The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"At that time, the city of Yaoguang was filled with cries of despair."

Grandma Bai's voice lowered.

"The black mist grew more and more abundant and thicker, and it could not be harmed in the slightest by fire, water, or poison."

"Darkness looms over the city; not a glimmer of hope can be seen."

Suddenly, a glimmer of light appeared in those cloudy eyes, like a still-warm spark bursting forth from ashes.

"Until the flowing clouds lit a lamp."

When she said that name, her whole demeanor changed.

It was no longer the kindness and gentleness towards strangers, but a deeper and more passionate emotion.

"You young people from out of town have probably only heard the name 'Flowing Cloud Medicine Goddess' and know that she is a legend."

"But let me tell you... she is a living, breathing person."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"She lived in Yaoguang City, and every day before dawn she would carry an old bamboo basket up the mountain to collect herbs."

"How many people in this city have taken her medicine? How many people have been pulled back from the brink of death by her? Countless."

Grandma Bai's voice gradually faded, as if she were speaking to an invisible tombstone.

"Back then, Yaoguang City had neither the Erosion Moth nor the Black Mist."

"Liu Yun is a girl who loves to laugh, but she's incredibly stubborn."

"Once she's decided to save someone, even if the King of Hell himself came, he wouldn't be able to snatch half of them from her grasp."

"When the worm outbreak first occurred, everyone was in chaos. Doctors in the city either ran away or fled, and even the government offices were evacuated."

"Only the drifting clouds remain."

Her fingers slowly tightened.

"She locked herself in the pharmacy, working tirelessly day and night to find ways to save people."

"Later, when I brought her food, I secretly glanced at her and saw that the table was piled with discarded prescriptions."

"But that black mist is the most yin and evil thing in the world."

Grandma Bai's voice suddenly turned somber.

"She searched through medical books, tried every prescription, and exhausted every method available... but it was all useless, absolutely nothing worked."

"When those medicines were poured on, it was like pouring them on a red-hot iron plate; they just hissed and turned to smoke."

"She stood at the entrance of the pharmacy, gazing at the half-city swallowed by the black fog in the distance, and for the first time, she shed tears in front of me."

She said... if this continues, everyone will die.

Grandma Bai's gaze was somewhat unfocused.

Tang Xixue listened quietly.

She felt a deep pain in her heart when she knew that doctors were powerless to help.

She subconsciously turned her head and glanced at Jiu Fangzhi.

He was standing in the morning light, his face hidden by a mask, but his eyes were staring straight at her.

He didn't know how long he had been watching like that.

The instant their eyes met, he looked away, his movements as swift as if nothing had happened.

But she clearly saw that the fingers of his hand hanging by his side were slightly curled.

That was the pose he wanted to do but ultimately did nothing.

"After that, she stopped focusing solely on medicinal prescriptions."

Grandma Bai continued.

"She started looking through those forbidden books that no one dared to touch."

"I don't know what she found in those books, but I do know that three days and three nights later, she finally pushed open the door of the pharmacy and staggered out."

"Her face was as white as paper, but she held a lamp in her hands... a glass lamp that she had personally taken out of the furnace."

"A tiny, tiny flame burned on the wick, its blue light swaying precariously in the wind."

"But when she held it and stood in the center of the square, the black mist actually receded."

Grandma Bai's voice unconsciously rose a few decibels.

"She held the lamp above her head, and the swarming moths seemed to have encountered their natural enemy, soaring and retreating inch by inch, backing up the entire street."

"That was the brightest light I've ever seen in my life."

Her voice suddenly went hoarse.

"After daybreak, the black fog dissipated."

"All the Eclipse Moths in the entire Yaoguang City were forced back overnight."

"Later, the flowing clouds disappeared, but a magical galaxy of spiritual essence appeared in the sky."

"From then on, as long as one spirit essence is taken each day, every lamp in the city can be lit."

"With the light on, the moths can't get close."

Grandma Bai spoke slowly.

No one knows where Liu Yun went in the end, but the Star Essence continues to protect this city.

Tang Xixue had a vague guess in her heart that perhaps the disappearance of the Flowing Cloud Medicine God was related to the Star Spirit Marrow.

"Come here, Grandma has prepared a bowl of herbal soup for you."

Grandma Bai composed herself, waved kindly to them, and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

Tang Xixue and Jiu Fangzhi exchanged a glance.

In this strange and mysterious ancient city, they had originally made up their minds not to touch any of the food in the city.

"Act according to the situation."

Jiu Fangzhi's voice was extremely low, so that only she could hear it.

The voice had a metallic chill to it.

Grandma Bai came out of the kitchen carrying two steaming bowls of herbal soup.

The bowl was a rough earthenware bowl, and the soup was a clear, bright green, with a faint bluish-green hue in the morning light.

She gently placed the bowl on the old wooden table in the courtyard and began to speak slowly.

"Our Yaoguang City is different from other places."

"Outsiders who haven't eaten the food here and haven't been touched by the local atmosphere will encounter some bad things..."

Tang Xixue stared at the two bowls of herbal soup, her mind racing.

As she was pondering, a hand reached out from her side and steadily lifted one of the rough pottery bowls.

"I'll drink first."

Jiu Fangzhi's voice showed no hesitation whatsoever.

He picked up the bowl, brought it to his lips beneath the mask, and drank it all in one gulp.

The tip of my tongue carefully discerned the origin and medicinal properties of each herb, silently deducing it several times in my mind to confirm that there were no problems.

Then, without making a sound, he checked the other bowl as well.

My fingertips brushed the rim of the bowl without leaving a trace, and a wisp of extremely faint spiritual energy silently seeped into the soup, circled around, and then dissipated.

He gently pushed the bowl of soup in front of Tang Xixue.

"Drink it, it's not hot, and it's very sweet."

"Oh my, girl, your husband is quite considerate."

Grandma Bai watched this scene with a smile.

"He was worried that the soup wouldn't taste good, so he tasted it for you first to check the saltiness."

"I've lived this long and have seen many young couples, but there aren't many as loving as you two."

"Yes, Mother-in-law is right."

Tang Xixue picked up the bowl, her lips curving slightly, her voice soft and clear.

"He's always been like this...so considerate. He took care of me the whole way, doing everything so thoughtfully, even tucking me in at night."

Just as Jiu Fangzhi put the bowl back on the table, upon hearing this, his finger slid along the rim of the bowl, almost causing it to tip over.

He steadied the rough earthenware bowl, subtly pushing it half an inch toward the center of the table, his voice calm.

"Taking care of my wife is my duty as a husband."

Tang Xixue smiled, lowered her head to drink her soup, and stopped teasing him.

The soup is warm, slightly bitter at first, but a sweet aftertaste quickly spreads across the tongue.

Her eyes were sparkling.

"It's sweet."