The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Yan Ci looked up and was met with a room full of enchanting beauty.

The fragrance is delicate and sweet without being cloying, with a hint of pear freshness mixed with the richness of driftwood, making it intoxicating.

"Good morning, A-Ce."

On the soft couch, Tang Xixue was holding a teacup, her clothes thin, revealing a section of her white, jade-like collarbone.

Her collarbone was exquisite and delicate, as if it had been carved by a master craftsman from the finest mutton-fat jade.

Her skin appeared even more radiant against the backdrop of her pink dress.

"cough."

Yan Ci nearly died on the spot.

Is this...is this something he can see?

Is he really okay now?

The chill emanating from Emperor Shengchen was so intense it nearly froze him into an ice sculpture.

"Brother, tone down your arrogance, you've scared A-Ce."

As the pink dress leaned against the snowy pond, a corner slipped down, revealing half of her fragrant shoulder.

Her shoulders were smooth and delicate, with skin as white as snow, and faint red marks could be seen, the marks left by someone last night.

She seemed oblivious, still smiling as she looked at him.

Her eyes sparkled like spring water reflecting pear blossoms.

"Yan Ce, does Zhizhi look pretty?"

Emperor Shengchen sat upright in the night, his clothes neatly arranged.

Her dark hair was tied up high, revealing her sharply defined profile.

That ambiguous, half-smiling gaze, like a knife chilled to the bone, slowly scraped across Yan Ci's entire body.

From top to bottom, inside and out, it was as if they wanted to tear him to pieces and subject him to a slow, agonizing death.

"Your Majesty, I saw nothing."

Yan Ci lowered his eyes and replied.

Would he dare say it looks good?

He dare not.

"Shen Wujiu is really a tiger."

Yan Ci cursed inwardly, wishing he could drag the guy who was trying to shift the blame back, give him a hundred lashes, and then throw him into the moat to soak for three days and three nights.

Although he maintained a semblance of composure on his face, a layer of cold sweat had seeped out from his back.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty and Your Highness."

For a man from another family to be pushed into the young princess's boudoir was simply unbearable!

He took a deep breath and tried to make his voice sound steady.

But the slight tremor in his voice betrayed his inner panic.

Is Shen Cuo implying that he has too long a life?

He glanced out the window, his mind racing with calculations.

If I run away now, will His Majesty think I'm guilty and beat me to death?

The answer is almost certainly yes.

So now he's in a real dilemma.

"A-Ce, sit down and tell me the specific situation outside."

Tang Xixue spoke, her voice soft and clear, carrying a hint of languor from just waking up.

It was half-melted snow water in March, cool and refreshing, yet it made one's bones feel half-melted.

She seemed to sense his panic, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes, but she didn't point it out.

She simply pointed to the carved round stool beside the couch, indicating that he should sit down and talk.

The small round stool was made of rosewood, and a cluster of orchids was carved on the seat.

The knife work is exquisite, the veins of the leaves are graceful, and the petals are slightly curled.

"Speak."

Tang Xiye spoke softly, but those two words carried immense weight, making it hard to breathe.

Yan Ci took a deep breath and suppressed all those distracting thoughts.

His expression regained some of the composure expected of a strategist.

He straightened his clothes, braced himself, and sat down on the small round stool that Tang Xixue had pointed to.

He only sat on half of the stool, his back ramrod straight, feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles.

He felt as if every inch of his skin was being subjected to invisible pressure.

"Reporting to Your Majesty and Your Highness, last night a crimson moon suddenly appeared, and red snow swept across the land, covering the entire nine provinces by dawn this morning."

Yan Ci lowered his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the tips of his boots, not daring to look around.

His voice was deep and resonant, like a boulder falling into a deep pool, stirring up countless ripples.

"What's the situation in the other counties?"

Tangxi Xue asked.

"I ordered men to search all over the four directions, in all prefectures and counties, but found no unusual occurrences."

"However, rivers, lakes, wells, streams, and seas were all stained red."

Yan Ci's speech was delivered at a moderate pace and with clear organization.

Every sentence is carefully considered.

"What do you think should be done?"

Tang Xiye said calmly and unhurriedly.

"Although there is no disaster for now, once something changes, it will be a catastrophe that sweeps across the nine provinces."

"Last night, when Lord Shen returned, he said that the members of the cult seemed to have known about this change all along."

Yan Ci glanced at Tang Xiye, then quickly lowered his eyes again.

"In my opinion, we must make the worst-case scenario plan and devise a foolproof strategy."

"This is probably Guixu Palace's way of undermining the alliance against evil."

"They are using extraordinary celestial phenomena to declare to the entire land that the so-called alliance is nothing but a futile attempt to stop a chariot."

"This is a declaration of war."

After hearing this, Tang Xiye's gaze darkened.

Dark currents surged within his deep pupils, like the surface of the sea before a storm.

He slowly got up, walked to the window, and stood with his hands behind his back.

Outside the window, red snowflakes fluttered down, as if someone had spilled a jar of cinnabar from the heavens.

The snow fell silently, yet it was more breathtaking than any thunderclap.

This was a grand but ominous sacrificial ceremony between heaven and earth.

"A bunch of reckless fools."

Tang Xiye's voice was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, its cold light gleaming.

"They will not learn to kneel unless their spines are broken."

"Want to fight?"

"I will accompany you to the end."

He turned around, but his gaze was colder than snow.

That was the coldness of decisive killing, the chill of looking down upon the world.

It is the awe-inspiring majesty of an emperor whose wrath can cause millions of corpses to lie in wait and blood to flow for thousands of miles.

His presence alone was an insurmountable barrier.

"When Guixu Palace makes a move, the world changes color."

Tang Xixue spoke slowly, her words carrying an air of effortless composure.

It was as if all of this was within her expectations.

She put the teacup down.

"The Nine Extremes Alliance has just concluded, and the first covenant, the Pact to Exterminate Evil, has already enraged this beast that has been lying dormant for a long time."

Tang Xixue's voice was calm as still water, but a cold glint flashed in her eyes.

Those are all old rivals.

Guixu Palace, Fengxiao Pavilion, Tianxing Hall, Yushi Pavilion, and those henchmen hidden in the shadows.

She knew the storm was coming, and the world was about to collapse.

There was no fear in his eyes, only a calm clarity.

Like a deep pool reflecting the moon, the surface remains calm and undisturbed no matter how the wind and clouds rise and fall.

"Ah Liang, tell my brother to return to the Sea Kingdom immediately."

"Father has just awakened, and Zhiyue needs him to take charge of the overall situation."

Tang Xixue turned her head slightly and looked at the deep shadow in the corner of the room.

She still needed to stay in Baiyujing to find that wisp of the main soul; that was the most important thing for her trip.

In the land of the Moon-Weaving Sea, someone must establish a foothold.

"Yes."

A cool voice came from the shadows, low and respectful.

Immediately, a very light sound of clothes rustling through the wind swept by, like the rustling of wind through a bamboo forest.

The person had disappeared outside the corridor, leaving only a few red snowflakes on the window frame, which were blown away by the gust of wind.

It shattered silently on the stone steps.

"They've really gone to their wits' end."

"It seems they really got hurt."

A hint of doubt surfaced in Tang Xixue's eyes.

"However, the covenant to eliminate evil is only in its initial stages."

"Logically speaking, it shouldn't be that easy to seriously damage them."

"The Guixu Palace has been dormant for ten thousand years, possessing profound and intricate foundations. How could it be shaken by a mere agreement?"

Her voice held a thoughtful tone.

"Why did they go to such lengths?"

"Perhaps it is because of me."

Yan Ci hesitated for a moment, but still spoke.

He sat upright on the carved round stool, his back straight, his hands resting on his knees, his posture respectful.

But there was a subtle, almost imperceptible sharpness hidden in his eyes.

"I have spread the news that the idol worshipped by the cult contains the heart of the sun and moon, and can grant immortality."

"At the same time, the auction of a Sun and Moon Heart at the Seventh Pavilion for a sky-high price confirmed its miraculous effect of containing vitality."

As Yan Ci finished speaking, the corners of his lips slightly lifted.

It exudes the composure and ruthlessness unique to a strategist.

It's that kind of composure and self-assurance that comes from having the power to turn the tide and then calmly watching your opponent crumble on the chessboard.

"Now, they're fighting amongst themselves."