The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

The little white cat, Yin Kong, found a comfortable corner in the Hall of Longevity, curled up into a ball of snow-white fluff, and lazily hooked the tip of its tail.

Little Silver Dragon Xingmi continued to heal within the Heart of Azure Snow. Its silvery-white scales, nurtured by the spiritual energy of the space, gradually regained their luster, transforming from a dull grayish-white to a lustrous, moonlit silver. "Zhizhi... on the Lantern Festival, could I invite you to stay in Xuanxing City for a night stroll and to admire the lanterns?"

Si Xingxuan's voice was light and delicate, as if it were made of the thinnest glass and carefully handed to her, as if afraid that it would shatter in the wind if she wasn't careful.

Those eyes, clear as the sky after the rain, looked at her, their depths holding a shimmering light.

The light was not intense, but it shone with an unyielding brilliance.

"Is the Lantern Festival almost here?"

Tang Xixue counted the days, her gaze drifting into the distance, as if counting a silent passage of time.

The moonlight outside the window was cold, and the icy tassels on the eaves swayed gently in the night wind, their tinkling sounds scattering across the ground.

She searched for the soul all the way from Baiyujing to Xuanxing City.

Before we knew it, the fifteenth of January was approaching.

On the Lantern Festival, the city is ablaze with lights, and lanterns fill the city like stars fallen to earth.

This is her first Lantern Festival since her return.

She originally intended to return to Baiyujing.

There was her mother, her brother, and the long street lined with lanterns that she had watched grow up.

Ke Sixing rarely made a request.

"The Lantern Festival in Xuanxing City is no less impressive than that in Baiyujing."

Seeing her hesitate, Si Xingxuan quickly added a sentence, speaking much faster than usual, as if afraid of an awkward silence.

After I finished speaking, I realized that my tone was a bit too eager, and I felt a little embarrassed.

"Ten thousand river lanterns will float down from upstream on Suspended Star Lake, like a silver river hanging upside down on the lake's surface. And there will be fireworks. Every year, the Seven Generations Pavilion will order a batch of spirit flames to set off on the city tower, illuminating the entire night sky."

His voice was somewhat low.

"I want to... watch it with Zhizhi."

It wasn't that I wanted Zhizhi to see the best lights in Xuanxing City, but rather—I wanted them to see them together.

"Zhizhi didn't refuse, so that means she agreed, right?"

Si Xingxuan's voice trembled slightly.

"Um."

Tang Xixue responded with an affirmative answer.

A single syllable brought a sense of relief to the heart that had been hanging in suspense for so long.

"Thank you, Zhizhi."

Si Xingxuan was so happy she didn't know what to do.

He raised his hand slightly, his fingertips twitching as if to grasp her hand, but he stopped mid-air.

Then he slowly pulled his hand back, his fingertips curled up inside his sleeve, clenching and unclenching, creating a fine crease at the cuff.

"What are you thanking me for?"

Tang Xixue looked at his helpless appearance with a gentle smile.

"Aren't you my consort? Isn't it only natural that I spend the Lantern Festival with him?"

Si Xingxuan used his utmost sincerity to earn her attention.

He, a man so proud to the core, humbled himself to the dust in front of her.

Upon hearing her words, his eyes suddenly lit up, as if the sunlight that had been accumulating throughout the rainy season had burst through the clouds in a single instant, so dazzling that it was almost blinding.

"Yes, I am."

He stammered, his tongue as if tied with seven or eight bows.

"Zhizhi, does this prince consort only count on the Lantern Festival, or does he count on other days as well?"

He asked very cautiously, as if confirming the expiration date of an imperial edict.

He wanted an answer, an answer that would put his mind at ease.

He wasn't just a prince consort for a day, nor was he just someone to accompany her to watch a lantern festival.

He's greedy, he admits; what he wants is for the long term.

What do you think?

Tang Xixue did not answer directly, but simply tilted her head, a faint smile appearing in her peach blossom eyes.

That smile was enough for Si Xingxuan to read the answer from it.

"I think it counts. It counts every single day."

After he finished speaking, he blushed.

Shy and timid.

If these four words were placed on the richest man in the Nine Provinces, the seventh generation of the Pavilion Master, and the Divine Physician of the Moon-Folding Sect, it would probably shock the entire Nine Provinces.

That once ruthless business tycoon, who could turn the world upside down with a flick of his wrist, was now like a young man experiencing his first love, unable to utter a complete reply.

His world was originally a rainy season.

It's always pouring rain, overcast skies, and a bottomless maze.

I don't know where the shore is, or if this rain will ever stop.

But at this moment, countless raindrops were illuminated by the sunlight, shining with boundless brilliance.

Everything that was once cold and gloomy was now gilded by that light.

The sky was clear and cloudless.

"Zhizhi, if you need anything, just tell me."

He steadied himself and tried to make his voice sound less shaky.

"Even if you wanted the stars in the sky, I would find a way to pluck one down for you."

If someone else had said this, it would have been considered a glib, teasing remark.

But when he spoke, his eyes were serious, so serious that no one doubted he would start researching how to reach for the stars the very next day.

"I have no shortage of stars, but your dome is studded with at least three hundred star diamonds."

Tang Xixue raised her eyes and glanced at the star-shaped dome above her head, a slight smile curving her lips.

"However, I would like to borrow your weapon-refining room for a while."

Si Xingxuan immediately responded.

"I'll take you there."

He got up and led the way.

Her steps were light and quick, causing the tassels on her robes to sway and flutter like the tip of a little snow fox's raised tail.

Tang Xixue followed behind him, passing through the corridor of the Hall of Longevity and turning through a moon gate, only to discover that the Hall of Longevity and the Palace of the Moon were connected.

A moon gate leads directly to the Zheyue Palace from the Changsheng Hall, with corridors connecting both sides.

They are not adjacent, but connected.

He connected his palace with her Palace of Eternal Life.

"You've got some design skills. When was the connection completed?"

Tang Xixue gazed at the moon gate, above which were inscribed the two characters "Weaving the Moon," the handwriting elegant and clear, clearly his own.

"It was designed this way from the very first day the Hall of Longevity was built."

Si Xingxuan touched the tip of his nose.

"At that time, I was thinking that if Zhizhi came to stay someday, I couldn't let you take a long way out."

"Oh? Which roundabout route is it?"

Tang Xixue raised an eyebrow.

Si Xingxuan was teased by her again and lowered his head shyly.

"Yes, that's the way to my bedchamber."

The weapon-refining room is located on the top floor of the Zheyue Palace.

The moment Tang Xixue pushed open the door, she was slightly surprised.

This weapon-refining room was larger than she had imagined; it wasn't just spacious, but rather luxuriously grand.

Above is a starry dome, with countless tiny luminous pearls of all sizes, scattered in a staggered pattern, shimmering with a deep blue light.

Beneath our feet lies a floor of starstone of the same color, with silver-white star patterns flowing across the dark blue background.

"The weapon-refining room here at Zheyue is even more complete than that of the Divine Medicine Valley."

Tang Xixue walked to the display shelf and glanced at the neatly stacked materials.

Jacquard, meteorite iron, moonstone sand, ice crystal...

Each one is a rare treasure, yet here they are simply displayed, categorized and neatly arranged.

"Is this enough? If not, I'll have someone bring a few more boxes from the warehouse."

Si Xingxuan stood behind her, his tone filled with an eagerness as if he were presenting a treasure.

That's enough.

Tang Xixue picked up a jar of moonstone sand. Each grain of sand in the glass jar shimmered with a soft, pearl-like luster. Its quality was so good that she had only ever seen it in ancient books.

The richest man in the nine provinces certainly has an extraordinary presence.