The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Bai Duo carried an exquisite box and walked up to Tang Xixue.

The box was pure white, carved from deep-sea jade, with silver cloud patterns inlaid at the four corners, and gleamed faintly in the light.

He paused, lowered his head, and gently lifted the lid of the box.

In an instant, the entire hall was illuminated.

Inside the box lay quietly a series of radiant, magical pearls.

Each one was translucent and lustrous, shimmering faintly in the sunlight.

Some are tinged with moonlight, cool and frosty; some are tinged with deep blue, as profound as the sea; some have a faint golden light that can be seen moving within them, as dazzling as a cascading galaxy.

It was as if someone had gathered all the stars in the sky into this small space.

Tang Xixue's eyes lit up instantly.

The light reflected in her eyes, as if stars had fallen into them, one by one, leaping and twinkling in her eyes.

"I thought this bead was very pretty, and I thought maybe I could give it to Little Pearl someday..."

Xingyu's voice came from the side, carrying a hint of nonchalance.

He despised those evil idols and those cults.

But when he saw these glittering beads among those broken statues, his first thought was:

Will my sister like it?

Thus, his previously undisclosed collecting hobby was awakened.

One, two, three...

Each time he smashed a statue, he would collect the beads inside as his spoils of war.

Over time, I accumulated a whole box full.

"Isn't this the box that's always kept in the temple?"

The voice of Yue Zhongtian suddenly rang out, tinged with surprise.

He stared at the box in Bai Duo's hand, his eyes wide open.

"So... the Sea Emperor wants our Moonlit Guards to guard this?"

He always thought that the box contained some important sacred object, and the Moon Guards took turns guarding it day and night, not daring to slack off for a moment.

He personally set up sentry posts and personally patrolled and guarded the area, fearing that there might be the slightest mistake.

In those years, the brothers of Yuelanwei took turns on duty, rain or shine.

They guarded it so earnestly and so devoutly.

So, this is what they were guarding?

"Make the best use of everything."

Xingyu spoke softly, glancing up at the moon in the sky.

"You've done a good job protecting it."

He gave his approval in a calm tone, clearly a king rewarding his subject.

Mid-Moon: "..."

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but found that he couldn't utter a single word.

They said they had been wronged for twenty years, working for their mortal enemy Xingyu for nothing.

Not right either.

This thing is now useful to their Empress.

But why do I feel so uneasy?

He stood there, his expression incredibly interesting.

"Is this a gift for me?"

Tang Xixue's voice rang out, filled with anticipation and excitement.

She raised her wrist, and the beautiful silver-threaded pearl bracelet shimmered in the light, making the skin on her wrist appear even whiter and more lustrous.

That was the second gift she received from her brother.

"I saw this pearl bracelet, it's beautiful!"

She gazed at Xingyu, her eyes brimming with smiles.

Although she couldn't wake up before, she could hear the sounds outside.

She knew that her lost soul had been returned by Xingyu.

That bracelet, hidden in her old swaddling clothes for twenty years, carried her on her final journey home.

If he hadn't impulsively left that swaddling cloth, she might never have woken up again.

Xingyu nodded.

The movement was very light, yet a soft light flickered in his eyes.

"right."

"These are all gifts from my brother to Little Pearl."

He saw some pretty beads and wanted to save them for his sister.

He wanted to present all the exquisite things in the world to his sister.

From the age of seven until now.

This idea has never changed.

"I love every single gift my brother gave me."

For the first time, Tang Xixue felt that the words "Little Pearl" seemed to glow when he pronounced them.

Like a clam shell holding a grain of sand, it takes twenty years to nurture it into the bright moon.

It turns out there really is someone in this world who, in ways she can and cannot imagine, is carefully protecting her from a place she doesn't know about.

This older brother truly regarded her as:

A precious gem in the palm of your hand.

"I never expected that such a beautiful spiritual pearl would be hidden inside that statue."

Tang Xixue lowered her head and looked at the shimmering spirit pearls in the box.

She reached out and gently touched one of them with her fingertips.

The touch was warm and smooth, like holding a handful of moonlight or scooping up a pool of spring water.

"How do I absorb the life force of the Heart of Azure Snow?"

Before he could finish speaking...

The instant her fingertips touched it.

The snow-white heart pendant around her neck suddenly felt slightly warm.

The heat came without warning, yet it was gentle and warm, not scorching, but comforting.

It was as if something had been awakened deep within her blood.

Then, the light moved.

Strands of shimmering light rose from the spirit pearl, like silk threads, like smoke and mist, slowly drifting toward the heart of Cangxue.

The light was extremely faint, leaving long, thin trails in the air, like a silent shower of stars falling in the same direction.

One, two, three...

Those originally sparkling spirit pearls dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The luster faded, the brilliance vanished, and one by one, they became ordinary stones.

But that heart of snow grew brighter and brighter.

Deep within that deep blue gem, snowflake-like patterns could be faintly seen solidifying.

One piece, two pieces, three pieces...

Each piece is crystal clear and exquisite, like jade, as if it might float out of the gemstone and fall into someone's palm at any moment.

Tangxi Xue held up Cangxue's heart with both hands.

The gemstone felt warm in her palm, as if a tiny heart was beating inside.

She closed her eyes.

Something quietly surfaced in my mind.

That is the spell used to activate this item.

Ancient, profound, like a voice coming from the depths of one's blood.

No one taught her that.

It told her that itself.

Her lips moved slightly, her voice clear and soft as a spring, each word falling into the silent hall.

"Heart of Azure Snow, heed my command."

"The cycle of life and death has been reversed today."

The words fell.

Cangxue's heart suddenly lit up.

The light was intense and dazzling, and a deep blue radiance burst forth from her palm, instantly illuminating the entire hall.

Where the light shines, all dust has nowhere to hide, and all shadows vanish into thin air.

The light surged forth like a tide, rolled like ocean waves, and poured down like a galaxy, enveloping the entire temple in a deep blue glow.

Snowflakes danced in the light.

Those were real snowflakes.

Piece by piece, they condense from nothingness and then dissipate as they fall.

They were crystal clear and exquisite like jade, swirling around Tangxi Snow and drifting towards He Lichen.

The snowflakes landed on his brow, on his hair, and on his pale, paper-white face.

One piece, two pieces, three pieces.

It was so gentle and soft, like someone's fingertips brushing across his face.

He Lichen leaned against the cloud sedan chair, gazing at the radiance that surged toward him.

He didn't move.

He simply gazed at her quietly.

Looking at the woman standing in the center of the light.

He gazed at the woman for whom he was willing to die.

He looked at the woman who was now saving his life.