The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Let's go! We need to get out of here!"

Li Shuang grabbed Fan's monk's robe sleeve and dragged him outside without saying a word.

Before the young monk could react to what was happening, he was dragged out of the guest room doorway with a bewildered look on his face, staggering a couple of steps before finally regaining his balance.

He opened his mouth, but before he could ask, "What's wrong...?"

Then they saw that Li Shuang had neatly closed the two doors, making them fit perfectly, leaving not even a crack for anyone to peek through.

"Our prince needs acupuncture."

Li Shuang turned around, put her hands on her hips, and her pale yellow skirt spun half a circle with the movement, making her look like a baby sparrow guarding its nest.

"No one can disturb us... understand?"

She lowered her voice, but her tone was as solemn as if she were giving instructions on military secrets.

"Understood."

Liao Fan nodded solemnly, turned around, faced the door with his back to it, and stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, firmly planted at the doorway like an iron tower.

He clasped his hands together, his face solemn, looking even more serious than someone guarding the library.

There was no sound outside the door.

Inside the door, it was equally quiet.

Sheng Feiming sat alone by the couch. Hearing the door close, Tang Xixue walked back to the medicine box at a leisurely pace.

The porcelain bottle and the silver needles gently collided, producing a delicate and clear sound, each one like a tap on his eardrums.

The already tense nerves were tightened even more at this moment.

Only he and Sister Zhi remained in the room.

This realization was like a handful of warm water, slowly poured over his head.

It made every inch of his skin feel inexplicably hot.

He lowered his eyes, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the Bodhi prayer beads on his wrist.

The bodhi seeds were round and slightly cool, but at this moment even the prayer beads seemed to have been warmed a bit by his body temperature.

He took a deep breath, raised his hand, and placed his fingertips on the first button of his moon-white robe.

Those were extremely clean hands.

Her knuckles were distinct, her skin was as white as jade, and her nails were neatly trimmed and clean.

The hand, worn smooth from years of handling beads, had developed a thin callus, which only served to accentuate its restrained and ascetic nature.

At this moment, those hands are unbuttoning their clothes.

One by one, the buttons of the robe loosened, and the robe slipped off the shoulders, bunching up at the waist, revealing a section of slender and fair back.

His inner garment was removed, and then his outer garment was removed as well. Layers upon layers of plain white fabric fell to the side of the bed like cicada shells, gradually revealing him.

"Feiming, are you done?"

Tang Xixue was bending over the medicine box to prepare medicine, holding a gold needle between her fingertips. She turned around to tell him to lie down, but her voice stopped the moment her gaze settled on him.

Saint-Femme was already lying down.

He lay quietly on the couch, completely naked, without a single piece of clothing left behind.

The boy's slender body was spread out in the sunlight filtering through the window, his white skin like fine porcelain soaked in moonlight, radiating a thin, almost sacred glow.

Her collarbones were straight and distinct, leading down to her lean chest, and further down to her cinched waistline; every line was so clean and pristine that it seemed otherworldly.

What's even more deadly is... he really is light.

She said she wanted to be completely naked, but she didn't say she wanted to be this naked.

"He's practically a wealthy and generous bodhisattva..."

Tang Xixue paused slightly in the hand holding the golden needle, but her expression remained unchanged.

This is a high-level game!

Who would have thought?

No one told her that the holy monk had also practiced martial arts since childhood, and that his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and slender, muscular physique were so amazing.

But the person in front of me was just too clean.

That kind of ultimate, unblemished purity is like a crystal lamp offered before the Buddha, even the light and shadow falling on you are clear and pure.

Utter holiness!

Extreme cleanliness!

It is precisely this extreme that evokes an inexplicable impulse.

Its beautiful purity is exceptionally alluring.

"Sister was wrong before. Our little Fei Ming has grown up now."

Tang Xixue had to admit, he was not young!

Saint-Femme closed his eyes tightly.

His eyelashes were long and were trembling uncontrollably, like two butterfly wings wet with rain, unable to fly away.

He felt her gaze on him, and he was so nervous he could hardly breathe.

Her entire body was tinged with light pink.

He never revealed even a sliver of his true self to anyone.

But today, he willingly stripped himself bare, revealing to her everything about himself—his most vulnerable, secret, and things that shouldn't be seen—without reservation.

"It's okay, don't be afraid."

Tang Xixue's voice came from above his head, gentle and calm, like a ladle of clear water splashed on his burning nerves.

"Feiming, relax, you're too tense."

She reached out and picked up the robe he had folded beside the couch, gently unfolded it, and covered his abdomen with it.

The moon-white robe covered his bare skin, leaving only his chest and limbs exposed for acupuncture.

But this half-concealed posture made him even more uneasy than the complete exposure just now.

The robe was thin and soft, clinging to the slight curves of his abdomen, swaying gently with his rapid breathing, making it all the more obvious.

Saint Feiming's body trembled violently, but he still didn't dare to open his eyes.

"My sister isn't a fairy."

Seeing his tense and fearful expression, Tang Xixue couldn't help but sigh softly, her tone tinged with helplessness.

"I don't eat people. Why are you trembling?"

It would have been better if she hadn't said anything.

As soon as she spoke, Sheng Feiming trembled even more violently.

He wasn't afraid of her.

He was afraid of himself.

He was so embarrassed that he almost wanted to bury his face in the pillow, but he couldn't move. His body was frozen in place, every muscle tense.

He didn't want to shake, but he couldn't control it.

The young holy monk had cultivated for many years. When meditating, he could remain motionless for half a day, and he never even flinched when swords and axes were brought upon him.

But at this moment, she was merely standing beside him, her sleeve lightly brushing against his arm, and he trembled like an autumn leaf falling in the wind.

All spiritual practice is futile in her presence.

Tang Xixue couldn't stand it anymore.

She reached out and gently placed her palm on his head, her fingertips touching his cool scalp as she slowly stroked it.

The feel of it... was surprisingly good.

Smooth, warm, and round, like a pebble warmed by the sun.

She couldn't help but touch it a few more times, and for a moment she couldn't put it down.

"The little bald head feels absolutely amazing to touch."

"..."

Saint-Femme had never encountered anything like this before.

From childhood to adulthood, the only time his head was touched was by his master's scalpel during his tonsure ceremony; afterwards, it was always touched by the incense smoke before the Buddha and the morning and evening bells.

No one dared to so brazenly and intimately stroke his head as if he were a cub.

If it were anyone else who dared to reach out, he would have coldly turned his head away.

But this is Sister Zhi.

Her hands were soft and warm, making his scalp tingle, as if a tiny string of lightning bolts shot from the top of his head all the way to his tailbone, draining all his strength.

He doesn't seem to want to hide.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, he felt deeply guilty.

He lost all means of resistance.

The once impregnable defenses crumbled before her.

"Then let's begin."

Tang Xixue withdrew her hand, picked up the first golden needle, and the tip of the needle flashed a very thin, cold light in the sunlight.

Her needlework was extremely steady, fast, and accurate.

Sheng Feiming felt a slight stinging pain, like a mosquito bite, spreading from the acupoint, followed by soreness, a slight numbness, and a warm medicinal power slowly seeping in along the meridians.

He felt as if he had fallen into a cloud of mist, his mind hazy, as if he were soaking in a pool of warm water.

He didn't know where he was, he only knew that her hand was moving and occasionally touched his skin.

The life force of the Azure Snow Heart slowly merged into his body until its power was completely exhausted, at which point she stopped.

Warm fingertips and slightly cool needle handles alternately touched his body, causing waves of shivers.

From the moment he started to the moment he finished, he remained as stiff as a piece of wood.

It's still a red-hot wood carving.

"alright."

Tang Xixue put the last needle back into her needle pouch, her tone light and composed.

Saint Feiming slowly opened his eyes.

What came into view was her calm and normal face, without the slightest abnormality.

He sat up, his movements somewhat slow, and reached for the robe beside the couch, pulling it in front of him.

She wrapped her jade-like skin back up, revealing only her slender neck and a pair of still moist eyes.

He sat curled up on the couch, clutching his robe, not daring to move, like a kitten wrapped in a blanket after a bath.

Quiet, obedient, bewildered, and with a hint of helplessness at not knowing what to do.

"Feiming, remember to take your medicine and get plenty of rest."

Tang Xixue closed the medicine box, picked up her bag, and looked back at him one last time before leaving. Her gaze was gentle and resolute, and a faint smile played on her lips.

"My sister is leaving first."

Saint Feiming nodded obediently.

She remained outside the door until her figure disappeared, at which point the door closed again.

As if all support had been removed, he slowly bent down, his forehead resting on the still-warm robe on his knees.

He didn't know what was wrong with him.

My heart is beating too fast.

Just now, when she touched the top of his head, a surge of heat rose from the depths of his dantian, rushed through his limbs and bones, and soared into the sky.

He dared not move, dared not open his eyes.

He is a holy monk.

He should be free from all worldly desires and have attained purity of the six senses.

But just now, he felt empty of everything except his heart.

Everything is cleansed except for thoughts.

He realized that this seemed to be wrong.

"Sister Zhi..."

He raised his head and looked out the window at the tree full of bright peach blossoms, his eyes slightly red and his lips tightly pressed together.

He dressed himself as if to wrap himself up and hide.

Then he slowly closed his eyes, his slender fingers moving the Bodhi prayer beads.

Repeating the process over and over again, twisting it repeatedly.

"How can one find a way to have it all, to be true to both the Buddha and the beloved?"

He asked himself silently.

Tang Xixue stepped out of the guest room and into the sunlight under the corridor.

On a spring afternoon, sunlight streamed through the shadows of flowers and leaves.

She was pondering how to restore Sheng Feiming's voice, but the power of the Heart of Azure Snow was exhausted and far from enough to heal Sheng Feiming.

Her steps were unhurried, her skirt brushing against the fallen petals on the stone steps, and she was still lost in thought.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the side.

The hand, with its distinct knuckles, long and slender, emerged from the shadows behind the pillar and gripped her wrist without warning.

The force wasn't strong, but it carried an unyielding stubbornness that was impossible to break free from.

Tang Xixue was caught off guard and was pulled by that force.

She leaned to the side and fell into a warm, broad embrace.

She looked up at the other person.