The wind outside the limestone cavern was a wall of white noise. It pushed against the entrance with a force that made the mountain itself tremble. Li Mei sat on the cold floor of the cave. She placed her medical kit on a flat rock. Prince Zhao stood at the entrance. He watched the blizzard. The air inside the cave was thick with the scent of wet stone and the musk of the twenty Lunar Dissidents. The soldiers were huddled together for warmth.
Mei used her Golden Finger to analyze the atmosphere in the back of the cave. She did not smell the usual dampness of a mountain cave. She identified the scent of burning sulfur, hot steam, and bitter cinnabar. This was the scent of volcanic activity deep beneath the Kunlun range. It was the perfect environment for her experiment.
"The Tubo envoy is losing his arm," Prince Zhao said. He walked toward the center of the cave.
Lord Gombo sat near the fire. He held the arm of one of his men. The man was breathing in short gasps. His left hand was no longer flesh. It was a cluster of silver-blue crystals. The growth had reached his elbow. The skin around the crystals was blue and frozen. This was the crystalline plague from the village. It was a different dimension of the silver curse. It did not use fur or muscle. It used mineral growth to consume the host.
"The cold makes the crystals grow faster," Mei said. Her voice was calm and direct. "I need the heat from the volcanic vent at the back of this cave."
Mei moved her equipment to the rear of the cavern. She found a small crack in the floor. A thin stream of hot gas rose from the crack. She used her rationality and responsibility to plan the treatment. She knew that traditional medicine used fire and minerals to balance the body. She took a piece of volcanic sulfur and a small amount of red cinnabar from her kit. These were heat-based minerals.
"I will create a solvent," Mei said. "I will use the volcanic heat to melt the sulfur into the rice wine."
She placed a bronze cup over the vent. She added the ingredients. The mixture began to bubble. It released a strong and pungent smell. This was a temporary solution for the crisis. She knew that the crystals were a form of supernatural dampness and cold. To destroy them she needed a substance of extreme heat and dryness.
Prince Zhao stood beside her. He looked at the bubbling liquid. His obsidian eyes reflected the red light of the small fire. He felt the sexual tension and the emotional connection between them. He was an invincible warrior but he knew he could not fight this sickness with a sword.
"What can I do to help you?" Zhao asked.
"I need your silver power," Mei replied. "The minerals need a catalyst to penetrate the crystal structure. Your Qi is the only thing that can bridge the gap between the human and the supernatural."
Zhao placed his hand near the bronze cup. He allowed the silver light to flow from his fingers. The liquid in the cup began to glow with a golden-red color. This was the merging of their abilities. It was an example of mutual trust and assistance among companions.
Mei took a silk cloth and soaked it in the hot liquid. She walked to the injured envoy. She looked at Lord Gombo.
"This will be very painful," Mei said. "The heat will fight the cold inside his bones."
"Do what you must," Gombo replied. "We do not fear pain in the mountains."
Mei pressed the cloth against the crystalline elbow. The man let out a loud scream. The sound of hisling steam filled the cave. The silver-blue crystals began to turn into a dull gray powder. The powder fell onto the floor. The blue light in his skin faded. The flesh beneath the crystals was red and raw but it was no longer frozen.
"It is working," Mei said. She felt a sense of achievement.
She continued the treatment for one hour. She used the heat-based solvent to melt the growth from the man's arm. By the time she finished the envoy was weak but his arm was saved. The other soldiers looked at Mei with a sense of worship and trust. She was no longer just a woman from the city. She was the healer of the Kunlun.
The blizzard outside continued to roar. Zhao sat down next to Mei. He gave her a piece of dried meat and a skin of warm water. They were trapped in the cave but they had found a way to fight the mountain plague. This was the reconstruction of their hope in a dangerous world.
"We will reach the monastery tomorrow," Zhao said. "And we will find the sleeping god."