Before finally stepping out of the small, cramped house, Míngzhū reached into her sleeve and handed Yìzé another small pouch filled with pills.

"Take one of these yourself and give the others to your friends who live here in the slums," she instructed firmly. "This medicine will act as a preventative, it will keep you and the other children from ever contracting Láobìng in the future."

Yìzé stared at the pouch in his hand as if it were made of solid gold. "Are you sure you're giving me these for free, good doctor?"

"Not for free," Míngzhū reminded him, her expression turning serious. "Remember our deal. If I ever hear that you have gone back to stealing, I will return and make you pay me back ten-fold for everything I've done today!"

"Yes! I promise! I won't ever do it again!" Yìzé shouted, bowing deeply.

Míngzhū reached out and gave the young boy a gentle, encouraging pat on the head. "And by the way, my name isn't 'good doctor.' It's Lin Jùnwěi."

With those final words, Míngzhū said her goodbyes and stepped out into the humid air of the slums. 

By the time she had navigated the narrow, muddy alleys and made her way back toward the main street of the town, it was already late in the evening. The sky had turned a deep indigo, and the lanterns were beginning to glow. However, she noticed that the tall, red-eyed man who had helped her earlier was still trailing behind her at a distance.

After several minutes of this, Míngzhū began to feel a prickle of annoyance. She stopped abruptly, turned around, and confronted the man directly.

"Mister, you said earlier that you didn't want any reward from me," she said, crossing her arms. "So, why are you still following me all this way?"

The man remained silent for a long moment, his ruby eyes reflecting the flickering lantern light. Finally, he spoke. "I changed my mind. I want to ask you for something."

"What is it?" Míngzhū asked, her curiosity piqued despite her irritation.

"You are a doctor and a medicine maker, correct?"

"Uh... yes?" she replied cautiously.

"Can you treat poison, perhaps?"

"I can," Míngzhū said, regaining her confidence. "But I would have to check exactly what kind of poison it is first. I cannot cure what I haven't identified."

The man's stiff, stoic face shifted, and a small, subtle smile formed on his lips. "Then I will ask you to find a cure for a specific poison. I know it is already late, so I will come to find you tomorrow so that you can take your rest for now."

"Okay," Míngzhū agreed. "I promised I would help you however I could. Come to Yanyü Lou (the Mist and Rain) Inn first thing in the morning, and I will take a look at it."

The man nodded in acknowledgment. They both bowed politely to one another and went their separate ways into the night.

Before heading straight back to her room at the inn, Míngzhū decided to take a quick stroll through the bustling evening streets.

The town was alive with the smell of grilled meats and sweet treats, and she couldn't resist buying and eating various snacks as she walked. However, while she was happily munching on a stick of fruit candy, she passed by the town's central notice board.

A small crowd had gathered there, whispering in hushed, excited tones. Curious, she approached the board to see what all the fuss was about. The moment she saw the parchment nailed to the wood, she froze. The stick of fruit candy slipped from her hand and clattered to the ground.

The board was covered in her face. It was a royal missing person poster for the Princess, featuring a staggering reward of 2,000,000 gold taels for anyone who could bring her back to the palace alive.

The palace was faster than I thought! she panicked. If the posters had already reached this town, then the Imperial soldiers and the elite warriors wouldn't be far behind. 

She cast a frantic glance around the square, and her heart sank. She was right. A few soldiers in Imperial uniforms were already patrolling the town, stopping travelers to ask questions and entering nearby shops and inns to conduct searches.

I have to move! Right now! she thought, her pulse racing. If I get caught here, it won't be easy to escape a second time. They'll lock me up so tightly I'll never see the sun again until I get married to some unknown man picked by father!

She forced herself to walk naturally, keeping her head down to avoid drawing suspicion. When she reached her inn, she didn't even stop to breathe. She hurried to her room, packed her few belongings in a blur of motion, and prepared to flee into the night.

I'm sorry, mister, she thought guiltily, remembering the red-eyed man and his request for a cure for a poison. I can't make it to our meeting tomorrow. But I promise, if fate lets us meet again, I'll make it up to you ten-fold!

Without a second look back, she slipped out the rear exit of the Yanyü Lou and vanished into the darkness.

Three months of arduous travel had passed before Míngzhū finally arrived at the outskirts of Hehua Village. 

She didn't waste a single moment resting, her mind was entirely focused on the prize. Carrying a heavy, oversized iron hammer over her shoulder, she marched directly toward the cave she had read about so many times in her past life.

"Hehehe, just you wait! Oh, treasure of the deep, here I come!" she giggled to herself, the excitement bubbling up in her chest.

Upon reaching the back wall of the cave, she began to swing. Clang! Crack! She hit the stone wall dozens of times, her muscles straining with every blow, until she finally managed to create a hole large enough for her to fit through. 

Breathing heavily, she squeezed her body into the narrow opening, holding a small, flickering lantern in one hand to guide her way.

The passage led deeper into the earth, the air growing cooler and thinner. She was so focused on the narrow walls that she didn't realize the slanting pathway was actually a trap a massive, gaping pit that led straight into the heart of the mountain. Before she could react, her foot slipped on the loose gravel, and she tumbled forward.

She began to scream as she fell into the void, but the pit was so impossibly deep that she eventually ran out of breath. Even after she stopped screaming, she was still falling, and falling, through the rushing air. The sheer depth of the drop left her in a state of total shock.

As she plummeted, she looked down and noticed a change. Unlike the pitch-black darkness of the upper tunnel, the bottom of this abyss was emitting a soft, ethereal light. It looked like thousands of tiny, glowing blue lights were floating in the air, drifting like embers from a cold fire.

At the very bottom lay a massive underground pool. Míngzhū braced herself for the impact, and with a thunderous splash that echoed through the cavern, she finally arrived. The water was deep and icy cold, forcing her to kick her legs frantically until she finally broke the surface.

When she wiped the water from her eyes and took a long, sweeping glance at her surroundings, her eyes widened..

"Oh, heavens! This is it!" she gasped.

The cavern was a treasure hunter's dream. 

Rare spiritual plants that were thought to be extinct grew along the edges of the water. 

Massive wooden chests overflowing with gold, ancient scrolls, and leather-bound books were scattered everywhere. It was more wealth and knowledge than she could have ever imagined in her wildest dreams. And there, resting at the very center of the glowing cavern, was a magnificent stone tomb.

She waded out of the water and approached the tomb with a sudden sense of solemnity. She bowed low, offering her sincere respect to the long-dead master.

"Oh, great cultivator, I am here today only to seek the recipe for your famous Root Elixir," she whispered. "I promise that I will not take anything more than what I need."

Obviously, there was no reply. But at the very least, she felt better having asked for permission.

She began her search immediately, combing through the chests and the piles of scrolls. Hours passed as she checked every corner of the room, her fingers growing dusty and her legs growing tired, but she still couldn't find the specific recipe.

"Where is it!?" Míngzhū groaned, her frustration finally reaching its boiling point. "Where could a great cultivator possibly hide something so important?" she muttered to herself, kicking a small rock in annoyance.

"It is behind the tomb..." a soft, melodic voice echoed.

"Behind the tomb, alright—" Míngzhū started to reply naturally, her mind still in search mode. Then, the realization hit her like a lightning bolt.

Wait. Who said that?

She whirled around toward the source of the voice, her heart leaping into her throat. 

Floating in mid-air was the transparent, shimmering figure of a woman, her long robes drifting as if she were underwater.

"KYAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! GHOSTTTTTTTTTTTT!"

 Míngzhū shrieked, her voice echoing off the whole space.