She wore a blue ancient embroidered dress, a colorful patterned jade belt cinched at her waist, and ornate accessories served as striking embellishments on her attire.
"Atawusi! Do not be rude."
The Atawu clan chief, displeased by his daughter's lack of decorum, frowned.
However, Atawusi, accustomed to her arrogant and overbearing ways, paid no heed to her father's displeasure.
Upon seeing Lu Zhu, she first froze, then walked directly over, her chin held high. "Heh! Atawu Meng, is that really you? You still remember to come back? I thought you had died out there. Atawu Meng, I heard you found a divine physician to cure Heavenly Mystery Atawu? Heh! You, of all people, could find a divine physician? Atawu Meng, you weren't tricked by a fool, were you?"
Atawusi spoke in one breath.
When she finished, she noticed others in the room.
"Who are they...?"
Her gaze fell upon Nangong Mo, and Atawusi visibly faltered.
Dazzled by Nangong Mo's exquisite beauty, she was momentarily stunned.
Gu Qianying frowned, glanced at Atawusi, then turned to Lu Zhu. "Lu Zhu, who is this fool?"
"My cousin, my second uncle's daughter, Atawusi."
Lu Zhu replied.
"What? Fool!"
Atawusi immediately became enraged. "Who is this mongrel... daring to... to this young lady..."
"Swish, swish..."
With a flick of her sleeve, two silver needles flashed past Lu Zhu, heading straight for Atawusi.
Applying acupoint pressure from a distance requires revealing internal energy, whereas using silver needles only requires precise aim at the acupoints.
Her spoken words turned into cries of "Aiyaya."
Atawusi's speech was slurred, her mouth askew, only able to emit muffled sounds.
One moment she was haughty, the next her eyes were filled with terror.
"Clan Chief, is your daughter usually this ill-mannered?"
Gu Qianying asked coldly, looking at the Atawu clan chief.
"Divine Physician, please excuse me. I have spoiled my daughter,"
The Atawu clan chief apologized with a smile.
He no longer doubted the identities of Gu Qianying and the others.
The skilled use of silver needles for acupoint manipulation was something only a physician could perform with such accuracy.
At the same time, he was worried about his daughter.
He stood up, pulled Atawusi over, pressed her head down, and apologized to Gu Qianying.
"Divine Physician, I apologize for the trouble."
Gu Qianying raised a finger and withdrew the silver needles.
Atawusi returned to normal.
"Father, these people bullied me, didn't you see?"
Atawusi was furious. She went to the Atawu clan chief, tugged at his sleeve, stomped her foot, and pointed at Gu Qianying and Lu Zhu.
"Father, these two bullied me. I don't care. I want you to capture them and throw them into the snake pit!"
"Silence!"
"Guards, take the young lady back to her room and keep a close watch on her. Do not let her out."
The Atawu clan chief reprimanded her.
With outsiders present, even if he was reluctant to scold his daughter, he had to put on a show for them.
"Father!"
Atawusi was indignant.
A maid behind her tugged at her sleeve.
She calmed herself, and after regaining her composure, she first apologized to Gu Qianying and then, using the excuse of not having seen her cousin Atawu Meng for many years, decided to stay for the meal.
During the meal, she kept glancing at Nangong Mo.
Gu Qianying shifted forward, blocking her view.
Atawu Meng was furious, but having just been reprimanded by her father, she dared not lose her temper.
During the meal.
Lu Zhu explained the situation to Gu Qianying.
It turned out that Heavenly Mystery Atawu was the elder brother of both the previous and current clan chiefs. He suffered from a strange illness, rendering him unable to speak and partially paralyzed, confined to his bed for years.
The Atawu clan's saintess, Atawu Meng, in accordance with the will of the entire clan, took on the responsibility of finding a divine physician for Heavenly Mystery Atawu. Five years ago, the clan's saintess, disguised as Lu Zhu, traveled to the Central Plains.
She had been gone for five years.
Hearing this, Gu Qianying noticed the unusual expression on Lu Zhu's face.
This made her suspect that things were not as simple as they seemed.
However, with everyone present, it was not convenient to inquire further.
Meanwhile.
Nangong Mo carefully placed the peeled candied chestnuts, one by one, onto a clean porcelain plate with a pattern of blooming hundred flowers, and then placed the plate in front of Gu Qianying for her convenience.
Gu Qianying ate a few.
Beside them, the Sixth Prince Nangong Li was drawing a gourd.
However... Luolayata, who detested chestnuts the most, grabbed a large handful of peeled chestnuts and stuffed them all into Nangong Li's mouth.
Du Chun chuckled.
After the meal.
The Atawu clan chief arranged a side room for Gu Qianying.
Two hours later, the Atawu clan chief led Gu Qianying and the others to meet Heavenly Mystery Atawu.
Heavenly Mystery Atawu held a noble status, and his condition made it inconvenient for him to receive many visitors.
The Atawu clan chief suggested that Nangong Mo and the others wait outside, and only Gu Qianying should accompany him.
Nangong Mo refused.
"My wife is pregnant, and I need to attend to her personally. If you refuse, then my wife will not treat this illness!"
Nangong Mo embraced Gu Qianying and prepared to leave.
"Alright, alright, you can both go."
The Atawu clan chief stopped them.
Upon seeing Heavenly Mystery Atawu, Gu Qianying was surprised.
He was a gaunt old man with white hair, lying in bed, his eye sockets deep, his gaze vacant, his limbs atrophied.
Beside the bed was a bowl of cold white congee, and a few grains of rice still clung to the old man's clothes.
The candlelight in the room was dim, the air damp, the windows tightly shut as if no wind had ever entered, and a foul, pungent odor circulated within the room.
Strange patterned scrolls hung on the walls, each with a different depicted pattern.
Ghost heads, snake figures, bone paintings, Yin spirits...
And from the beams of the room hung cloth dolls made from unknown animal skins.
Each doll had the birth date of someone written on it.
The room's arrangement was extremely eerie.
Atawusi covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief. After only a moment, she recoiled in disgust and quickly left.
"Brother, the saintess has brought the divine physician back. Brother, you are saved!"
The Atawu clan chief held Heavenly Mystery Atawu's wrinkled hands, his voice filled with excitement.
As if hearing his words, Heavenly Mystery Atawu's vacant eyes suddenly brightened, seeming to regain consciousness.
But when his gaze met the Atawu clan chief's eyes, a look of fear flashed within them.
Gu Qianying took in his expression and then looked back at Lu Zhu, who was standing there in a daze.
"What's wrong?"
Gu Qianying looked at Lu Zhu.
Lu Zhu glanced at Heavenly Mystery Atawu, then at the Atawu clan chief, and shook her head. "No... nothing."
"Divine Physician, do you have confidence in treating my brother's illness?"
The Atawu clan chief released Heavenly Mystery Atawu's hand and looked at Gu Qianying.
"I haven't taken his pulse yet, so I don't know the extent of his condition."
Gu Qianying walked over.
Nangong Mo suddenly grabbed her. "Wife, you rest over there. I'll take his pulse and then tell you."
Nangong Mo had also sensed the abnormality in the room and was being cautious.
"Alright."
Gu Qianying followed Nangong Mo's lead.
The place was filled with an unsettling strangeness, and she felt it was best to be careful.
Lu Zhu, at some point, had quietly moved closer to Gu Qianying.
"Miss, here, take this quickly."
Lu Zhu's voice was very soft.
She forcefully pressed her lifelong protective amulet into Gu Qianying's hand.
And insisted that her miss stay close to her, not to stray too far.
After taking the pulse, Nangong Mo stood up and walked to Gu Qianying. "Wife, I'm tired. Let's go outside and talk."
Saying this, Nangong Mo put his arm around Gu Qianying.
"Yes, yes, Your Highness is tired, and Miss, you are also tired. Let's go out first."
Lu Zhu agreed wholeheartedly, but...