The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Mu Liang and Fu Yi, sitting below the stage, finally understood why His Highness had said that it was no ordinary fan.

So, that was His Highness's weapon.

What flowed between those jade-like bones and silk-like face was a killing intent tempered with blood and moonlight.

The fan pendant is a translucent snow jade lotus bud, swaying slightly with the gentle turn of her wrist, its warm yet cool luster flowing in the dim light.

The lotus heart, though pure, can also be used as a blade.

Number Nine wins.

The arbitrator's voice was almost mechanical, numbly announcing the news again.

"Young master, do you... intend to continue defending your title?"

He looked at the young man in black who was about to turn around and leave the stage, his Adam's apple bobbing, and his tone unconsciously carrying a sense of awe.

"No."

Tang Xixue glanced at the victory sign hanging high above.

If they keep winning, it won't just be about winning money; it will bring them too much scrutiny and inescapable trouble.

"Take care."

The emcee almost bowed as he saw them off.

Inside several elegant pavilions suspended high above, numerous gazes fell as if they were tangible, following the figure in black as it disappeared into the exit passage.

"Strange... That kid is definitely not one of Yun Jue's men, so how could he know the movement technique that Yun Jue doesn't pass on?"

Inside a private room with a cloud-patterned curtain, whispers filled with deep doubt were heard.

"Shan Hai has completely lost face this time."

Elsewhere, the snickers were filled with schadenfreude.

Tang Xixue was oblivious to the undercurrents behind her.

She went straight to the gambling den counter and deposited all 100,000 gold coins she had won that night into her Flying Gold Token.

Only a behemoth like the Seven Generations Pavilion, which dominates the nine continents, could pay such a huge sum of money without batting an eye.

In a typical gambling den, this would likely have turned into a bloodbath, with murder and robbery taking place right now.

"Young master, we all bet our entire fortune on you winning, and we've made a killing this time."

Fuyi and Muliang received the silver notes; this time, they had won by simply following their prince.

"You two have great taste!"

Tang Xixue put the token into a hidden pocket in her sleeve. Her fingertips touched the cool metal, and she felt a little relieved.

"Let's go."

She turned around, and Mu Liang and Fu Yi followed closely behind. The three of them quickly entered the dark passageway leading away from the venue.

Those who had previously looked down on her now watched her back with awe.

At the end of the passage is an inconspicuous side door; pushing it open leads to an alley.

A biting wind, carrying fine snow, rushed in instantly, sweeping away the murky heat and bloody smell from the ground.

Tang Xixue had just taken two steps when she suddenly heard a vulgar commotion and muffled thuds of fists and kicks coming from deep within the alley.

"You brat! How dare you block my path to wealth! I'll beat you to death today!"

"It's perfectly natural for me to sell my own wife and my worthless daughter! If you dare to meddle again..."

"No...no selling my mother and sister!"

A boy's voice, filled with suppressed pain and despair, came through the muffled sounds of punches and kicks.

That voice... sounds familiar.

Tang Xixue's gaze sharpened slightly as she looked in the direction of the sound.

At the corner of the alley, the snow had been trampled into a muddy mess.

A middle-aged man with a ferocious face was kicking and punching a thin figure curled up on the ground.

The figure, dressed in a thin blue robe, looked broken and worn; it was Pei Yanchuan.

Beside them, a mother and daughter were haphazardly tied to a filthy wooden stake.

The woman's hair was disheveled and covered in snowflakes, and she was holding a little girl of about five or six years old tightly in her arms.

The girl was thinly dressed, her face was blue from the cold, and she was crying out in heart-wrenching pain:

"Dad, sob... please don't hit my brother anymore... please don't hit my brother anymore..."

Tears streamed down her face; she looked utterly pitiful.

Pei Yanchuan was kicked hard again, letting out a muffled groan.

Yet she still struggled to rush forward to rescue her mother and sister, her blood-stained lips moving as she stubbornly repeated:

"No...you can't sell it..."

Snowflakes fell on his pale, blood-stained face. Beneath his sleeve, he gripped a short blade; even if it meant his death, he wouldn't let him have his way. At worst, they'd both fall into hell together.

"If you still don't know what's good for you, I'll sell you off too! With your delicate skin and tender flesh, I bet many places would be fighting over you—"

The middle-aged man was a brute. He grinned maliciously, his eyes filled with greed and violence. He raised his thick arm high, about to smash it down on Pei Yanchuan's head.

"Ah Liang, cripple him."

Tang Xixue's voice rang out, clear and cold like shattered ice and falling jade.

Before the words were even finished, Mu Liang's figure arrived in an instant, like a black wind tearing through the night.

"Bang—!"

A dull thud was accompanied by the cracking sound of bones breaking.

The burly man didn't even see who it was before he was sent flying like a rag doll, crashing heavily into the mottled brick wall behind him, leaving a trail of dirty blood as he slid down.

Before Mu Liang had fully drawn his longsword, a flash of cold light pierced through the air as he precisely severed the tendons and veins in his opponent's limbs.

Before he could even let out a scream, he was kicked in the chest again, the dull thud of breaking ribs drowned out by the howling wind and snow.

Pei Yanchuan struggled to lift his blood-stained eyelashes.

Across the drifting jade dust, I met a pair of familiar eyes.

Her eyes, reflecting a faint light, clear and bright like stars immersed in a cold pool, were quietly gazing at him.

"Your Highness..."

His lips moved slightly, uttering two extremely soft words, accompanied by an incredulous tremor.

Tang Xixue was slightly taken aback.

She didn't expect that even though she was disguised and her face was covered, Pei Yanchuan could still recognize her at a glance.

Indeed, in front of people you truly know, no amount of pretense can completely conceal the traces of your true nature.

She stepped forward, took out a plain white handkerchief from her sleeve, bent down, and gently wiped away the trail of blood from the corner of his lips.

The movements were natural and delicate, as if brushing away a speck of dust from a precious piece of porcelain.

"Yan Chuan, how do you want him to die?"

Her voice was very low, yet clear and distinct.

"Your Highness..."

Pei Yanchuan shook his head weakly.

"Send them to the authorities. We... cannot knowingly break the law."

Even in dire straits and after being brutally beaten, his inherent integrity and kindness remained undiminished.

Tang Xixue gazed at him for a moment, then finally nodded slightly: "Alright. Then send him to the authorities."

"Our carriage is just outside the alley; we'll take you back first."

She straightened up, her gaze sweeping over the unconscious woman who had been untied and bound by the wind, and the little girl who was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Ah Liang, take care of this—"

"Understood."

Mu Liang immediately responded, her eyes flashing coldly at the man who looked like a lump of mud in the corner.

Fuyi carefully carried the unconscious woman on her back, and held the terrified little girl in her other hand.

"Can you still get up?"

Tang Xixue turned to Pei Yanchuan and extended her hand.

It was a fair and slender hand, with fingertips as delicate as scallions, which looked like a flawless piece of jade carved in the dim snowy night.

"Your Highness, I... am dirty..."

Pei Yanchuan stared blankly, his fingertips curling up, not daring to defile even the slightest bit.

"Yanchuan is not dirty."

She took his cold, blood-stained hand and, with a slight pull, lifted him from the cold, muddy snow.

That grasp was warm and firm, as if it wasn't just pulling someone up, but rather steadily lifting a heart about to fall into the abyss back to earth.

This scene caught Mu Liang's eye, causing him to choke slightly.

Many years ago, it was a hand that pulled him and his brother out of the blood and despair of the Colosseum.

As time flows by, the light in His Highness's eyes, which has never been extinguished, can still penetrate the deepest darkness and illuminate the smallest creatures in the dust.

"elder brother……"

The little girl looked up at Tang Xixue timidly, her face streaked with tears, her voice still childish.

"Is she...is she a goddess?"

Despite the pain all over his body, Pei Yanchuan gently stroked his younger sister Pei Ningran's dry, yellow hair, his voice hoarse yet gentle:

"Um."

He looked up at the warm yellow glow cast by the lantern at the alley entrance and whispered:

"It's alright, don't be afraid. Ranran, keep moving forward... the light is just ahead."

Tang Xixue supported him, and the boy's thin body leaned against her, like a small white flower that had finally found a place to lean on in the wind and snow.

"Yanchuan, from now on your path will be filled with brilliance."

She steadily supported him, step by step, from the depths of the dark and filthy alleyway towards that warm light.

Pei Yanchuan's nose felt sore, and his eyes were red. He hadn't cried before, but now he couldn't help but want to shed tears.

His Highness is truly wonderful.

The light he was chasing wasn't outside the alley; it was right beside him.

At this moment, he was already in the light.

Mu Liang watched their figures disappear into the light before slowly turning around and walking towards the man in the corner who was convulsing violently from fear and pain.

He crouched down and looked at him expressionlessly.

"How dare you lay a hand on our prince's people?"

The voice, chilling in the evening, was laced with icy coldness.

The man stared wide-eyed in terror, making a gurgling sound in his throat, too frightened to utter a single word.

"Send him to the authorities? Young Master Pei is both naive and kind-hearted."

Mu Liang twitched the corners of her mouth, but there was no smile in her eyes.

"In this Jade Capital, His Highness's words are the law."

"Don't you like selling people?"

"This time, how about I sell it to you?"

"Ugh—!!!"

The desperate howls were swallowed by the wind and snow.