The Empress stood motionless on the jade platform while her silver robes reflected the pale light of the moon. Lu Yan kept his hand on the hilt of his black spring saber and watched the shadow guards in the trees. Lin Xiyao walked toward the center of the peony bed where the flowers were the most withered. She knelt on the ground and placed her palms on the warm soil. She activated her Heavenly Forensic System to analyze the subterranean layers beneath the garden. The system provided a three dimensional map of the structures hidden under the palace grounds.
Lin Xiyao saw a network of jade pipes that carried a glowing violet liquid. She told the Empress that the flowers were dying because their roots were absorbing a concentrated alchemical catalyst. She said that the substance was designed to rewrite the nature of living cells through lunar radiation. This explanation was based on her medical rationality and her desire to reveal the truth. The Empress asked how a physician could see what was hidden beneath the earth. Lin Xiyao replied that her father had taught her to sense the pulse of the land just as a physician senses the pulse of a patient.
Lin Xiyao moved a heavy stone ornament near the base of the jade pavilion. She found a hidden mechanical trigger that was shaped like a wolf's head. She pressed the trigger and a section of the stone walkway began to slide back with a heavy grinding noise. This movement revealed a set of stairs made of black basalt that descended into the darkness. The air that rose from the opening was cold and smelled of ozone and stagnant water. Lin Xiyao told the group that the source of the garden's contamination was located at the bottom of the stairs. She acted with a sense of responsibility to lead the Empress toward the evidence of the conspiracy.
Lu Yan stepped in front of Lin Xiyao to lead the way into the passage. He possessed the physical strength and the heightened senses needed to detect any mutations waiting in the dark. The Empress ordered her personal guards to follow but she remained on her platform to watch the entrance. Lin Xiyao followed Lu Yan down the basalt stairs. She used her heart pulse sensing ability to monitor the stability of Lu Yan's pulse. The walls of the passage were covered in ancient carvings that depicted the history of alchemical experiments in the Ming Dynasty.
They reached a large circular chamber at the bottom of the stairs. In the center of the chamber stood a massive basin made of white jade. The basin was filled with a liquid that emitted a faint violet light and caused the air to vibrate. Lin Xiyao approached the basin and used her system to perform a chemical analysis.
Heavenly Forensic System: Chemical Analysis Target: Unknown Liquid Catalyst. Result: Refined Wolf Spirit Essence. Toxicity Level: Extreme. Function: Accelerates mutation in human subjects.
Lin Xiyao told the guards that this liquid was the primary catalyst for the werewolf transformation. She said that the peony garden acted as a natural filter to mask the scent of the poison before it entered the palace water system. This discovery was a dramatic event that confirmed the existence of a large scale conspiracy within the palace. Lu Yan found a heavy iron door at the back of the chamber. He stated that the door was locked from the other side and led to the main alchemical laboratory of Eunuch Wei.
Lin Xiyao felt a strong resonance of lunar energy coming from behind the door. She told Lu Yan that they had reached the center of the alchemical apocalypse. She said that they needed to find a way to destroy the basin without releasing the poison into the city. Her mind determined the key direction of the plot as she looked for a mechanical weakness in the jade pipes. They prepared to enter the final laboratory to find the evidence needed to end the reign of the Eunuchs.