The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

The wind on Boyue Peak is a bit cooler than down below, carrying fine white flakes as it passes through the flower branches.

"So, what my elder sister means is... I'm the one who can be struck down?"

Xie Jinlian's voice was indifferent, with a hint of coldness.

Yunmian leaned against a pillar in the corridor, her long, silvery-white hair gleaming like pearls in the sunlight.

Today she wore a long dress with wide sleeves, over which she wore a silver-threaded shawl, and a datura flower was pinned to her temple.

She glanced at Xie Jinlian with a meaningful look, as if viewing a painting through water and mist.

"Ah Lian is being well taken care of by Zhi Zhi."

She said slowly.

"A few lightning strikes won't be a big problem."

As she spoke, her gaze lightly swept across Xie Jinlian's face before quickly returning to it.

Those pink crystal-like eyes held a smile that only she herself understood.

Her younger brother appears aloof and dignified, but inside he's like a lotus root.

They seem innocent, but once you cut them open, you're full of scheming.

The little abacus was clicking away loudly.

Don't think she doesn't know.

Xie Jinlian had Yun Boyan carry a forbidden artifact with him, named "Close at Hand, Yet Far Apart".

If Tang Xixue encounters a danger that Yun Boyan cannot resolve, he will disregard the rules of this Heavenly Dao, directly activate the forbidden artifact, tear through the space-time barrier, and descend to Tang Xixue's side.

That's a heaven-defying artifact; every time it's used, it reduces one's cultivation level, at a tremendous cost.

But what about when she's safe and sound?

Xie Jinlian sat under the fringe tree, looking magnanimous as he waited.

By not rushing, chasing, or clinging, Zhizhi felt respected, trusted, and given enough space.

Then, when she saw him sitting quietly in his wheelchair waiting, she subtly focused all her pity and attention on herself.

Yunmian clicked her tongue inwardly.

Her younger brother was a master of subtle manipulation.

No wonder they inherited their father Yun Zhizun's tea ceremony skills, which are a family tradition.

"Little Lotus's body hasn't fully recovered yet, she can't withstand any more stress."

Tang Xixue quickly spoke, her voice filled with genuine nervousness.

She turned and glanced at Xie Jinlian in the wheelchair.

He sat there calmly, not even flinching when his older sister threatened to drag him away to be struck by lightning.

But it was precisely this composure that made her even more reluctant to part with it.

"Zhizhi, your teacher is alright."

Xie Jinlian's gaze fell on her, as gentle as the water in a pond after a spring afternoon sun.

"Don't worry."

He was always strong in front of her.

It's the kind of mountain you can rely on that won't collapse.

Every time Tang Xixue saw him sitting in his wheelchair saying "I'm fine," she felt a slight tug at her heart.

He was clearly the one who should be taken care of the most, yet he always acted as if he was the one who needed to protect her, as if she was always the one who needed him to stand in front of her.

"Zhizhi, you go and do your work."

He curved the corners of his lips into a slight smile.

"I'll be waiting for you right here."

He never pressured her or put her in a difficult position.

He was there every time she turned around.

She suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

"When I get back from seeing Feiming, we'll look at the moon together. The moonlight should be beautiful tonight."

"it is good."

Xie Jinlian's voice still had that clear and crisp tone.

"I'll be waiting for you."

The wind rustles the tassels, and the falling petals are like snow.

He sat beneath a tree full of falling blossoms, a few strands of his long, silvery-white hair fluttering in the wind, like a fairy in a painting.

"Oh dear, it's unbearable to look at."

Yunmian finally couldn't help but speak up, shaking her head with a smile, her shawl swaying gently in the wind.

"I'd better go check on Little Baldy. I've brought the spiritual spring you wanted."

She took out a jade bottle from her sleeve. The bottle was transparent and contained a pool of crystal-clear spring water that shimmered with tiny silvery light in the sunlight.

She handed the jade bottle to Tang Xixue and then turned and walked towards the mountain path.

"Sister Yunmian, please lead the way."

Tang Xixue carefully put away the jade bottle and followed.

"No trouble at all. It's on my way."

Yunmian walked ahead, her steps graceful and elegant.

"I haven't seen that little bald guy in a long time either."

Beneath the fringe tree, Xie Jinlian watched two figures disappear at the end of the mountain path, hidden by the flowering branches.

Wen Song pushed the wheelchair without making a sound to disturb them.

The mountain path was covered with layers upon layers of fallen flowers.

Tang Xixue followed behind Yunmian, while the little white cat Yin Kong played in the mountains, with a snow dragon coiled around its wrist.

"Weaving."

Yunmian suddenly spoke without turning around.

"Actually, I think that bald guy is quite good-looking."

Her voice carried a nonchalant laugh.

Tang Xixue almost tripped over her own footsteps.

"cough……"

"Don't be in such a hurry. I was just saying it casually."

Yunmian turned around, her pink crystal-like eyes sparkling.

"Just tell me, isn't he good-looking?"

Tang Xixue opened her mouth, thought for a moment, and finally nodded honestly.

"If you're not lying... it's quite good."

That's it.

Yunmian chuckled.

"But his kind of beauty is too clean, like moonlight in the snow, only to be admired from afar. To be honest, it's a bit too plain. Ah Lian's kind, with a cool exterior but a passionate heart, suits you better."

"Sister Yunmian..."

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything more."

Yunmian waved her hand, but her smile deepened.

"Anyway, you know what you're doing."

Tang Xixue looked down at the jade bottle in her hand. The spiritual spring inside the bottle looked like a pool of crystal soaked in moonlight.

She remembered Saint-Femme's clear, spring-like eyes.

When he could still speak, his voice calling her "Sister Zhi" was clear and ethereal.

But now he can't say anything.

"Will the spiritual spring... be useful to him?"

"They can keep him alive."

Yunmian's voice softened slightly.

"But it doesn't cure the root cause. The five signs of decay in a celestial being are a backlash from the laws of nature, and the spiritual spring can only provide temporary relief. To truly save him, we need to rely on other methods."

"What method?"

The one who tied the knot must untie it.

Yunmian answered.

She walked to the half-closed bamboo door at the end of the mountain path and gently pushed it open.

Inside the gate was a very small courtyard, paved with bluestone, with a Bodhi tree planted in the corner.

A person was sitting on a futon under the tree.

But it was like a wisp of smoke, about to dissipate at any moment.

Saint Feiming sat there, dressed in a moon-white Buddhist robe, like a beam of moonlight fallen to earth.