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Lian Wanzhen, hearing this, rushed over wanting to grab Divine Doctor Huang by the collar and demand what he meant, but Divine Doctor Huang took out a needle and forcefully stopped him in his tracks. He could only curse from a few steps away, accusing the old man of ill intent.

Lian Changhe couldn’t help but cry.

Lih Qingshu frowned in deep thought.

Lian Musu remained the calmest, stopping her second brother and consoling her father with a few words. She then bowed respectfully to Divine Doctor Huang and calmly asked him the purpose of his actions, whether there was something they needed to do, and requested his guidance.

Only then did Divine Doctor Huang slowly point out, "At last, there’s someone with a brain.

Although your mother’s body is declining, my intervention can assure there is no risk to her physically.

The trouble is her heart disease; the key isn’t whether she sleeps, but whether her inner turmoil can be resolved.

You are her closest kin; it’s up to you to spark her will to live. "

He went on to explain a few points to them, instructing them on what to do next. The deepest relaxation comes during sleep, when physical exhaustion is relieved in dreams, making it easiest for one to open up their hearts.

He told them to say anything that might work during the medicinal bath to kindle her will to live, to wake her up. That would suffice.

Of course, finding the Heart Medicine would be best. If they could not find it, they shouldn’t add insult to injury by agitating her, lest they make matters worse.

So there was this scene: their mother, submerged in the medicinal bath inside; their father, shouting beside the tub; their second brother, yelling outside; and all the other people gathered in the courtyard.

Lian Musu understood that Divine Doctor Huang was employing a strategy of desperation. If they allowed their mother to keep declining, they might not even have the opportunity to use this method later on.

Yet emotionally, he couldn’t accept it. Before he left, his mother had earnestly cautioned him, telling him not to worry and to focus on his exams. To come back to find his mother in such a deep sleep, how could he accept that?

Indeed, just as the Divine Doctor said, his mother was too worn out. If it weren’t for such dire circumstances, he would never agree to such a method. At the very least, this method might allow his mother to have a good sleep, even if she were never to wake.

Divine Doctor Huang’s words might be harsh and unpleasant, but he clearly had the compassionate heart of a healer. An old man of his age, having exerted himself for half the night, still stayed with them, watching over what they did, fearful of any mishaps.

But the sight was somewhat infuriating...

Lian Musu sighed and said to Divine Doctor Huang, who was picking fish bones, "Divine Doctor, you’ve worked hard. Why not go and rest awhile?"

Divine Doctor Huang spat out a fish bone and huffed, "Old I may be, but I’ll rest when your incompetent selves prove reliable. This girl here is steady, but the rest of you are completely out of line."

Lian Musu instantly fell silent.

"It’s time to add more hot water. Go on, the next bucket, and after this soak she can come out."

"Yes, thank you, Divine Doctor."

On Cao De’s side.

Someone came back to report, "Ancestral Master, I’m incompetent, we’ve lost track of those two."

Cao De’s fox-like eyes narrowed, and then relaxed again, "No harm done. If they lacked even this much ability, I would have doubted them. Not everyone can join the Internal Guard Bureau. Since they wish to affiliate with me, they must show true skill before I can consider them."

The spirited young man, Chen Wei, hesitantly asked, "Ancestral Master, we’ve been investigating for so long without a clue, yet those two actually have a lead. Could there be deception involved? I’m concerned..."

This matter was the top secret of the Internal Guard Bureau, and he feared that these two were unreliable, that it could lead to leaks...

Cao De raised his hand to interrupt him, "Right now, the Internal Guard Bureau is at an impasse. It doesn’t hurt to take an outsider’s perspective.

Although the origins of these two are unknown, they do not seem like Xue Ping’s men.

They must have their reasons for approaching us; let’s just wait and see.

If anything goes wrong, we’ll simply capture them. "

Speaking of that young man, he quite appreciated him, sharp in observation, not foolish at all, and knew what to say and what not to say. There were several times he had the urge to kill him but then let it go.

This time, the young man came to seek out a position with the Internal Guard Bureau, claiming he had a clue to the matter that concerned him most. He offered a Letter of Challenge without revealing the specifics, yet his enigmatic hints pointed clearly to Xue Ping’s private soldiers.

Such a bold young man, he hadn’t met one in a long time; he was curious how the young man had guessed their intentions and how he had found out.

Chen Wei said, "Yes, Ancestral Master. So what should we do next?"

Cao De couldn’t help but hold his forehead: "Do you still need my instruction? Do as we would on any other day."

"Yes."

He was too lazy to explain further and gave another order, "Take a few experts in disguise for intelligence gathering, and prepare to leave with me. Keep watch over the Capital, and if there’s any trouble, report immediately. Also, if those two come looking again, inform me at once."

The men of the Internal Guard Bureau were becoming more foolish by the day. If that young man was reliable, it would be good to recruit him as a capable hand, to spare himself the displeasure of these incompetents.

Chen Wei went out to select men.

Cao De gazed toward a certain place in the Capital, sighing inwardly; he couldn’t go see his sister now...

The leads those two provided tonight felt reliable instinctively. There was no time to wait; fearing the complications that might arise with delay, he had to set out that very night with men to investigate.

The young man was indeed clever, merely mentioning he noticed something amiss with the batch of winter clothes and grain, suggesting a possible anomaly. Hearing that the Internal Guard Bureau was investigating corruption, he provided a clue to the direction but said nothing more.

The list he handed over displayed clearly how much the supplies were for, how long they could be used, how many iron implements were hidden, and who was transporting them, without mentioning anything else.

In the end, he simply hinted that the transporter seemed to be some relative’s bonded servant, crookedly related to a certain family, which made it clear to him but was ambiguous enough to not give him a reason to kill, showing utmost cleverness.

He didn’t seek credit and when faced with his probing, merely claimed ignorance, not presuming to instruct him as some arrogant others did, which pleased him greatly.

But such intelligent people are difficult for the average person to handle, and whether or not they can be trusted is another matter.

If there were gains from this outing, upon his return, he would call the two men in.

If they wished to join the Internal Guard Bureau, they would have to declare their backgrounds honestly and cleanly lay out their intentions and purposes.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be blamed for lacking morals.

Better to destroy them than allow them to fall into someone else’s hands to be used against him.

Cao De organized his thoughts and waited for his men to arrive, then quietly left the city.

The two mentioned by Cao De were none other than Lian Bao and Uncle Ma.

Lian Bao, accompanied by Uncle Ma, had kept a close watch on every move of the Guo family and the Xue Family. After so many days, they finally had something to show for it, finding a clue.

Sensing something amiss with the Guo family’s activities, Lian Bao thought it over carefully and decided to take a risk and go to the Internal Guard Bureau to explain.

The matter this time was big enough from what he had seen; if true, not just the small Guo family, but the entire Xue Family would be uprooted.

Fate truly favored the diligent; had he not kept persistent surveillance on Guo Neng and understood all the Guo family’s assets, how could he have stumbled upon this matter so fortuitously?

When he pieced it together, his hands shook slightly, unable to suppress the excitement.