The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Chuqiao suddenly remembered that winter.

It's cold.

That was the coldest winter he had ever experienced in his life. It was so cold that his breath was torn apart by the wind before it could dissipate. It was so cold that a child who was about to starve to death huddled in a haystack by the roadside, too weak to even shiver.

He didn't make it through that winter.

Or rather, it shouldn't have survived.

By then, he could no longer feel his hands and feet; his consciousness flickered like an oil lamp about to go out. Before him was a chaotic white expanse, indistinguishable between snow and sky, and unable to tell whether he was still alive or already dead.

Then he heard a voice.

Do you want to live?

He couldn't open his eyes in the snow, but he felt something standing in front of him.

"If you want to, just blink."

He stood amidst the ice and snow, clutching the broken copper coin.

He used his last bit of strength in the snow.

blinked.

"I can save you."

The voice rang out again.

"But you must become the gravedigger. In the icy abyss, guard all the chosen ones buried here. You must not leave, you must not disobey, and you must not let anyone leave alive."

"If you agree, answer in your heart, and the contract is established."

As the words of the Palace Master of Guixu fell, it was as if a chain descended from the void and bound his soul.

Chu Qiao responded in his heart.

He didn't know what this decision meant, nor how heavy the words "gravekeeper" carried, or how many long nights he would have to spend on this desolate, icy plain.

All he knew was that he had to live.

The Heavenly Contract takes effect.

He was very young that year.

He became the guardian of the tomb at the entrance to the Ice Abyss Dragon's Nest.

He punched a hole in the copper coin, hung it on his waist, and never took it off again.

"I've been guarding this grave for so many years..."

"Now, I will become one of you."

The ice scales on Chu Qiao's body were already covering most of his body.

He will die consciously, and then continue to decay consciously in the ice.

"But it's nothing."

"Anyway, in this godforsaken place, the living are practically the same as the dead."

He tidied up the cabin.

He filled the gaps in the wall made of scrap wood with freshly dried moss.

He had laid out a bed of dry grass, and then added another layer of animal hide—the hide of an ice bear he had hunted a few days ago. The fur was very thick, and it should be more comfortable to lie on than before.

He placed a bundle of dry firewood next to the stove, which was made of rubble, enough for later generations to burn for ten days or half a month.

He didn't bring anything with him.

He only brought that one copper coin.

He took the broken copper coin off his waist and held it in his hand.

"Let's leave this cabin to someone else."

He stood at the doorway, taking one last look at the place where he had lived for so many years.

The scratches on the walls were his way of keeping track of dates. He carved one wall, then another, until finally he got tired of carving and stopped, since there wasn't much to remember about the dates anyway.

"Perhaps someone will accidentally wander here again in the future. At least, there's a place to shelter from the wind and snow."

He closed the wooden door and also repaired the door panel that had been scratched by the ice corpse.

While repairing the door, he even hummed a little tune, a very old folk song, the melody of which he could no longer remember.

Only a few intermittent melodies drifted across the vast, icy plain, like the only sound in this desolate land.

Then he set off.

Walking slowly across the ice field, looking around as I went, it was as if I was choosing a scenic spot.

"This won't work. The ice wall is too steep; it'll be uncomfortable to lie down here."

"This place won't work either. The icicles overhead are too sharp. If one falls and pokes your face, it'll look awful."

"Here... um, this direction leads to the underground river."

He stopped.

There was a small ice platform where he was standing.

It's not big, just big enough for one person to lie down. The ice surface is smooth and flat, and above you is a vast sky; the aurora borealis looks most beautiful from this angle.

Further away, the direction of the underground river entrance can be faintly seen.

He curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

"This is it."

He was very calm.

He was so composed that he didn't seem like someone who was walking towards death.

Choosing a place to rest in peace is like choosing the most comfortable bed to sleep in.

He lay down on the ice platform, folded his hands over his chest, and held the copper coin.

The ice scales had spread to his shoulder blades.

One after another, patches spread from his chest to his limbs, like a layer of dark blue armor slowly covering his entire body.

A chill seeped from the depths of his bones; a thin layer of frost clung to his eyelashes, and the color had faded from his lips, leaving them covered with a layer of pale purple ice crystals.

His breathing became shallower and shallower.

My heart rate is getting slower and slower.

His eyes reflected the eternal, frigid night of the icy abyss.

"elder sister……"

You absolutely must get out of here.

He closed his eyes, a slight smile still lingering on his lips.

The entrance to the Ice Abyss Dragon's Nest is a one-way street; you can only enter, not exit.

These are the rules of the Heavenly Contract.

The gravedigger can never leave this burial ground.

Suddenly, there was a ripple in the sky above.

A crack appeared in the sky above the Ice Abyss.

It wasn't a crack torn open by a blizzard, but rather a man-made force that forcibly created a passage in the barrier.

A dark shadow fell from the crack, growing larger and clearer.

It is a flying boat.

The ship's hull was engraved with intricate runes, emitting a cold, eerie light that shared the same origin as the Ice Abyss's restrictions.

The airship landed steadily on the icy plain, the runes on its hull resonating with a shockwave that scattered the surrounding snow. Four figures leaped from the airship, their landings perfectly synchronized, like puppets trained by some force.

They were carrying a sedan chair.

The sedan chair was made of black iron, and the curtains were embroidered with the emblem of Guixu Palace.

A pale, sickly hand lifted the sedan curtain.

"It's so cold here."

A woman's voice came from inside the sedan chair, carrying a hint of spoiled impatience and a touch of condescending disdain.

Shen Yan was wrapped in a blue cloak, completely covered from head to toe, with only her small face showing.

Her features were exquisite, but there was an unpleasant meanness in her eyes.

She sat in the sedan chair, her gaze sweeping over the jagged ice walls and silent snowfields around her, and wrinkled her nose in disdain.

"Can you really find any good puppets in a place like this?"

She yawned and gently covered her lips with her fingertips.

"You guys need to catch enough dragonfish this time to strengthen my forces."