Dawn broke. Yet Mao Mao's hands did not stop. The apothecary's workbench was lined with the remains of failed prototypes. Small mud-like clumps, discolored liquids, charred leaf fragments. The medicinal herb shelf had been more than half emptied since last night. Rough hands pulled out the next herb. The skin on their fingers was cracked, stinging from the irritant chemicals. Still, the hands would not stop. (Just one more. Just one more.) It was a phrase they'd repeated countless times since last night—they'd lost count. The body doesn't lie. Their feet were unsteady. Their vision blurred each time they stood. They couldn't remember when they'd last eaten. Still. If it meant erasing the option of offering up Jinshi from their mind, they would work until they collapsed. That was Mao Mao's pride as an apothecary. "[serious]……With this combination" Working backward from known pharmacological effects, they reverse-engineered the components of the gender-swap herb—one not even found in Litian's classical texts. They assembled mineral drug reactions in their mind. The pen moved. Test reagent dripped. A thin hiss. The liquid turned black. Another failure. Mao Mao let their lead-heavy arm fall to the workbench. They closed their eyes, just for a moment. The sound of the door opening made their eyes snap open. "[cold]……How many days have you been awake" They turned. Jinshi stood in the apothecary's doorway. Long black hair. Pale skin with darker shadows under the eyes than last night. More than three days had passed since taking on a female body, yet their posture remained as straight as always. Only their eyes were angry. "[cold]You're still at this. Stop now" "[serious]Just one more attempt, please" "[angry]You said that last night. And the night before" "[serious]This time I've changed the compound ratios. It's different from yesterday" Jinshi approached. They glanced at the pile of failed attempts on the workbench, then looked at Mao Mao's hands. Cracked fingertips stained with yellow chemical residue. "[cold]What happens if you collapse" "[serious]I'll finish before I collapse" "[angry]Stop being stubborn" "[serious]I'm not being stubborn. I'm stating facts" Jinshi sighed. Then paused for a moment. "[cold]……Mao Mao" Their voice changed. "[cold]Forget about me. If I'm handed over, that settles it" In that instant, Mao Mao's hands stopped. Slowly, they looked at Jinshi. Jinshi's face was serious. They meant it. There was something resigned in their expression, something quiet. Something in Mao Mao snapped. They stood up. Unsteady, but facing Jinshi straight on. "[angry]I cannot accept that" Jinshi's face showed a flicker of surprise. "[angry]Don't sacrifice my patient without permission!! Don't you dare!!" Their voice echoed through the apothecary. Mao Mao almost never raised their voice. They rarely showed emotion openly. So Jinshi froze for a moment, not understanding what was happening. "[angry]Everyone in the inner palace is my patient right now. Restoring broken bodies to their original state is my job. I never intended—not for a single moment—to resolve this by handing you over. Don't stand there like you've already decided that for me" Ragged breathing. Their hands were trembling. Anger and exhaustion and something else entirely mixed together, impossible to sort out. Jinshi listened in silence. Then their eyes narrowed. Something broke. From those large black eyes, a single tear fell. "[whispers]……A female body cries so easily" The voice was small. Like speaking to themselves. Mao Mao went rigid. Jinshi was crying. (……Why) They didn't understand the reason. Were they crying because they'd been yelled at? That didn't feel right. Mao Mao honestly didn't know how to handle a person who was crying. But somehow, that tear pierced their chest. "[cold]……I apologize. I yelled too much" "[cold]Don't apologize" Jinshi quickly wiped their eyes. An awkward silence fell between them. The door opened. This time, there was no knock. A man in eunuch's robes entered. For a moment, Mao Mao thought it was a familiar palace eunuch. But it wasn't. The way he walked was different. His eyes were different. Sharp eyes. Eyes that feared nothing at all. "[cold]Time's up" Fluent Litian. But with an accent. A southern accent—from Nankai. In the man's hand was a small vial. Inside, murky liquid sloshed. Mao Mao's entire body tensed. That was the curse-breaking medicine. "[cold]Hand over Jinshi, or I destroy it here" "[angry]Wait——" The moment they lunged forward, the man's arm swung. Splash. The vial smashed against the floor. Glass shattered. Liquid scattered. Pure reflex. Mao Mao stretched both hands toward the floor, trying to catch even a little of the spilled liquid. Then a body collided with them from the side. Jinshi. They'd thrown themselves to shield Mao Mao, and the two of them tumbled to the floor together. A dull thud. For a moment, no one moved. "[sarcastic]……The offer stands until tomorrow morning. Think it over" The man's laughter spread across the apothecary's ceiling. Footsteps receded. The door closed. Silence. Mao Mao lay on the floor and, out of apothecary habit, moved their nose. (……This smell) Liquid had seeped near their face. Sweet and faintly bitter. Something mineral-based, something plant-derived. Before thinking, Mao Mao brought their tongue close to the floor and faintly confirmed the volatile components. Bitter. Sweet. A slight saltiness. Drawers opened in their mind. One after another. (……I know this. This bitterness is peony root bark. This sweetness is jujube extract. And——) Mao Mao's eyes widened. (This saltiness is Nankai sea salt. I can recreate it with only the ingredients in this apothecary!!) They had everything. Peony root bark, jujube extract—both on the shelf right now. Only one thing was missing. Nankai sea salt. (At the Jade Pavilion, in Ramon's adoptive father's medicine cabinet——there's Nankai sea salt. I'm certain of it.) The Jade Pavilion. The pleasure quarter fifteen minutes' walk south from the Emerald Forbidden City's gate. But now the city gates were sealed. There was no way to contact Ramon—— "[serious]……Mao Mao" A voice came from very close. Impossibly close. Mao Mao slowly turned their face. Jinshi was directly above them. Still tangled together on the floor, their faces were inches apart. Jinshi's black eyes met Mao Mao's directly. Jinshi's face turned red. "[surprised]——" They quickly looked away. Even their ears were flushed. Mao Mao realized something. Their own chest was rising and falling quickly. A different kind of quick than exhaustion. They didn't know why. They tried to think of a reason, but couldn't quite manage it. (……This is not the time for that.) Mao Mao stood up first. They swayed but caught themselves on the shelf. "[serious]I've identified the components" "[surprised]Eh" "[serious]I can recreate it with the apothecary's materials. Only one thing is missing——Nankai sea salt. It should be in the adoptive father's cabinet at the Jade Pavilion. We have half a day left. I'll figure out how to contact the Jade Pavilion from the Emerald Forbidden City" Jinshi slowly stood up. Still slightly flushed, they looked at Mao Mao. "[cold]……You just collapsed on the floor and tasted the liquid with your tongue" "[serious]Apothecary's habit" "[cold]……I see" A breath passed. Then Jinshi's expression became serious. "[serious]Contacting the Jade Pavilion. I'll figure out how. You prepare for the recreation" "[serious]……Yes" Mao Mao turned toward the shelf. They pulled out peony root bark. They confirmed the jujube extract. Their hands still ached from the chemicals, but their fingers moved with certainty. At the bottom of despair, a single thread of light appeared. Thin and fragile, hanging on nothing but the sea salt at the Jade Pavilion. But it was there. Unmistakably there. Mao Mao stood before the workbench and began the next preparation.