Jian and Baiji walked through the streets of the underground village, admiring it and wondering how a village like this could survive 2000 feet below the surface. The village resembled the capital, with the ground paved with gray and black stones, red houses with dark blue roofs, trees of various colors, an artificial sky simulating the one from the outside world, and a large commercial district.

And it was to this district that the two were heading, looking for supplies, a place to spend the night, and Dr. Pilo, whom Kamba had mentioned.

"Jian, I'll find a place to stay the night. Look for Dr. Pilo and see if you can recover," Baiji said.

"Okay," Jian replied.

The two split up in the middle of a street in the commercial district.

The artificial sky began to darken, signaling that night was approaching. Merchants were packing up their goods and closing their shops.

Jian walked among the population, noticeably different from the locals. He stood out, drawing the attention of some residents.

A child looked at Jian with a look of curiosity and confusion.

"Look, mama, a foreigner."

The mother quickly corrected the child.

"Don't say that out loud, dear."

Jian looked at them and approached. They seemed wary of Jian's approach.

"Hello. I'm looking for Dr. Pilo's pharmacy," Jian asked with a friendly expression.

"Dr. Pilo? He was called to the main laboratory."

"And when does he come back?"

"He used to stay there for days, but recently he's been going home before sunset."

"I see."

They said their goodbyes, each going their separate way.

Jian paused for a moment, placing his right hand on his head.

"I forgot to ask where his house is."

Meanwhile, Baiji was walking through the dining area, looking for a place to eat.

"There's no point looking for a place to sleep on an empty stomach, oink." His stomach growled from hunger.

He then spotted a very inviting bar. Even though its aesthetic was somewhat rudimentary, the smell coming from it was hypnotic.

He approached the door and overheard someone arguing. He entered and saw a group of troublemakers, visibly drunk, turning the bar upside down.

"Where's the wine I ordered?! Bring me more wine!!"

"Sir, you've already finished all the wine for the day. I don't have any left."

The troublemaker went toward the bartender and slammed his hand on the counter.

"I don't care if you have more wine or not! Go get it from somewhere else, now!"

The other costumers there watched the scene in silence.

Baiji stepped forward and tried to calm the troublemaker. He remembered that he couldn't draw too much attention for being a foreigner.

"Sir, I know a place with the best quality wine."

Baiji grabbed his arm, trying to persuade him. The troublemaker's expression changed when he heard this.

"Uh? You really know a place? Where?!"

He then looked at Baiji.

"A pig? Glup."

The troublemaker looked at his arm held by Baiji and immediately let go.

"Who do you think you are, holding my arm?! Do you know who I am?"

"I apologize, but…"

Baiji didn't finish the sentence. The troublemaker raised his hand and tried to punch Baiji, but the punch was stopped by a hooded man. He grabbed the troublemaker's fist and twisted it until he gave up.

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"Let go, let go! Agggghh!"

The hooded man looked through the hood with a threatening gaze.

"Get out."

The troublemaker, despite the pain, smiled.

Behind the hooded man, two more troublemakers attacked him. With his other hand, he stopped their blows and threw them against the wall. They were knocked out.

Seeing that his lackeys couldn't do anything to the hooded man, the troublemaker apologized and ran out of the bar.

"Thank you, my friend," the bartender said.

"You shouldn't sell alcohol to just anyone who asks. You were lucky I was here," the hooded man said in a deep, firm voice.

"How much do I owe?"

"No need to pay. As a thank you, your meal is on the house."

Despite the bartender's generous offer, the hooded man refused and insisted on paying.

"Then it's 4 pelgas."

The man placed the money on the counter and said his goodbyes. Baiji noticed that he was missing one finger.

"Wait a second," Baiji said.

The man didn't stop and left the bar.

Baiji followed him outside, but he had already disappeared. He went back inside the bar to ask the bartender if he knew him. The bartender denied it but mentioned that it wasn't the first time the man had visited. He also added that the man didn't speak much and always wore that cloak.

The bartender looked closely at Baiji.

"You're not from here, are you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"A bit. I know almost everyone here and can recognize a foreigner when I see one."

"You're right. I've been down here for some time."

The bartender extended his hand to Baiji.

"My name's Janga."

Baiji climbed onto the barstool. He was too small to reach the bartender's hand from the floor.

"I'm Baiji, nice to meet you."

They talked for a while until Baiji's stomach growled again. Janga then handed him the menu and told him not to worry about the prices.

Back in the commercial district, Jian finally came across a pharmacy.

He approached the empty counter.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" No one answered.

He asked again, and a small creature appeared from behind the counter, holding a cardboard box.

"I'm here. Stop shouting."

"Uh? I didn't expect Dr. Pilo to be a dwarf fox."

"Tsc. I'm not Dr. Pilo. He hasn't come home yet."

"I see."

"Who's asking?"

"I'm Jian, a Taoist from the world above. Kamba told me about Dr. Pilo."

"Kamba, huh? You can call me Rotta. I'm the doctor's assistant."

"I see. And when does he get here?"

A man approached them, wearing a doctor's coat over his shoulder, a cigarette in his mouth, and looking visibly exhausted.

"Who's calling for my name?"

"Here he is."

Jian turned to the doctor and introduced himself. Jian also asked if the doctor was okay, as his face looked pale and his dark circles were deep. The doctor said he was fine and asked about the young man's visit. Jian opened his hanfu and showed the still-bloody wounds.

"Hmmm. These don't look like regular wounds. There's something else, like poison or something like that."

"Poison?"

"Seems like it." The doctor activated his mantra vision and noticed that the poison was blocking the flow of qi and, consequently, the healing process.

"Unfortunately, poisons aren't my specialty. The most I can do is temporarily dissipate it."

The doctor looked around.

"Rotta, can you go get the frog-eye pills from my office? They're in the cabinet."

"Got it."

"It seems like the fight was intense."

"You could say that. They were pretty tough."

"They were, huh?" The doctor laughed at Jian's statement. "My daughter specializes in herbs and poisons, but she went to the capital earlier today."

"I see."

Rotta returned with the pills and handed them to the doctor.

"These pills will slow the poison's progress in your body. Take one now, and whenever you feel pain or exhaustion, take another. I only have three for now, which should be enough for a week. Go back to the world above once you finish your business with the Chief."

Jian took the pills.

"Thank you, Doctor. But how do you know I'm here to see the Chief?"

"You're quite the topic among the higher-ups."

While they were talking, an explosion was heard. People in the street started running in a panic.

Jian was surprised and, looking at Pilo, noticed that the doctor seemed deeply shaken.

"It can't be…" He then asked Rotta to take care of the house again and started running toward the accident.

"Wait!" Jian followed the doctor.

On the other side of the village, Baiji also heard the explosion and ran outside.

"Thanks for the meal!"

The mushroom-shaped explosion was enormous, visible kilometers away.

The panic and screams of the villagers filled the afternoon.

The fire mages from the fire department were using water magic to contain the flames burning in an abandoned warehouse.

The braver and more curious people who stayed near the scene wondered what had happened.

Baiji was the first to reach the site.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Suddenly, a giant creature appeared in the smoke and flames.

The villagers' panic grew.

Baiji ran toward the monster but was stopped by the village guards.

"You can't go through!"

Baiji kept insisting, saying that he was a Taoist and could handle the situation, but to no avail. The guards stood firm in their decision.

The monster was becoming more and more threatening. With its giant tail, it was sweeping through nearby houses.

Seeing this, Baiji knocked out the two guards and charged toward the creature. He summoned a staff with his qi and tried to strike the monster, but the flames and the heat emanating from it prevented him.

"Damn! The heat and pressure from its qi are too dense."

Meanwhile, Jian and Pilo arrived at the scene. Jian quickly spotted Baiji near the creature.

"Baiji!"

"Jian?" Baiji stepped back and joined Jian.

"This situation is worse than I expected. If we don't act fast, it could spiral out of control."

Pilo muttered, staring at the creature. He was visibly shaken.

"Dr. Pilo, stay back. It's too dangerous." Jian was concerned about the doctor.

"Looks like you found the doctor."

"Yes, but apparently not at the best time," Jian added. "What do we do now? The mages are still holding strong, trying to put out the fire, but that's not the biggest problem."

"Looks like we have to save the day again." Baiji was confident.

They prepared for the attack, assuming combat stances. However, Jian placed his hand over his chest.

Baiji noticed Jian's pain. "Didn't the doctor heal you?"

"More or less." Jian swallowed the pill Pilo had given him earlier. "This should be enough for now. It has to be."

Jian and Baiji charged at the creature.