The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

The next morning.

After everyone had rested and woken up from their exercise, they felt refreshed.

I slept soundly through the night, the energy from the dragon fish soup having been completely absorbed by my meridians.

There was a long-lost sense of clarity and lightness throughout my body.

Tang Xixue's complexion had become much rosier.

A healthy flush appeared on her originally pale face.

Like the first peach blossom to bloom on a branch in early spring, delicate yet vibrant.

The atmosphere of dusk and scorching wind had also become noticeably calmer.

The effects of the dragon fish soup were extraordinary; overnight, their cultivation levels showed subtle signs of improvement.

Chuqiao has already risen.

Earlier than everyone else.

He woke up before dawn, or rather, he hadn't slept much at all.

He had already processed the remaining fish.

Wash it with clean water and carefully wrap it one by one with chilled leaves.

They tied the straw ropes tightly together and stacked them neatly so that they could easily take them on their journey.

Each bundle was roughly the same size, and each knot in the straw rope was tied firmly and neatly.

He did these things quietly, with skillful and gentle movements.

He was preparing provisions for a long journey, performing some kind of ritual known only to himself.

"These are what we're leaving for you."

Tang Xixue pointed to the pile of fish in the corner and said to Chu Qiao.

Feng Zhuo and the others listened to her and naturally had no objections.

The fish were piled up high, almost reaching Chu Qiao's waist, enough for him to eat for quite some time.

Chu Qiao glanced at the fish, then at Tang Xixue.

A casual smile played at the corners of his lips, and a fleeting glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony, it'll be enough for me to eat for a while."

He spoke in a lighthearted tone, as if he were talking about something to be happy about.

But when he picked up the stack of fish, his movements were slower than usual, as if he were holding something precious.

The sky is bright.

The blizzard has completely stopped.

After the swirling snow and wind above the icy abyss subsided, a small patch of pale blue light appeared.

That patch of sky was narrow and shallow, like a blue ribbon forgotten on the ice field.

Fragile and beautiful, as if a gust of wind could blow it away.

Sunlight falls on the ice wall, refracting countless tiny rainbows, like tiny gems embedded in the ice.

Chu Qiao pushed open the wooden door and took a deep breath of the cold air.

The air was so cold it pierced my lungs, freezing me all the way down my throat to my chest. Yet it possessed a unique crispness and cleanliness, like that after a blizzard.

The whole world was cleansed.

He turned around and waved to the three people inside the house.

The morning light streamed in from behind him, gilding his silhouette with a faint golden edge.

"Set off."

His voice regained its light and cheerful tone, and his eyes crinkled into a smile, as if he were taking a friend out for a spring outing.

"While the weather is fine, I'll take you to the underground river."

Along the way, Chu Qiao led the way.

He still had that same carefree, grinning look.

It was as if last night's terrifying ordeal was nothing more than a trivial incident.

In a little while, I'll tell Feng Zhuo which fish in the underground river is the most delicious and has the most tender flesh.

"The fish doesn't even need salt when grilled; it has a naturally sweet and fresh flavor."

A moment later, he struck up a conversation with Mu Liang, asking him how heavy his sword was and whether he had ever slain a tiger.

"How does it feel to chop? Are the bones hard?"

A moment later, she turned back and urged Tang Xixue to watch her step.

"That piece of ice is loose; you'll slip and fall if you step on it."

"Don't blame me if you fall."

His voice echoed across the vast, icy plain, light and bright.

It's like he's singing a song that only he can understand.

But Tang Xixue noticed.

He was a little slower than yesterday.

It's not that my legs are slow, or that I'm physically exhausted.

Instead, he would stop every now and then.

Pretend to look at the road ahead casually, and say that you are listening to the volume of the water to judge whether the water level of the underground river has changed.

Or look up at the sky and say that the clouds look like the wind is about to pick up again.

Then, when they weren't looking, press hard on your chest.

"We've arrived! This is it."

The entrance to the underground river is hidden at the bottom of an ice fissure.

The crack was narrow and deep, like a wound cleaved open on the ice field by a giant axe.

The ice walls on both sides were as smooth as mirrors, reflecting the sky and giving off a faint blue hue.

"Without me leading the way, no one could find this place."

The entrance was blocked by a huge block of ice.

The piece of ice was about half a person's height, with a smooth, mirror-like surface that blended seamlessly with the surrounding ice walls.

"Ah Qiao, thanks to you!"

Feng Zhuo said gratefully.

If Chu Qiao hadn't pointed it out, they would never have discovered the hidden world behind it.

"It's nothing."

Chu Qiao pushed the piece of ice away, his arm muscles tensed for a moment, but his movements remained swift.

The ice creaked as it was moved aside with a dull thud.

A narrow passage, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, was revealed.

"This place is really well hidden."

Tang Xixue couldn't help but sigh as well.

A damp vapor rose from the passage, carrying the scent of earth and rocks.

It was a breath from another world, completely different from the dry, cold air on the ice field.

There was ice beneath our feet, but we could hear the gurgling of water beneath it.

The voice came from deep underground, steady and enduring.

It seems to have flowed like this for thousands of years, and will continue to flow until the end of time.

"Follow the underground river; the current will carry you through the bottom of the ice."

Chu Qiao stood at the entrance of the underground river and handed the bundle to Feng Zhuo.

His movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

"You'll see the exit in about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

He then took out a small cloth bag from his pocket and stuffed it into Tang Xixue's hand.

His movements were casual, as if they happened spontaneously, so that they didn't seem like a deliberate gift.

But that cloth bag was something he had prepared long ago and kept close to his body.

"The exit is beneath a frozen lake in the southern part of Xingze."

He stood at the entrance to the underground river, leaning against the piece of ice he had pushed aside, and made way for them.

The morning light streamed down from above the crack, casting dappled shadows on his face.

Who could have known that the road above was a dead end, while the path in the dark river was the way to survival?

The ice fissures above look spacious, like natural paths—flat, wide, and easily visible.

But that road had no exit; at its end lay the deepest part of the burial ground.

It is a dead zone where countless corpses are frozen.

Those who stray into it will only exhaust their last bit of strength while lost in their confusion.

Frozen to death in the ice, becoming a new ice coffin, a new silhouette, a nameless number on the new burial list.

This underground river, hidden beneath layers of ice unknown to anyone, has flowed silently for millions of years.

Passing through countless reefs and caves, it leads to the outside world where there is sunshine and living people.

Towards that world with markets and lively atmosphere.

"What is this?"

Tang Xixue looked down at the small cloth bag in her hand.

The cloth was old, faded from washing, and the edges were frayed.

But it was washed clean and folded neatly.

It also carries a faint, refreshing scent of herbs and plants, the aroma of iced mint, mixed with a very subtle hint of ginger.

"Iced mint, I dried it myself. I used it to make fish soup for my sister yesterday."

Chu Qiao spoke casually, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

He even shrugged, a casual smile playing on his lips.

"It makes delicious tea. I also have a few slices of ginger. If you catch a chill on the road, boil some in water and drink it. It's more effective than any of those useless medicines."

After he finished speaking, he took a step back, clearing the only passage for him.

His back pressed against the ice wall, the cold seeping into his skin through his thin clothes, but he seemed not to feel it.