The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Of course, and it's unique."

Tang Xixue's words instantly coaxed Xingmi into becoming a placenta.

Yin Kong squatted to the side, its sapphire blue eyes scanning back and forth between them, then it stretched out its little paw and gently patted Xing Mi's front paw.

Those fluffy paw pads were soft and clumsy, offering a comforting message, as if to say, "It's okay to cry, I won't laugh at you."

Tang Xixue withdrew her hand and gently patted Yin Kong's fluffy little head.

"Yin Kong, please take good care of Xing Mi for me. Let me know if anything happens."

"Meow."

Yin Kong nodded vigorously and moved its small body closer to Xing Mi's side, looking as if it were entrusting itself to her.

"It'll be alright, don't be afraid."

Tang Xixue said one last thing before returning inside.

The tenderness in her peach blossom eyes when she looked at Xingmi had not yet faded, but a thin layer of worry had already appeared between her brows.

Why does Junior Sister look so worried?

Jiu Fangzhi waited quietly by the window without making a sound to disturb him.

Only when Tang Xixue raised her eyes did he gently push the spiritual spring water, which he had been warming for a long time, in front of her and ask her a question.

His voice was calm and restrained, like a gentle, warm current in the depths of winter.

"How's your little dragon doing?"

"The wound won't heal."

Tang Xixue took the water pouch and took a small sip.

The warmth of the spring water traveled from her throat all the way to her stomach, easing her long-held tension slightly.

She put down the water pouch, her fingertips brushing across Cangxue's heart, and the frown between her brows deepened.

"Those demon-suppressing chains are imbued with a very strange power, and the wounds they cause are very difficult to treat."

"Those runes are eroding his flesh."

"It's like... some kind of spell."

Upon hearing this, Jiu Fangzhi gently tapped his knee twice with his slender fingers.

These are extremely subtle movements he makes when he's thinking.

He remained silent for a moment, then raised his eyelids, a calm and focused light shining in his deep, unfathomable eyes.

"A spell. A spell that can harm a dragon; it's of a high rank."

He paused, stood up, walked to the table, and moved a pastry from the food box closer to Tang Xixue's hand, the movement natural and effortless.

Then he sat back down by the window, his hands folded on his knees, his posture still the same calm and composed demeanor he never showed before.

"On the continent of Nine Provinces, there are many hidden sects, each with its own traditions and methods."

"Just like the Temple of Destiny on Mount Shengling, they follow the path of cultivation and immortality, seeking to attain enlightenment and become immortals, and to control destiny and fortune. They cultivate the righteous laws of heaven, emphasizing cause and effect and following the natural order."

"But besides that, there are also some little-known ancient sects that specialize in the art of curse killing."

His voice was unhurried, as if he were flipping through an ancient book he knew by heart.

"Incantations differ from ordinary spells. They are not based on spiritual power, but on words as blades and blood as bonds."

"The caster imprints their will and essence into the medium, which can take lives from thousands of miles away, or engrave a curse mark on an object, which will never be erased for thousands of generations."

"Since the Demon-Subduing Formation is used for suppression, those who set it up usually add incantations to it."

"The law of spells is—irreversibility. Once you're under a spell, you can't easily break free."

Tang Xixue frowned even more deeply after hearing this.

She put down the water bag, her expression solemn.

"As for Xingmi's injury, in your opinion, Senior Brother, is there a way to heal it?"

Jiu Fangzhi sat to the side, deep in thought.

"Treatment for wounds caused by curses using medical principles is indeed inappropriate. Ordinary elixirs can only repair flesh and blood, but cannot erase the curse's power. Without removing the curse's power, the wound will never heal."

He looked up at Tang Xixue, his gaze reassuring.

"But it's not unsolvable."

"Most spells have a medium for casting them. A talisman, a jade tablet, or a drop of blood essence branded into an array. As long as the medium is found, the spell can be broken at its source."

"Don't worry, junior sister. If we can find clues left by the person who set up the array back then, or if we can get close to the core of the array, I have a way to reverse-engineer the structure of the spell from the array patterns."

"It will only take a little time."

Tang Xixue looked at him, into his eyes.

She knew that her senior brother never made promises lightly, but once he did, he would keep them.

He wasn't saying "maybe there's a way," he was saying "leave it to me."

"Thank you, senior brother."

Tang Xixue said softly, then lowered her head, picked up the pastry from the food box, and took a small bite.

The flaky pastry melts in your mouth, with a perfectly balanced sweetness.

The Ghost Doctor is methodical in everything he does, even when making desserts, he is very meticulous.

As Jiu Fangzhi watched her eat the pastries in small bites, a slight smile curved his lips.

A dim lamp on the table cast two shadows on the wall, neither too close nor too far apart.

Outside the window, in that deep, dark expanse, something was slowly moving.

At first, it was just a shadow darker than the night itself, silently slipping past the branches of the ancient tree at the street corner.

Then the shadows gathered more and more, becoming thicker and thicker, condensing into mist that slowly spread across the stone slabs of the street.

"Shhh—"

In the darkness, a sound is approaching.

The rustling sounds were chilling.

The sound came from afar, gathering from all directions.

The glass lamp under the eaves dimmed for a moment, I don't know when.

"knock--"

Then, the eerie blue flame in the lamp wick suddenly jumped, as if it had been struck from the outside by something.

"They're here."

Tang Xixue felt the chill creeping in from all around, and the temperature suddenly dropped to freezing.

A thin layer of frost formed on the window paper, spreading visibly from the four corners to the center, the fine ice crystals gleaming eerily in the ghostly blue firelight.

Her breath turned into white mist.

"Don't be afraid, your senior brother is here."

Jiu Fangzhi sat by the window, his slender fingers toying with a metal cube, his movements unhurried, as if he were playing with a chess piece.

He has many metal cubes on his body, each of which is a different mechanism.

Others couldn't tell the difference, but he himself knew the weight, texture, and opening method of each one.

Those were the most exquisite creations of the Heavenly Craft City of the Thousand Machine Mystic Kingdom; each one was a defensive line capable of standing alone.

He raised his eyes and his gaze fell on Tang Xixue.

"Junior sister, remember to stay by my side."

His voice remained calm and collected, but his fingertips were already pressing on the spirit runes on the side of the cube.

"Bang—"

The courtyard gate seemed to have been slammed hard by something.

The sound was dull and heavy, like a giant rock crashing down from a great height.

The door panel trembled violently, and fine wood chips fell from the cracks in the door.

Then, the second one.

"Bang—"

The latch groaned under the strain, and the iron door knocker rattled loudly.

Tang Xixue's hand was already on the hilt of the Longevity Sword.

Jiu Fangzhi remained seated in the same spot, without even raising an eyebrow.

However, the metal cube in his palm had already unfolded its first layer at some point.

At this moment, they still did not know what secrets and dangers were hidden in this underwater labyrinth.