The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

At that critical moment.

Without turning her head, Tang Xixue grabbed Si Xingxuan's wrist and pulled him behind her.

The movements were clean and swift, so fast that they were almost invisible to the naked eye.

Before Si Xingxuan could even cry out in surprise, she was firmly pulled behind her by a force.

He staggered half a step, his wide, light blue fringed robe billowing like a butterfly in the shockwave, before crashing into a slender yet resolute figure.

Tangxi Xue raised her hand.

The Snow Soul Fan at his waist landed in his palm. The fan ribs were cool to the touch, made of white jade and covered with ice silkworm silk, and its entire body shimmered with a cool, frosty light.

She twisted her wrist, and the fan unfurled with a whoosh.

The few scattered plum blossoms on it seemed to come alive for a moment under the sunlight, their cool fragrance faintly wafting through the air.

Immediately afterwards, he swept the fan.

"Whoosh—"

The breeze was as clear and cool as the sound of pine trees under the moon, sweeping out silently.

The flying bronze fragments were caught by the gust of wind and froze in mid-air for a moment.

Then, they all turned into dust.

The fine powder, as fine as dust, fluttered and refracted the sunlight, creating shimmering specks of light, like a brief but dazzling fireworks display.

From the moment the explosion occurred to the moment the dust settled, only a few breaths passed.

"Junior Sister?"

The Ghost Doctor Jiu Fang was about to make a move.

Beneath the wide sleeves, a wisp of invisible energy had already condensed at the fingertips, which could sweep away the fragments in the next instant.

Then he saw his junior sister move.

She raised her hand, grasped the fan, and waved her sleeve, her movements fluid and seamless.

"Does she really need us to take care of her?"

His nonchalant ease made him silently raise an eyebrow behind the mask.

He silently withdrew his hand, and the wisp of energy at his fingertips dissipated without a trace.

The master instructed them to take care of their junior sister.

But now...

"Master is overthinking it; she is not weak at all."

His gaze swept over the bronze fragments scattered on the ground, now reduced to dust, before returning to his junior sister's calm and composed profile.

My junior sister is terrifyingly strong.

It seems we don't need to rely on him.

This made him, as the senior brother, seem somewhat useless.

"It's good that they're all alright."

On the stands, in the seat of Emperor Xingze, Si Xingzhou slowly loosened his grip on the armrest.

He picked up the teacup beside him and took a slow, deliberate sip.

The tea is freshly picked from the valley, with a clear liquor and a sweet aftertaste.

Good.

That way, he won't have to do anything.

"But why didn't Ah Zhe consider his own strength before saving people?"

Si Xingzhou's eyes, usually as calm as a deep pool, were now filled with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

His gaze swept over the astonished crowd and landed on his younger brother.

"I knew it."

Si Xingzhou leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

I feel a mix of relief and helplessness.

"A-Zhe can't protect Jingzhi. He's not saving anyone, he's just throwing his life away!"

"Given his physique, he'd probably have a stroke before the shards even hit him."

He said this with a hint of disdain in his tone, but the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

He could see clearly that Tang Xixue had pulled Zhe Yue behind her the moment she did so.

She protected him.

"Kyoko is really a good person! It wouldn't hurt to take care of her future brother-in-law. Anyway, we'll all be family from now on."

"No way??? Why is it developing this way?"

Si Xingxuan stood frozen in place.

The fragments had shattered into dust and were scattered all over the ground.

"Who am I? Where am I?"

He looked down at his hand, his wrist still warm from when she had grabbed it.

She saved him.

He was clearly there to shield her from danger.

In the end, the person being protected was himself.

"This isn't right!"

He stood there, like an orchid wilted after a storm.

At first, there was confusion in her eyes, then gratitude, then frustration, and finally a pitiful look of grievance.

Is he really that useless?

Tangxi Xue turned around.

A few strands of her hair were ruffled by the gust of air and fell beside her cheeks, making her starry eyes appear even more gentle.

She looked at Si Xingxuan's bewildered face, a smile appearing in her eyes.

Then she spoke, her voice soft and gentle, like a spring breeze.

"It's alright, I'm here."

"Thank you, Zhe Yue, for standing in front of me just now."

"Thank you... Junior Uncle..."

Si Xingxuan wanted to cry but had no tears.

No... that wasn't his plan before he came.

He was clearly planning to play the hero and save the damsel in distress.

He had even thought of the rest of the lines.

Stand in front of her, smile at her, and say, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Dreams are often grand, but reality is often harsh.

"Then let Zheyue continue refining the medicine."

Tangxi Xue comforted her.

"Oh. I'm leaving now."

With extremely complicated feelings, Si Xingxuan walked back to his alchemy cauldron step by step.

Jiu Fangzhi shook his head as he looked at his disciple's distraught appearance.

"Promising."

At the same time, the first wisp of elixir fragrance wafted from Tang Xixue's medicine cauldron.

The fragrance was clear and lingering, like a mountain breeze moistened by the morning dew, silently spreading across the entire platform.

First, Liu Xinyi, sitting on the examiner's seat, slightly raised her eyes, her nostrils flaring slightly.

"Huh? The Jade Pill is complete!"

"It was Junior Sister who successfully refined it."

Then, the several medicine masters stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of the fragrance.

"Such a strong medicinal aroma."

"It's Qingyu Dan. This fragrance, this purity..."

"The quality must be quite high."

Finally, even the disciples watching from below the stage noticed the unusual cold fragrance and began to peer out.

The snow in Tangxi lifts the lid of the cauldron.

A single elixir lay quietly at the center of the cauldron.

It is entirely blue-green, smooth and lustrous, with a faint shimmering light flowing across its surface, as if a clear spring has solidified into this small pill.

"The physicians who have refined the elixir can come forward to examine it first."

Liu Xinyi announced in a loud voice.

"I'll do it! I'll do it!"

Someone beat them to it.

A middle-aged alchemist carefully walked to the appraisal platform, holding a freshly refined jade pill, and placed it with trembling hands on the jet-black jade platform.

The treasure-collecting platform was silent for a moment, then a faint gray light shone on it.

"Inferior quality, substandard."

Liu Xinyi's voice was flat and emotionless.

The middle-aged alchemist turned pale, took back his pills, and staggered backward.

Then someone else stepped forward.

This time, the treasure-appraisal platform lit up with a warm, bluish light. Although it was not dazzling, it was enough to illuminate the relief on that person's face.

"Medium grade, passed."

Liu Xinyi nodded slightly.

The alchemist breathed a sigh of relief, his legs almost giving way.

The token for passing the checkpoint had a special spiritual seal added with a pill pattern by the disciples of Divine Medicine Valley, which was the proof of passing to the third checkpoint.

"I'll give it a try too."

Then, Si Xingxuan stepped forward.

He stood before the treasure-appreciation platform, his refined face regaining its usual composure.

He placed the jade pills he had refined into the treasure appraisal platform.

The Mirror Platform fell silent for a moment.

Then, a dazzling blue rainbow shot into the sky.

The light was dazzling.

"Wow, what a bright light!"

The entire platform was illuminated by this blue rainbow. The disciples watching below raised their hands to shield their eyes, but couldn't help but peek through their fingers.

"The quality of this pill is amazing!"

Within that light, medicinal spirits faintly flowed; only a high-grade Azure Jade Pill could trigger such a phenomenon.

"Excellent quality. Passes the test."

Liu Xinyi's voice was approving.

"As expected of the Divine Physician Zheyue! The brightness of this azure rainbow is more than twice as bright as those mid-grade pills from before."

"Wow, that's amazing. How old is he? He's only in his early twenties, right? With such talent, given time, he'll probably be the number one doctor in the Nine Provinces."

Si Xingxuan turned around, and a small breeze stirred up the hem of his robe.

Then, as he passed by Tang Xixue, he revealed an extremely bright smile.

Her eyes curved into crescent moons; she was incredibly cute.

"Junior Uncle, I succeeded."

His voice held an barely suppressed joy.

"Um."

Tang Xixue nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips beneath her veil.

"Zhe Yue is very talented."

Just this one sentence.

Si Xingxuan felt that the confidence that had been shattered by the explosion was being pieced back together, one piece at a time, by those few words.

"Junior Uncle, is there anything I can help with?"

"No."

Tang Xixue stood up and held the still-warm jade pill in her palm between her fingertips.

"Mine is ready too."

She stepped forward.

"Another one has finished making it!"

"And she's a young female doctor!"

The doctors who had gathered made way for them.

Those gazes contained curiosity, scrutiny, and some even carried a hint of disdain.

But the gazes of those in the stands on the high platform were filled with nervous anticipation.

Tangxi Xue placed the Qingyu Dan into the treasure-appreciating platform.

In an instant, a blue rainbow soared into the sky.

The light was even more dazzling and clearer than the light that had just been emitted by Si Xingxuan, like a turquoise waterfall that enveloped the entire platform in its emerald glow.

"Look, you can vaguely see the faint outlines of tiny flower petals in that light."

"This is a phenomenon that only occurs when the Qingyu Pill reaches the peak of the upper grade."

"Top-tier quality. Congratulations on passing!"

Liu Xinyi's voice fell, filled with undisguised pride.

Her gaze toward Tang Xixue was full of gentleness.

Her junior sister is just that outstanding.

Tang Xixue nodded gently to her, her demeanor composed.

"Who is that alchemist? She actually managed to refine a top-grade Jade Pill!"

"I didn't know, she's a female alchemist!"

"She looks so young, how did she do that?"

"Such a high rank?"

The audience was shocked!

stunned!