The tall man was visibly caught off guard by Míngzhū's unexpected decision. He remained silent, but his ruby-colored eyes flickered with surprise. 

He had fully expected that a man like Míngzhū's who looked like he came from a good family would lash out at the child in anger and immediately drag him to the officials for punishment. Instead, this handsome young "master" was showing a strange kind of mercy.

The boy quickly agreed to the condition, his face pale with a mix of relief and lingering fear. 

He began to lead the way, weaving through the crowded streets toward the outskirts of town. 

Míngzhū was forced to leave the two beauties behind, she apologized to them sincerely, explaining that she could no longer continue to accompany them on their stroll. Though they looked disappointed to see such a handsome man leave, she turned her focus entirely to the task at hand.

They walked for some time until the paved streets turned into the muddy, narrow alleys of the slums. 

Surprisingly, the red-eyed man continued to follow them at a short distance. This made Míngzhū feel quite confused, after all he had already returned the wallet but she decided to let it go for now. She had more pressing matters to attend to.

"My mom is in here," the boy whispered, his voice trembling.

He pointed toward a small, run-down house that looked as though it might collapse at any moment. He led Míngzhū inside and showed her to a small, rickety bed where a woman lay.

"My mother has been coughing up blood lately," the boy explained tearfully. "Her temperature has been very high, and she has been complaining constantly that her chest hurts. She hasn't woken up since she fell asleep two days ago, but she is still breathing. You see? I wasn't lying to you earlier."

After seeing the woman lying so helplessly on the bed, Míngzhū immediately went to her side. 

She didn't hesitate to reach out, checking the woman's pulse and carefully examining her frail body for other symptoms. 

The boy watched her every move with wide, curious eyes.

"What are you doing, mister? Are you a doctor?" he asked breathlessly.

"Yes, I am," Míngzhū replied, her voice firm and confident. "I will cure your mother, but only if you promise me that you will never steal from anyone ever again."

"You will? Can you really do it?" The boy's eyes lit up with sudden hope. "YES! Yes, I will never steal again! Please, good doctor, save my mother!"

Míngzhū gave the boy a reassuring smile to calm his frantic heart. "What is your name, by the way?"

"It's Yìzé," he replied.

"Alright, Yìzé. Then I should start treating her now."

Míngzhū pricked the woman's finger to check her blood. 

She analyzed several symptoms, the persistent fever, the chest pain, and the tell-tale signs of respiratory distress before finally confirming exactly what disease Yìzé's mother was suffering from.

My hunch was right, she thought grimly. In my world, this would be called tuberculosis.

Míngzhū looked back at Yìzé, who was nervously watching her every movement, and then at the tall man, who remained a silent, looming presence in the corner of the room.

"It is Láobìng," Míngzhū stated solemnly.

Láobìng was the term the people of this world used to refer to tuberculosis. 

In this cultivation world, it was a well-known terminal disease for commoners. Unlike cultivators who can harness Qi to strengthen their bodies and boost their immune systems, ordinary people have no such defense. 

For them, a diagnosis of Láobìng was a death sentence with no known cure.

Yìzé also knew exactly what that word meant. His face grew darker, turning a ghostly shade of grey as the hope drained from his eyes. 

He realized then that his mother was terminally ill, suffering from a sickness that no medicine in the town could touch.

"Hec… hec… mother, no…" he sobbed, his small shoulders shaking as he realized the gravity of the situation. He thought he was about to lose the only family he had left.

"Don't cry, little Yìzé. I never said I couldn't treat it," Míngzhū said, her voice calm.

Upon hearing those words, both Yìzé and the tall man had reactions of total shock. The boy's eyes widened, and even the stoic stranger shifted his stance.

"How?" the boy stammered. "Is it even possible? Doesn't everyone say that Láobìng has no cure?"

"Just trust this 'good doctor,' alright?" Míngzhū replied with a confident smirk. "I will make your mother healthy again, because that is our deal."

Míngzhū then reached into her sleeves and took a small, unassuming container. Inside were the results of her specialized knowledge. "Can you bring me a cup of clean water and a basin, Yìzé?"

"Ah, yes! I'm on it!" Yìzé wiped his tears away with his sleeve and immediately bolted out of the room to fetch the items.

The tall man, who had been watching from the shadows of the doorway, suddenly felt a surge of genuine curiosity. 

Earlier that day, he had been lazily observing the busy streets from the balcony of a top-floor building. He had seen the moment the boy snatched Míngzhū's wallet and, having no interest at first, he almost ignored it. However, boredom eventually won out. He had jumped down from the high floor, intercepted the boy, and returned him to Míngzhū simply for something to do. He had followed them to the slums for that same reason, it was simple boredom.

But hearing this young man, who looked no older than a teenager, claim so boldly that he could cure a terminal disease made the stranger's interest peak. 

Just who is this person? he wondered, his red eyes narrowing as he watched Míngzhū work.

A minute later, Yìzé rushed back into the room with the water and the basin, handing them over with trembling hands. 

"Here they are!"

"Thank you," Míngzhū said. She took one pill from the container and placed it into the woman's mouth. She added a little water to help her swallow it down. 

"With this pill, your mother's health will begin to improve."

Suddenly, the woman began to cough violently. She threw up a thick substance, and Míngzhū quickly caught it with the basin.

"Why is my mother vomiting, doctor!?" Yìzé cried out in a panic.

"This is a common effect for a person with tuber—I mean, Láobìng after taking this medication," 

Míngzhū explained, correcting herself quickly. "It is actually a good sign. It means the patient's body is adjusting to the medication and clearing out the impurities. She will get better eventually."

As the coughing fit subsided, the woman's eyes slowly fluttered open. She looked around the room in a daze. 

"Yì... Yìzé? Who are these people?"

"Mom! Mom, you're awake!" Yìzé cried, rushing to her side. 

"This man is a doctor!" He pointed enthusiastically at Míngzhū. 

Then, he glanced over his shoulder at the tall, silent man leaning against the wall. "And this... is just a grumpy person."

Yìzé added a hostile look toward the stranger, who remained silent. The mother blinked weakly. "I see..."

Suddenly, the woman's expression changed to one of disbelief. "Wait... my chest doesn't hurt anymore! And I no longer feel that deep cold in my bones!"

"Are you finally feeling better, Mom?" Yìzé asked, his face beaming.

"Yes... I feel so much lighter," she whispered.

"What kind of cure did you give my mom, good doctor?" Yìzé asked, looking at Míngzhū with pure adoration.

"It's a super-enhanced antibiotic that I created," Míngzhū explained with a bit of pride. "It is designed to kill all the bacteria in your mother's lungs in one single sweep."

The three people in the room Yìzé, his mother, and even the mysterious man all gave her a look of total confusion. They had never heard of "bacteria" or "antibiotics" before.

"Ah... ahahaha," Míngzhū laughed nervously, realizing she had used terms from her past life. "I mean, it's a special pill I created to take away the root cause of Láobìng."

"Láobìng!?" the mother shouted, her voice shaking with shock. "I actually had Láobìng?"

"Yes," Míngzhū said firmly. "But now, the sickness will eventually leave your body for good. I'll leave you some extra pills that you must take for the next month. If you follow the schedule, you'll be back to full health in no time."

Míngzhū handed over a small pack of the medicine and instructed the woman when to take it. 

Yize's mother began to cry, overwhelmed by the miracle, and thanked Míngzhū with all her heart. 

"Thank you so much, doctor... but I don't think we have any money to pay for your services or such precious medicine."

"No need," Míngzhū said, patting the boy's head. "Yìzé already paid me with something else."

The woman looked at her son with a sudden, stern expression. "Don't tell me, Yìzé... did you steal again!? How many times do I have to tell you that even if I die, you are not to steal or commit any crimes!?"

"You misunderstood, ma'am," Míngzhū interrupted gently. "Yìzé didn't steal. It's just that he and I made a little agreement."

"And what is this agreement?" the mother asked.

Yìzé and Míngzhū looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between them. Míngzhū winked at the boy and replied, "It's a secret."