Li Mei walked into the dark tunnel beneath the West Market. The air was cold and damp. She carried her medical kit against her side. This kit contained the silver needles and herbs she needed to treat her patients. Prince Zhao followed her closely. He was a warrior who had survived many battles. Eunuch Gao walked at the end of the line. Gao was usually a person who talked a lot to make people happy. Now he remained silent because he was afraid of the monsters above them.
The tunnel was part of the drainage system for the city. It was built from large stones. Mei used her preternatural sense of smell to find the way. This ability was her golden finger. It allowed her to identify scents that normal people could not detect. She detected the smell of stagnant water and wet earth. She also detected the metallic smell of the werewolf curse. This curse was a virus that transformed humans into predators.
Mei stopped at a fork in the path. She turned her head to the left. She smelled the scent of medicinal tea and lavender. The lavender scent belonged to the Empress Dowager. The tea scent belonged to her father. This confirmed that they were close to the secret entrance of the Imperial Gardens. Above them the city of Chang'an was in chaos. The social order had collapsed because of the apocalypse. Laws no longer existed in the 108 wards. People did not trust each other because resources were scarce.
"The entrance is behind this wall," Mei said. Her voice was quiet.
Prince Zhao stepped forward. He reached for the stones. His hands were large and strong. He was the main character of this story. He had a golden finger that gave him great strength. This strength allowed him to fight the lunar warriors. He pushed against a loose block of granite. The wall moved with a heavy sound. This was a secret door built by the Shadow Apothecaries.
They were engaging in kingdom building. To defeat the Empress they needed to build their own force of allies. The protagonist often develops her own followers to ensure her survival. In this cellar they would find the physicians who had escaped the palace. These people were part of the core audience for their mission.
Mei smelled the arsenic again. It was a chemical used to trigger the transformation. She knew that the full moon would soon reach its highest point. They had a limited amount of time to stop the Empress. If they failed the entire empire would become a wasteland.
Zhao looked at Mei. His eyes were dark. He felt a strong connection to her. This connection was based on trust and their shared goal. They were partners in this long journey.
They stepped through the opening into a large underground room. The room was filled with scrolls and medical equipment. Several people looked up from their work. They were the allies Mei had been searching for. This was the start of their counterattack against the palace.