A member of Nanzhao’s Meng Clan?

Hearing Imperial Physician Gu’s words, everyone present was utterly shocked. To Prince Baxian, “Nanzhao’s Meng Clan” was an entirely unfamiliar, foreign term.

But to Situ Haonan and the others, it was anything but unfamiliar.

Nanzhao’s Meng Clan—wasn’t that exactly the clan of barrier-masters the King of Nanzhao had gone to enlist?

While Prince Baxian’s brow simply furrowed in confusion, Situ Haonan and the others were each struck with alarm, including Sha Qiuzi, who had only just learned of the dead barrier matter himself and now also wore an expression of pure disbelief!

What a coincidence this was!

Suppressing his shock, Situ Haonan demanded, “Imperial Physician Gu, where did this information come from?”

Imperial Physician Gu shot Situ Haonan a furtive glare, and Situ Haonan immediately guessed—this news had come from the Gu Clan on Liuxian Isle!

This matter absolutely could not reach Prince Baxian’s ears!

Back when the blood-test for paternity had taken place, it had only been concealed through sheer danger and difficulty!

It wasn’t that Prince Yao lacked the ability to handle the situation back then—he simply hadn’t wanted the trouble. His origins, his bloodline, had never been something he cared much about.

“The prince had previously investigated Consort Meng’s origins himself. I simply followed the trail he’d already laid, and that’s how I found her remaining possession,” Imperial Physician Gu said, immediately producing the item.

Seeing the pouch embroidered with the strange totem, both Prince Baxian and Yelu Qianqian remained baffled—but everyone else understood at once!

Situ Haonan was, after all, the young master of Situ Castle, and though he hadn’t grown up along Nanzhao’s borders, he still knew a great deal about the region. Yingzi needed no introduction at all—having stayed by Jun Beiyue’s side for so many years, whatever Imperial Physician Gu knew, he knew too, and whatever Imperial Physician Gu didn’t know, he likely knew as well!

“This is a Meng Clan seal!” Yingzi murmured to himself, utterly unable to fathom that Prince Yao’s birth mother, Consort Meng, had actually come from the Meng Clan itself.

“What exactly is going on here?”

“Yes, yes, how do you two know this? What’s so special about this pouch?”

Both Yelu Qianqian and Prince Baxian were growing anxious.

“This totem on the pouch wasn’t embroidered on at all—it’s a Meng Clan seal. Only a barrier-master of the Meng Clan could produce something like this. This seal serves as a mark of Meng Clan identity, typically placed on the single most important possession one owns!”

Yingzi explained seriously, and finally Prince Baxian and Yelu Qianqian understood!

But the problem was far from solved.

“So what’s so special about the Meng Clan’s constitution, and what’s going on with that force in Beiyue’s heart?” Prince Baxian asked, more concerned with this question than anything else.

Undoubtedly, this was the question weighing on everyone’s mind.

Reluctantly, Imperial Physician Gu, enduring the pain in his leg, sighed heavily. “It seems we’ll need to invite someone from the Meng Clan here after all.”

At these words, Situ Haonan and Yingzi exchanged a glance without meaning to, both hearts pounding with alarm—yet neither said a word!

The matter of the dead barrier concerned the princess consort’s very life and safety—Imperial Physician Gu and Prince Baxian absolutely could not be allowed to know!

They could only take things one step at a time.

The King of Nanzhao, at least, still only knew that a yin-type person immune to all poisons was trapped in the Poison Beast World—he had no idea that person was Da Zhou’s own Princess Consort of Prince Yao. This was their one saving grace.

Inviting the Meng Clan’s people over, with Prince Baxian handling negotiations with the King of Nanzhao—that shouldn’t be too difficult, should it?

Situ Haonan and the others stayed silent. In the quiet, Prince Baxian hesitated for a long while, then made a decisive decision. “This prince will write a letter to the King of Nanzhao, saying…”

Before Prince Baxian could finish, Imperial Physician Gu spoke up immediately. “Your Highness, if the Meng Clan’s people come, this matter can’t be concealed forever anyway—might as well tell the whole truth! Since Prince Yao carries Meng Clan blood in half his veins, this is actually good news—it could bring Da Zhou and Nanzhao closer together. Why not seize the opportunity?”

What Imperial Physician Gu said was true enough—if Ziqing weren’t an orphan of the Isolated Island, this truly would be wonderful news!

But Ziqing’s own origins were Nanzhao’s greatest taboo—the closer the relationship grew, the more devastating it would be when the truth eventually came out and everything fell apart!

Of course Imperial Physician Gu hadn’t considered any of that—he’d long since written off Han Ziqing as dead somewhere out there.

Yet Imperial Physician Gu could hardly have imagined that Situ Haonan and the others were secretly delighted at the prospect of meeting Meng Clan people—this was the perfect opportunity to forge a connection!

Once they’d built goodwill, they’d have a chance to learn more about the dead barrier—surely better than simply waiting on word from Xuanyuan Lige and Second Young Master Beast.

Sha Qiuzi glanced at Situ Haonan, a flash of cunning crossing his eyes, and spoke up as well. “Prince Baxian, once the Meng Clan’s people arrive, they’ll need to be told the truth of the prince’s condition regardless. Sooner or later, it must be said—why risk offending the King of Nanzhao over it?”

Hearing Imperial Physician Gu and Sha Qiuzi’s arguments, Prince Baxian still hesitated somewhat—after all, aside from the Xijing royal family, no one else knew of Jun Beiyue’s grave injury.

Now, confessing this to Nanzhao—though the risk wasn’t great, it still weighed uneasily on Prince Baxian’s mind.

Seeing this, Sha Qiuzi immediately shot Situ Haonan a meaningful look, and Situ Haonan spoke up at once. “Prince Baxian, don’t worry. Though there was some unpleasantness before over the matter of the princess consort, the King of Nanzhao was kept entirely in the dark about it the whole time. Nanzhao has always been Da Zhou’s staunchest ally—and now that Prince Yao carries Meng Clan blood himself, the King of Nanzhao will surely lend us his full support!”

Hearing this, Imperial Physician Gu sneered coldly. “Thank goodness that matter with the princess consort never came to light—otherwise, the sky itself would have fallen!”

Situ Haonan ignored him, while Prince Baxian nodded. “Then it’s decided. This prince will draft the secret letter at once. Imperial Physician Gu, Old Sha, I’m counting on the two of you here.”

“Rest assured, Prince Baxian, the two of us will do everything in our power to keep Prince Yao safe!” Imperial Physician Gu replied with utmost seriousness.

Yet the moment Prince Baxian left, Imperial Physician Gu’s expression darkened at once—compared to his lack of grace, Situ Haonan and the others at least still maintained some pretense of civility.

Situ Haonan continued acting as though nothing had happened, as though he knew nothing of the truth at all, smiling as he said to Imperial Physician Gu, “Imperial Physician Gu, your leg’s in such bad shape—why don’t you go rest for a few days? We’ve got Old Sha and the rest of us here to look after Prince Yao.”

“That’s right, Imperial Physician Gu, don’t push yourself too hard. You just fainted from the pain a moment ago—accept that you’re getting on in years! I’ll help you back.”

Yingzi said this while moving to pick up Imperial Physician Gu, who dared not refuse, forced to simply let himself be carried!

This group maintained the surface pretense with Imperial Physician Gu, never exposing the truth outright or breaking ties completely—but every one of them had sharp tongues, and their words didn’t spare him at all!

The mockery left Imperial Physician Gu with nothing to say in his own defense. He simply chose to say no more—after all, as long as they didn’t break ties first, he had no reason to say much either.

Imperial Physician Gu had no way of knowing exactly how much of the truth about the tornado Situ Haonan actually knew. In this situation, there was nothing he could do about Situ Haonan—all he could do was wait, taking things one step at a time.

What he wanted most, above all else, was for Han Ziqing to never, ever come back.

Carried horizontally in Yingzi’s arms, his mind racing with anxious thoughts, Imperial Physician Gu didn’t realize until they’d returned to his quarters and set him down on the bed that it wasn’t only Yingzi who’d escorted him back—Situ Haonan and Yelu Qianqian had come along too.

Seeing the three of them gather around him, Imperial Physician Gu’s heart skipped a full beat. What… what were they planning to do?