Luo Sheng wasn’t embarrassed, and her smile grew even sweeter: “The dishes just came off the stove. Divine Physician, won’t you eat first?”

“No need. Let me hear what matter you have.” Divine Physician Li decisively refused.

If he ate now, wouldn’t they be eating together? He couldn’t very well eat while the little miss just watched, could he?

“Let’s go inside to talk.” Divine Physician Li set down his medicine hoe, scraped the mud from his shoes, and strode toward the building.

Luo Sheng obediently followed with the food box.

The medical clinic had the same layout as the tavern—front shop, back courtyard—though somewhat more spacious.

Divine Physician Li sat down, saying irritably: “Speak.”

Seeing Divine Physician Li so direct, Luo Sheng didn’t waste words either, getting straight to the point: “I want to ask you a question. Is there any way to verify whether two people are biological father and son? Is blood recognition feasible?”

“Blood recognition?”

Luo Sheng nodded slightly: “I’ve heard there are many such cases among the common folk. The yamen also use this method to decide cases.”

Divine Physician Li huffed through his beard: “Blood recognition my foot! Whether it’s blood recognition or bone verification, it’s all nonsense to fool people.”

Luo Sheng was stunned.

After all, she hadn’t read many medical texts. When it came to medicine, she couldn’t even claim partial understanding.

So blood recognition was actually just fooling people?

But since the divine physician said so, then it must be true.

“Then how should one verify a father-son relationship?” Luo Sheng didn’t delve into why blood recognition was fooling people.

In her view, each field had its specialization. A person couldn’t possibly understand everything clearly. Rather than rely on half-baked understanding, better to trust the judgment of the foremost expert in the field.

Divine Physician Li pondered for a moment, then said: “If there are doubts about a father-son relationship, the first approach is to judge by appearance.”

“Judge by appearance?” Luo Sheng started.

Was it that simple?

Divine Physician Li raised an eyebrow at Luo Sheng: “Do you think it’s very simple?”

Luo Sheng honestly nodded.

“That’s why it’s also unreliable.”

Luo Sheng: “…”

If this weren’t the divine physician, she would have flicked her sleeves and left.

“Comparing appearances counts as a reference, because most parents and children do share similarities in appearance.” Divine Physician Li explained methodically.

Luo Sheng frowned: “But what if there’s no similarity in appearance whatsoever?”

“Of course that’s also possible. Children can skip generations in their inheritance.”

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be impossible to make an accurate judgment at all?” Luo Sheng felt disappointed.

Divine Physician Li slowly nodded: “You could say that. This is also why illegitimate children are so difficult to acknowledge.”

“Is there truly no method at all?”

Meeting the young woman’s eyes full of hope, Divine Physician Li thought for a moment and said: “There is one other situation that can serve as reference, but this belongs to special circumstances.”

“Please tell me.”

Divine Physician Li stroked his snow-white beard: “Some illnesses can also be passed from parents to children. If the father and son needing verification both suffer from the same certain illness, then naturally the possibility of them being father and son increases.”

“Illness?” Luo Sheng’s heart jumped as she looked eagerly at Divine Physician Li. “Divine Physician, could you explain in more detail?”

Speaking of hereditary illnesses would be complicated. Divine Physician Li thought briefly, then naturally took a recent example: “Little Miss, since you know the formulas for Cold Expelling Pills and Vital Essence Pills, you should also know the Vital Essence Pill formula must not be transmitted to outsiders, correct?”

Luo Sheng nodded.

This was something Divine Physician Li had instructed when he was at the Prince of Zhennan’s manor. She naturally wouldn’t forget, which was why she had held something back when asking Imperial Physician Wang to prepare the Vital Essence Pills.

Without the catalyst ingredient, it wasn’t a complete formula.

“Both Cold Expelling Pills and Vital Essence Pills are excellent medicines for saving lives. Do you know why this old man is unwilling to let the Vital Essence Pill formula spread?”

Luo Sheng shook her head: “This junior does not know.”

Divine Physician Li suddenly emphasized his tone: “Because the Vital Essence Pill was originally developed to treat a specific condition.”

Treat a specific condition?

Luo Sheng couldn’t help but clench her fingers.

“The Vital Essence Pill is medicine this old man specially developed years ago to restore a patient’s health. This medicine only has miraculous effects on her condition.”

“What if other people take it?”

Divine Physician Li smiled indifferently: “If other people take it, of course they won’t be poisoned to death. There will be some benefits, but compared to the price of Vital Essence Pills, those small benefits have no real significance.”

Luo Sheng understood.

So this was the real reason the divine physician insisted the Vital Essence Pills not be shared.

“Then my younger brother—” Luo Sheng suppressed her racing heartbeat, probing.

Divine Physician Li glanced at Luo Sheng, saying irritably: “Little miss, you’re lucky. Your brother’s symptoms happen to be the same as that patient’s. The silver spent preparing Vital Essence Pills wasn’t wasted.”

Though Luo Sheng had already had a premonition, when Divine Physician Li personally spoke the words “your brother’s symptoms happen to be the same as that patient’s,” her mind still thundered with lightning and roaring thunder.

Luo Chen’s deficiency symptoms were the same as Mother Consort’s?

Adding the scar on Luo Chen’s buttocks and the connection between Grand Commander Luo and the Prince of Zhennan’s manor, wasn’t this enough to prove that Luo Chen was Bao’er?

Luo Chen was Bao’er…

Luo Sheng’s clenched fingers loosened, then tightened again, barely maintaining surface calm.

Divine Physician Li looked deeply at her: “Little miss, why are you asking about this out of nowhere?”

Luo Sheng suppressed the raging storm in her heart, glanced at the doorway, and said quietly: “I suspect my younger brother isn’t my father’s son.”

Poor Divine Physician Li—his age was more than enough to be Imperial Physician Wang’s grandfather, and he had weathered countless storms, yet hearing these words he nearly spilled the tea in his hand.

Ever since this little miss had spoken words suggesting she was possessed by Princess Qingyang’s spirit, he’d thought she dared say anything, but he hadn’t expected her to be this bold.

“This old man is preparing to eat. Little miss, please return.” He had no interest in delving deeply into Grand Commander Luo’s family matters.

“Then please enjoy your meal slowly. I’ll head back now.”

Luo Sheng left the medical clinic and returned to the tavern, calling Xiu Yue into the room.

“Miss, how did it go?” Xiu Yue asked urgently.

Last night she had barely slept, repeatedly thinking about Xiao Qi and Luo Chen’s situation.

Luo Sheng sat down, picked up a teacup and took a sip of water before saying: “Luo Chen should be the real Bao’er.”

Xiu Yue’s lips trembled. She wanted to say something but couldn’t, as if an invisible hand had seized her throat.

“The divine physician said Luo Chen suffers from the same deficiency symptoms as my mother consort.”

Xiu Yue slowly covered her mouth. After quite a while, she asked in a trembling voice: “Then who is Xiao Qi?”

Luo Sheng looked seriously at Xiu Yue: “You witnessed it personally at the time—Yang Zhun carried away an infant?”

“This servant absolutely did not see wrong!” Xiu Yue’s tone was firm.

How could she have seen wrong? That one glance, after which they were separated by heaven and earth, was an eternal farewell.

“We overlooked one thing.”

Xiu Yue held her breath, waiting for Luo Sheng to continue.

Luo Sheng said word by word: “The infant who was beaten to death.”

Xiu Yue’s expression shook.

Luo Sheng continued: “Before Si Nan died, she told me Bao’er was beaten to death in the street. That infant couldn’t have appeared on the street out of thin air, could he? How did he appear there?”

Xiu Yue instinctively said: “He was brought out by people from the manor!”