The silk-drying lofts of the Weaver's District were a skeletal maze of bamboo scaffolding and high wooden beams, draped with hundreds of yards of drying fabric that now caught the flickering orange light of the fires below. The air was a suffocating mix of woodsmoke and the sharp, chemical scent of scorched dyes. Lin Xiyao pressed her back against a sturdy cedar pillar, her medical chest held tightly in her lap. Below them, the rhythmic clatter of iron-shod boots on the cobblestones sounded like an approaching tide, while the heat from the burning street below began to warp the very air they breathed.
"Lay him down here," Xiyao commanded, her voice cutting through the roar of the fire.
Gao, the former Jinyiwei guard who had stood as Lu Yan's most loyal follower, slumped into a pile of raw silk. His breath was a wet, ragged sound, and his tunic was drenched in a dark, viscous fluid that smelled of copper and something unnaturally sweet. A black-feathered arrow was embedded deep in his right lung, the shaft vibrating with every shallow gasp he took.
"The Imperial Vanguard is using 'Wolf-Bane' tips," Lu Yan stated, his golden eyes glowing with a focused, sovereign intensity as he stood at the edge of the loft, watching the street below. He had not drawn his saber, but his very presence seemed to push back the encroaching heat. "If that arrow stays in him for another minute, the poison will reach his heart. Xiyao, can you save him?"
"I have to," Xiyao replied, her fingers already flying over the latches of her chest.
She activated her Heavenly Forensic System, her vision immediately being overlaid with a sapphire-blue diagnostic grid. The information flooded her mind, stripping away the chaos of the fire and focusing only on the dying man before her.
[Heavenly Forensic System: Surgical Mode] Subject: Gao (Stage 1 Stable Carrier). Condition: Penetrating chest wound. Pneumothorax detected. Toxin: 'Wolf-Bane' Distillate (Alchemical Mercury variant). Warning: Removal of the arrow will trigger a massive hemorrhage and a surge of the catalyst. Requirement: Immediate 'Shadow-Surgery' and alchemical sealing.
"Lu Yan, I need your aura to stabilize his pulse," Xiyao said, not looking up. "The poison is reacting to the lunar resonance still lingering in the air. If he goes into shock, the catalyst will turn him feral before I can stitch the wound."
Lu Yan knelt on the other side of Gao, placing a large, steady hand on the man's shoulder. A ripple of golden light flowed from his palm, and Gao's frantic breathing immediately slowed, his heart-pulse settling into a rhythmic, albeit weak, beat. This was the 'Aura of the Sovereign' in its most practical form—the Alpha grounding his pack.
Xiyao pulled out a set of specialized surgical needles and a vial of the 'True Stability' essence she had refined earlier. She knew that in a world where order was non-existent and resources were scarce, every life she saved was a brick in the foundation of their new world.
"I'm going to extract the arrow," Xiyao told Gao, whose eyes were fixed on her with a desperate trust. "Focus on the Commander's voice. Do not let go of your mind."
"Do it, Physician," Gao rasped.
Xiyao gripped the shaft of the arrow with a pair of silver forceps. She channeled her system's energy into her fingertips, allowing her to 'see' the exact path of the barbs through the muscle and lung tissue.
"Three. Two. One."
She pulled.
A geyser of black blood erupted from the wound, but Xiyao was already moving. Her needles flashed in the firelight, striking the Zhongfu and Yunmen points to stop the bleeding and seal the lung. She poured the 'True Stability' essence directly into the open wound. The liquid shimmered with a pale silver light, sizzling as it touched the 'Wolf-Bane' toxin.
[System Update: Surgical Progress] Hemostasis: 85% achieved. Toxin Neutralization: 60% and rising. Note: Subject's heart is under extreme strain.
"Hold him, Lu Yan!" Xiyao cried out as Gao's body arched, his muscles coiling as the alchemical conflict raged within him.
"I have him, Xiyao. Focus on the needle," Lu Yan said, his voice a calm anchor in the storm.
Xiyao began the delicate task of 'Shadow-Surgery,' using her needles to bridge the torn tissue and stimulate the body's own TCM-enhanced healing. Her fingers were covered in blood, and the heat from the lofts was making her dizzy, but she didn't stop. Every stitch was a silent vow against the Emperor's cruelty.
After what felt like hours, Gao's body finally relaxed. The dark veins on his chest receded, and the wound began to close, sealed by a thin, silver-colored scab.
"He's stable," Xiyao whispered, slumping back against the pillar. Her system's light dimmed, the diagnostic grid vanishing to reveal the harsh reality of the burning district.
"The Vanguard is moving in," Lu Yan said, standing up and looking toward the street. The first of the Imperial soldiers were beginning to climb the scaffolding, their torches held high. "They think we are trapped in this loom."
He turned to Xiyao, a faint, dangerous smile playing on his lips. His golden eyes reflected the fire, but they held no fear.
"Xiyao, take the scrolls and move toward the northern exit of the lofts. Gao can walk with help now," Lu Yan commanded. "I am going to show the Emperor's Vanguard that their 'Cleansing' ends here."
"Lu Yan, there are dozens of them," Xiyao said, grabbing his arm.
"They are hunting wolves," Lu Yan replied, his voice shifting into a resonance that made the hanging silks tremble. "It is time they realized they are facing the Alpha."
As Xiyao helped Gao toward the shadows of the rafters, she looked back to see Lu Yan standing at the edge of the loft. He didn't draw his saber. He simply exhaled, and a wave of golden energy rolled out from him, dousing the torches of the soldiers below and plunging the street into a sudden, terrifying darkness.