The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Tap—tap—"

Tangxi Xue rode the Chasing Star, slowly traversing the depths of the hunting grounds.

Snow glistens in the woods, shadows fall, and horses' hooves crush withered branches.

Suddenly, a chill, like an icy line, swept down her spine.

It was an instinct forged from countless brushes with death—a malicious voyeurism, like a leech, seeping in from all directions.

Almost at the same instant!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"

The sound of something tearing through the air came shrilling from different directions!

It wasn't a single arrow, but a rain of arrows composed of more than a dozen sharp arrows, precisely covering the space several feet around her, sealing off all conventional angles for dodging!

In a flash, Tang Xixue's eyes sharpened, and her body reacted before her mind could process it.

She suddenly leaned forward, almost touching the horse's back, and squeezed her legs against its belly. Zhu Xing, in perfect harmony with her, let out a high-pitched neigh and suddenly exerted its strength, rushing out towards a gap in the relatively sparse woods to the side.

The arrow grazed the edge of her cloak, swept past the fluttering mane of the star-studded horse, and embedded itself deeply into the tree trunk and snow behind her, its tail feathers trembling violently!

"Was this location chosen for the operation because the secret guards are not allowed to enter Lintai territory?"

She lay prone on the horse's back, her voice carried away by the wind, only the cold glint in her eyes like stars.

Lintai is a place for quiet study and cultivation. To ensure fairness and prevent disputes, all student guards must stop at the outer perimeter.

Although this hunting ground is within the Lintai area, its vast terrain and deep forests have made it a gray area under the rule, and also an excellent hunting ground in the eyes of some people.

There were far too many people who wanted to take her life.

Over the past five years, the transmigrated women who possessed her body have made enemies everywhere. She has offended almost all the proud and arrogant geniuses of the Nine Continents.

At this moment, the arrows came from different directions and with different techniques, making it difficult to tell who was behind it or... whether it was a joint operation by several groups.

Chasing Stars moved with incredible speed, dashing left and right through the forest, skillfully dodging the subsequent sparse volleys of arrows.

However, just as she was about to burst out of a dense forest and the view ahead suddenly opened up—

"roar--!!!"

A deafening tiger's roar, accompanied by a foul stench and an absolute sense of oppression, suddenly exploded from the side!

At the same time, a strange flute melody, slightly unsettling, drifted through the woods.

"To deal with me, they've even brought in this king of the mountains... What a grand gesture."

Tangxi Xue instantly understood.

The arrow barrage just now was not intended to actually kill her, but rather to drive her into this pre-set trap.

There are probably more than one group of people who want her dead.

This intricately linked trap made her almost sigh at her universally disliked constitution—living is truly difficult.

She immediately tightened the reins, intending to change direction and find another way out.

"ah--!"

"Help--!"

Just then, two urgent shouts and a sharp distress signal burst forth almost simultaneously from the woods not far away on the other side.

It was Shen Xian and Pei Yanchuan's voices.

Tang Xixue paused slightly, her gaze suddenly hardening.

Without the slightest hesitation, she jerked her horse's head back, and Zhu Xing, understanding her intention, galloped off like a black lightning bolt towards the direction from which the cries for help came.

Passing through a patch of trampled bushes, the scene before my eyes was shocking:

A tiger of unusually large size and mottled fur was emitting a terrifying growl, its claws digging at the ground, poised to pounce.

Ahead of it, Pei Yanchuan's mount, Tayue, was so frightened that its limbs went limp, and it knelt on the ground, trembling.

Pei Yanchuan fell into the snow, his face pale, and tried to move backward, holding only a short dagger for self-defense.

A little further away, Shen Xian's silver-maned horse also stood up in fright, almost throwing him off. He was trying his best to control the reins, sweat beading on his forehead. Although the long sword in his hand was already drawn, it was difficult to save him immediately due to the angle and distance.

The tiger's target was none other than Pei Yanchuan, who was closer to it and seemed to have no power to resist.

A close call!

Tang Xixue's eyes instantly sharpened like a knife.

Before she had even come to a complete stop, she was already drawing her bow and nocking an arrow on the galloping horse.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

The bowstring twanged, and three white-feathered arrows, almost one after the other, tore through the air, transforming into a deadly flash of light.

An arrow pierced straight into the tiger's gaping maw.

An arrow was shot at the forelimb joint that it was about to exert force.

The last arrow, the most cunning and ruthless, pierced his neck.

"Pfft!"

"Awooo—!"

The dull thud of a blade piercing flesh mingled with the tiger's abrupt, agonizing roar.

The massive body suddenly stiffened, its forward momentum dissipated, and it crashed to the side in the snow, blood gushing out and staining large patches of white.

Everything happens in the blink of an eye.

The snow-covered land returned to deathly silence, with only the stench of blood lingering in the air.

"Yanchuan, it's alright now."

Tang Xixue rode forward and stopped beside the still-shaken Pei Yanchuan. She looked down at him calmly, as if she had not been the one who had just shot the tiger.

Pei Yanchuan looked up, his gaze meeting her clear eyes.

The girl stood against the sparse sunlight filtering through the forest, her silhouette seemingly edged with a faint gold, with a dead tiger and a tranquil snow-covered forest behind her.

The extreme danger and the extreme tranquility create a breathtaking contrast in her.

He could clearly hear his heart pounding wildly in his chest, each beat heavy as thunder, almost breaking free of its restraints.

Shen Xian only managed to control his frightened mount and regain his balance at this moment.

His heart stopped the moment he saw her shoot the tiger.

His face was also deathly pale, and his hand holding the sword trembled slightly.

However, when he looked up, he saw that Tang Xixue's gaze was entirely fixed on Pei Yanchuan, and her natural concern and outstretched hand gesture did not even glance at him.

"Thank you... thank you Your Highness for saving my life."

Pei Yanchuan stood up with the help of her hand, his voice still trembling slightly.

The young man, dressed in a blue robe covered in snow, exuded a scholarly air mixed with the shock of his earlier appearance, making him seem all the more clean and vulnerable. His lips were pale from nervousness, which only made his features appear more clear and delicate.

His gaze towards her shimmered with a complex yet pure light.

"Having been too frightened by the moonlight, it is not advisable to ride it again for the time being."

Tang Xixue glanced at the still limp white colt and said decisively.

"Just have someone take it back. Yan Chuan, ride with me."

Her tone was natural and left no room for argument.

Before Pei Yanchuan could fully recover, he felt his arm tighten and was pulled steadily onto the horse's back, sitting in front of her.

The star-chasing vessel carries the two of them, remaining as steadfast as a rock.

Just then, the Imperial Guards of Lintai Hunting Grounds, who had been alerted by the news, rushed over. Upon seeing the enormous tiger carcass on the ground, they all gasped in shock and stared in disbelief at the calm-looking girl on horseback.

"Return my prey, along with this horse."

Tang Xixue gave the order, pointing to the tiger and Ta Yue on the ground.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The leader of the Imperial Guard bowed and responded, his heart churning with shock.

Who would have thought that this "good-for-nothing" princess, who was rumored to only know how to chase after men, actually had the ability to fight a tiger with her bare hands!

"Your Highness, please wait."

Shen Xian finally spurred his horse closer, his voice a little dry.

His gentle and refined face was now completely drained of color, appearing even paler, yet he still managed to maintain his composure.

Tang Xixue then slightly turned her head, her gaze falling on his face, calm and unwavering: "Young Master Shen, what is it?"

"This year..."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your help earlier."

When Shen Xian met her eyes, which were no longer filled with the infatuation of the past, but only with indifference and politeness, his throat tightened slightly, but he still solemnly bowed on horseback.

"No need."

Tang Xixue withdrew her gaze, her tone so flat that it revealed no emotion.

"I didn't come here for you anyway. It's just a small matter, no need to worry about it."

Having said that, without looking at his instantly frozen expression, she gently shook the reins, and Zhu Xing carried the two of them, turning around and heading deeper into the hunting grounds, leaving Shen Xian alone.

As Shen Xian watched that retreating figure walk away without a backward glance, a sudden emptiness filled his chest, and a chilling wind rushed in, penetrating to his very bones.

An unprecedented, unfamiliar emotion, a mixture of loss, embarrassment, and a dull ache, quietly gripped his heart.

The girl who used to have his heart and eyes filled with love is now so reluctant to even give him a second glance.

"Did she... ever truly love me? Why—could she just let go like that?"

At this moment, he felt as if the past five years had all been a dream.

The snow in Tangxi in the past was so beautiful that he felt it was an insult to his refined taste.

But now, she seems unattainable to him.