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The Guard also thought that Shen Chuwei was here to cause trouble, "You’re just a kid, go play elsewhere."

As the Guard spoke, he reached out to snatch the Imperial Edict, but Shen Chuwei deftly avoided him.

The Guard looked at the young man in front of him, startled.

Shen Chuwei said ominously, "Since I dare to challenge the Imperial Edict, I must have medical expertise. The ancients said, ’Do not judge a person by their appearance, nor the sea by its breadth.’ Understand?"

Caught off guard and unable to retort, the Guard stood speechless for a while before saying, "If you’re just a facade, don’t blame me for being rude to you later."

Shen Chuwei gave a slight smile, "You’ve been having a bit of difficulty in your marital duties lately, am I right?"

The Guard was shocked. Recently, whenever he was intimate with a woman, he would feel inadequate. This private matter had never been mentioned to anyone else. How could he diagnose it so accurately without even taking his pulse?

"How did you know?"

Shen Chuwei replied indifferently, "Your lips are slightly darkened, which is a sign of kidney deficiency."

The Guard quickly asked, "Then how can it be cured?"

Shen Chuwei smiled, "My consultation fee is quite expensive."

The Guard wanted to say more, but Shen Chuwei added, "Can you lead the way now?"

The Guard hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Alright, please follow me."

A shiny horse carriage was parked not far from the notice board, and Shen Chuwei boarded the carriage under the guidance of the Guard.

When Qin Xiao tried to board, someone stopped him, "You cannot get on."

Shen Chuwei said, "He is my attendant as well as my assistant. If you don’t let him on the horse carriage, who will assist me during the examination?"

The Guard hesitated for a bit, stared at Qin Xiao for a long while, and then permitted him to board the carriage.

After boarding, the Guard drove the horse carriage towards the Imperial City.

Shen Chuwei, holding Xuetuan, lifted the curtain to take a quick look outside; the carriage was moving fast.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the carriage suddenly stopped. When she lifted the curtain again, she saw that they were at a checkpoint, which, once passed, would enter the Xingmiao Clan’s Imperial City.

Suddenly, someone lifted the curtain; it was the Guard, who checked everything was fine, then allowed them to proceed.

A few minutes later, the carriage slowly came to a stop.

Shen Chuwei heard the sound of a door opening. It wasn’t that she had good hearing, but the sound was so loud that she couldn’t ignore it.

When the carriage started moving again, it was much slower than before. Finally, when it came to a halt, the Guard lifted the curtain.

"Young Master, we’ve arrived."

Shen Chuwei got down from the carriage holding Xuetuan and looked up at the Imperial City in front of her, which looked completely different from the resplendent grandeur of the Daxia Imperial Palace.

The Imperial City wasn’t as large as the Imperial Palace and its architecture resembled a castle, though shorter, with walls that seemed to be painted white, creating an expanse of pure whiteness.

"Young Master, please follow me."

Shen Chuwei withdrew her gaze and followed the Guard through the white doorway, discovering a whole new world inside. In contrast to the white walls, the interior was a verdant green with large swaths of green plants and grass.

Exotic flowers and rare herbs met the eye, creating a dizzying display.

Shen Chuwei was indeed distracted by the unusual flora when an icy voice brought her back to reality.

"Isn’t this just a child? Why are you bringing back a child?" The speaker was the Clan Leader’s eldest son, Ouyang Jingyu.

Shen Chuwei looked at the speaker, a man in his early thirties, dressed in the luxurious attire of the Xingmiao Clan, a turban wrapped around his head. His handsome features meant that he looked good even in attire that differed from that of Daxia.

The Guard bowed his head, "Master, this young man can practice medicine."

Ouyang Jingyu questioned with a skeptical tone, "You can practice medicine?"

Shen Chuwei said, "Of course, otherwise why would I dare respond to the Imperial Edict?"

Seeing the youngster’s arrogance, Ouyang Jingyu snorted, "In that case, I’ll give you a chance. If you’re a pretender, you’d better leave at once."

Shen Chuwei remained silent.

Ouyang Jingyu continued, "Come with me. However, your attendant cannot come along."

Shen Chuwei glanced at Qin Xiao, "Wait here for me."

Qin Xiao hesitated for a long time before nodding, "As you wish, Young Master."

Shen Chuwei followed Ouyang Jingyu, taking the opportunity to look around the Imperial City of the Xingmiao Clan, noting the marked contrast in layout and decor compared to the Daxia Imperial Palace.

The Daxia Imperial Palace had red walls and green tiles, while the Xingmiao Clan’s Imperial City exuded a fresh and youthful vibe.

Shen Chuwei followed Ouyang Jingyu into a room, and then to the bedside where she saw a man lying down, his complexion deathly pale, his brows deeply furrowed, indicating significant discomfort.

Ouyang Jingyu introduced, "This is my younger brother, who has been ill for over two years. The doctors have said there’s no cure. If you can treat him, a fortune in gold will be yours."

Shen Chuwei said, "First, let me feel his pulse."

"Alright," Ouyang Jingyu stepped aside.

Shen Chuwei sat next to the bed, placed Xuetuan on her lap, took the patient’s hand, and began to take his pulse.

Frowning, she withdrew her hand and said to Ouyang Jingyu, "He is indeed very ill but I don’t have the necessary medicines with me; I need to go back and get them."

Skeptically, Ouyang Jingyu asked, "Are you saying there’s hope for my brother?"

"Yes," Shen Chuwei paused before continuing, "but it will be difficult."

"Wait outside for now; I’ll go inform my father," Ouyang Jingyu said before leading Shen Chuwei out.

Once they reached a stone table in the garden, Ouyang Jingyu told Shen Chuwei to wait there and then left swiftly.

Just as Shen Chuwei was about to sit down, Xuetuan suddenly jumped out of her arms and ran towards the other end of the garden.

"Xuetuan," Shen Chuwei hastily followed.

Xuetuan wasn’t running very fast.

Shen Chuwei knew Xuetuan too well; it was an incredibly lazy pet that preferred being carried to walking on its own.

The fact that it took off running meant something was likely amiss.

Shen Chuwei kept close behind Xuetuan, not knowing how far they’d gone, until they arrived at an artificial lake with a waterside pavilion on the right.

Xuetuan ran straight into the pavilion, with Shen Chuwei following behind.

As she stepped into the pavilion, she found it to be even cooler than the outside.

Just when she was admiring Xuetuan’s choice of spot, she noticed a man sitting at a table, his back to her, seated in a wheelchair, leisurely sipping tea.

The man’s eyes were covered with a cloth, which suggested an injury.

At that moment, Xuetuan suddenly jumped into the man’s lap and let out a "meow".

Having spent so much time with Xuetuan, Shen Chuwei knew it wouldn’t allow strangers to hold it unless they were very familiar.

The fact that Xuetuan leapt into his lap willingly truly surprised her.