The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

The little white cat, Yin Kong, transformed into a streak of silver light and precisely pounced into Tang Xi Xue's arms.

It held a spirit fruit in its mouth, the fruit being no bigger than a thumb, its entire surface as smooth and lustrous as red agate.

Yin Kong tilted his little head back and cupped the spirit fruit in Tang Xixue's hand, looking proud and eager to claim credit.

"Gin-sora, you're back."

Tang Xixue reached out and gently stroked its little head.

The snow-white down is as soft as clouds that have just been sun-dried, and it feels exceptionally comfortable to touch.

She put the spirit fruit into Cangxue's heart and said gently, "Thank you for your hard work. Keep the fruit for yourself."

"Meow~"

Yin Kong squinted and rubbed her palm, then stretched out her little paw and pointed towards the cliff.

The tips of its claws were pink and tender, yet they steadily pointed to an inconspicuous corner nestled among the towering mountains.

"Hmm? You found it?"

Tang Xixue's eyes lit up, and a smile spread across her lips.

"Then please have Yin Kong lead us there."

Upon hearing this, Yin Kong lightly jumped down from her arms, landing silently with its tail held high like a small guiding flag.

It took a few steps and then turned back, its round eyes looking at Tang Xixue. Only after confirming that she had followed did it continue forward.

"As expected of Zhizhi's spirit pet, it's really amazing."

Si Xingxuan offered a compliment, his tone extremely sincere.

He's the kind of person who loves everything about his family.

Because it was Tang Xixue's cat, he found it exceptionally cute, and even the slightly arrogant curve of Yin Kong's tail when it walked was particularly pleasing to the eye.

If it were someone else's cat, it probably wouldn't even bother to lift its eyelids.

He was a man who controlled the stars and plucked the moon; he was no kind person, much less a benevolent one.

"That's right."

Tang Xixue nodded, accepting the compliment without hesitation.

"Gin-sora is just that amazing."

When the little white cat Yin Kong heard its owner's praise, it was so happy that its little tail whipped around like a whirlwind, and it almost took off on the spot like a propeller.

It walked ahead with its head held high, each step taken with extra force, as if to say, "Look, my master praised me. My master is the best."

There are many cliffs in this area, standing jaggedly amidst the blue halo of the crystal sky.

Every cliff face was covered with glowing vines and unknown spiritual plants, which looked like countless flowing galaxies from a distance.

Finding a cliff inscription amidst such towering mountains is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Especially since the location was extremely remote, requiring passage through a barely noticeable narrow passage.

The crevice was hidden between two giant rocks, so narrow it looked as if someone had casually cleaved it with a sword.

If it weren't for the silver sky's guidance, ordinary people might not have noticed it even if they walked right up to it.

"Zhizhi, be careful."

Si Xingxuan stopped in front of the narrow passage, turned his head, and his eyes became more serious.

"Although Liuli Heaven is a sacred place for medicine, it is also a secret realm. There are not only opportunities here, but also many unknown dangers and challenges."

As he spoke, he naturally took a step forward and walked ahead of Tang Xixue.

The frail, thin figure of the sickly beauty appeared somewhat weak in the dim light of the narrow sliver of sky, yet it inexplicably gave people a sense of peace.

Tang Xixue stared at his retreating figure, momentarily stunned.

"How about I go first?"

She called out to him, her voice tinged with worry.

She knew he was in poor health, and besides, wasn't it him who asked her to protect him?

Why did he go ahead and scout the way for her instead?

"That way I can still protect you."

Si Xingxuan paused in his steps.

He turned his head, blinked, and his long eyelashes fluttered twice.

He was afraid that she would stop playing with him once she thought he could walk independently.

He immediately concealed the sharp edge that had been faintly visible just moments before, and responded softly, "Well... thank you, Zhizhi."

Then he obediently took half a step back and followed behind Tang Xixue.

Her obedient appearance was completely different from the aloof and arrogant Divine Physician Zheyue.

The two people and the cat entered the narrow passage.

The light suddenly dimmed.

Two towering boulders pierced the clouds, squeezing the blue light of the crystal sky into a thin, long line of light overhead.

The ground was slippery with moss, and the air was filled with the damp smell of soil and decaying leaves.

The narrow passage is so narrow that only one person can pass sideways, with their shoulders almost brushing against the stone walls on both sides.

At the same time, someone else entered the entrance to the Glazed Heaven Secret Realm.

A slender figure wearing a cloak stepped into the place.

The hood was pulled down very low, revealing only her chin and a pair of calm, captivating eyes.

Those eyes were incredibly beautiful, yet as cold as frost in the twelfth lunar month, devoid of any warmth.

She raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the floating crystal palaces in the sky, as if she were examining something, or perhaps recalling something.

Then she looked away and opened a silver box in her hand.

The box was no bigger than the palm of my hand, and it was entirely silver-white, with intricate spiritual patterns engraved on the lid.

She lifted the lid of the box, brought it close to her lips, and gently blew on it.

Countless tiny specks of silver dust rose from the box, shimmering with a cold, eerie light under the moonlight.

The silver dust, instead of falling after being blown away, drifted in all directions, like a snowstorm moving against the current, silently seeping into every corner of the crystal sky.

"Lord Fengxiao!"

A cold voice came from behind, like an icy blade slicing through glass.

Ghost Doctor Jiu Fangzhi followed closely behind, his eyes, as cold as a deep pool, fixed on the woman's figure.

"What exactly do you want to do?"

"This is not a place for you. Leave now, and I can pretend I never saw you."

Fengxiao Pavilion Master didn't even turn his head.

A very faint laugh came from beneath the cloak.

"Oh."

She strode forward, her cloak billowing poetically in the wind.

"Lord Ghost Doctor, you're being far too nosy. I'm merely here to participate in the Medicine God Trial; why are you so agitated?"

Her voice carried a hint of nonchalant arrogance.

Could it be—

She paused, turned her head slightly, and half of her face was visible under her hood.

Her profile was extremely beautiful, with eyebrows like distant mountains and lips like cinnabar, but her peach blossom eyes were as cold as ice.

"Afraid that I, the Pavilion Master, will hurt your precious heart?"

"Besides, Junior Brother, have you perhaps forgotten...?"

Her voice suddenly lowered a few decibels.

"Senior sister, I am also Master's disciple. Physicians from all over the Nine Provinces can participate in this Medicine God Trial. Are you allowed to come, but I, the Pavilion Master, cannot?"

After she finished speaking, she stopped and walked straight ahead with a calm and composed gait.

"Senior sister?"

Jiu Fangzhi's voice came up behind her.

"My senior sister died a long time ago."

Fengxiao Pavilion Master did not stop walking.

"Junior brother is truly heartless."

Her voice was calm and composed, even carrying a faint hint of a smile.

But beneath that smile, there was nothing.

"Anyone who dares to stop this sect leader will die."

This statement is powerful and resounding.

It's not a threat, not a warning, it's a statement.

She didn't even glance back at Jiu Fangzhi.

Jiu Fangzhi stood still, his eyes churning with too many indescribable emotions.

His fingers clenched and unclenched inside his robe sleeves.

"When it comes to ruthlessness, who can compare to the Master of Fengxiao Pavilion?"

My former senior sister was such a gentle, kind, and radiant woman.

When he first joined the sect, she would teach him to identify each medicinal herb, one by one.

On spring afternoons, I would take him to the back mountain to pick flowers and give them to each of my fellow students.

The sunlight fell on her smiling eyes and brows, bringing more peace of mind than any magic pill.

But the woman standing in front of him now—with the same eyebrows and eyes, and the same voice—felt so unfamiliar that it chilled him to the bone.

He didn't know what the Lord of Guixu Palace had done to her, making her so ruthless and turning her into the person she was now.