Nangong Yu descended the mountain overnight. Now that he had found the person he was looking for, there was no need to stay at Gan Ye Temple any longer.
All he needed to do now was to verify his guess.
Wen Ruyu, fanning himself, yawned and his gaze fell upon Nangong Yu. "At this late hour, did you drag me out just to watch you stare into space?"
Nangong Yu snapped back to attention and looked at Wen Ruyu. "Can the virginity mark be faked?"
"It probably can," Wen Ruyu replied lazily. "The virginity mark is made by pounding a gecko and mixing it with cinnabar. It's used to test a woman's chastity. Once she has had intercourse, it disappears and can never be reapplied.
However, legend has it that there's a secret medicine called 'Dian Zhu' in folk medicine. If applied to the arm, it's indistinguishable from the virginity mark, making it difficult to tell the truth from the false. But nowadays, the formula for this medicine is lost."
"Dian Zhu... do you know how to verify if a virginity mark is a fake made with Dian Zhu?"
"I know that. Blood can remove it."
"Blood?"
"Yes, especially the blood of a yang-natured man. It works immediately," Wen Ruyu said, closing his jade fan with certainty. "You've found your person!"
Nangong Yu remained silent, but his expression confirmed it. Wen Ruyu was genuinely curious. "Who is she? You've spent so much effort to find her now, how did you find her? Can she really suppress the蠱 (gu) poison within you?"
"This remains to be seen, but..." Nangong Yu paused. "She can alleviate the pain when my poison flares up. This much is undeniable."
"Alleviating your pain is a good thing. Perhaps she has a way to cure your 蠱 (gu) poison," Wen Ruyu's mind raced, sifting through all the people the Tian Ji Pavilion had been investigating recently. Finally, only one person came to mind. "Is it the one from the Protector of the Nation's General's mansion?"
Nangong Yu nodded slowly.
"How could it be her? Wasn't it said that her virginity mark... are you suspecting her virginity mark has a problem?" Wen Ruyu covered his mouth with his jade fan. "You went to Gan Ye Temple, and she happened to be there when your poison flared up?"
Nangong Yu explained, "At that time, my poison flared up, and I was weak and powerless. I knew she would definitely escape, so I used all my strength and bit her shoulder. She managed to evade my search by some unknown method. Coincidentally, tonight someone sent a bunch of snow celosia to her room. I was curious and went to take a look, only to find my teeth marks on her shoulder."
"If it were someone else, you could find a way to bring them into your mansion, but this is Xiao Man, which makes things complicated!" Wen Ruyu said with some worry. "Not to mention whether Xiao Zhen would be willing to give his daughter to you, even the Emperor wouldn't agree to you marrying Xiao Man."
Nangong Yu's expression remained unchanged. "I never thought of marrying her."
"But you two..."
Wen Ruyu stopped mid-sentence, then thought that Nangong Yu wasn't the one at a disadvantage in this situation. Xiao Man wasn't crying and demanding Nangong Yu take responsibility, so why should Nangong Yu worry?
But then he considered that they were the ones in need of help now. Xiao Man might possess a method to control Nangong Yu's 蠱 (gu) poison!
"Your 蠱 (gu) poison..."
"Xiao Man will cooperate with me," Nangong Yu said confidently. "Although she is doted on by Xiao Zhen, everyone in the Protector of the Nation's General's mansion, except Xiao Zhen and Xiao Luo, wishes her ill. And those who could protect her are not in the mansion. She will need my help."
"It's good that you have a plan. I'm just curious, Xiao Man is such a skilled fighter that she managed to sneak into Qing Feng Bie Yuan under heavy guard. You've fought with her before, how are her skills?"
"She could kill you without issue."
Wen Ruyu choked slightly. "I'm a refined person, I don't like fighting."
Nangong Yu smiled. "By the way, did you find out about the mechanical box I asked you to investigate?"
Wen Ruyu produced a painting. The painting depicted a box.
If Xiao Man were present, she would recognize that box as the one she had taken from Wu You.
"This box originated from the Mo family, a family renowned for their craftsmanship. The Mo family was wiped out for their involvement in a rebellion. There are only three such mechanical boxes in the world, and their owners are no ordinary individuals. Empress Dowager Du Gu Man of Yun Qi possesses one. After the Du Gu family was annihilated and Du Gu Man died tragically in the harem, this mechanical box also disappeared. The Empress of Blue Moon possesses one, which is currently in her possession. As for the third one, it is said to have been with the head of the Mo family. It vanished after the Mo family's extinction."
"Then whose is the mechanical box in Wu You's possession?" Nangong Yu's mind was filled with doubt. The mechanical box in Wu You's possession must have belonged to either Du Gu Man or someone from the Mo family, but whose was it?
"According to our investigation, Monk Wu You brought the mechanical box back ten years ago when he returned from his travels. I have checked, and Monk Wu You has roamed all four kingdoms, so it's impossible to ascertain where he obtained the mechanical box," Wen Ruyu asked curiously. "Why are you suddenly interested in Monk Wu You's mechanical box?"
"Xiao Man took the mechanical box from Wu You. Wu You said it was something Xiao Man had entrusted him to keep."
"Is he lying?" Wen Ruyu probed.
"No, he doesn't seem to be lying. Furthermore, I've heard him mention before that he was guarding the mechanical box for someone, and he wished its owner would never need to use it," Nangong Yu said in a low voice. "I'm truly curious, what exactly is inside that mechanical box that Wu You is so unwilling to reveal?"
"That's simple, just ask Xiao Man."
Nangong Yu looked at Wen Ruyu with a half-smile. "Do you think Xiao Man will tell me?"
"If Your Highness were to employ a little honey trap, wouldn't the young lady from the Protector of the Nation's General's mansion surrender immediately?" Wen Ruyu's peach blossom eyes were filled with playful amusement.
"You underestimate her," Nangong Yu said with a cold laugh. "She's not someone who is swayed by beauty. I've met her several times, and she's never paid any attention to my looks."
"This trick doesn't work anymore?" Wen Ruyu chuckled. "It seems we'll have to find another way to find out what's inside."
"Investigate where Du Gu Man's mechanical box is," Nangong Yu said. "For some reason, I always feel that woman didn't die so easily."
"Tian Qian has sealed its sword, how could she still be alive? If she were alive, could she stand by and watch the Du Gu family be annihilated?" Wen Ruyu picked up a pastry from the plate and took a bite. "She's dead, and you're still holding a grudge over losing to her in the past?"
"It's not about holding a grudge. I just have a feeling that Du Gu Man is someone who always leaves herself a way out. Even the person she raised herself, she wouldn't be completely unguarded. Her defeat was too quick and too thorough, which makes me suspicious. Given Du Gu Man's nature and strategies, do you think a puppet emperor could easily shake Du Gu Man's foundation? I feel that there's something strange about this whole affair."