Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

Yongning County, Ankang Pharmacy.

A month later, Mu An finally met Lin Zhimin again.

The elderly doctor had bloodshot eyes, chapped lips, and was permeated with the strong smell of medicine, as if he had been pickled.

Even before getting close, you can smell the bitter aroma of various medicinal herbs.

Upon seeing Mu An's visit, he merely raised his head slightly, glanced at Mu An, and then focused intently on his work again.

With nothing else to do, Mu An didn't bother him. She simply found a seat and waited patiently in the pharmacy.

He's been sidelined and there's practically nothing he can do right now.

As expected, and as reasonable as it should be.

Although Princess Yongning temporarily appointed him to command the county troops, the soldiers under his command were all outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, and none of them obeyed his orders.

It's not hard to see that the entire Yongning County has long been stagnant, with local forces deeply entrenched, just like in their Qing'an County.

The Great Qi Dynasty has its own unique circumstances, and as a beneficiary, Mu An doesn't want to comment further; he simply did what he was supposed to do.

When he visited the princess's residence, the maid named Lin Li treated him with great courtesy, but refused to let him meet the princess.

They only said that the princess was too emotional yesterday and fell ill again.

According to the maid, the county soldiers were just an extra; the real main force in the battle was the Tiger Legion. He only needed to follow behind and bask in some credit.

Having said all that, Mu An naturally wouldn't be stubborn. After giving a brief report, she found an excuse to leave the princess's residence.

When he left, the maid who looked to be of high status gave him a precious sword called "Flowing Clouds," saying it was a divine sword bestowed upon him by the princess.

The hilt seemed to be made of cold jade, cool to the touch, with a faint chill. The blade was like a pool of autumn water, engraved with exquisite cloud patterns.

If you look at it for a long time, you will feel that the cloud pattern is like a living thing, flowing on the sword body, sometimes gathering into a ball, and sometimes drifting away like silk.

Mu An could faintly feel the spiritual energy within his body resonating with the sword.

Several hours passed, until dusk, when the aged voice rang in his ears.

"Flowing Clouds - ranked seventh on the Divine Sword List, forged by the twenty-sixth generation master of Qianji Manor. It took three Martial Saints and sixteen high-level blacksmiths for forty-nine days to complete."

This sword once belonged to the Daoist Liuyun Sanren. After Liuyun Sanren died, the sword disappeared without a trace. Until twenty years ago, the Liuyun sword reappeared in the martial world, causing a bloodbath, and was eventually taken away by the imperial court.

For some reason, this sword is now in Princess Yongning's hands. You're lucky to have obtained it, kid.

If any other martial arts expert were here and heard that the sword in his hand had such a history, he would probably burst out laughing on the spot and hold a banquet for several days to celebrate.

They thought it was just a flurry of smoke rising from their ancestral graves that led them to obtain such a treasure.

But Mu An sheathed his sword and carefully placed it on the table, his face extremely grim, as if the sword were some kind of ominous object.

"Do you think it's too late for me to return this sword now?"

Lin Zhimin raised his eyes and glared fiercely at Mu An.

He was most annoyed by Mu An's attitude; so young, yet lacking ambition, only thinking about getting rid of trouble as far away as possible.

Despite receiving immense benefits and possessing considerable skills, they lack any motivation whatsoever, requiring someone to whip them from behind before they will move.

He suddenly raised his hand, but after a long pause, he lowered it and finally let out a long sigh.

He made a bet with Princess Yongning, betting whether Mu An would arrive in Yongning County from Qing'an County within three days, and whether he would volunteer to annihilate the mountain bandits.

The results are obvious.

Well, being willing to come is already much better than most people. If you're afraid of trouble, then so be it.

Lin Zhimin took a sip of water, then said in a sarcastic tone, "If you're not afraid of death, then return the things. In just this past month, the princess has ordered the execution of more than twenty people."

Seeing the old man clearly angry, Mu An nodded reluctantly, hung Liu Yun back on his waist, and tried to change the subject.

He recalled Princess Yongning's sickly appearance when she cried out for the construction of a mound of skulls, and felt that it was best to follow his heart.

"Can this plague be cured?"

When the plague was mentioned, Lin Zhimin lost his will to scold. He slowly opened his bloodshot eyes, pulled out a piece of yellow paper from the table, which was covered with prescriptions.

"Yes, in the past three days, I have developed six prescriptions that are sufficient to deal with most situations. Three of them bypass Qishan and can be treated with existing medicines."

But that was far from enough. The plague was spreading too fast, so fast that the supply of medicine could not keep up. Every day, tens of thousands of children were getting sick, and we could only treat the seriously ill as much as possible.

To resolve the current predicament, we must open up the passage to Qishan and harvest the medicinal herbs from the mountains!

Looking at the somewhat agitated Lin Zhimin, Mu An remained silent for a while before finally speaking: "Have you offended any powerful figures in the city? Their attitude towards the people of Qing'an County is rather strange."

With just a few words, the old man, who had been all smiles just moments before, flicked his sleeve and smashed the teacup on the ground. The shattered pieces splashed onto him, cutting a gash.

"Damn them! A bunch of scoundrels! They don't care about the people in the city at all. As long as I deal with their children first, I'll kick them all out!"

The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window into the room, illuminating the shattered teacup and the wound on Lin Zhimin's leg.

Mu An remained silent for a while before stepping forward to get some topical medicine and squatting down to stop Lin Zhimin's bleeding.

"I understand. You should rest for a while. The matter in Qishan will be resolved."

Just as Mu An was about to get up, an old hand landed on his shoulder, veins bulging, but it had little strength.

"It's too late, there's simply no time. The plague is spreading too fast. Even if you go to Qishan now, it's too late."

The old man's voice was hoarse, carrying a clear sense of loneliness and a distinct sense of resentment.

But helplessness is the dominant theme at this moment.

He tried his best and did everything he could, but he couldn't change his current predicament.

Whether it's a natural disaster or a man-made one, these are things that human beings cannot change.

Mu An squatted on the ground with his head down. He did not try to get up because Lin Zhimin needed his shoulder to lean on.

He didn't make any promises or offer any comfort, because he couldn't do it himself, and it wouldn't make much sense.

The interplay of light and shadow illuminated the two figures, their shadows intertwining and casting their shadows into the darkness of the room.

After a long silence, Mu An's voice rang out again.

"List out the medicinal herbs you need, draw them clearly, and I'll try to find a way to get them."

I will go to the princess again, and send as many troops as I can. The sooner we defeat the bandits, the more children we can save.

Lin Zhimin didn't look up or look at Mu An. He was too tired, so tired that his vision blurred and he felt dizzy.

After three days and three nights without rest, the momentum that had been building up began to dissipate once the prescription was successfully developed.

After drinking that sip of water, he became increasingly dizzy and could only barely communicate with Mu An.

Noticing Lin Zhimin's swaying body, Mu An said nothing more, but simply picked him up, put him on the bed, and covered him with the blankets.

"Wait, I'll be back as soon as possible."

Watching the old man close his eyes, Mu An got up, walked to the window, and looked at the sunset outside.

The sun was setting in the west, and by this time most of it had already sunk into the mountains.

Looking into the distance, the continuous mountain ranges stand at the edge of the world, as if they want to swallow everything into them.