The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"I……"

Xingyu opened her mouth.

His throat felt like it was filled with seawater, and he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

The bowl slipped from his hands.

"Click—"

The sound of shattering porcelain was particularly jarring in the silence, as if something else had broken along with it.

The soup splashed everywhere, and the flower petals fell.

Just like his heart, now shattered into pieces.

"It's my fault for not taking good care of Mother..."

His voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.

"I'm sorry... I didn't know..."

He tested for drugs.

He personally inspected every dish that was served to his mother.

But not all poisons can be detected in this world.

He placed the new swaddling clothes in Xiyin's arms and took her to the inner hall to rest.

Although Xiyin was reluctant to leave, she was too weak.

"I saw that the prescription given by the imperial physician included this item, Yunzhi, which is worth a thousand gold pieces."

After making the arrangements, Xingyu came out, looked at the broken pieces all over the ground, and slowly said.

He assumed the cloud-like substance floating in the medicinal dish was a calming herb called "Yunzhi".

This herb is extremely precious, and it usually grows on shipwreck timber or ancient coral reefs, making it difficult to harvest.

After being dried and sliced, the slices are translucent, cloud-like thin slices. When cooked in soup, they unfold and resemble swirling clouds, which is quite beautiful.

Yunzhi is considered a nourishing delicacy among marine animals, with effects such as calming the nerves, relieving headaches, and alleviating pain.

He spared no effort in presenting the best things in the world to his mother.

He thought it was salvation.

Little did they know, that was an even deeper abyss.

"The mirage-like substance is shaped like flower petals and as thin as cloud-like cotton; it is a secret poison passed down by Fengxiao Pavilion."

Tang Xixue's voice was very calm.

But beneath that calm lies a chill.

"Although it looks exactly like Yunzhi, it has a unique floral scent, somewhat like cherry blossoms. I was able to recognize it at a glance because I had dealt with Fengxiaoge so many times before."

The enemy knows the enemy best.

That statement is absolutely correct.

She has dealt with Fengxiao Pavilion for many years, escaping death countless times and walking on the edge of a knife.

Over the years, she had seen too many traps they had set and too many poisons they had carefully concocted.

Mirage cloud fat is one of them.

Colorless and odorless is the highest level of poison.

But the poison from Fengxiao Pavilion does the exact opposite.

It insists on having that faint, almost imperceptible floral fragrance, like a provocation, like a mockery, like telling everyone:

Even if you know it's poison, you can't escape it.

"Never mind, it's not your fault."

Tang Xixue looked at him, her eyes filled with weariness, not blame.

"The poison has already seeped into Mother's bones, but she cannot take any more of it. Otherwise, she may go completely insane at any moment."

She paused, looking at Xiyin's haggard face in the inner hall.

"Even though she was deeply trapped in a nightmare, she was able to remain so quiet and calm, without going berserk or hurting anyone..."

"She really is a very gentle person."

Living in a terrifying nightmare every moment, an ordinary person would have gone mad long ago and would have hurt anyone they saw.

Ke Xiyin usually just holds that empty swaddling clothes and sits quietly on the reef.

They will not intentionally harm others unless provoked.

Has she gone mad?

She's gone mad.

Yet hidden within her madness lies the deepest tenderness and purest maternal love in the world.

"This poison...can it be cured?"

Xingyu's voice was unusually hoarse, as if it had been sanded.

His fingers trembled slightly, the warmth of the bowl still lingering on his fingertips.

The temperature was so hot it made his heart ache.

He truly hated those old fogies in Fengxiao Pavilion to the core.

I wish I could grind their bones to dust, I wish I could tear them to pieces.

But what he hated most was himself.

I hate myself for not being careful enough.

He thought it was the best medicine.

Little did they know, it was the most insidious poison.

"It's very difficult to solve."

Tang Xixue's voice pulled him back from his endless self-reproach.

"I can only prescribe a remedy to temporarily relieve Mother's headache. As for the detoxification—we need to ask my senior brother, the Ghost Doctor from Divine Medicine Valley, for help."

She paused, her brow furrowing slightly.

"I just don't know if it'll be too late..."

"My mother's condition is almost at its limit. Moreover, she is too weak, and my senior brother always uses poison to fight poison..."

She lowered her eyelashes, her voice tinged with a helpless bitterness.

"But she was already nearing the end of her life and couldn't withstand such a strong drug."

The oil has run out and the lamp is extinguished.

These four words are like four knives, stabbing fiercely into Xingyu's heart.

He recalled what his mother looked like when she was young.

At that time, she stood in the sea breeze, her long hair flowing like a waterfall, her clothes fluttering in the breeze.

When she was pregnant with her daughter, she would often hum old songs softly.

She was clearly a good person; she shouldn't have ended up like this.

Xingyu closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.

Tang Xixue wrote down the prescription and handed it to him.

"The people of Fengxiao Pavilion usually target an entire city or a whole country when they make a move. It's very rare to see them target an individual like this."

She spoke slowly, her voice tinged with coldness.

Those beasts, every time they strike, kill tens of thousands of people, even some small countries, wiping them out overnight.

They said, "We offer it to the heavens and dedicate it to the Way of Heaven."

By offering sacrifices to countless living beings, they receive a wisp of life as a gift from the gods.

The more noble the offering, the greater the reward they will receive.

It's as if those wronged souls who died were merely stepping stones to immortality for them.

"The atrocities they committed are too numerous to count."

Tang Xixue's voice turned cold.

"They are all cold-blooded, ruthless, and cruel people."

She paused, then looked up at Xingyu.

"Those seven old fogies at Zonglan Terrace are the core high-ranking members of Fengxiao Pavilion. The Grand Elder is the Pavilion Master of Fengxiao Pavilion."

Xingyu spoke up.

He knew they were evil before, but now he understood more deeply just how wicked they truly were.

What did his mother do wrong?

He was just protecting his child.

She simply held her daughter tightly, not wanting anyone to take her away.

Unable to obtain the immortality they desired, they tormented her in this way.

Twenty years.

I live in a nightmare every moment.

What kind of hell on earth is this?

"So—Little Pearl, do you still think your brother has misunderstood them?"

Xingyu's voice concealed twenty years of forbearance and countless nights of swallowed hatred.

Over the years, he had thoroughly investigated them and knew that there was a powerful force behind them called Fengxiao Pavilion.

But it turns out that what he found out was only the tip of the iceberg.

"Who could have imagined? The Seven Elders of Zonglan Terrace, revered by thousands in the Sea Kingdom, turned out to be nothing more than demons in human skin!"

Tang Xixue's voice was icy, every word carrying a chilling killing intent.

"It's easy to draw the skin of a tiger, but hard to draw its bones; it's easy to know a person's face, but hard to know their heart. The dignified and upright demeanor of the Seven Elders on stage is ultimately nothing more than a mask on the stage."

Fengxiao Pavilion, what a brilliant strategy!

Hiding so deeply, yet daring to walk openly in the world, claiming to be highly virtuous and respected.

"The human heart is hidden behind the skin; who can see through it? Who knows that the brightest light in this sea kingdom is actually the deepest darkest passage in hell?"

Xingyu said in a low voice.

"I'm afraid people will still be burning incense to those evil spirits!"

They are clearly ambitious and scheming for power, yet they insist on using the banner of upholding the orthodoxy of the Moon Clan.

What a hypocritical facade, and what a brilliant performance!

They have truly acted out everything in this world.

Life is like a play, it depends on acting.

Unfortunately, every play eventually comes to an end.

"Your Majesty, the Seven Elders of Zonglan Terrace request an audience."

The sound of the moon in the sky came from afar.

He sent men to guard the temple, while he himself personally followed Tang Xixue to protect her.

At this moment, their eyes were warily fixed on Xingyu, fearing that he might harm their emperor.

Tang Xixue's lips curved slightly, and within that curve lay the cold glint of a blade.

"Oh."

She chuckled softly.

"Make them kneel outside. Remember, make sure they kneel in an orderly fashion."

Her voice was soft and pleasant to hear.

"Since they are so loyal to me, let me see just how loyal they really are."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

A hint of surprise flashed in Yue Zhongtian's eyes, but he still respectfully accepted the order and turned to leave.

He muttered to himself as he walked:

"This Star Encounter Sea Emperor is truly a woman of dragon-like bearing and phoenix-like beauty, incredibly alluring to the emperor. How long has it been, and she's already completely captivated our Majesty?"

"The seven elders are really unlucky. They're all old and frail, yet they still have to kneel under the sun as punishment."

He paused, glanced back, and added:

"Very well, since it is His Majesty's decision, His Majesty has his reasons."

"Anyway, their loyalty is as clear as day, so what's wrong with kneeling? The fact that Her Majesty the Empress is willing to give them this opportunity is a blessing they've earned over many lifetimes."