The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Sister Zhi, look, my cat is the same as yours. Its name is Baitang!"

Kong Sangyu reached out and scratched Bai Tang's chin.

The kitten squinted its eyes contentedly and purred softly.

"Hmm? Which candy? The candy in 'candy'?"

Tang Xixue never expected that this little white cat was actually Kong Sangyu's cat.

Good heavens, so this is Kong Sangyu's national guardian beast?

She thought she had stolen Kong Sangyu's opportunity, but she never expected that there were two of them.

Son of Destiny, so terrifying!

"Ah...no, it's the 'tang' in 'begonia'."

Kong Sangyu blushed and said in a low voice.

It's my sister's Tang!

"So it's this Tang; we seem to have a special connection!"

Tang Xixue didn't dwell on the details of her name; she suddenly remembered something.

"Um... I heard that your Kongsang clan all know how to use water, right?"

She remembered the transmigrated woman who had taken over her body, who, while wearing her skin, had personally pushed Kong Sangyu into the lake.

Kong Sangyu glanced at her.

Those blue eyes were calm and undisturbed.

"right."

He said so.

Tang Xixue secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If you can swim, that's good.

If she can swim, then her feud with Kong Sangyu doesn't really count...

"But not me. When Sister Zhi pulled me out of the sea, I was barely clinging to life."

He spoke slowly.

Tang Xixue's smile froze on her lips.

"From then on."

Kong Sangyu lowered her head, her eyes filled with melancholy, looking extremely pitiful.

"I've never dared to go into the water again. In the water, my fear makes me almost unable to move..."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xixue froze on the spot.

She recalled that scene from the time-traveling woman's memories.

She pushed Kong Sangyu into the lake and watched him struggle, choke on water, and sink little by little.

Only when he was about to drown did he pretend to be kind and try to save him.

She almost killed him.

No wonder.

Later, Kong Sangyu treated her coldly, her smile hiding a knife, and her beautiful blue eyes always carried a hint of hostility.

She thought he was just naturally eccentric.

But it turns out that wasn't the case.

That hostility was earned through a near-drowning experience.

"if……"

Tang Xixue spoke, her voice hesitant.

She looked at Kong Sangyu with a complicated expression.

I said—I wasn't the one who pushed you into the lake.

"Do you believe it or not?"

Once the question was out of her mouth, she felt powerless.

How can you believe something like this?

The person he saw with his own eyes, the hands that pushed him, the face—it was her.

How can she convince him that the person isn't her?

Kong Sangyu raised her head.

Under the moonlight, a thin layer of water appeared in the boy's blue eyes.

It wasn't resentment or bitterness; it was something she couldn't understand.

It's like someone who has traveled a very, very long way, finally seeing a lit lantern at the end of the snowstorm.

"Sister Zhi."

His voice was soft, but more resolute than ever.

I believe you.

"I will always believe in Sister Zhi."

A look of surprise appeared in Tang Xixue's starry eyes.

Does he really believe that?

real or fake?

"Why did Sister Zhi push me?"

Kong Sangyu gazed at her, the water in his blue eyes growing thicker and thicker, condensing into mist, but not falling.

He seemed to understand many things in that instant.

Why has the person who has occupied Sister Zhi's body been so unfamiliar all these years?

Why is her behavior so different from before?

His sister, who is known for her weaving skills, must have had a very hard time these past few years.

"Welcome home, Sister Zhi!"

His voice was choked with sobs.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time."

He had no idea what had happened to her.

No one knows why her soul left her body, why that strange soul occupied her body, or where she wandered or how she returned.

But none of that matters.

The important thing is that she's back, and the important thing is that the person standing in front of him right now is his Sister Zhi.

He felt sorry for her.

I don't need to know the reason for my heartache.

"Sister, you must be tired from your journey."

A night breeze rose again, causing the lanterns under the eaves to sway gently.

Light and shadow intertwine and flow across the ground, like water flowing through a quiet courtyard.

He was one of those children who were saved!

Although he never lived in the Moon Weaving Pavilion, it was because of her that he had the chance to survive.

Over the years, he has also stayed with the children, waiting for Sister Zhi.

"Little Tangyuan, you've worked hard too."

Tang Xixue shifted her gaze and looked into the room.

The warm yellow candlelight shone through the window paper, and the warmth of the underfloor heating seeped through the cracks in the door, giving the edges of her skirt a warm glow.

Through the half-open window, she saw the children on the tatami mat.

They sat side by side, covered with thick quilts, their little faces flushed red from the warmth of the floor heater.

The youngest children were surrounded in the middle, while the older children slept on the outside, their arms draped over their younger siblings' blankets, as if protecting them even in their dreams.

Every child was properly settled in, their blankets tucked in neatly.

"Did you arrange for their placement?"

Tang Xixue's voice softened unconsciously.

"Um."

Kong Sangyu followed her gaze and looked into the room.

"When I arrived, there were several children lying in the yard, probably trying to stay awake while waiting for someone to come, but they fell asleep halfway through. I carried them inside."

He spoke of it casually, but Tang Xixue knew it wasn't like that.

The Crimson Dust Gu will put people into a deep sleep; wherever those children fall, they will remain asleep there forever.

If you sleep in the yard for one night, you might never wake up again.

He carried them in one by one and put them back into the warm bedding.

"Mini Tangyuan (sweet rice balls)".

Tang Xixue withdrew her gaze and looked at him.

Has anyone ever told you—you're great?

The tenderness that overflowed in her eyes was even more distinct than the moonlight.

Kong Sangyu paused for a moment.

Bai Tang rolled over in his arms, her tail brushing against the back of his hand.

He gazed at Tang Xixue, his blue eyes sparkling with unbelievable joy.

"No, Sister Zhi is the first to say that."

Kong Sangyu shook his head. Those who knew him well knew how bad he was.

"Now we have it. These little glutinous rice balls, like the warm spring sun, have brought light to so many people!"

Tang Xixue used to guard against him like she would guard against a cat that might steal fish at any moment.

She thought that at this moment, the wicked little glutinous rice ball was really cool.

"Sister Zhi."

Kong Sangyu's voice was somewhat hoarse, with a slight tremor that he couldn't quite hide.

"You are my whole spring."

All the flowers, warmth, and vitality in this world exist solely for her.

"I have also asked the people from Shan Hai to take care of the other Weaving Moon Courtyards."

"Sister Zhi, is there anything else I can do to help?"

He asked the question so naturally.

Tang Xixue's heart stirred.

"It really exists."

She thought of Jiang Chao.

Qi Si said that the Crimson Nest is hidden in the heart of a cave where the mountain winds pass through.

If we were to search for it place by place, who knows how long it would take?

But when it comes to listening to the wind and discerning location, and tracing clues—who in this world is better at it than the mountains and seas?

"Your Shan Hai people are masters at listening to the wind. What we're looking for is a place where the mountain winds gather."