The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

A game of chess is in full swing under the peach blossom tree.

Xie Jinlian and He Lichen were locked in a fierce battle within the chessboard of heaven and earth, completely focused and not daring to be distracted.

The black and white pieces fell, their sound as crisp as jade striking each other, and with each piece, an invisible energy rippled outwards.

The two players were evenly matched, and the black and white pieces were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle on the board.

Xie Jinlian's sword intent transformed into sharp white pieces, pressing forward step by step, like ten thousand swords being fired simultaneously.

He Lichen's starlight transformed into calm black pieces, responding with composure, like an inverted Milky Way.

Unbeknownst to the two, Tang Xixue had already quietly left Zhiyun Xiaozhu and, under the moonlight, headed in another direction.

"Greetings, Your Excellency, the Heavenly Physician."

Qi Zhu was standing guard outside the medicine hut, his back ramrod straight.

Upon seeing Tang Xixue arrive under the moonlight, he immediately bowed respectfully, his attitude extremely courteous.

"Is Zheyue ready to take a break?"

Tang Xixue looked up at the brightly lit pavilions in the night and casually asked.

The night breeze ruffled the stray hairs at her temples, which she tucked behind her ear, her gaze falling on the building surrounded by thousands of lights.

This was her first time visiting Si Xingxuan's medicine hut.

It has to be said that the richest man in the Nine Provinces and the seventh generation of the Pavilion Master has a truly impressive presence.

The entire Divine Medicine Valley is exceptionally well-constructed, with pavilions and towers arranged in a harmonious and orderly manner, showcasing ingenuity in every detail.

But the medicine house where Master Sixingxuan of Kegu lived was even more extraordinary.

The roof is covered with blue tiles, the windows are made of glazed tiles, and exquisite lamps hang under the eaves, each lampshade painted with a variety of herb patterns.

From afar, the pavilion resembles a bright pearl shimmering with a deep blue glow in the night, magnificent yet understated, exquisite yet unpretentious.

"Reporting to the Heavenly Physician, my master has not yet rested at this hour."

Qi Zhu quickly replied.

"Please come in. You are a distinguished guest of our Lord, there is no need to announce your arrival."

There was no communication or transmission; they simply let Tang Xixue pass.

What a joke! This is the Heavenly Physician of Destiny, the person his master cherishes dearly.

Treat her with respect, and you can't go wrong.

The lord usually ignores all the princes and nobles, but he treats this Heavenly Physician with utmost respect, wishing he could present the entire Seven Generations Pavilion to her.

"Which room will Zheyue stay in?"

Tang Xixue asked questions as she walked, her footsteps already stepping onto the jade-paved stone path.

"It's the one with the lights on."

Qi Zhu raised her hand and pointed to the brightest pavilion, which shone like a lighthouse in the night, bathing the surrounding flowers and trees in a warm light.

He lowered his voice again, his tone carrying an barely suppressed earnestness.

"My Lord Physician, my lord has not looked well since returning from the main hall of Divine Medicine Valley today... His Majesty is inside with him."

Tang Xixue paused slightly, but didn't say anything more, only nodded.

A hint of worry flashed across her eyes.

"I see."

She put down the lantern in her hand, leaving its small, warm light on the flower hedge beside the stone path, and then walked towards the building with its myriad lights.

Along the way, the Star Abyss Guards, both overt and covert, kept watch in layers, with hidden sentries concealed among the flowers and overt sentries standing at the corners of the corridors.

Upon seeing Tang Xixue's face, all the guards clad in black armor bowed slightly and stepped aside to make way for her, with not one of them stepping forward to stop her.

Their lord has given the order.

This is an honored guest; meeting him is like meeting him in person.

No one in the Star Abyss Guard was unaware of the weight of those words.

Tang Xixue walked into Si Xingxuan's house without any hindrance.

The interior is predominantly blue, from the gauze curtains to the carpet, from the screen to the porcelain on the table, all in varying shades of blue.

The furnishings are exquisite yet understated, with each piece perfectly placed, reflecting the unique refinement and taste of the seventh-generation owner.

A painting titled "A Panoramic View of the Milky Way" hangs on the wall. The brushstrokes are delicate, and the stars are scattered throughout, clearly the work of a famous artist.

In the corner, a burner of Singapore-style agarwood incense burned, its wisps of smoke rising and swirling in the candlelight.

But the room's exquisite decor was now suffocating under a heavy atmosphere.

There were no other servants present, and no one informed her.

The entire pavilion was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Tang Xixue entered the inner room and saw Emperor Xingze Si Xingzhou, with a solemn expression, guarding the bedside.

The person on the bed was Si Xingxuan.

Although he managed to survive the explosion at the Immortal Medicine Garden thanks to the protection of numerous magical treasures, he barely managed to stay alive.

But his body was too weak.

His frail body was already like a candle flickering in the wind; how could it withstand such an impact?

She puts on a brave face in front of others.

After leaving the Immortal Medicine Garden, he stood on the high platform and methodically ordered the construction of statues of the Medicine God throughout the Nine Provinces.

With a calm and composed tone, he arranged everything perfectly while chatting and laughing. He even joked with Si Xingzhou, saying that the statue should be made of the best jade, so as not to tarnish the reputation of his Seven Generations Pavilion.

But once he returned to the medicine hut, he could no longer hold on.

The string that had been taut for so long finally snapped at this moment.

He lay on the couch, barely breathing, his whole being like a piece of white porcelain about to shatter.

"Ah Zhe, you must hold on."

Si Xingzhou's eyes reddened, and he grasped his younger brother's slightly cold hand, his voice trembling.

The hand he held was as cold as ice, making his heart race with unease.

He was the mighty Emperor of Xingze, commanding a million soldiers, and capable of turning the world upside down with a flick of his wrist.

No one in the imperial court dared to defy him, and no one on the battlefield could withstand his might.

But now, watching his younger brother potentially vanish like smoke at any moment, he was powerless to do anything.

All I could do was hold his hand and feel his faint pulse beating at my fingertips, each beat like a countdown.

That feeling of powerlessness was more painful than being stabbed through on the battlefield.

"He won't die."

Si Xingxuan said softly.

He even tried to force a smile to comfort his brother, but his lips were too weak to move, and he could only manage a slight twitch.

He was used to it long ago.

This body was so fragile from birth, like a piece of porcelain with cracks from the start.

Having survived to this day through repairs and maintenance, I'm already considered lucky.

He never dared to hope for more.

He coughed a few times and covered his lips with a handkerchief.

The coughs, muffled by the handkerchief, grew louder with each cough.

When it was put down again, the snow-white silk handkerchief was stained with glaring bloodstains.

"Don't you know what your body is like?"

Si Xingzhou was anxious, angry, and heartbroken.

"This Trial of the Medicine God isn't absolutely necessary! You know you can't handle it, so why do you still go?"

He snatched the blood-stained handkerchief and clutched it in his hand.

The bloodstains on the handkerchief were still warm, burning his palms.

"Look at you! You're coughing up blood and you're still saying you won't die? Do you think I'm blind?!"

His voice suddenly rose and then fell, the last syllable trembling.

"Why are you so willful...?"

"elder brother."

Si Xingxuan called out softly, and seeing his brother's reddened eyes, he smiled instead.

The smile was weary and serene.

"I just want to go. I don't know how long I'll live anyway, so going to see the Glazed Heaven Secret Realm would make my life worthwhile."

His voice was like a feather about to be blown away by the wind.

"Don't say that."

Si Xingzhou clenched his fists.

But those emotions were like boiling water, rising higher and higher the more you tried to suppress them.

"You won't die. Ah Zhe, don't die. I won't allow you to die."

He suddenly stood up, his robes fluttering and creating a gust of wind.

His voice was resolute, carrying the unquestionable majesty of an emperor, but upon closer listening, one could discern the underlying panic beneath that majesty.

"Jingzhi might be able to save you; she's in Divine Medicine Valley right now. I'll go and beg her."

He turned to leave, his steps resolute.

"Brother, no—"

Si Xingxuan hurriedly reached out to tug at his sleeve, but his fingers were too weak and he only managed to grasp air.

He gasped for breath, and a hint of panic finally crept into his voice—a vulnerability he had never shown in front of others.

"I don't want Zhizhi to see me like this... It looks awful..."

As he spoke, he subconsciously raised his hand to cover his face.

"She'll worry... I don't want her to worry..."

Si Xingzhou paused in his act of turning around.

He saw the person he wanted to see, standing right in front of him, so beautiful and radiant.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, falling on her worried eyes.

"Am I... hallucinating?"

He rubbed his eyes and glanced at them again.

It didn't disappear.

The person is still alive.

It's not a hallucination.

"Zheyue."

Tang Xixue strode forward, past the stunned Si Xingzhou, and sat down directly on the edge of the couch.

She reached out and took Si Xingxuan's pulse.

The moment her fingertips touched her wrist, her brows furrowed tightly.

The pulse was as thin as a spider's thread, intermittent, sometimes there and sometimes it was gone, like a flickering lamp in a storm, which could be extinguished at any moment.

It was worse than she had anticipated.

"Why are you always so pitiful?"

She sighed, her voice filled with heartache.

"Zhizhi..."

Si Xingxuan looked at the face so close to his.

She was so close that he could smell the faint herbal scent emanating from her.

He instinctively tried to pull his hand back.

How could I let her see me looking so disheveled and awful?

His fingers twitched, but she gripped them even tighter.

"Don't move."

Tang Xixue said without looking up, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"I'm taking your pulse. If you move again, I'll prick you up like a hedgehog with my gold needles."

"……oh."

Si Xingxuan obediently stopped moving.

"Kyoko, please, save A-Zhe."

Si Xingzhou came to his senses and walked a few steps to Tang Xixue.

He took a deep breath, setting aside all his pride and imperial dignity, his voice filled with barely suppressed urgency and pleading.

"You can name any conditions you want, I'll agree to them all. As long as you can save A-Zhe, I'll give you anything."

His eyes reddened as he spoke.

That was a vulnerability that an emperor would never show in public, but at this moment he couldn't care less.

The candlelight fell on the corners of his reddened eyes, reflecting a faint glimmer of water.

"He is my only brother. I... cannot live without him."

His voice lowered, tinged with a sob.

"My mother passed away early, and I raised A-Zhe from a young age. I promised my mother that I would protect him for life. I cannot break my promise."

Tang Xixue put down her hand that was taking her pulse, her expression solemn.

"The situation regarding the monthly withdrawal is not optimistic."

She spoke, her voice calm and professional.

"His body is too weak; he simply cannot withstand the struggle between the Ten Thousand Poisons Body and the medicinal power."

She looked at Si Xingzhou and spoke frankly.

"Tianxing Pool".

Si Xingzhou suddenly spoke.

"In the royal holy land of the Xingze imperial capital, Moon Soul Star City, there is a Heavenly Star Pool. The pool water is formed from the condensation of stellar power and is a sacred object passed down through generations of the Xingze royal family. It can temporarily suppress Zheyue's Myriad Poisons Body."

Si Xingzhou gazed at her, his eyes burning with hope.