The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

The first thing I saw was a face so close to mine, so handsome it was almost fierce.

With sword-like eyebrows that reach into his temples and sharp bone structure, every contour seems to have been meticulously sculpted by the Creator with the most demanding brushstrokes.

But those eyes, which were usually as deep and still as an ancient well, were now churning with far too many complex emotions.

It is longing.

It is restraint.

It is a scalding undercurrent that has been suppressed for too long and is about to burst its banks.

It was as if someone had laid out a misty rain before his eyes, and at the end of the misty rain, he finally saw that lone sail returning late.

He stared at her without blinking.

It was as if they were afraid that if they closed their eyes, the person in front of them would turn into a wisp of smoke and disappear without a trace.

"Weaving."

Tang Xiye's voice slowly flowed from deep within her throat, magnetic and husky.

The two words rolled off his lips, clearly just an ordinary form of address, yet he pronounced them with an almost devout reverence.

Like a drop of thick ink falling into clear water, instantly spreading ripples across the entire pool.

She could smell the faint scent of agarwood on him, mixed with the frosty and snowy aroma of Baiyujing, cold and noble.

It's the scent of agarwood mixed into the ambergris in the Chengtian Hall, and the scent of frost clinging to the eaves of the Qianqiu Hall after a snowfall.

It is home.

It is the Emperor's elder brother.

"Brother Xuan Yin!"

Tang Xixue's eyes lit up instantly, sparkling like stars, and a smile spread across her face, her voice filled with barely suppressed joy.

"Weren't you still in Baiyujing? What are you doing here...?"

Baiyujing is thousands of miles away from Shenyao Valley.

He is the Emperor of Beichen, whose every word and action affects the court and the people. How could he possibly come?

"I came here secretly."

Tang Xiye's voice, hoarse from traveling through the night, sounded even more subdued in this cramped corner.

"Brother wants to see Zhizhi."

His arm around her waist was very measured.

He clearly wanted to hold her tight, but at the last moment he stopped himself, as if afraid that if he exerted any force, everything he had regained would shatter in his palm.

He lowered his eyes and, in the posture of holding her in his arms, carefully examined her.

From the eyebrows to the corners of the lips.

From complexion to the light in the eyes.

Her cheeks had more color in them than the last time I saw her, and her eyes had regained their former clarity.

"Zhizhi looks much better."

Tangxi Ye's heart, which had been hanging in suspense all the way, finally settled down a little.

Even though I know she is well, even though I can read about her daily life in the secret reports from the Hidden Dragon Guard every day.

But he still missed her.

The thought of sitting alone in the Hall of Longevity every night, facing that empty swing, makes me feel as if my chest is being scooped out spoonful by spoonful.

"Now that you've seen it... are you happy?"

Tang Xixue blinked, a sly smile appearing in her eyes, like a cat gently scratching him with its paw.

"Happy."

Tang Xiye's lips curled up slightly.

He lowered his head, his warm breath brushing against her sensitive earlobe.

"But Zhizhi, keep your voice down...don't let anyone hear you."

"Is your brother no longer involved in government affairs?"

Tangxi Xue was both amused and exasperated.

Unauthorized entry into the country is a major taboo, not to mention that he has the entire court of Beichen behind him.

"There are suggestions for governing the country."

Tang Xiye answered as if it were a matter of course, as if it were perfectly natural to entrust the heavy responsibility of the country to the strategist.

"I have long wanted to come and find Zhizhi."

The Jiangchen disaster was temporarily under control, and he dragged Yan Ci out of bed almost the night he received the news.

He then left a letter for his mother, instructing her to personally oversee the court.

He handed over all the important military and national affairs overnight, and then rushed over as fast as he could.

If it weren't for such a swift and decisive action, he would still be trapped in that magnificent Chengtian Hall, facing endless memorials on his desk, alone, yearning to weave.

"Oh, right."

As if suddenly remembering something, he released his hand from her waist, took out a brocade box from his sleeve, and handed it to her.

The brocade box was wrapped in dark brocade with subtle patterns, and the opening was sealed with a bright yellow silk ribbon.

It is exquisite and understated, with not a single crease on the box.

She was clearly being carefully protected in someone's arms the whole way, without daring to suffer the slightest bump or knock.

"I brought a gift for Zhizhi."

Tang Xixue took the brocade box and glanced at him.

His expression remained calm and composed.

But his slightly pursed lips and the way he unconsciously glanced at her a few more times betrayed the cautious anticipation in his heart.

She lowered her head, untied the silk ribbon, and lifted the lid of the box.

A box full of Sun and Moon Hearts.

"So many hearts of the sun and moon."

The tiny specks of light lay quietly on the dark brocade, as if someone had plucked stars one by one from the night sky and gently gathered them into a box.

Each one gleamed with a warm and clear light, creating an interplay of light and shadow.

She felt a sudden stinging sensation in her eyes.

How much effort and manpower must have been spent, fighting against the Heavenly Apostles, to collect so much in such a short time?

"I remember Zhizhi saying that the Heart of the Sun and Moon would be useful to you."

Tang Xiye spoke of it casually, as if it were nothing more than adding a box of ordinary jewelry.

"I've prepared some for you. Is this enough? If not, I'll have someone go and find more."

"That's enough, that's plenty."

Tang Xixue held the box, her fingertips gently tracing the heart of the sun and moon.

It is the life force that was reborn from the statue after all things perished. It was originally destined to return to the Heavenly Way, but now it has been obtained by her.

This is defying fate!

This is extremely difficult.

This heartfelt sentiment landed heavily in her palm, how could she not be moved?

"They are very useful."

Tang Xixue closed the brocade box and carefully placed it into Cangxue's heart.

The newly injected vitality silently permeated the space, absorbed by the Heart of Azure Snow, and its dim sapphire shone brightly again.

"As long as it works."

Tang Xiye nodded, his gaze falling on her face, and suddenly called out softly.

"Weaving."

"Um?"

The next moment, Tang Xixue was lifted into the air and carried away.

"But do you need more luck from your brother?"

Tang Xiye carried her and walked steadily toward the bedroom.

His voice is deep and magnetic.

"Or... does Zhizhi want something else?"

"Does brother want to give Zhizhi good luck, or something else?"

Tang Xixue nestled in his arms, listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat, and smiled gently.

She dared not say that her master had already transferred too much spiritual power to her in the dream world, and that her spiritual sea was almost full...

If she were to say those words aloud, given her brother's temperament, he would probably go crazy on the spot.

"Luck and other things..."

Tang Xiye paused, then pressed his lips to her burning earlobe, his breath hot.

"I want to give every last drop to Zhizhi."

That voice was so alluring.

Like velvet wrapped around a blade, every syllable tugged at her crumbling sanity.

"But... it's still daytime."

Tang Xixue's face flushed red.

My elder brother wasn't like this before.

How come the imperial brother who used to be so polite and would even scold her for getting too close is now making such a deadly flirtation?

Who was it that so confidently declared that Zhizhi would always be their little sister?

"That's perfect."

Tang Xiye chuckled softly, the vibrations in her chest sending a tingling sensation through her clothes.

"So that Zhizhi can see me clearly... and see who it is that will satisfy Zhizhi more."

He pushed open the bedroom door.

"Those unripe fruits..."

He closed the door behind him and gently placed her on the edge of the soft couch.

He then bent down, placing his hands on either side of her, enveloping her entirely in his shadow.

A meaningful smile curved at the corner of his lips.

"What will it taste like?"

That's a good point.

I don't know how long he's been there, or how much he's heard.