Chapter 681: Chapter 681: Investigate Who?

Xun Cheng raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Why the sudden interest in him?"

"I knew you’d know him." Ye Chutang was not surprised by his response.

Louyang was very close to Long City, and Long City bordered Nanhu. Xun Cheng had lived there for several years; with his capabilities, it was impossible for him not to have heard the name.

Xun Cheng chuckled. "I wouldn’t exactly say I know him. Besides, the current Head of the Shui Family is incredibly famous. If you were to go to places like Louyang or Long City and ask anyone on the street, I’m sure they’d all have heard of him."

This time, it was Ye Chutang’s turn to be surprised. "He’s that famous?"

"You’re far away in the Capital City, so of course you wouldn’t be familiar with matters over there." Xun Cheng smiled faintly. "After this new Family Head of the Shui Family came to power, he acted decisively, eliminating all dissent. His thoughts and methods are both unfathomable. In recent years, the Shui Family has continued to grow and strengthen, and has seemingly become the number one prominent family in Nanhu. Rumor has it that even the Southern Hu King is now very courteous to him."

"That impressive..." Ye Chutang murmured.

Princess Qingyang left the Southwest several years ago, so her memory of Shui Xingqiu was frozen in that time.

But clearly, during her absence, Shui Xingqiu’s power had been steadily growing.

Xun Cheng nodded. "He’s an honored guest of the Nanhu Royal Family, practically second to none but the Monarch himself. I heard he wasn’t valued by his family as a child, but he ultimately secured the position of Family Head and now wields immense power. He is indeed no ordinary man."

Ye Chutang countered, "Immense power? Then... how does he compare to Tuoba Yu?"

He was, after all, the Southern Hu King’s most favored and valued younger brother.

But a subtle smile appeared on Xun Cheng’s face.

"It seems you don’t know yet. He is Tuoba Yu’s teacher."

"Teacher!?"

Ye Chutang was stunned.

"He’s about the same age as Tuoba Yu, isn’t he? How..."

"That was only after Tuoba Yu visited his home several times to plead for it," Xun Cheng reminded her. "Since you’re the one who asked about him, you should have some understanding of him."

Ye Chutang suddenly realized something. "The Poisonous Gu Technique?"

Xun Cheng nodded.

There are quite a few people in Nanhu who can use poisonous insects, but most of them are unskilled, only capable of causing confusion and disorientation.

But the Shui Family is different.

They are the true masters of this art, and Shui Xingqiu, as the Family Head, is especially well-versed in it.

"Although the Shui Family’s Poisonous Gu Technique is a closely guarded secret, the title of ’S King’s Seat’ provides many conveniences. One only has to teach some superficial skills to gain such great benefits in return—who would refuse?"

That may be true, but...

"Would the rest of the Shui Family agree?"

"Those who disagreed have already been fed to the Gu Worms," Xun Cheng explained calmly. "The Shui Family now is his personal dominion. Naturally, his word is law, and no one dares to contradict him."

Ye Chutang frowned.

Although she had some knowledge of the Poisonous Gu Technique, and had even once publicly performed an autopsy to kill the Gu Worms inside a body, she still found such methods to be utterly bloody and cruel upon hearing of them now.

"In that case, this man is truly extraordinary..."

As they spoke, Long Jiu came to serve tea.

The clear, rich aroma of the tea spread through the air, refreshing the senses.

Xun Cheng lifted his teacup, savored the aroma for a moment, and then politely gestured to Ye Chutang.

"Second Miss Ye, please, help yourself. This tea is excellent—rich without being bitter, with a sweet and refreshing aftertaste. You should try it too."

Ye Chutang gave him a speechless look.

"This is the same tea I gave you before. Of course I know whether it’s good or not."

’He was trying to play the gracious host with my own tea.’

Even Long Jiu looked a little embarrassed. With an apologetic expression, he said, "Second Miss Ye, please don’t take offense. Our master returned to the Capital City in such a hurry that he didn’t even have time to go back to Louyang. He only brought the half-packet of tea leaves that was stored in the carriage, so..."

Ye Chutang said, "...I get it. I’ll have the tea shop send some more over tomorrow."

Long Jiu jumped in alarm, waving his hands frantically. "Second Miss Ye, you’ve misunderstood! Th-that’s not what I meant—"

"Then I won’t stand on ceremony." Xun Cheng accepted graciously, his eyes showing his anticipation. "I’ve long heard that your tea shop in the Capital City is doing extremely well. When I have time, I’ll definitely have to go see it for myself."

’Not only does he want it delivered, he’s going to show up in person to ask for more?’

Ye Chutang silently decided to double the amount of Coptis root in his next prescription.

Xun Cheng, completely oblivious that his future was in jeopardy, took a sip of tea before asking again, "Speaking of which, why did you suddenly ask about him?"

Logically speaking, Ye Chutang would have had little opportunity to come into contact with him.

Ye Chutang paused. "Someone died, but I suspect she isn’t really dead. Princess Qingyang said that in Nanhu, there’s a type of poisonous insect that can induce a state of feigned death. And since Shui Xingqiu happens to be an expert in this, I thought..."

"So, you suspect Shui Xingqiu’s reach already extends to the Capital City?" Xun Cheng understood.

Ye Chutang glanced at him.

She hadn’t said who the person feigning death was, yet Xun Cheng had already guessed part of it.

Meeting her gaze, Xun Cheng didn’t flinch or look away. "If I’m not mistaken, that person... is Xiao Lansi?"

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

Ye Chutang didn’t answer his question directly, only saying, "It seems you also came back to the Capital City well-prepared this time."

At the very least, he had made significant preparations.

Xun Cheng smiled, being quite frank. "For you to be so concerned, the deceased must have been someone of no ordinary status. Moreover, when you brought it up, you showed no sadness or anger, which clearly means you weren’t on good terms with that person—you may even have had a grudge. Looking at the whole Capital City, the only person of note who died recently... wasn’t it Princess Yuhe? Besides, her birth mother was one of the Southern Hu people."

Ye Chutang had to admit that Xun Cheng was an incredibly perceptive person.

He had only been in the Capital City for a day, yet he was able to connect the dots and deduce a deeply hidden secret.

Ye Chutang nodded. "Yes."

’When talking to someone like Xun Cheng, there was really no need to beat around the bush.’

’Besides, now that he knew, he could help her investigate.’

"I don’t know what her relationship with Shui Xingqiu is, nor how they got in touch to plot all of this. But one thing is certain: she had already made all these plans by the time she left Guanling."

Xun Cheng found it a bit strange. "But she’s a princess, after all. Why go to such lengths?"

Ye Chutang’s reply was concise. "Her heart was filled with hatred."

Both her birth mother, Princess Consort Jing, and she herself had suffered immense pain and torment within that deep palace.

The Princess Yuhe who appeared timid on the surface was, in fact, already psychologically twisted.

Xun Cheng understood.

He had heard some things about Xiao Lansi’s situation. Even without asking, he could roughly guess what she had experienced and where this hatred came from.

For someone to pay such a price, the hatred in her heart must have been bone-deep.

"So, you’re now trying to find Xiao Lansi’s trail by investigating Shui Xingqiu?"

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