The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

That night, Yunmian, along with Sheng Feiming and the martial monk Liaofan, quietly left Thin Moon Peak under the moonlight.

Before leaving, she glanced back at the two figures standing quietly in the courtyard, her lips slightly pursed, concealing the mischievous smile beneath her sleeve.

She went to great lengths to make time for her two younger brothers to spend alone with Zhizhi.

On such a fine day, under such a bright moon, surely they should know how to cherish it?

If she were to miss this marriage opportunity that was practically within her grasp, all her efforts would have been in vain.

In the long nights to come, they deserved to be alone in their empty rooms, accompanied only by a solitary lamp and a cold moon.

She didn't say goodbye, she just raised her hand and waved gently.

The hem of her sleeve brushed against the night wind, only to be swallowed up by the gentle mountain breeze.

The courtyard suddenly fell silent.

The faint sound of the wind that had been there just moments before had now faded into the distance.

Only the moonlight filled the courtyard, flowing silently.

The copper bells under the eaves are occasionally stirred by the wind, making a tinkling sound, as if the night has turned over in its dreams.

Tang Xixue stood under the corridor, gazing in the direction where Yunmian and Sheng Feiming's figures disappeared. The moonlight was like a piece of white gauze cut open by the night wind, both cold and gentle.

She turned her head to the side, her gaze falling on Xie Jinlian.

He remained seated in his wheelchair, appearing peaceful and composed, as if the world were still and undisturbed.

"Where is Ayan?"

She asked softly, her tone casual, as if it were just a casual chat.

Xie Jinlian lowered her eyes slightly, revealing a faint trace of guilt.

After a moment, he looked up at her, his voice as gentle and deep as ever.

"Ayan... his heart condition flared up, and he's resting now."

He added a sentence, his tone so sincere it was almost unbelievable.

"He's probably been overworked lately, so I let him rest well."

Tang Xixue looked at him, her lips curving slightly, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

Ah Yan, is it really... a heart attack?

Hearing this, she was a little skeptical.

She felt it was more like someone was being jealous and using it as an excuse to get rid of her.

However, since her master was willing to go to the trouble of concocting such a clumsy lie, she, as his disciple, should at least offer some support.

"Oh, I see."

She walked gracefully towards him, step by step, bathed in the soft, silvery moonlight.

"Then he needs to get some rest."

Her white robes fluttered slightly in the night breeze, and beneath her feet lay a path paved with moonlight, its gentle glow spreading far and wide.

Xie Jinlian's gaze followed her figure; in his eyes, apart from the moonlight, there was only her.

The moonlight fell on her, but she was even more radiant than the moonlight.

"Then let's just ignore him."

"Um."

A gentle evening breeze blew from behind her, carrying the faint, cool fragrance of spring crabapple blossoms.

Her long, dark hair and moon-white robes fluttered, making her appear ethereal, like a celestial being banished from the world.

Tang Xixue stopped beside the wheelchair, leaned down slightly, and looked at him at eye level.

"Little Lotus...shall we admire the moon together?"

She called his name softly, her voice as gentle as the moonlight on a spring night.

Xie Jinlian looked up at her.

The moonlight fell on her profile, making her skin glow like snow.

His gaze slowly slid from her eyebrows to the tip of her nose, and finally settled on the corners of her slightly pursed lips.

That gentle curve, like a begonia petal quietly blooming in the moonlight, makes one want to taste it.

He nodded slightly.

"it is good."

Tang Xixue pushed his wheelchair and slowly walked forward along the corridor.

The moonlight, like water, cast the shadows of the two people onto the bluestone brick ground. One sat, the other stood, their shadows intertwined, like vines gently entwining in the wind.

The wheelchair's axles occasionally brushed against the cracks in the stones, making soft rolling sounds that, in the quiet night, accentuated a sense of serene tranquility.

"The moonlight tonight... is gentler than ever before."

She suddenly spoke.

Xie Jinlian smiled faintly, the smile spreading across her lips.

"Yes, she is very gentle."

He responded softly, but his gaze fell on the hand she was using to push the wheelchair, and his eyes darkened.

"More gentle than the moonlight is Zhizhi."

"I wonder if I, your teacher, would have the honor of inviting Zhizhi to play a duet of 'A Letter Slowly Arrived'?"

He took out the Burning Dream Glass Flute from his sleeve. The flute gleamed with a faint luster under the moonlight, as smooth and warm as solidified cream.

He brought the flute to his lips, and the first clear and melodious note rose gently, resounding through the silent night.

He started it.

Tang Xixue slightly curved the corners of her lips, her smile like a begonia petal quietly unfolding in the moonlight, pure and moving.

She also took out a jade flute from her sleeve; the flute was white and smooth.

She brought the flute to her lips and played it with him. The flute music blended together, rising and falling, lingering and intertwining.

The sound of the flute is imbued with longing.

A single change in tone can lead to a sleepless night.

A long song is a long, eager wait.

The sound of the flute pierced through the night mist, and the tassels and flowers in the courtyard, along with the copper bells hanging from the eaves, seemed to be telling each other, one by one, the words that had been unspoken all these years, by the moonlight.

"The signature of longing... is always too late."

"A Letter Slowly Sent" – A letter can convey thoughts from afar.

But when it comes to signing off on the words "longing for you," it's always too late.

For them, every moment of the five years they were apart felt like an eternity, a longing that could never be fulfilled.

On the snow-capped peaks of Kunlun, amidst the swirling snow and wind, he longed for someone.

She is in the abyss of darkness, separated by thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, her longing like snow, growing ever thicker, yet with nowhere to be sent.

Now we finally sit together, playing a tune together, and all our words are spoken through the sound of the flute, one by one.

In Xie Jinlian's flute music, there is the snow of Kunlun, a lonely shadow under the moon, and the five years that he has endured day by day.

But he finally got to see her again, and the moonlight and she were there together.

As the music ended, the lingering notes of the flute still lingered in the night breeze.

Tang Xixue put down her jade flute and gently called his name.

"Master, thank you for waiting for me for so long."

Xie Jinlian put down the Burning Dream Glass Flute and looked up at her.

The moonlight fell into his silvery-gray eyes, clear and cool, yet with an indescribable tenderness.

"As long as Zhizhi returns safely to my side, it's all worth waiting for, no matter how long it takes."

His voice was deep and resolute.

"The snow in Kunlun has fallen for many years, but after meeting you... I realized that snow can be warm."

The snow in Kunlun has fallen for many years, for thousands of years, without end.

But after meeting her, she was like a spring breeze that unexpectedly broke into a snowy landscape.

Let him know that there is a kind of warmth in this world that can melt away millennia of ice and snow.

He stretched out his hand, palm up, gently spreading it in the moonlight.

That hand once held the sharpest sword in the world and stirred up the winds and clouds of the land.

But at this moment, it only holds a patch of cold moonlight and his heart full of anticipation.

"The moonlight once asked me why I hadn't returned to the mountain. I said, there's someone down at the foot of the mountain... more beautiful than the moonlight."

"Zhizhi, I cultivate the path of ruthlessness. But when you smile, my heart shatters... shatters willingly."

"Of all the things in this world, there is only one worth fighting for with my sword. That is you."

Tang Xixue stood there, her eyes slightly warm.

She slowly stepped forward, her pale hand emerging from her sleeve, her fingertips slightly cool.

"Through thousands of miles of wind and snow, I am covered in frost. But when I reach you... the snow melts."

She lowered her head, looked at her hand, and slowly and steadily placed it into his palm.

The warmth of his palm touched my fingertips, like a snowflake falling silently onto a warm stone in early spring.

"Little Lotus, look, you don't need to fight, I'm right here in your palm."

Her hands were slightly cool, while his hands were warm.

Cold and warmth, just like each other.

When you're three inches away from me, my heart races. When you're three feet away, I miss you.

Xie Jinlian said in a low voice, holding her hand, and solemnly declared.

"When you're not here... I count the days, waiting for you."

He said these words in a very calm tone.

But it is precisely this ordinariness that makes one's heart ache even more.

He didn't tighten his grip, but simply held her hand solemnly.

I'm afraid to use too much force when it's too light, yet I can't bear to let go when it's too heavy.

That handshake seemed to contain all the tenderness he had in his life.

"After that..."

Tang Xixue grasped his hand in return, her fingers intertwining tightly with his, as if holding a promise that could not be broken.

"I'll never make Little Lotus wait again."

As she spoke, her voice carried an almost reverent solemnity.

It was as if a promise had been made.

A promise I will spend the rest of my life fulfilling.

A night breeze rises again, brushing against the fringe trees in the courtyard, causing a shower of petals to fall.

Tiny white petals fluttered down, covering their heads and shoulders, as if heaven and earth were silently blessing them.

"The night breeze is cool outside; I can't let my little lotus flower get cold."

Tang Xixue withdrew her hand, moved to the back of the wheelchair, and pushed him into the house.

Wen Song had already wisely avoided the room. The room was quiet, with only a single candle burning, its warm orange glow bathing half the room.

The moonlight bathed the room in its soft glow, intertwining with the candlelight's glow, creating a space that was both cool and warm.

"The night is cool. Let me feed Zhizhi a cup of wine to warm her up."

Xie Jinlian picked up the wine pot from the table.

He filled a glass; the wine was clear and cool, shimmering gently in the candlelight.

He did not hand her the wine cup.

Instead, he picked it up himself and took a small sip.

Then he leaned slightly forward, put one arm around her waist, and slowly pulled her towards him.

Before she could react, his lips were on hers.

The warm wine flowed from his lips, carrying the cool, refreshing scent of snow lotus from his body, mingling with the breath on her lips.

The wine was mellow and sweet, but it had a subtle, almost imperceptible spiciness that burned down the throat, making the already slightly hot cheeks even hotter, and even the roots of the ears turned bright red.

Their arms were intertwined, their breaths nearly touching, so close that she could count his long, drooping eyelashes and see her reflection in his eyes.

She looked at his face so close to hers. His silver-gray eyes were no longer cold and indifferent as usual; they were now filled with nothing but her image.

"Master... what kind of wine is this?"

She asked him a question indistinctly between his lips, her voice as soft as melting honey.

Xie Jinlian stepped back slightly, the candlelight casting a warm glow in his eyes.

"Zhizhi, why ask a question you already know the answer to?"

His voice was low and husky, with a faint smile, as his fingertips caressed her cheek, his warm fingertips gently brushing against her burning skin.

"This is naturally...our nuptial wine."

The nuptial wine.

These three words, when they reached Tang Xixue's ears, were like a fire, instantly engulfing her entire body.

Her cheeks grew increasingly hot, and even her neck was tinged with a thin layer of blush, like the most delicate color of a crabapple blossom in early spring.