The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

The first message flew towards Baiyujing, towards Tangxi Night.

"Brother Xuan Yin, I am fine, there is no need to worry."

The second one flew towards the starry cloud chariot.

"Brother Huaixian, the talisman protected Zhizhi from a calamity. Thank you. I'm fine, don't worry."

The third arrow flew towards Xie Jinlian and Yun Boyan.

"Master, Ayan, Zhizhi has landed safely. She is just temporarily trapped by the wind and snow. There is no need to worry."

The fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds.

Fly to the Moonlit Sea Kingdom, fly to the Cloud River, fly to every direction that holds her in its heart.

She replied to each one calmly, without the slightest hint of panic.

Feng Zhuo, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but come closer.

"Ah Xue, aren't your hands cold after writing so many letters?"

"I have to write, even if it's cold."

Tangxi Xue didn't even raise her head.

"They are all waiting for news; every moment of delay means another moment of torment for them."

When Tang Xixue took out the communication talisman, she saw the messages on it, all inquiring about her situation.

It seems they are very well-informed.

"Oh, Ah Xue is so thoughtful."

Feng Zhuo scratched his head, recalling the time when Tang Xixue had her accident, and how that group of lunatics almost turned the entire Nine Provinces upside down!

"Let's go, let's continue exploring."

Tang Xixue glanced around.

"No matter where this place is, we'll find out once we go."

When Tang Xiye, far away in Baiyujing, received the message, she was pacing back and forth in Chengtian Hall.

He received news of the accident on the Moon Weaving Immortal Ship right after the court session ended, and he almost rushed to Xingze on the spot.

At that moment, the communication talisman in his palm lit up, and when the familiar handwriting came into view, he stopped in his tracks.

The emperor stood by the window, looking down at those few words for a long time.

"Your Majesty, are you still going?"

Shen Cuo's voice came from behind.

Tang Xiye shook her head.

"No need. My going to Xingze would only cause trouble for Zhizhi. After all, that's Sixingzhou's territory."

His gaze returned to the communication symbol, his voice low.

"This blizzard is rather strange. I suspect it's the work of the Guixu Palace."

"They really haven't given up their wicked intentions."

He turned around, his black dragon robe shimmering with gold patterns in the sunlight.

"Your Majesty is right."

Shen Cuo lowered his head.

"News has come from Strategist Yan that this blizzard is no ordinary weather phenomenon, and the Guixu Palace is indeed behind it. The Guixu Palace Master's methods are unpredictable, and it's not impossible for him to have caused a hurricane. The freezing of the Nine Dragons Waterfall is probably also their doing."

"They're trying to frame Zhiyue."

The sound of Tangxi at night was as cold as the frosty moonlight outside the window.

"You want to sow discord between Zhiyue and Xingze. Palace Master Guixu, what a clever scheme to drive a wedge between them."

"However, if Si Xingzhou is that stupid, he won't be able to hold onto the throne."

"Your Majesty is right."

Shen Cuo responded.

"Your Highness is safe and sound now, so please rest assured."

"I know."

Tang Xiye placed the communication talisman on her palm, feeling the residual spiritual light and warmth on it.

"I'm just worried. She's all alone outside in such heavy snow."

"The young princess is not alone. General Feng and Mu Liang are both by her side."

Shen Cuo said softly.

"I know, I know everything."

Tang Xi closed her eyes briefly at night.

"But I still can't put my mind at ease about Shen Cuo."

"If Zhizhi no longer depends on me, it means I am useless."

Yan Ci stood amidst the swirling snow.

Her long, silver-gray hair was ruffled by the wind, like flowing moonlight.

"The Guixu Palace is in a hurry, daring to even tamper with celestial phenomena."

"Master, the carriage is ready."

Someone informed them from behind.

"understood."

Yan Ci turned around, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Go and investigate the movements of Guixu Palace. Since they dared to harm the young prince, they will have to pay a price."

"Will the Pavilion Master personally go to fetch the young prince?"

"nature."

Yan Ci stepped into the carriage with a composed gait.

"However, before picking them up, let's leave them some gifts. Although I, the sect leader, dislike fighting and killing, it doesn't mean I won't."

He unfolded his folding fan, covering half of his face.

"The Palace Master of Guixu Palace seems to have forgotten that the Tianji Pavilion not only knows heavenly secrets, but also takes lives."

On the Starry Sky Chariot, He Lichen looked at the short message in his palm, and the coldness between his brows finally melted a little.

The amulet was forged from his life essence and was connected to her mind.

His heart almost stopped for a moment when the amulet shattered.

"It's good that Zhizhi is alright."

The horoscope slowly rotated beside her, and her natal star remained bright.

Although shrouded in a faint shadow, it never dimmed in the slightest.

"The shadow has not yet faded. The crisis is not yet over."

He Lichen lightly touched the star chart with her fingertip, and a ray of starlight disappeared into it.

"Since the talisman is broken, I will give you another one."

He pointed his fingers like a sword and drew a line across his palm, from which a drop of bright red blood seeped out.

The drop of blood condensed in his palm without dissipating, slowly transforming into a tiny blood-red rune.

"go."

The talisman transformed into a streak of light, piercing through the air and disappearing into the vast snowy landscape.

Xie Jinlian stood atop the sea of ​​clouds, her long, silvery-white hair dancing in the wind like snow.

He looked down at the message in his palm, his fingertips gently tracing the surface of the talisman.

"Weaving."

He called out softly, across a vast sea of ​​clouds and a thousand snow-covered mountains.

"I'm coming to find you right now."

The Butterfly Sword hummed softly in its scabbard, as if responding to its master's wishes.

Xie Jinlian gripped the hilt of his sword, his cold gaze piercing through the sea of ​​clouds, looking towards the direction of Xingze.

His apprentice.

He took care of it himself.

"Brother."

Yun Boyan's voice came from behind.

He stood a few steps away, dressed in white, his clothes as pure as snow.

"I'll go first."

Xie Jinlian nodded.

"Make sure you bring Zhizhi home safely."

"Don't worry, brother."

Yun Boyan rode out on his sword, and the Bo Chen sword cut through layers of wind and snow.

The silvery-white sword light resembled a star trailing down from the sky.

A silver light streaked across the sky, hurtling towards the southern border of Xingze.

A pale golden sword mark was left in the air, lingering for a long time.

Beneath the icy abyss, the wind and snow continue to rage.

But thanks to her thick cloak, Tang Xixue wasn't frozen stiff.

She handed one thick cloak to Feng Zhuo and Mu Liang, and put one on herself as well.

Feng Zhuo paused for a moment when he took the cloak.

"Ah Xue, did you prepare this all along?"

"When traveling, it's always good to have some warm clothing on hand."

Tang Xixue tied the ties of her cloak, her tone indifferent.

"Better safe than sorry."

"This cloak is really thick, even better than the ones issued to soldiers."

Feng Zhuo wrapped his cloak tighter around himself and squinted comfortably.

"Ah Xue, you're a walking treasure chest, you have everything."

"A treasure chest?"

Tang Xixue raised an eyebrow.

"Do you think I'm a general store?"

"No way, no general store is as useful as Xue."

Feng Zhuo grinned and came closer.

"What other good stuff does Ah Xue have? Bring it out and show it to us!"

"have."

Tang Xixue took out a packet of candied fruit from her sleeve and stuffed it into his hand.

"Eat your food and keep quiet."

Feng Zhuo held the bag of candied fruit, paused for a moment, and then laughed like a squirrel that had stolen a pine cone.

"Ah Xue is the best!"

When Mu Liang took the cloak, he simply nodded silently and uttered a few words sparingly.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"You're welcome."

Tang Xixue glanced at him.

"Ah Liang, why are you talking less than usual? Are you feeling unwell?"

"no."

Mu Liang shook his head. He was an introverted person by nature and was extremely shy when speaking to His Highness.

"I just feel that this place is too quiet. It's unnaturally quiet."

"That's definitely not normal."

Tang Xixue nodded.

"But since we're already here, let's make the best of it. Let's find a place to shelter from the wind and snow first, and then go out when the wind stops."

They walked forward along the bottom of the icy abyss.

The ice beneath our feet was covered with thick snow, and each step produced a soft, crunching sound that was particularly clear in the deathly silence.

After walking for a while, Mu Liang suddenly stopped.

"Your Highness, there seems to be settlement ahead."

His gaze pierced through the heavy snow and landed on a hazy outline in the distance.

"Ah Xue, look! There's a house over there, and there's smoke coming from it."

Feng Zhuo followed his gaze and stared wide-eyed.

"Huh? There are actually people living in this icy abyss? Isn't this an even more desolate place than the Northern Frontier?"

"It is precisely because it is desolate that no one should live there."

A hint of wariness crept into Mu Liang's voice.

"Your Highness, be careful, it might be a trap."

"Even if it's a scam, we should still go and check it out."

Tang Xixue pulled her cloak tighter, gazing at the wisp of smoke rising in the wind and snow, a hint of interest flashing in her starry eyes.

"Those who can live in an eternally frozen abyss are either highly skilled or extraordinary individuals."

She stepped forward.

"Let's go see who this is."

Feng Zhuo and Mu Liang exchanged a glance and quickly followed.

The house was small, standing alone beneath the ice wall, like a strange plant growing from a crevice in the icy abyss.

A wisp of smoke rose from the chimney on the roof.

There was a fence in front of the house, covered with icicles that glistened in the dim light, like a row of glass curtains.

"This place is quite tidy."

Feng Zhuo looked around and lowered his voice.

"It doesn't seem like a den of demons or monsters; it's more like... a secluded place?"

"Choosing to live in seclusion in such a place means either to avoid enemies or to escape the world. Either way, it's not the work of an ordinary person."

Tang Xixue walked to the front of the house and glanced at the wooden door with paper pasted on the windows.

A single lamplight shone through the paper window, casting a warm, golden glow in this icy, snowy abyss.

"Is anyone home?"

Feng Zhuo stepped forward and knocked on the door.

He knocked three times, neither too lightly nor too heavily, which was both polite and not overly formal.

The sound of knocking echoed through the icy abyss.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Then came a series of unhurried footsteps, the footsteps were lazy, as if the owner had just woken up from a long daydream. The soles of the shoes brushed the ground, and after taking two steps, they stopped, as if stretching.

The door was pulled open halfway.

A young boy's face appeared behind the door.

The boy was about seventeen or eighteen years old, tall and slender, but extremely thin.

He was wearing an old, faded cotton robe, the sleeves of which were too short, revealing a slender wrist.

Although the robe was old, it was washed clean, and the collar was slightly open, giving off a nonchalant and casual vibe.

His features were exceptionally handsome, with clear and refined features, a straight and elegant nose, and a well-defined jawline.

Yet, those eyes held an unfathomable light—an overly sharp, undisguised intelligence.

It's as if they've seen through everything all along, but just find it too boring to say it out loud.

He had an old hemp rope, worn smooth and shiny, tied around his waist, with a copper coin hanging from the end of the rope.

The copper coin was missing a corner, its edges were worn thin, and the patterns on its surface had been almost smoothed out by time, yet it had been polished to a shine, gleaming with a warm copper color in the dim light.

He tilted his head to look outside the door, his gaze sweeping across Feng Zhuo's face and then over Mu Liang.

Then, it landed on Tang Xixue's face.

In that instant, he felt as if he had been struck by something.

Those usually cynical eyes suddenly froze for a moment.

Like a seed buried deep in the ground, suddenly illuminated by a ray of light.

He looked at Tang Xixue's face, his lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but then he swallowed it back.

But that loss of composure lasted for less than a breath.

He blinked, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

Those eyes narrowed slightly, like a fox that had finally waited for its prey to come to it.

"Yo."

He leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, a playful smile on his lips.

"What a lucky day! Three living people fell from the sky. I should have boiled two more kettles of water."

As he spoke, he looked the three of them up and down.

There was no malice in that gaze, but it carried an interest that made it hard to tell whether it was scrutiny or teasing.

"Let me guess. Blown down by the wind? The wind in this godforsaken place is incredibly strong. Last time, a bird was blown in and couldn't fly out for three days. You guys are luckier than that bird; at least you managed to knock on the door yourself."

Feng Zhuo was stunned for a moment.

"Aren't you surprised? Shouldn't a normal person ask who we are when they see strangers in a place like this?"

"It's pointless to ask who you are."

The boy raised an eyebrow, scratched the back of his head, and yawned.

"Anyway, those who made it this far alive are either unlucky losers who got lost, crazy people looking for something, or..."

His gaze lingered on Tang Xixue for a moment, and his smile deepened.

"Either God thinks my life is too boring and sends some fun as a special gift. Which one are you? Never mind, don't tell me yet, let me guess for a while. Is there a prize if I guess right?"

Feng Zhuo and Mu Liang exchanged a glance.

This person's reaction was unlike anything they had expected.

It wasn't vigilance or wariness, nor was it enthusiasm; rather, it was a kind of almost playful composure.

It's as if he's been cooped up in this ancient icy abyss for too long, and has developed his own unique set of survival rules.

Treat every unexpected event as a form of entertainment for today.