The purple haze clinging to the curved rooftops of Chang'an was not a natural mist; it smelled of scorched sulfur and the heavy, metallic tang of a thousand sharpening blades. As the evening drums of the 108 wards thundered—a rhythmic warning that usually signaled the closing of the gates—the city instead felt like a massive, trapped animal. Li Mei sat in the flickering lantern light of Prince Zhao's inner sanctum, her "Golden Finger" vibrating with the intensity of the sensory overload. Her father's journal lay open on the table, its pages smelling of the very "arsenic and lavender" conspiracy that was currently tearing the Tang Dynasty apart.
"He didn't see this as a sickness," Mei whispered, her voice tight with the "rationality and responsibility" of a healer who had finally found the map to the apocalypse. She traced a diagram of a human body where the traditional meridians were overlaid with jagged, silver lines. "My father mapped the 'Six Dimensions' of the curse: the Background of the ancient silver wolves, the Personality shifts of the infected, their Purpose as a military unit, their political Standpoint, their unnatural Ability to regenerate, and the Life Experience of those who survive the change. He called it an 'upgrade system'—a way to manufacture invincible soldiers."
Prince Zhao stood by the window, his obsidian eyes reflecting the unnatural purple glow of the sky. He was the "hero" of this grand worldview, yet his own "dark side" was surging as the full moon neared its zenith. The scent of winter mint was almost entirely drowned out by the primal, musky ozone of his shifting Qi.
"If it is a system, it can be dismantled," Zhao growled, his hand gripping the windowsill until the wood groaned and splintered. "But the Empress Dowager has accelerated the 'pacing'. The hunt has already begun in the North Ward."
A sharp, high-pitched howl echoed from the distance, followed by the frantic clanging of bells from the city's watchtowers. The "dramatic opening event" of the first full-scale werewolf hunt had arrived. It was a "time-limited crisis" that would force Zhao to choose between his royal duty and his bestial nature.
"Your Highness, look at the fourth dimension—the Standpoint," Mei said, her fingers flying over the text as she "analyzed" the data with an author's perspective. "The journal says the transformation is triggered by a specific frequency of sound, one that matches the imperial bells. They aren't just hunting; they are being directed. The Empress isn't just purging the city; she's testing her 'military units'."
Zhao turned, the gold in his eyes flaring with a "magnetic pull" that made Mei's heart hammer against her ribs. The "sexual tension" in the room was a spark of heat in the cold palace air, a reminder that they were two individuals "merging" their destinies against an empire.
"Then I will go to the watchtowers," Zhao declared, his voice a low, bestial rasp that commanded "worship and trust". "I will stop the bells. Mei, you must find the 'temporary solution' in that journal—the one that targets the 'Ability' dimension. If these creatures can regenerate infinitely, my soldiers will be slaughtered."
Mei grabbed her silver needles, her "Golden Finger" picking up a new, terrifying scent coming from the palace gardens: the smell of "outer forces," an alien intrusion of energy that felt cold and devoid of human nature. The "pacing" of the story was no longer a marathon; it was a sprint toward a "cliffhanger" that would determine if Chang'an would see another dawn.
"Wait," Mei said, stepping into his space and placing a hand on his burning chest, an act of "immersion" that bridged the gap between alchemist and wolf. "If you go, the beast will try to take you. Take this." She pressed a small, jade vial into his hand, scented with crushed wolfsbane and her own "mercy".
The Prince's hand covered hers, his skin hot and rough with the beginning of the change. It was a "touching highlight" of mutual trust in a world of betrayal. As he vanished into the night, Mei realized the "first mission" of their partnership was over. Now, she had to face the Empress in the heart of the "Lavender Labyrinth" while the city bled silver outside.