The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Tang Xixue nodded, lifted her skirt, and took a step.

Her purple dress was like mist, layer upon layer.

The purple ribbon in her hair swayed with her steps, like a wisp of smoke entwined in the twilight.

Her steps were extremely light and steady as she entered the Frost and Snow Hall, bathed in the soft glow of the setting sun.

The slanting sunlight was already at its last gasp, its orange-red tinged with a faint layer of gold.

Inside the Frosty Snow Warm Pavilion, Bei Chenji removed his robes to apply medicine.

He stood upright like a pine tree, turned to the side and raised his hand to reach for the wound on his back.

The movement was tinged with suppressed effort, but he didn't seem to intend to ask for help.

He silently struggled with the wound, his brows furrowed and his thin lips pressed into a line.

The interplay of light and shadow outlines the clearly defined eight-pack abs.

The lines are smooth and the texture is distinct.

It is neither exaggerated nor thin, but like a work of art meticulously crafted by the Creator.

Her V-line disappeared into her deep purple trousers, outlining a breathtaking arc.

It resembles rolling hills and meandering rivers.

It makes you want to keep looking along that line.

Tang Xixue was overwhelmed by this beauty.

The young prince is arrogant and cold, but he is really charming and handsome enough to make people unable to look away.

Her breathing quickened.

"Who's there?"

Upon hearing the sound, Bei Chenji suddenly looked up.

That movement was incredibly fast.

"presumptuous!"

One moment he was focused on applying the medicine, the next his purple eyes had locked onto the direction of the person coming.

His eyes were unfathomably deep, like the farthest star in the night sky.

It was serene, lonely, and unattainable, yet breathtakingly beautiful.

When his cold, razor-sharp gaze fell upon me, everything around me became mere background.

"How dare you spy on me! You're courting death!"

As Bei Chenji raised his eyes, his hand moved, and the Purple Snow Sword fell into his palm.

The movements were fluid and graceful; the sword was not drawn yet, but it already exuded a chilling aura.

It was a vigilance ingrained in one's very being, a readiness to seize weapons before even asking who was coming.

At the slightest disturbance, my first reaction is always to draw my sword.

That's an instinct that only someone who has crawled back from the brink of death countless times possesses.

"Little Imperial Uncle".

Tangxi Xue's voice was soft and gentle.

Like a wisp of mist carrying the fragrance of flowers, it lazily swirls in the afterglow of the setting sun.

"Um?"

Bei Chenji was stunned for a moment.

All the sharpness shattered in that instant, revealing the hidden softness beneath.

"Xue'er, you've come..."

He hurriedly put down the Purple Snow Sword, and the blade gently rested on the table beside him, making a sound.

"Wait a moment, let me get dressed first."

All murderous intent vanished the moment he saw who it was.

In the silent abyss, stars quietly begin to light up, little by little, dispelling the boundless darkness.

"Xue'er, turn around first."

His face was still pale, showing signs of lingering pain from his injuries.

Her lip color was also a bit lighter than usual, and there was a faint bluish tinge under her eyes, a sign of not having slept well for days.

"Young Imperial Uncle, it's inconvenient for you to apply medicine to the wound on your back yourself."

Tang Xixue saw that he hadn't even finished applying the medicine before he went to get his clothes, so she immediately went up to him.

"Let me help you."

The tone was not one of negotiation, but of stating a fact.

Bei Chenji's hand stopped in mid-air, his fingertips no more than three inches from his robe.

"Where can I apply medicine to this back injury myself?"

Tang Xixue had already walked to the copper basin.

She bent down and washed her hands in the copper basin.

The water was clear and the sound was gentle, reflecting half of her profile.

She washed very carefully, her fingertips intertwining in the water, washing away the dust of her journey and warming her slightly cool fingertips.

Water droplets slipped through her fingers like beads from a broken string, falling back into the basin and splashing up tiny droplets.

"In this vast Beichen Prince's mansion, is there truly not a single person whom the young prince could entrust his life to?"

Tang Xixue picked up the ointment he had placed aside.

It was a box of medicine in a purple-glazed porcelain jar, small in size and with a warm, lustrous glaze.

She gently lifted the lid and brought it close to her nose to take a sniff.

"There's nothing wrong with the medicine this time."

The aroma of herbs wafts through the air, with the coolness of borneol and the richness of dragon's blood.

She carefully confirmed that the aroma of the medicine was pure and there was nothing unusual about it.

After confirming that everything was alright, she turned around and walked behind him.

"I can come by myself."

Bei Chenji sensed her approach.

Her breath arrived before her fingers.

It landed on the back of his neck, like a butterfly alighting on a petal, making his blood boil.

"Xue'er, there's no need to trouble yourself..."

Bei Chenji was about to refuse, but swallowed the words back.

Because her fingers had already landed on his back.

Tang Xixue's fingertips were slightly cool, and covered with ointment, she touched the wound on his back.

"Um……"

In that instant, Bei Chenji's body trembled violently, and he let out a muffled groan.

The feeling was like being struck by lightning.

Wherever her fingertips touched, it felt as if they were electrified; a tingling sensation quickly spread from that small patch of skin, coursing through the meridians to every part of the body.

His muscles tensed and relaxed, like plucked strings, producing a silent vibration.

"Little Xue'er, don't... don't touch it."

That's skin thirst.

His skin craved touch, and when she touched it, it triggered an unbearable burning and trembling, as if all his senses had been amplified a thousandfold.

Over the years, he has rarely allowed anyone to get close, let alone touch him.

But her touch was the only thing that didn't disgust him, nor did it make him want to draw his sword.

It will only make him feel thirsty.

A thirst that runs deep into the bones.

Tang Xixue sensed his body's reaction and her fingers paused slightly.

She asked softly, "Little Imperial Uncle, you're so old and still not cooperating! Does it hurt a lot?"

The voice was so gentle, like a downy feather brushing against the heart.

With a cautious concern and a hint of unconscious tenderness.

"It'll be over soon, just bear with it."

Her tone was coaxing, as if she were comforting a wounded beast.

There was also a touch of heartache.

She still cared about him after all.

"..."

Bei Chenji did not answer; it wasn't that he was afraid of pain.

Tang Xixue lowered her head and focused on applying the medicine to him.

"I'm not in pain, Xue'er, you can push harder."

Bei Chenji tried his best to keep his breathing steady.

That's too difficult.

Every inch of skin is screaming with desire.

"Okay, a short pain is worse than a long one, so I'll hurry up."

Every time Tang Xixue's fingertips glide across a spot, the skin in that spot feels as if it's on fire, burning unbearably.

The burning sensation flowed through the blood vessels to the limbs and bones, to the heart, and to every nerve ending.

"Ugh—"

Bei Chenji gripped the purple robe on his lap tightly, his knuckles turning white.

His eyes were lowered, and a very light, shallow breath escaped from his throat, which he then swallowed back down.

"If it hurts, you can cry out. It's okay, I won't laugh at you."

Tang Xixue spoke up.

Upon hearing this, Bei Chenji remained silent, suppressing all his breathing.

The Frost and Snow Hall was extremely quiet.

There was only the sound of two people breathing, one after the other.

"Xue'er, that's enough."

Bei Chenji finally spoke.

Her voice was hoarse and deep, like velvet polished by sand and gravel, rough yet exuding an indescribable sexiness.

His shoulder blades rose and fell slightly, his breathing not yet fully calmed.

The twilight outlined his silhouette, a silhouette that was lonely and sharp, like the last solitary peak in the world.

Tangxi Xue suddenly remembered many years ago.

She was still young then, and it was her first time visiting the Beichen Prince's Mansion and meeting him for the first time.

He was young then, and his eyes were warm.

He led her under the snowflake tree, picked the best-blooming snowflake for her, and tucked it into her hair.

He said, "Xue'er, this flower is perfect for you; may it bloom year after year."

As she grew up, he changed too.

The harsh realities of court life had honed him into a cold, emotionless blade.

The smile was gone from those purple eyes; only endless indifference and wariness remained.

But for some reason, when she looked at him now, she felt that he was still the same little royal uncle she knew back then.

He was still the purple-clad boy who would pick flowers for her under the snowflake tree.