The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

The news of Her Majesty the Empress's return swept across the entire Zhiyue Sea Kingdom like a tidal wave.

Some cheered, some shed tears, and some spread the news far and wide.

Wherever the news reached, people were in an uproar.

Deep within Zonglan Terrace, the candlelight flickered dimly.

Seven figures sat upright among them, their faces filled with compassion and kindness, the kind of venerable figures that the world would regard as highly respected.

But what lies hidden beneath that compassion, only they themselves know.

"What? His Majesty is back!"

The elder suddenly stood up, and an astonishing light suddenly burst forth in his cloudy old eyes.

Is it true?

The Second Elder's voice trembled, not with fear, but with ecstasy.

"Great! Heaven has truly spared me!"

The Third Elder looked up to the sky and sighed deeply, tears streaming down his face.

But something else was clearly churning within those tears.

"But……"

The Fourth Elder's voice suddenly rang out, tinged with hesitation.

"She was personally brought back by His Majesty the Sea Emperor, and now that the Moon Guards are protecting her, it's probably not a good idea for us to make a move."

The hall fell silent suddenly.

In that silence lay apprehension, and also a greed that had never been extinguished in the past twenty years.

"That brat Xingyu deserves to die!"

The Fifth Elder slammed his hand on the armrest, which shattered instantly, sending debris flying everywhere.

"They smashed the statues we worshipped back then, and now they've destroyed the Azure Pearl we used to seize her fortune. They're even fiercely protecting the former Sea Emperor and Sea Queen Xiyin."

"This makes it impossible for us to use His Majesty's blood relatives as sacrifices to find her whereabouts..."

He paused, his voice laced with venom.

"He deserves to die!"

The Sixth Elder spoke in a sinister tone, his voice sounding as if it were being squeezed out from between his teeth.

The Seventh Elder did not speak, but simply gazed in a certain direction.

The smile at the corner of his lips was chilling.

"Something terrible has happened!"

A servant rushed in, his face pale and his voice trembling.

"Within the Sea Kingdom, all of our Fengxiao Pavilion's strongholds..."

He swallowed hard.

"They were all destroyed by the Sea Emperor."

After he finished speaking, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

"What?"

The elder suddenly stood up, and the color drained from his aged face instantly.

"This was premeditated!"

The Second Elder's voice rose, tinged with disbelief and anger.

"puff--"

The Third Elder spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the floor tiles in front of him red.

That was the culmination of decades of hard work by Fengxiao Pavilion, the foundation they had built by offering countless sacrifices to the gods.

Now, it's all gone.

"This Moon-Weaving Sea Kingdom—"

The elder's voice lowered, becoming as deep as a stone falling into an abyss.

"It really is that scoundrel's world now."

He paused, and in his cloudy old eyes surged a boundless hatred.

"So what if His Majesty returns? He'll still have to live in the shadow of that demon Xingyu, just like us, unable to sleep peacefully day and night."

"Who knows how that pervert Xingyu will torture me!"

The Fourth Elder spoke in a sinister tone, his voice carrying a hint of schadenfreude and a touch of shared misery.

"Let's go."

The Fifth Elder slowly stood up, his hunched back casting a distorted shadow in the dim light.

"Go and greet His Majesty."

The Sixth Elder sneered.

"Although we can't bring her back and imprison her directly, now that she's here, she can't escape."

The Seventh Elder finally spoke.

That voice was the softest, the gentlest, yet the most chilling.

"Hehehe—"

The laughter echoed through the temple, lingering for a long time.

Tang Xixue, riding in a cloud chariot and escorted by the royal guard, arrived at Yunsha Ferry, the capital of the Zhiyue Sea Kingdom.

That magnificent crystal palace is located right by the sea.

It is carved entirely from seabed crystal and shimmers with countless rays of light under the sunlight.

The tide bells hanging from the eaves sway gently in the sea breeze, making a crisp and melodious sound.

That was the palace prepared for her.

Weaving Moon Palace.

"Little Pearl, this is your Moon Weaving Palace."

Xingyu pointed to the top of the snow-capped mountain not far away, where there was a tall pavilion hidden in the clouds.

"My brother's Tianxing Pavilion is on that mountain peak over there."

The Moon Weaving Palace and the Heavenly Star Palace face each other across mountains and seas.

"You can settle your friends first, and then we'll go see the Empress Dowager."

"This place has always been prepared for you; you can arrange it however you like."

"Yes, thank you, brother."

Tang Xixue nodded.

She turned around and looked at the crowd behind her.

"Master, please choose a room to rest first. I'd like to go see Mother Empress."

Xie Jinlian nodded slightly.

He didn't speak, but just watched her from a distance.

She was very weak, and he dared not let her out of his sight, not even for a moment.

"Meow--"

The little white cat, Yin Kong, jumped down from her arms and curiously looked around at its new surroundings.

It moved around the palace with light steps, occasionally stretching out its claws to fiddle with the hanging gauze curtains.

"Elder sister, Ayan, where are you going?"

Xie Jinlian saw that Yun Boyan and Yun Mian had just settled down and were about to leave, so she couldn't help but ask.

Yunmian turned around, a smile appearing on her face.

"Ah Lian, you stay here and watch over Zhizhi. Ah Yan and I will go out and kill some people."

She looks cute, but speaks with a thuggish air:

"I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find you, so I followed you here to familiarize myself with the place. Now that I know you're here, I'm going to avenge Zhizhi."

Yun Boyan stood beside her, his cold face revealing no emotion.

"Brother, use the communication talisman if you need anything."

His voice was calm.

"You left so readily? Aren't you afraid I can't protect you all by myself?"

Xie Jinlian watched them as they were about to leave and couldn't help but ask a question.

Upon hearing this, Yun Boyan suddenly chuckled.

"Ha—even a dignified deity like Xie Ting couldn't protect people?"

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"You even dare to attack the very heavens, is that alright?"

"Stop fooling around, brother, we're leaving. You don't need to worry about revenge."

He waved his hand and walked away with Wuya in a remarkably carefree manner.

"Protect your sister-in-law."

His voice came from afar, growing fainter and fainter, fading into the distance.

He couldn't hug his sister-in-law.

But he wanted to avenge his sister-in-law himself!

In this way, it can be considered a win-win situation.

Although he pretended to be nonchalant, he was actually broken.

Seriously, it's completely dead.

All he wants now is to get away from them, go back to copying scriptures, chop people up, and vent his anger.

He can no longer stay here.

He was ashamed to face Tang Xixue, and ashamed to face his brother.

Not to mention the unscrupulous eldest sister who loves to watch the drama unfold.

"Let's go."

Yunmian stepped on a petal, and her figure quickly disappeared into the sea mist.

They come and go without a trace, like the wind, like the fog.

"Little Pearl, your mother suffered a severe trauma back then. She became very ill, wouldn't recognize anyone, and would even go berserk and attack people..."

Xingyu talked as they walked.

"Just observe from a distance when the time comes, lest she hurt you."

Accompanied by Xingyu, Tangxi Xue arrived at the back of the Crystal Palace.

There is a beach there.

The fine white sand shimmered softly in the sunlight.

The rocks are scattered among the rocks, smoothed like jade by the sea.

The sea and sky blend into one, a pure and breathtaking blue.

The scenery is beautiful, like a painting.

But Tang Xixue's gaze did not fall on that beautiful scenery.

She landed on a figure.

A lone female figure.

She sat on the rocks, holding an empty swaddled baby in her arms.

The sea breeze ruffled her hair, lifted her thin robes, and made the empty swaddling clothes sway gently.

She gently rocked the swaddled baby, once, then again.

The voice was very gentle, as if afraid of disturbing something.

"Zhibao, be good!"

"Mother is here."

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."

Tang Xixue stood there, gazing at that figure.

She saw a face that looked remarkably like hers and heard a voice so gentle it was heartbreaking.

Her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"It's her... right?"

There's a feeling that's hard to describe.

It's the feeling of seeing a loved one.

It is an unbreakable bond flowing in our blood.

"Yes. That is our mother, Xiyin."

Xingyu's eyes reddened, and her voice choked with emotion.

His mother was always gentle and kind, but such a good person...

Tang Xixue watched as the woman, who should have been elegant and graceful, sat emaciated on the reef.

Looking at the empty swaddling clothes she had held for twenty years in her arms.

Tang Xixue's nose tingled, and tears almost fell.

"Mother!"

She spoke, her voice trembling slightly.

"Zhizhi is here."

"I—I'm back."

The sound, carried by the sea breeze, gently reached the person's ears; it was very light and soft, like a feather falling on the sea.

Xiyin slowly turned around.

Those empty eyes seemed to light up for a fleeting moment when they saw Tang Xixue.

The light was very faint, so faint that it was almost invisible.

But that was indeed light.

"Zhizhi..."

She murmured, her voice hoarse yet gentle.

"My precious weaver..."

"Don't worry, Mother is here."

She instinctively hugged the swaddled baby in her arms even tighter, as if afraid of being taken away, as if afraid of losing this only hope.

Tang Xixue wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

She slowly walked forward.

One step, two steps, three steps.

It was very slow and very gentle, as if afraid of startling her.

Xingyu looked over with some concern upon seeing this, and saw a maid standing nearby trying to stop her, but Xingyu waved her hand to stop her:

"Let her pass, all of you step back."

Anyone who gets close will be chased away by Xiyin in fear.

But as Tang Xixue slowly approached, she could only look at her timidly.

There was no scolding, no chasing away, just watching.

Those empty eyes tried hard to see the person in front of them clearly.

"Mother Empress."

Tang Xixue reached out her hand.

The hand was extended slowly and gently, palm facing upwards, as if waiting for something.

"Zhizhi is here to take you home."

Her gaze was warm and healing, like the first ray of light that fell when that infant opened his eyes to the world for the first time twenty years ago.

Xiyin looked at her.

Looking at that hand, looking at those eyes filled with tenderness.

She hesitated for a moment.

Then, slowly, a hand was extended.

That hand was withered and thin, and the fingertips were still trembling slightly.

But she still stretched it out.

She seemed somewhat afraid, afraid that she would snatch the child away.

I couldn't help liking her, and I couldn't help wanting to get closer to her.

"Your eyes..."

"Like my Zhibao."

"It's the Milky Way in the sky."

Tang Xixue grasped that hand.

Those hands were very cold, as cold as if they had been immersed in seawater for twenty years.

She held it gently.

Holding the hand of my mother, whom I had waited for for twenty years.

My heart ached terribly.

"Mother, let's...go home."