Though Gu Qianying had witnessed many tragic scenes, she was still shocked by what lay before her.
There were indeed people inside, all men, but their conditions were terrifying.
The men within were not whole. Some were missing arms, others legs. Those lying on beds, unable to move, had even lost their privacy.
A wave of nausea washed over Gu Qianying.
As she looked at more of them, her suspicions grew more dreadful.
The loss of limbs outside was one thing, but inside, some lay immobile on their beds, with tags hanging by them bearing the names of organs like heart, liver, and spleen.
Gu Qianying, being a healer, understood the true meaning of those names with just a glance.
The true cruelty lay here; those whose tags bore names had lost the corresponding organs.
Gu Qianying clenched her fists. She had never encountered such a depraved place.
The thought of what these people had lost, how it could be pieced together to form a complete human body, echoed in her mind.
This realization brought to mind ancient, sinister secret arts.
Could someone in the palace be aware of these secret arts, aiming to refine humans into humans?
Such a thought startled Gu Qianying herself, and more questions arose in her mind.
Perhaps it was precisely because of the miserable state of the people here that the guards outside were unwilling to patrol the courtyard.
This, however, provided convenience for Gu Qianying.
She carefully leaped from the roof tiles and found a window to jump through.
The people here were still alive, but most were missing either an arm or a leg. Moreover, they each had their own rooms, making conversation with them not difficult.
Gu Qianying found the room of a man who had lost a leg and quietly entered.
"Who's there?"
Disturbed by the sudden footsteps, the man cried out, but Gu Qianying immediately covered his mouth.
"Don't be afraid. I was captured by the Empress and managed to escape. I stumbled in here by accident. I hope you can help me conceal this."
Hearing the reason, the man seemed to sympathize greatly with Gu Qianying. He quickly nodded, inviting her further into the room and urging her to stay away from the window.
"When did this Empress start capturing women too? Truly heartless."
His sad expression piqued Gu Qianying's curiosity.
"Were you all captured too? Oh, I know a little martial arts. When I was lying on the roof just now, I saw the situation inside. How did you all end up like this?"
The man's expression told her that there was no need to hide much about his own predicament.
Speaking of this, the man's expression darkened, his eyes filled with pain.
"Alas, we were captured, but unlike others, our fate was sealed. It's all because our surname is Su."
The man spoke with deep sorrow, seemingly believing that the surname Su was truly terrifying.
However, his words also sparked Gu Qianying's curiosity.
"The Su family? May I ask which Su family you are from? Could it be the foremost family in the capital, the Su clan?"
The Su family was well-known throughout the Southern Yi Kingdom. The man did not seem surprised, but nodded naturally.
"Isn't it laughable? A family like ours ending up like this. It's truly tragic. It's because we are men, and because our surname is Su."
Gu Qianying finally understood. It turned out that all those confined here, suffering such calamities, were members of the Su clan.
Looking at the man's face, Gu Qianying thought of Su Cheng, and her heart felt a pang of sadness.
"It's quite a coincidence. I am somewhat acquainted with the eldest daughter of the Su family, Su Yuxi, and the sixth young master, Su Cheng."
She said this merely to offer comfort to the man and to ease his fear of her, but unexpectedly, his eyes lit up.
"You know my eldest sister?"
His words surprised Gu Qianying again.
The man also gripped Gu Qianying's arm excitedly.
"I am indeed from the divine physician Su family. My surname is Su, and my given name is Xuanlin. Furthermore, Su Cheng is my younger brother."
Upon saying this, the man lowered his head again, as if reluctant to mention it.
Yet, Gu Qianying felt a sense of bewilderment.
When Su Cheng had confided in her before, he had never mentioned having an elder brother besides Su Jie and Su Ming. Su Yuxi had also never spoken of it. Considering the family hierarchy, the Su family indeed had only six siblings. This extra person was rather strange.
Seeing her expression, Su Xuanlin smiled.
"The Su family must have disowned me long ago. That's how it is in the Southern Yi Kingdom; men are never respected. Even if they disappear without reason, no one cares. In a clan like the Su family, they wouldn't even keep a man's memorial tablet for remembrance."
His words were filled with bitterness, and Gu Qianying instantly understood his sorrow.
"Have you all been confined here like this all along? With so many missing from the Su family, how could they not notice something was wrong?"
Gu Qianying found it hard to comprehend, but the man seemed accustomed to it.
"If a man is gone, it has no impact on the family. Perhaps they even prefer our absence. To be kept in a place like this, missing limbs, unable to die even if we wish to, and every full moon, to be taken away for bloodletting. Living such days is truly worse than death."
His words were utterly desolate, and Gu Qianying couldn't help but frown.
Everything here was beyond her imagination, but since she had encountered it, she would not stand idly by. She was determined to uncover the truth.
"Don't worry, I won't ignore what I've seen. I will definitely save you."
Though they had only just met, Su Xuanlin felt an inexplicable connection with Gu Qianying.
He suddenly sat up straight and revealed a secret.
"Actually, within our Su family, there is a secret art. It is a forbidden art, but once mastered, it can change one's gender. It can even change the sex of animals. It is also rumored that if this forbidden art is learned to a certain level, one can achieve immortality. I have speculated that the person who captured us might be after this forbidden art."
Unexpectedly, this small Southern Yi Kingdom harbored so much hidden mystery.
A family of divine physicians, whose secret arts were not for healing but such terrifying evil practices.
Gu Qianying recalled all her experiences, and the names of the Empress and Grand Tutor Su surfaced in her mind.
Grand Tutor Su, Su Qingqing, Su Ye.
These names echoed in Gu Qianying's mind, filling her with immense dread.
"Oh, and one more thing. This secret art can not only grant immortality but also bring people back from the dead. However, it is merely a rumored forbidden art, and I don't know the specific methods to achieve it."
Su Xuanlin told Gu Qianying everything he knew.
Initially, he had no hope for life. But after meeting her, he felt that this woman was sent by heaven to help him.
Since there was a glimmer of hope, why shouldn't he strive for it?