Imperial Physician Gu’s good days were, in truth, already numbered—though he himself remained completely oblivious.
At this moment, he was far away on Liuxian Isle, at the residence of the Gu Clan patriarch.
Thanks to the combined efforts of Jun Beiyue and Ziqing, the Gu Clan on Liuxian Isle not only maintained its position as the island’s foremost family, but had grown even more prosperous and glorious than before.
Though Prince Yao of Da Zhou’s name didn’t carry quite the same weight in martial circles as it did at court, what that husband and wife had accomplished on Liuxian Isle alone was more than enough to strike fear into anyone who heard of it!
In a sense, the Gu Clan belonged to Jun Beiyue and Ziqing now, and Liuxian Isle was their domain.
Imperial Physician Gu had certainly not come to Liuxian Isle seeking medical treatment—Jun Beiyue’s injury this time was entirely different from before, this time focused on nourishing his vital energy!
Imperial Physician Gu had come specifically to inquire about Jun Beiyue’s birth mother—the Gu Clan patriarch’s former love, Meng Wanyue.
Palace records held very little on this consort of humble maidservant origin.
Before this visit, Imperial Physician Gu had already searched the palace archives, only to discover that everything recorded about this consort’s origins had been fabricated. One might say everything was false—he had no idea whether even her name, “Wanyue,” was real!
Of everyone who might know the truth, likely no one but the Gu Clan patriarch himself would know.
Imperial Physician Gu gave a rough account of Jun Beiyue’s condition, along with the suspicions he and Sha Qiuzi shared. The Gu Clan patriarch was a sharp man—the moment he heard it, he understood the problem most likely originated with Jun Beiyue’s birth mother!
If a constitution like that hadn’t come from some undisclosed circumstance, it could only have been inherited from his mother!
To treat it, they had to first understand what made this constitution so unusual.
And to understand that, the only path was through his mother’s origins.
“Wanyue… heh, is that what she called herself after entering the palace?” the Gu Clan patriarch said, laughing bitterly while shaking his head—a man of his age, reminiscing about his first love, could offer little more than this kind of faint, wistful smile.
“Could it be that isn’t even her real name?” Imperial Physician Gu pressed anxiously, having no time to sit here reminiscing about the patriarch’s first love!
“No, it’s the same name, just—she wasn’t surnamed Wan. She was surnamed Meng.” the Gu Clan patriarch said flatly.
Meng Wanyue, Meng Wanyue—he remembered, when he’d first noticed this woman, it had been precisely because of that name, beautiful as a dream.
“Meng? That’s not a common surname—at the very least, it’s not a major clan name in Da Zhou!” Imperial Physician Gu said seriously.
“I never knew where she came from either. We met by chance at a martial arts tournament—I was young and foolish back then, sneaking off to make a name for myself in the martial world of Longyuan, and by coincidence I met her in Da Zhou…”
As the Gu Clan patriarch spoke, he couldn’t help but drift into memory—first love was always so beautiful.
But Imperial Physician Gu had no patience left, cutting in urgently, “Patriarch Gu, this matter concerns Prince Yao’s very life—I beg you to think carefully!”
Reluctantly, the patriarch shook his head again. “I truly don’t know. I wanted to find out too, searched everywhere afterward, but never uncovered a single thing.”
Back then, it had been a chance encounter, youthful passion burning bright—what did family background, origins, or lineage matter to him then? All he’d wanted was to roam the world together with her, an immortal couple needing no envy of mandarin ducks or celestial beings.
He’d never imagined he would be summoned back and placed under house arrest by the Gu Clan, and by the time he finally went looking for her again, everything had already changed beyond recognition.
With the patriarch himself at such a loss, there truly was no thread to follow.
Imperial Physician Gu had come all this way, only to extract a single surname, “Meng”—how could he possibly accept that?
But accept it or not, what choice did he have? Though the Gu Clan patriarch shared Imperial Physician Gu’s dislike of Ziqing, Jun Beiyue was different—Jun Beiyue was his own flesh and blood, the sole backing behind the Gu Clan’s dominance over Liuxian Isle. How could he not wish to do something for Jun Beiyue’s sake?
The more Imperial Physician Gu thought about it, the more anxious and unsatisfied he grew, quickly asking again, “Did Consort Meng leave anything behind?”
Having previously called her Consort Wan, now she could only be called Consort Meng.
In truth, in front of the Gu Clan patriarch, Imperial Physician Gu should have addressed her as Madam Meng—but he chose not to extend the patriarch that courtesy.
He needed to keep his story consistent with the patriarch’s—Jun Beiyue’s true parentage still had to be kept hidden from Prince Baxian!
If Imperial Physician Gu was devoted heart and soul to serving his master Jun Beiyue, Prince Baxian was, at his core, devoted heart and soul to the Jun family’s rule over Da Zhou!
The only thing Consort Meng had left Jun Beiyue was a dagger—the very Liuguang that Ziqing now carried. Imperial Physician Gu had, of course, seen it many times before and found nothing revealing about it.
The Gu Clan patriarch looked visibly uncomfortable, but this wasn’t the moment to dwell on such things. He hesitated a moment, then asked Imperial Physician Gu to wait.
Soon, the patriarch returned carrying a sandalwood treasure box, opening it gently before Imperial Physician Gu.
Inside lay a finely crafted embroidered pouch, palm-sized—yet the totem embroidered on it clearly didn’t match any Central Plains style!
The patriarch drew it out as though it were a cherished treasure, reluctant even to hand it over to Imperial Physician Gu. But Imperial Physician Gu snatched it away without warning, his expression full of shock as he turned it over in his hands. “This belonged to Consort Meng?”
“What, do you recognize it?” the patriarch asked hurriedly.
Imperial Physician Gu said nothing at all, turning to leave at once. The patriarch hurried after him, and Imperial Physician Gu stopped in his tracks. “I understand now! Patriarch Gu, allow me to borrow this for now—I will certainly return it afterward. Thank you, Patriarch Gu!”
“What exactly is going on?” The patriarch grabbed hold of Imperial Physician Gu’s arm, refusing to let him leave.
“The Meng Clan! This pattern is the mark of the Meng Clan’s barrier-masters from Nanzhao! Patriarch Gu, Consort Meng told you her identity long ago—it’s just that you never understood it!”
With that, without offering any further explanation, Imperial Physician Gu wrenched his arm free and hurried off. The patriarch chased a few steps, but seeing how urgent Imperial Physician Gu seemed, he didn’t press further.
He could hardly chase him all the way to Da Zhou—that was somewhere he couldn’t go, especially not at a moment like this.
All he could do now was wait for word.
The Meng Clan?
Nanzhao’s Meng Clan?
This term was so unfamiliar to the Gu Clan patriarch that he’d practically never even heard of it—though that was no fault of his own; hardly anyone else would have heard of it either.
Had it not been for Jun Beiyue’s years of friendship with the King of Nanzhao, and his extensive study of Nanzhao’s various tribes, Imperial Physician Gu, who had accompanied him for years, would never have recognized that symbol on sight either.
This symbol wasn’t something just anyone could use—nor was it merely decorative embroidery, but a tangible seal placed by a barrier-master.
Imperial Physician Gu was overjoyed beyond words, boarding a ship that very day, rushing straight back to Da Zhou.
Knowing it was the Meng Clan still didn’t explain why Jun Beiyue’s constitution was so unusual, but Imperial Physician Gu thought—getting Prince Baxian to petition the King of Nanzhao, inviting the Meng Clan’s people over, surely wouldn’t be too difficult!
Once the Meng Clan’s people arrived, the truth would naturally come to light!
Everyone said Prince Yao’s birth mother had come from humble origins, with no maternal relatives of standing to rely on—who would have guessed that behind Consort Meng lay the power of Nanzhao itself? This would not only elevate Prince Yao’s standing across all of Longyuan, but also draw Da Zhou and Nanzhao closer together!
At this thought, Imperial Physician Gu found himself smiling even in his dreams.
Little did he know—someone had already been waiting for him in the Xuanlong Palace of the Da Zhou capital for several days now…