The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"this……"

Shen Yan hesitated for a moment.

Feeling the two cold gazes fixed on him, he quickly added.

"The entrance is different each time. However, as long as you get within a certain range, my Samsara Pendant can sense it."

"I'll show you the way then."

"Um."

Tang Xixue nodded slightly.

"Then let's enter the city."

The airship landed on an inconspicuous floating island on the outskirts of Tiangong City.

Tangxi Snow took the flying boat from Guixu Palace into Cangxue's heart.

After doing all this, she dressed them all in cloaks and hats to conceal their faces.

Only Shen Yan did not disguise herself.

She did not set off immediately.

Instead, he took out a small glass bottle, its body transparent.

Tang Xixue uncorked the bottle, poured out the pill, and held it in her palm.

The pill was no bigger than a soybean, and was entirely crimson, gleaming with an eerie luster in the dim light.

Shen Yan's gaze fell on the pill, her pupils suddenly contracted, and the color drained from her face in an instant.

"This is... a gift for you."

Tang Xixue's tone remained gentle.

"Don't worry, it's not a deadly poison that kills instantly. This pill is called 'Heart Lock.' It melts upon entering the mouth, and if there's no antidote within three days, the meridians will reverse, causing excruciating pain as if a thousand ants are gnawing at the heart."

She handed the pill to Shen Yan, her peach blossom eyes devoid of any extra emotion.

"Take this before entering the city. You lead the way, and I trust you. But trust is one thing, but the necessary measures must still be taken. That's my rule."

"Princess Mirror, I won't betray you, I really won't..."

Shen Yan subconsciously took half a step back, her lips trembling slightly, her eyes filled with fear.

"Ha, so what? You had no choice."

Tang Xixue looked at her, her voice still calm and unhurried.

"Obey me, or die right now. You can choose!"

"..."

Shen Yan stared at her blankly, tears welling up in her eyes, but they never fell.

"If I take this poison, how can you guarantee you'll provide me with the antidote afterwards?"

"It depends on my mood."

Tang Xixue placed the pill in her palm.

Shen Yan lowered her head, looking at the bright red pill in her palm, and bit her lip.

A moment later, she closed her eyes, put the pill in her mouth, tilted her head back, and swallowed it.

As the pill entered his throat, a cool sensation spread along his meridians.

The chill wasn't intense, but it felt like an extremely fine thread that penetrated deep into her meridians, circled around her heart meridian, and then vanished without a trace.

"very good."

Tang Xixue put the small glass bottle back into her sleeve. In fact, the poison was not that one at all.

It was the fragrant breeze that wafted as she raised her sleeve that was the real poison.

Whether Shen Yan ingests the poison or not, she cannot escape the fate of being poisoned.

"The antidote will be given to you in three days. If you make any unusual move within these three days, no matter where you escape to, you will surely die. You'd better not doubt my poison skills."

The little white cat, Yin Kong, peeked out from Tang Xixue's arms, glanced at Shen Yan with its deep blue eyes, whimpered, and then buried its head back down.

Tang Xixue put the little white cat Yin Kong down from her arms.

The moment Yin Kong landed, he first pricked up his ears and looked around warily.

Then, with graceful little steps, it slowly walked to the foot of Tangxi Snow.

It nuzzled the hem of her skirt with its fluffy head.

"Don't worry, Master, I'll keep watch for you."

It had been keeping an eye on Shen Yan the whole way.

If Shen Yan made the slightest movement, Yin Kong's claws would strike without hesitation.

After several encounters, Shen Yan had learned to behave herself in front of Yin Kong.

"Good girl."

Tang Xixue rubbed the silver sky.

"Our Xue is so thoughtful."

Feng Zhuo was relieved.

Shen Yan's Reincarnation Pendant was taken away by her.

The Sky-Breaking Talisman was also confiscated.

Although he was untied, he was poisoned.

She had nothing on her now, so she could only obediently walk ahead.

She walked very slowly, taking each step carefully.

I was afraid of stepping on something I shouldn't have.

The token was slightly warm in Tang Xixue's hand, and the spiritual light spread upwards along her palm, completely concealing the aura of the others.

The streets and alleys of Tiangong City are crisscrossed, and the buildings on both sides are densely packed.

The steel and iron structure gleamed with a cold metallic luster in the twilight, and rows of delicate copper bells hung from the eaves.

There weren't many pedestrians on the street.

Some were dressed in ordinary cloth clothes, while others were wrapped in thick cloaks.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized.

They walk almost silently, as if being pulled by the same invisible thread.

This is a city without sunshine.

All the light came from the pale blue lamps hanging between the buildings, immersing the entire city in a cool and eternal twilight.

Be careful.

Tang Xixue's voice was very soft; only Feng Zhuo and Mu Liang could hear it.

"There must be many spies from the Guixu Palace in this city. Don't give yourself away."

"Um."

Feng Zhuo nodded, his words becoming much more concise.

He placed one hand on the hilt of his sword, his eyes scanning the surrounding streets and alleys warily.

He shielded Tangxi Xue by his side.

Shen Yan walked at the front, her pace slowing down.

Her gaze swept back and forth through the streets and alleys.

I wonder what he's thinking.

"I sensed it."

She lowered her voice.

"Turn left ahead and go through that alley."

They walked through the deep alley.

After turning one corner, and then another, the surrounding light grew dimmer and dimmer.

The pale blue spirit lamps were much less numerous here, as if they had been deliberately avoided by some force.

Fine runes began to appear on the metal plates on the wall.

The runes seemed to be alive, slowly flowing in the darkness.

Shen Yan stopped in her tracks.

He pointed to the metal panel in front of him that looked no different from the surrounding walls.

"The entrance should be behind this wall."

Tang Xixue stepped forward.

Stick the token on the wall.

The moment the talisman was affixed to the metal plate, the fine runes on the wall suddenly lit up.

Centered on the command talisman, concentric circles of light spread out in all directions, like ripples spreading across the surface of water.

A moment later, the wall slid inward silently, revealing a narrow passage that could only accommodate one person at a time.

The walls on both sides of the passage are inlaid with glowing spirit crystals, extending the dim light into the unseen depths.

"Let's go."

Tang Xixue put the token back into her sleeve and stepped into the passage.

Feng Zhuo and Mu Liang stared at Shen Yan, and she bit her lip and followed.

The passage slowly closed behind us.

This completely shut out the twilight of Tiangong City.

Ahead lies endless darkness and the unknown.

And in places they can't see.

Inside a grand hall at the end of the passage.

Someone had their back to them.

The man stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in fine clothes.

A gentle, moonlit glow emanated from her.

He stood in front of a huge water mirror.

The reflection of Tang Xixue and her group was mirrored in the water.

His lips curled up slightly, like a Paris polyphylla quietly blooming under the moonlight.

"You've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you for a long time."