The quarantine camp near the West Gate of Chang'an was filled with the smell of parched earth and the silence of the dying. Li Mei stood over the lead merchant, her nostrils flaring as she used her "Golden Finger" to analyze the air. She did not detect the metallic blood of the werewolf curse. Instead, she identified a scent that was hollow and dry, like a cavern that had been sealed for a thousand years. The merchant's skin was no longer flesh; it looked like gray parchment that would shatter if touched.
"Do not move, Master Omar," Mei said. Her voice was steady, filled with the "rationality and responsibility" of a Head Alchemist. "The spores have rooted in your Lungs meridian. They are drinking the moisture from your blood to feed their own growth."
Mei opened her medical kit. She selected a long silver needle, but she did not use it for traditional acupuncture. She dipped the tip into a solution of liquid jade and crushed snow-lotus. This was an "experimental treatment" based on her father's notes regarding ancient biological agents. She knew that in a "time-limited crisis," the protagonist must use her "Ability" to solve problems that others found impossible.
"This will feel like ice entering your veins," Mei warned.
She drove the needle into the merchant's Zhongfu point. Immediately, a faint, wispy gray smoke began to leak from the puncture site. The smell of "old bones" became overwhelming, a scent that indicated the spores were being forcibly expelled. The merchant let out a ragged gasp, and for the first time in three days, his skin showed a faint, healthy flush of pink.
"I can... I can breathe," Omar whispered. His voice was no longer a dry rattle. "The desert is leaving my throat."
Prince Zhao watched from the doorway of the tent. He was dressed in his "traveling gear," a set of reinforced leather armor that smelled of horsehide and sharpened steel. He was the "invincible" warrior preparing for a "marathon" across the Silk Road. The "sexual tension" between him and Mei was a quiet pressure in the cramped space, a "magnetic pull" that grew stronger as the hour of his departure approached.
"You have stabilized him, but the source remains," Zhao said. He stepped closer, his obsidian eyes reflecting a deep "emotional connection" and a lingering worry for Mei's safety in the city. "If these spores were designed as a weapon by the ancient dynasties, they will not stop with one merchant."
"I have found a 'temporary solution,' Zhao," Mei replied, looking up from her patient. "But you are right. This is an 'outer force' that acts like a parasite. I need you to find the tomb. Bring me a sample of the soil and the original seal from the chest. I need to know the 'Background' dimension of this plague to create a permanent cure."
Zhao reached into his belt and pulled out a small jade pendant carved in the shape of a wolf's head. He pressed it into Mei's hand. The jade was warm from his body heat, carrying the grounding scent of winter mint.
"If the Empress Dowager's supporters move against you while I am in the desert, use this," Zhao said. His voice was a low vibration of "trust and worship." "The 'Lunar Dissidents' in the tunnels will answer to this token. You are the heart of this kingdom building project, Mei. Do not let the shadows take you."
"And you," Mei said, her fingers closing over the jade. "Do not let the desert change you. The 'Life Experience' of those who enter those tombs is often a path to madness."
They shared a final "touching highlight" of a gaze before Zhao turned and walked out into the bright afternoon sun. Outside, the sounds of horses neighing and the clanking of supply wagons filled the air. Zhao's unit was moving out, a "military unit" of fifty elite riders destined for the western wastes.
Mei returned to her work, but her "Golden Finger" picked up a sudden, discordant scent. It was coming from the back of the merchant's tent. It smelled like "arsenic and lavender"—the Empress Dowager's signature. She realized that even with the Empress in a cell, her "influence" was still a "looming crisis" within the city. The desert spores were not just an accident; they were a distraction.
The chapter ended with Mei finding a small, purple silk ribbon tucked under Omar's pillow. It was a "cliffhanger" that suggested the "Puppet Master" was still pulling strings from behind the bars of her gilded cage.