The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Si Xingxuan stepped back half an inch and opened his eyes.

Her face regained its color.

Those ever-smiling starry eyes were still closed, but their eyelashes had begun to tremble slightly, like the moment a butterfly's wings are about to unfold.

Her lips were flushed with a faint rosy hue, a shade deeper than usual, from his clumsy movements, like a crabapple blossom soaked in spring rain.

He gazed at her, his eyes, clear as the sky after the rain, held the ecstasy of surviving a disaster, the lingering unease, and a tenderness he himself couldn't name.

The warmth of her touch and the taste of that cool, sweet spring water still lingered on his lips.

He has tasted countless poisons in his life.

Some are as fiery as burning the heart, some as cold as corrosive to the bone, and some as sweet as honey yet deadly.

But none of them had ever left such a deep impression on him.

"Zhizhi, I'm sorry..."

He spoke in a low voice, hoarse yet soft, with a lingering nasal tone.

Before she could finish speaking, tears began to fall again, one by one landing on her robe like pearls from a broken string.

"It's all my fault. I was so careless and almost got you into trouble."

As he spoke, his tears fell even more heavily.

Her eyes, washed clean by tears, became even clearer, like the last vestiges of sunshine in the sky after a sudden downpour.

"I'm fine now, aren't I? You little crybaby, what are you crying about?"

Tang Xixue opened her eyes.

Her voice was still a little weak, but it carried a reassuring calmness.

She was not completely unconscious after being poisoned.

From the moment he took her in his arms, carefully cradling the back of her neck and channeling his spiritual energy into her body, her senses began to slowly return.

However, his poison was indeed potent. Even with his personal intervention, the patient's body remained weak and unable to open his eyes.

But she could sense it.

His hand supporting the back of her neck was trembling, his fingertips were icy cold, but he was careful not to use any more force.

His lips pressed against mine, the kiss was clumsy and haphazard, a passionate, unrestrained struggle, so intense that he forgot to even breathe.

His spiritual energy cautiously probed into her meridians, as if touching a rare piece of porcelain, with a deliberate almost piety.

But his lips trembled uncontrollably, each turn of his lips seeming like a confession.

It was as if they were confirming that she was still alive.

"Weaving."

She heard him press his forehead against hers and call her softly.

Her consciousness hovered on the edge of drowsiness and lucidity, and her body remained powerless to move.

But she heard his self-blame and fear.

She never expected that despite being so careful, she would still be poisoned.

The toxicity of the "Body of Ten Thousand Poisons" is integrated into its breath and bodily fluids, unlike any other poison, making it impossible to guard against.

But Tang Xixue also knew that he did not mean it.

He just wanted to get close to her and offer her what he thought was good. He didn't intentionally poison her, but he forgot that he himself was the most potent poison in the world.

"Zheyue, you'd better be more careful next time."

Her voice was light, but the words she spoke made Si Xingxuan tremble violently.

He lowered his head and looked at her in his arms.

She was looking at him, her starry eyes filled with tenderness and a faint smile.

She neither criticized nor feared him, nor did she push him away.

Some are permitted.

Allow him to get close, to make mistakes, and allow him to learn to be careful next time.

"Um."

He responded almost in surprise, his red, tear-filled eyes brightening for a moment before the tears fell even more profusely.

"I will be extra careful. Zhizhi, trust me—I will never let you get poisoned again. I will soak myself in a medicinal bath as soon as I get back to reduce the toxicity to the lowest possible level."

"You don't need to do that. Just be yourself. You don't need to change for me."

Tang Xixue said softly.

She knew that he had already suffered a lot to survive.

Si Xingxuan's heart was instantly enveloped in warmth.

Zhizhi, she is so gentle.

It's really great!

Upon hearing Tang Xixue's voice, Jiu Fangzhi suddenly turned around.

His gaze lingered for a moment on her face, which had regained its color, and his thin lips pursed slightly.

Then he looked away, his eyes revealing a weariness that came from just having gone through an ordeal.

"Alright, the poison has been neutralized. Put her down and let her go back to rest."

"Then you—stay away from her."

Si Xingxuan did not refute.

He carefully carried Tang Xixue into the tent that had been set up nearby, his movements as gentle as if he were holding a cloud that might dissipate at any moment.

He took off his outer robe, folded it neatly, and laid it under her as a bed sheet.

Then he stepped back two paces and sat cross-legged outside the tent.

He dared not get too close to her, at least not until he was sure that the poison in his body would not harm her again.

She raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her fingertips still damp.

That night was filled with extreme highs and lows, from the despair of thinking she was going to be killed to being forgiven by her; the emotional fluctuations were too intense.

Now that I know she is safe and sound, my tense nerves suddenly relax, and I feel a dizzying sensation as the world spins before my eyes.

He swayed and fell silently beside the tent.

Hearing the commotion, Jiu Fangzhi turned around, glanced at it, and laughed in exasperation.

"What use is he anyway?"

His voice carried a hint of exasperation and frustration.

"Senior brother."

Tang Xixue's voice came from inside the tent, soft and gentle with a hint of laughter.

"Zheyue is already weak, please carry him in. The tent is spacious enough, and he'll catch a cold if he sleeps outside while the dew is heavy at night."

"That lake is more spacious."

Jiu Fangzhi said coldly.

"He's so poisonous, Junior Sister, it's best to stay away. In my opinion, just throw him into the lake. That would clear his head and wash away all the poison."

Even so, he had already bent down and scooped Si Xingxuan up, his movements seemingly rough, but in fact carefully avoiding the forehead that Si Xingxuan had bumped.

He strode into the tent, placed the person next to Tang Xixue, and then straightened up.

"It's alright, it was just an accident."

Tang Xixue smiled slightly as she looked at Jiu Fangzhi's disgusted expression.

"I've always been cautious, but this is the first time I've encountered Zheyue's poison, and it's impossible to guard against it all. I'll know better next time."

Jiu Fangzhi gazed at her quietly.

He wanted to say, "You want a next time?" but he swallowed the words back.

He knew his junior sister's personality; she seemed aloof, but her heart was softer than anyone else's.

Since she said she didn't blame him, then she truly didn't.

"Since Junior Sister has said so, then so be it."

He did not act on his own initiative, but respected her decision.

"Junior Sister".

His voice deepened.

"In the heat of the moment, I had no choice but to use this method to get Zhe Yue to save you. I'm sorry for offending you. I will punish him properly when we get back."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xixue reached out and gently checked Si Xingxuan's pulse.

His wrists were slender, and his skin was so fair it was almost translucent.

She examined him for a while and found that his pulse was weak and disordered, indicating that the fainting was caused by excessive emotional stress. In addition, he was already weak, so there were no other major problems.

Let him lie down and rest.

"Senior brother, please don't punish him."

She withdrew her hand, gently placed Si Xingxuan's wrist back to her side, and looked up at Jiu Fangzhi.

"Zhe Yue is already frail, how could she withstand it..."

She didn't finish speaking, but Jiu Fangzhi understood.

"This highly toxic constitution was not what he wanted."

Tang Xixue lowered her head and looked at the pale face beside her.

When he was asleep, his eyebrows and eyes relaxed.

She simply closed her eyes quietly, with lingering tears still clinging to her eyelashes.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, and the tip of her nose was red too, like a pitiful little snow fox.

It's really heartbreaking.

When Jiu Fangzhi saw his junior sister's gaze toward Si Xingxuan, his eyes behind the mask dimmed slightly before returning to calm.

"Since Junior Sister doesn't blame him, then let it go."

He looked away and stopped staring.

"By the way, does Senior Brother have any Bone-Regenerating Herbs?"

Tang Xixue remembered this and raised her eyes to ask.

The Ghost Doctor is knowledgeable and experienced; perhaps he has some clues.

"Bone-Regenerating Herb?"

Jiu Fangzhi frowned slightly and pondered seriously for a moment.

Countless pharmacopoeia records and ancient texts flashed through his mind before he answered carefully after a moment.

"The Bone-Regenerating Herb is only recorded in ancient medical books. As far as I know, this herb only grows in spiritual veins and has long been extinct in the outside world. If there is truly an opportunity in the Glazed Heaven, it can probably only be found in the legendary Immortal Herb Garden."

"If I have the chance to enter the Immortal Herb Garden, I will bring one for my junior sister."

"Thank you, senior brother."

"No need."

Jiu Fangzhi turned and walked towards the tent entrance with steady steps.

"I'll go keep watch outside. Junior Sister, make sure you're well-rested; we have to travel tomorrow."

The tent fell silent.

Yin Kong jumped onto Tang Xixue's lap, curling her small body into a warm, white ball, nestled beside her.

"Master, are you alright?"

Starfish emerged from her sleeve and coiled around her clothes, its silver scales emitting a soft light.

The dragon's whiskers swayed gently, and it carefully touched her fingers, as if checking her body temperature.

"Yes, I'm fine now."

Tangxi Xue responded softly.

She lay in the tent and slowly closed her eyes.

So this is what a yandere looks like when he's in love.

Her eyes were red from crying, and her kisses were haphazard yet more precious and sincere than any other; her heart and eyes were filled with that person.

Outside the tent, in front of the campfire.

Jiu Fangzhi reached out and poked the fire with a dry branch, then added a few pieces of fresh firewood.

The firelight blazed up again.

It was late at night.

Among the tall trees on the island, vines hung down silently, spreading along the ground towards the firelight.