Xiyin gave him a push.

The blow was so heavy that he staggered back several steps.

"Leave me alone!"

She didn't turn around.

Holding the empty swaddling clothes, she turned and ran in another direction.

She intended to use the empty swaddling clothes to lure away the pursuers.

Xingyu, holding her younger sister, climbed out of the back window.

He ran past the palace.

Run across the covered bridge.

He ran across the rocky beach where he had collected seashells.

His feet were cut by loose stones, blood flowing down his path, each step excruciatingly painful. But he dared not stop. Every drop of blood could be a signpost for his pursuers.

There are too many pursuers.

Someone spotted him and kept staring at him.

"Quick, after them! There's another one over there!"

"Grab him quickly!"

Upon hearing the sound, Xingyu ran even faster.

The baby girl in my arms has always been very well-behaved.

She stayed quietly in his arms, neither crying nor making a fuss, as if all the suffering in the world had nothing to do with her.

He hugged his sister even tighter.

We finally reached the beach.

His small boat, which he usually used to sneak out to sea, was moored there—it was his own secret, used to go to distant places to collect even prettier seashells.

He wrapped his sister in his own clothes and put her into the boat.

Then he looked down at her.

The moonlight fell on her face, illuminating her small eyebrows and eyes.

She was staring at him with her eyes open.

Those eyes were like stars in the deep sea.

She just stared at him with such curiosity, and even smiled at him.

"Little Pearl, you are just as adorable as your brother imagined."

He stretched out his hand.

I gently touched her forehead.

That touch was very light and gentle.

"Unfortunately, your brother can't protect you..."

"May the ocean protect you."

Then he pushed the boat into the sea.

Push it forcefully into the distance.

The small boat drifted into the sea fog, drifting further and further away until it could no longer see anything.

His eyes were red as he stood there, gazing at the vast sea.

The waves surged up, washing over his ankles and the wounds on the soles of his feet.

The salty seawater seeped into the cracked flesh, and it hurt a lot.

But he couldn't care less about the pain.

He just stared.

Gazing at the sea fog that had swallowed the small boat.

He immediately ran in another direction to avoid being discovered.

The shouts of battle gradually subsided, and the flames gradually died down.

He wanted to find that small boat again, but it had long since disappeared into the vast sea.

He stood alone on the beach.

He was still clutching the string of seashells in his hand.

The string of seashells that I never got to give away.

He looked down at the seashell in his hand.

They are still there.

But my sister is gone.

He suddenly squatted down and buried his face in his knees.

His shoulders trembled slightly.

No sound.

He just kept trembling, trembling for a very long time.

Then he stood up, faced the vast sea, and softly said:

"Little Pearl".

"Brother is waiting for you to come back."

The waves surged up and then receded.

The sound was carried away by the wind and drifted into the distance.

He knew she couldn't hear him.

But he believed that the sea would favor her.

Because she possesses a heart as vast as the ocean.

It is a sacred object passed down through generations of the Yuezhi royal family, a blessing from the vast sea, and an inextinguishable guiding light.

We will definitely protect her.

I will make sure she is safe.

I will definitely bring her back.