FID – Chapter 1083

Chapter 1083: That’s Not Something He Would Worry About

“Qian Yi, do you know about the Life Link Gu?” Liu Yusheng asked in surprise.

Qian Yi’s eyelashes trembled as she nodded. “Our tribe has some dealings with the Gu Medicine Clan, so I know a bit about the Gu.”

Hearing this, Liu Yusheng wanted to ask more detailed questions, but her hand suddenly tightened, and she stopped herself.

It wasn’t until a midday rest when no one else was around that Liu Yusheng asked Feng Qingbai, “Qian Yi must know more about the Gu Medicine Clan than she’s letting on. Why didn’t you let me continue asking? Maybe there’s another way to solve this.”

“You didn’t listen carefully to what she said just now,” Feng Qingbai replied, keeping her within his embrace. “She said there is no other way to undo it.”

Liu Yusheng paused in surprise. “No other way to cure it? No other way to cure it…”

Muttering the words to herself a few times, her eyes suddenly lit up with excitement as she looked at Feng Qingbai. “She said there’s no other way, not that there’s ‘no way’!”

The corner of his lips curved slightly as he nodded. His Shengsheng had always been smart; she understood things instantly.

Those two phrases carried entirely different meanings.

‘No way’ meant there was absolutely no hope. But ‘no other way’ indicated that there was a way—the only way—and Qian Yi might know it.

Liu Yusheng, thrilled, grabbed Feng Qingbai’s robe. “If Qian Yi really knows the way, then Qinglian can be saved!… But I noticed her expression seemed evasive when she spoke. Could she be hiding something?”

Thinking of Qian Yi’s subtle demeanor, Liu Yusheng’s excitement faded, replaced by worry.

Her head was gently stroked by his long, slender hand, soft and reassuring. “As long as she knows the way, Qinglian will be saved.”

As for any hidden difficulties? Feng Qingbai’s eyes were indifferent. That wasn’t something he would concern himself with.

Liu Yusheng nodded. Later, she would find a chance to talk with Qian Yi properly. If she truly had difficulties, Liu Yusheng would do everything she could to help her solve them. As long as Qian Yi was willing to save Qinglian, to go through fire and water, they would meet her conditions.

Qinglian was not just a friend to them—he was like family.

“Shengsheng.”

“Hm?” The man called her suddenly, and she replied with curiosity.

“Leave this matter to me. You don’t need to handle it for now,” he said in a low voice before she could ask why. “Trust me.”

Liu Yusheng didn’t hesitate at all and nodded.

She trusted him—always, everywhere.

That night, the Xiliang Imperial Palace was brightly lit.

A group of imperial physicians attended to the emperor in the Eternal Longevity Palace, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Though the emperor was advanced in years, his body had remained robust over the years, hardly ever suffering even minor illnesses.

Yet after returning from the Deity Festival at the palace, his health began to decline. He coughed incessantly, and his body grew weaker by the day.

The imperial physicians were on edge every day, feeling as if their heads were suspended over a blade.

Symptoms that would normally be minor in ordinary people lingered for over ten days in the emperor without showing improvement.

Once again, this made the Imperial Medical Bureau look incompetent. If the emperor were to become enraged, all the physicians holding posts there would have no way to survive.

“Everyone else leave; only Shan Lai and Prince Shunyang stay.” The elderly emperor leaned back on his bed, dismissing the imperial physicians and the many concerned descendants, leaving only the two of them.

The grand hall, which had been crowded moments ago, suddenly emptied.

With a deep gaze, he looked at Shan Lai standing to the side and asked, “More than ten days have passed, and there’s still no sign of action from the King of Nanling. Does your ‘wait-for-the-rabbit’ method truly work?”

Shan Lai hurried forward two steps and replied softly, “Your Majesty, based on my understanding of Liu Yusheng, she will come. She is devoted; in desperate situations, she will seize any glimmer of hope and never let go. She absolutely will not watch as Xue Qinglian dies.”

She paused, then added, “However, she is not reckless. On the contrary, she is meticulous and extremely clever. Until the news we let out fully convinces her, she will not risk herself. Now, what we are competing in is patience.”

Whoever loses their composure first, loses.

This is a psychological game.

She had released the news of the antidote prescription, fully aware that Liu Yusheng and Feng Qingbai would suspect it was a trap.

Yet she also knew that regardless of whether the prescription was real or fake, Liu Yusheng and Feng Qingbai would come to investigate. After all, this was their only hope to save Xue Qinglian.

After Shan Lai finished speaking, Prince Shunyang also stepped forward two paces. “Royal Great-Great-Grandfather, Liu Yusheng is indeed exactly as Saintess Shan Lai described,extremely clever. Otherwise, she would never have been able to escape from the palace relying on her own abilities. And now she has the King at her side. That man’s depth and scheming are unfathomable. If we want them to willingly step into our net, we must be patient.”

The old emperor fell silent for a moment, then waved his hand. “Withdraw. Have people keep a close eye on the movements of the Rare Treasures Pavilion. Report immediately if there is any news.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After the two left, the old emperor turned his gaze toward the direction in which they had disappeared. His eyes grew dark and cold.

—You don’t know that you’ve sat on this dragon throne for far too long. Do you know how many beneath you want you dead, want you to drop dead this instant?

—Who knows when you may die at the hands of your own descendants?

—And you think your children and grandchildren are truly that obedient and loyal?

The words spoken by that woman in the palace that day resurfaced one by one in his mind.

He was the Emperor of Xiliang. He ascended the throne at nineteen and had ruled for seventy-one years.

Among all the emperors in Xiliang’s history, his reign was the longest.

If the late emperor had lived just as long back then, he thought he would have found a way to send the old emperor off to the heavens early.

None of the men born into imperial families are without ambition.

Such exalted status leaves them only one step away from the dragon throne. Who could possibly resist such temptation?

Therefore, Liu Yusheng was right. His children and grandchildren were all waiting for him to die.

“Attend to me.”

In the vast, empty hall, a shadowy figure immediately appeared without a sound.

“Investigate whether there has been any private contact between Prince Shunyang and Saintess Shan Lai.”

Out of the palace, there were no bright lights; the night suddenly felt dense, yet the stars and moon above shone even more brilliantly.

Two carriages were waiting in front of the palace gates.

One belonged to Prince Shunyang’s Manor, the other to the Yun Palace.

Standing before the carriages, Prince Shunyang bowed to Shan Lai in farewell. When he flicked the hem of his robe and was about to mount his carriage…

“Wait, Prince Shunyang,” the woman called from behind him.

“Saintess Shan Lai, is there something you need?” the prince asked, turning around.

“His Majesty has entrusted the Rare Treasures Pavilion matter to both me and Your Highness. I would like to discuss the arrangements there with you further. Would it be possible for us to ride in the same carriage?”

Prince Shunyang smiled and said, “Very well. this prince will allow Saintess Shan Lai to return to Yun Palace with me, and we can talk along the way.”

Shan Lai stiffened for a moment before relaxing her back, expressing her thanks before getting into the carriage. Once they were seated, the carriage started moving.

The lowered curtains blocked all outside light, shrouding the interior in darkness.

“There has been no movement from Liu Yusheng’s side yet, but the emperor here is already growing restless. Your Highness, do you have any good methods to lure her out more quickly?”

“The method was proposed by yourself, Saintess I am merely assisting. How to draw her out faster is entirely your concern.”

Prince Shunyang suddenly grabbed her wrist and, with a sharp push, separated the woman, slender and lithe like a water snake, from himself.