When Peng Jiahai arrived after receiving the call, Qi Yue had already been helped to sit down, but she was still trembling uncontrollably, clutching her arms tightly.

"Qi Yue, Qi Yue?" Peng Jiahai called out, rubbing her arm as he took it.

The doctors here brought saline solution to rehydrate her, feeding it to her to drink.

"What happened all of a sudden?" Peng Jiahai asked.

"I don't know. I was just about to grab my bag and leave, and then I just collapsed looking at the television."

"Low blood sugar?" "We checked, there’s nothing wrong," people murmured chaotically.

Peng Jiahai massaged Qi Yue’s shoulders.

Qi Yue couldn't actually hear or see the flurry of talk and commotion around her. She only stared at the television screen, which had already been turned off.

What did she see? What had she seen?! She closed her eyes briefly.

"I..."

She spoke, her voice trembling, "I'm fine..." The fact that she could speak made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

"Where do you feel unwell?" Peng Jiahai asked, crouching down before her chair, his brow furrowed with concern.

Qi Yue took several deep breaths.

"It's just that I haven't been eating well lately, causing some low blood sugar. I'll be fine after resting at home," she managed to say.

"Really?" Peng Jiahai pressed.

"Really. I wouldn't joke about my own health," Qi Yue stated, forcing a faint smile.

Peng Jiahai nodded slowly.

"Stay for observation overnight," he suggested.

Qi Yue shook her head.

"No, I'd rather go home," she insisted.

Seeing her determination, the others stopped pressing the issue.

A wheelchair was quickly brought over, and Peng Jiahai pushed her out.

"I'm fine, walking back is fine," Qi Yue said quickly as she watched Peng Jiahai open the car door.

"That won't do at all," Peng Jiahai replied, pulling the door wide and reaching out to help her.

Qi Yue hesitated for a moment before taking his arm and settling into the car.

The lights in the house came on.

Seated on the sofa, Qi Yue watched Peng Jiahai expertly enter the kitchen, retrieve a water glass, pour hot water, and bring it to her.

Qi Yue took the glass and smiled at him.

"Don't worry, I’ll be fine after a sleep. You should get back now," she said. "And I'm sorry about ordering the food for nothing."

Peng Jiahai smiled and shook his head, sitting down beside Qi Yue.

"I've already called them and told them to deliver it anyway," he informed her.

"Oh, you really didn't have to..." Qi Yue started to protest.

"Aren't you suffering from low blood sugar? You absolutely cannot skip a meal," Peng Jiahai countered.

The doorbell chimed from outside.

"That must be them," he said, patting Qi Yue’s shoulder before standing up.

Watching the man fussing with the food in the kitchen, Qi Yue sighed softly.

"Doctor Peng, I'm tired now. Just leave it for now; I’ll eat when I feel like it," she requested.

Peng Jiahai’s hands paused almost imperceptibly.

"Alright," he turned back, a faint smile still playing on his lips. "But you must eat it."

Qi Yue offered her thanks.

"Call if you need anything," Peng Jiahai said, picking up his jacket.

"Thank you," Qi Yue said again. "Sorry to have troubled you."

Peng Jiahai smiled, nodded once, pulled the door shut, and left.

The next day, when Peng Jiahai was making his rounds, he was stopped by Huang Ying.

"How is Yueyue?" she asked. "I just heard."

Peng Jiahai shook his head, thinking about the phone that hadn't rung since last night.

"You don't know? Didn't you take her home last night?" Huang Ying pressed.

"She didn't keep me," Peng Jiahai replied.

"So you just left?" Huang Ying asked, eyes wide.

Peng Jiahai looked at her, equally perplexed. "What else was I supposed to do?" he countered with a light laugh.

Huang Ying deflated slightly and mumbled an "Oh."

"I'll call her later," Peng Jiahai said, walking away as a patient called for a doctor.

Huang Ying shook her head.

"This is the downside of good men—they either don't know how or don't bother trying to soothe a woman," she commented.

"Be grateful. In this day and age, we should thank heaven if a man doesn't expect us to soothe him," a passing nurse overheard and remarked.

Huang Ying chuckled.

"That's certainly true," she laughed, shaking her head as she pulled out her phone to dial Qi Yue's number.

The response she received was the recorded message that the phone was turned off.

"Surgery, perhaps?" Huang Ying wondered aloud.

She decided to head straight to the emergency room, but upon inquiring, they said Qi Yue hadn't shown up for work.

"She took leave—used up her annual vacation days," a colleague checked and reported.

Huang Ying was very surprised. This woman never took time off... She rushed over to Qi Yue's apartment, knocking for a long time without a response, forcing her to call Qi Yue’s parents.

"Yes. She called this morning, quite early," Qi Mu explained over the phone to Huang Ying.

"She said she was going out of town to visit a classmate and do some touring... Where? ...Nanyun Province, I think? ...She wasn't specific about the destination... Her phone is off; it was an early flight, so she’s probably already on the plane..." Huang Ying hung up, glancing at Qi Yue's closed door.

"Nanyun Province? What classmate?" she muttered. "Didn't she say she was sick? Why is she suddenly leaving town? Where did this urgent classmate she’s rushing to see suddenly appear from? What on earth is going on!"

At that very moment, Qi Yue was stepping out of the airport. The three-hour flight had landed just before 9:30 AM. She stood outside the terminal, glanced again at the address noted in her small notebook, pulled out sunglasses from her backpack to hide the fatigue of a sleepless night, and hailed a cab.

"Where to, Miss?" The taxi driver looked at the woman carrying only a backpack. She was quite tall, with a good figure. The large sunglasses obscured half her face, but not the fine outline of her features. Her long, wavy hair was tied up, giving her a simple yet chic look. While beautiful, the driver, needing to earn a living, was far more concerned with how much money this fare would bring. Since she only had a backpack, she didn't look like a tourist, suggesting the distance wouldn't be far, which made the driver a little less enthusiastic.

"Maochun County, Hedu Ridge," Qi Yue said as she got into the car.

The driver flinched, turning to look at her again.

"Maochun County," Qi Yue repeated when he didn't move to start the engine.

"Miss..." the driver stammered. "That's nearly two hundred kilometers from here."

Qi Yue, pulling a notebook from her bag, nodded upon hearing this. "Yes, so? What about it?" she asked. "You won't take me?" She made a move to put her notebook away, ready to find another driver.

"No, no, no!" The driver was now even more startled. Not taking a windfall like this would be idiotic! He slammed his foot on the accelerator and shot out into traffic, barely looking ahead.

"Going on vacation, Miss?" the driver asked. The woman in the back seat had been perfectly silent since they started driving, never taking off her glasses, staring out the window, occasionally glancing down at the notebook in her hand. This drive will take three hours; silence like this is suffocating!

Qi Yue managed a soft "Mm-hmm," as a minimal acknowledgment.

"Actually, Hedu Ridge in Maochun County isn't much to see. It hasn't been developed much, though there is an ancient tomb. But there's nothing else..." The driver immediately launched into a lengthy monologue.

Qi Yue leaned back against the seat, watching the scenery rush past, but her mind was filled with images flashing by.

"...The mystery of the ancient corpse holding a knife..." "...Analysis shows we had surgical scalpels a thousand years ago..." "...This might be a grave robber who fell into the burial chamber..." "...Royal standards of interment..." "...No mention in historical records..."

Qi Yue lowered her gaze to her notebook. On the open page, one picture was particularly striking: A white skeleton lying prone.

Qi Yue closed her eyes, then sharply snapped the notebook shut. The sound broke the driver's non-stop chatter. He glanced at the rearview mirror and saw the woman in the back turning to look out the window, her expression blank. Seems like someone with a story... Trying to heal her wounds in some remote, undeveloped ancient town or mountain area... The driver stuck his tongue out and quieted down.

Three hours later, Qi Yue arrived in Maochun County town. Since the driver was unfamiliar with the area, Qi Yue paid him the fare and got out to find a local taxi.

"You want to go to this place?" Qi Yue held out her notebook for them to see.

"Hedu Ridge’s Bone Tomb, right?"

"Miss, there’s nothing to see over there. They say they built a museum, but there’s really nothing inside," the cluster of waiting taxi drivers recognized the destination immediately and offered their opinions.

There was a place. Qi Yue took a deep, steadying breath.

"That's where I'm going," she said, closing the notebook. Money is money.

The drivers stopped trying to dissuade her. In sequence, a thin, short driver pulled her towards the mountains.

An hour later, Qi Yue stood outside the small mountain village.

"Miss, see that mountain over there?" the driver pointed enthusiastically. "That’s Hedu Ridge. The Bone Tomb was found at the base of the mountain, and now they’ve developed it into a scenic area."

Qi Yue nodded.

"I'll go buy the tickets. It'll be cheaper if I buy them than if you go yourself, Miss..." the driver offered.

Qi Yue handed him the money, and the driver happily trotted off. In truth, very few people visited this shabby place all year, and those who did were usually connections who didn't bother buying entry tickets. The driver made a few calls with the money in his pocket and quickly secured a pass for free entry, pocketing the fifty yuan fee.

"Miss, all done! Follow me," the driver returned, personally escorting her.

Qi Yue nodded, glancing at her watch; the hands indicated three in the afternoon. From Yanjing to Nanyun, she had crossed nearly half of China, taking almost nine hours to arrive. She looked up, at the imposing mausoleum complex growing closer before her.

How much time does it take to cross from Daxia to Huaxia? Qi Yue took another deep breath and stepped into the tomb entrance.

"...Miss, there’s really no point to this place. The officials upstairs were initially quite happy, thinking it was a grand tomb, but it turned out to be completely empty—barren! Apart from one coffin, there wasn't even a single piece of paper money left. The county lost a lot of money because of this..." the driver chattered away behind her. Having been paid, he decided to be a little conscientious, offering himself as a free guide and planning to recommend a hotel and tomorrow's attractions; that way, he'd secure his earnings for the month.

Qi Yue stopped walking.

"I want to look around by myself," she stated.

The driver paused, then quickly understood. "Right, right. I'll wait for you outside," he said hastily, watching the woman walk alone into the long tomb passage. He shook his head, looking at the sun already drifting west. Alone, and not even scared...

Qi Yue's footsteps echoed in the burial chamber. The dim lights on the side walls cast a faint glow. The temperature here was significantly lower than outside, carrying a chilling cold, but Qi Yue noticed none of it. After passing through a corridor, Qi Yue stood before the door of the main chamber. She took another deep breath and stepped inside.

In the empty chamber, beneath a glass display case, on a bed of red carpet, a single skeleton lay peacefully. The surgical knife resting before it was strikingly conspicuous against the crimson fabric. Next to the display case, a small plaque held a colored portrait: the restored image of the tomb's occupant—an ancient man standing quietly. The features, the eyes, the physique...

"You wicked woman, do you really think whatever you say is the truth?" the man leaned against a Luohan couch, his smile filled with arrogance and satisfaction.

Qi Yue felt a roar erupt in her head. She lunged forward, tears streaming down her face, a wail tearing from her throat, her hands clutching her chest as she curled into herself. Chang Yuncheng! Chang Yuncheng! Qi Yue stumbled forward, scrambling over the railing, slamming against the glass case, beating it while crying uncontrollably. I am Qi Yue Niang! I am Qi Yue Niang! Qi Yue Niang has come to see you!