The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Do you live here alone?"

The voice in the twilight carried a scrutinizing tone.

He stood inside the doorway, his gaze sweeping over the furnishings of the room, making sure there were no signs of anyone hiding before he spoke.

"Otherwise what?"

The boy shrugged, stepped aside to make way for the doorway, and made an exaggerated welcoming gesture.

"Does this mean I have a ghost living with me? Come on in, come on in. It's windy outside. If you stand here any longer, the three of you will turn into ice sculptures."

"Although ice sculptures are quite beautiful, wouldn't it make me seem like I'm too ostentatious to have three ice sculptures in front of my little shabby house? That's too flashy and doesn't fit my low-key style."

Feng Zhuo's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward.

"Your mouth could be a heater even in the northern frontier! Living alone in this godforsaken place and still so happy? Impressive, brother. I get itchy all over after three days of being cooped up in the barracks without talking to anyone. How did you manage?"

"The aftereffects of living alone".

The boy followed behind him with a smile, his tone light and cheerful.

"Living alone for a long time will either make you mute or a chatterbox. Unfortunately, I became the latter."

"But don't look down on me, a chatterbox is more interesting than a mute, right? At least he can keep you company and relieve your boredom."

He strode to the stove, pulled out a few wooden stools, and symbolically wiped them with his sleeve, his perfunctory actions making no attempt to hide it.

"Sit down, sit down. The chair is a bit shaky, don't blame me if you fall. I've wanted to get a new one for a while, but I've been too lazy to do it."

"Your arrival is just in time; if any of these chairs eventually die of old age, it will serve as a testament to their existence."

Tang Xixue did not sit down immediately.

Her gaze swept over the crooked wooden stools, then over the boy's smiling face, which seemed to say, "It's none of my business if I fall." A smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.

He's a really interesting person.

"Your way of treating guests is quite unique."

As she spoke, she reached out and pressed on the stool to test its weight-bearing capacity.

"First, state that you are not responsible for any falls, then invite the guest to sit down. That way, if the guest falls, they can only blame their bad luck. Young master, you've used this tactic of feigning retreat to advance quite skillfully."

The boy was walking towards the stove when he heard this and paused.

He turned his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before his smile deepened.

"Oops, I've been seen through."

He shrugged without a hint of guilt.

"I can't help it. When you live alone for a long time, you have to find some fun for yourself. Watching guests carefully sit in their chairs is one of my pleasures."

"But sister, you're the first one to say it out loud before even sitting down."

He tilted his head to look at her, his tone revealing a hint of interest.

"It's not fun. You're too smart, it's not fun."

"I'm so sorry, I ruined your fun."

Tang Xixue spoke casually, her smile deepening.

"However, you can always come up with something new. I'll be watching."

The boy paused for a moment, then clapped his hands and burst into laughter.

"Great! Challenges make things fun."

Feng Zhuo sat down beside him, looked at Tang Xixue and then at the boy, and scratched the back of his head.

"Why do I feel like you two have already gone through a round of sparring after only exchanging a few words?"

"illusion."

Tang Xixue smiled slightly.

"Yes, it's an illusion."

The boy nodded vigorously, his expression excessively innocent.

"I'm an honest man."

Mu Liang stood silently beside Tang Xixue, glancing at the boy expressionlessly.

That look clearly said, "If you're an honest person, even the snow in this icy abyss is warm."

He didn't say anything, but simply moved half an inch behind Tang Xixue to make sure he was in the wind's path.

The boy pretended not to see Mu Liang's gaze and turned to add firewood to the stove.

Tang Xixue sat on the wooden stool, her gaze fixed on his face, observing him discreetly.

The boy spoke incoherently, but his eyes were always observing them from the shadows.

As he turned to add firewood, his gaze swept quickly over the patterns on her body as he bent over.

Then it swept past the sword at Mu Liang's waist and paused for a moment at the jade pendant at Feng Zhuo's waist.

He speaks the most casual words, yet his gaze is as sharp as a razor's edge.

It was a deeply hidden vigilance, concealed beneath jokes and a nonchalant tone.

He doesn't trust anyone, but he also doesn't want anyone to know that he doesn't trust anyone.

That's even more interesting.

"How long have you lived here?"

Tang Xixue asked.

The boy was adding firewood to the stove when he heard this and thought for a moment.

"That's a good question. Let me calculate it."

He counted on his fingers, then shook his head.

"I can't count it. Anyway, it's been a long time, so long that I've almost forgotten what the sun looks like outside."

"But it doesn't matter, there's no one waiting for me outside anyway. I'm the king here, even if I'm all alone."

He turned around, still holding half a piece of firewood in his hand.

"But what about you guys? What's the situation outside? Is there still a war? Any interesting gossip? Tell me about it, so I can broaden my horizons."

"There's no war going on outside, everything's peaceful."

Feng Zhuo eagerly answered, and when he talked about this, he was no longer sleepy. He leaned forward and gestured with his hands.

"Let me tell you, after fighting in the northern frontier for so many years, peace has finally been restored! The world is at peace, and the people are loyal. You haven't seen it, but now trade is flourishing throughout the land, and everything is bustling with activity."

"Peace?"

The boy stuffed the firewood into the stove and patted the ash off his hands.

"That's really boring. What's so interesting about Taiping? It's not as interesting as my Ice Abyss. At least here you can occasionally see the aurora."

"Have you ever seen the aurora borealis in an ice abyss? You haven't, have you? If the snow stops tonight, I'll show you."

"What's so great about the aurora? Let me tell you about the bonfire parties in northern Xinjiang! That's something else! Thousands of people singing, dancing, eating meat, and drinking around a bonfire—"

Feng Zhuo became more and more excited as he spoke, and almost jumped off his chair.

"Ignite it, then bring it to a stop."

Tang Xixue spoke softly.

Feng Zhuo sat back down awkwardly.

"Okay, okay, I'll tone it down."

The boy's lips curled up even more as he watched this scene.

"This guy really knows how to control himself."

As he spoke, he picked up the iron kettle and poured water into the teapot, his movements as casual as if he were splashing water, yet not a single drop spilled outside the kettle.

Tang Xixue looked at his hands.

Very stable.

It possesses a precision that comes from spontaneity.

Tang Xixue asked:

"You said no one is waiting for you outside. So what are you waiting for here?"

The boy placed the iron kettle back by the stove, his face still bearing that same carefree smile.

"What are you waiting for?"

He seemed to be seriously considering this question.

"Waiting for the aurora, waiting for the birds to fly by, waiting for the fish in the underground river to grow up. And also—"

He blinked.

"I'm waiting for the day when God opens his eyes and sends me down some interesting people to chat with. That's why I'm waiting for it today."

"That simple?"

Tang Xixue looked into his eyes, her gaze gentle yet unyielding.

That gaze wasn't interrogative, but rather a warm, probing look.

There are people who are willing to sit down and patiently listen to him finish what he hasn't said yet.

"That's easy."

The boy met her gaze and smiled openly, like a polished mirror.

It only shows what people want to see, without letting them see what's hidden behind the mirror.