"It is finally time to leave. I have already packed everything I need for this journey,"

 Su Míng zhū whispered to the empty room. 

The palace had been incredibly busy earlier in the day because it was the seventh birthday of Concubine Gao's son. Because of the massive celebration, the servants and guards were completely exhausted, and many were knocked out from the long hours of work.

Consequently, there are far fewer people wandering the palace hallways at this late hour, making it the perfect window for a quiet exit.

Concubine Gao's son, Su Yìchén, is technically my younger brother in this life. In the original timeline of the novel, he grows up to be one of the heroine's future husbands.

 However, I don't really care much about him or his future harem role. My priority is my own survival. I need to head out right now before the patrol guards change their posts. If I miss this specific timing, I will lose my only chance to get away from these crimson walls and the fate waiting for me inside them.

I snuck out through the side gates wearing ordinary men's clothes. To ensure I wasn't recognized, I took a special pill that can change my physical physique, followed by another pill to change the color of my hair and eyes to a deep brown. 

Looking at my reflection, I couldn't help but smirk. I look so handsome right now that I might steal the hearts of any young woman I pass by on the street! Hehehehe!

Su Míngzhū spoke smugly to herself, though she knew she was just messing around to calm her nerves. 

She successfully navigated the outskirts of the palace and immediately left the Imperial Capital behind. 

After traveling for a few days, she arrived at the next town and decided to stop her journey for a short while. She went straight to a local inn to properly rest because the carriage she had boarded was cramped, making her body feel stiff and sore from sitting for such a long time.

After checking in, she took a long, hot bath. 

Finally relaxed, she lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, reviewing every detail of her plan. 

The Root Elixir recipe is the key. According to the novel, it is buried in an underground cave in a small settlement called Hehua Village.

In the original story, that cave was described as being only about 100 meters deep. However, the secret lies in the back wall, if you break through the last layer of rock, a hidden passage can be discovered. That passage leads directly to the hidden tomb of a great ancient cultivator and alchemist who lived thousands of years ago.

In the original novel, the heroine found this tomb accidentally while she was traveling. After discovering the Root Elixir recipe, she made a massive fortune from the treasures inside and the price of selling the recipe to the highest bidder. 

Su Míngzhū smiled to herself in the dark room. "Well, too bad for you. I need it first, and besides, you aren't even born yet in this timeline."

When she finished bathing and reflecting, she went straight to sleep. 

In the morning, she woke up feeling refreshed and took a stroll around the town wearing her boy disguise. Many girls in the marketplace were approaching her, blushing and asking for his name. 

She introduced herself smoothly as Lin Jùnwěi. The local girls were so charmed that they gave her small gifts and even asked her to eat with them, an invitation she happily accepted.

It was obvious to anyone watching that if she had been born a male, she would have been a notorious womanizer.

Hmph! What is wrong with enjoying a woman's beauty? she thought. As a fellow woman, I should appreciate my sisters' charms!

She was walking down the street with two "jade beauties" on either side of her when suddenly, someone bumped into her.

"I'm sorry, mister!"

It was a little boy who looked like he was only ten or twelve years old.

"It's alright, be careful next time," she replied kindly.

The boy bowed quickly and then ran away into the crowd. 

What a stupid man, the little boy thought as he ducked into an alley.

He didn't even realize his wallet had already been taken from his belt. The boy was about to get away and disappear into the shadows when a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed him firmly by the collar.

The person who had apprehended the thief was a strikingly tall man with a mostly ordinary face. 

He dragged the boy back out into the center of the busy street, walking directly toward the spot where Míng zhū was standing with her companions.

"Hey, you!" the man called out firmly.

Míng zhū turned around instantly after hearing someone calling out to her. 

She saw the man approaching, firmly holding the collar of the child who had bumped into her just moments earlier. 

She carefully watched the man's face as he drew closer. He had brown hair and a face that seemed quite forgettable at first glance, but what truly caught her attention were his eyes and his enormous, uncommonly tall height. His eyes were a beautiful, bright red, shimmering like polished rubies in the morning light. 

The sight was so striking that she couldn't help but admire them.

What a pair of pretty eyes… she thought to herself, caught off guard by the intensity of his gaze.

Then, the man gestured with a pointed finger toward her waist. She followed his gaze and looked down, only to realize with a start that her wallet was completely gone. 

She looked back at the man and the child. The boy was frantically covering his hands behind his back, clearly trying his best to hide the stolen pouch from view. 

Míngzhū realized the situation quickly and stepped toward the two of them. Now that she was standing closer, she could clearly see that her embroidered wallet was indeed clutched in the trembling hands of the boy.

The tall man reached down and gently but firmly took the wallet away from the boy's grasp. He handed it back to Míngzhū with a steady hand before letting go of the child, allowing him to slump to the ground.

"I saw how this kid stole your wallet," the man explained, his voice deep and steady.

"Thank you so much for bringing it back to me. I sincerely thank you," Míngzhū replied, offering a polite bow to show her gratitude. 

She felt a debt of gratitude for his intervention. "I really should thank you properly. Please, tell me is there anything I can do for you? I will do it if I am able."

"No need," the man replied coldly, his expression remaining unreadable. He seemed entirely uninterested in a reward. 

"Just take this child. You can decide whatever you want to do with him."

Upon hearing these words, the boy immediately started to cry. He fell to his knees and began to beg piteously on the ground, his small frame shaking with fear.

"I'm so sorry, mister! Please, please don't report me to the officials! If they catch me, they will put me in jail, and then no one will be able to take care of my sick mother back home! 

Please, I beg you, forgive me! I promise I will never do it again!"

Míngzhū let out a long sigh.

 She knew the child had indeed done something wrong by stealing, but she was also aware that these kinds of things commonly happen when someone lives in extreme poverty. It was the kind of desperation that pushed otherwise innocent children to commit such crimes just to survive.

"You're not lying to me, right?" she asked, her voice softening as she looked down at the weeping boy.

"I'm not! I swear on my life!" the boy cried out, looking up at her with tear-filled eyes. 

"My mother is very sick and we don't have any money to get her a doctor or buy her the medicine she needs. This was the only way I could think of. I didn't know what else to do!"

Míngzhū looked at the boy and then at the tall, red-eyed man.

 "Alright," she said finally, making her decision. 

"I won't report you to the officials, but only on the condition that you take me to your mother right now."