The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Senior brother, we've arrived."

The snow in Tangxi stopped.

Her voice pulled Jiu Fangzhi out of his aimless thoughts.

He looked away and realized that he had unknowingly walked out of the narrow alley with her, and the view in front of him suddenly opened up.

The two had arrived at the central square of Yaoguang City.

"I wonder how the local natives treat outsiders? Be careful later."

"OK."

This is an extremely spacious circular plaza, paved with gleaming white flagstones.

The gaps between the stone slabs were inlaid with fine, dark blue sand, which shimmered in the morning light, making it seem as if an inverted galaxy was underfoot.

"There's no statue of Liuyun outside. Let's erect one in the Divine Medicine Valley after we leave. What do you think, Senior Brother?"

Tang Xixue looked closely at the white jade statue of the Flowing Cloud Medicine God.

"Of course."

Jiu Fangzhi nodded. "Can't a statue be erected for the founder of Divine Medicine Valley?"

"I just don't know if Zhe Yue will agree?"

Tang Xixue said softly, her gaze still fixed on the statue.

The white jade statue is sacred and solemn, its eyes lowered as it looks down upon its people who, even after thousands of years, still pray to it.

Her hair was styled in a high bun, and her clothes fluttered gracefully, the folds of which flowed like water.

Even the folds of the cuffs were sculpted by the craftsman with exquisite knife work to create the soft texture of the fabric.

The star essence flowing from their fingertips transformed into streams of deep blue water, falling from mid-air into the circular pool at the feet of the statue.

Like pearls rolling into a jade plate, splashing up tiny, star-like droplets of water.

The water surface shimmered with a soft, shimmering light.

"People have already arrived so early."

There were already small groups of people in the square, all of them original residents of Yaoguang City who lived nearby.

Their expressions were solemn and peaceful.

They come to collect the spiritual essence during the day, the only rule in this city.

Extract the essence, light the lamp, and live through this night.

Without questioning the reasons, without doubting the rules.

Tang Xixue walked to the edge of the pool, but did not rush to take the spiritual essence.

She stood there for a moment, then looked up at the face of the white jade statue.

The morning light shone through the statue from behind, casting a pale golden halo around her hair, making her look as if she were gently enveloped by the gaze of the God of Medicine.

She looked at the statue, and the statue looked back at her, its gaze transcending centuries, its compassion unchanged.

She took a half step back and straightened her clothes.

The movements were performed with great care. First, he used his fingertips to straighten the collar, which had been slightly disheveled by the morning breeze, and then he smoothed out the wrinkles in his sleeves.

Then she clasped her hands together in front of her chest and respectfully bowed to the white jade statue of the Flowing Cloud Medicine God, performing the proper greeting of a junior to an elder.

With a slight bend in the waist and a slight bow in the head, his posture was respectful and dignified.

The morning breeze brushed through her hair, blowing a few stray strands of hair from her temples to her face.

She ignored it, simply maintaining her bowing posture, remaining motionless, and quietly waiting for three breaths before speaking.

His voice was clear and solemn, and every word was pronounced clearly.

"I mistakenly entered this city and was protected from the scourge of the Corrosive Moths. Today I need some spiritual essence for self-defense, but I dare not take it recklessly, nor will I forget your kindness. I hope the Medicine God will not be offended."

After a pause, she said softly, "This junior disciple of Divine Medicine Valley, Tang Xixue, greets the Ancestor."

According to the rules of Shenyao Valley, when younger disciples see the statue of the patriarch, they must announce their name and pay their respects to show that they have not forgotten their roots.

Even though the Flowing Cloud Medicine God has been gone from the mortal world for thousands of years, even though this white jade statue is just a silent stone.

But in Tangxi Xue's heart, the patriarch is the patriarch.

Jiu Fangzhi stood half a step behind her, neither interrupting nor urging her.

He simply gazed at her silently.

His junior sister is always like this.

For others, obtaining the essence is as simple as bending down to fetch a cup of water; at most, they might silently say, "Thank you, Medicine God."

She, however, had to straighten her clothes, perform the proper etiquette of a junior, and respectfully introduce herself, explaining her purpose word by word.

It wasn't because she was stuck in the old ways, but because she remembered whose light had illuminated the city.

She remembered whose essence had protected these people.

She remembered that she was a disciple of the Divine Medicine Valley, a descendant of the Flowing Cloud Medicine God, and that she was learning the medical skills passed down from her ancestor.

Even if separated by thousands of years, even if separated by life and death.

The patriarch deserves to be respected.

She's always like this, no matter where she goes; she always sees the good in others and always remembers the kindness they deserve.

I never take any kindness for granted, and I never feel at ease with any gift.

He suddenly remembered a time when his master was still alive. After weeding in the medicinal herb field, the old man, leaning on his hoe, looked at Tang Xixue carrying a basket of herbs down the mountain path in the distance and suddenly said:

"This child has a kind heart; he will be a source of light for others in the future."

At the time, he didn't pay much attention, thinking that his master was just casually praising his little disciple.

Looking back now, perhaps Master had already seen the future back then.

I've seen this moment.

His junior sister stood before the statue of the Flowing Cloud Medicine God, bowing respectfully, her eyes filled with the same compassion and gentleness as her ancestor.

He straightened his robes.

They were serious and meticulous in their movements.

First, he smoothed out the wrinkles on the shoulders of his black outer robe that were damp with the morning mist with his fingertips, then straightened the jade buckle on his belt, and finally brushed away the dust that had settled on his cuffs.

"Junior Jiu Fangzhi greets the Ancestral Master."

He walked to Tang Xixue's side, stood shoulder to shoulder with her, and also bowed to the statue.

With his waist slightly bent and his hands clasped together, his posture was more solemn than usual.

This Flowing Cloud Medicine God is the founder of Divine Medicine Valley and the root of everything.

Without her, there would be no Divine Medicine Valley.

These younger disciples, having set foot in the city protected by their ancestor and receiving the grace left behind by him, should pay their respects.

This is the rule, and it's our duty.

But today, he performed the ceremony with exceptional solemnity.

His junior sister, like the Flowing Cloud Medicine God, has a warm heart and compassionate eyes.

Such people are most likely to illuminate others, but also most likely to burn themselves.

All he could do was be that lamp that shone only on her.

He straightened up and glanced at Tang Xixue.

She has already completed the ceremony.

The morning light painted her profile like a meticulous painting, with every strand of hair clearly visible and every eyelash glowing.

He noticed that her sleeves were slightly rolled up, and her wrists were so slender that they reminded him of the tender new shoots sprouting from willow branches in early spring.

He suddenly dared not look anymore.

She withdrew her gaze, lowered her eyelids, and slowly curled her fingertips into her sleeve.

"It's still early, let's start extracting the spiritual essence while there are fewer people around."

Jiu Fangzhi's voice was calm and steady, and there was nothing unusual about it.

He took out the several thin, cicada-wing-like jade bottles from his sleeve.

It was made by his own hands, using the finest mutton-fat jade, and the bottle was slender like a crane's neck.

The bottle mouth is inlaid with a fine silver thread, which fits perfectly with the stopper, ensuring that not a single drop of spiritual essence will leak out.

The bottle has extremely fine guide grooves engraved on both sides. This is the beauty of the mechanism. When the bottle is placed in the spirit marrow pool, the guide grooves will automatically guide the spirit marrow into the bottle, which is both labor-saving and precise.

"Okay, let's go join the queue then. Hopefully, they won't stop us."

Tang Xixue also took out her own container.

It was a simple celadon vase, slightly larger than his jade vase, with a body as warm and smooth as jade.

The glaze is a very pale sky blue, like the color of the sky after a rain shower.

There are no extra patterns or complicated decorations, only a small begonia flower engraved on the bottom of the bottle.

The little flowers looked exceptionally vibrant, as if they had been carefully nurtured by someone.

That was the first gift that the Ghost Doctor brother had given her.

On the evening he gave her that celadon vase, she held it and examined it from all angles, treasuring it dearly.

That was the first time she realized that her senior brother's hands could not only refine the Rejuvenation Pill, but also polish such a warm and smooth celadon bottle.