The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Xingyu's gaze shifted back and forth between Xie Jinlian and He Lichen.

"no?"

He looked at this, then at that.

"Which of you two is truly my sister's husband?"

His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down a little after seeing his sister wake up.

With this, he had the leisure to observe the two people in front of him.

One is the Kunlun Sword Immortal, who is unparalleled in the world. With a single sword strike, all sounds cease and mountains and rivers bow down.

He sat upright beside the warm jade platform, his long silver hair cascading down like a waterfall, surrounded by a cool and otherworldly sword intent, and his brows and eyes were like frost that had never melted for a thousand years.

But beneath that frost and snow, there was clearly a tenderness reserved only for her.

One was the Imperial Preceptor of Fate, a radiant immortal who could calculate destiny with a single turn of the celestial chart.

He leaned against the snow-white sedan chair, his long white hair cascading down like a waterfall, his pale face exquisitely beautiful, so weak that he seemed as if he might vanish at any moment.

But the way he looked at Tang Xixue was astonishingly bright, as if he wanted to see her even if he burned out the last bit of his soul.

They are all spotless, pure and immaculate, and existents standing on the clouds, looking down upon all living beings.

They were all fools who were willing to fall from grace for her alone.

Who could possibly choose that?

Xingyu sighed silently in her heart.

His sister is truly a source of trouble.

But that troublemaker was the little pearl he held in his palm.

She's the most adorable femme fatale in the world.

He admitted it.

He Lichen spoke first.

His voice was very soft, as soft as a whisper in the wind.

"Zhizhi and I have been sworn to be lovers since we were little."

"She said she would marry me."

He leaned against the snow-white sedan chair, his long, snow-white hair cascading down like a waterfall, making his pale face appear even more ethereal.

He was clearly extremely weak, so weak that it seemed he would pass away at any moment, yet he was breathtakingly beautiful.

Like a celestial being fallen from the moon palace, bathed in a pure, radiant glow.

Like a dream about to dissolve into the morning mist, leaving behind a final touch of tenderness.

He gazed at Tang Xixue, his usually aloof eyes now brimming with light.

There was longing, anticipation, and a deep-seated anxiety about being rejected in that light.

Tang Xixue looked at his broken state.

Looking at his pale face, which seemed on the verge of disappearing at any moment, and at his beautiful, scattered silver hair, I felt a sense of melancholy.

How could she bear to say no?

"Brother Huaixian, now is not the time to worry about this."

Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of soothing and coaxing.

The sound of "Brother Huaixian" reached He Lichen's ears like a spring breeze brushing across a frozen lake.

He lowered his eyes slightly and remained silent.

But the faint smile on his lips clearly indicated that she was calling him Brother Huaixian, not the Imperial Preceptor.

Xie Jinlian gazed at her wistfully.

That gaze truly spoke volumes.

There was resentment, grievance, unspoken accusations, and a touch of melancholy.

"Brother Huaixian?"

"They're calling each other so affectionately!"

He silently repeated the sentence to himself, feeling as sour as if he had drunk a whole jar of aged vinegar.

The vinegar jar in his mind turned upside down.

But he didn't say it.

She simply lowered her eyes and pursed her lips slightly.

She looked just like a proud phoenix that had been neglected, clearly feeling wronged but pretending to be indifferent.

"Why didn't you call me 'brother' even once?"

He lowered his head, then raised his eyes again, glancing at He Lichen.

In that glance, there was jealousy and wariness.

In the struggle for the position of Empress, he cannot retreat before the battle even begins.

He is Zhizhi's master, the little lotus she has watched grow up since she was a child.

When she called him "Little Lotus," her voice was so soft it could drown a person, and her gaze was so tender it could melt a thousand-year-old ice.

He cannot lose.

We absolutely cannot lose.

Xie Jinlian finally spoke.

His voice was clear and cold, yet it carried a certain certainty of asserting sovereignty.

"Weaving."

He called her name, his voice low but clear.

"Now that we have guests, we can't neglect them."

He paused, then looked up at He Lichen and his group.

Her demeanor was composed and unhurried, befitting an empress.

"Please have a seat, gentlemen. What is it you wish to discuss?"

He spoke casually, but the host's demeanor clearly told everyone:

Here, he's the one who calls the shots.

Xingyu stared at him in shock. What was he, the true master, then?

A person slowly emerged from the clouds and mist.

The man wore a black and white Taoist robe, his clothes fluttering, and he was shrouded in a faint aura of purity, like an immortal who had stepped out of an ancient painting.

His features were clear and bright, and his posture of bowing deeply was humble and composed, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance, untouched by worldly concerns.

"I am Si Ming Dian Ling Zi Xian, the senior brother of Huai Xian."

His voice was clear as a spring, each word falling into everyone's ears, unhurried yet possessing a convincing power.

"We have come here to ask for a use of Cangxue's Heart to save my junior brother's life."

He got straight to the point, his gaze clear and unambiguous, without the slightest concealment or hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Tang Xixue nodded slightly.

She raised her hand, her fingertips lightly touching the shimmering blue sacred object around her neck.

The touch was slightly cool, yet it subtly shone with a warm glow.

"Master Ling, do you know how Cangxue's Heart can save people?"

She looked up at Ling Zixian, her peach blossom eyes sparkling like stars, carrying a hint of inquiry.

Ling Zixian spoke slowly.

His voice was calm and unhurried, each word sounding like a divine secret spoken casually.

"The Heart of Azure Snow itself cannot bring the dead back to life."

He paused.

"But it can gather the life force of heaven and earth. And then use that life force to help people, thus having the ability to reverse the situation."

The one who tied the knot must untie it.

The calamity that befell Huai Xian was destined to befall her, and only she could resolve it.

"Saving others with one's own life, risking one's own life for another, is the worst possible strategy."

Ling Zixian continued, his tone revealing a hint of detachment.

"The truly superior method is to seize life from the hands of Heaven."

He gazed at Tangxi Snow, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as an ancient pool.

"Using the heart of Cangxue as a guide, and borrowing the power of heaven and earth, we defy fate."

Tang Xixue blinked.

Looking at the senior brother in front of her, who had an air of otherworldly wisdom and an air of superiority, she suddenly curved her lips into a smile.

"The eldest brother's idea... is quite unique."

"This path doesn't sound like the path that people in the Taoist sect should take."

He Lichen's voice came from inside the cloud sedan chair, tinged with surprise and weakness.

"Senior brother, when did you become so unorthodox?"

Upon hearing this, Ling Zixian was neither annoyed nor angry, but simply smiled slightly.

That smile held a hint of worldly wisdom and a touch of fearless composure.

"Well, anyway, when it comes to defying the heavens, doing it once or doing it countless times makes no difference."

He spoke of it casually.

"We can't possibly let your little angel risk her life to save yours, can we?"

He looked at He Lichen with a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"Then wouldn't you have to commit suicide for love?"

He Lichen was slightly taken aback.

Then, he lowered his eyes.

He didn't speak.

Only her earlobes gleamed with the luster of rubies.

"The mandate of heaven is not so easily seized."

Xie Jinlian's voice rang out, tinged with seriousness.

He felt that the master of the inner palace of the Si Ming Palace, who rarely showed his face, was truly unconventional in his way of doing things.

That approach was so mad it was terrifying.

"Let's get practical."

Ling Zixian nodded.

"Then let me get down to business."

He suppressed his smile and said seriously.

"The two statues of the sun and moon enshrined in Fengxiao Pavilion and Tianxing Hall each contain a heart of the sun and moon. Within them lies the life force plundered by the Heavenly Dao."

Everyone was taken aback by these words.

"The Heart of the Sun and Moon?"

Tang Xixue's gaze sharpened slightly.

"The vitality of the Sun and Moon Heart, when integrated into the Heart of Azure Snow, is equivalent to cutting off the vitality of the Heavenly Dao."

Ling Zixian nodded.

"So, is that feasible?"

Wen Song's voice rang out, tinged with hesitation.

"The evil god statues worshipped by that cult are hard to find. They don't have statues in every stronghold; they only have them in some high-level core gathering places, in extremely secret locations."

He specifically gathered intelligence on those cults to study, so he knew quite a bit of inside information.

Those evil god statues are the core symbols of cults and sacred objects for believers to worship.

Only the main altar or the most important branch altar will be enshrined; ordinary outposts are not qualified at all.

Finding it is easier said than done.

After he finished speaking, the hall fell silent once more.

In that silence, there was disappointment, helplessness, and a hint of resentment.

"exactly."

A deep voice suddenly broke the silence.

Xingyu spoke slowly.

His voice was deep and resonant, like the tides of the deep sea.

"I once smashed several statues of evil gods, and there were indeed spiritual pearls hidden inside."

He looked up and gazed at Tang Xixue.

"Bai Duo, go get it."

He has smashed many statues of evil gods over the years.

He kept all those beads as spoils of war.

I just casually picked it up without thinking much about it.

Unexpectedly, it came in handy today.

Bai Duo accepted the order and left.

Tangxi Xue gazed at Xingyu.

"Brother, did you... have foresight?"

Xingyu shook her head slightly.

"Just lucky."

He looked at her, his gaze gentle.

"But if I can help Little Pearl, then this luck is worth it."