The Princess Wuyou's pupils contracted violently, and she blurted out, "Sixty percent, is this true?" Jiangling himself only had a fifty percent chance.
Could it be that the person infected with the gu was a relative of Princess Wuyou? Judging by her anxious demeanor, it must be someone extremely close.
However...
"Your Highness, we must wait until we've seen the gu worms in this jar. We need to see the situation for ourselves."
Li Man'er knew that the gu worms in the jar were no ordinary ones, but a twin-headed gu. One worm, two heads, one yin, one yang. The red one was the fire poison gu, and the blue one was the ice poison gu.
It was just that the person who created this gu was only moderately skilled, so this twin-headed gu was barely a pseudo-gu king, still a considerable distance from a true gu king.
A true twin-headed gu king's power was beyond human imagination. The infected would initially feel unwell, gradually becoming disoriented, with every part of their body in pain. In the end, the gu king would gnaw away at the host's internal organs bit by bit, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it devoured flesh and bone.
The gu king would eat day and night until its belly burst and it self-destructed. Only when the gu king died would the host be freed. Unfortunately, the host wouldn't even be left with a complete corpse, their insides spilling out after death, emitting a foul stench.
This twin-headed gu worm in the jar was barely a pseudo-gu king, and Li Man'er had some confidence in dealing with it.
"Naturally," Princess Wuyou said, her heart filled with joy, her body trembling slightly. She was very excited, but this matter could not afford any mistakes; it needed careful planning.
Princess Wuyou commanded herself to calm down, "Miss Li, I implore you to keep today's matter confidential."
"Your Highness, rest assured, I will not mention this to anyone."
Princess Wuyou nodded, "Miss Li, to be frank, there is someone in my manor who has been infected with this extremely potent gu poison."
Li Man'er had already guessed this. She anticipated that Princess Wuyou would soon extend an olive branch to her.
As expected, Princess Wuyou said with utmost sincerity, "Your medical skills and knowledge have opened my eyes. I believe you might bring me a different outcome. As long as you agree to help, name your price. Anything within my power, I will not haggle."
Li Man'er was not a saint. She was a physician, and it was only reasonable to charge a consultation fee.
"Your Highness commands, and Man'er will obey. Saving a life is, after all, the duty of a physician." Li Man'er did not mention any conditions.
Princess Wuyou was overjoyed, "Excellent! As long as you agree, that's enough. I will send someone to the Iron Gallant Marquis's manor to fetch you. We will say it's to treat my leg ailment."
"Yes."
"It's getting late, we should also go and see the garden." Princess Wuyou's brows furrowed slightly. She detested meeting those female guests, each more calculating than the last. If it weren't for the excuse to openly interact with Li Man'er, she would never have organized a poetry gathering.
Li Man'er left the waterside pavilion with Princess Wuyou. At this moment, wet nurse Du and the others saw Li Man'er emerge from the waterside pavilion unharmed, and breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Ever since Li Man'er had entered the waterside pavilion, they had been on edge, their hearts never at ease. Now, seeing that the Princess seemed not to have troubled Li Man'er, and that they even appeared to be conversing amiably,
Princess Wuyou, as the host, naturally could not walk with Li Man'er. She ordered someone to escort Li Man'er to the garden and walked ahead herself.
Li Man'er curtsied slightly, "I bid the Princess farewell."
After Princess Wuyou and her retinue had walked away, wet nurse Du, Ziyan, and Muyun hurried forward, "Miss, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, don't worry. The Princess is very amiable."
"That's good." Wet nurse Du, who was usually taciturn, also said, "This old servant's heart has been hanging by a thread."
As they were speaking, a young maidservant wearing a green sleeveless jacket and a yellow velvet flower approached, "Are you Miss Li?"
"Indeed."
"This servant is Liuying. I am ordered by Aunt Min to lead the way for you, Miss."
Li Man'er glanced slightly at Muyun. Muyun, quick-witted, stepped forward and took Liuying's hand, "Thank you, sister, for leading the way."
Liuying subtly clutched the object in her hand and smiled even more sweetly, "Please follow this servant, Miss."
The four of them, master and servants, followed Liuying across an arched bridge and through a flower-adorned gate, arriving at another courtyard.
This place was called Tingfeng Yuan (Listening to the Wind Courtyard). The scenery within was unparalleled, with flowers blooming in profusion. Behind the garden was a large bamboo forest. Listening to the wind by the window was also extremely elegant.
When Li Man'er arrived, most of the ladies from the various households were already present. When they saw her, their gazes were not very friendly. Some showed disdain; others scoffed; still others huddled together, whispering, their conversations unknown.
"Hey, Zhaor sister, isn't that your eldest sister?"
Li Zhaor did not even look and immediately said, "Impossible, how could she possibly be here?" To prevent her from knowing about Princess Wuyou's poetry gathering, Grandmother had even feigned illness. In the past, there wouldn't have been so much trouble.
"But that's clearly her!" a round-faced girl said, fanning herself and pointing, "If you don't believe me, look."
Li Zhaor turned her head with a hint of doubt, and her eyes immediately fell upon Li Man'er. Her entire being went downhill. She lifted her skirt and strode over, first looking at the people around her, then suppressing her anger, she asked, "Why are you here?"
Li Man'er was indifferent, "Why can't I be here?"
Li Zhaor hated seeing her calm and leisurely demeanor the most. In the past, Li Man'er would fly into a rage at the slightest provocation. Now, she seemed to control her temper in everything, leaving Li Zhaor with no way to attack.
"Is this a place for you to be? Do you have an invitation? Don't get carried out later and shame our Iron Gallant Marquis's manor."
Li Man'er was unconcerned. What did the Iron Gallant Marquis's manor's shame have to do with her!
"Why wouldn't I have an invitation? Didn't the Princess send an invitation to the manor? So that invitation was only for you, and I can't come?"
Li Man'er spoke not softly, and the ladies nearby were all watching. Some even let out light laughter, and some immediately began to comment on Li Man'er, "Look at how infamous she is, yet she shamelessly comes here. Her skin is truly thicker than the city walls."
Li Man'er's medical skills and ability to heal were only spread among a very small group of people. Even fewer knew about the change in her personality.
The woman speaking was clearly at odds with Li Man'er. She clearly thought Li Man'er was still the simple-minded Li Man'er from before, and therefore spoke without any reservation.
Li Man'er turned to look at the woman and realized she did recognize her.
To be precise, this was an old acquaintance of the original owner, a sworn enemy.
"Tong Qiuwu, you're not dead yet?" This person was none other than Tong Qiao's cousin, the legitimate daughter of the Rongguo Duke's manor's Second Master Tong, Tong Qiuwu.