FID – Chapter 1061

Chapter 1061: Doubts Arise

“In the presence of Saintess Shan Lai, there’s no need to be so formal. Everyone, take off your veils, or the Saintess will think we’re treating her like an outsider.”

Even Elder Qian Fang spoke up, so Liu Yusheng had no choice but to grit her teeth and remove her veil, her expression betraying nothing, calm and composed.

This composure was a skill she had picked up from spending so much time with Feng Qingbai and Xue Qinglian.

Shan Lai’s gaze lightly swept over the faces of the group, then returned to Liu Yusheng’s and lingered.

Liu Yusheng quietly clenched her hand, her heart tensing at once.

“This is…”

“Oh, she’s a young woman from our village, named Qian Mei,” Qian Fang introduced, puzzled. “Does Saintess Shan Lai know her?”

“No, I don’t,” Shan Lai shook her head, withdrawing her gaze lightly. “It’s just that her eyes seem familiar. They resemble someone I know.”

“The world is vast and full of people; occasional resemblances are not unusual,” Qian Fang said with a smile.

“Elder is right. That is indeed so,” Shan Lai nodded, and her attention no longer lingered on Liu Yusheng.

During their casual conversation, Liu Yusheng didn’t continue studying Shan Lai.

Ever since she had guessed the subordinate relationship between Shan Lai and Xue Zhong, she no longer dared to let her guard down around this person.

The first impression Liu Yusheng had of the woman—cool, open, and kind when they first met—had long since vanished.

Occasionally, Liu Yusheng cast a discreet glance at the woman’s abdomen; it was still flat.

When she had left back then, her belly had already been quite large. Now, more than half a year has passed since she escaped from Nanling. Liu Yusheng didn’t know what had become of that child.

As she thought this, she faintly heard the sound of a baby crying from the rear of the hall. Soon, a maid reported, “Saintess, the young master is crying uncontrollably again.”

“Is he hungry? Go fetch the wet nurse,” Shan Lai replied indifferently.

“He’s not hungry. The nurse just fed him not long ago. I’m not sure if he’s uncomfortable somewhere. Saintess, you should go take a look,” the maid replied.

“If he wants to cry, there’s no use in interfering,” the woman said. “Let him cry. When he’s tired, he’ll stop on his own.”

From start to finish, Shan Lai’s face betrayed no special emotion, as if the baby the maid mentioned were not even hers. Her coldness was absolute.

Liu Yusheng silently frowned.

Then she heard Qian Fang sigh. “Shan Lai… no matter how you put it, it’s still your child. Can’t you let go?”

Shan Lai smiled faintly. “Didn’t I give birth to him and raise him? Isn’t that enough?”

Qian Fang stared at Shan Lai for a long moment, then let out a deep sigh. She didn’t bring up the child again.

As for Liu Yusheng, Qian Xue, Qian Lan, and the others—being of lower status—they naturally couldn’t speak freely in Shan Lai’s presence. Especially when it came to the private affairs of the Saintess of the Gu Medicine Clan, it was absolutely not their place to comment.

Thus, even though they found Shan Lai’s attitude strange, no one dared to ask further.

When the group left, Shan Lai personally escorted them to the main hall’s exit.

Liu Yusheng walked slightly behind with Qian Xue and Qian Lan, when suddenly the woman in front turned and looked at her. “You don’t seem very old. How long have you been married?”

“Three years, Saintess,” Liu Yusheng lowered her eyes, adopting a timid and restrained demeanor.

“Do you have any children?”

“Not yet.”

Although she kept her head down and didn’t meet Shan Lai’s gaze, Liu Yusheng could feel the other’s eyes lingering on her face, scrutinizing. Shan Lai was Shan Lai—her thoughts entirely concealed in her very bones.

From the start, she had never let go of her suspicions. The sudden question just now was meant to catch her off guard, to hear her voice unprepared.

Fortunately, Liu Yusheng had never let her guard down either. When she answered, she deliberately lowered her voice. To Qian Fang and the others, it seemed merely nervousness, but to Shan Lai’s ears, her voice carried a completely different timbre.

It wasn’t until she was seated in the carriage that Liu Yusheng truly let out a sigh of relief.

“Sister Qian Mei, were you really nervous just now?” Qian Lan covered her mouth, teasing her.

Liu Yusheng shot her a glare. “Wouldn’t you be nervous meeting the Saintess of the Gu Medicine Clan?”

“I was nervous too.”

The two shared a smile, then Liu Yusheng casually asked Qian Fang, “Elder, has the Saintess of the Gu Medicine Clan already married and had a child? Why haven’t I seen her husband?”

Qian Fang sighed and said, “If you ever see Saintess Shan Lai again, don’t mention her husband in her presence. Very few know about this. I don’t know exactly what happened to her, only that she encountered a faithless, heartless man. Normally, an unwed mother in our clan would be despised, but fortunately, the royal family supported her and suppressed the matter.”

“Then Saintess Shan Lai must be highly regarded by the royal family. From the place she lives, it’s almost like a palace,” Liu Yusheng observed.

“That, too, was arranged by the royal family. Saintess Shan Lai holds a high status among the royals, unlike in our Saintess Tribe. You must show her proper respect.”

Liu Yusheng, Qian Lan, and Qian Xue all nodded.

“Elder, you’ve visited Saintess Shan Lai several times before. Have you ever seen her child?” Being young, Qian Lan’s curiosity was strong. “From what I saw, she doesn’t seem to treat her child well.”

Liu Yusheng also had her doubts about the child, but at present, she was playing the low-profile, soft-spoken young woman of the Saintess Tribe. It wasn’t appropriate to ask too much. She didn’t want to raise suspicion, so she was pleased when Qian Lan asked the question to her.

“I haven’t seen that child either. The first two times I came to visit her, she hadn’t given birth yet, but even then I could feel her unusual coldness toward the fetus,” Qian Fang said, sighing again. “But it’s not entirely her fault. Everything has a cause. If she hadn’t encountered a faithless man, which mother would treat her own child that way?”

A heaviness settled in Liu Yusheng’s heart, and she didn’t speak for the rest of the journey, lost in her thoughts.

At the Yun Palace, Shan Lai sat at the main hall for a long time after returning, her eyes fixed on the hall’s doors. A layer of mist seemed to hover in her gaze, thick at times, faint at others.

“Over in Mo City, are we certain that the King of Nanling and his consort have already left?” She clapped her hands lightly and asked toward a corner.

“They have left for certain. Spies in the court witnessed their departure with their own eyes.”

“Was the Ghost Doctor seen anywhere near them?”

“No.”

After another moment of silence, she said, “Have someone secretly watch that one called Qian Mei. Report immediately if anything is discovered.”

That very night, back in the Palace of Longevity, Liu Yusheng realized that Shan Lai’s suspicions had still not been dispelled. In fact, the Saintess had even assigned someone to watch her secretly.

Because of this, Feng Qingbai did not sneak into her room that night.

There was only one reason he wouldn’t come: her surroundings had been reinforced with hidden guards. If he tried to enter, he would be noticed.

Shan Lai’s sensitivity made Liu Yusheng even more cautious. From now until she left with the Saintess Tribe members, it seemed there would be little opportunity for

Those two grown men were still taking turns standing watch by the old eunuch. She wondered how things were on their side.

Have they managed to gather any useful information in the palace?