Lu Qingwan keenly sensed the anxiety Feng Xiwu was desperately hiding. She looked at Feng Xiwu's legs, a trace of determination appearing in her eyes.
She then said, "Don't worry, the power of the Teng Snake is beyond your imagination. Your legs won't return to their original state.
They might ache occasionally, but it won't be worse than it is now."
"Really?!"
Feng Xiwu was overjoyed.
Lu Qingwan smiled and nodded, "How could I lie to you about something like this?"
Feng Xiwu thought about it. He knew the condition of his legs better than anyone else. Even if Lu Qingwan wanted to lie, she couldn't fool him.
After thinking it over, he felt at ease.
Guiyun Residence had quite a few servants. While the two were talking, washing utensils, clean clothes, and dinner were all delivered.
What was peculiar was that after delivering the clean clothes, the servant specifically said, "The ear room of Guiyun Residence has a matching heated kang. The inside is heated with medicinal herbs like mugwort and jujube wood, which are beneficial for warming the body.
If His Highness sleeps on the heated kang at night, it will be much more comfortable."
At the time, Feng Xiwu had nodded absentmindedly and didn't pay much attention.
When they were preparing to sleep that night, Lu Qingwan suddenly remembered, "Didn't they say there's a heated kang? Go try it. Your body temperature is as cold as ice, aren't you freezing?"
Feng Xiwu paused, then took Lu Qingwan's hand, "Together."
Lu Qingwan wasn't too resistant. After all, they had slept in the same bed more than once.
The ear room wasn't as spacious as the main bedroom, nor as finely furnished. However, the heated kang built by the window looked very comfortable.
Lu Qingwan let go of Feng Xiwu's hand and hopped onto it, spreading herself out. She then jumped up as if she had been electrocuted. She moved so suddenly that she almost fell off the heated kang.
Feng Xiwu quickly stepped forward to catch her, "What's wrong?"
"What heated kang? Is this a live human being grilled on an iron plate?"
Lu Qingwan gasped and blew into her palms, "It's scalding! Can this kang really be slept on?"
Feng Xiwu put one arm around Lu Qingwan and used the other to touch the heated kang. The temperature was indeed very high, but for him, it was just right.
Seeing him touch here and there, not seeming to be scalded, Lu Qingwan became very curious, "Don't you find it hot?"
As she finished speaking, she suddenly thought of something and asked Feng Xiwu in surprise, "Have you been using your internal energy to control your body temperature?!"
The Ice Silkworm poison itself would lower one's body temperature to an extreme. Even if the Ice Silkworm poison and the Green Corpse Gu counteracted each other, this wouldn't change.
But she had never felt an abnormal temperature when she touched Feng Xiwu's skin on several occasions.
Because of this, even though she knew all the effects of the Ice Silkworm poison, she hadn't noticed anything unusual about Feng Xiwu.
Feng Xiwu hadn't expected Lu Qingwan to find out and said nervously, "No, I'm uncomfortable with being cold myself. I use my internal energy to maintain my body temperature, not for you..."
He was explaining anxiously, forgetting that Lu Qingwan hadn't asked him this question at all.
The more he rushed to explain, the more it seemed like he was trying to cover something up.
"This heated kang really seems tailor-made for you,"
Lu Qingwan interrupted Feng Xiwu's hurried explanation with a smile. "You should sleep here for the next few days. Try not to use your internal energy if you can. It's not good for resolving the Gu."
Feng Xiwu nervously grabbed her, "Where are you going?"
"Me?"
Lu Qingwan said matter-of-factly, "I'm going back to the main bedroom. Won't this giant furnace roast me alive?"
"Then I'll go with you..."
He trailed off, seeing Lu Qingwan's somewhat frighteningly brilliant smile.
Feng Xiwu wisely swallowed the rest of his words and, realizing something belatedly, cautiously tested, "Are you angry?"
"No, why would I be so angry?"
Lu Qingwan said with some helplessness, "Sleep peacefully, don't overthink things, and cooperate with me in resolving the Gu, okay?"
Her tone didn't sound like she wasn't angry at all, and Feng Xiwu really didn't dare to provoke her further.
He meekly made one last request, "The daybed over there is spacious enough. You sleep there."
Fearing Lu Qingwan's refusal, he acted like a child and pouted, "This is my last resort. I'm unfamiliar with this place, and I won't feel at ease unless I can see you.
Otherwise, I'd rather not resolve the Gu for now than sleep on the heated kang."
Ultimately, he still didn't trust himself. Lu Qingwan's heart warmed, and she gritted her teeth in agreement, "I'm really defeated by you!
Let's sleep!"
Feng Xiwu was satisfied. "You wait, I'll help you move the bedding!"
As he turned, he gritted his teeth. What a heated kang for healing, it was clearly designed to separate him from his little princess!
Old men are truly wicked!
Lu Qingwan: ...
If only you were this diligent on normal days!
The day had been a roller coaster of emotions. Finally, things quieted down. Lu Qingwan released Big White to stand guard and slept soundly.
When she finally woke up, the living person opposite her was gone.
Lu Qingwan jumped off the bed to find Big White, but Big White was also gone.
Ignoring her disheveled appearance and not even wearing shoes, she ran out barefoot and bumped straight into Cheng Yi.
She grabbed Cheng Yi by the collar, "Where is he?"
She didn't resort to violence. Her more than ten years of undercover work had taught Lu Qingwan that acting before understanding the situation usually meant she would be the one at a disadvantage.
Cheng Yi, though young, had some composure. He wasn't startled even when Lu Qingwan grabbed his collar.
"Senior Brother Qingyi returned, and Master sent someone to call for you. You were still asleep, and he didn't want to disturb you, so he went to see Master by himself."
It seemed there was a conclusion about her mother's identity.
Upon hearing this, Lu Qingwan was no longer in a hurry. She quickly washed up, changed into the clothes delivered by the servants, and then ordered Cheng Yi, "Take me to see them."
The journey from Guiyun Residence to Ziyang Hall, where the man in purple lived, was not far. However, the scenery of Lunhui Hall was beautiful, with trees providing shade. Apart from Guiyun Residence, the only sounds were pleasant bird calls.
Lu Qingwan looked up and beckoned towards a spot. The medicinal fragrance on her fingertips easily attracted a kingfisher, which landed steadily on her shoulder.
Lu Qingwan took out some pastry crumbs and fed them to the kingfisher, murmuring to it for a while. The kingfisher flapped its wings and flew away.
Cheng Yi watched with envy, "Your affinity with animals is truly amazing. The birds here are very clever. Unless they are willing, you might not be able to catch them even with your Qinggong!
This is the first time I've seen a bird so obediently land on someone."
She smacked her lips, then contradicted herself, "No, you should be the second person. The first person was Senior Sister!"
"Senior Sister? You mean my mother?"
"That's right."
A magnetic voice answered, but it was the man in purple, accompanied by Feng Xiwu, who arrived.
Feng Xiwu walked directly towards Lu Qingwan, "We've investigated. Your mother, Your Highness, is indeed not the true Princess Anyang. Her true identity is Liu Hanyan, the Saintess of Lunhui Hall.
In other words, she is the daughter of Liu Xunran, the Hall Master of Lunhui Hall."
Their eyes met. The man in purple with silver hair looked at Lu Qingwan with complex emotions – regret, pain... The complexity within his gaze was too much for Lu Qingwan to decipher.