Go and capture those thirty-six fierce villains.

Qin Ning was puzzled.

Huang Mu laughed and said, "It seems that Brother Qin is not familiar with the situation in the Prince Su's mansion."

"Currently, the young master of the manor is suffering from a strange illness, and the two seventh-rank acupuncturists from the Liangyi Medical Institute are helpless. The First Princess Consort has also invited a seventh-rank acupuncturist through her family connections. Prince Su, in accordance with regulations, has reported to the court and requested the Imperial Medical Academy to send a physician."

"But for some reason, more than half a month has passed and they still haven't arrived."

He stopped and lowered his voice: "I heard from the rumors that our concubine is so concerned about the prince's illness in order to win favor with the prince. Before you came, Brother Qin, none of the people she gathered were even seventh-rank officials, so she naturally wouldn't bring them to the prince's mansion to make a fool of herself, lest she be outshone by the eldest princess."

"But now that Brother Qin has arrived, the concubine has gained confidence, and I also have the opportunity to enter the Prince's mansion and show my skills."

What this person said was similar to the information Feng Hanying gave me.

Qin Ning asked a few more questions and learned that Prince Su and his eldest princess were deeply in love and respect each other, and that the two were eight years apart in age.

It's not that the prince is older than the princess; rather, the eldest princess is eight years older than Prince Su.

In a corner of the courtyard, Huang Mu said mysteriously, "You know about the battle at Jiatian Peak, right?"

Qin Ning nodded.

"It is said that the First Princess was in the pass at the time, accompanying our Prince Su! And this concubine was only married to Prince Su because the First Princess strongly dissuaded him!"

"So... I don't approve of our concubine's attempts to win favor. But without her, we brothers wouldn't have had the chance to enter this palace and showcase our skills."

True love... Qin Ning blinked, pondered the information in these words, and then asked a question that had been buried in her heart for a long time.

"Suzhou is a vast territory, and the Prince of Su is a powerful vassal king. How could such a figure not be able to find a physician of the sixth rank or above to treat his eldest son when he fell seriously ill?"

Huang Mu's expression was strange, as if Qin Ning had asked a common-sense question.

He blinked and tentatively asked, "Brother Qin, have you perhaps been wandering the northern grasslands all this time and are unaware of what's happening inside the pass?"

"You have a good eye for people..." Qin Ning did not deny it. Strictly speaking, he had only been in the pass for seven days, five of which were spent on the road.

"No wonder, in Suzhou, if you want to find a great scholar, a fierce general, or a master craftsman, it is a piece of cake."

"But if you want to find a high-level physician, a Yin-Yang master who is proficient in astrology, fortune telling, and the Five Elements, or a Legalist known for their strictness, that will be even more difficult. You can probably only find these people around Kyoto."

Huang Mu pointed south as he spoke: "Just as Buddhism flourishes in the Great Ling territory, it is very difficult to see high-ranking monks in the Great Xia territory, which is just across the river."

It seems that the different cultivation paths rely on different forces.

High-level cultivators are a rare resource in this world, so it's normal that they don't circulate among themselves.

Moreover, judging from this, the relationship between the Prince Su's mansion and the Great Xia royal family is definitely not that good. It seems that the backer I found in my desperation was the right one.

"Thank you for clearing up my doubts, Brother Huang."

"It's nothing. Even if I didn't say anything, Brother Qin, with your status as acupuncturist, someone would have told you on their own." Perhaps influenced by Qin Ning, Huang Mu spoke with extreme candor: "I have an empty bed in my room," he said, "why don't you stay there tonight, Brother Qin?"

"Um."

The next morning, Qin Ning got up early and finished washing up.

After having breakfast at the canteen in the courtyard, I returned to my room and found Huang Mu still fast asleep.

This person drank quite a bit last night.

The little beast woke up early and stood on the windowsill, curiously observing Qin Ning with its bright black eyes.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he quietly walked to the windowsill and asked the little beast, "Do I look more like a human or a god to you?"

The little beast stood there stunned for a moment, then placed its paws on its chest, rolled its eyes, and fell straight backward. Qin Ning caught it with lightning speed.

After confirming that the other person had only fainted and was not in any serious danger, they carefully placed them on the windowsill.

My apologies... I didn't expect you to be so quick to ask questions.

Using [Greed] to refine some of the plague energy and transfer it into the other party's body, Qin Ning closed the door and carefully left.

It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that Huang Mu yawned and came out of the room. He saw Qin Ning sitting in the courtyard, lost in thought, and greeted him while muttering to himself.

"Strange, why did Grandpa Huang get up later than me today?"

In the afternoon, the once quiet courtyard suddenly became lively again, because another seventh-rank acupuncturist had arrived.

Perhaps it was because they had finally gathered two seventh-rank imperial acupuncturists, or perhaps the concubine could no longer wait.

In short, after the seventh-rank acupuncturist arrived, someone came to inform the doctors in the courtyard to prepare, as someone would soon take them to the Prince Su's residence.

"All my skills have finally come in handy!" Huang Mu said excitedly, though he didn't hold out much hope that he could cure the prince's strange illness.

He only hoped to showcase his talents as much as possible and eventually secure a position as a retainer within the inner city of the royal palace, which would be far better than wandering aimlessly.

Upon hearing the news, Qin Ning's heart stirred slightly. She felt both apprehensive about whether her methods would be effective against the young master's strange illness and eager to know what the evil spirit in the mansion truly was.

In the morning, he activated the Bagua compass in two secluded corners. The intersection of the directions indicated by the Bagua was precisely in the center of the inner city of the Prince's Palace.

It seems the culprit must be in Prince Su's residence.

However, since it was Qin Ning's first time visiting such a place, he did not dare to carry the Bagua compass and peach wood sword with him. Instead, he had the little black cat swallow them when no one was looking.

Well, once I'm inside the manor and I'm sure no one is paying attention to me, I'll go to the outhouse to retrieve the Bagua compass and see just how big or small the evil spirit in Prince Su's manor really is.

When the appointed time arrived, the attendant who had led the way came.

The group of eight followed them to the side gate of the Prince's Mansion. As soon as they entered, several fierce soldiers stepped forward and carefully inspected everyone's belongings.

Fortunately... Qin Ning secretly rejoiced after seeing that the other party had even examined each herb in the medicine box and stirred the brewed medicine with silver chopsticks.

It took about fifteen minutes before the soldiers let them pass.

Whether it was due to a tight security on the outside but a loose security inside, or the presence of hidden sentries within the mansion, Qin Ning did not encounter any other guards on the road, and there were even very few patrolling strongmen.

The guide led the way through a maze of twists and turns.

The group stepped into a garden.

In late autumn, the flowers in the garden were in full bloom. In the small pavilion in the very center of the garden, a middle-aged woman dressed in a pink and white dress, wearing a gold tassel hairpin, and holding a white cat, was gazing wistfully in another direction of the garden.

The attendant leading the way gestured for everyone to stop and took small, quick steps to the pavilion.

"Your Majesty, the physicians have arrived."

After being called twice, the beautiful woman finally came to her senses, glanced listlessly at the crowd in the distance, and waved her hand.

"Call them all over."

As the crowd approached, she glanced at them one by one. When she saw Qin Ning's striking appearance, she only paused briefly before looking away.

"Which of you is named Qin Ning?"

Qin Ning stepped forward.

"So it was you who hit Dr. Dong from that good medical clinic?"