Little Qiqi, the Apothecary

On the toxic, plague-ridden borderlands of Southern Xinjiang, a young apothecary named Xiao Qi saves a dying orphan, A Chou, from a mass grave. A Chou has a strange bloodline: their blood contains trace amounts of an antidote to poison, but is itself highly toxic, causing people to regard them as an ill omen. To repay Xiao Qi for saving their life, A Chou volunteers to become her test subject, enduring doses of poison to help her study ways to neutralize it. Two outcasts, driven away by fear and scorn, depend on each other as they struggle through a thorn-filled world, seeking a “pure land” where A Chou can finally catch their breath and be rid of the poison that ravages their body.

When a deadly plague strikes, ignorant villagers turn against A Chou, the one with “poisoned blood,” driving them to the brink. As they flee, the accumulated toxins in A Chou’s body near the point of eruption. In an ancient fragment of a manuscript, Xiao Qi discovers the only cure, but it requires the life of a human test subject as its catalyst. A Chou willingly offers themself as a sacrifice, just to give Xiao Qi a chance to live. For nine days, the flames of the medicine furnace reflect their farewell. When the medicine is ready and the furnace opens, will they truly find the pure land? As life and salvation hang in the balance, what will they choose?