The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

The night sky of Baiyujing flows with a golden, opulent splendor, while deep beneath the Seven Worlds Pavilion, another world slumbers.

Beneath its reputation for extravagance and debauchery lies the largest den of iniquity in the Nine Provinces, a bottomless abyss that truly devours desire.

"I've heard that behind the nine layers of gauze curtains at Zhaohua Terrace, there are countless beauties, their fragrance filling the air..."

"More than that? The newly chosen courtesan last month is truly stunningly beautiful."

"If we're talking about absolute beauty, then it has to be that zither player who never shows her face—it's said that her music can make nightingales bow their heads and even tough men shed tears."

"Shh, I heard... there's some amazing stuff coming from the Mirage tonight."

The "Mirage" on the third underground floor is the true heart of this premier auction house in China.

At the end of the long, dark corridor, the guard silently raised his hand:

"make."

The warm, smooth jade talisman glowed faintly in the dim light, and the heavy gate, painted with the scenery of Penglai, slowly slid open.

The door was carved from a single piece of thousand-year-old submerged wood. When pushed open, it brought with it a damp and refreshing scent like that of the deep sea, as if stepping into an underwater dragon palace.

"Cousin, are you really going to spend a fortune on that house?" Hua Rongshi took a half-step to Bei Chenji's side, her laughter sweet as peach blossom wine. "Take a picture... and give it to your little darling?"

He maintained a perfect distance from everyone, even down to the texture of the gloves on his fingers.

"Otherwise?" Bei Chenji's tone was indifferent. "Just another spied neighbor?"

He was inherently suspicious and never allowed unknown variables to intrude into his territory.

"Maybe they're not neighbors," Hua Rongshi said with a slight smirk, "but rather those infatuated people who want to climb into my cousin's bed."

Bei Chenji certainly has the qualities to make women flock to him like moths to a flame.

He inherited his mother, Hua Qingwan's, unparalleled beauty; his features were like meticulously painted landscapes, refined yet sharp and cold.

Even though his face was always frosty, and even though rumors of his bloodstained hands had already spread throughout the land.

He remains the high cliff datura that countless noble ladies of Baiyujing dream of most wanting to pluck.

Knowing it's poisonous, they still enjoy it.

"Not as good as that one in Chengtian Palace." Bei Chenji's lips twitched slightly, but there was no smile in his eyes.

He was disgusted by those burning, calculating gazes.

Fortunately, in the dreams of this young girl from the Nine Provinces, there was an even more dazzling presence—the Holy Emperor above the Mingtang Hall.

Unlike him, who was gloomy and ruthless, that emperor possessed a righteous and magnanimous spirit, as bright as the sun and moon embracing him.

She possessed a magnificent and elegant appearance, and was exceptionally beautiful, yet she was so chaste that she was almost ascetic.

"Emperor Shengchen…" Hua Rongshi lowered her voice, her tone ambiguous, "Is it… that he can't?"

He remembered clearly that His Majesty had never been interested in women since he was young, and the Eastern Palace did not even have a concubine.

Besides always having a little dumpling by his side.

"Perhaps." Bei Chenji was unusually stumped by the question, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Let's go and see what rare treasures the Mirage has gathered tonight."

"Okay, my cousin will pay tonight."

Hua Rongshi chuckled softly and stepped in first.

The scene inside the door was as if one had fallen into another world.

The dome is as high and wide as an inverted night sky, inlaid with thousands of tiny fluorescent crystals, which, as they flicker and flow, resemble a real galaxy pouring down.

The entire auction house was enveloped in the flowing starlight, the light and shadow rising and falling with each breath, as if one were in a mirage in a dream.

"I must say, the Seven Generations Pavilion is really wealthy and powerful!"

"Which Accord should we go to?"

The auction platform was carved from a single piece of deep-sea jade, gleaming with a cold, deep blue light like that of a glacier in the polar night, exuding a silent chill.

The seats on all sides were stacked like flower petals unfolding, yet they were divided into strict domains by invisible boundaries.

Above the ordinary seats, there are three pavilions.

At the highest point are the Seven Pavilions of the Heavenly Character, ordered according to the Big Dipper, each with a name that exudes an ethereal quality:

Stars sink into the sea, immortals beyond the clouds, dragon's roar palace, moon spirit pavilion, sunlit hall, wind and thunder platform, and mirror of mountains and rivers.

Those who can enter this place are either rich or noble, and are all true figures who hold sway over the winds and clouds of the Nine Provinces.

"Go to the Sunlight Hall." Beichen Ji said.

"Then I'll benefit from my cousin's fame."

As the two ascended the spiral crystal steps, hushed whispers drifted from below:

"Look, they've gone up to the Heavenly Pavilion..."

"That's... the Prince of Beichen?"

"Hiss—that god of death has arrived too?"

"It's quite lively. I heard that Lord Yunjue, who is rarely seen, has also entered the Cloud Pavilion."

"..."

At this moment, the usually dark and quiet Starry Sea Pavilion was unusually illuminated by warm light.

The pavilion lives up to its name.

Deep blue and black intertwine to form the main color scheme, and the ground is covered with smooth, mirror-like star-patterned black jade, making each step feel like walking on a frozen night sky.

The crystal curtains hanging from the dome are as fine as a cascading galaxy, making one feel as if they are in the most tranquil depths of a vast starry sea.

The master of this starry sea is leaning against a rosewood couch by the window.

Si Xingxuan was wrapped in a snow-white fox fur coat, the tips of the fur tinged with a very pale silver-blue—a color unique to snow foxes from the Northern Territory.

His face, illuminated by the dim light in the pavilion, was as translucent as an ice sculpture, and his lips were so pale they were almost transparent, like a wisp of mist that might dissipate at any moment.

"I heard that several major underworld forces are investigating the background of a young man."

"Yes. However, our Seven Generations Pavilion has always maintained excellent secrecy, so naturally we won't leak any information. My lord, would you like me to investigate?"

"No need, I'm not interested."

He gazed quietly at the auction stage below, its lights and shadows shifting, his expression as detached as a distant landscape, his long eyelashes casting a faint shadow beneath his eyes.

That posture seemed to be separated from the surrounding luxury and hustle and bustle by an invisible layer of glass, both within and outside of it.

"My lord, it's time to administer the medicine."

The young man Qizhu, who was standing to the side, spoke softly.

He had a lovely oval face, and his eyes were as clear as the first melting snow in a mountain stream. He wore a light blue gauze robe embroidered with fine bamboo leaf patterns, and he was respectful but not humble.

Even in the heart of this auction where rare treasures from around the world gather, ensuring the master takes his medicine on time remains the top priority.

Si Xingxuan did not turn around, but only slightly raised his hand.

Qi Zhu immediately served the medicinal soup that had been kept warm in a warm jade cup.

The thick, dark medicinal liquid emitted an extremely bitter smell, instantly permeating the originally cool and refreshing fragrance of herbs and trees within the pavilion.

"My lord, this medicine... seems to be losing its effectiveness." Qi Zhu's voice was filled with worry.

"Hmm." Si Xingxuan took the medicine cup without even trembling her eyelashes. "Ordinary medicines are useless to me anyway."

He had been a medicine man in the Divine Medicine Valley since childhood, and his physique was already different from that of ordinary people—he was immune to all poisons and medicines.

This body is like a magnificent glass cage, imprisoning a soul that even medicine cannot nourish.

He raised his cup and drank the bitter juice, enough to make most people frown, in one gulp, his movements as fluid as if he were drinking sweet spring water.

As Qi Zhu put away the medicine cup, she whispered, "Tonight's auction list includes the newly renovated residence next to the Beichen Prince's Mansion, named Yanxueju."

Si Xingxuan took a plain white silk handkerchief and slowly wiped the corner of her lips. Hearing this, a very faint smile curved her lips, her gaze remaining fixed on the shifting light and shadow below:

"Qizhu, do you think... your master needs a house?"

His voice was slightly hoarse from a long illness, and his tone was nonchalant, yet it possessed an air of wealth and pride that came from being surrounded by mountains of gold and jade.

Young Master Zheyue, the true master of the Seven Generations Pavilion, controls half of the wealth in the Nine Provinces.

He certainly didn't lack money, much less mansions—most of the properties on the most valuable Zhuque Street in Baiyujing were adorned with the emblem of the Seven Generations Pavilion.

He himself is one of the most expensive "rare treasures" in the world.

The final auction of each season of Mirage features the auction of "A Cup of Tea with the Moon-Folding Gentleman".

The victor may be alone with him for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and ask him one question; he will surely receive the truth.

This item once fetched a record price of 900,000 gold coins—enough to buy three mansions on the outskirts of the capital.