An Jiu fell into deep thought, struggling to accept this fact. “Is my singing that bad?”

Mo Sigui nodded without hesitation.

“Why do I think it’s not bad?” An Jiu asked.

Because you’re not an ordinary person! Mo Sigui thought to himself.

“The antidote won’t be ready until next month at the earliest, and I can’t guarantee it will completely cure the gu poison,” Mo Sigui said, changing the subject.

Every gu poison was unique. Mo Sigui was trying to recreate Mei Jiu’s partial antidote to guess what kind of gu she had been infected with, and then figure out how to neutralize it.

The existing antidote could only alleviate symptoms, not reveal the gu’s full composition. This posed an enormous challenge for any healer.

An Jiu was silent for a moment. “I thought you were omnipotent in medicine.”

Mo Sigui pursed his lips and looked away. “Reverse psychology doesn’t work on me.”

His reaction said otherwise, but An Jiu didn’t argue.

“At the very least, I can make an antidote to alleviate the gu poison in her body,” Mo Sigui said.

While curing gu was difficult, Mo Sigui was confident he could recreate the existing antidote.

“Curing gu carries great risks,” Mo Sigui sat on a stone bench, refilling his pipe. He lit it and took a few puffs before continuing, “If I mix even one ingredient wrong, it could cause the gu to turn on Mei Jiu. I was able to easily cure your aunt’s gu because you gave me the original gu, allowing me to treat it specifically.”

“Then Mei Jiu’s original gu…” An Jiu thought if the Emperor personally kept those original gu, they might be able to obtain them.

Mo Sigui saw through her thoughts and exhaled smoke. “Don’t even think about it. You can’t get the original GU. For someone of Mei Jiu’s special status, they likely used a custom-made gu poison.”

“Who made the gu?” An Jiu asked. “If the Emperor uses gu to control his close guards, isn’t he afraid the gu maker might betray him? I’ve heard the Emperor is very paranoid.”

Mo Sigui’s expression sharpened. “Are you suggesting…”

That the Emperor himself made the gu?!

Mo Sigui thought carefully. “You have a point. We should ask Sheng Changying about this. He might have some clues.”

“I was just about to find him. Let’s go together,” An Jiu said.

They arrived at Sheng Changying’s door and, without discussing it, picked the lock instead of knocking. They silently stood by his bedside.

“Put out your smoke,” An Jiu frowned at Mo Sigui.

His smoke wasn’t ordinary – it was a powerful sleeping drug that could knock out an entire village!

“Who’s there?” Sheng Changying suddenly sat up.

With more idle time lately, his sleep quality had deteriorated. Combined with growing up in a place like Konghe Court, he remained highly alert even while sleeping.

“It’s Mo Sigui and me,” An Jiu said.

Sheng Changying’s mind cleared a bit as he recognized An Jiu’s voice. He wiped away cold sweat and got up to put on his shoes. “You’ve come in the middle of the night. Is there urgent business?”

“Yes, we wanted to ask if you know whether the Emperor understands gu-making,” An Jiu said.

Sheng Changying lit an oil lamp and answered almost without needing to recall, “I don’t know if the current Emperor understands gu, but during Taizong’s reign, there was a favored consort from Miao territory. She was said to be the daughter of a tribal leader. The tribe was called Ju, descendants of Chi You. Despite dynastic changes, this tribe maintained its most primitive form. They understood sorcery, with great shamans assisting the tribal leaders for generations. Since ancient times, shamanic and gu practices were inseparable. That Miao consort likely mastered both.”

“After so many years, even if many gu poisons were left behind, they would have been used up by now. Taizong must have learned the art of gu and passed it down,” Mo Sigui speculated.

Sheng Changying said, “We don’t know if Taizong mastered gu, but Zhenzong was Miao consort’s son, so it’s not surprising if he understood gu.”

“Oh? Wasn’t Zhenzong born to Lady Li?” Mo Sigui asked, slightly surprised.

Sheng Changying replied, “That Miao consort was Lady Li.”

“How unexpected!” Mo Sigui exclaimed.

The entire Song Dynasty believed Lady Li was Han Chinese from a prestigious family. They never expected Taizong had deceive everyone. The internal affairs were complex, and they didn’t want to delve deeper. They now knew what they needed to know.

Having confirmed this, An Jiu said, “I’ll infiltrate the palace to find the original gu.”

Mo Sigui glanced at her sideways but remained silent for a while.

Seeing his reaction, An Jiu asked, “Do you object?”

“You nearly lost your life retrieving the gu for your aunt last time. You want to go again?” Mo Sigui said. “If we’re talking about life debts, haven’t you repaid enough?”

When Mo Sigui first met An Jiu, he thought she was a cold-blooded killer. Later, he discovered a childish and neurotic madwoman beneath her cold exterior. Slowly, he began to see what was hidden deepest… her sense of loyalty, passion, and kindness.

An Jiu had never thought about repaying debts. She simply didn’t want to stand by and watch others die. If she tried her best, perhaps she wouldn’t be consumed by regret!

“If you’re not certain, I will go,” An Jiu said firmly.

Mo Sigui’s phoenix eyes, buried in dark circles, curved slightly. “If I ever face a desperate situation, would you help me like this too?”

“That, I can’t help with,” An Jiu eyed his dark circles. “Your desperate situations would only be two: Lou Mingyue dying, or you dying from severe insomnia.”

If Mo Sigui truly faced difficulties, she would certainly not stand idly by. But Lou Mingyue was entirely focused on revenge, sinking deeper into that swamp, much like An Jiu herself in the past. The difference was that An Jiu had been dragged in for various reasons, while Lou Mingyue had a clear and even cold-headed mindset. An Jiu didn’t want to exert effort for such a person.

“The divine doctor’s spirits have indeed been low lately. He should take good care of himself,” Sheng Changying said, seeing a reflection of himself in Mo Sigui. He realized he had been in such a dispirited state all along!

“Mm,” Mo Sigui mumbled in response, feeling the effects of smoking medicinal tobacco all night finally kicking in. With drooping eyes, he said, “I’m going to sleep.”

An Jiu followed him out.

As they walked along the corridor in silence, Mo Sigui suddenly spoke at a fork in the path, “No need to retrieve the original gu.”

An Jiu paused slightly. “Why not?”

Mo Sigui yawned lazily. “I will break this gu.”

Beneath his casual demeanor, he exuded not determination, but absolute confidence.

An Jiu believed him in her heart, but couldn’t help asking, “You’re not just experimenting with curing gu?”

“What kind of person do you take me for? I know how to repay kindness!” Mo Sigui said, displeased. “Mei Jiu practically died for me back then. Now that heaven’s given me a chance to repay that life debt, how could I treat it lightly?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” An Jiu said. “But by your logic, you owed Mei Jiu one life, and you saved her mother. Hasn’t that debt been repaid already?”

This echoed what Mo Sigui had said to An Jiu earlier.

Mo Sigui was momentarily stumped, then snorted, “I’m offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal. What’s it to you?”