The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Meanwhile, the atmosphere was tense inside the Yunchuan military camp.

Qi Wang glared at Qi Zhan with uncontrollable rage, his black robes fluttering in the night wind, the silver-white epiphyllum patterns on the hem gleaming in the candlelight.

"Qi Zhan! If you dare touch Ying Lin, we're no longer brothers!"

His voice was like a blade that had been tempered by fire.

Qi Zhan sat upright behind the general's desk. Upon hearing this, he chuckled softly. His smile was as gentle as a spring breeze in March, but it did not reach his eyes.

"Lingzhi, who is your real brother? Why are you siding with the outsider?"

"All I know is that it was my royal uncle who raised us and shielded us from the harsh winds and frosts."

The voice of the prayer was resounding and powerful.

"All I know is that Ying Lin is a good brother who grew up with us since childhood."

"He was already my brother even before he was the son of the Imperial Uncle."

"Now, they are even more like brothers, sharing the same bloodline!"

The sword in his hand, the tip of which was pointed directly at Qi Zhan, was sharp and gleaming.

"You used to hate fratricide and bloodshed the most. Now, you yourself have become that knife."

"Ha—so what?"

Qi Zhan slowly stood up, his sharp gaze rising.

"Anyone who offends my rule, even if they are my relatives, shall be executed."

"Lingzhi, you are my brother. It is already an immense favor that I have spared your life."

"What? Is the War King planning a rebellion?"

The young emperor's question was cold and resolute, like a bucket of ice water being poured over his head.

"Bang—"

Just then, a signal flare from the Cloud Scale Guards, signaling for help, exploded in the sky.

Crimson fireworks burst open in the night sky, like a blooming blood lotus, poignant and dazzling, dyeing half the sky dark red.

Qi Wang immediately stopped hesitating.

The natal sword returned to its sheath, emitting a clear and melodious ringing sound.

The silver bell on his wrist jingled without any wind.

"Ring—ring—"

The bell rang clearly and melodiously.

It pierced through the hustle and bustle of the military camp and the howling of the night wind, striking straight into everyone's ears.

"Brother, you are being aggressive."

Qi Wang looked at Qi Zhan with disappointment, his phoenix eyes filled with heartache and determination.

"And what can you do about it?"

Qi Zhan asked with a smile, his smile full of confidence, as if he had everything under control.

Qi Wang remained silent.

The silver bell on his wrist rang louder and louder, the sound surging like a tide, making people's eardrums ache.

Above the sky, the wind rises and the clouds surge.

The thick clouds were torn apart by an invisible force, revealing the deep night sky behind them.

A gigantic dragon head emerged from the clouds.

The silvery-white dragon scales gleamed in the moonlight, its eyes were like torches, and its whiskers swayed in the breeze.

Majestic and imposing, it seems to have stepped out of ancient mythology and descended from the moon.

"That's—the guardian beast of the Yun Chuan Empire! The Snow Dragon!"

Someone exclaimed in surprise, their voice filled with disbelief and trembling.

"It really is a snow dragon!"

A silver dragon descended from the sky amidst wind and snow, its enormous body obscuring the sky and the moon, its claws like hooks, and its tail like a whip.

He circled once above the military camp, stirring up a blizzard, howling winds that made the flags flutter and the candlelight flicker.

Then, he landed steadily in front of Qi Wang and bowed to him.

The dragon's head is lowered, and its eyes are gentle.

The entire room fell silent.

You could hear a pin drop.

Even Qi Zhan showed a look of shock.

That usually gentle and composed face was now filled with disbelief, and the smile in his eyes shattered.

"How could that be? Back then... when we were at the Cloud Court Temple..."

"At that time, he had already acknowledged me as his master."

Qi Wang's voice was like a thunderclap.

"Brother, this throne is mine to give to you."

He leaped up and landed steadily on the back of the snow dragon.

The silver dragon raised its head and roared, its voice shaking the heavens and echoing through the night sky, reverberating through the mountains.

Qi Wang stood atop the dragon's back, looking down at his elder brother, Qi Zhan.

"Walk."

The silver dragon soared into the sky, flying towards the direction where the signal flare exploded.

The dragon's shadow swept across the sky, stirring up a blizzard, and the moonlight shattered into countless silver rays on the dragon's scales.

"How is that possible..."

Qi Zhan stood there, his face as pale as paper, staring blankly at the receding dragon shadow, motionless for a long time.

The night breeze blew by, lifting his long hair.

He suddenly remembered that back in the Yunting Temple, Qi Wang was the first to go in and the last to come out.

At that time, he asked his younger brother if he had seen the guardian beast of the nation.

Qi Wang simply shook his head and said no.

He believed it.

"My dear Lingzhi, my brother has underestimated you."

A dark undercurrent surged in Qi Zhan's eyes.

"So, you are my biggest threat."

The Qi clan has a clearly stated ancestral precept, inscribed on the stone wall of the Yunting Temple, passed down through generations, which no one dares to disobey:

"If a member of the royal family can gain the favor of the guardian beast in the ancestral temple, he will become the new master of Yunchuan."

Ke Qiwang gained the recognition of the Snow Dragon as his master, but he did not say so.

He knew that his elder brother, Qi Zhan, was determined to inherit the throne.

From a young age, Qi Zhan would sit in the Imperial Study, holding memorials and reading them word by word.

He read it with such seriousness, as if the dragon throne had been made for him.

I have no desire to contend.

I never even thought about fighting.

So he didn't say anything.

Everyone is paving the way for Qi Zhan.

The regent prince governed Yunchuan well, the court was efficient and the people lived in peace.

The War King Qi Wang defended his territory, and his iron cavalry was unstoppable.

Grand Secretary Pei Zhao stabilized the court, possessing wisdom and virtue, and his disciples were all talents for the country.

Following him is the renowned Prince Yinglin, whose literary talent is outstanding and whose integrity is impeccable. When he enters the court in the future, he will surely be a right-hand man, assisting him in ushering in a prosperous and peaceful era.

What about Qi Zhan?

The brilliance of everyone else only made him appear so dim.

Like a lingering star beside the moon.

Qi Wang has always been known as the God of War, and his might shakes the nine continents.

In battles where he was present, they were almost always victorious and invincible.

But he never cared about these empty titles. He only knew that protecting this land meant protecting his uncle's hard work and his brother's empire.

He thought that was enough.

Little did they know, the radiance was so intense that it had already scorched the person sitting on the dragon throne.

When Qi Wang arrived at the snow forest, he saw a sword light, as if it had fallen from the Milky Way in the heavens, cleaving into the vast night.

With a single sword strike, a thousand lotuses bloomed.

Wherever the sword energy passed, the entire snow-covered bamboo forest was cleanly severed, and the bamboo tips flew off.

The sword light was so bright that even the moon paled in comparison.

The assassins lying in ambush didn't even have time to cry out before they were swept away by the sword energy and fell one by one, never to live again.

A figure dressed in white, whiter than snow, stood before Pei Yanchuan.

Her clothes fluttered gently in the night breeze, like drifting clouds or the light fluttering of crane feathers.

The silver-patterned mask covered half of her face, revealing only a section of her beautifully shaped jawline and a pair of cold, icy eyes.

It is the snow in Tangxi.

"Little Sword Immortal!"

Qi Wang's breath hitched, and his heart skipped a beat.

He practically leaped off the dragon's back, the silver bells at his waist jingling in his dark robes.

He landed in front of the white-robed youth, his phoenix eyes shining brightly, as if he had found a long-sought treasure.

"Thank you for saving me, young hero."

Looking at her mistress's attire, Pei Yanchuan knew that she was concealing her identity.

Guixu Palace is currently unaware that she is alive, so she cannot reveal herself.

His eyes reddened slightly, and a sour feeling welled up in his throat.

Just now, at the critical moment, it was His Highness who saved him.

That arrow came too fast; Qi Wang didn't have time to arrive.

If His Highness hadn't arrived in time, by the time Qi Wang got here, all that would have been left was to collect his body.

"May I ask how the Little Sword Immortal is addressed?"

Qi Wang asked urgently, his gaze fixed intently on the white-clad figure.

He searched for her for so long, using all the resources at his disposal, but he still couldn't find any trace of her.

Now that she has appeared before him so beautifully, how could he not be excited?

My surname is Yue.

Tang Xixue spoke softly, her voice as clear as shattered jade.

She wasn't lying; her original surname was Yue.

Moon weaves snow.

"So it's Young Master Yue."

Qi Wang's phoenix eyes curved into a smile, a smile spreading from the depths of his eyes like spring water melting ice.

"Thank you so much, Young Master Yue, for saving my Yinglin. Your son will never forget this kindness and virtue."

At this moment, his heart and eyes were filled with his little sword fairy, and he couldn't wait to invite her to a match.

But he also knew that his brother had just escaped death, and now was not the time.

"No need to thank me. Ah Lin and I are old friends, and I came here specifically for him."

Tang Xixue looked at Pei Yanchuan with gentle, calming eyes, silently comforting him.

Pei Yanchuan's eyes instantly reddened.

He simply nodded slightly and said in a hoarse voice, "Yue... is my closest friend. Absolutely trustworthy."

Qi Wang never expected that the Little Sword Immortal was actually his brother's friend.

He should have said so earlier!

He won't have to go through so much trouble to find one!

"Let's go back first and talk about it then."

Qi Wang flipped onto the dragon's back and reached out his hand to Pei Yanchuan.

"What about the Cloud Scale Guards..." Pei Yanchuan hesitated for a moment.

"Someone will come to meet you." Qi Wang pulled him onto the dragon's back, his tone confident. "Once you're gone, the target is gone, and they won't linger."

The silver dragon in the wind and snow lowered its head, its eyes gentle, its whiskers fluttering lightly.

Tang Xixue gazed at the majestic divine beast, her eyes filled with amazement.

"Riding a dragon and soaring through the heavens, that's so cool!"

She used to think that the title of God of War was overrated.

Now look at his contracted divine beast.

Okay, okay, she was blind.

Qi Wang was actually a beast tamer.

It was still the Snow Dragon that I was riding.

Whose beast tamer is this good at fighting?

"Excuse me—may I get on your back?"

Tang Xixue stood in front of the Wind and Snow Silver Dragon, looked up at him, and asked earnestly.

Divine beasts are all intelligent, and she believed he could understand.

As soon as she finished speaking, a gust of wind swept in, gentle yet powerful, and lifted her steadily onto the dragon's head.

Qi Wang was stunned.

"It seems the Snow Dragon is quite fond of you. He never lets anyone else sit on his dragon head."

He had tried to go up and sit there before, but the silver dragon always threw him down.

Now, this arrogant fellow has actually taken the initiative to invite people up.

The next moment, a silver dragon of wind and snow soared into the sky, bringing with it a flurry of snow.

Tang Xixue firmly grasped the dragon horn, the night wind ruffling her clothes, her white robes fluttering, like a fairy.

Qi Wang quickly reached out and grabbed Pei Yanchuan, who was about to be thrown out.

His silver dragon was a little too excited today.

He thought the Snow Dragon wouldn't let the little swordsman ride on its back.

Given the current situation, why does he have the illusion that his own silver dragon wants to change its master?

The night wind howled past, the Milky Way flowed overhead, and mountains and rivers rushed past below.

Tang Xixue stood atop the dragon's head, her eyes beneath the silver-patterned mask reflecting the starlight of the sky.

She turned around, glanced at the snow-covered forest receding into the distance, and then at the boy beside her whose eyes were slightly red.

Pei Yanchuan sat on the dragon's back, still clutching the book tightly in his arms, his fingertips turning white, yet he never let go.

That was the book she gave him.

He always kept it with him.

Tang Xixue withdrew her gaze and looked at the vast night sky ahead.

We've arrived at Yun Chuan Imperial Capital, Wangxue City.

She will protect her Ah Lin.

As for empty prayers?

His dragon is good.