Su Wan reluctantly opened her eyes amid a cold sting, and it took several seconds for her vision to focus. What came into view was not the familiar dissecting table, nor the dazzlingly white laboratory lights, but a dim, flickering candlelight. There was a strange mixed smell in the air - the sweet rich smell of high-end incense, the dull smell of old wood, and... A hint of blood that was vague but sharp enough to reach the sky.
She was kneeling on the cold, hard gold brick floor, and the severe pain in her knees reminded her that this was not a dream. The coarse cloth worn by a palace maid made her skin ache from the friction.
