Turning his head, Yi Shangyun finally came to his senses. The crowd of onlookers had already dispersed, leaving only the blue-robed bell doctor standing not far from Yi Shangyun with an expression of admiration and a slight smile on his lips. He held a bell in one hand and put the other behind his back.

"I haven't yet asked how to address you, sir," Yi Shangyun stepped forward and asked respectfully.

"How could a mere itinerant doctor like myself dare to accept such a favor? Young lady, your generosity and kindness are beyond my reach. However, I have just changed my mind. Consider the 100 taels you owe me today as a personal debt. I will come back to collect it when I have made up my mind. Young lady, you only need to tell me your identity. To collect a debt, you must know who the debtor is," the itinerant doctor said somewhat seriously.

"Then thank you, sir. The pharmacist in the west of the city is my father. You may call me Yi Shangyun. If there is anything you need me for, please feel free to come to my residence at any time. I will do my best to help you in any way I can."

So she really is the eldest daughter of the Yi family. Wasn't she just a useless and weak girl? It seems that was a misconception. No wonder she can freely enter and leave the unique poisonous barrier of my Hundred Herbs Valley. There must be some mystery inside. I'll slowly investigate it in the future, the doctor thought to himself.

Indeed, this man was none other than Yi Junhao, the Valley Master, the black-robed figure who had been hiding in the shadows a few days earlier when Yi Shangyun stole medicinal herbs from Hundred Herbs Valley in the dead of night. Those who knew him called him Third Young Master Yi. That night, he ordered a maid in green to follow Yi Shangyun down the mountain, and the maid had already confirmed that she was indeed the eldest daughter of the Yi family.

Now he was even more certain that she was not the weak and useless person that everyone could bully, as the rumors said. And the fact that she stole the Nine Deaths Resurrection Grass that night, coupled with the fact that she covered her face with a veil all day, made him quickly conclude that she was trying to cure the poison on his face.

Well, beauties are meant to be cherished and treated with care; otherwise, wouldn't that be a waste? Especially a beauty as intelligent, kind, and virtuous as her. As the blue-clad physician pondered this, his eyes revealed an even greater appreciation mixed with pity.

"Very well, I have other matters to attend to today, so I'll take my leave now. We'll meet again if fate allows," the itinerant doctor said, giving a casual bow before turning away in haste.

"Alright, take care, sir," Yi Shangyun returned the greeting. When she looked up again, the man had vanished without a trace, as if he had never been there at all.

Finally, it was time to get down to business. The master and servant continued eastward for a while and then turned right at the next intersection into an alley. Baicaotang was located at the entrance of this alley in the city.

The three-story shop was decorated with considerable luxury, and anyone coming from the north or south could easily spot the "Bai Cao Tang" plaque hanging above the entrance. People were constantly coming and going, making it almost as crowded as a marketplace; it truly lived up to its reputation as the premier herbal medicine merchant in the Western Qin Kingdom.

Upon entering, the shop on the first floor was lined with shelves and counters for Chinese medicine on all four sides, densely packed and dazzlingly abundant, offering everything from herbs to herb processing to prepared Chinese medicines—a complete one-stop shop. Yi Shangyun was somewhat stunned by what she saw.

"Are you two ladies here to pick up medicine or for a consultation?" A shop assistant came over, quick-witted and smooth-talking, with an air of expertise.

"This is the eldest daughter of the Yi family, the pharmacist's mansion in the west of the city," Yan'er introduced Yi Shangyun first.

"So you're the daughter of Pharmacist Yi, what a pleasure to meet you. Please come up to the third floor. The shopkeeper has already received Pharmacist Yi's notification, and all the goods are ready and waiting for your inspection before being delivered to the palace. Please come up to the third floor quickly," the shopkeeper said as he led the way.

To reach the third floor, you have to pass through the second floor. The second floor houses several renowned doctors who hold consultations at Baicaotang on an irregular basis. These are usually top-tier imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy or well-known itinerant doctors from the common people. Their fees are quite high. It seems Baicaotang is indeed exceptionally powerful and has a very good business sense.

The blue-robed itinerant doctor had already removed his beard and donned a purple-red robe. His long, dark hair was half-tied with an exquisite hairpin, with two slightly curled strands hanging down from his temples, which he would occasionally dab at. He even had a pair of captivating eyes, exuding a bewitching charm—yes, bewitching charm.

He appeared to be in his early twenties, exuding a carefree and unrestrained air, completely different from the blue-robed itinerant doctor he had just been. He was now leisurely sipping tea at an ebony tea table in a corner of the third floor of the Hundred Herbs Hall. Two maids in light green dresses served him. Although they were maids, they chatted freely with him, behaving as if they were servants from a different household.

Just then, Yi Shangyun came up to the third floor and immediately saw the three eye-catching figures of master and servant. The man in the purple robe paused upon seeing Yi Shangyun, stopping his teacup and staring blankly at her. Yi Shangyun certainly wouldn't recognize him in that attire. Their eyes met, and as they continued to sized each other up, before they could speak, the waiter had already invited the manager over.

"Miss Yi, it's an honor to have you here. I'm so sorry for not welcoming you sooner. Please, please have a seat here," the shopkeeper said politely, glancing at the purple-robed man beside him. The purple-robed man nodded, indicating that he should continue.

"I've come on my father's orders to trouble you, but only to ensure the quality of medicines used in the palace. I hope you'll forgive me, shopkeeper," Yi Shangyun replied politely as she sat down. They sat at another table next to the man in the purple robe.

"Of course, all the medicinal herbs have been prepared on schedule. If Miss Yi finds them satisfactory, I will arrange for them to be sent to the palace." As the shopkeeper spoke, many servants brought up the herbs on the prescription and placed them on the long table in the center of the living room, arranging them in the order listed on the prescription, waiting for Yi Shangyun to review them.

When it comes to testing medicines, Yi Shangyun is a professional. In the 21st century, how could she not know the quality of all the herbal medicine suppliers in the group?

She got up and walked to the long table, rolled up her sleeves, and after observing, smelling, asking, tasting, and checking, Yi Shangyun skillfully and quickly inspected all the herbs on the prescription.

Not to mention others, even Yan'er was dumbfounded. You know, she had never seen her young lady have such ability before.

"The number one pharmacy in Western Qin truly lives up to its reputation. Thank you for your hard work, manager," Yi Shangyun said with satisfaction.

At this moment, the man in purple robes walked towards her. "Young lady, you are quite skilled. May I ask where you learned your medicine-making techniques?"

The shopkeeper then hurriedly introduced, "Miss Yi, this is the master of our Hundred Herbs Hall, known as Young Master Yi the Third."

"You're too kind, Third Young Master. I'm flattered by your praise. My skills are but a trivial matter and hardly worthy of such high regard. Please excuse my poor performance," Yi Shangyun replied with a smile and humbly.

"Everyone has heard that the eldest daughter of the Yi family is weak, incompetent, and ugly, but seeing is believing. The young lady is so impressive that people are truly impressed. It is clear that people are spreading rumors and making unfounded accusations against her," Young Master Yi said, full of praise.

"The innocent are innocent, and the guilty are guilty. Why should you care so much about what others say? My daughter has been out for too long today and was worried that the elders at home would be concerned, so she has returned home first. She will come to ask for your advice another day." Yi Shangyun had indeed been out for too long and was quite tired.

"Of course, I'll send someone to escort Miss back to her residence," he said, about to ask the manager to make the arrangements.

"Third Young Master, thank you, but there's no need to trouble yourself. It's very convenient for us to go back. I also want to look around the streets." Yi Shangyun would not easily accept the arrangements of a stranger, even if the person was kind.

Seeing this, Young Master Yi stopped making things difficult for her, and so Yi Shangyun and her servant walked out of Baicaotang.

As darkness fell, the lanterns in the streets were already lit, and the mistress and servant seemed to be in good spirits. Yi Shangyun excitedly looked up at the exquisite ancient lanterns, marveling at their beauty. "So beautiful," she thought to herself, "I've never seen anything like them before..."

Suddenly, a figure flashed through the gaps in the lanterns—it was him...

Yi Shangyun hurriedly chased after the figure that had flashed by...